Duo win Physics Nobel Prize for ‘foundational’ AI breakthroughs

US scientist John Hopfield and British-Canadian Geoffrey Hinton won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for discoveries and inventions in machine learning that paved the way for the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.The pair’s research on neural networks in the 1980s paved the way for technology that promises to revolutionise society but has also raised apocalyptic fears.Hinton has been widely credited as a “godfather” of AI and made headlines when he quit his job at Google last year to be able to more easily speak about the dangers of the technology he had pioneered.“We have no experience of what it’s like to have things smarter than us,” Hinton said over the phone to the Nobel press conference, speaking from a hotel in California.“It’s going to be wonderful in many respects, in areas like healthcare,” Hinton said. “But we also have to worry about a number of possible bad consequences. Particularly the threat of these things getting out of control.”Hopfield, 91, a professor emeritus at Princeton University, created an associative memory that can store and reconstruct images and other types of patterns in data.“When you get systems that are rich enough in complexity and size, they can have properties which you can’t possibly intuit from the elementary particles you put in there,” he said in a press conference convened by Princeton. “You have to say that system contains some new physics.”He echoed Hinton’s concerns, saying there was something unnerving about the unknown potential and limits of AI.“One is accustomed to having technologies which are not singularly only good or only bad, but have capabilities in both directions,” he said.The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said it awarded the prize to the two men because they used “tools from physics to develop methods that are the foundation of today’s powerful machine learning” that is “revolutionising science, engineering and daily life”.The award comes with a prize sum of 11mn Swedish crowns ($1.1mn) which is shared by the two winners.British-born Hinton, 76, now professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, invented a method that can autonomously find properties in data and carry out tasks such as identifying specific elements in pictures, the academy said. – Reuters/AFP

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/692224/international/duo-win-physics-nobel-prize-for-foundational-ai-breakthroughs

Qatar, France launch joint humanitarian aid to Lebanon

Qatar and France on Tuesday launched joint humanitarian aid to Lebanon. A Qatari and a French aircraft carrying aid including medical supplies, medication and shelter equipment provided by the State of Qatar and the French Republic arrived in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.This aid comes within the framework of the strategic partnership between Qatar and France aimed at supporting those affected by the recent developments in Lebanon.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/692204/qatar/qatar-france-launch-joint-humanitarian-aid-to-lebanon

Nobel prize in physics goes to machine learning pioneers

Prize awarded for work laying foundation for machine learningHinton quit Google last year to speak more freely about dangers of AIPrinceton professor Hopfield created an associative memory that can store and reconstruct imagesPhysics second award in this year's Nobel line-upPrizes announced through course of weekUS scientist John Hopfield and British-Canadian Geoffrey Hinton won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics for discoveries and inventions that laid the foundation for machine learning, the award-giving body said on Tuesday. Hinton has been widely credited as a godfather of artificial intelligence and made headlines when he quit his job at Google last year to be able to more easily speak about the dangers of the technology he had pioneered.'We have no experience of what it's like to have things smarter than us,' Hinton said over the phone to the Nobel press conference, speaking from a hotel in California.'It's going to be wonderful in many respects, in areas like healthcare,' Hinton said. 'But we also have to worry about a number of possible bad consequences. Particularly the threat of these things getting out of control.'Hopfield, 91, a professor emeritus at Princeton University, created an associative memory that can store and reconstruct images and other types of patterns in data, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the prize, said.'This year's two Nobel Laureates in physics have used tools from physics to develop methods that are the foundation of today's powerful machine learning,' the academy said in a statement.'Machine learning based on artificial neural networks is currently revolutionising science, engineering and daily life.'The award comes with a prize sum of 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.1 million) which is shared by the two winners.British-born Hinton, 76, now professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, invented a method that can autonomously find properties in data and carry out tasks such as identifying specific elements in pictures, the academy added.Though he quit Google in 2023 after realising computers could become smarter than people far sooner than he and other experts had expected, Hinton said the company itself acted very responsibly.Hinton also said that he regretted some of his research, but that he acted on the information he had at the time.'In the same circumstances I would do the same again,' he told the Nobel press conference. 'But I am worried that the overall consequence of this might be systems more intelligent than us that eventually take control.'Asked about the concerns surrounding machine learning and other forms of artificial intelligence, Ellen Moons, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said: 'While machine learning has enormous benefits, its rapid development has also raised concerns about our future.'Collectively, humans carry the responsibility for using this new technology in a safe and ethical way, for the greatest benefit of humankind.' Widely considered the most prestigious award for physicists across the world, the prize was created, along with awards for achievements in science, literature and peace, in the will of Alfred Nobel.The prizes have been awarded with a few interruptions since 1901, though the Nobel economics honour is a later addition in memory of the Swedish businessman and philanthropist, who had made a fortune from his invention of dynamite.Outside the sometimes controversial choices for peace and literature, physics often makes the biggest splash among the prizes, with the list of past winners featuring scientific superstars such as Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr and Enrico Fermi. Last year's physics prize was awarded to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier for their work in creating ultra-short pulses of light that can give a snapshot of changes within atoms, potentially improving the detection of diseases. Physics is the second Nobel to be awarded this week, after US scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the medicine prize for their discovery of microRNA and its role in gene regulation, shedding light on how cells specialise.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/692167/international/uslatin-america/nobel-prize-in-physics-goes-to-machine-learning-pioneers

