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Top US AI conference apologises after sanctions policy sparks backlash in China

AdvertisementArtificial intelligenceTechTop US AI conference apologises after sanctions policy sparks backlash in ChinaOrganisers said they had gone beyond legal requirements after linking to a broader US sanctions list
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenVincent ChowPublished: 8:34pm, 27 Mar 2026The organisers of a leading artificial intelligence conference have apologised after a new policy that appeared to bar US-sanctioned entities from participating sparked a backlash in China, saying the ban was more limited than initially indicated.
The apology came after several major Chinese professional bodies urged domestic researchers to boycott the event, amid concerns that prominent tech groups such as Huawei Technologies would be excluded.
In a statement on Friday, the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) said it had gone beyond its legal obligations under US sanctions when outlining changes to its submissions policy earlier this week.
Advertisement“In preparing the NeurIPS 20..

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Iran-US war latest: Iran declares Strait of Hormuz closed and warns ships will face ‘harsh measures’

'Iran is talking': Trump, claims 'defeated' regime facing internal 'disaster'Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has announced that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and any transit through the waterway will face “harsh measures”, according to state media.
It added that shipping “to and from ports of allies and supporters of the Israeli-American enemies” is prohibited through any corridor or to any destination.
Three container ships of mixed nationalities were forced to turn back after warnings.
The passage, through which one fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes, has remained largely closed since the outbreak of hostilities.
It comes as Donald Trump is considering sending another 10,000 troops to the Middle East, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The forces would likely be sent within striking distance of Iran and Kharg Island, a key oil export hub off in the Persian Gulf.
Despite the escalation, Germany’s foreign minister on Friday said..

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Trump’s ambassador to UK warns cancelling King Charles’s state visit would be ‘a mistake’

Washington’s ambassador to the UK has warned that it would be “a mistake” to cancel King Charles’s planned state visit to the US.
Asked about calls to postpone the historic royal trip because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Warren Stephens said it would be wrong for it to be scrapped or delayed and insisted the trip should go ahead.
In a question-and-answer session after his speech to the British Chambers of Commerce conference in London on Thursday, Mr Stephens refused to confirm the visit – which has not been officially announced – but added: “I think he will go and I think it will be a very meaningful trip for him.”
The diplomat said US House Speaker Mike Johnson had made an offer for Charles to address both Houses of Congress while he was there.
King Charles is set to reciprocate his state visit by travelling to the US at the end of April (Getty)It comes as The Independent has been told that Congressional and Senate leaders have been told to prepare for a joint meeting ..

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Marco Rubio joins G7 talks with focus on Iran war

Marco Rubio joins G7 talks with focus on Iran war2 hours agoShareSaveImogen JamesShareSaveReutersThe G7 ministers were joined by the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has joined a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in France for talks in which the US-Israeli war with Iran will be the main focus.
Rubio is expected to face pressure to de-escalate the conflict as concerns continue to grow over its impact on the world economy.
The other G7 countries – the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan – are wary of being drawn in militarily. The group will also discuss the war in Ukraine.
As he headed to France, Rubio said it was in the “interest” of G7 nations to “step up” and help with the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blockaded, causing fuel prices to soar.
“I'm not there to make them happy,” he told reporters. “For all the countries who care about international law, they should be doing something about it.”
As th..

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‘My daughter is under the rubble’: Inside Tehran as civilian toll of strikes rises

'My daughter is under the rubble': Inside Tehran as civilian toll of strikes rises3 hours agoShareSaveNawal Al-Maghafi,Senior international investigations correspondentandRuzgar Akgun, Ishaan Jhaveri and Emile Costard,BBC EyeShareSaveBBCMilitary experts say the scale and spread of the damage observed in Resalat is consistent with the use of a powerful bomb called the Mark 84A mother stands by the rubble, crying out for her daughter.
For days she has been waiting for rescue workers to dig through the flattened remains of what was once her daughter's flat in Resalat, a residential district in eastern Tehran.
“They don't have the manpower to get her out,” the woman says.
“My daughter is under the rubble… she's afraid of the dark.”
For a month, Iran has been at war with the United States and Israel, who have been carrying out strikes across the country at targets linked to the regime.
But these attacks are also having a devastating impact on civilians living near..

