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In Washington, D.C., on September 23, 2024, President Joe Biden greets His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates at the White House.
Biden and Sheikh Mohammed talk AI
US President Joe Biden met with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan on Monday to discuss artificial intelligence. In his first visit to the US in seven years, the UAE’s leader asked Biden for better access to US technology to fuel his country’s AI ambitions.
The Gulf states have a strained relationship with the US because they’re seen as playing both sides of the US-China war for AI dominance. They’re subject to export restrictions on chips, for instance, out of fears they could be a pass-through for Chinese firms.
That said, it seems that the UAE is leaning heavily toward US allegiance. In April, Microsoft announced it would invest $1.5 billion in G42, a leading artificial intelligence holding company based in Abu Dhabi. The deal was largely brokered by the Biden administration to beat back China’s influence in the UAE.
White House officials said that after the meeting, Biden directed senior officials to begin drafting a memorandum of understanding for future collaboration on artificial intelligence with the UAE.
Rapper Macklemore performs during the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games, in Duesseldorf, Germany.
Macklemore cancels Dubai concert, takes stand against UAE’s role in Sudan war
American rapper Macklemore has called off an upcoming October concert in Dubai over the United Arab Emirates’ role in the war in Sudan. The UN has accused the UAE of providing the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group fighting the Sudanese Army, with weapons to such a degree that without their alleged involvement, the conflict driving the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crisis would already be over.
While the UAE has repeatedly denied arming the RSF, UN experts reported “credible” evidence they have sent weapons several times a week from northern Chad. To read our full explainer of why the UAE, and other countries like Russia and Iran, are fueling the war, click here.
Macklemore’s decision comes after the rapper publicly declared his support last spring for Palestinians by dropping a song called “Hind’s Hall” about the Columbia University building student protesters took over and briefly “renamed” after Hind Rajab, a young girl killed in Gaza by Israeli forces.
Addressing his fellow artists, Macklemore says he’s not judging those who choose to perform in the UAE but asks: “If we used our platforms to mobilize collective liberation, what could we accomplish?” It’s worth noting, however, that the rapper performed at the Saudi Arabia-owned LIV Golf tournament in June. The Saudis are suspected of supporting the Sudanese Army, which is also accused of committing war crimes.
FILE PHOTO: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves towards his supporters during a roadshow as part of an election campaign, in Kolkata, India, May 28, 2024.
Hard Numbers: India’s exit polls, China’s moonshot, America’s launch woes, African gold
3: The world’s biggest democratic event has ended with polls closing on India’s multi-week election, and all indications are that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will cruise to a third term. No surprise there, but Modi’s attempts to build inroads in opposition strongholds appear to have fallen somewhat short. Official election results are due Tuesday.
4.4: China’s Chang-e 6 probe intends to collect a 4.4-pound sample from the surface of the far side of the moon after its second successful landing attempt. China is the only country to have landed probes on the dark side of the moon, which is challenging because radio communications from Earth are blocked by the moon’s mass and need to be relayed by a special satellite.
2: Meanwhile, NASA delayed the launch of Boeing’s new Starliner rocket on Sunday for the second time after a crucial computer program failed to load just minutes before launch, pushing back the arrival of two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. Boeing’s public relations have been in turmoil following multiple safety failures on its airliners, but a successful launch could make it just the second private company to ferry people to the ISS.
30 billion: A Swiss NGO estimates that over $30 billion worth of gold is smuggled out of Africa each year, with the lion’s share going to private refiners in the United Arab Emirates who then push the metal onto legitimate markets. The silver lining? With so much of the industry concentrated in the UAE, the NGO says targeted enforcement efforts could prove effective.
AI for good, AI for bad: Bringing balance to the force
AI comes with a lot of stigma. Popular storylines in books and movies have trained us to see artificial intelligence as a bad actor that can take control over humanity and destroy us, says Omar Sultan al Olama, the UAE's Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence.
Minister al Olama, speaking in a GZERO Global Stage discussion from the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, highlights that in the UAE, AI development isn't just focused on productivity and economic gains, but on its potential to improve quality of life. One way to flip the script on AI as simply a scary tech straight out of a sci-fi thriller? Create more content that sheds light on AI's upsides, says al Olama.
The conversation was part of the Global Stage series, produced by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft. These discussions convene heads of state, business leaders, technology experts from around the world for critical debate about the geopolitical and technology trends shaping our world.
Watch the full conversation here: How is the world tackling AI, Davos' hottest topic?
- Episode 7: How AI is changing our economy ›
- Azeem Azhar explores the future of AI ›
- Staving off "the dark side" of artificial intelligence: UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed ›
- How AI can be used in public policy: Anne Witkowsky ›
- Will consumers ever trust AI? Regulations and guardrails are key ›
- Podcast: Talking AI: Sociologist Zeynep Tufekci explains what's missing in the conversation ›
Sudan's General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan listens to the national anthem after landing in the military airport in the city of Port Sudan, Sudan, August 27, 2023.