Occupation will eventually pay price for Gaza genocide : Turkish President

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Israel will eventually pay the price for the genocide that has been going on in Gaza for a year.'Exactly 365 days ago, 50,000 of our brothers and sisters, mostly children and women, were brutally murdered,' Erdogan wrote in an X post.'Hospitals, places of worship belonging to different faiths, and schools in Gaza are no longer standing. Many journalists, representatives of civil society organizations and ambassadors of peace are no longer among us,' he added.'What is dying in Gaza, Palestine, and nowadays in Lebanon is not just women, children, babies, innocent civilians; it is humanity (and) the international system that is expected to serve humanity,' he wrote on X.'For a year, what has been killed before the eyes of the world is humanity itself and all of humanity's hopes for the future,' he said, stressing that Israel's policy of genocide and occupation must come to an end.'A world in which no account is held for the Gaza genocide will ever find peace,' President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/692153/international/occupation-will-eventually-pay-price-for-gaza-genocide-turkish-president

UN High Commissioner calls for greater international support to stem humanitarian catastrophe in Lebanon

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi called on Sunday for greater international support to stem the humanitarian catastrophe engulfing Lebanon.'Two weeks of deadly Israeli airstrikes have killed hundreds and forced over a million people to flee their homes,' according to a press release issued by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).'I've witnessed today the tragic toll this war is taking on entire communities,' said Grandi, adding 'International humanitarian law must be respected and cannot be ignored. Families have been left homeless, stranded in the open air with traumatized children unable to understand what's happening.'People should not pay the price for the abysmal failure to find political solutions and end this vicious cycle of violence, Grandi said.With large numbers of people displaced within the country in just two weeks, government-run shelters are overwhelmed, UNHCR said in the press release, stressing that the international community must significantly increase funding in order for humanitarians to respond adequately.Lebanon is facing a large-scale Israeli aggression that has targeted numerous towns and villages along the border, as well as critical infrastructure, resulting in thousands of Lebanese civilian casualties. The attacks have also forced over a million people to flee their homes.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/692087/international/un-high-commissioner-calls-for-greater-international-support-to-stem-humanitarian-catastrophe-in-lebanon

