Al Jazeera is marking its 30-year anniversary with a transformation of the network, introducing a three-channel structure for its Arabic-language broadcasting operation and 33 programmes aimed at providing audiences with more in-depth coverage and analysis. Since its launch on November 1, 1996, the Qatar-based network has helped reshape Arab journalism, challenging dominant political narratives and providing a platform for political debate rarely seen on television in the region at the time. Benguenna said that Al Jazeera had popularised practices such as breaking news alerts, continuous live coverage, and exclusive reporting, which were subsequently adopted by other Arab broadcasters. Former Al Jazeera news director Ahmad al-Sheikh echoed that sentiment during his appearance on the same broadcast. He described the Arab world's media environment as previously devoid of independent voices, and credited Al Jazeera with providing an example for other Arab broadcasters to improve standards across the board.

Developments in the Gulf since the beginning of this year have raised fundamental questions about the security of the region in general and Qatar in particular. How can Qatar and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states become effective, independent military powers that do not rely on external security guarantees to ensure their safety? The question for Qatar is how it can build, over the next five years, a national defence capability that would enable it to protect the state and its vital interests even in the absence of Gulf or regional support, or if the United States provides only limited assistance. The aim is to explore whether Qatar can achieve what might be described as defence autonomy, rather than isolation. In other words, Qatar should remain open to alliances and partnerships without making its security dependent on the decisions of another state.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has a responsibility to help poorer nations struggling with rising debt, high inflation and price shocks caused by war spillovers, the head of the global lender says. Speaking as the IMF's annual meetings in Bangkok wrapped up on Saturday, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said discussions with global policymakers showed both "optimism and worry". "But AI is also recognised to be a source of worry and so are inflation, high levels of debt, wars, climate risks." Georgieva said vulnerable nations are missing out on the AI investment boom that is driving growth in richer countries while at the same time dealing with higher borrowing costs. Higher global interest rates mean low-income countries now spend 8 to 14 percent of their revenue on debt repayments, up from previous years, she said.

The French book scene is in uproar after a Canadian-Haitian author billed as a sensation was accused of using artificial intelligence (AI) to write his first novel. Thélyson Orélien, 38, has just been awarded the Prix du Roman Fnac - the first of the literary season's prizes - for C'était ça ou mourir (It was either that or die). He is also a finalist for the most prestigious annual French language awards, the Goncourt and the Renaudot, set to be issued soon. But on Tuesday a little-known group called Balance ton Claude (Denounce your Claude, in reference to Anthropic's AI assistant) claimed the book was almost totally written by AI - a charge the author denied. We tested several passages, from different bits of the manuscript, to come up with the identical result: 100 percent AI, the group said on X.

Inside Kazakhstan's push to become a regional AI centre Share Inside Kazakhstan's push to become a regional AI centre on social media A young woman in a sleek bun and a jacket with Kazakh patterns smiles from the screen at a directors' meeting of Samruk-Kazyna, Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund. In late 2025, she became the company's newest board member. In Kazakhstan, AI is the new talk of the town, and part of its new branding and modernisation agenda to improve public services, attract investment and diversify the economy beyond reliance on raw materials. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared 2026 the "Year of Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence" to introduce advanced technologies in all sectors of the economy, develop skills, startups and Kazakh-language technologies. In 2025, the government created a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, and last month, it approved an action plan through 2029 that includes promoting AI literacy in schools and universities, digitalising healthcare, public services, tax collection and the energy sector.

Self-described'genocidal racist monster' jailed after BBC investigation A former tax worker who described himself as the ultimate genocidal racist monster has been jailed for inciting hatred online after he was exposed by a BBC investigation. Thomas Webster was sacked by HMRC and investigated by police after comments he made to an undercover journalist in the BBC programme'Unmasked: Extreme Far Right'. Webster, 29, from Lapworth, Warwickshire, admitted 10 counts of stirring up racial hatred online, including ones calling for the killing and extinction of his racial enemies. Webster also admitted to stirring up religious hatred and another count of stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation. He was sentenced to two years at Warwick Crown Court.

Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament has approved the government's annual budget, preserving funding for a drone programme central to the island's defence plans against China. Lawmakers passed the $93bn budget late on Friday, after a record 266 days of political deadlock and its legal deadline, as President William Lai Ching-te's administration, which lost its parliamentary majority in 2024, continues to clash with opposition parties over government spending. The Kuomintang dropped the proposed cut after concluding there was no wasteful overlap between the development and procurement programmes it had initially cited as justification. Other reductions included a 60 percent cut to special allowances for government agency heads, a 2.5 percent cut to military equipment and facilities spending, and a 50 percent cut to media policy and publicity budgets. Before Friday's vote, the government had been operating under a provisional budget mechanism to keep paying civil servants and funding welfare programmes.

Do esports students do more than play games? Playing video games in college may seem unusual, but for many teenagers across the country, it could lead to professional careers. Students at Central Bedfordshire College have just finished their first year of the Level 3 Pearson BTEC in esports, the first time the college has offered such a course. While gaming is a key part of the learning, students also study a broad range of modules designed to prepare them for work both inside and outside competitive gaming. These can include psychology to understand how the brain reacts under pressure, alongside nutrition and fitness to ensure they have the energy to compete effectively.

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Can cloud seeding save us from water bankruptcy? We've long tried to control the weather by engineering rainfall. Now such cloud-seeding efforts are escalating, creating conflict between countries and stoking conspiracy theories. On a cold, windy night in November 2025, a quadcopter drone took off from a farm field at the foot of the Bannock mountain range north of Salt Lake City, rising 4000 metres into thick clouds. A fan with anti-icing propellers kicked into action, blowing yellow dust out of a cannister attached to the back of the drone. Cloud-seeding company Rainmaker was trying to fight dust with dust, spreading silver iodide powder to encourage precipitation and end the deadly dust storms plaguing Utah's capital.