LONDON - The United Nations' world food price index rose in November to its highest level since April 2023, recording its biggest gain in 19 months on the back of surging vegetable oil prices, data showed on Friday. The price index, compiled by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to track the most globally traded food commodities, increased to 127.5 points last month from a revised 126.9 points in October, the highest level in 19 months and up 5.7% from a year ago. The vegetable oil index jumped 7.5% above levels seen a month ago and 32% above those seen a year earlier, driven by concerns over lower than expected palm oil output due to excessive rainfall in Southeast Asia. Soyoil prices rose on stronger global import demand, while rapeseed and sunflower oil also increased. Other food price indexes declined. Cereal prices dropped 2.7% from October thanks to weaker wheat and rice prices, while sugar fell 2.4% from October as India and Thailand began crushing and concerns over Brazil's crop prospects eased. In a separate report, the FAO trimmed its forecast for global cereal production in 2024 from 2.848 billion metric tons to 2.841 billion, a 0.6% decline from last year but still the second largest output on record. World cereal utilisation, meanwhile, is set to increase 0.6% to 2.859 billion tons in 2024/25 thanks to growing consumption. As a result, the FAO expects the cereal stocks-to-use ratio to fall to 30.1% at the close of the 2025 season from 30.8% previously, but still indicating a "comfortable level of global supply". (Disclaimer: Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)511 jilipark 。

California GOP flip second state legislative seat, 3 weeks after electionNone

Matt and Emma Willis worried and scared as they speak out about children with smartphonesA ceasefire deal that could end more than a year of cross-border fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group won backing from Israeli leaders Tuesday, raising hopes and renewing difficult questions in a region gripped by conflict. Hezbollah leaders also signaled tentative backing for the U.S.-brokered deal, which offers both sides an off-ramp from hostilities that have driven more than 1.2 million Lebanese and 50,000 Israelis from their homes. An intense bombing campaign by Israel has killed more than 3,700 people, many of them civilians, Lebanese officials say. But while the deal, set to take effect early Wednesday, could significantly calm the tensions that have inflamed the region, it does little directly to resolve the much deadlier war that has raged in Gaza since the Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that killed 1,200 people. Hezbollah, which began firing scores of rockets into Israel the following day in support of Hamas, has previously said it would keep fighting until there was a stop to the fighting in Gaza. Here’s what to know about the tentative ceasefire agreement and its potential implications: The terms of the deal The agreement reportedly calls for a 60-day halt in fighting that would see Israeli troops retreat to their side of the border while requiring Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the deal is set to take effect at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday (9 p.m. EST Tuesday). Under the deal, thousands of Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers are to deploy to the region south of the Litani River. An international panel lead by the U.S. would monitor compliance by all sides. Biden said the deal “was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted Tuesday that the military would strike Hezbollah if the U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL , does not provide “effective enforcement” of the deal. Lingering uncertainty A Hezbollah leader said the group's support for the deal hinged on clarity that Israel would not renew its attacks. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Qatari satellite news network Al Jazeera. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state” of Lebanon, he said. The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said Tuesday that Israel’s security concerns had been addressed in the deal also brokered by France. Where the fighting has left both sides After months of cross-border bombings, Israel can claim major victories, including the killing of Hezbollah’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, most of his senior commanders and the destruction of extensive militant infrastructure. A complex attack in September involving the explosion of hundreds of walkie-talkies and pagers used by Hezbollah was widely attributed to Israel, signaling a remarkable penetration of the militant group. The damage inflicted on Hezbollah has come not only in its ranks, but to the reputation it built by fighting Israel to a stalemate in the 2006 war. Still, its fighters managed to put up heavy resistance on the ground, slowing Israel’s advance while continuing to fire scores of rockets, missiles and drones across the border each day. The ceasefire offers relief to both sides, giving Israel’s overstretched army a break and allowing Hezbollah leaders to tout the group’s effectiveness in holding their ground despite Israel’s massive advantage in weaponry. But the group is likely to face a reckoning, with many Lebanese accusing it of tying their country’s fate to Gaza’s at the service of key ally Iran, inflicting great damage on a Lebanese economy that was already in grave condition. No answers for Gaza Until now, Hezbollah has insisted that it would only halt its attacks on Israel when it agreed to stop fighting in Gaza. Some in the region are likely to view a deal between the Lebanon-based group and Israel as a capitulation. In Gaza, where officials say the war has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians, Israel’s attacks have inflicted a heavy toll on Hamas, including the killing of the group’s top leaders. But Hamas fighters continue to hold scores of Israeli hostages, giving the militant group a bargaining chip if indirect ceasefire negotiations resume. Hamas is likely to continue to demand a lasting truce and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in any such deal. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas offered a pointed reminder Tuesday of the intractability of the war, demanding urgent international intervention. “The only way to halt the dangerous escalation we are witnessing in the region, and maintain regional and international stability, security and peace, is to resolve the question of Palestine,” he said in a speech to the U.N. read by his ambassador.

