Europe and the US are co-dependent and large tech companies cannot depend on one continent or the other, the CEO of Nokia Justin Hotard said on Thursday as the European Union considers strengthening support for the region’s industry. “Every single one of us cannot subsist on one continent or the other. We need both,” Hotard told Reuters in an interview. “Particularly in technology, where the window and the right to win is dictated by that technology cycle, it’s really critical that you have as big a market access as possible.” Nokia and its Swedish counterpart Ericsson (ERICb.ST), have been highlighting…
Author: Staff Contributor
Feathers, fabulous fashion and famous faces it can only be Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week. The exclusive four-day event, held twice a year, showcases custom-fitted, handmade designs from an elite group of 13 fashion houses. This season featured debut haute couture collections from Chanel and Dior’s new creative directors, alongside the first Armani Privé show since the death of Giorgio Armani last year. Celebrities including Victoria and David Beckham, Gracie Abrams, Dua Lipa, A$AP Rocky and Rihanna lined the front rows to watch the latest high-end designs unfold in the French capital. Essence of Chanel One of the most anticipated…
Cinemas in South Africa will not be showing the documentary about US First Lady Melania Trump, which is due to be released globally on Friday. The South African distributor, Filmfinity, has decided not to release the film, according to its head of sales and marketing, who spoke to the New York Times and South Africa-based outlet News24. The company did not clearly state the reasons behind the decision. The documentary, Melania, is not being promoted on the websites of South Africa’s major cinema chains. One independent cinema in Cape Town said it had been contacted by Filmfinity and instructed not…
The European Union is investigating Elon Musk’s X platform over concerns it spread illegal content, following reports that its Grok AI chatbot generated manipulated sexual images. The European Commission announced Monday that it will examine whether X protected users by properly assessing and managing risks connected to Grok. The probe follows a similar investigation by the UK’s Ofcom and recent temporary bans of Grok in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia due to concerns about deepfake images. The Commission said earlier this month that AI-generated sexual images of women and children on X were illegal and condemned them as appalling. EU…
Winners will come out of the artificial intelligence boom, but “there will be carnage along the way,” warned Chuck Robbins, CEO of Cisco Systems. Speaking to the BBC, Robbins said AI will be “bigger than the internet” but admitted the market is likely a bubble, with some companies destined to fail. Cisco, a top tech company, provides key IT infrastructure for AI and partners with firms like Nvidia. Robbins said some jobs, especially in customer service, will be changed or eliminated by AI. He urged workers not to fear the technology but to learn to use it, saying, “You shouldn’t…
TikTok has been malfunctioning for U.S. users since Sunday, and the platform’s newly appointed American owners have now confirmed what caused the disruption: a power failure at a U.S.-based data center. On Monday morning, the TikTok USDS Joint Venture addressed the issue in a post on X, stating, “Since yesterday we’ve been working to restore our services following a power outage at a U.S. data center impacting TikTok and other apps we operate. We’re working with our data center partner to stabilize our service. We’re sorry for this disruption and hope to resolve it soon.” By Monday night, service had…
A US federal judge in Minnesota has ordered the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to appear in court this week, warning he could be held in contempt over the agency’s failure to comply with multiple court orders. In a sharply worded filing late Monday, Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz said acting ICE director Todd Lyons must personally explain why the agency missed a deadline to provide a detainee with a bond hearing. The judge said Lyons must show cause on Friday as to why he should not be held in contempt. “This court has been extremely patient with…
France is moving closer to banning social media access for younger teenagers, as debate on a proposed new law opened in the National Assembly. The legislation would block under-15-year-olds from accessing platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok. President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants the ban implemented by the start of the school year in September. The proposal forms part of a wider global push to restrict children’s access to social media, driven by growing concern over its impact on mental and emotional health. “We cannot leave the mental and emotional health of our children in the hands of…
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that trilateral talks involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia are expected to take place in the United Arab Emirates, as diplomatic efforts to end the war intensify. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos after meeting US President Donald Trump, Zelensky said the central unresolved issue remains territorial control in eastern Ukraine. “It’s all about the land,” he said, adding that any agreement would require compromises from Russia as well as Ukraine. Trump described his meeting with Zelensky as positive, while his envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to Moscow for talks with Russian President…
A federal law enforcement officer shot a man in the leg in Minneapolis after being attacked with a shovel while attempting to make an arrest, according to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the city following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent last week, which sparked protests that have since spread to other parts of the United States. In a statement posted on X, DHS said the shooting occurred after a vehicle pursuit involving a Venezuelan national who was allegedly in the country without…
A sports referee and a university student are among the hundreds of people reported to have been killed during sweeping anti-government demonstrations across Iran. Amir Mohammad Koohkan, a 26-year-old futsal coach and referee, was struck by live ammunition on 3 January while protests were taking place in the town of Neyriz, according to a close friend “He was known everywhere for his kindness,” the friend said, adding that Koohkan’s family is devastated and furious over his death. “They are grieving because they lost their son, and angry because he was killed by the regime.” Five days later, Rubina Aminian, a…
