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US President Donald Trump has said he will withhold federal broadband funding from states whose laws to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) are judged by his administration to be holding back American dominance in the technology.”We want to have one central source of approval,” Trump told reporters, flanked by top advisers, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, arguing that 50 different regulatory regimes hamper the growth of the nascent industry.”To win, United States AI companies must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation,” the order said, adding that the current patchwork of different regulatory regimes made compliance more challenging, especially for start-ups.The Trump administration will work with Congress in coming weeks and months to craft a single national framework to regulate developments in the field of AI, White House adviser Sriram Krishnan told CNBC yesterday.He told CNBC’s *First on CNBC programme that the executive order signed by Trump was needed to ensure companies could move forward with technology developments and not have to contend with over 1,000 state regulations already on the books.However, eventually the issue would require legislation by Congress, Krishnan said.”So we’ll be working with Congress in the coming weeks and months to make sure that is a single national framework which makes sure we can win this race,” he said.Trump has embraced AI as a critical technology, working closely with US companies to boost investment in a sector where China has also made great strides.However, critics worry that unfettered development could leave Americans vulnerable.The order also reflects the Trump administration’s broader attack against anti-discrimination efforts, taking aim at states such as Colorado that have sought to prevent discriminatory language from being embedded in AI models.Such efforts could result in “ideological bias” and produce false results, it said.The order will give the Trump administration tools to push back on the most “onerous” state regulations, said White House AI adviser David Sacks.The administration will not oppose rules governing AI that relate to child safety, he added.It directs the secretary of commerce to evaluate state laws for conflicts with Trump’s AI priorities and to block those states in conflict from accessing the $42bn Broadband Equity Access and Deployment fund.Democratic Representative Don Beyer, who co-chairs a bipartisan caucus on AI, said the order would squelch safety reforms passed by states and create “a lawless Wild West environment for AI companies that puts Americans at risk”.He warned that the order would reduce the likelihood of congressional action and likely violated the 10th Amendment, which says that any powers not specifically given to the federal government belong to the states or the people.Trump’s order called for his administration to work with Congress to craft a national standard that forbids state laws which conflict with federal policy, protects children, prevents censorship, respects copyrights and protects communities.Until such a standard was in place, the order called for actions to “check the most onerous and excessive laws emerging from the states that threaten to stymie innovation”.Major AI players including ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google, Meta Platforms, and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz have said the federal government, not states, should regulate the industry.Yet state leaders from both major political parties have said they need the power to put guardrails around AI, particularly as Congress has consistently failed to pass laws governing the tech industry.New York state last month became the first to enact a law requiring online retailers that employ “surveillance pricing” to disclose their use of algorithms and customers’ personal data.California and lawmakers in Washington are considering bans on such methods, which are also known as “personalised pricing”.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has proposed an AI bill of rights that includes data privacy, parental controls and consumer protections.California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose state is home to several major AI companies, signed off on a bill this year requiring major AI developers to explain plans to mitigate potential catastrophic risks.Other states have passed laws banning AI-generated non-consensual sexual imagery and unauthorised political deepfakes. Source link
Tens of thousands of people were under evacuation orders in western North America, after days of heavy rain forced rivers to burst their banks.Storms have battered Washington state in the US and British Columbia over the Canadian border for several days, with rivers continuing to rise.People living south of Seattle and Tacoma have been told to leave their homes, with aerial photographs showing farmland already under water, and populated areas perilously close. A sign warning drivers about flood water is partially covered by water in an area flooded by the Snohomish River, as an atmospheric river brings…
