14/09/2026

MONDAY | SEPT 14, 2026

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Obama voices caution on AI, urges Democrats to address issue WASHINGTON: Former US president Barack Obama has warned that artificial intelligence could be “dangerous” if not properly managed, and urged Democrats to frame policy and governance agendas to tackle the issue, the New York Times reported yesterday. “This is something that is moving very fast in private hands, and if we don’t get on top of it, I think can be dangerous,” the newspaper quoted Obama as saying on Thursday.

systems and AI safety researchers quitting their companies concerned about the technology’s risks. On Saturday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urged AI companies to throttle back work on model capabilities amid growing fears of AI misuse, prompting agreement from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk, who runs xAI. Musk recounted he had warned as early 12 years ago that AI could be more dangerous than nuclear weapons. – Reuters/Bernama

that the Democrats put together a framework for a very public conversation,” Obama told Jeffries, the paper reported. He also called for candidates in the 2028 presidential race to make AI one of their central agendas, with a clear plan to tackle the safety and economic concerns, the paper said. Obama’s office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The extinction concerns were spurred by cases of AI agents going rogue to hack external

Citing a partial transcript of remarks from Obama’s office, the paper said he encouraged House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to help shape a public conversation on AI policy if Democrats regained the House in midterm elections on Nov 3. “Once you are Speaker, I would strongly urge

The remarks at a private fundraiser come as growing numbers of lawmakers call for tougher rules on AI systems after dire warnings from two Anthropic researchers that rapid industry progress risks extinction of the human race.

India, China revive ties o Modi, Xi push trade, transport links, border peace

Ferry sinks off Vanuatu

SYDNEY: At least one person was killed and 30 are missing after a ferry sank off the coast of Vanuatu, the South Pacific nation’s government said yesterday. The vessel, MV Matui , had set sail on Friday with more than 40 passengers and crew from the island of Santo to Ambae island in very rough seas, but did not arrive. Prime Minister Jotham Napat’s office said yesterday one dead body had been recovered, while 15 of those onboard have been “accounted for alive”. The alarm was raised on Saturday afternoon when a diver working at a hotel on Santo saw a man floating in a life vest and pulled him to shore. Hotel owner Ashley Beveridge said he realised his employee was carrying a survivor from the missing boat, and someone in the restaurant alerted the authorities. “He looked like he had been in the bathtub for 25 hours – he was wrinkled up and white. He was cold,” Beveridge said in a telephone interview. The survivor, Jeffson, said the boat sank on Friday morning. “There was no rescue started until this guy got washed up on our beach. Lucky he got washed up in an inhabited area,” Beveridge said. “He had gone all day and all night in the water.” Beveridge said on Sunday afternoon: “At the last count it is 18 recovered and there is two or three dead so far.” Cargo ship owners, including a local politician, a local doctor with a plane and a private medical assistance vessel began their search on Saturday afternoon. Survivors are being taken to the hospital on Santo Island, local media reported. – AFP

NEW DELHI: India and China’s leaders pledged to build up business and transport links, the central government said, as both rebuild ties badly damaged by a 2020 military clash on their disputed Himalayan border. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of a summit of the BRICS group of emerging nations in New Delhi on Saturday – Xi’s first trip to India in seven years. Military tensions have eased but businesses in both countries say they continue to face hurdles, including red tape, visa delays and restrictions on selling industrial equipment. “The two leaders underscored the need to further promote cultural exchanges, business linkages and greater mobility between the two countries,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “On economic and trade relations, they underlined the need to address each other’s concerns, including structural trade imbalance and supply chain issues, and facilitation of meaningful and predictable market access,” it said. Bilateral trade reached a record US$155.6 billion (RM633.4 billion) last year, according to Chinese Customs data. China has become India’s largest source of imports, with Indian purchases from China rising to about US$132 billion in the 2025/26 fiscal year. India’s exports to China remain much smaller, leaving New Delhi with a trade deficit of more than US$100 billion. Xi said China has always viewed and developed China-India relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, Xinhua news agency reported.

Xi and Modi greeting each other on Saturday. – AFPPIC

stand-off in the western Himalayas. Irritants remain as both countries continue to maintain substantial military deployments in the Himalayas and border talks make slow progress. Modi said peace in the border areas remain an essential basis for the continued development of bilateral relations, according to the Indian statement. The nuclear-armed neighbours share a roughly 3,800km, largely unmarked frontier. – Reuters

distract from her obvious emotion at being back in front of a crowd. “She didn’t shy away from what she suffered and she shared it with her audience,” British fan Catherine Rushforth said as she left the arena in Nanterre on the outskirts of Paris. Dion strutted confidently through her familiar on-stage theatrics, pulling faces and playing air guitar, and belting out ballads including My Heart Will Go On and All By Myself, which made her one of the best-selling recording artistes of all time. But she opened with one of her biggest French-language hits On Ne Change Pas (We Don’t Change) – an apparent reference to her extended absence. Her 16-concert residency, with a further 10 dates next year, has caused a frenzy in the French capital where crowds gather outside her swanky hotel until the early hours. “Her fight is an example for all of us, it’s wonderful,” said fan Julien Faruch, a chef. – Reuters Institutional exchanges between the two countries are gradually being restored, the list of areas for cooperation is growing and bilateral trade has reached a new high, Xi said, according to Xinhua. China and India fought a brief but brutal border war in 1962, and their relationship soured again after the 2020 border skirmish killed 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers. Ties began recovering at the end of 2024 after Xi and Modi agreed to end their military

Paris cheers the power of Dion NANTERRE: Celine Dion made an emotional return to the stage on Saturday after a six-year absence, overcoming high-profile health woes to thrill fans in the first of a series of concerts in Paris.

Dion at her first concert of a series at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre. – AFPPIC

“I’m standing on stage in this city I love so much thanks to your support and your love,” she told the crowd. “The path was rocky, the road was longer than planned but I held on.” The star announced in 2022 she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological condition which causes muscle spasms and left her unable to perform. Dion seemed overwhelmed at times and broke down in tears during her opening number, holding out a microphone to the audience to help her through the bridge. “I promised I wouldn’t cry – but they’re tears of joy,” she said, speaking mostly French throughout. The staging was muted and Dion mainly wore a series of black gowns, leaving little to