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Boycott Campaign Against Pro-Israel Companies Gains Traction in Arab World

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A robust boycott campaign targeting Western companies that support Israel is gaining momentum in the Arab world. Sparked by social media, the movement has grown in response to the recent Israeli conflict in Gaza, which has been labeled by some as "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing". With a death toll of over 10,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, the boycott aims to halt financial support to Israel from major international brands.In Bahrain, youths like 14-year-old Jana utilize technology such as tablets to avoid purchasing Western products, seeking local alternatives to avoid funding what they see as aggression. This sentiment is widespread, with protests and calls for diplomatic severance with Israel echoing across the Middle East. Nations like Turkiye and Jordan have withdrawn their ambassadors, while South Africa, Colombia, Chile, and Bolivia have cut diplomatic ties. Bahrain's legislative body has declared an economic break with Israel, awaiting government confirmation.

The boycott's reach is amplified by tech-savvy advocates employing online resources and apps to identify products to avoid, alongside traditional advocacy methods such as impactful billboards in Kuwait. The movement has affected sales of brands like McDonald's, which faced backlash for supporting the Israeli military. The campaign has even led to the closure of Western business outlets in Qatar and a surge in popularity for local alternatives in Egypt, as the public chooses to support their own economies and stand with Palestine. The movement's message is clear: to encourage consumers to choose where their money goes and to not inadvertently fund conflict. It is a call to action for solidarity with the Palestinian cause, impacting businesses and redefining consumer choices across the Arab world.

: "Hashtag Havoc: 'Boycott Dior' Trends as Fashion Giant Faces Backlash Over Model Switch"

Luxury fashion brand Dior is facing a social media storm, with the hashtag "Boycott Dior" gaining momentum on the platform formerly known as Twitter. The controversy erupted when Dior reportedly replaced Palestinian-American supermodel Bella Hadid, known for her pro-Palestinian stance, with Israeli model May Tager in their latest perfume ad campaign. This decision has sparked outrage among netizens, who are calling for a boycott of Dior and its parent company, LVMH. Critics highlight Dior's ongoing collaboration with Johnny Depp and express disappointment over the perceived targeting of Hadid, who has been a vocal advocate for Palestine and faced considerable online harassment for her views. As the debate intensifies, Dior has yet to release an official statement on the campaign shift or its implications on the brand's position regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Navigating the Swell of AI Developments into 2024

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The air in Silicon Valley was charged as OpenAI's Dev Day announcements—boasting custom GPTs, GPT-4 Turbo, and an Assistants API—sent ripples of excitement across the globe. As an AI enthusiast, the surge of updates was exhilarating yet overwhelming, coming hot on the heels of a deluge of AI news the previous week. It wasn't just the White House's AI Executive Order or the G7's new code of conduct that stirred the pot; the UK Safety Summit and the intense debates on AI risks also made headlines. The legal arena was abuzz too, with a key AI copyright case making waves, while the tech world watched as Midjourney, Runway, and Stability AI rolled out fresh updates.

The AI scene never sleeps, as shown by Scarlett Johannson's legal move against an AI app, Google's unveiling of GenAI tools, and AMD's promising AI chip sales forecast. 'AI' even took the spotlight as Collins Dictionary's word of the year, a testament to the term's ubiquity and significance. Even weekends offer no respite, with Elon Musk's surprise drop of xAI's first LLM, Grok, adding to the whirlwind. Amidst this backdrop, Sam Altman's revelations of new capabilities and pricing for OpenAI's platform couldn't have been more timely. As ChatGPT nears its anniversary, OpenAI rides the crest of innovation with offerings that are cheaper, more advanced, and a step closer to AGI.

As we chart the course towards 2024, the AI landscape presents a clear trajectory. Despite calls for a pause in AI development, Elon Musk's launch of Grok signals an unyielding advance. It's evident that there's no slowing down; we're headed for a year where AI will accelerate, with enterprises gearing up to deploy AI in production and regulatory landscapes evolving at breakneck speed. Regulators will indeed be working overtime to keep pace with AI's meteoric development. OpenAI's latest offerings highlight the growing complexities that regulators will face. With initiatives like the AI Executive Order and international summits, the groundwork is being laid for an intense period of legislative and regulatory activity as we approach 2024.

