'Talk about something else': Chinese AI chatbot toes party line
Chinese tech giant Baidu rolled out its ChatGPT-like ERNIE Bot to the public on Thursday.
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Building fire in S.Africa kills 52
More than 50 people have died in a fire that engulfed a five-storey building in central Johannesburg on Thursday, the South African city's emergency services said.
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Myanmar's landmine clearers working with pliers and bare hands
Six men prod and poke at dense undergrowth in eastern Myanmar with rakes and hoes -- not farmers, but a rebel unit clearing deadly landmines from the war raging between the junta and pro-democracy fighters.
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Driver's 'Ferrari' puts Venice race in higher gear
The race for the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion was set to move into higher gear Thursday with a hotly tipped biopic about sports car supremo Enzo Ferrari starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz.
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UBS to absorb Credit Suisse domestic unit, eyes billions in cost savings
Banking giant UBS said Thursday it would fully absorb the Swiss unit of its recently-swallowed rival Credit Suisse into its operations, without spelling out the implications for job cuts.
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German 'cannabis clubs' on high as legalisation looms
Hanover's cannabis club started as a fringe outfit of nine members campaigning for the right to legally light up joints. Now the group, and others like it, are flourishing and mainstream as Germany gears up to legalise marijuana.
Read moreBaidu leads public rollout of AI chatbots in China
Tech giant Baidu launched China's first public artificial intelligence chatbot on Thursday, with ERNIE trained to censor highly sensitive topics for the ruling Communist Party such as the Tiananmen crackdown.
Read moreStorm Idalia lashes Georgia, Carolinas after slamming Florida
Florida began assessing the damage Wednesday from Idalia's flooding after the powerful storm inundated coastal communities and knocked out power to thousands, as the system advanced up the southeastern US coast bringing additional rain deluges and dangerous storm surge.
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New Zealand Rugby 'not fit for purpose' says scathing report
New Zealand Rugby's governing body was branded "not fit for purpose" in a scathing independent report published Thursday into the country's governing body.
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First strike in six decades closes famous Japan department store
The shutters were down on one of Japan's best-known department stores on Thursday in the sector's first strike for six decades, sparked by fears that its mooted new US owner will slash jobs.
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