All posts tagged: dividing

The Iran war is dividing Muslims in the Philippines | US-Israel war on Iran

The Iran war is dividing Muslims in the Philippines | US-Israel war on Iran

Published by Sam Flores

The US-Israeli war on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have had a seismic effect across the world. In Southeast Asia, economies have been paralysed due to shortages of oil, liquified petroleum gas and other essential products usually exported through the strait. The Philippines was the first country to declare a state of emergency as a result, but that has done little to alleviate shortages. The country has seen repeated protests against the spike in prices. But the impact of the Iran war has not been confined to the socioeconomic sphere. The conflict has also affected Muslim communities in the country, particularly in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. It has deepened polarisation among local Islamic scholars, threatening community cohesion. When the war began, reactions on social media and in public were swift. Broadly, two camps emerged. One camp supported Iran’s retaliatory actions against the United States and its targeting of bases in neighbouring countries. For example, one member of the Muslim community wrote in a social media post that Muslims’ prayers for Gaza …

AI IQ is here: a new site scores frontier AI models on the human IQ scale. The results are already dividing tech.

AI IQ is here: a new site scores frontier AI models on the human IQ scale. The results are already dividing tech.

Published by skeptic

For decades, the IQ test has been one of the most familiar — and most contested — yardsticks for human intelligence. Now, a startup project called AI IQ is applying the same metaphor to artificial intelligence, assigning estimated intelligence quotients to more than 50 of the world’s most powerful language models and plotting them on a standard bell curve. The result is a set of interactive visualizations at aiiq.org that have ricocheted across social media in the past week, drawing praise from enterprise technologists who say the charts make an impossibly complex market legible — and sharp criticism from researchers and commentators who warn the entire framework is misleading. “This is super useful,” wrote Thibaut Mélen, a technology commentator, on X. “Much easier to understand model progress when it’s mapped like this instead of another giant leaderboard table.” Brian Vellmure, a business strategist, offered a similar endorsement: “This is helpful. Anecdotally tracks with personal experience.” But the backlash arrived just as quickly. “It’s nonsense. AI is far too jagged. The map is not the territory,” …

Tennessee Republicans pass map dividing up state’s lone majority-Black district

Tennessee Republicans pass map dividing up state’s lone majority-Black district

Published by Sam Flores

Tennessee’s Republican-led Legislature passed a new congressional map dividing up the state’s lone majority-Black district, swiftly responding to the U.S. Supreme Court’s major redistricting ruling last week. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. The redrawn district lines, which Gov. Bill Lee signed into law, put Republicans in position to gain a seat in this fall’s midterm elections and secure full control over Tennessee’s congressional delegation. The new map carves up a Memphis-based seat held by longtime Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., into three districts, spreading the Democratic voters into more rural, Republican districts that stretch hundreds of miles east. It further divides the Nashville metropolitan area, the state’s other Democratic stronghold, into five districts. The long districts run across Tennessee’s distinct geographic regions and tie voters from different media markets and time zones together to achieve the desired partisan impact. Lee moved quickly to call lawmakers into a special session this week to take up a new map proposal ahead of Tennessee’s Aug. 6 primaries. The state …

Can food be art? Denmark weighs up the debate dividing chefs and critics amid new gastronomy trends

Can food be art? Denmark weighs up the debate dividing chefs and critics amid new gastronomy trends

Published by Daniella Wilson

On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Imagine a culinary journey where “edible plastic” crafted from algae and fish skin collagen is served beneath a vast, domed ceiling projecting ocean-borne pollution. This striking experience, and the dish itself, draws inspiration from the colossal garbage patches blighting our seas. In Copenhagen, Denmark, chef Rasmus Munk’s Alchemist restaurant transcends traditional dining. Guests are not merely offered dishes but embark on an “immersive dining experience” that seamlessly blends performance art, evocative music, and captivating projections within its planetarium-like domed room, all complemented by extraordinary food. Opened in 2019 within a former industrial harbour area of the Danish capital, Alchemist has rapidly ascended the culinary ranks, being named the world’s fifth-best restaurant in 2025. It proudly holds two Michelin stars, a testament to its exceptional cuisine. open image in gallery A cured squid, white cabbage, hazelnuts and walnuts dish served at restaurant Kadeau (AP) Diners at this acclaimed establishment encounter …

The Norwich pigeon wars: how birds are dividing a UK city | Life and style

The Norwich pigeon wars: how birds are dividing a UK city | Life and style

Published by Sam Flores

At nine o’clock on Saturday morning, Norwich market is only just stirring: shutters are still down and the aisles are quiet. In the nearby Memorial Gardens, however, a large crowd has already gathered: the market’s pigeons are waiting to be fed. Jenny Coupland arrives on the scene a little later than her usual hour, with a backpack brimming with seed. As she begins doling it out, the birds descend from their perches and cover the ground, pecking furiously. The sun catches their bobbing heads, sending iridescent shimmers across their brown and grey feathers. A few passersby stop to watch; one takes a photo. The sheer number of birds is a spectacle – not to mention startling, when they all abruptly take flight. “They’re a bit jumpy today,” says Coupland, 43. Judging by the wary glances she shoots at the onlookers, she’s not just referring to the birds. As the founder of the avian welfare group Peck Savers, Coupland has been feeding pigeons around Norwich for 10 years, but in recent months, she says, it has …

Macron’s party endorses Sarkozy’s son in Riviera election, dividing members

Macron’s party endorses Sarkozy’s son in Riviera election, dividing members

Published by Sam Flores

Louis Sarkozy, at a children’s tennis tournament at the Menton Tennis Club, on December 13, 2025. CLAIRE GABY FOR LE MONDE President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party on Tuesday, January 13, endorsed Louis Sarkozy, the 28-year-old son of former president Nicolas Sarkozy, in his mayoral campaign in the French Riviera town of Menton, to the dismay of members who called the news “regrettable,” “incomprehensible,” or, at the very least, “surprising.” Read more Subscribers only Municipal elections: Louis Sarkozy tries to make a splash in French Riviera town The endorsement was not made by the party’s national nomination committee but by a local branch, in accordance with the party’s rules for towns with fewer than 60,000 residents. Local Renaissance activists and officials said that the younger Sarkozy, who was already backed by right-wing Les Républicains and center-right Horizons, was best positioned to block the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) candidate, MP Alexandra Masson, from taking the town hall. The argument was repeated by a source in the entourage of Renaissance leader Gabriel Attal, who did not oppose …

The office v home working debate that is dividing workers

The office v home working debate that is dividing workers

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more So your boss wants you in the office more? If this makes you anxious, you’re not alone. Return-to-work tensions aren’t simply resistance to change. They reflect deeper questions about how different people work best and what modern organisations actually need to succeed. After COVID, return-to-office rates stabilised by around June 2023, without much movement since. In Australia, 36 per cent of Australians were working from home regularly in August 2024 and 37 per cent in 2023. This is a dramatic shift from pre-pandemic levels when only 5 per cent of Australians worked from home regularly. In Europe and North America, around 30 per cent of employees now work hybrid schedules, with 8 per cent fully remote. open image in gallery After COVID, return-to-office rates …