Iran tiptoes into the war in Sudan
Is Iran looking to tip the scales in Sudan’s bloody civil war in the government’s favor? Tehran sent shipments of the Mohajer-6, an unmanned aerial vehicle armed with precision-guided missiles, to the Sudanese army, senior Western officials told Bloomberg.
This comes just months after Iran and Sudan agreed to resume diplomatic relations, and it is a sign that Tehran wants to expand its reach in the strategically vital region.
Everyone wants a piece of the Red Sea pie. Sudan’s 400-mile Red Sea coastline has made the country a ripe target for some actors seeking greater influence in the area – including Russia and China. The Red Sea, which is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, is already at the heart of an escalating feud between the US and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Is the war in Sudan becoming a proxy conflict? United Arab Emirates – a regional rival of Iran’s – is allegedly supporting the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group fighting Sudan’s armed forces. The Gulf state denies taking a side in the war, but the UN has reportedly found “credible” evidence that the UAE has sent weapons to the RSF.
The RSF controls parts of Khartoum, the capital, and recently seized the country’s second-largest city, Wad Madani. The war, which began last April, has killed over 13,000 and displaced approximately 7.6 million – leading to a major humanitarian crisis. With more outside actors seemingly fueling the fighting by providing weapons to both sides, growing global calls for an immediate cease-fire in Sudan may go unheard.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock departed for a tour of East Africa on Wednesday. She warned against allowing the conflict in Sudan to become a “forgotten crisis.” The top German diplomat said “pressure” needed to be increased on both sides to help foster a negotiated solution to the war.
Destroyed train carriages are seen at the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023.
Hard Numbers: Greek train crash, US attaches strings to chip cash, Serbia and Kosovo outline peace, camel copies for sale
43: At least 43 people are dead after a passenger train carrying people from Athens, Greece, to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided head-on with a freight train. A provincial stationmaster has already been arrested as part of the initial investigation. Greek rail unions have long complained about staffing shortfalls and outdated equipment.
10: Cash for chips now comes with strings attached. The US government has ruled that any American companies that receive money from a new multibillion-dollar fund to support the semiconductor industry must agree not to expand in China for 10 years. For more on the Great Global Chips War, see here.
15: A mere 15 years after Kosovo’s controversial declaration of independence from Serbia, the two countries reached a(nother) tentative, EU-brokered framework for peace earlier this week. Much remains to be worked out, but it’s a good sign nonetheless. See here for our recent explainer on why it’s so hard for Kosovo and Serbia to normalize relations.
50,000: Do you have A) $50,000 burning a hole in your pocket and B) a stunningly beautiful camel at your disposal? If so, please consider spending (A) on making a perfect clone of (B), courtesy of a Dubai lab that specializes in camel copies. Get over the hump — do it!
Iran: lynchpin in the Saudi-Israeli relationship
US President Joe Biden didn't get much from his recent trip to Saudi Arabia — other than some symbolic progress on Saudi ties with Israel.
Indeed, Biden's plane flew directly to the country from Israel, and now Israeli airlines will be allowed to overfly Saudi airspace. But is this really a big deal?
"I would describe it as [...] giving crumbs to Biden," Bernard Haykel, a Princeton University professor and expert on Saudi Arabia, tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.
What would make a difference is normalizing ties with Israel — which the Saudis are not yet ready for. Haykel believes the Saudi public won't accept such a move until "something is given to the Palestinians."
Still, he expects the Israel-Saudi relationship to continue warming because, hello, Iran.
Watch the GZERO World episode: Saudi Arabia’s repressive power politics
- Prepping for a fight in the Middle East - GZERO Media ›
- Biden-MBS meeting was "total win" for Saudis, says expert - GZERO ... ›
- Crow on the menu during Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia - GZERO Media ›
- Déjà vu in Israel: Another government crumbles - GZERO Media ›
- Israel-UAE relations & the Abraham Accords are not at risk under ... ›
Models of oil barrels seen in front of a "stop" sign and the EU and Russia flag colors.
Hard Numbers: EU bans (most) Russian oil, Israel-UAE trade deal, crowdfunded drone for Ukraine, Pokemon zero-COVID protest
2/3: After weeks of tense negotiations, EU leaders agreed late Monday to an embargo on two-thirds of the oil the bloc now imports from Russia. But there's a catch: holdout Hungary will likely get an indefinite exemption in order to drop its veto.
96: On Tuesday, Israel and the UAE will sign a landmark free trade agreement, Israel's first with an Arab country. The agreement will eliminate 96% of tariffs between the two countries, which normalized ties less than two years ago under the Abraham Accords.
5 million: Lithuanians chipped in 5 million euros ($5.4 million) in an online crowdfunding drive to buy a Bayraktar TB2 military drone for Ukraine. The Turkish-made UAVs are making a difference on the battlefield for the Ukrainians because they enable high-precision airstrikes.
200: A Pokemon character who always has a headache has become one of China's most in-demand toys because people are using it to vent about the government's zero-COVID policy. Plastic figures of Psyduck, given away in KFC children's meals, are being resold for $200 after going viral on social media.
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