Arabic is one of the world's most widely spoken languages with at least 400 million speakers, including 200 million native speakers and 200 million to 250 million non-native speakers. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) serves as the formal language for government, legal matters and education, and it is widely used in international and religious contexts. Additionally, more than 25 dialects are spoken primarily across the Middle East and North Africa. The date was chosen to mark the day in 1973 on which the UN General Assembly adopted Arabic as one of its six official languages. In the following visual explainer, Al Jazeera lists some of the most common words in today's English language that originated from Arabic or passed through Arabic before reaching English.

Japan's top uniformed military officer, Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, listens during an interview with The Japan Times at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Monday. Imagine hundreds if not thousands of enemy missiles and artificial intelligence-enabled drones speeding toward your country, some at hypersonic speeds, capable of overwhelming your air defenses. But for Japan's top uniformed military officer, reinforcing the country's defense capabilities to counter these complex and diverse threats is not just a concern, it's become one of his top priorities. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

Rob Reiner and his wife's cause of death revealed Dan Bongino announces he's QUIT FBI to return to popular talk show The full story of Nick Reiner and these murders is so much more unbearable than everyone thinks. Even Hollywood wouldn't dare write it: MAUREEN CALLAHAN I sneakily looked at my perfect son's phone... What a terrible mistake! US car dealer charged with FRAUD after bankruptcy revealed depths of American's debt crisis Tara Reid speaks out for the first time since THAT video emerged... and tells KATIE HIND why she is convinced she was spiked after watching CCTV Chilling new details of father's death a day before facing justice for leaving his daughter, 2, to die in a hot car Pouty dine-and-dash diva interrupts judge MULTIPLE times as she's hauled to court for bill-skipping spree Karoline Leavitt close-up from Vanity Fair's Susie Wiles interview sparks fury: 'Shameful' Symptoms of deadly'super flu' sweeping the US explained and how to tell it apart from Covid Earthquakes stir fear in America's Heartland as deadly fault zone awakens Scandal rocks Trump's deportation force: DHS insiders say boss Kristi Noem's'lover' made'unethical, immoral' requests to agency leaders Disgraced Michigan coach Sherrone Moore had'long history' of domestic violence against victim of alleged knife attack, lawyer claims'Flowing red blood' surging in Persian Gulf sparks wild claims that God's biblical plagues have returned Evidence is'far too limited' to definitively say artificial intelligence hasn't made the leap, expert claims READ MORE: T here may already be a'slightly conscious' AI out in the world Artificial intelligence ( AI) is already helping to solve problems in finance, research and medicine. But could it be reaching consciousness? Dr Tom McClelland, a philosopher from the University of Cambridge has warned that current evidence is'far too limited' to rule this dystopian possibility out.

In this work, inspired by machine learning techniques, we propose a new Bayesian model for Small Area Estimation (SAE), the Fay-Herriot model with Spectral Clustering (FH-SC). Unlike traditional approaches, clustering in FH-SC is based on spectral clustering algorithms that utilize external covariates, rather than geographical or administrative criteria. A major advantage of the FH-SC model is its flexibility in integrating existing SAE approaches, with or without clustering random effects. To enable benchmarking, we leverage the theoretical framework of posterior projections for constrained Bayesian inference and derive closed form expressions for the new Rao-Blackwell (RB) estimators of the posterior mean under the FH-SC model. Additionally, we introduce a novel measure of uncertainty for the benchmarked estimator, the Conditional Posterior Mean Square Error (CPMSE), which is generalizable to other Bayesian SAE estimators. We conduct model-based and data-based simulation studies to evaluate the frequentist properties of the CPMSE. The proposed methodology is motivated by a real case study involving the estimation of the proportion of households with internet access in the municipalities of Colombia. Finally, we also illustrate the advantages of FH-SC over existing Bayesian and frequentist approaches through our case study.

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a leading climate and weather research institution in Boulder, Colo. NCAR's weather forecasts, climate models and atmospheric data are vital to research, emergency planning and industries from aviation to insurance.

California regulators are threatening to suspend Tesla's licence to sell its electric cars in the state early next year unless the car maker tones down its marketing tactics for its self-driving features after a judge concluded that the Elon Musk-led company has been misleading consumers about the technology's capabilities. The potential 30-day blackout of Tesla's sales in California in the United States is the primary punishment being recommended to the state's Department of Motor Vehicles in a decision released late on Tuesday. After presiding over five days of hearings held in Oakland, California, in July, Cox also recommended suspending Tesla's licence to manufacture cars at its plant in Fremont, California. But California regulators will not impose that part of the judge's proposed penalty. Tesla will have a 90-day window to make changes that more clearly convey the limits of its self-driving technology to avoid having its California sales licence suspended.

Director James Cameron criticizes Trump administration's environmental rollbacks and warns humanity is going backwards in interview about "Avatar: Fire and Ash."

Nick Reiner's siblings Romy and Jake describe'unimaginable pain' as they break silence after brother's arrest and parents' murder The full story of Nick Reiner and these murders is so much more unbearable than everyone thinks. Even Hollywood wouldn't dare write it: MAUREEN CALLAHAN I saw Nick Reiner just hours before the murders. I've known the family for decades - he was always a weirdo... but what I spotted that night haunts me Tara Reid investigation into alleged drugging is CLOSED as police say there is'not enough evidence' Dilbert creator reveals he's paralyzed from waist down amid aggressive cancer battle he begged Trump to help with Dan Bongino set to QUIT Trump admin after FBI job'put strain on his marriage' When GUY ADAMS revealed his 10-week body transformation, it was so astonishing he was accused of faking it. MIT professor was shot dead in apartment building's HALLWAY as petrified neighbors describe finding his bloody body I knew Rob Reiner's monster son Nick his whole life: Family friend reveals his'grunting' and violent outbursts... how he always SMELLED... and sign everyone missed at age 11 Harry and Meghan are making Netflix adaptation of The Wedding Date after couple announced'first look' multi-year deal with streaming giant Baby-faced stepbrother considered a'suspect' in Anna Kepner's cruise ship murder breaks cover as FBI weighs charges Erika Kirk vs Candace Owens exposed: Insider reveals high-stakes secret meeting drama... and what comes next US car dealer charged with FRAUD after bankruptcy revealed depths of American's debt crisis Revealed: Exactly what a week of drinking is doing to you. HARRY WALLOP took heart, liver, brain and blood tests to find out the truth.

Data brokers sell personal shopping information to scammers who craft convincing fake refund messages during peak holiday purchasing periods.

Federal records show CBP is moving from testing small drones to making them standard surveillance tools, expanding a network that can follow activity in real time and extend well beyond the border. US Customs and Border Protection is quietly doubling down on a surveillance strategy built around human-portable drones, according to federal contracting records reviewed by WIRED. The shift is pushing border enforcement toward a distributed system that can track activity in real time and, critics warn, may extend well beyond the border. New market research conducted this month shows that, rather than relying on larger, centralized drone platforms, CBP is concentrating on lightweight uncrewed aircraft that can be launched quickly by small teams, remain operational under environmental stress, and relay surveillance data directly to frontline units. The documents emphasize portability, fast setup, and integration with equipment already used by border patrol.