Washington and Tehran are battling to shape the narrative around peace talks, with both sides making contradictory claims about the proposed deal. US President Donald Trump said Iran agreed to full nuclear inspections; Iran said inspectors could not enter the most important sites. Vice President JD Vance said US and ...
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Giant Qatari conglomerate bets on Syria reconstructionGiant Qatari conglomerate bets on Syria reconstruction
The Scene Power International Holding, the Qatari conglomerate that grew to touch nearly every aspect of daily life in the run-up to the 2022 men’s soccer World Cup, has made the pivot few analysts would have predicted for a contractor: expanding beyond its domestic market after Qatar’s sports-centered infrastructure boom ...
Countries grapple with China’s robotics leadCountries grapple with China’s robotics lead
Major economies have starkly different instincts in response to China’s lead in the embodied AI race. China installed a record 295,000 industrial robots in 2024 — 54% of the global total — as it looks to do with robotics what it already has with EVs and solar panels. In the ...
US and Iran disagree on deal termsUS and Iran disagree on deal terms
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday insisted that Iran had agreed to more UN nuclear inspections, rebuffing Tehran’s denial of such a commitment. “They’re wrong,” Trump said, with the disagreement raising fears that future talks would fail to yield a final resolution to the conflict, even as the US secretary ...
Meta plans to build a prediction market appMeta plans to build a prediction market app
Meta plans to build a prediction markets app, The New York Times reported, as one of Big Tech’s traditional champions seeks to carve out a slice of the retail futures bonanza. DraftKings and FanDuel’s parent company fell on the news, reflecting the challenge prediction markets, which have flourished amid lax ...
US’ pro-Ukraine tone unnerves MoscowUS’ pro-Ukraine tone unnerves Moscow
Russia accused the US of failing to follow through on “understandings” reached at last year’s Alaska summit, reflecting Moscow’s frustration with Washington’s recent pro-Ukraine shift in tone. President Donald Trump is reportedly impressed with Ukraine’s drone strikes deep inside Russia, and has signaled more support for Kyiv and further sanctions ...
Honduras to buy Ukrainian drones as Kyiv’s defense clout growsHonduras to buy Ukrainian drones as Kyiv’s defense clout grows
Honduras will buy Ukrainian drones to fight drug trafficking, further evidence of Kyiv’s growing defense-industry clout. The two nations’ presidents met last week; Honduras is a transit route for South American cocaine into North America, and may be evolving into a producer as well as a conduit. Since Russia’s 2022 ...
AI, Veblen goods, and M&A feesAI, Veblen goods, and M&A fees
Liz’s view AI is going to make a lot of things a lot cheaper. But not all goods want to be cheap. They’re called Veblen goods — products whose demand increases alongside their price. The canonical examples are handmade luxury items like Hermès bags. AI is likely to have limited ...
Greenspan’s legacy tested by AI jittersGreenspan’s legacy tested by AI jitters
Alan Greenspan died Monday at 100 years old, and the obituaries have been kind. The former Fed chair lived long enough for his reputation to rebound from the 2008 crash, which was partly blamed on deregulation he encouraged. He’s being remembered as the Maestro of monetary policy. His less flattering ...
Alan Greenspan’s ‘unexpectedly charming’ memoirAlan Greenspan’s ‘unexpectedly charming’ memoir
by Alan Greenspan. The former US Fed chair died this week, aged 100. He advised presidents from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush. This 2007 book was “the most unexpectedly charming Washington insider memoir” in a decade, according to The New York Times, both the life story of “a saxophone-playing ...