U.S. importers skirt China’s mineral ban by rerouting antimony through Thailand and Mexico
Shipments of antimony to the United States have jumped to more than 3,800 tonnes in five months via Thailand and Mexico, customs data show, as buyers ...
A court in Ankara has ordered regulators on Wednesday to block access to Grok, the artificial-intelligence chatbot built into Elon Musk’s X platform, after it allegedly generated insulting replies about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — a criminal offence in Türkiye.
The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) enforced the ruling within hours, making Türkiye the first country to ban an AI tool outright on grounds of presidential insult. The chief prosecutor’s office in Ankara has also opened a formal investigation into the episode.
Insulting the head of state under Article 299 of the penal code carries a prison term of up to four years. Justice-ministry data show that 6,879 people — including more than 500 minors — faced court on such charges in 2023, with more than 1,600 convictions.
Neither X nor Musk’s AI firm xAI has commented on the Turkish decision. Last month Musk said Grok would be upgraded because “far too much garbage” remained in large-language training data.
Concerns about political bias and hate speech in chatbots have persisted since ChatGPT’s debut in 2022. Grok has previously been criticised for sharing antisemitic tropes and praising Adolf Hitler. Turkish media reported that the latest ban followed user prompts in Turkish that elicited derogatory remarks about Mr Erdogan.
The ruling comes as Türkiye tightens oversight of online platforms. Parliament last year authorised the BTK to suspend services that “threaten national security or public order,” and the government has fined several social-media firms for refusing to remove content deemed illegal.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged stronger sanctions and defence support for Ukraine as the EU's 18th sanctions package against Russia nears approval.
A deadly mass shooting early on Monday (7 July) in Philadelphia's Grays Ferry neighbourhood left three men dead and nine others wounded, including teenagers, as more than 100 shots were fired.
Archaeologists have uncovered a 3,500-year-old city in northern Peru that likely served as a key trade hub connecting ancient coastal, Andean, and Amazonian cultures.
The United States has rescinded licensing restrictions on ethane exports to China, allowing shipments to resume after a temporary halt and signalling progress in efforts to ease recent trade tensions.
Shipments of antimony to the United States have jumped to more than 3,800 tonnes in five months via Thailand and Mexico, customs data show, as buyers find back-door routes around Beijing’s export ban on critical minerals bound for the U.S.
The Kremlin says it remains calm after Donald Trump’s criticism of Vladimir Putin, expressing hope for ongoing dialogue with Washington despite rising tensions.
The European Union is pressing Washington to roll back punitive tariffs on its exports and to promise no new duties, a senior law-maker said on Wednesday, as negotiators race to finalise a framework accord by 1 August.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Wednesday that Russia committed multiple breaches of international law in Ukraine — including responsibility for the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 — its first such verdict since Moscow’s 2022 invasion.
From launching 25% duties on Mexican goods in February to unveiling a 50% levy on imported copper on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump has fired off a rapid-fire series of tariff moves that has jolted financial markets and unsettled global supply chains.
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