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NASA says meteor explosion caused loud boom heard across New England <br> NASA said Saturday that a meteor breaking apart high above the New England area caused a loud boom that was heard across parts of Massachusetts and neighboring states earlier in the day. The United States space agency said in a post on US social media company X that witnesses and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration&rsquo;s (NOAA) GOES-19 satellite detected a bright fireball at 2.06pm local time (1806GMT). The meteor fragmented at an altitude of about 40 miles (64 kilometres) above northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire, according to NASA. &ldquo;The energy released at breakup is estimated to be equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT, which accounts for the loud noise,&rdquo; it said. #MeteorSighting: Eyewitnesses in New England and @NOAA&rsquo;s GOES-19 satellite reported a bright fireball on Saturday, May 30, at 2:06 p.m EDT accompanied by a loud no...

AI meets geopolitics <br> OpenAI has recently put forward an idea that could reshape how the world thinks about artificial intelligence governance. It marks a turning point. The conversation is no longer theoretical &mdash; it is becoming institutional. The proposal, according to Bloomberg, envisions a multilateral global body, led by the US but also including China as co-equal stakeholder, to coordinate safety standards, oversight mechanisms, and risk management for advanced AI systems. OpenAI&rsquo;s idea comes at a critical moment. AI is no longer just a technological breakthrough; it is rapidly transforming economic and geopolitical competition. Without a unified and inclusive system of governance, the world risks repeating past mistakes &mdash; where powerful technologies, driven by profit rather than responsibility, created widespread harm. Social media offers a cautionary tale. AI could be far more consequential. The proposal reflects a growing realisati...

Pentagon says US military personnel are reportedly being targeted using location data <br> US forces deployed to war zones have ​been targeted using commercially available location data, according to reports fielded by military officials, an illustration of how the global surveillance &zwnj;economy is shaping the battlefield. In a letter shared with Reuters by US Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, US Central Command (Centcom) said it had &ldquo;received multiple threat reports concerning adversary exploitation of commercial location data to target or surveil US personnel in theater&quot;. The message, sent on April 14, offered no further specifics, but Centcom&#39;s area of responsibility includes the Gulf, where ​US forces are facing off against the Iranian military over the Strait of Hormuz. The disclosure was the first official confirmation that US forces had ​been targeted in an active war zone, Wyden and a bipartisan group of legislators said in a ...

'Greetings after 88 days': Iranians reconnect after long internet shutdown <br> Iranians, isolated by a long internet shutdown imposed by the authorities during the war ​with the United States and Israel, expressed joy as social media came back to life in a country &zwnj;where, even in normal times, access to the outside world remains restricted via censorship of many websites. &quot;I&rsquo;ve never been so happy in my life to see Telegram notifications,&quot; Kian Galvani, an engineering student, wrote on his account on X. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued an order to reopen international ​internet access, Iranian state media reported on Monday, citing an official after a near-90-day blackout. The report cited the ​head of public relations at Iran&rsquo;s Communications Ministry. The mechanism for how and when Iran would reconnect ⁠to the global web following the decision was unknown. Read More: Iran&rsquo;s internet plummets to...

Pope, urging AI regulation, warns some weapons now beyond human control <br> Pope Leo urged governments to slow down and closely regulate the development of AI systems in his first major document, released on Monday, warning that they spread misinformation, prioritise ​conflict and risk leading the world down a path of unending war. The first US pope also expressed concern at a Vatican event launching the text that some autonomous weapons systems have advanced &quot;practically beyond any human &zwnj;reach to govern them&quot;. The event was also attended by Chris Olah, a co-founder of Anthropic, one of the world&#39;s top AI companies. Leo, who has adopted a more forceful tone in recent months and has drawn the ire of US President Donald Trump after criticising the Iran war, made a range of impassioned appeals to world leaders in the lengthy document, known as an encyclical. The first US pope called for ownership of AI data not to be left solely in privat...

China sends astronaut on year-long space mission as it eyes 2030 moon landing <br> China sent three astronauts to its space station on Sunday, one of whom will stay for a ​year, a record length for the country, enabling the study of long-duration human physiology in space as Beijing works towards its ambition of a crewed moon &zwnj;landing by 2030. The Shenzhou-23 vessel launched at 11:08pm&nbsp;(1508 GMT) using the Long March-2F Y23 carrier rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, with three Chinese astronauts on board. Payload specialist Li Jiaying, a former Hong Kong police inspector, is the first astronaut from the city to take part in a Chinese space mission. The other crew members are Commander Zhu Yangzhu and Pilot Zhang Yuanzhi, both from the ​People&#39;s Liberation Army&#39;s astronaut division. China, US set sights on Moon One of the three is to stay on the Tiangong space station for a year, one of ​the longest space miss...