AI 'godfather' Geoffrey Hinton says AI will one day unite nations against a common existential threat

The deal, announced on Tuesday night, will see hostilities between Israel and Iran-backed militants Hezbollah suspended for 60 days, with both sides withdrawing from southern Lebanon. Brokered by the US and France, the agreement is designed to provide a permanent end to the conflict, US President Joe Biden said following the announcement. But Israeli ministers insisted it would resume strikes on Lebanon if Hezbollah breached the terms of the ceasefire, while the deal does not affect Israel’s continuing war with Hamas in Gaza. In a statement, Sir Keir Starmer described the deal as “long overdue”, saying it would “provide some measure of relief to the civilian populations of Lebanon and northern Israel, who have suffered unimaginable consequences during the last few months of devastating conflict and bloodshed”. He said: “Now, this deal must be turned into a lasting political solution in Lebanon, based on Security Council Resolution 1701, that will allow civilians to return permanently to their homes and for communities on both sides of the border to rebuild. “The UK and its allies will continue to be at the forefront of efforts to break the ongoing cycle of violence in pursuit of a long-term, sustainable peace in the Middle East. My statement on the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese Hizbollah. pic.twitter.com/ZAxApKpJIT — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) November 26, 2024 “We must see immediate progress towards a ceasefire deal in Gaza, the release of all hostages and the removal of restrictions on desperately needed humanitarian aid.” The announcement of the deal follows a day of intense Israeli air strikes in Beirut, with local authorities saying at least 24 people were killed in the bombardment while Hezbollah continued to fire rockets into northern Israel. Recommending the ceasefire to his cabinet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal would isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus more on Iran, which supports both Hamas and Hezbollah and has staged attacks on Israel in recent months. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the announcement offered “hope” and must become “a turning point that builds momentum towards a lasting peace across the Middle East”. He said: “The UK was the first G7 country to call for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah in September and we have worked relentlessly since with our allies and partners to apply pressure to end this conflict since. “We strongly urge all parties to use this agreement to open a pathway to a lasting peace.” While aid organisations have welcomed the ceasefire, they have also called for it to be made permanent and extended to the conflict in Gaza. Amelia Whitworth, head of policy, campaigns and youth at the children’s charity Plan International UK, welcomed news of the deal. She said: “It is essential that all parties respect this ceasefire so that vital humanitarian aid can be delivered to the children and families that desperately need it.” Ms Whitworth added: “Today’s agreement must act as a vital step towards a sustained, permanent ceasefire – both in Lebanon and across Gaza and the wider Middle East region. “The horror must stop immediately, all children deserve to enjoy their childhood free from the threat of violence.” Paras Tamang, global humanitarian director at ActionAid, echoed her comments, saying the ceasefire would provide “temporary relief” for civilians but was “not an acceptable long-term solution to the crisis”. Mr Tamang said: “Whilst air strikes may stop for a while, the fallout from these attacks will continue to be felt for years to come. “More humanitarian aid is needed to help the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost everything.” According to the UN, more than 3,700 people, including 240 children, have been killed in Lebanon since the latest round of fighting began in October 2023, while around 900,000 have been displaced.