Pakistan has signed a memorandum of understanding with crypto exchange Binance to explore the ‘tokenisation’ of up to $2 billion in sovereign bonds, T-bills and commodity reserves to boost liquidity and attract investors, the finance ministry said on Friday. Separately, Pakistan also gave initial clearance for Binance and HTX, a digital-asset platform, to register with regulators to set up local subsidiaries and begin preparations for full exchange licence applications, the virtual assets authority said. The ministry said the agreement paved the way to explore a potential collaboration aimed at enabling the tokenisation and blockchain-based distribution of Pakistan's real-world assets.These can include sovereign bonds, treasury bills, commodity reserves such as oil, gas, metals or other raw materials owned by the government. Tokenisation is the process of creating a digital version of an asset.The move comes as other countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Japan and parts of the European Union expand formal licensing rules for crypto exchanges amid broader global regulatory tightening. The ministry also said the initiative could involve assets of up to $2 billion, subject to approvals, with the aim of improving liquidity, transparency and international market access.Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the MoU signalled Pakistan's reform trajectory and ‘a long-term partnership.’Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said the agreement was ‘a great signal for the global blockchain industry and for Pakistan’, saying it marked the beginning of a move toward full deployment of the tokenisation initiative. INITIAL CLEARANCES FOR BINANCE, HTXThe Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority said it had issued early approvals to Binance and HTX after reviewing their governance and compliance controls. The clearances allow them to register on the Anti-Money Laundering system, set up local units and prepare full applications.Chair Bilal bin Saqib said the clearances kick off Pakistan's phased licensing process and signalled that compliance strength will determine which exchanges move ahead. BROADER DIGITAL-ASSET INITIATIVESThe initiative comes as Pakistan speeds up a major digital-finance overhaul into just a few months, creating the Pakistan Crypto Council and establishing the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority while drafting a formal licensing regime. Pakistan ranks as the world's third-largest crypto market by retail activity, Saqib said at Binance Blockchain Week Dubai 2025 earlier this week.A central bank digital currency pilot and a Virtual Assets Act are also planned for 2025.Pakistan’s crypto council has signed a letter of intent with U.S.-based World Liberty Financial to explore stablecoin use, tokenisation and other digital-asset infrastructure, Pakistan's finance ministry said in April.(Reporting by Ariba Shahid in Karachi. Editing by Mark Potter and Jane Merriman) Source link
Indonesia’s deadly flooding was an “extinction-level disturbance” for the world’s rarest great ape, the tapanuli orangutan, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat and survival prospects, scientists warned on Friday.Only scientifically classified as a species in 2017, tapanulis are incredibly rare, with fewer than 800 left in the wild, confined to a small range in part of Indonesia’s Sumatra. One dead suspected tapanuli orangutan has already been found in the region, conservationists told AFP.”The loss of even a single orangutan is a devastating blow to the survival of the species,” said Panut Hadisiswoyo, founder and chairman of the Orangutan Information Centre in Indonesia. And analysis of satellite imagery combined with knowledge of the tapanuli’s range suggests that flooding last month which killed nearly 1,000 people may also have devastated wildlife in the Batang Toru region.The scientists focused on the so-called West Block, the most densely populated of three known tapanuli habitats, and home to an estimated 581 tapanulis before the disaster. There, “we think that between six and 11 percent of orangutans were likely killed,” said Erik Meijaard, a longtime orangutan conservationist.”Any kind of adult mortality that exceeds one percent, you’re driving the species to extinction, irrespective of how big the population is at the start,” he told AFP.But tapanulis have such a small population and range to begin with that they are especially vulnerable, he added.Satellite imagery shows massive gashes in the mountainous landscape, some of which extend for more than a kilometre and are nearly 100m wide, Meijaard said.The tide of mud, trees and water toppling down hillsides would have carried away everything in its path, including other wildlife like elephants.David Gaveau, a remote sensing expert and founder of conservation start-up The Tree Map, said he was flabbergasted by the before-and-after comparison of the region. “I have never seen anything like this before during my 20 years of monitoring deforestation in Indonesia with satellites,” he told AFP.The devastation means remaining tapanulis will be even more vulnerable, with sources of food and shelter now washed away. Over nine percent of the West Block habitat may have been destroyed, the group of scientists estimated.In a draft paper shared with AFP and set to be published as a pre-print in coming days, they warned the flooding represents an “extinction-level disturbance” for tapanulis. Environmentalists have long campaigned against industrial activity in Batang Toru, particularly a hydroelectric dam and gold mine.The highland homes currently inhabited by tapanulis are not their preferred habitat, but it is where remaining orangutans have been pushed by development elsewhere. Earlier this month, Indonesia’s government said industrial plantations, hydropower and gold mining in the region had “contributed significantly to the pressure on the environment”.They announced they would suspend operating permits for all projects in the region pending a review. The government, along with environmentalists, has said deforestation contributed to the scale of the flooding disaster. A study published Thursday also said climate change-linked heavier rains and warmer seas that can turbocharge storms played a role.The orangutan experts are urging an immediate halt to development that will damage remaining tapanuli habitat, and an immediate survey of the region.They also back the expansion of protected areas and work to restore lowland forests.Panut said the region had become eerily quiet after the landslides. “This fragile and sensitive habitat in West Block must be fully protected by halting all habitat-damaging development,” he told AFP. Source link