Two Pakistani astronauts undergoing training in China <br> Two Pakistani astronauts have entered the Astronaut Centre of China and are participating in mission training alongside their Chinese counterparts, with all related work progressing smoothly, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Saturday. According to the plan, one Pakistani astronaut will serve as a payload specialist for a short-term spaceflight mission. They are currently following the programme to complete basic training and aerospace technical training, CMSA spokesperson Zhang Jingbo told a press conference in Jiuquan in northwest China. Two Pakistani astronauts have entered the Astronaut Center of China and are participating in mission training alongside their Chinese counterparts, with all related work progressing smoothly, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Saturday https://t.co/kDOxxHWDFp pic.twitter.com/ryl1CUhkfx &mdash; China Xinhua News (@XHNews) May 23, 2026 The tra...

Saudi Arabia deploys drones, AI to enhance security during 2026 Hajj pilgrimage <br> Saudi authorities are deploying drones, artificial intelligence, and advanced surveillance technologies during the 2026 Hajj season to monitor crowds, detect violations, and prevent unauthorised entry into the holy sites, the Saudi newspaper Okaz said on Friday. The report said the technologies form part of an integrated security and organisational system aimed at ensuring the safety of millions of pilgrims who gather annually in the holy sites. Saudi authorities are using drones to track and apprehend violators of Hajj regulations, alongside fixed-wing aircraft tasked with monitoring illegal entry attempts into the holy sites under the slogan &ldquo;No Hajj without a permit,&rdquo; according to the report. The newspaper said drones help security forces monitor large areas quickly and efficiently, allowing field teams to receive immediate alerts about suspicious movements and infi...

South Korea's Samsung labor union suspends general strike <br> Unionised workers at Samsung Electronics in South Korea have said they have decided to suspend plans for a general strike, according to local media. &quot;We will postpone the general strike scheduled for May 21-June 7 until further notice,&quot; the joint headquarters of Samsung Electronics&#39; labour union said in a notice, Yonhap News Agency reported on Wednesday. However, a group of shareholders said on Thursday they would take legal action against the tentative wage deal, calling it illegal. The strike had originally been scheduled to begin on Thursday and last for 18 days. Under the tentative agreement, Samsung will allocate a special semiconductor performance bonus equivalent to 10.5% of business performance earnings, without a cap. Also&nbsp;Read: Samsung Elec, AMD sign MoU on AI memory, explore foundry partnership The deal will be put to a vote by union members from Friday to W...

China market for Nvidia AI chips to open 'over time': Huang <br> NVIDIA boss Jensen Huang expects China to eventually open its market to high-end US chips that can train and run artificial intelligence systems. But he did not discuss sales of the powerful H200 model with top officials in Beijing, the businessman told Bloomberg Television in an interview broadcast on Monday. Huang travelled to the country last week with US President Donald Trump, who met Chinese President Xi Jinping. The superpowers are in a fierce race for AI supremacy, and the H200 chip had until recently been barred from sale in China by Washington over national security concerns. Read: Putin trip aims to show China ties unshakeable after Trump pomp However, there is no sign that Chinese tech companies are buying them, as Beijing ramps up domestic chip development in a bid to challenge US dominance in the key sector. &quot;H200s are licensed to sell to China. But the Chinese government ha...

Elon Musk loses lawsuit against OpenAI <br> A United States jury on Monday ruled against Elon Musk in his lawsuit against OpenAI, ​finding the artificial intelligence company not liable to the world&#39;s richest person for having allegedly strayed from its original mission &zwnj;to benefit humanity. In a unanimous verdict, the jury in the Oakland, California, federal court said Musk had brought his case too late. The jury deliberated for less than two hours. The trial had widely been seen as a critical moment for the future of OpenAI and artificial intelligence generally, both in how it should be used and ​who should benefit from it. Following the verdict, Musk&#39;s lawyer said he reserved the right to appeal, but the judge suggested he ​may have an uphill battle because whether the statute of limitations ran out before Musk sued was ⁠a factual issue. &quot;There&#39;s a substantial amount of evidence to support the jury&#39;s finding, which is...

He said, she said, AI said: Wall Street sex scandal rivets and confounds <br> A Wall Street banker&#39;s explosive sexual harassment lawsuit against a female executive has triggered a torrent of salacious falsehoods muddying the waters &mdash;&nbsp;with AI-created deepfakes and memes fueling the frenzy. The social media storm erupted soon after the suit &mdash;&nbsp;packed with allegations of sexual abuse, coercion, and racial harassment &mdash;&nbsp;was filed last month in a New York court by a former JPMorgan Chase banker identified by US media as 35-year-old Chirayu Rana. Lawyers for the defendant, Lorna Hajdini, who remains at the bank, have called the accusations fabricated. JPMorgan Chase has said it investigated the claims and found them meritless. But even before any legal outcome, the suit&#39;s tawdry claims have become a source of public fascination, spawning a wave of AI-generated clips and sexually suggestive memes &mdash;...

