Chinese tech giant ByteDance’s founder reportedly forbade AI researchers from distilling rival models, as scrutiny of the practice causes friction between Washington and Beijing. The policy reportedly dates to 2023, predating the period when “avoiding US retaliation” became a potential commercial priority, the Pekingnology newsletter wrote. Notably, ByteDance is not ...
iPhones boost India’s electronics ambitioniPhones boost India’s electronics ambition
The success of Apple’s production facilities in Chennai, including the company’s first major iPhone factory in India, is boosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambition of transforming the country into an electronics powerhouse. Washington’s intensifying efforts to wall off its tech industry from Chinese software and components are also helping make ...
Senate negotiations intensify on recess dealSenate negotiations intensify on recess deal
After Republican senators lunched with Vice President JD Vance, the contours of a deal to finish the Senate’s summer business started becoming clearer. “There’s some movement in the right direction,” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Semafor. Republican leaders are close to finishing the government spending bill, which may involve giving ...
Software Giant SAP Stops Most Travel and Hiring Because of AI’s Soaring CostSoftware Giant SAP Stops Most Travel and Hiring Because of AI’s Soaring Cost
SAP, one of the world’s biggest software companies, suspended most travel and hiring last month because of AI’s soaring cost, with exceptions only being made for AI-related travel or hires, according to an internal SAP email obtained by 404 Media. Bloomberg reported on the email and the freezes in July, ...
Iran says a deal with Oman to reopen the strait of Hormuz is close to being finalised – as it happenedIran says a deal with Oman to reopen the strait of Hormuz is close to being finalised – as it happened
This live blog is now closed. Understanding reached on coordinates for shipping route through Hormuz, Iran says Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which was set up in January to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, has finally issued its first construction contract in the devastated territory: a project to build a ...
Israel charges West Bank settler over death of renowned Palestinian activistIsrael charges West Bank settler over death of renowned Palestinian activist
Yinon Levi faces trial for reckless manslaughter related to the 2025 killing of Awdah Hathaleen Israeli prosecutors have charged a Jewish settler over the killing of a Palestinian community leader in the occupied West Bank last year – the first such indictment in nearly three years. In papers filed by ...
Thousands of rail passengers hit by power failure disruptionThousands of rail passengers hit by power failure disruption
An outage in Manchester caused delays and cancellations, with services expected to be affected throughout the evening. ...
Reading John Hersey’s ‘Hiroshima,’ 81 years onReading John Hersey’s ‘Hiroshima,’ 81 years on
by John Hersey. Eighty-one years ago Thursday, an atomic bomb exploded over Japan. One year later, The New Yorker handed its entire Aug 31, 1946 issue to one 31,000-word article telling the story of six people who survived. Hersey — reporting on a clerk, a tailor’s widow, two doctors, a ...
Kalshi banks on its predictions’ accuracyKalshi banks on its predictions’ accuracy
The Scoop Heading into last week’s Federal Reserve meeting, Wall Street’s favored betting parlor — the Fed funds futures market — put two-thirds odds that the central bank would hold rates steady. Over at Kalshi, the prediction market, the chances were as much as 10 points higher. They were both ...
Drone bomb allegedly linked to Russia found at German airportDrone bomb allegedly linked to Russia found at German airport
An explosives-laden drone was discovered at a German airport in one of Europe’s busiest freight terminals near Ukrainian cargo planes. “The initial evidence points firmly towards a Russian-orchestrated plot,” The Guardian’s security editor said, saying the episode marks “a dangerous escalation.” Though a faulty detonator prevented an explosion, the roughly ...