U2 front man and activist Bono was poised yesterday to unveil his latest effort to combat the spread of AIDS in Africa while Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was to give a speech about the war on terror.
The second day of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting promised a blend of celebrity and brass-tacks talk of the issues facing the global community, ranging from security against terror to advancing human rights and the struggle against poverty and disease.
Musharraf, who was set to speak yesterday morning, told the Wall Street Journal in an interview that his country would build a planned gas pipeline from Iran by itself if its talks with India failed.
Bono, meanwhile was set to announce a new brand name, "Red," in partnership with American Express, Converse, Gap and Giorgio Armani that would see products sold under the name.
The venture, which will include an American Express card, shoes, T-shirts and sunglasses, will see part of the revenue go to the Global Fund, a public-private partnership that has committed US$4.5 billion for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs since it was created in 2002.
On Wednesday, China and India touted their booming economies to the world's business and political leaders, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel conceded they posed tough competition as she strives to revive her country's sluggish economy.
Even though Germany was once a pioneer in computer development, it has failed to keep pace with the growth of the industry, and must build its capacity, Merkel said on Wednesday in the keynote speech to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
"China, India and many other countries have this capability," she said. "We have to face up to the competition."
Merkel came to Davos immediately after her government gave its outlook for Germany's economy, predicting it would expand by 1.4 percent in 2006, fast enough to reduce its high unemployment.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
IN PURSUIT: Israel’s defense minister said the revenge attacks by Israeli settlers would make it difficult for security forces to find those responsible for the 14-year-old’s death Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday condemned the “heinous murder” of an Israeli teenager in the occupied West Bank as attacks on Palestinian villages intensified following news of his death. After Benjamin Achimeir, 14, was reported missing near Ramallah on Friday, hundreds of Jewish settlers backed by Israeli forces raided nearby Palestinian villages, torching vehicles and homes, leaving at least one villager dead and dozens wounded. The attacks escalated in several villages on Saturday after Achimeir’s body was found near the Malachi Hashalom outpost. Agence France-Presse correspondents saw smoke rising from burned houses and fields. Mayor Amin Abu Alyah, of the