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Israel's difficult choices on Iran.

Microsoft said Tuesday it will make a $1.5 billion investment in G42, an artificial intelligence giant in the United Arab Emirates, in a deal largely orchestrated by the Biden administration to defeat China as Washington and Beijing battle over who will exert technological influence in the Persian Gulf region and beyond.As part of the partnership, Microsoft will grant G42 permission to sell Microsoft services that use powerful AI chips, used to train and fine-tune generative AI models. In exchange, the G42, which has been under scrutiny by Washington for its ties to China, will use Microsoft's cloud services and adhere to a security agreement negotiated in detailed conversations with the US government. The agreement places a number of protections on AI products shared with G42 and in...

Israeli leaders were discussing Tuesday how to best respond to Iran's unprecedented airstrike over the weekend, officials said, weighing a series of options calibrated to achieve different strategic outcomes: deterring a similar attack in the future, appeasing the American allies and avoid an all-out war.Iran's attack on Israel, a huge barrage that included hundreds of ballistic missiles and explosive drones, changed the unspoken rules in the rivals' long shadow war. In that conflict, large air strikes from the territory of one country directly against the other had been avoided.Given this change in precedent, the calculus by which Israel decides its next move has also changed, said Israeli officials who requested anonymity to discuss Iran.“We cannot resist this kind of aggres...

Federal regulators on Tuesday issued new protections for miners against a type of dust long known to cause deadly lung disease — changes recommended by government researchers half a century ago.Mining companies will have to limit concentrations of airborne silica, a mineral commonly found in rocks that can be lethal if ground up and inhaled. The new requirements affect more than 250,000 miners who mine coal, a variety of metals and minerals used in products such as cement and smartphones. Tuesday's announcement is the culmination of a tortuous regulatory process that has spanned four presidential administrations.The miners paid dearly for the delay. As progress on the rule stalled, government researchers documented with growing alarm a resurgence of severe black lung afflicting youn...

The old Stock Exchange building in central Copenhagen – one of the city's oldest structures, known for its elaborate spire of intertwined dragon tails – partially collapsed in a major fire late Tuesday.No one was injured, according to a statement from King FrederickIt was not immediately clear what started the fire at the structure, which appeared to be under renovation. As of early Tuesday afternoon the fire was still burning with "pockets of fire" in the building, a Copenhagen fire official said.The king said the building's famous spire had helped define Copenhagen as a "city of towers."“To this day, we have regarded the historic building as a beautiful symbol of our capital and a building of which we, as a nation, have been proud,” he said.Authorities responded to the fire shor...

In his office on one of the upper floors of the headquarters of the Paris Olympic organizing committee, Franz Regul has no doubts about what is about to happen.“We will be attacked,” said Regul, who leads the team responsible for defending against cyber threats against this year's Summer Games in Paris.Companies and governments around the world now have teams like Regul's operating in spartan rooms equipped with banks of servers and screens with indicator lights that warn of incoming hacker attacks. In the Paris operations center there is even a red light to warn staff of the most serious danger.So far, Mr. Regul said, there have been no serious disruptions. But as the months between the Olympics shrink to weeks and then days and hours, he knows the number of hacking attempts and...

Two weeks ago, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced a chorus of calls to cut arms shipments to Israel due to the devastating ongoing war in Gaza. On Monday, Sunak paid tribute to British warplanes who had shot down several Iranian drones as part of a successful campaign to counter Iran's attack on Israel.It was a telling example of how the conflict between Israel and Iran has upended the equation in the Middle East. Faced with a barrage of Iranian missiles, Britain, the United States, France and others rushed to Israel's aid. They have put aside their anger at Gaza to defend it from a country they see as an archenemy, even as they called for restraint in Israel's response to the Iranian onslaught.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose approval of a deadly airstrike aga...

Lindsey McNeil and her 7-year-old daughter, Noelle, who suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy, were shocked by a notice they received from the Florida Department of Children and Families late last month that Noelle would lose her Medicaid coverage 10 days later.From then on, their lives began to fall apart, Ms. McNeil said. Noelle has stopped seeing the four therapists she sees every week and she is running out of medications she needs to prevent her seizures from flaring up. Monday brought some relief: Ms. McNeil learned that Noelle's coverage had been temporarily reinstated pending a resolution on an appeal she filed with the state.“We have worked really hard to grow our family, our life and a home for this baby,” Ms. McNeil said. “It's a little disheartening to think about...

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sought to strike a delicate balance during a trip to China this week, promoting business ties with his country's largest trading partner while criticizing rising exports to Europe and its support for Russia.Scholz met China's top leader, Xi Jinping, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Tuesday, the culmination of a three-day visit with a delegation of German officials and business leaders. He was also due to meet Premier Li Qiang, as the two countries face strained relations over Russia's war in Ukraine and China's rivalry with the United States, Germany's most important ally.During his trip Scholz promoted the interests of German companies that are finding it increasingly difficult to compete in China. And he expressed growing...

Signs of unrest at Tesla multiplied Monday after the electric car company told employees it would lay off more than 10% of its workforce to cut costs and two senior executives resigned.The job cuts, which amount to around 14,000 people, come as the company faces growing competition and declining sales. The management changes and layoffs are a reminder of the unpredictability of Tesla CEO Elon Musk at a critical time for the company.Musk has not outlined a plan to reverse declining auto sales, and appears focused on long-term initiatives like a self-driving taxi, rather than new models that would help Tesla compete with cars introduced by established automakers and upstarts. rivals from China.“As we prepare the company for the next phase of growth, it is extremely important to examine ever...