One particularly notable aspect of today's AI evolution is the distinction in copyright protection for enterprises versus consumers. OpenAI's "Copyright Shield" for its customers underscores a broader industry trend where businesses are provided with more robust legal defenses compared to individual users. This protective stance is expected to solidify as AI becomes more entrenched in commercial products and services.

LeMa: A Leap Forward in AI's Mathematical Reasoning from Microsoft

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Understanding How LeMa Works: The journey to enhanced mathematical reasoning within artificial intelligence starts with foundational models like LLaMA-2, which are designed to simulate flawed reasoning paths in math word problems. Following this, a more advanced model such as GPT-4 steps in to critique these paths, identifying and explaining errors before suggesting corrections. These iterative refinements are then fed back into the initial models, enriching their learning and reasoning capabilities.

Measurable Improvements in Reasoning: Implementing LeMa has yielded quantifiable benefits. By incorporating LeMa, five different large language models (LLMs) demonstrated enhanced performance on a variety of mathematical reasoning tasks. This method proved superior to merely fine-tuning on conventional chain of thought (CoT) data, showcasing the robustness of LeMa's approach.

LeMa's Impressive Results on Datasets: Specialized LLMs, including WizardMath and MetaMath, have reaped the advantages of the LeMa system. These models have achieved unparalleled accuracy on complex datasets, such as 85.4% pass@1 accuracy on GSM8K and 27.1% on MATH, outperforming previous best-performing non-execution open-source models.

"Escalating Tensions and Military Leadership Challenges in Lebanon

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Developments are accelerating in the Gazan field, and with them, the intensity of confrontations in South Lebanon is increasing between Hezbollah and the Palestinian factions on one hand, and the Israeli army on the other, despite being still constrained to the rules of engagement that expanded on the eve of the appearance of the party's Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, from five kilometers to more than ten kilometers on both sides of the border.

The Lebanese developments concern the interior, Israel, and the outside, especially with the approach of the retirement date of Army Commander General Joseph Aoun on January 10, amid the presidential vacuum and internal clash regarding the necessity of extension for him or appointing a new Chief of Staff to replace him in the leadership position, or handing over the highest rank officer as demanded by the Free Patriotic Movement for many known reasons, mostly dating back to the days of the October 17 revolution, and charging the army leader with the responsibility of keeping the roads closed and accusing him of a coup against President Michel Aoun.

The Strong Republic bloc, sensing the dangerous phase and the army remaining without a leader, proposed a repeated urgent law project to extend the rank of General for one year, which allows the extension for General Aoun in his position. However, the forces' step did not go down well with the heart of the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, who probably saw it as an opportunity to return the favor to the forces, who have been boycotting the legislation for over a year. Sources close to Berri told "Lebanon Files" website that the Speaker, as he said, does not legislate "a la carte" or on-demand or delivery, indicating that Speaker Berri will soon call for a legislative session with many law projects on its agenda to be discussed and approved, then we will wait and see. The sources reveal to our site that "there is something being cooked between Presidents Nabih Berri and Najib Mikati to prevent a vacuum in the army leadership, but not in the way of Strong Lebanon or the Strong Republic, as neither of them will achieve their goal, and while refusing to assert the extension for Aoun, they suffice by saying maybe".

Saudi Arabia Invests in Web3 and Animoca Brands

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Saudi Arabia's NEOM Company has made a significant move into the Web3 space by investing $50 million into Animoca Brands, a leader in Web3 gaming. This aligns with the Saudi Vision 2030, aiming to diversify the nation's economy away from oil reliance. This is part of a wider $37 billion initiative to boost the gaming sector. NEOM is a bold project to build a new city named The Line. It's a linear city, extending 170 kilometers across the NEOM area in northwest Saudi Arabia. The plan is to create a modern city for nine million residents, integrating advanced industries and housing solutions. The investment in Animoca Brands is seen as a step towards modernization. It signals a commitment to developing the Web3 ecosystem, which bridges the current internet (Web2) and the decentralized web (Web3). The focus is on creating enjoyable games that leverage both Web3 and Web2 technologies.

