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Google has upgraded its Wear OS platform to allow smartwatches to receive earthquake alerts independently of a paired smartphone, expanding a safety feature that until now relied largely on a connected handset. The update, delivered
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Super Micro Computer Inc. and Abu Dhabi-based EHC Investment have unveiled plans to develop sovereign artificial intelligence data centres in the United Arab Emirates, positioning the Gulf state to expand domestic control over high-performance computing
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OpenAI has disclosed that a ChatGPT account with connections to individuals affiliated with Chinese law enforcement was exploited as part of a multi-faceted cyberattack and influence operation, according to its latest threat report on malicious
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Cyber security researchers have identified a fresh phishing campaign distributing an updated strain of Agent Tesla that relies on process hollowing and layered anti-analysis techniques to bypass conventional detection tools, underscoring the malware’s enduring role
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Moscow’s Federal Security Service has opened a criminal investigation into Telegram founder and chief executive Pavel Durov, accusing him of aiding and abetting terrorist activities linked to widespread content on the messaging platform and alleging
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WhatsApp is testing a scheduled messages feature in its iOS beta, allowing users to choose a specific date and time for a message to be delivered automatically, a move that reflects a deeper shift in
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Google has unveiled a major advancement in its Gemini artificial intelligence assistant that allows the software to autonomously handle multi-step operations on Android devices, enabling users to command the AI to book rides, order food
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Stay golden! If you've ever clocked that unmistakable, glassy sparkle to a celebrity's complexion on the red carpet, chances are they've paid a visit to Dr. Mariana Vergara.The NP-C, who treats A-listers out of her
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The stoppage of the last Russian oil flows to Europe, via the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, has triggered a geopolitical clash that has blocked new EU sanctions on Russia and vital funding for Ukraine. Druzhba, which translates as “friendship” in English, is a pipeline that carries crude oil from Russia to Eastern Europe, via Ukraine. The Soviet-era link was one of the most important Russian oil arteries, delivering crude from West Siberia to the industrial heartland in Europe including Belarus, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. At its peak, Druzhba pumped over 1mn barrels per day, over 1% of global oil supply, according to Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft. Most EU countries halted their Russian oil imports following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and by the start of this year Druzhba was carrying around 200,000 bpd to Hungary and Slovakia, according to Reuters calculations based on official data from the two countries. The leaders of Hungary and Slovakia are outliers in the EU for maintaining close ties with Russia. They say buying oil elsewhere is more expensive and would endanger their energy security. On February 12, the government of Ukraine said flows have been suspended for over two weeks, since January 27. Oil flows via Druzhba have been disrupted in the past and were usually reported by the countries involved within hours. Ukraine has accused Russia of damaging the pipeline with drones. Russia, as well as Hungary and Slovakia, have accused Kyiv of stalling the repairs for political reasons. Ukraine has not publicly disclosed details of the damage, nor a date for when it expects to resume deliveries via Druzhba. Kyiv says repairs are ongoing, but shelling by Russia poses security risks to these efforts. A note submitted by Ukraine to a technical meeting of EU governments on oil supplies on February 25, seen by Reuters, said Russian attacks on January 27 had damaged an oil pumping station near the city of Brody and “technological and auxiliary equipment” of the Druzhba pipeline. Reuters could not independently verify the extent of damage because it could not access the sites. Hungary retaliated against the stoppage of flows by vetoing new EU sanctions on Russia this week and blocked a new EU loan for Kyiv, straining Europe’s pro-Ukrainian consensus on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the Ukraine war. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose party is trailing behind the opposition in polls ahead of an April 12 election, on Wednesday accused Ukraine of an “oil blockade”. Orban has cast the election as a choice between “war or peace”, saying his opponents would drag Hungary into the Ukraine conflict. Slovakia has stopped providing emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine in response to the Druzhba dispute. Kyiv relies on emergency electricity from EU countries because of extensive damage to its power infrastructure from Russian drone and missile attacks. The EU has not said how it plans to break the deadlock on its new Russia sanctions, after talks between ministers on Monday failed to do so. Croatia has offered to replace oil from Druzhba by supplies via its Adria pipeline with non-Russian supplies shipped in by tankers. Pipeline operator Janaf says Adria could deliver as much as 280,000 bpd of oil to Hungary and Slovakia, more than enough to replace the 200,000 bpd coming from Russia. Hungary’s MOL has previously said Adria cannot deliver those volumes and that maintaining supplies via Druzhba is crucial to its operations. MOL and Janaf said on Wednesday they would start tests to confirm Adria’s capacity, with international observers present. The halt of supplies via Druzhba has not triggered an immediate oil shortage in Hungary or Slovakia. Both countries have ordered an emergency release of stocks. The cut in Druzhba flows has added to Russian oil production and export problems, according to traders and analysts. Russian oil flows to India and Turkey are set to drop in March-April due to US sanctions, leaving China as the main buyer of crude. Ukrainian drone attacks have also damaged several refineries inside Russia, reducing its ability to process crude, which together with export problems may ultimately lead to production cuts, according to analysts. Market jitters over supply disruptions from Russia alongside U.S.-Iran tensions have supported benchmark crude oil prices above $70 per barrel, well above analysts’ predictions of $60 per barrel this year.
