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South Korea’s Yoon warns of tech threat to democracy at summit

SEOUL — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday called fake news and disinformation based on artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technology threats to democracy, as his country hosted a gathering of senior global officials including from Britain, the European Union (EU) and the United States. Speaking at the opening of the Summit for Democracy, Mr. Yoon said countries had a duty to share experiences and wisdom so that artificial intelligence and technology could...

Reading the ruins of Amazon fires, scientists see crisis ahead

QUERENCIA, Brazil — The Amazon is battling record early-year fires, fueling fears of a worse climate crisis to come as blazes kill vegetation that is key to absorbing planet-warming carbon dioxide. Fanned by drought, high winds and human felling, the forest is suffering unprecedented fires this early in the year, satellite images show, with the dry season still to reach critical parts of the Amazon. “Traditional as well as scientific knowledge point to dire times...

Swiss industry leans on central bank to grant relief from strong franc

ZURICH – Swiss industry is urging the country’s central bank to broaden its focus from fighting inflation to help them deal with the strong Swiss franc, which is eating into profits as the global economy cools and demand drops. Over the past year, the safe-haven currency has appreciated significantly against the dollar and the euro, helping curb imported price pressures, but creating a headache for exporters already facing slacker business from Germany and China. The pleas from...

Apple in talks to let Google’s Gemini power iPhone AI features, Bloomberg News says

Apple is in talks to build Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) engine into the iPhone, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the situation. Apple also recently held discussions with the Microsoft-backed OpenAI and has considered using its model, the report added. Apple and Google are in active negotiations to let the iPhone maker license Gemini to power some new features coming to the phone’s software this year, Bloomberg said. Apple is preparing...

China warns citizens in Singapore to stay away from gambling

BEIJING – China’s embassy in Singapore on Monday urged its citizens in the city-state to stay away from all forms of betting, saying gambling overseas violates Chinese laws. The warning comes as Beijing intensifies its efforts to crack down on Chinese citizens gambling across Southeast Asia, a popular tourist destination. In a statement, the embassy “solemnly reminded” the majority of Chinese in Singapore to enhance their legal awareness and stay away from gambling. Singapore is home to...

North Korea fires ballistic missiles as Blinken visits Seoul

SEOUL – North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday for the first time in two months, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Seoul for a conference hosted by President Yoon Suk Yeol on advancing democracy. South Korea’s military said several short-range missiles flew about 300 km (186 miles) after being fired between 7:44 a.m. and 8:22 a.m (2244 to 2322 GMT Monday) from Pyongyang, the North’s capital, landing off the east coast. It condemned the launches as...

Putin warns the West a Russia-NATO conflict is just one step from WW3

MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Monday that a direct conflict between Russia and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance would mean the planet was one step away from World War Three but said hardly anyone wanted such a scenario. The Ukraine war has triggered the deepest crisis in Moscow’s relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Putin has often warned of the risks of nuclear war but says he has...

Uber to pay $178 million to settle lawsuit with Australia taxi drivers, law firm says

SYDNEY – Uber has agreed to pay A$271.8 million ($178.3 million) to settle a lawsuit in Australia brought by taxi operators and drivers, who alleged they lost income when the ride-hailing company moved into the country, a law firm said on Monday. Maurice Blackburn Lawyers filed the class action in 2019 in the Supreme Court of Victoria state on behalf more than 8,000 taxi and hire car owners and drivers, which the law firm said “Uber fought tooth...

Reactions abroad to Russia’s presidential election

Following are reactions from foreign governments and officials to Russia’s presidential election, which handed Vladimir Putin a landslide win and another six-year term in office, according to first official results on Sunday.   WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOKESPERSON “The elections are obviously not free nor fair given how Mr. Putin has imprisoned political opponents and prevented others from running against him.”   UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY “These days, the Russian dictator is simulating another election. It is clear to...

Blinken says authoritarian regimes using tech to undermine democracy

SEOUL – US Secretary of Sate Antony Blinken said on Monday technology should be employed to sustain democratic values in the face of efforts by authoritarian and repressive regimes to deploy technology to undermine democracy and human rights. Like-minded governments and their people were working together to promote free and fair elections, Blinken said, noting safeguarding democracy was a collective effort. “As authoritarian and repressive regimes deploy technologies to undermine democracy and human rights, we need to ensure...