UAE president talks co-operation with OpenAI boss
Abu Dhabi — The president of the United Arab Emirates, which has been spending billions in its push to become a global player in AI, met OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, the UAE state news agency reported.
Discussions between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Altman focused on strengthening co-operation between OpenAI and its counterparts in the UAE, particularly in the field of AI research and its practical applications, the state news agency said.
“This co-operation aligns with the UAE’s ambition to establish an integrated AI ecosystem, supporting the country’s development plans and its drive to build a knowledge-based economy,” the agency added.
The UAE, a major oil exporter, is building one of the world’s largest AI data centres and launching a new Arabic-language AI model. Reuters
Starmer rallies party against ‘racist’ Reform UK
Liverpool — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on his party on Sunday to stop “navel gazing” and unite to defeat Reform UK, accusing the populist party of planning to launch a “racist policy” of mass deportations if it wins power.
Starmer, whose governing Labour is well behind Reform in the polls, kicked off his party’s annual conference by issuing a rallying cry to party members to direct their anger towards Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage’s Reform, rather than his leadership.
“I’m saying we have got the fight of our lives ahead of us, because we’ve got to take on Reform. We’ve got to beat them and so now is not the time for introspection or navel gazing,” he told BBC news. “We need to be in that fight united.”
With Starmer’s Labour badly behind in the polls before a national election due in 2029, the British prime minister wants to reset the narrative about his leadership after weeks of difficulties when he was forced to reshuffle his government. Reuters
Pro-Palestinians march against Netanyahu at UN
Washington — Thousands of protesters against Israel’s war in Gaza marched in New York City on Friday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited to address the UN General Assembly.
Protesters waved Palestinian flags, wore keffiyeh scarves and carried banners reading “Free Palestine,” “Stop starving Gaza” and “Arms embargo now,” videos showed.
They gathered in Times Square, across town from the UN building, before marching to the UN.
“Netanyahu you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide,” they chanted.
In his Friday UN address, Netanyahu denounced Western countries for embracing Palestinian statehood. Many delegates exited the hall when he took the stage. Reuters
Aussie PM confident nuke submarine deal will float
Sydney — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed confidence on Friday that the Aukus nuclear submarine deal with the US and Britain would move forward, after meeting his British counterpart, Keir Starmer.
Speaking in London, Albanese said the meeting was a chance to discuss the “strongly building” support for Aukus between the two allies but would not be drawn on the position of US President Donald Trump.
The Aukus pact, sealed in 2021, aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the next decade to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.
Trump’s administration is undertaking a formal Aukus review led by Elbridge Colby, a top Pentagon policy official and public critic of the agreement. Reuters
Pentagon’s drone swarm flies into problems — report
Bengaluru — The US Pentagon’s Replicator programme, which aimed to field thousands of drones by August, has fallen short of its goals and faces implementation challenges, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Reuters
Singapore’s pharma firms seek tariff exemption
Singapore — Pharmaceutical companies in Singapore are seeking clarification on whether they would qualify for an exemption from steep tariffs imposed by the US on their goods, Singapore’s deputy prime minister Gan Kim Yong said on Saturday.
Singapore exports about S$4bn ($3.10bn) of pharmaceutical products to the US and most of these exports are branded drugs, Gan, who is also trade minister, told reporters.
US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday 100% duties on imports of branded drugs that would apply to firms unless they build a manufacturing presence in the US.
This is a concern for Singapore as pharmaceuticals form around 13% of all Singapore exports to the US, said Gan. Reuters
Seychelles presidential vote heads for runoff
Victoria — The Seychelles presidential election will go to a runoff between opposition leader Patrick Herminie and incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan after no clear winner emerged in the first round of voting, the electoral commission said on Sunday.
Ramkalawan had been looking to block a comeback by the party that previously dominated politics for four decades in Africa’s wealthiest country per capita.
Herminie, head of the United Seychelles party, secured 48.8% of the vote, while Ramkalawan, of the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), followed closely with 46.4%, the electoral commission said.
Neither candidate surpassed the 50% threshold required for an outright victory in the first round. Reuters
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