Written by Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men rallied in Jerusalem on Thursday to protest against military conscription for their community, an issue that has caused major strain in Israel’s right-wing ruling coalition. The vast crowd were demonstrating to demand a law guaranteeing their right to avoid … Continue reading “‘Better To Go To Prison’: Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Rally Against Military Conscription”
Recording industry giant Universal Music Group said Thursday it had struck a licensing deal with AI music generation startup Udio, in an industry-first tie-up aiming to launch an AI creation platform next year. Universal and Udio said in a statement that their platform, as yet unnamed, “will be powered by new cutting-edge generative AI technology … Continue reading “Universal Music Group Hits First Licensing Deal For AI Music”
Years of pent-up anger in Tanzania over state violence and the erosion of democracy are being unleashed in election unrest, an Amnesty International expert said Thursday. President Samia Suluhu Hassan sought to cement her position in elections on Wednesday, but the vote descended into chaos with protesters marching, tearing down her posters and attacking … Continue reading “Tanzania Releasing Tears Of Bottled-Up Anger, Says Amnesty”
A US federal data blackout deepened Thursday as a government shutdown halted the release of third quarter GDP figures, forcing policymakers, financial institutions and business owners to continue flying blind. The world’s biggest economy has already delayed reports on employment, trade, retail sales and others, only recalling some furloughed staff to produce key inflation figures … Continue reading “No GDP Data Released As US Shutdown Bites”
Two French police officers have been detained and suspended over allegedly raping a young woman while she was in custody at a court, a prosecutor and police chief said Thursday. READ ALSO: 10 People Go On Trial Over Online Harassment Of French First Lady The woman who accused the two officers said the alleged assault … Continue reading “Two French Police Officers Suspended After Alleged Rape”
British oil and gas giant Shell on Thursday said its net profit rose 24 percent in the third quarter as trading margins and sales volumes improved, despite falling oil prices. Profit after tax jumped to $5.3 billion in the three months to the end of September, compared to $4.3 billion one year earlier, Shell … Continue reading “Shell, TotalEnergies Net Profits Jump Despite Lower Oil Prices”
Saudi Arabia declined an offer to sign Lionel Messi for a short-term stint in the Saudi Pro League before next year’s World Cup, according to a senior sports official. “During the last Club World Cup, Messi’s team contacted me and offered for him to play in Saudi Arabia because the MLS will stop for … Continue reading “Saudis Turned Down Messi Stint Ahead Of 2026 World Cup, Says Official”
Greece on Thursday said it would invest 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion) over the next decade to tackle a mounting drought challenge threatening Athens and Thessaloniki, its two largest cities, and many of its islands. “It may snow, it may rain… (but) hope is not a strategy,” said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “We must be … Continue reading “Greece Announces €2.5b Plan To Tackle Drought Threat “
Volkswagen reported its first quarterly loss for five years Thursday, topping one billion euros, as the German auto giant struggles with US tariffs and a troubled electric shift at subsidiary Porsche. The loss in the July-to-September period amounted to 1.07 billion euros ($1.24 billion) and was the first suffered by Europe’s biggest carmaker since … Continue reading “Volkswagen Posts €1b Loss On Tariffs, Porsche Woes”
Tanzania was under a communications blackout on Thursday, a day after elections turned into violent chaos with unconfirmed reports of many dead. President Samia Suluhu Hassan had sought to solidify her position and silence criticism within her party in the virtually uncontested polls, with the main challengers either jailed or barred from standing. … Continue reading “Tanzania Blackout After Election Chaos, Deaths Feared”