Author: space4knews

Following a decline in share prices within the artificial intelligence sector, leading stock markets across Europe, America, and Asia experienced pressure on Tuesday. The added strain in the AI market came after Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, announced that the company would postpone selling shares on Wall Street until next year. Concurrently, ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and supply disruptions have driven crude oil prices up by nearly 2 percent, reaching $103.61 per barrel. Tokyo, 15 September (RAS/RSS/AP).

The sharp drop in artificial intelligence company shares triggered pressure in major global stock markets on Tuesday. France’s CAC 40, Germany’s DAX, and the UK’s FTSE 100 indices opened down by approximately 0.8 percent. In the US markets, Dow futures and S&P 500 futures declined by 0.7 and 0.6 percent respectively. Asian markets also reflected this trend, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 closing down slightly by less than 0.1 percent.

Other Asian indices such as Australia’s S&P/ASX 200, South Korea’s KOSPI, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, and China’s Shanghai Composite also saw declines. However, Japan’s SoftBank Group, a major investor in AI firm OpenAI, saw its shares rise by 0.75 percent. The AI market pressure intensified after OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman revealed the company would delay share sales on Wall Street until next year, potentially postponing significant cash inflows for early investors including SoftBank.

Investors are increasingly concerned that due to excessive enthusiasm, AI company share prices may have been overinflated. There is also a growing call to moderate the pace of AI development to address human safety considerations. Meanwhile, Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, expressed support for deliberately slowing AI progress on a global scale. Nonetheless, analysts note that intense competition between American and Chinese firms could make coordinated deceleration of AI advancement uncertain.

Increase in Oil Prices: Crude oil prices have risen in global markets. The US benchmark crude oil price increased by 2.19 percent, reaching $103.61 per barrel. Similarly, the international benchmark Brent crude rose by 2.13 percent to $107.93 per barrel. This price hike is linked to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, which have disrupted global oil supplies. Officials have indicated that a vital Saudi Arabian oil pipeline, attacked last week, may remain mostly closed for several weeks. Moreover, Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz have further disrupted oil tanker traffic, raising global supply concerns. In currency markets, the US dollar strengthened from 154.30 yen to 154.99 yen, while the euro declined from $1.1557 to $1.1533.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has issued a warning that failing to modernize the global trading system could result in a decline of up to 10 percent in the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2050. This cautionary outlook was highlighted in the WTO’s “World Trade Report 2026: At a Critical Juncture for the Global Trade System,” released on Tuesday. The report emphasizes that trade policies are facing serious and ongoing challenges that have persisted for decades. It offers a review of the achievements of the multilateral trading system over the past 80 years alongside the current obstacles.

“The multilateral trading system has delivered significant benefits over the last eight decades and has supported the development of a more integrated and resilient global economy,” stated WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She noted that approximately 72 percent of global merchandise trade still operates under WTO’s Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) framework. “Despite notable transformations in the global trade landscape, the core principle upon which this system was established—that cooperation, not unilateralism, benefits all economies—remains highly relevant today,” she added.

Director-General Okonjo-Iweala also indicated that WTO member countries are actively engaged in discussions about the necessary reforms and stressed that maintaining the status quo is not an option. The report outlines three potential future scenarios for the global trade system. Should a robust multilateral system persist, baseline projections estimate that global GDP could increase by 2.9 percent and exports by 17.9 percent by 2050.

Conversely, if multilateral trade rules weaken and trade cooperation shifts toward geopolitically driven alliances, global GDP could decline by 5.1 percent and exports by 18.6 percent, according to the report. In the scenario where multilateral cooperation is replaced by independent trade agreements, global GDP is projected to fall by 6.9 percent and exports by 26.9 percent. Robert Stiger, WTO’s chief economist, noted that the difference in real global GDP between strong multilateral cooperation and a weakened trade system could be as much as 10 percent.

The report also highlights that over more than eight decades, the multilateral trading system has played a vital role in reducing trade barriers, expanding global trade nearly fiftyfold, and contributing significantly to building a more integrated and rule-based global economy.

A senior United Nations official has declared that Sudan is facing the world’s largest famine and displacement crisis. According to the UN, 20 million people in Sudan are experiencing acute food insecurity, while 14 million have been displaced. WFP Acting Executive Director A. Carl Skau emphasized that approximately 500,000 people are in emergency levels of famine, with funding shortages potentially hindering aid efforts. (September 16, New York)

Concluding an eight-day visit to Sudan, A. Carl Skau, Acting Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), stated that nearly half a million people are enduring famine at the emergency level (IPC Phase 4). He also highlighted the challenges humanitarian workers face in reaching affected communities.

Skau noted that the city, once home to about one million people and a major regional capital, has endured an 18-month siege marked by the pandemic and severe atrocities. The current situation remains extremely dire. Since the rainy season, women have resorted to using tarpaulins to create better shelters to protect their families, and some improvements have been made. WFP has expanded its operations in response.