NEOM is envisioned as a beacon of human progress, a city built from scratch that serves as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. It's designed to be a place where business flourishes alongside environmental conservation, promising an exceptional quality of life.Yat Siu of Animoca Brands commented on the partnership with NEOM, recognizing the project's ambition to integrate innovative technologies like blockchain. He sees NEOM as potentially the first region to fully embrace the capabilities of blockchain. The NEOM Investment Fund's strategy includes purchasing convertible notes and shares in Animoca Brands. This investment is meant to enhance Animoca's ability to grow the Web3 ecosystem, which includes the decentralized internet based on blockchain technology.

Forrester’s 2024 Predictions Report: new AI Hallucination insurance

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Forrester Research's latest 2024 predictions report emerges as a vital beacon, illuminating the path for AI's calculated expansion while simultaneously alerting business magnates to the burgeoning "shadow usage" phenomenon. This refers to a trend where employees, in their quest for enhanced productivity, are increasingly depending on personal AI tools, bypassing official channels. The 38-page dossier forecasts a tripling of AI platform budgets come 2024, as corporations pour funds into scalable systems designed for crafting, deploying, and overseeing AI models. Yet, Forrester's analysis suggests that such investments may not fully quench the thirst for AI-driven efficiency among the workforce.

Indeed, the report projects that a staggering 60% of employees will gravitate towards self-sourced AI tools for work-related tasks, thereby ushering in a new era of regulatory and compliance complexities. In response, a notable 85% of companies are predicted to broaden their AI arsenals, embracing open-source frameworks like GPT-J and BERT, stepping beyond the conventional bounds of widely-used proprietary models such as ChatGPT. Concurrently, a proactive 40% of enterprises are anticipated to fortify their AI governance, preemptively bracing for the impending wave of regulations from international powerhouses like the E.U., U.S., and China.

In a particularly innovative vein, Forrester postulates that a prominent insurer will unveil a novel "AI hallucination insurance" in 2024. This pioneering insurance variant is tailored to mitigate the repercussions of AI inaccuracies, specifically covering the damages attributable to the AI's erroneous outputs or "hallucinations" as they become more widespread in use. Forrester's 2024 Predictions Report caps off a tumultuous year that witnessed the meteoric rise of generative AI's popularity among both consumers and employees alike.

Shifting Allegiances: Arab American Voters Reevaluate Political Loyalties

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A recent survey by the Arab American Institute (AAI) unveils a substantial dip in support for President Joe Biden among Arab American constituents, predominantly due to his staunch backing of Israel amid the escalating conflict. The data illustrates a plummet from 59% in 2020 to 17% currently, marking an unprecedented shift within this demographic. Remarkably, this is the first instance in the AAI's 26-year history of polling where the majority of Arab Americans don't favor the Democratic party. The analysis further underscores a growing affinity towards the Republican party, with 40% expressing intent to vote for Donald Trump in the upcoming 2024 elections, a five percentage-point uptick from 2020. This trend sets a new record for Arab American affiliation with the Republican party, signaling a significant political reorientation. James Zogby, the president and co-founder of AAI, stressed the importance of recognizing this shift, articulating the necessity of understanding the community’s stance and communicating the potential risks to the administration.

This political realignment could pose challenges for Biden in the 2024 elections, especially in pivotal states like Michigan with substantial Arab American populations. The survey also brings to light a 66% disapproval among Arab Americans regarding Biden's handling of the conflict, mirroring a broader discontent within the community. Additionally, a substantial majority (68%) advocate for halting military aid to Israel, urging the U.S. to leverage its influence for ceasefire negotiations instead. The findings also unveil a rising tide of discrimination faced by Arab Americans, particularly the youth between 18 to 34 years of age. A significant number reported experiencing bias based on their ethnicity or national origin, heightening fears within the community. The ongoing violence in the Middle East resonates deeply, with eight out of 10 respondents expressing anxiety over escalating anti-Arab bigotry and two-thirds apprehensive about rising antisemitism in the U.S.

Amid the recent turmoil in Palestine and Israel, half of the Arab American respondents expressed concerns about encountering discrimination in va