Biden orders more troops to help North Carolina recovery efforts

US President Joe Biden said yesterday that he has ordered another 500 active-duty troops to move into western North Carolina and assist with the response and recovery efforts after the deadly and devastating Hurricane Helene.“With a total of 1,500 troops now supplementing a robust on-the-ground effort – including more than 6,100 National Guardsmen and more than 7,000 federal personnel – my administration is sparing no resource to support families as they begin their road to rebuilding,” Biden said in a statement.He also said that he is being briefed on tropical storm Milton as it strengthened across the Gulf of Mexico.The potentially devastating storm barrelled toward the Florida coast yesterday, as the head of the US disaster relief agency lashed out at a “dangerous” misinformation war being waged over the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said Milton intensified into a Category 1 hurricane yesterday with maximum sustained winds of 80mph (130kph).Milton was churning in the Gulf of Mexico, west-southwest of Tampa, with nothing but 800 miles of warm ocean between it and the Florida coast – an area still reeling from Helene’s catastrophic winds and storm surge.It could hit by midweek as a major storm, the NHC said.Deanne Criswell, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said that the federal authorities were “absolutely ready” for Milton.“We will move resources in there to support their needs,” she told ABC’s This Week.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis upped the number of counties under a state of emergency to 51 ahead of the storm.Helene roared into the Florida coastline as a Category 4 storm on September 26 and carved a path of destruction inland to the Appalachian mountains, dumping torrential rainfall and flash flooding on remote towns in states such as North Carolina.The storm has killed more than 220 people – making it the deadliest natural disaster to hit the United States since 2005’s Hurricane Katrina – with the toll still rising.Relief workers are racing to find survivors and to get power and drinking water to mountainous communities cut off by the devastation.However, that effort has been hit by a wave of false claims and conspiracy theories.Among the litany of disinformation is the lie pushed by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that funding for relief has been misappropriated by his rival for the White House, Democrat Kamala Harris, and redirected toward migrants.“It’s frankly ridiculous and just plain false ... it’s really a shame that we’re putting politics ahead of helping people,” Criswell told ABC.It is a “truly dangerous narrative that is creating this fear of trying to reach out and help us or to register for help”, she said.ABC reported that law enforcement is monitoring threats made toward FEMA officials and other recovery agencies that were prompted by the disinformation.In addition to Trump’s false claim, the Washington Post reported yesterday on a series of other lies swirling around Helene that it said were “adding to the chaos and confusion in many storm-battered communities”.They include a false claim that a dam was about to burst, which the Post said prompted hundreds of people to unnecessarily evacuate, and a “troubling” lie that officials planned to bulldoze bodies under the rubble in one North Carolina town.One user suggested “a militia go against FEMA” in a post on X, formerly Twitter, which has received more than half a million views.Asked about that post, Criswell said it “has a tremendous impact on the comfort level of our own employees to be able to go out there” and called it “demoralising”.“It’s just, you know, a shame that people are sitting home on their comfortable couches (while) we have thousands of people here on the ground that have left their own families to be able to help those in need,” she said.The FEMA has begun debunking the rumours online, as have authorities in the hard-hit state of North Carolina.Local officials have urged residents to ignore the online falsehoods.“I would encourage the good residents of western North Carolina to turn that garbage off,” one local sheriff said.Much of the focus was on X.Before the platform was purchased by Elon Musk, when it was still known as Twitter, it was a go-to place for disaster co-ordination and information sharing.However, the billionaire has allowed right-wing disinformation and conspiracy theories to flood the platform.“When Musk bought Twitter, there were many of us in the disaster space who warned that there would likely be changes that would make the platform less useful during disasters,” Sam Montano, a disaster expert, told the Post. “I think that we’re seeing that manifest now.”

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/692086/international/biden-orders-more-troops-to-help-north-carolina-recovery-efforts

Thousands stage pro-Palestinian protests worldwide, on eve of Oct 7 anniversary

Protests held in cities from Jakarta to Istanbul to RabatIsrael's military actions in Gaza and Lebanon face international condemnationThousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested in cities around the world on Sunday on the eve of the first anniversary of the war in Gaza.Demonstrations were held in major cities from Jakarta to Istanbul to Rabat, and followed protests on Saturday in major European capitals as well as Washington and New York.'We are here to support the Palestinian resistance,' said protester Ahmet Unal in Istanbul, where thousands assembled.On October 7 last year, Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.Israel's subsequent military campaign against Hamas in Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, and laid waste to the enclave.Israel launched air attacks on Beirut's southern suburbs overnight and early on Sunday, the most intense bombardment of the Lebanese capital since Israel sharply escalated its campaign against Iranian-backed group Hezbollah last month.In Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia at least 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on Sunday morning near the US embassy demanding that Washington stop supplying weapons to Israel.In Sydney, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered ahead of the Oct. 7 anniversary, chanting and waving Lebanese and Palestinian flags amid a heavy police presence.One person was arrested for waving an Israeli flag with a swastika in the middle of it instead of the Star of David.In Rabat, thousands of Moroccans marched, calling for a halt to the violence in Gaza and Lebanon, in one of the largest protests in the country since the beginning of the war in Gaza.Protesters demanded an end to Morocco's diplomatic ties with Israel, chanting 'no to normalisation, Palestine is not for sale,' referring to Morocco's establishing of diplomatic relations with Israel.Over the past year, the scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza has prompted some of the biggest global demonstrations in years, including in the US, which saw weeks of pro-Palestinian college campus encampments.Israel has faced wide international condemnation over its actions in Gaza, and now over its bombarding of Lebanon.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/692058/region/thousands-stage-pro-palestinian-protests-worldwide-on-eve-of-oct-7-anniversary

