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Microsoft said Tuesday it will make a $1.5 billion investment in G42, an artificial intelligence giant in the United Arab Emirates, in a deal largely orchestrated by the Biden administration to defeat China as Washington and Beijing battle over who will exert technological influence in the Persian Gulf region and beyond.As part of the partnership, Microsoft will grant G42 permission to sell Microsoft services that use powerful AI chips, used to train and fine-tune generative AI models. In exchange, the G42, which has been under scrutiny by Washington for its ties to China, will use Microsoft's cloud services and adhere to a security agreement negotiated in detailed conversations with the US government. The agreement places a number of protections on AI products shared with G42 and in...

Israeli leaders were discussing Tuesday how to best respond to Iran's unprecedented airstrike over the weekend, officials said, weighing a series of options calibrated to achieve different strategic outcomes: deterring a similar attack in the future, appeasing the American allies and avoid an all-out war.Iran's attack on Israel, a huge barrage that included hundreds of ballistic missiles and explosive drones, changed the unspoken rules in the rivals' long shadow war. In that conflict, large air strikes from the territory of one country directly against the other had been avoided.Given this change in precedent, the calculus by which Israel decides its next move has also changed, said Israeli officials who requested anonymity to discuss Iran.“We cannot resist this kind of aggres...

Lindsey McNeil and her 7-year-old daughter, Noelle, who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, were shocked by a notice they received from the Florida Department of Children and Families late last month that Noelle would lose her Medicaid coverage for 10 days After.From then on, their lives began to fall apart, Ms. McNeil said. Noelle has stopped seeing the four therapists she sees every week and she is running out of medications she needs to prevent her seizures from flaring up. Monday brought some relief: Ms. McNeil learned that Noelle's coverage had been temporarily reinstated pending a resolution on an appeal she filed with the state.“We have worked really hard to grow our family, our life and a home for this baby,” Ms. McNeil said. “It's a little disheartening to think about what...

Since February, thousands of pro-Palestinian activists have tried in vain to convince the Venice Biennale, one of the world's most prestigious international art exhibitions, to ban Israel for its conduct in the war on Gaza.But on Tuesday, when the international pavilions of the Biennale open for a media preview, the doors of the Israeli pavilion will still remain closed, at the behest of the artist and curators representing Israel.“The artist and curators of the Israeli pavilion will open the exhibition when a ceasefire and hostage release agreement is reached,” reads a sign that the Israeli team taped to the pavilion door.“I hate it,” Ruth Patir, the artist chosen to represent Israel, said in an interview about her decision not to open the exhibition she is working on, “but I think it...

In his office on one of the upper floors of the headquarters of the Paris Olympic organizing committee, Franz Regul has no doubts about what is about to happen.“We will be attacked,” said Regul, who leads the team responsible for defending against cyber threats against this year's Summer Games in Paris.Companies and governments around the world now have teams like Regul's operating in spartan rooms equipped with banks of servers and screens with indicator lights that warn of incoming hacker attacks. In the Paris operations center there is even a red light to warn staff of the most serious danger.So far, Mr. Regul said, there have been no serious disruptions. But as the months between the Olympics shrink to weeks and then days and hours, he knows the number of hacking attempts and...

Israeli settlers shot dead two Palestinians in the West Bank on Monday, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials, as tensions continued to rise in the Israeli-occupied territory.The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Health identified the two men as Abdelrahman Bani Fadel, 30, and Mohammad Bani Jama, 21. The circumstances of their deaths near the city of Aqraba remained unclear.The Israeli army said the two men were killed during a "violent exchange" between Israeli settlers and Palestinians following reports that a Palestinian had attacked an Israeli shepherd. An initial investigation indicated that the shots "did not come" from Israeli soldiers, the military said.The two Palestinians appeared to have been shot by Israeli settlers at the scene, said an Israeli security offici...

A Chinese company targeted by members of Congress over potential ties to the Chinese government makes blockbuster drugs for the American market that have been hailed as advances in the treatment of cancers, obesity and debilitating illnesses like cystic fibrosis.WuXi AppTec is one of several companies that lawmakers have identified as potential threats to the security of individual Americans’ genetic information and U.S. intellectual property. A Senate committee approved a bill in March that aides say is intended to push U.S. companies away from doing business with them.But lawmakers discussing the bill in the Senate and the House have said almost nothing in hearings about the vast scope of work that WuXi does for the U.S. biotech and pharmaceutical industries — and patients. A New York Ti...

The spokesperson said the US House will vote on foreign aidSpeaker Mike Johnson said this week he plans to push forward a long-stalled national security spending package to help Israel, Ukraine and other U.S. allies, along with a bill to appease conservatives opposed to the support from Kiev.Johnson, a Republican, has agonized for weeks over whether and how to push through crucial aid for Ukraine despite stiff resistance from the far-right faction of his conference. His announcement was the first concrete indication that he had chosen a path to follow.This path appears complex. Johnson has said he will put together a legislative package that more or less mirrors the $95 billion relief bill passed by the Senate two months ago, albeit in pieces. Lawmakers would vote separately on aid to I...

Signs of unrest at Tesla multiplied Monday after the electric car company told employees it would lay off more than 10% of its workforce to cut costs and two senior executives resigned.The job cuts, which amount to around 14,000 people, come as the company faces growing competition and declining sales. The management changes and layoffs are a reminder of the unpredictability of Tesla CEO Elon Musk at a critical time for the company.Musk has not outlined a plan to reverse declining auto sales, and appears focused on long-term initiatives like a self-driving taxi, rather than new models that would help Tesla compete with cars introduced by established automakers and upstarts. rivals from China.“As we prepare the company for the next phase of growth, it is extremely important to examine ever...

Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked traffic Monday morning in cities across the country, part of a global effort to disrupt economies and pressure world leaders to push for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.In California, protesters chained themselves to barrels and blocked lanes on northbound I-880 in Oakland, while another group of protesters carrying banners disrupted southbound traffic. On the Golden Gate Bridge, protesters blocked traffic in both directions, with some carrying a banner reading “Stop the World for Gaza.”The outages didn't just impact motorists. In Chicago, protesters on I-190 blocked traffic entering O'Hare International Airport, and passengers who had already arrived began walking on foot with their luggage to catch their flight. The airport announced on Day X t...