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11 Indian truck drivers arrested in US, all found to be illegals with commercial licenses

11 Indian truck drivers have been arrested in the US. All of them are in the country illegally.
The Yuma Sector Border Patrol announced the arrest of 11 Indian semi-truck drivers that took place in February in Arizona. All of them were present in the US illegally and they had commercial licenses from Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana and California. “Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents arrested 11 Indian national semi-truck drivers in February, all found to be present in the United States illegally. The drivers held commercial licenses from Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and California. Border Patrol remains committed to upholding immigration laws and protecting our communities,” the social media post by the chief patrol agent of Yuma sector read.Israel Iran WarUS-Israel-Iran War News Live Updates: Trump says Iran 'afraid' to admit it wants a deal, claims 'they'll be killed by their own people or us'‘Man who ran Strait of Hormuz’: Iran navy comm..

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India announces dates for JEE 2026 in Gulf countries: Dubai to Kuwait and Bahrain, check key locations and relief for expats

The National Testing Agency (NTA) in India recently shared an important update for Indian expat students across the Gulf regions. Candidates who have registered to attend the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2026 in Dubai, Kuwait and Bahrain centres can now access more verified information about the exam. On Thursday, the Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi shared the NTA’s advisory on the city of examination for India’s engineering entrance exam. NTA will be conducting the JEE (Main-2026) Session 2 in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode. The exam will be conducted from April 2 to April 8, 2026, in India and a few cities outside the country. “The City Intimation Slips for candidates in Kuwait and Dubai have now been released,” revealed NTA.Israel Iran WarUS-Israel-Iran War News Live Updates: Trump says Iran 'afraid' to admit it wants a deal, claims 'they'll be killed by their own people or us'‘Man who ran Strait of Hormuz’: Iran navy commander Alireza Tangsiri killed i..

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China’s CNOOC to boost oil and gas output amid Middle East strife

AdvertisementHong Kong stock marketBusinessChina’s CNOOC to boost oil and gas output amid Middle East strifeCountry’s largest producer aims to increase output by up to 3 per cent from 2025’s record level
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenCheryl ArcibalandThemis QiPublished: 8:36pm, 26 Mar 2026Updated: 8:39pm, 26 Mar 2026China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), the country’s largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas, aims to further boost production this year amid geopolitical tensions and rising oil prices.The plan came after the state-backed company reported an 11.5 per cent drop in net profit to 122.08 billion yuan (US$17.7 billion) in 2025, owing to low oil prices during the year, even though it produced record-high volumes of the commodities. Its revenue in the period also dipped by about 5.3 per cent to 398.22 billion yuan.
CNOOC said in a Hong Kong stock exchange filing on Thursday that it would produce 780 million to 800 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) this year..

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Putin’s spring offensive in Ukraine has begun. Experts warn Trump has given Russia a window of opportunity

With war raging in the Middle East, many, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, warned the conflict could hand Vladimir Putin a window of opportunity to accelerate his aggression against Ukraine.
Now, it appears those fears have come true with Russia launching its most brutal attack on the country since the war began on Tuesday, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
A barrage of nearly 1,000 drones were launched over a 24-hour period, killing at least six people. Russia launched 23 cruise missiles, seven ballistic missiles, hitting at least 10 locations, including a Unesco World Heritage site, according to Ukraine’s air force.
The onslaught affected 11 regions and seven cities were hit, marking it out as the largest aerial attack in a single day so far.
open image in gallerySmoke rises after a Russian drone hits an apartment building during a rare daylight attack in Lviv, Ukraine. Moscow has ramped up its airstrikes on the country in recent days (Reuters)While Russia’s..

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Iran imposes ‘toll booth regime’ to allow Strait of Hormuz passage

Iran imposed a “de facto toll booth regime” in the Strait of Hormuz even before its parliament unveiled plans to formally charge ships transiting the critical maritime route, Lloyd's List said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) already required ships to submit full documentation, obtain clearance codes, and accept escorted passage through a controlled corridor of the strait, it said.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints as a fifth of the global oil supply typically passes through it.
Iran’s parliament is pursuing legislation to “formally codify Iran’s sovereignty, control and oversight over the Strait of Hormuz, while also creating a source of revenue through the collection of fees”, lawmaker Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi said, according to Fars and Tasnim news agencies. The arrangement was “entirely natural”, he said.
“We provide its security and it is natural that ships and oil tankers should pay such fees,” Mr Kouchi added.
S..

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