Thousands stage pro-Palestinian protests worldwide, on first anniversary of Gaza war

Protests held in cities from Jakarta to Istanbul to RabatIsrael's military actions in Gaza and Lebanon face international condemnationThousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested in cities around the world on Sunday on the eve of the first anniversary of the war in Gaza.Demonstrations were held in major cities from Jakarta to Istanbul to Rabat, and followed protests on Saturday in major European capitals as well as Washington and New York.'We are here to support the Palestinian resistance,' said protester Ahmet Unal in Istanbul, where thousands assembled.On October 7 last year, Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.Israel's subsequent military campaign against Hamas in Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, and laid waste to the enclave.Israel launched air attacks on Beirut's southern suburbs overnight and early on Sunday, the most intense bombardment of the Lebanese capital since Israel sharply escalated its campaign against Iranian-backed group Hezbollah last month.In Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia at least 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on Sunday morning near the US embassy demanding that Washington stop supplying weapons to Israel.In Sydney, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered ahead of the Oct. 7 anniversary, chanting and waving Lebanese and Palestinian flags amid a heavy police presence.One person was arrested for waving an Israeli flag with a swastika in the middle of it instead of the Star of David.In Rabat, thousands of Moroccans marched, calling for a halt to the violence in Gaza and Lebanon, in one of the largest protests in the country since the beginning of the war in Gaza.Protesters demanded an end to Morocco's diplomatic ties with Israel, chanting 'no to normalisation, Palestine is not for sale,' referring to Morocco's establishing of diplomatic relations with Israel.Over the past year, the scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza has prompted some of the biggest global demonstrations in years, including in the US, which saw weeks of pro-Palestinian college campus encampments.Israel has faced wide international condemnation over its actions in Gaza, and now over its bombarding of Lebanon.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/692058/region/thousands-stage-pro-palestinian-protests-worldwide-on-first-anniversary-of-gaza-war

Thousands around the world demand end to Gaza war on anniversary

Protests against Israel's actions in Gaza, worries about spread of conflict in the regionInternational diplomacy has failed to secure a ceasefire deal in GazaThousands of protesters took to the streets in several major cities around the world on Saturday to demand an end to bloodshed in Gaza, as the conflict in the Palestinian enclave approaches its first anniversary and spreads in the wider region.About 40,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London while thousands also gathered in Paris, Rome, Manila and Cape Town.Protesters marched through central London on Saturday calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon as the war in the Palestinian territory neared the one-year mark.Pro-Palestinian supporters from across the country began the march from Russell Square to Downing Street demanding an end to the conflict, which has killed nearly 42,000 people in Gaza.At Saturday's 20th 'National March for Palestine' in London, familiar chants -- 'ceasefire now', 'stop bombing hospitals, stop bombing civilians' and 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' -- were joined by shouts of 'hands off Lebanon'.Several protesters carried posters reading 'Starmer has blood on his hands'.UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas, as well as suspended some arms licences to Israel.However, many at the rally said it was not enough.Sophia Thomson, 27, found the Labour government's stance 'hypocritical'.According to Thomson, the size of the protests 'goes to show the government doesn't speak for the people'.'It's not good enough. It's not good enough,' added Bakir, calling for the government to 'stop giving a carte blanche of support to the Israeli government'.The war was triggered when militant Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 in a raid that killed 1,200 people and in which about 250 were taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, and displaced nearly all of the enclave's population of 2.3 million.'Unfortunately, in spite of all our good will, the Israeli government does not take any notice, and they just go ahead and continue their atrocities in Gaza, now also in Lebanon and in Yemen, and also probably in Iran,' said protestor Agmes Koury in London.'And our government, our British government, unfortunately is just paying lip service and carries on supplying weapons to Israel,' she added.In Berlin, Israel supporters protested against rising antisemitism and scuffles broke out between police and pro-Palestinian counter-protestors.Over the past year, the scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza has drawn some of the biggest global protests in years, in a wave of anger that defenders of Israel say has created an antisemitic climate in which protestors question Israel's right to exist as a nation.The war in Gaza has spread to the region, drawing in Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. Israel has sharply escalated a campaign against Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah in recent weeks and Iran launched a barrage of missiles against Israel this week.In Paris, Lebanese-French protestor Houssam Houssein said:'We fear a regional war, because there are tensions with Iran at the moment, and perhaps with Iraq and Yemen'.'We really need to stop the war because it's now become unbearable,' he added.In Rome, around 6,000 protestors waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags, defying a ban to march in the city centre ahead of the Oct. 7 anniversary.While its allies such as the United States support Israel's right to defend itself, Israel has faced wide international condemnation over its actions in Gaza, and now over its bombarding of Lebanon.International diplomacy led by the United States has so far failed to clinch a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Hamas wants an agreement that ends the war while Israel says fighting can end only when Hamas is eradicated.In Manila, activists clashed with anti-riot police after they were blocked from holding a demonstration in front of the US embassy in the Philippine capital in protest at the United States supplying Israel with weapons.Demonstrations to mark the first anniversary were due to take place later on Saturday in other cities across the world, including the United States and Chile. Some demonstrations in support of Israel are also planned over the weekend.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/691976/international/thousands-around-the-world-demand-end-to-gaza-war-on-anniversary

