All posts tagged: world

Russia in flames in humiliating blow to Putin as ‘Ukrainian drones set oil depot on fire’ | World | News

Russia in flames in humiliating blow to Putin as ‘Ukrainian drones set oil depot on fire’ | World | News

More than 10 Ukrainian drones penetrated three Russian districts in the Voronezh region on Wednesday night, a Russian official has claimed. An oil depot in the Liski District was left in flames as attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure continued. Voronezh Region Governor Roman Gusev said the drones that attacked the oil depot managed to penetrate the protective netting on the tanks. In remarks attributed to him by independent Russian news outlet Astra, he said: “At the initial stage, extinguishing the fire was complicated by the threat of repeated attacks on the facility. “At the moment, reinforced fire crews are fighting the fire at several reservoirs: dozens of units of equipment and two fire trains. Additional forces have been sent from two neighbouring regions.” The official claimed there were no casualties and citizens’ property was not damaged. According to the head of the region, there is no threat to the population, and the situation with the availability of fuel and lubricants in the region will not change, he stressed. Gurev insisted: “All emergency services are …

10 biggest world threats of 2025, ranked | Ian Bremmer

10 biggest world threats of 2025, ranked | Ian Bremmer

Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, has been delivering his insightful Top Risks Report for 15 years. The primary objective? To systematically outline how we should approach the world’s most significant threats and opportunities in any given year. Bremmer’s Top Risks report stands in stark contrast to the clickbait and anger-inducing algorithmic news dominating social platforms. Rather than succumbing to sensationalism, the report serves as a rallying point for professionals and the wider public to focus on what truly matters for global success. It navigates the realm of reality, steering away from ideology and personal biases. “The G-Zero world and America first are working together in lockstep, and that means more ungoverned spaces, more rogue actors, more geopolitical instability and more conflict. That’s where we’re heading in 2025.”  Here, Bremmer presents his top 10 risks demanding our attention and preparation in the year 2025. IAN BREMMER: – …

U.K. to Turbocharge AI, Gain up to  Billion a Year as World Leader

U.K. to Turbocharge AI, Gain up to $57 Billion a Year as World Leader

Artificial intelligence will “be unleashed across the U.K. to deliver a decade of national renewal.” At least, that is the vow made by Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he unveiled a plan that his Labour Party government says will “turbocharge AI” and “deliver a decade of national renewal” by “backing AI to the hilt.” Agreeing to take forward all 50 recommendations set out by Matt Clifford, chairman of talent investor Entrepreneur First, in his “AI Opportunities Action Plan,” which he was tasked to draw up last summer, Starmer and his team said on Monday that AI could help with “revolutionizing our public services and putting more money in people’s back pockets.” Citing an International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimate, the government emphasized that “if AI is fully embraced and productivity gains are fully realized, this could be worth up to an average £47 billion ($57 billion) to the U.K. each year over a decade.” Concluded the government: “Today’s plan mainlines AI into the veins of this enterprising nation – revolutionizing our public services and putting more …

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall—Book Review by TBE

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall—Book Review by TBE

Eiren Caffall’s debut novel “All the Water in the World” emerges as a distinctive voice in climate fiction, offering a unique perspective on survival in a world transformed by rising seas and societal collapse. Through the eyes of young Nonie, a girl with an innate connection to water and weather, we experience a post-apocalyptic New York that feels both familiar and frighteningly possible. The novel begins at AMNH (affectionately called “Amen” by its inhabitants), where a small community of museum workers and their families have created a sanctuary on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History. Their mission: to preserve humanity’s knowledge while surviving in a city largely abandoned to floods and chaos. When a hypercane destroys their home, Nonie and her remaining family must navigate treacherous waters—both literal and metaphorical—in search of safety. Literary Merit & Storytelling Caffall’s prose shines brightest in her descriptions of water in all its forms. The language flows like the element itself, sometimes gentle and contemplative, other times powerful and devastating. The author’s background as a musician …

RNS | Covering the world of religion.

RNS | Covering the world of religion.

(RNS) — Turning 80, as I do this month, tends to focus the mind on one’s mortality. I plan to live another 20 years, as did Jimmy Carter, but I could just as easily be dead in 20 months. I can no longer kid myself that death is a distant reality. St. Ignatius Loyola, as part of his Spiritual Exercises, advises people to meditate on their deathbeds and reflect on their lives. In such a meditation, money is of little importance, even for nonbelievers. Most people wish they had spent more time with family and friends. In such reflections, there is a temptation to focus on the negative and feel sorry for oneself — opportunities missed, roadblocks experienced and time wasted. I admit that as I began this column, that temptation was strong. Instead, I am forcing myself to reflect on what I should be thankful for. Looking back, I now see that whenever a door closed (not getting a job I wanted, or getting fired), a better door opened. But even before I was …

