China suspended new robotaxi licenses after a major system failure in Wuhan last month. Around 100 Baidu Apollo Go vehicles suddenly stopped on city streets, and some passengers were stranded in fast-moving traffic. Authorities have called for a review and prevented firms from adding new autonomous vehicles to their fleets. ...
Saudi Arabia brings medieval cartography, and Yoko Ono, to VeniceSaudi Arabia brings medieval cartography, and Yoko Ono, to Venice
Thirteenth-century maps, first-century incense burners, and new commissions from Yoko Ono and Wael Shawky are coming together in Venice in an exhibition presented by the Saudi Ministry of Culture at the Abbazia di San Gregorio. Running alongside the city’s Biennale from May 6 through November, the show traces cartography from ...
Abu Dhabi saw prewar property boom with best-ever first quarterAbu Dhabi saw prewar property boom with best-ever first quarter
Abu Dhabi’s property market reported its best-ever start to the year, despite a slowdown after Iran launched thousands of missile and drone attacks. Sales in the first three months of 2026 were almost half of last year’s total figure, according to the sector’s regulator ADREC. Off-plan sales dominated the period, ...
Saudi-backed epic flops at box office in the USSaudi-backed epic flops at box office in the US
, a Saudi-backed movie that reportedly cost about $150 million to make, only brought in $472,000 in its opening weekend. The film, starring Anthony Mackie and Ben Kingsley, took six years to produce, and its budget more than doubled in that time, according to Enterprise News. Audiences shunning the movie ...
Qatar repackages incentives to attract non-energy activityQatar repackages incentives to attract non-energy activity
The Qatari government is reminding businesses it will reimburse up to 40% of setup costs as it tries to attract more non-energy activity, such as logistics, technology, and financial services, to its now war-battered economy. The dangling carrot predates the conflict, introduced last year as a stimulus. Now it’s being ...
The pope’s African tour shows the continent is vital to the future of CatholicismThe pope’s African tour shows the continent is vital to the future of Catholicism
Amid the US far right’s hijacking of Christianity and his very public row with Trump, Pope Leo XIV’s visit is symbolic of the ‘growing centrality of Africa and its Black diaspora’ • Don’t get The Long Wave delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Almost a year after his election, ...
Critical minerals are ‘oil of 21st century’ as demand fuels poverty and pollution in poorer countriesCritical minerals are ‘oil of 21st century’ as demand fuels poverty and pollution in poorer countries
Rush for lithium, cobalt and nickel is ravaging livelihoods, water and health of world’s most vulnerable, UN study says Critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel are becoming the “oil of the 21st century” as the scramble for precious metals deepens poverty and creates public health crises in some ...
Indie music has been invaded by fake fans and cynical viral campaigns. Here’s how deep it all goesIndie music has been invaded by fake fans and cynical viral campaigns. Here’s how deep it all goes
Companies such as Chaotic Good are confecting social media buzz to promote Geese, Oklou and other indie darlings. Industry insiders reveal how widespread the practice is – even if no-one is sure it actually works Did you get more fomo than usual from last year’s Glastonbury? Did you see a ...
Meet the AI jailbreakers: ‘I see the worst things humanity has produced’Meet the AI jailbreakers: ‘I see the worst things humanity has produced’
To test the safety and security of AI, hackers have to trick large language models into breaking their own rules. It requires ingenuity and manipulation – and can come at a deep emotional cost A few months ago, Valen Tagliabue sat in his hotel room watching his chatbot, and felt ...
‘Are you ready to go down the rabbit hole?’: inside a Moby Dick production like nothing you’ve seen before‘Are you ready to go down the rabbit hole?’: inside a Moby Dick production like nothing you’ve seen before
Avant-garde theater legend Robert Wilson’s final work was a bold reimagining of Melville’s classic. His collaborators explain bringing it to the Brooklyn stage Not far into Herman Melville’s 1851 epic novel Moby-Dick, a shipowner describes the man who will take their whaler on a tragic quest. Captain Ahab, he says, ...