A flickering candle casts a dim light on the photo of 12-year-old Akash Patni, a pensive look on the face of the Indian boy who died in a plane crash that has left his family inconsolable. He is among dozens of people who died on June 12 when Air India flight 171 smashed into buildings in a neighbourhood of Ahmedabad, in the western state of Gujarat.Since the disaster six months ago, Akash’s parents and four siblings have gathered every day to pray in front of his picture, placed on a shelf in a corner of the small, dark space that serves as their living room. “My son was sitting near the tea stall when a part of the plane fell on him… there was smoke and fire everywhere and nobody could go near the site,” said the father, Suresh Patni, a 48-year-old tea vendor.”The boy was burnt to ashes… We could not even take him to the hospital.”The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had just taken off for London when, for reasons that an investigation has not yet clarified, fuel was cut to both of its engines.Deprived of power, the aircraft crashed onto buildings at the end of the runway, engulfing in flames 241 of its 242 passengers and crew, and 19 residents of Ahmedabad.One passenger survived. “Everything happened before my own eyes,” said Akash’s mother Sita Patni, 45. From beneath the headscarf covering her grey hair and shoulders emerges a bare arm covered in large burn scars — the mark of her lost battle to pull her son from the flames. “I am in pain the whole day,” she said softly.”I tried to save him, but he did not survive.”Kiritsinh Chavda, 49, lost his brother and sister-in-law in the crash. He recalled the horror of receiving a call from his father, telling him that a plane had crashed in the neighbourhood where he lives. “He told me that my younger brother and his wife were unreachable,” said Chavda, a police officer. When he arrived at the scene, chaos awaited him. “The bodies were very badly damaged and burned,” he said.”It took nearly a week for my brother and his wife to be identified.”Relatives of the victims have been looking for answers, trying to understand what caused their loved ones’ deaths. They are also just beginning to deal with the ordeal of compensation. Air India quickly paid the equivalent of $28,000 to the families of each of the dead. The airline’s owner, Tata Group, pledged to add another $112,000. “We are yet to get the remaining amount,” muttered Chavda.Air India has acknowledged the delay but asked for patience.”The process for final compensation is underway,” a spokesperson said.”We are deeply conscious of our responsibility and are providing support and care to all families affected by the tragedy, which remains our absolute priority.”To Chavda, “they should give whatever compensation they promised. That is enough for me.”Badasab Saiyed, 60, said that for him, “compensation is secondary.” A retired academic, he lost his brother, sister-in-law, a nephew and a niece in the accident.They had initially planned to fly from New Delhi to London, but the flight was cancelled, and they took the doomed flight from Ahmedabad instead.Saiyed did not hesitate long before joining a complaint filed by a British law firm seeking answers. “The main thing is, who is the culprit responsible?” he said.”Was there lax maintenance, or was there a problem with the Boeing plane itself? Or was it a small (pilot) fault? This should not have happened.”The crash site has been cleared of all the aircraft debris. Only the charred ruins of the building that supported its tail remain, along with a few rusted shells of burned-out cars.Curled up in his grief, Suresh Patni cares little about getting answers. “I’m not interested in the investigation,” he said. “I don’t understand any of it.”Nor does he care about compensation. “What do we do with money?” he said. “We lost our son.” The family had had high hopes for Akash. “He was our youngest and the most adored,” his father said. “We wanted him to study and do something.””He was the brightest in our family,” added his mother, who has not had the strength to return to, much less reopen, her tea stall. “I can’t bear it, I keep on thinking about him,” she said. “I can’t bear the sound of a plane now. I keep looking down, can’t look up in the sky.” Source link
The two covers of Time magazine’s 2025 Person of the Year issue with an illustration by Peter Crowther (left) depicting Jensen Huang, President and CEO of…
Nobel peace prize laureate Maria Corina Machado laughs as she addresses a press conference at the Grand Hotel in Oslo, Norway, Thursday. (AFP) Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado said she planned to take her award back to Venezuela, but declined to say Thursday when she would return after leaving in great secrecy to receive the honour.Venezuelan opposition leader Machado arrived in Oslo in the early hours of Thursday, failing to reach the Norwegian capital in time for the prize ceremony held hours earlier.The 58-year-old engineer had secretly left Venezuela for Oslo in defiance of a decade-long travel ban imposed by authorities and after spending more than a year in hiding.”I came to receive the prize on behalf of the Venezuelan people and I will take it back to Venezuela at the correct moment,” she told reporters at Norway’s parliament, dressed in white, declining to say when this would be.When Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in October, she dedicated it in part to US President Donald Trump, who has said he himself deserved the honour.She has aligned herself with hawks close to Trump who argue that Maduro has links to criminal gangs that pose a