Meta’s ‘year of efficiency’ leads to more mass layoffs

CEO Mark Zuckerberg warned that the “new economic reality” could last many years

Facebook’s parent company Meta will cut 10,000 of its global workforce in the coming months, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in an open letter to staff on Tuesday. This follows similar cuts in November which saw more than 11,000 workers laid off,

 » …

US hate crimes hit record high – FBI

Statistics indicate a rise in crimes motivated by prejudice against race, religion and sexual orientation

Hate crimes in the United States have continued to rise sharply and have now reached their highest level since records began, according to data from 2021 analyzed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which was released on Monday.

 » …

US spy stabbed in terrorist attack – media

The mysterious attack in Cheltenham, UK involved an American woman working for GCHQ, the Daily Mail reports

The woman injured in last week’s knife attack in Gloucestershire was an American intelligence operative seconded to British surveillance, the Daily Mail reported on Tuesday. Last Thursday’s incident, initially described as attempted murder but then upgraded to terrorism,

 » …

Newly-unleashed AI outperforms 90% of humans

The latest artificial intelligence model follows a multibillion-dollar partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft

A new artificial intelligence program can keep up with human beings on a number of professional and academic tests, according to its creator, which said the model scored among the top 10% of test-takers on a simulated bar exam.

Technology firm OpenAI unveiled its latest language model on Tuesday,

 » …

Details of AUKUS nuclear sub deal revealed

Canberra will buy its first nuclear-powered submarines from the US

Australia has followed through on its controversial military partnership with the US and UK, agreeing to buy as many as five nuclear-powered submarines from Washington and starting work on developing a new generation of subs with Britain.

The initial deal includes the purchase of three Virginia-class submarines from the US,

 » …

How the China-brokered Saudi-Iran deal will change the Middle East

Beijing has utilized a long-awaited opening to undermine the established American-dominated ‘order’ in the region

Last week, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced a landmark deal, brokered by China in Beijing, to formally restore diplomatic relations. The agreement saw the two sectarian arch rivals in the Middle East agree to put aside their differences and to normalize ties.

 » …

China warns neighbor against ‘drawing wolves into the house’

Strengthening military ties with the US will bind the Philippines to the “chariot of geopolitical strife,” Beijing has claimed

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Sunday cautioned the Philippines against strengthening its military cooperation with the US, saying it will be used to serve Washington’s geopolitical agenda to the detriment of Manila’s own security.

 » …

Greta Thunberg deletes ‘end of the world’ tweet

The climate campaigner claimed in 2018 that humanity had until this year to prevent its doom

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has deleted a 2018 tweet in which she shared a warning that climate change “will wipe out all of humanity” unless fossil fuels were abolished by 2023. 

In the tweet,

 » …

Hollywood stars push for Biden to drop Harris – media

A group of actors has reportedly called for the president to replace his VP with a new running mate in 2024

A group of actors and other Hollywood political donors has reportedly argued that President Joe Biden needs to jettison Kamala Harris as his vice president, picking a new running mate when he runs for re-election in 2024.

 » …

Florida governor warns rivals there’s ‘new sheriff in town’

Declaring victory over Disney, Ron DeSantis next vowed to take on the Democratic Party

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis credited his policies for saving the state from financial and moral collapse in an interview with FoxNews’ Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, hinting that those same policies would work just as well to fix the entire country.

 » …