Currently, WFP provides assistance to roughly 950,000 people monthly in El Fasher, but this remains insufficient. UN officials report that families receive only half rations, while significant gaps persist in education, healthcare, shelter, and safe play areas. Women, having lost their husbands or sons, have taken on the responsibility of leading their families amid these challenges. Skau also pointed out that drought has increased pressure on the population, with local communities expressing concerns about its impact on agriculture.

Despite these risks, WFP strives to assist between 400,000 and 500,000 people each month. Skau warned that without securing additional resources, the agency may be unable to provide adequate aid in the coming weeks, underscoring that funding shortages remain the greatest challenge at present.

The United States has disclosed the deployment of “space weapons” in Earth’s orbit, marking the first time in American history that it has openly acknowledged offensive capabilities in space. Troy Meink, Secretary of the US Air Force, stated that such weapons are essential for monitoring adversaries. Speaking at the Air, Space, and Cyber Conference held on Monday, Meink affirmed that the United States is fully prepared to face “changing threats.” However, he did not provide detailed information regarding the weapon’s capabilities or the exact timing of its deployment in space.

Senior US military officials have previously hinted at plans to expand their military presence in space. They have highlighted the threat of potential attacks on American satellites in future conflicts, pointing to China and Russia’s programs that are developing capabilities to disrupt those satellites as a key reason for this expansion. On Tuesday, China issued a strong response to the US announcement, warning against escalating an “arms race” in space. According to AFP, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated, “We urge the US side to halt its military capability expansion and cease preparations for war in space.”

US officials have not revealed details about how the weapon operates. A spokesperson for the US Space Force explained, “Space control includes various operations to compete and maintain dominance in space. This involves disrupting adversary capabilities, weakening them, and destroying them if necessary.” The spokesperson further noted that these capabilities can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes under the direction of combat command.

September 15, Kathmandu – Yoga guru Ramdev has expressed his views regarding the controversy surrounding the vegetarian dinner served at the recent BRICS summit held in India. On Tuesday, he stated, ‘The world has historically shown a shift from meat-based diets toward vegetarianism, and there is a growing interest in vegan lifestyles as well. I believe those raising questions on this matter are intellectually weak.’

Ramdev further added, ‘Food choices are a personal decision for each individual. However, from the perspectives of science and health, vegetarian food is beneficial, and vegan food is even better. Therefore, it is not appropriate to associate this with religion.’ At the summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted guests with a variety of vegetarian dishes at the India Pavilion dinner.

Following this event, Congress Member of Parliament and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi criticized the dinner via the social media platform X, noting that 80 percent of Indians consume non-vegetarian food. This issue has sparked widespread discussion within the Indian political sphere.

Following attacks on Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure, the East-West pipeline has been shut down, increasing concerns over potential disruptions to oil supply. This development led to a rise in crude oil prices in international markets on Tuesday. Efforts to reduce risks to maritime traffic in the Gulf region have also faced uncertainty amid these tensions. Brent crude prices increased by $1.37 per barrel, a 1.3 percent rise, reaching $107.05 per barrel. Similarly, the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) climbed $1.53, or 1.51 percent, to $102.92 per barrel. Both benchmarks had already experienced price gains exceeding one percent in the previous trading session.

On Monday, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a new attack on Saudi Arabia. This escalation has raised concerns of further regional conflict amid the Gulf Arab states’ suspension of talks with Iran. The attacks are expected to impact global oil supplies. The Houthi group targeted the Khamis Mushait military airbase in southern Saudi Arabia using missiles and drones, aiming at aircraft hangars, radar systems, runways, and ammunition depots. Saudi Arabia has stated the attacks were retaliatory responses to its military operations in Yemen. This incident follows another attack on Saudi Arabia that occurred last Friday.

Kathmandu. It has been confirmed that Russian businessman Umar Kremlev covered some expenses for the wedding celebration of Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of US President Donald Trump, and his wife Vanessa. Kremlev funded the two-night hospitality and other costs of the wedding held on a private island in the Bahamas. Following the revelation, questions about foreign influence on the Trump family have arisen in American media.

Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa’s wedding took place in May. Through Instagram, they disclosed that Umar Kremlev paid for the two-night hospitality at a private island in the Bahamas where the ceremony was held. Umar Kremlev is the president of the International Boxing Association. In their statement, Trump Jr. and Vanessa referred to Kremlev as a close friend. They expressed gratitude, describing the hospitality as a wedding gift from a friend.

The two-day festivities after the wedding were held on a different island, where the rent for one night was approximately $100,000. Many other event-related expenses were also covered by Kremlev. According to an investigation by ProPublica, Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the wedding. After the disclosure, American media raised questions regarding foreign influence on the Trump family. The information about these expenses was first published in a ProPublica report. Various American ethics regulatory organizations have expressed concern and criticized the matter, expressing dissatisfaction that the president’s son accepted such an expensive gift from an individual closely connected to President Vladimir Putin.