What schools can and can’t learn from the world of startups

What schools can and can’t learn from the world of startups

More from this theme Recent articles Startups are lauded for bringing ideas into the real world, being responsive to customers and adapting quickly – qualities that senior cabinet office minister Pat McFadden recently called on Whitehall to embrace. But schools operate in a very different context from startups. Teachers have limited time and resources, meaning that any new approaches must be thoroughly considered and effective. The time pupils spend at school is scarce too, so the stakes are high. One way to strike the balance is with the deceptively simple model of ‘test and learn’. At its heart lies a willingness to trial new ideas, gather evidence, and rapidly iterate to improve outcomes. This agile approach is often contrasted with the perceived single-mindedness of institutions in the public sector. The major challenges facing schools – the retention and recruitment of teachers, the increasing complexity of leadership, and disparities in pupil outcomes – demand evidence-based solutions. This is why many schools, academy trusts, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and teacher-training providers like ourselves at the National …

The World in a Cloverleaf: A World Map from 1581

The World in a Cloverleaf: A World Map from 1581

In 1581, the medieval car­tog­ra­ph­er and Protes­tant the­olo­gian Hein­rich Bünt­ing cre­at­ed a sym­bol­ic map of the world that adorned his book Itin­er­ar­i­um Sacrae Scrip­turae (Trav­el Through Holy Scrip­ture). Hand-col­ored and shaped like a three-leaf clover, the map put Jerusalem at its cen­ter, high­light­ing its cen­tral role in Chris­tian­i­ty, Judaism, and Islam. From that cen­ter flowed three continents—Europe, Africa, and Asia—each sur­round­ed by swirling waters teem­ing with ships, mer­maids, and sea mon­sters. Then, off to one side, we find a bar­ren “Amer­i­ca,” oth­er­wise known as the “New World.” The three-leaf clover design like­ly sym­bol­izes the Chris­t­ian trin­i­ty, while also pay­ing homage to the clover design found on the coat of arms of Bünt­ing’s native home­town, Hanover. Beyond the map fea­tured above, Bünt­ing also designed some oth­er notably uncon­ven­tion­al maps. Take, for exam­ple, a map where Europe takes the form of a vir­gin queen, or a map of Asia that’s shaped like the winged horse Pega­sus. You can view a copy of the Itin­er­ar­i­um Sacrae Scrip­turae online. If you would like to sign up for Open Culture’s …

Nvidia’s ‘Cosmos’ AI Helps Humanoid Robots Navigate the World

Nvidia’s ‘Cosmos’ AI Helps Humanoid Robots Navigate the World

Nvidia announced today it’s releasing a family of foundational AI models called Cosmos that can be used to train humanoids, industrial robots, and self-driving cars. While language models learn how to generate text by training on copious amounts of books, articles, and social media posts, Cosmos is designed to generate images and 3D models of the physical world. During a keynote presentation at the annual CES conference in Las Vegas, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang showed examples of Cosmos being used to simulate activities inside of warehouses. Cosmos was trained on 20 million hours of real footage of “humans walking, hands moving, manipulating things,” Jensen said. “It’s not about generating creative content, but teaching the AI to understand the physical world.” Researchers and startups hope that these kinds of foundational models could give robots used in factories and homes more sophisticated capabilities. Cosmos can, for example, generate realistic video footage of boxes falling from shelves inside a warehouse, which can be used to train a robot to recognize accidents. Users can also fine-tune the models using …

Luke Littler is the youngest World Darts champion ever – how did he get here? | UK News

Luke Littler is the youngest World Darts champion ever – how did he get here? | UK News

Seventeen-year-old Luke Littler swept aside darting great Michael van Gerwen last night to become the youngest World Darts champion ever. The teenage sensation made it look easy in the final at Alexandra Palace, beating the three-time world champion 7-3. To add insult to injury, he also stole the Dutchman’s record as youngest ever world champ with seven years to spare – van Gerwen was 24 when he first won it. The extraordinary victory comes off the back of an equally impressive 12 months for Littler which saw him win 10 trophies in his first pro season. Image: Littler holds his trophy after dispatching van Gerwen. Pic: PA The teen has fast become one of the sport’s biggest names and is now world number two – but how did he get here? Here’s everything you need to know about the darting prodigy and his meteoric rise – from learning to play in nappies as a toddler to building new rivalries. Playing darts at 18 months old He may only be a teenager but Littler, from Warrington, …

The new leaders in the world of faith to follow in 2025

The new leaders in the world of faith to follow in 2025

(RNS) — Like its politics, the United States’ religious scene could at times this year appear intractably stalled by partisanship and warring ideologies. But Americans of faith and observers of the religious landscape can also be encouraged and fascinated by the new voices that have emerged in past 12 months, in ancient faith traditions and new movements alike. These emerging faith leaders promise to take the country in new directions, whether offering new perspectives on immigrant rights in a new Trump administration, pushing young people to engage in faith-based environmental activism or fighting ableism. Not all of the new names that came to our attention this year offer escape from our discord: Some are engaged in political fights over whether the country, or our households, should adopt a Christian polity to live up to our highest ideals.  Here are some of the newsmakers we’ll be keeping our eyes on in the year ahead. Tia LevingsAuthor and social media influencer  Tia Levings. (Photo by Hannah Joy Photography) Levings, author of the New York Times bestseller “A …