Finland opens world's first permanent nuclear waste repository
Finland nears the opening of Onkalo, the first facility worldwide built for permanent underground storage of spent nuclear fuel. After over two decades of construction, authorities expect to issue an operating license in coming months. The milestone tackles the long-standing global challenge of radioactive waste management. Onkalo, meaning......
First fossilized egg of mammal ancestor found from 250 million years ago
A 250-million-year-old fossilized egg containing a Lystrosaurus embryo provides direct proof that mammal ancestors laid eggs. The stout tusked creature dominated Earth after history's worst mass extinction. Findings published Wednesday in PLOS ONE answer a question that puzzled evolutionary biologists for nearly two centuries. An international......
xAI CFO leaves after six months amid executive exodus
Anthony Armstrong, appointed xAI CFO in October 2025, left Elon Musk's AI firm after about six months, The Information reported Thursday citing two sources familiar. Armstrong, a former banker who advised Musk on his $44 billion Twitter buyout, oversaw finances for xAI and social media platform X. He reported to Bret Johnsen, longtime......
Goldman Sachs warns Brent could top $100 if Hormuz stays closed
Goldman Sachs warned Thursday that Brent crude could average above $100 a barrel through 2026 if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to normal tanker traffic for another month. The note highlights fragility in the recent US-Iran ceasefire. "The situation remains uncertain," analysts including Daan Struyven wrote after the two-week......
Ancient DNA reveals population replacement in France 5,000 years ago
An international team uncovered genetic evidence of a sharp demographic collapse followed by population replacement in northern France around 5,000 years ago. The findings, published April 3 in Nature Ecology and Evolution, shed light on a key puzzle of European prehistory. Researchers analyzed DNA from 132 individuals buried at the megalithic......
US offers loans of 30 million SPR barrels amid Hormuz blockade
The Trump administration announced Thursday a solicitation for loans of up to 30 million barrels of light crude from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. This marks the third such exchange since the US tapped emergency stocks last month to counter supply disruptions from Iran's Strait of Hormuz blockade. Bids for crude from the West Hackberry......
MIT engineers silent artificial muscle fibers for robots
Researchers at MIT Media Lab and Italy's Politecnico di Bari developed a new class of artificial muscle fibers that operate silently without motors, external pumps or bulky hydraulic gear. The advance could reshape robot movement and portable assistive device design. The technology, called electrofluidic fiber muscles, appeared in a Science......
Asian markets waver as Israeli strikes test US-Iran ceasefire before Islamabad talks
Global markets posted broad gains Friday as investors showed cautious optimism ahead of high-stakes US-Iran peace talks set to begin Saturday in Islamabad, Pakistan. The rebound remains fragile. Israeli strikes in Lebanon threaten to shatter the two-week truce, and the Strait of Hormuz stays largely closed to maritime trade. The ceasefire......
Alibaba shares fall as AI spending pressures trigger target cuts
Alibaba shares declined in Hong Kong after analysts at Jefferies and UBS lowered their price targets, citing rising artificial intelligence costs and widening losses in non-core businesses. The stock fell 2.9 percent to 122.70 Hong Kong dollars, underperforming the broader Hang Seng Index, which slipped 0.6 percent during the session. Jefferies......
Google rolls out AI-powered Finance platform to over 100 countries
Google has expanded its redesigned Finance platform to more than 100 countries, marking the largest global rollout of the product since its relaunch last year and signaling a broader push to integrate artificial intelligence into consumer financial tools. The update brings full local language support to key markets including Australia, Brazil,......
Corporate climate targets surge 40 percent as SBTi surpasses 10,000 companies
The Science Based Targets initiative reported a 40 percent increase in the number of companies with validated climate targets in 2025, countering claims that corporate climate ambition is weakening. According to newly released data, more than 2,800 companies received validation during the year, bringing the total to over 10,000 firms with......
Intel and Google expand multi-year partnership on AI infrastructure
Intel and Google have announced a multi-year collaboration to advance artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure, strengthening a long-standing relationship as demand for high-performance computing continues to grow. Under the agreement, Intel’s Xeon processors will remain a core component of Google Cloud infrastructure. These......
Morocco and South Korea seal digital cooperation deal at Gitex Africa 2026
Morocco’s Digital Development Agency and the Korea-Africa Foundation signed a cooperation agreement in Marrakech during Gitex Africa 2026 to advance digital innovation and technology-driven growth. The deal brings together Amine El Mezouaghi, head of Morocco’s Digital Development Agency, and Ju Young Lee, chairman of the advisory......
North Star Africa gathers startups and investors at GITEX Africa 2026
North Star Africa, the continent’s largest startup platform, has brought together more than 700 startups and 400 investors in Marrakech during the fourth edition of GITEX Africa Morocco, held from April 7 to 9. The event operates under the authority of the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administration Reform, hosted by the Digital......
Morocco keeps CAITA presidency as africa advances digital cooperation plan
Morocco has secured a renewed mandate at the head of the African Council of Information Technology Agencies, known as CAITA, following the council’s fourth meeting held in Marrakech during GITEX Africa Morocco 2026. The meeting, organized by the Digital Development Agency, brought together national digital agencies from across the continent......