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Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, known as “El Cangrejo”, grandson of former Cuban president Raul Castro, attends a pro-government rally called by Cuban authorities to protest US policies toward the island, including the indictment of Raul
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Since its founding nearly 40 years ago, The Independent has argued for Britain to continue to be an open, tolerant nation, welcoming immigrants who contribute to our dynamic economy and our wider cultural life.We celebrated
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Gautam Mukunda, Tribune News ServiceThe American economy is a wonder. The Economist observed that average wages in America’s poorest state, Mississippi, are higher than those in Britain, Canada and Germany. American GDP per capita now
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An “unprecedented” situation was taking hold in Orange County on Friday, as a tank at an aerospace firm was at risk of exploding and releasing a highly toxic chemical that can cause severe respiratory distress
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OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman beat Elon Musk in federal court earlier this week, but the win came at the cost of hearing his former colleagues call him a liar - repeatedly - under oath. A federal jury threw out former OpenAI co-founder Musk’s case that the nonprofit was improperly turned into a for-profit corporation, ruling that the world’s richest person waited too long to sue in a verdict that could be difficult to appeal. That simplifies the path to an initial public offering by OpenAI. The lawsuit risked the company’s being forced to pay out about $150bn and oust its leadership. Still, the portrait of Altman could undermine the trust of investors being asked to pony up for a potential $1tn initial public offering. Altman, the public face of the ChatGPT maker, endured days of testimony from former colleagues and other witnesses who described him as an untrustworthy leader. During his cross-examination of Altman, Musk’s lawyer cited comments from eight witnesses, including Musk, who said Altman misled or lied to others. Altman defended himself in response, testifying, “I believe I am an honest and trustworthy businessperson.” “This verdict removes the single largest legal threat to a public offering,” said James Rubinowitz, a trial lawyer and AI specialist. “That said, even in victory, OpenAI walks away with the worst documentary evidence about its governance now permanently in the public record. Every institutional investor reading this trial transcript is doing their own credibility analysis on Altman before they buy in.” During the trial, OpenAI’s lead lawyer told reporters that the Musk team had resorted to a “character assassination” of Altman rather than show evidence of their claims. One OpenAI official, Joshua Achiam, testified of Altman: “In all of my direct experiences with him, I feel that he’s been honest with me.” Musk claimed that OpenAI’s leaders broke their agreement to keep OpenAI a nonprofit working for the benefit of humanity. Testimony at trial was a faceoff between billionaires. Musk was one of several former colleagues and associates to call Altman a liar, and the theme of honesty was core to his case. OpenAI went much further, portraying Musk as desiring control of the enterprise. “Sam Altman’s credibility is directly at issue in this case,” Musk’s lawyer, Steven Molo, said in his closing argument. “If you don’t believe him, they cannot win.” Jurors needed less than two hours to reach a verdict, focusing on the timing of Musk’s lawsuit. While the trial was Altman’s biggest, most sustained moment in the spotlight, some of the accusations were not new. OpenAI’s board ousted him in 2023, questioning his ability to lead, only to bring him back less than a week later after much of the company threatened to exit. During the trial, OpenAI’s lawyers noted that the vast majority of the company signed a letter supporting his reinstatement. Much of the trial evidence, though, was unflattering. This included reams of documents that showed he had billions of dollars of investments in companies that worked with OpenAI, drawing questions of conflict of interest. Altman said generally he recused himself when there might be conflicts, and that he did not believe he misled people in business. OpenAI Chairman Bret Taylor, who joined the board in late 2023 after Altman had been reinstated, testified that Altman had been forthright about his conflicts. Taylor said Altman sent a note detailing his conflicts before the board updated its conflicts of interest policy. In September 2022, former OpenAI Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati detailed several problems with Altman’s leadership style, according to a memo released as part of the trial. “The constant panic around our projects, people, goals etc generates chaos and churn,” Murati wrote in a memo called “Feedback from Mira to Sam (only Sam had access to this).” “We talk about focus, but in practice our approach is do-everything and do it fast.” In a video deposition shown to jurors, Murati paused for a long time when asked whether by the autumn of 2023 she thought Altman was honest. “Not always,” she said. Murati added that Altman undermined her work and pitted other OpenAI executives against one another. OpenAI co-founder and former board member Ilya Sutskever testified he had collected examples of Altman’s leadership shortfalls for more than a year. OpenAI avoided the worst outcome, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote after the verdict was reached. He called the verdict a “huge win” for Altman and OpenAI “despite the scrapes and bruises on Altman’s persona and leadership.” — Reuters