direct threat to US national security, despite doubts raised by the US intelligence community.Speaking at a press conference, Machado was asked if she would support a US invasion of her home country, and said her country had already been invaded by actors such as agents and drug cartels.”This has turned Venezuela into the criminal hub of the Americas. And what sustained the regime is a very powerful and strongly funded repression system,” she said alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere.”Where do those funds come from? Well, from drug trafficking, from the black market of oil, from arms trafficking, and from human trafficking. We need to cut those flows.”Venezuela’s Ministry of Information did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Machado’s remarks.Maduro and his government have always denied any involvement in crime and have accused the US of seeking regime change out of a desire to control Venezuela’s natural resources, especially its vast oil reserves.She said Maduro’s rule would come to an end and there was a need to prepare a transition in her country.”I’m going back to Venezuela regardless of when Maduro goes out. He’s going out, but the moment will be determined by when I’m finished doing the things that I came out to do,” she added, without going into further detail.Following her pre-dawn arrival, Machado greeted dozens of people from the balcony of Oslo’s Grand Hotel, where Nobel laureates traditionally stay, waving and singing the Venezuelan national anthem along with the crowd.Later, Machado came down to the street and climbed over crowd barriers to hug and shake hands with people who had gathered in the cold for the chance to see her.Machado was barred from running in the presidential election last year, despite having won the opposition’s primary by a landslide. She went into hiding in August that year after authorities expanded arrests of opposition figures following the disputed vote.Machado thanked the men and women who had risked their lives to help her leave Venezuela but would not be drawn on details of her departure other than to say US authorities had also provided support.”One day I will be able to tell you because certainly I don’t want to put them in risk right now,” she said. “It was quite an experience.”Late on Wednesday, Venezuelan Minister of the Interior Diosdado Cabello said on a weekly broadcast that Machado left the country “without drama” but provided no details. Related Story…
A military court sentenced the former head of Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency to 14 years in prison for violating state secrets and abusing his authority, the army said Thursday.Faiz Hameed, who served during the tenure of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, was also convicted of “engaging in political activities” and causing “wrongful loss to persons”, the army’s publicity wing said in a statement.Faiz Hameed, a lieutenant general who stepped down in December 2022, was detained in August 2024 after claims he raided the businesses of a real estate developer, according to Supreme Court documents published in 2023.The intelligence chief is considered the second most-powerful position in the Pakistani military.”After lengthy and laborious legal proceedings, (the) accused has been found guilty on all charges and sentenced to 14 years rigorous imprisonment by the court,” the statement said.It added that an accusation of “fomenting vested political agitation and instability in cohorts with political elements… is separately being dealt with”.The statement did not give specific details of Faiz Hameed’s purported crimes.Faiz Hameed was a staunch supporter of Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022 after losing the backing of some top brass, experts say.Khan had openly challenged the military, the most powerful institution in Pakistan, which analysts say is behind the rise and fall of every civilian government.His arrest on corruption charges in May 2023 triggered nationwide protests that fuelled deep public resentment against the army.Once seen as a contender for the prestigious post of army chief, Faiz Hameed took early retirement a few months after Khan lost power.Faiz Hameed was later accused of “multiple instances” of violating the Pakistan Army Act and stripped of all rank.”Violations of the Official Secrets Act, the illegitimate use of authority, misusing one’s office to harm people, and getting involved in politics to spread chaos — these things were all proven,” information minister Attaullah Tarar posted on X after the verdict.He said Faiz Hameed had also been illicitly “interfering with politics” by advising Khan’s opposition Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party after his retirement.Khan has long accused the military of orchestrating his downfall, in particular Field Marshal Asim Munir, the army leader once dismissed by Khan who now is considered the most powerful man in the country.”My wife and I have been imprisoned on fabricated charges at his command,” Khan charged in social media post this month.That prompted a rare public rebuke by the army’s spokesman, who called Khan a “delusional person” who had become a “national security threat”. Source link
Seven civilians were killed and at least 20 others were injured on Tuesday after Thai artillery shelling struck Cambodian territory, as violence continued to escalate along…
Two people were killed and three others injured in a traffic accident on the North-South Expressway in Quang Tri Province, Central Vietnam, Monday.Vietnam News Agency reported that the accident involved a tractor-trailer and a truck traveling in the same direction.Vietnam recorded 16,816 traffic accidents in the past 11 months, resulting in 9,502 deaths and 11,142 injuries, according to the National Statistics Office of Vietnam. Source link