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Beijing to press Russia for an end to the Ukraine war and raised the issue of Europe’s yawning trade gap with China as he followed a string of Western leaders to court President Xi Jinping. Here are key outcomes of the German leader’s inaugural trip to China earlier this week: Travelling with dozens of business leaders, Merz told reporters that economic competition “played an important role” in conversations during his visit. European businesses complain that China, with its low domestic demand, is flooding Europe with cheap goods. Germany’s trade deficit with China hit a record €89bn ($105bn) last year. “This dynamic is not healthy,” Merz admitted after talks on Wednesday. “We want to reduce these imbalances, which have arisen primarily from overcapacity in China,” he said, vowing that more German officials would visit the country this year. While Merz stressed the need to reduce dependence and trade imbalances, China raised concerns about what it calls Berlin’s “over-securities” of trade and high-tech exports. Merz’s visit was a “success for both sides”, said Wang Dong, a professor at Peking University’s School of International Studies. “Germany secured strong economic and business deals, while China deepened strategic communication with Europe’s key power.” Companies from both sides reached more than 10 agreements this week across industries including autos, energy and finance, according to the Chinese commerce ministry. But the visit “did not exceed expectations,” said Philippe Le Corre, a China-Europe relations expert at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis. “Bilateral trade is unbalanced and increasingly so,” he said. “I don’t expect Chinese investments to come soon and help rebalance that deficit.” Merz said China had agreed to purchase up to 120 additional Airbus aircraft, adding that it “demonstrates how worthwhile such trips can be”. He did not specify when those purchases would take place. Airbus is Europe’s largest aerospace company, and China is a key export market. The new Airbus deal would follow a raft of orders announced by Chinese firms at the end of last year. Air China, Shanghai-based Juneyao Airlines and Spring Airlines, as well as Hong Kong-listed China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings (CALC) announced purchases totalling around 150 jets. Airbus has yet to publicly comment on the deal announced by Merz. It did not respond to an AFP request. Merz told reporters following talks with Chinese leaders on Wednesday that he urged Beijing to exert influence on its ally Russia to end the war in Ukraine. “Signals from China are taken very seriously in Moscow,” Merz said. “China’s voice is heard in the world.” Xi said that diplomacy was “key to the issue” and that it was necessary to address the “legitimate concerns” of all sides, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. Merz added that Germany wanted China to avoid supplying Russia with dual-use goods its military could use against Ukraine. “I hope that in my talks I was able to foster a little understanding for the fact that the leadership of this country should also contribute to ending the war in Ukraine,” Merz told reporters before he left China on Thursday. Merz said he had also touched on the sensitive topic of Taiwan, the self-ruled island China claims as its territory and which it has not ruled out using force to annex. Any “reunification” must be done peacefully, the German leader said. Merz is the latest in a string of Western leaders to visit China since December. “China has risen to the ranks of the great powers,” Merz said. “That is also changing our relationship with China.” Britain’s Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Canada’s Mark Carney also visited Beijing, as they recoil from a mercurial United States. “European countries now see China as a stable, indispensable partner — not just an economic player, but a critical factor in their foreign policy calculus,” said Peking University’s Wang. Merz said Germany’s trade policy was “not in isolation” from Europe. But visits by individual European leaders are not as strong as a coordinated push, Asia Society’s Le Corre warned.”Beijing has been trying to ignore EU institutions for the past few years,” he said. “Beijing is always keen to ‘divide and rule’.”