Should you trust AI for everything? <br> From diagnosing symptoms and planning diets to deciding what to cook for dinner or what to gift a friend, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has moved into roles once reserved for medical practitioners or trusted confidants and, stranger still, for companionship itself. At the same time, it has become the first stop for life&rsquo;s random questions: &ldquo;What is the capital of Turkiye?&rdquo; and &ldquo;Who invented the telephone?&rdquo; to &ldquo;How many calories are in an egg?&rdquo; &ldquo;How do I write a resignation letter?&rdquo; &ldquo;Why is my phone not charging?&rdquo; or &ldquo;How can I lose weight?&rdquo; This increasing variety of queries shows how deeply AI is embedding itself in our daily life, raising an urgent question: when advice is instant, intelligent, and everywhere, who ultimately takes responsibility for its consequences? Recent estimates suggest that roughly...

OpenAI floats idea of global AI watchdog <br> OpenAI has expressed support for the creation of a global artificial intelligence governance body led by the United States, with China also included as a member, in a move aimed at building international coordination on AI safety, standards&nbsp;and oversight as competition between major powers intensifies. According to Bloomberg, the proposal envisions a formal multilateral framework that would bring together leading governments to manage the rapid development of advanced AI systems. The idea comes amid growing concerns in Washington, Beijing and other capitals over the risks posed by increasingly powerful AI models, including safety failures, misuse by non-state actors, and geopolitical tensions surrounding technological dominance. Under the suggested framework, the US would play a leading role in shaping the governance structure, while China&rsquo;s inclusion would be intended to ensure that the world&rsquo;s tw...

PCOS renamed Polycystic Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome in hopes of improving diagnoses <br> Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) has officially been renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS), following a landmark 14-year collaboration between Monash University, medical experts, researchers, and patients worldwide. The announcement was made by The Lancet on Tuesday, marking a significant shift in how the condition is understood and discussed globally. The condition affects around one in eight women, impacting more than 170 million people worldwide. According to speakers at a press conference announcing the change, the previous name &ldquo;Polycystic Ovary Syndrome&rdquo; was considered misleading because it inaccurately suggested the condition was primarily a gynecological issue centered on ovarian cysts. Patient advocacy and professional organisations, including the Endocrine Society, participated in the renaming process. Experts explained that the new term,...

Apple, Intel have reached preliminary chip-making deal: report <br> Intel has reached a preliminary deal with Apple to make some of the chips that power the iPhone maker&#39;s devices, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, in ​a major boost for the chipmaker&#39;s bid to revive its manufacturing business. The companies were engaged &zwnj;in intensive talks for more than a year and they hammered out a formal deal in recent months, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. Read More: Apple&#39;s iPhone shipments in China surge 20% in Q1, data shows Intel stock extended gains to rise 15% on the news, while Apple&nbsp;shares ​were up about 1.7% in afternoon trading. Landing an Apple contract will give Intel a steady stream ​of demand from one of the world&#39;s largest consumer electronics companies, bolstering both ⁠its reputation and a manufacturing business that has fallen behind TSMC in recent years. The Journal report said ​...

IMF warns of 'inevitable' AI-powered threats to global financial system <br> The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Thursday of the risks to global financial stability posed by cyberattacks powered by advanced artificial intelligence tools, calling for greater international cooperation on the issue. &quot;IMF analysis suggests that extreme cyber-incident losses could trigger funding strains, raise solvency concerns&nbsp;and disrupt broader markets,&quot; the lender warned in a new report. The study&#39;s authors highlighted the risks posed by the highly interconnected nature of the global financial system, with advanced AI models able to &quot;dramatically reduce&quot; the time and cost of exploiting vulnerabilities. The warning comes weeks after AI company Anthropic cautioned that its yet-to-be-released &quot;Mythos&quot; model was incredibly adept at finding and exploiting such weaknesses. The model was particularly effi...

Young Europeans turn to AI chatbots for emotional support, survey shows <br> Nearly one in two young people in Europe have used AI chatbots to discuss intimate or personal matters, as the technology increasingly serves as a source of emotional support, an Ipsos BVA survey showed on Tuesday. Of the 3,800 people surveyed, 51% said it was &quot;easy&quot; to discuss mental health and personal issues with a chatbot. Only 49% said the same about healthcare professionals and 37% about psychologists. People close to them were at the top of the list, with 68% saying it was easy to discuss issues with friends and 61% with parents. The survey, commissioned by France&#39;s privacy watchdog CNIL and insurer Groupe VYV, was carried out among people aged 11 to 25 across France, Germany, Sweden and Ireland in early 2026. The findings showcased growing concerns over young people&#39;s mental health. About 28% of respondents met the threshold for suspected generalized anx...

Our solar conundrum <br> With the energy shock becoming more pronounced worldwide, consumption bills soaring, and a broad but fragmented consensus against fossil fuels shaping up, a growing chorus in the global north backs a shift to greener power. In the global south, however, many people are arriving at the same conclusion, not necessarily out of environmental concern, but for the sake of their wallets. Pakistan happens to be no exception. The thought of transitioning to solar crosses countless minds. Some can afford it, others can only afford to shelve the idea until they save enough, or until the country&rsquo;s policy climate turns more conducive. Asad, a resident of Karachi, the southern port city where the sun rarely hides, is one of those who has thought about it. Over the past few months, particularly as the energy shock continues to hammer consumers, he has sat at his table innumerable times, running a set of numbers he scribbled on a piece of paper. The math ...