Author: GT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government advised parents on Tuesday not to have children under 15 use social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, citing psychological and physical problems among children using them, including panic attacks, depression and difficulties sleeping.The Ministry of Health also encouraged parents to limit how long their children spend using electronic devices, keep phones and laptops out of bedrooms, and have 20 minutes of screentime followed by two hours of outside play.The advisory “gives children the time to further develop digital resilience and media literacy,” Vincent Karremans, caretaker deputy minister for youth and…

Hugging Face has added Groq to its AI model inference providers, bringing lightning-fast processing to the popular model hub.Speed and efficiency have become increasingly crucial in AI development, with many organisations struggling to balance model performance against rising computational costs.Rather than using traditional GPUs, Groq has designed chips purpose-built for language models. The company’s Language Processing Unit (LPU) is a specialised chip designed from the ground up to handle the unique computational patterns of language models.Unlike conventional processors that struggle with the sequential nature of language tasks, Groq’s architecture embraces this characteristic. The result? Dramatically reduced response times and higher…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The NAACP filed an intent to sue Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI on Tuesday over concerns about air pollution generated by a supercomputer located near predominantly Black communities.The xAI data center began operating gas turbines last year, emitting air pollution, without first applying for a permit under an exemption that allowed them to do so for 364 days. The permit application now being considered by the Shelby County Health Department calls for the use of 15 turbines, though the Southern Environmental Law Center says there are as many as 35 turbines located at the sprawling…

When Daniel Ek isn’t busy running Spotify or building his new AI-driven health tech enterprise, he’s making massive bets on the future of European warfare, seemingly. The billionaire, who primarily lives in Stockholm, just led a €600 million investment in Helsing, a four-year-old, Munich-based defense tech company that is now valued at €12 billion, as first reported by the Financial Times and confirmed separately by TechCrunch. The deal makes it one of Europe’s most valuable privately held companies; it also highlights Europe’s scramble to build its own military muscle as the world grows messier and the U.S. turns inward. The…

Google has unveiled its Safety Charter in India, which will expand its AI-led developments for fraud detection and combating scams across the country, the company’s largest market outside the United States. Digital fraud in India is rising. Fraud related to the Indian government’s instant payment system UPI grew 85% year-over-year to nearly 11 billion Indian rupees ($127 million) last year, per the government’s data. India also saw several instances of digital arrest scams, where fraudsters pose as officials to extort money via video calls and predatory loan apps. With its Safety Charter, Google aims to address some of these areas.…

President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that he would likely extend a deadline for TikTok’s Chinese owner to divest the popular video sharing app. Trump had signed an order in early April to keep TikTok running for another 75 days after a potential deal to sell the app to American owners was put on ice. “Probably yeah, yeah,” he responded when asked by reporters on Air Force One whether the deadline would be extended again. “Probably have to get China approval but I think we’ll get it. I think President Xi will ultimately approve it.”He indicated in an interview last…

Fire and smoke rise into the sky after an Israeli attack on the Shahran oil depot on June 15, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. Getty Images | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesCrude oil futures rose more than 1% Tuesday, after President Donald Trump called for the evacuation of Tehran as Israel and Iran traded strikes for a fifth day.The U.S. crude oil contract for July delivery increased $1.04, or 1.45%, to $72.81 per barrel in morning trading, while global benchmark Brent for August rose $1.22, or 1.67%, to $74.45The impact of the conflict on the oil futures market has been…

Endeavor Catalyst, the co-investment fund affiliated with global entrepreneurial network Endeavor Global, is raising a new $300 million fund, its fifth and largest fund yet, as it looks to deepen its bet on high-growth startups across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, TechCrunch has learned. The new fund, according to sources, is still in early fundraising stages. It’s previous fund was its $292 million Fund IV closed in 2022. The firm has already begun early conversations with limited partners, including family offices, development finance institutions, and tech founders across its global network. If successful, the fund would…

Meta’s $14.8 billion investment in Scale AI – and the hiring of the startup’s CEO – is drawing attention to how US regulators will handle acquihire-style deals under the Trump administration.The deal gives Meta a 49% nonvoting stake in Scale AI, which hires gig workers to label training data for AI systems. Scale’s clients include Microsoft and OpenAI, two of Meta’s main competitors in the AI space.Because Meta hasn’t bought a controlling share, the deal avoided automatic antitrust review. But regulators could still examine it if they believe the structure was designed to sidestep scrutiny or hurt competition.Access and fairness…

Smoke billows for the second day from the Shahran oil depot, northwest of Tehran, on June 16, 2025.- | Afp | Getty ImagesTop oil chief executives have raised the alarm over Israel and Iran’s escalating conflict, warning about the consequences of further attacks on key energy infrastructure.Israel’s surprise attack on Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure on Friday has been followed by four days of spiraling warfare between the regional foes.Some oil and gas facilities have been hit in both countries in recent days, although major energy infrastructure and crude flows have so far been spared.The potential for major supply disruption remains…