A group of African countries is set to launch a bank to fund oil and gas projects amid growing reluctance by Western institutions to further invest in fossil fuels. The long-planned “Africa Energy Bank” that is expected to take off soon was announced last June as a joint initiative by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) – a group of 18 oil-exporting nations. The bank aims to lift growth by boosting Africa’s energy supply. Its founders consider it a lifeline in a continent rich with natural resources, but where millions of people still lack…
Author: Team_Benjamin Franklin Institute
Steve Cohen isn’t mincing words when it comes to New York Mets fans.Addressing the media down in Port St. Lucie, Florida, where the Mets hold their spring training, Cohen’s pointed remarks about a myriad of topics raised eyebrows. But one comment in particular could draw the ire of his club’s loyal fan base.“That really bothered me, 18th in attendance when we’re right in the middle of a pennant race,” Cohen said, via Manny Gomez of NJ Advance Media. ”I’ve said this before, the series against the Nationals, right before the final Philly series. I think there were 18,000 fans in…
Maybe he was just lucky, but Orebo told me he had not faced such prejudice. There was some rioting in Ratanda 2012, when he and other foreign shopkeepers were looted and closed their shops for a few days, but otherwise he felt welcome in the community. He married a local woman, and their three children were South African citizens. His business thrived, and he told me with pride that at one point he had three cars.Spaza shops, where locals buy small daily household items like food, toiletries and cigarettes, have long been a battleground in the wars between South Africans…
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AI models struggle to mimic people with particular demographic identitieswhitebalance.oatt/Getty Images Artificial intelligence models from OpenAI and Meta often resort to simplistic and sometimes racist stereotypes when prompted to portray people of certain demographic identities – a notable flaw at a time when some tech companies and academic researchers want to replace humans with AI chatbots for some tasks. Companies such as Meta have already tried boosting engagement on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram by deploying AI chatbots that mimic human profiles and respond to people’s posts. Some researchers have also explored using AI chatbots to simulate… Source…
For more than a year, many Israelis and others around the world have anguished over the fates of a mother and her two young sons who were captured by gunmen and taken to Gaza during the Hamas-led assault of Oct. 7, 2023.On Tuesday, hopes dissipated that the Israeli woman, Shiri Bibas, and her children would be returned alive when Hamas announced that it would hand over at least some of their bodies this week. Israeli officials later warned against disseminating “rumors” regarding the hostages without extensively commenting on Hamas’s statement.For many Israelis, the kidnapping of Ms. Bibas, her husband, Yarden,…
Mira Murati, the former chief technology officer of OpenAI who unexpectedly left the company in September, has helped found a new artificial intelligence start-up called Thinking Machines Lab, adding to the wave of young companies that have been formed in the race to lead A.I.Thinking Machines Lab aims to “make A.I. systems more widely understood, customizable and generally capable,” according to a blog post from the new company. It said it would freely share its technologies with outside researchers and companies, a practice known as “open source.”Thinking Machines Lab declined to say if it has raised money.Ms. Murati, 36, was…
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.A notorious Russian ship under sanctions for transporting arms from North Korea is set to enter the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, the first time that a vessel involved in arms-running for Pyongyang would have entered European waters.The Maia-1, a Russian-flagged and crewed ship that has been placed under sanctions directly by the US and EU, is currently anchored outside the south entrance to the key waterway that links Asia and Europe, according to Open Source Centre, a research group that identified…
Joe Biden was spotted out and about at a local bakery on Monday and he looked completely lost. Biden has kept a low profile since exiting the White House last month. It was recently reported that he signed a deal with a Hollywood agency that represents celebrities. “President Biden is one of America’s most respected and influential voices in national and global affairs,” Richard Lovett, co-chair of CAA, said in a statement. “His lifelong commitment to public service is one of unity, optimism, dignity, and possibility,” he continued. “We are profoundly honored to partner with him again.” Earlier this month…
EMERGENCE OF TRADE BLOCS That said, there are discrete trade blocs developing, but on a geopolitical rather than a geographical basis. Last May, an IMF study found that there were three major politically-aligned trade blocs emerging. First, there was a US-leaning one that includes the US, Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Second, a China-leaning bloc including Russia, Belarus, Syria, and Eritrea. Finally, there was a third bloc filled out by countries like India, the ASEAN states and others in the “global south” that are non-aligned or neutral in their relations to the US and/or China. According to MGI, there…