Spoon scratching: Kenya’s DIY DJ

A spoon, some towel hooks, a piece of kettle and a plastic cap — that’s all you’ll need to make a mixing deck if you have the technical and musical skills of DJ Boboss.The 27-year-old — real name Paul Mwangi — has been building up a fanbase online and on the streets of Kenya with the one-of-a-kind deck that he put together himself.It has even earned him slots at Uganda’s Nyege Nyege festival, the largest in east Africa, and on the world-renowned club website Boiler Room.But his favourite venue is Nairobi’s bustling business district, where he set up on a recent Saturday among the stands of miraa (khat) vendors, the smell of grilled corn and the horns of matatus, the colourful minibuses of the Kenyan capital.In a few minutes, dozens of curious onlookers had gathered, taking out their phones to film the amazing machine that spits out reggae hits.The mixing desk consists of a spray-painted wooden board on which are screwed towel racks, switches and printed circuits connected in a tangle of cables — all connected to an amp, speaker, and car battery.He scratches using a slider made from a magnetised spoon between two towel hooks, and his fader is cobbled together from a plastic bottle cap.Fixes are done without breaking the flow — at one point, DJ Boboss whips out a screwdriver, strips a wire with his teeth and repairs a fault while the music keeps playing.“I’ve never seen anything like that in the world,” smiled David Meshack, who works in a nearby electronics store that sells professional turntables.“One day, a customer came in with a photo of it. He wanted the same one but I didn’t know what it was,” he said. “Today, I see it!” Boboss is an acronym for “Be your own boss” and Mwangi got his start repairing radios.“My dad bought me a radio. After some time it stopped ‘talking’ and he said he wouldn’t buy another one. I was stressed because I was addicted to music and listening to radio, so I just opened it using a knife,” he said.Soon he was repairing electronic devices in his village near Meru in central Kenya.Then one day he saw a DJ in a bar and was inspired.“I loved how he played music and the way the crowd reacted. I didn’t have the money to buy real equipment but I said I could make my own with the available resources.” Mwangi moved to the capital and now makes a living from his DJing and occasionally selling specially-commissioned turntables.His favourite venue is the street, especially in the business district or at Gikomba, the largest second-hand clothing market in the country.“Street shows is a special feeling, you have a contact with the people. Many people have never seen a DJ mixing live,” he said.Among the onlookers, 48-year-old ex-soldier Zachary Mibei said he loved how Mwangi illustrates the situation for young people in Kenya.“He has no training, it’s all homemade, he is showing that he has something in him. He is telling us: ‘I can do it by myself’,” said Mibei.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/691956/international/spoon-scratching-kenyas-diy-dj

Thailand rushes to rescue animals from flash floods

Authorities and conservationists are rushing to rescue elephants and buffaloes from flash flooding in Thailand’s northern Chiang Mai province, a senior official said on Friday.Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said 117 elephants had been saved but nine more needed help.“An operation is underway,” he told reporters.One village that buffaloes had been moved to earlier was now completed flooded, conservationist Saengduan Chailert said.“We don’t know how many elephants will survive, we are going back to help them,” she said.A herd of elephants were seen running through water, trumpeting loudly in a video posted on social media by Saengduan, founder of the Chiang Mai-based Elephant Nature Park.One ran slower than the herd because she was blind in both eyes, Saengduan said.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/691955/international/thailand-rushes-to-rescue-animals-from-flash-floods