Nvidia reported Q3 revenue of $35.1 billion, up 94% from last year with data center sales reaching $30.8 billion. Fellow tech firms showed mixed results, with Snowflake growing 29% to $900 million in revenue, while artificial intelligence (AI) startup BEN recorded $50,000 in its first significant quarterly sales amid mounting losses. Nvidia’s Results Hit $35.1B on AI Surge Nvidia reported third-quarter revenue of $35.1 billion , up 94 % from a year ago and 17% from the previous quarter, as AI computing drives unprecedented chip demand. The Santa Clara, California, semiconductor maker’s data center segment reached $30.8 billion in revenue, up 112% from last year and 17% from the previous quarter. This division now represents 88% of total revenue. “The age of AI is in full steam, propelling a global shift to Nvidia computing,” CEO Jensen Huang said in the earnings release . “Demand for Hopper and anticipation for Blackwell — in full production — are incredible.” Net income increased 109% to $19.3 billion, with earnings per share of $0.78, up 111% year over year. The company forecast fourth-quarter revenue of $37.5 billion, plus or minus 2%. Gaming revenue grew 15% year over year to $3.3 billion, and automotive revenue reached $449 million, up 72% from last year. The results cement Nvidia’s dominance in AI computing hardware as companies expand their AI infrastructure globally. Snowflake Grows as Cloud Adoption Expands Snowflake , which markets itself as “the AI Data Cloud company,” reported third-quarter product revenue of $900.3 million, up 29% from a year earlier, while forecasting slower growth ahead . “Our obsessive drive to produce product cohesion and ease of use has built Snowflake into the easiest and most cost-effective enterprise data platform,” CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy said in a news release . The company’s remaining performance obligations, representing contracted future revenue, grew 55% to $5.7 billion. Snowflake expanded its base of large customers, now serving 542 organizations with trailing 12-month product revenue exceeding $1 million, up 25% year over year. Snowflake raised $2.27 billion in September through convertible notes offerings due 2027 and 2029. Looking ahead, the company expects fourth-quarter product revenue between $906 million and $911 million, indicating year-over-year growth of approximately 23%. The company posted a net loss of $327.9 million for the quarter , compared with $214.7 million a year earlier. BEN Reports Mixed Results Brand Engagement Network , an AI solutions provider, reported its first significant quarterly revenue of $50,000 while recording wider losses as it expands its healthcare AI partnerships. “We made significant progress in delivering secure, scalable AI solutions and advancing our mission to transform industries with intelligent technology,” said CEO Paul Chang in a news release . The Wyoming company struck deals to deploy its AI assistants with KangarooHealth for remote patient monitoring and IntelliTek for healthcare operations. These partnerships aim to use BEN’s conversational AI technology to enhance patient engagement and chronic care management across multiple regions. However, operating losses widened to $5.82 million from $2.58 million a year earlier, reflecting heavy investment in AI development and expansion. The company secured a $50 million equity purchase agreement with Yorkville Advisors to fund growth and plans to acquire German tech firm Cataneo for $19.5 million by year end. The company’s aggressive push into healthcare AI marks its strategy to commercialize its conversational AI technology in high-value sectors despite cash reserves dropping to $72,878 from $1.69 million at the start of the year.President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money conviction

Biden pledges $1B in aid to Africa as North Carolina residents continue to struggle after Helene

Peter Dutton to finally announce nuclear power costings

Jets Owner Woody Johnson Tries to Keep Fans Engaged While Heading Into a Tumultuous Bye WeekAs we reported last month, OpenAI has finally launched SearchGPT , which is essentially a search engine developed by OpenAI that uses artificial intelligence to find and combine the best results from the web. And with the latest ChatGPT update for iOS, it’s now easier to use SearchGPT. ChatGPT app adds SearchGPT extension to Apple Shortcuts The latest version of the app for iPhone and iPad adds a new Apple Shortcuts integration, which lets users create shortcuts to open SearchGPT. With this shortcut, you can open a new conversation in the ChatGPT app with SearchGPT enabled. It’s worth noting that shortcuts can be added to the Home Screen or even triggered by Siri. While ChatGPT has always sort of been used as a search engine by some, OpenAI has made specific upgrades that provide the sort of features we’ve all come to expect from search providers like Google and Bing. Here’s how OpenAI explains it : ChatGPT can now search the web in a much better way than before. You can get fast, timely answers with links to relevant web sources, which you would have previously needed to go to a search engine for. This blends the benefits of a natural language interface with the value of up-to-date sports scores, news, stock quotes, and more. ChatGPT will choose to search the web based on what you ask, or you can manually choose to search by clicking the web search icon. OpenAI has partnered with news and data providers so it can provide real-time information, and package it in new dedicated designs for specific content types. With iOS 18.2, which will be released to iPhone and iPad users in December, Apple is adding ChatGPT integration to Siri . The update will let users interact with the OpenAI chatbot directly from the Siri interface, and the same applies to Writing Tools. Paid ChatGPT users can also benefit from the extra features by logging into their account in the iOS Settings app. As for the new shortcut, it’s available with the latest version of the ChatGPT app that you can download from the App Store. It’s worth noting that SearchGPT is currently exclusive to ChatGPT Plus and Team subscribers. Read also ChatGPT for macOS now works with third-party apps, including Apple’s Xcode iOS 18.2 beta adds ‘Upgrade to ChatGPT Plus’ option in the Settings app OpenAI brings its lifelike ChatGPT advanced voice feature to the Mac iOS 18.2: All the new features, release date details, moreStock market today: Wall Street inches higher to set more records

I forked out £28 on ASOS heels for my Xmas girls’ night out – I thought they were cute but I looked like Mrs DOUBTFIREVance takes on a more visible transition role, working to boost Trump’s most contentious picks