The Take Ahmed al-Sharaa's high-stakes bid to remake Syria For the first time in nearly 60 years, a Syrian leader speaks at the United Nations. It was a symbolic moment for a nation long-isolated from the international stage. President Ahmed al-Sharaa says he can rebuild Syria through private investment and a deal with Israel. But how much can he concede in the name of progress, without losing Syrian public support? What is the future of US dissent in the post-Charlie Kirk era? The White House Peace Vigil is dismantled - why? How is China using AI in the classroom?

Broadcast TV Is a'Melting Ice Cube.' Kimmel Just Turned Up the Heat After Sinclair and Nexstar pulled Jimmy Kimmel off air, the old affiliate model looks shakier than ever. Even Disney might do better without broadcast. Jimmy Kimmel returned to ABC this week. About a quarter of ABC's usual audience couldn't see the talk show host this week after two major owners of ABC affiliates, Sinclair and Nexstar, refused to carry the show. Those right-leaning companies apparently felt that Kimmel's joke--which included some disputed facts--was so unpardonable that they couldn't expose their viewers to the comedian.

What does recognising a Palestinian state mean? Why have Spain, Italy sent ships to assist the Gaza flotilla? Who are the artists speaking out against the war? Why has Microsoft cut Israel off from some of its services? Microsoft has announced that it has withdrawn some of its services from the Israeli army, following an investigation that raised concerns that Israel may be violating the company's terms of service by using its artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud services to spy on millions of Palestinians throughout Gaza and the West Bank.

Plus: Microsoft has stopped letting Israel use its technology for surveillance. Flock Safety, whose drones were once reserved for police departments, is now offering them for private-sector security, the company has announced. Potential customers include businesses trying to curb shoplifting. If the security team at a store sees shoplifters leave, they can activate a camera-equipped drone. "The drone follows the people. The people get in a car. You click a button and you track the vehicle with the drone, and the drone just follows the car," says Keith Kauffman, a former police chief who now directs Flock's drone program.

To really speak and understand a new language, you need to interact with humans. All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. Language learning apps like Duolingo are useful, but they have their limits. They're ideal for getting started with a new language, beefing up vocabulary, practicing skills, and even having fun playing the built-in games.

Trials of vision-improving substances are showing good results, though so far only two have been authorized for use in the United States. The Stats don't lie: after age 65, most people will struggle to focus visually on close-up objects. You might have seen this among your friends and relatives or even experienced it yourself, holding books, magazines, or your phone farther away from your face to try to bring words and pictures into focus. Many of those affected start using reading glasses. But a new treatment could become available: eye drops.

Can Ukraine restore its pre-war borders? Is Russia testing NATO with aerial incursions in Europe? Boris Akunin is one of Russia's most popular authors. Erast Fandorin, his series of historical detective novels, has been adapted into feature films and TV miniseries. But he is also an enemy of the state, having been branded a "foreign agent" by the Russian authorities last year. Akunin, whose real name is Grigory Chkhartishvili, has been outspoken against President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Why have Spain, Italy sent ships to assist the Gaza flotilla? Israel's mass surveillance: Microsoft blocks the army from using its software United States tech giant Microsoft has cancelled some services it provides to the Israeli military over concerns it is violating its terms of service by using the firm's cloud computing software to spy on millions of Palestinians, the company's vice chair and president Brad Smith confirmed. Smith wrote in a Thursday blog post that the company had "ceased and disabled a set of services" to a unit within the Israeli Ministry of Defence in response to an August 6 joint investigation by The Guardian newspaper, +972 Magazine, and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call. Unit 8200 is the Israeli military's elite cyber warfare unit responsible for clandestine operations, including collecting signal intelligence and surveillance. The investigation by journalists revealed that following a 2021 meeting between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Unit 8200's leader Yossi Sariel, an agreement was reached to collaborate on moving large volumes of sensitive intelligence material into the company's Azure platform.

China is making and installing factory robots at a far greater pace than any other country. China is making and installing factory robots at a far greater pace than any other country, with the United States a distant third, further strengthening the East Asian nation's already dominant global role in manufacturing. There were more than 2 million robots working in Chinese factories last year, according to a report released Thursday by the International Federation of Robotics, a nonprofit trade group for makers of industrial robots. Factories in China installed nearly 300,000 new robots last year, more than the rest of the world combined, the report found. While Chinese factories have been using more robots, they have also gotten better at making them. The government has used public capital and policy directives to spur Chinese companies to become leaders in robotics and other advanced technologies such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

KKR Co-CEO Joe Bae says that if Japan doesn't invest in areas such as automation, robotics and artificial intelligence, the aging population and decline will become a bigger and bigger challenge for its success as a nation." KKR says Japan's aging population presents opportunities to invest in areas that tap artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies to make the most of a shrinking workforce. We're looking for ways to invest in businesses and industries that fundamentally improve the productivity of Japanese workers," KKR Co-CEO Joe Bae said in an interview in Tokyo. If Japan doesn't invest in areas such as automation, robotics and AI, the aging population and decline will become a bigger and bigger challenge for its success as a nation." Bae is keen on technology or software companies that can help provide skilled labor or services to boost productivity and negate Japan's demographic trends.