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The Middle East war is driving up the cost of public debt in rich countries which could jam state budgets and push governments to unfold austerity policies, economists warn. The yields demanded by investors to lend to governments by buying their bonds have peaked in recent days, indicating weakening confidence in their economies and inflation fears. The yield on the 30-year US Treasury bond earlier this week touched its highest level since 2007 at 5.18 percent. Japanese and British 30-year bonds have hit records going back to 1999 and 1998 respectively, while benchmark 10-year yields have also surged. The war has driven up energy prices and inflation, and put central banks in a tricky position — all this is “blowing a perfect storm through the public debt market”, Vincent Juvyns, an analyst at ING bank, told AFP. After the US and Israel launched strikes in Iran on February 28, Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil export route. This drove up energy prices, fuelling inflation — which in turn caused sovereign bond yields to climb since March as investors demanded higher returns to hold government debt. “The trigger was the publication of several price indicators, which showed that inflation is becoming embedded in the global economy,” said Juvyns. Investors demand higher yields on government bonds to maintain their value in the face of inflation. “Equity markets remain resilient despite the high level of uncertainty,” but the debt market “is taking the full measure of the situation”, Antoine Andreani, an analyst at trading platform XTB, told AFP. Political risks in key countries have also raised uncertainty among investors about their financial stability. US President Donald Trump faces a challenge from Democrats in midterm elections in November. Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer is resisting calls to resign after an election beating. In France, which has a high public deficit, the far right is a major contender in a presidential election due in 2027. Regarding the governments in such countries, there is “growing mistrust of their ability to rein in deficits”, Kevin Thozet, a market analyst at French investment group Carmignac, told AFP. Such is the mistrust that in some cases “we are now seeing companies borrowing more cheaply than countries,” he added. As the pain of inflation from the war hits, leaders are under pressure to act, but face constraints. “We expect governments to spend more to support households and businesses”, Valentine Ainouz, head of rates at the Amundi Investment Institute, told AFP. At the same time, “the economic stagnation looming as a result of the war’s consequences will reduce tax revenues”, she added. Investors therefore see “more risk in lending to governments”. The budgetary equation is all the more fraught because inflation is likely to push central banks to raise their benchmark rates, which underpin all interest rates, Juvyns said. While the European Central Bank and the US Federal Reserve have not yet changed their rates, the pressure on them will mount as “inflation will become entrenched in the coming months even if an agreement were reached tomorrow” to end the conflict, he added. In the short term, this “does not change much” for countries, Christophe Boucher, chief investment officer at ABN Amro bank, told AFP. The rate increases would affect debt trading on the secondary market, where already-issued bonds are exchanged, he said. But “when states issue new bonds, this will increase the cost of debt, which is already relatively high”, he added.
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Nowadays, globalisation has a clear impact on story exchange and narratives, not only in Europe and America, but also across the world. For example, in Qatar, most scientific theories originally come from the West, where different vocabularies are used. I have experienced the transition of concepts from English research to Arabic literature, which creates major challenges in understanding and defining these terms based on Arabic and Islamic culture. Today, the Media Encyclopedia has a further task: to develop the roots of Arabic words not only in the academic field, but also in the practical field. This fundamentally enhances Qatari practices and supports more innovative engagement with media concepts. For example, as a scholar seeking to apply a recent media theory to understand the Qatari phenomenon, a significant gap often appears between the operational definition of the theory and the actual reality of Qatari society. The Media Encyclopedia bridges this cultural misunderstanding. Through it, we can not only adopt media concepts and conceptual frameworks, but also create Arabic terms that inherently reflect the Qatari phenomenon. The Media Encyclopedia represents a new step toward authentic approaches that promote Qatari norms and Arabic literature, translating social interaction into accurate and culturally grounded meaning. As scholars and practitioners, we are proud of this project, and we aim to further develop it and deliver its deep value to future generations. Undoubtedly, this initiative will enhance the country’s image. Many misunderstandings and cultural clashes occur due to gaps in communication. Through the Media Encyclopedia, people can exchange meaning without distortion, understand one another more equally, and create inclusive relationships. Qatar has become a small village for people from all over the world. It is demographically diverse, with more than three languages spoken within the same society. In the face of these challenges of meaning and translation, the Media Encyclopedia fills this gap and serves as a bridge for communication among people and institutions. • Taleb al-Adbah is Assistant Professor in Mass Communication Department- Qatar University Related Story
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Monday’s act of terrorism against a San Diego mosque, in which two teenagers are accused of killing three people, should deeply disturb every American. Not only because of the hatred allegedly involved, but because of
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Kate Linthicum, Tribune News ServiceGrecia Quiroz sometimes felt like she was married to a superhero. Most nights, after her husband, Carlos Manzo, tucked their small sons into bed, he donned a bullet-resistant vest, made the
