“We used our oil wealth to build an economic powerhouse. They used their wealth for nuclear programs that are nefarious, for missiles, drones, proxies, etc.,” she told host Jonathan Karl. “So whereas we tried to become and have become an international, global, responsible player, they are a pariah state. And they wanted to break that model, but they underestimated our resolve.”

The UAE has faced a barrage of attacks from Iran since the U.S. and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran in late February. While the Gulf state — like many of its neighbors — initially opposed the war, it has since shifted its tone as it considers how to avoid the breakout of a larger regional war.

Indian refiners have also used China's currency to settle some of their Russian oil purchases.

But when I shatted my pants at work I was asked to go home and change

Super-Fun-Pak Comix by Ruben Bolling for April 20, 2026 | GoComics

I don't remember if it was always was like, this but this happened to me with two different microwaves in two different houses. It mostly happens when touch the top of the microwave, but it can happen with the door too.

I though that it was just something unavoidable with microwaves and didn't mention it to anyone, but today i decided to tell my mom and, she said never had any microwave electrocute, same goes for my sisters.

My little sister did comment that i have high energy(what they call my ADHD) as the probable causes. I don't really that possible but i have discovered weird things about my biology before(e.g if i leave my computer screen on in my room, i can feel its heat even under the blanket and cant sleep).

Update: I still do not know why i get shocked while my family don't. I told my sister to touch the microwave door and she didn't feel anything, then i put my hand next to hers and we both get shocked. I have a theory that's its cuz i am very hairy? Either way, i am told there are lot of possible causes

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/8459880

Paris-based Mistral wanted to develop a top-tier AI model to rival OpenAI and Anthropic. That didn’t work out. But it turns out lots of folks don’t care if the AI is bleeding edge – as long as it wasn’t made in America or China.

Archived version

... [Cofounder and CEO of Mistral Arthur] Mensch’s vision for Mistral, and AI itself, can be summed up in one word: independence. Unlike its black-box Silicon Valley rivals, most of Mistral’s AI models are what techies call “open weight.” In this sort of open-source model, customers are free to get under the hood, customize the AI using their own data or download it for free to run offline (or from a laptop).

The message resonates. Old-school execs are spooked by the world-consuming rhetoric of OpenAI and Anthropic and the emerging threat of Chinese AI companies. Mensch’s talk of control and sovereignty is soothing, as is his pitch that Mistral will deploy engineers to set up and run the tech for them. Your data doesn’t even need to leave the office, let alone the country.

“We are really the only company that allows [building] core business automation and products on top of an open stack, and that is something that is valuable everywhere in the world,” says Mensch, 33, from Mistral’s offices in the trendy 10th arrondissement of Paris, as kids play soccer in the courtyard out back.

...

I've dealt with my share of disk expansions and failures, and it's never taken 3 weeks.

I've heard of a case where an American man was ranting about "why can't they speak English" despite him being in a country where it's not even spoken (in this case: Japan), like WTF? He's literally in another country where a different language is spoken, isn't that already common sense? Yes, there are (some) Americans who are like this: assuming that everyone all over the world just knows English from the get go, but that's not always the case.

Another was when an American woman wanted to pay for the bread at a French bakery using a crisp US$20 bill, but that was not accepted since France uses Euros as their main currency. I guess it stems from the fact Mexico accept that assuming that's universal in countries where their own currency (like the Korea uses Won, UK uses the Pound, Oman uses Rials & etc). I mean, why do (some) Americans think that every country uses US Dollars?