Macron Kicks Off Asia Tour in Vietnam With Focus on Energy
Macron will hold talks with Vietnam's top leaders in Hanoi Monday. An agreement on a power grid project between the French Development Agency and Vietnam's National Power Transmission Corporation is set to be one of the deals sealed during his visit, according to state media.
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Silicon Valley Startup Tensor Unveils $200K Luxury Robocar With 37 Cameras And Zero-Cloud Privacy For 2026 Launch
Silicon Valley startup Tensor plans to release the first personal Level 4 autonomous vehicle for consumers in the second half of 2026, challenging Tesla (NYSE:TSLA) and other self-driving hopefuls in a high-stakes race for autonomy, Forbes reports. The vehicle, built by Vietnamese automaker VinFast (NASDAQ:VFS), will combine "eyes off" self-driving capability with a folding steering wheel and retractable pedals that transform the driver's seat into a lounge-like space, the report says. Don't Miss: The same firms that backed Uber, Venmo and eBay are investing in this pre-IPO company disrupting a $1.8T market — 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can Tensor, rebranded from robotaxi operator AutoX, departs from the common industry path of launching ride-hailing services first, instead offering a luxury electric vehicle that owners can either drive themselves or allow to operate fully autonomously in approved zones. The company emphasizes privacy, allowing drivers to disable remote access and keep their travel data stored only in the vehicle. A Sensor Suite Built to Maximize Safety and Autonomy Tensor's robocar will feature one of the most extensive sensor arrays in the industry, with 37 cameras, five custom lidars, 11 radars, multiple microphones, ultrasonic sensors, collision detectors, water sensors, and more, many with self-cleaning systems for uninterrupted performance. Forbes says cameras under the chassis can detect obstacles beneath the vehicle, addressing a flaw that has plagued other autonomous systems. The fully drive-by-wire architecture includes triple-redundant braking and steering systems to meet strict safety requirements, paired with high-resolution lidar capable of dense environmental mapping. Interior features such as folding pedals, a retractable yoke, and a sliding central display maximize cabin space during self-driving mode. Trending: Bill Gates Warned About Water Scarcity. AI Foundation Model and Supercomputer Power the Drive The vehicle's intelligence will come from Tensor's proprietary "Foundation Model," a transformer-based AI system that Forbes says is similar in architecture to large language models like ChatGPT, designed for real-time decision-making and deep situational reasoning without relying on cloud servers. Tensor's AI blends rapid reflexive responses with slower, more deliberate analysis, enabling it to handle complex driving situations safely. An onboard supercomputer delivering 8,000 tera operations per second of processing power will analyze sensor data in real time, supported by a triple-layer redundancy system for critical functions. This setup includes processors from Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN), NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI), and Renesas, ensuring continued operation even if primary systems Tesla's Delays in Consumer Self-Driving Tesla has repeatedly promised unsupervised self-driving "within a year" for the past eight years, but Forbes says the company currently offers only supervised driver-assist systems. Tensor's approach directly targets the consumer market rather than starting with taxi fleets, a move that could differentiate it in a crowded field of autonomous vehicle developers. Tensor acknowledges it will not be able to navigate every road at launch, focusing instead on highways and major arterials in non-snow regions. The company believes its combination of safety, privacy, and luxury will justify a price above existing premium EVs such as the Lucid Air, which ranges from $72,400 to $250,500. If Tensor can deliver on its 2026 promise, the report says it could redefine personal mobility by making Level 4 autonomy available for purchase, shifting self-driving from a service you summon to a vehicle you own. Read Next: In a $34 Trillion Debt Era, The Right AI Could Be Your Financial Advantage — Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Silicon Valley Startup Tensor Unveils $200K Luxury Robocar With 37 Cameras And Zero-Cloud Privacy For 2026 Launch originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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Drought, dams and diplomacy: Afghanistan's water crisis goes regional
Over four decades of war, Afghanistan wielded limited control over five major river basins that flow across its borders into downstream neighbouring nations. But as Taliban authorities swept to power and tightened their grip on the country, they have pushed for Afghanistan's water sovereignty, launching infrastructure projects to harness precious resources in the arid territory. Dams and canals have sparked tensions with neighbouring states, testing the Taliban authorities' efforts to build strong regional ties, as they remain largely isolated on the global stage since their 2021 takeover. At the same time, the region is facing the shared impacts of climate change intensifying water scarcity, as temperatures rise and precipitation patterns shift, threatening glaciers and snowpack that feed the country's rivers. Here are key points about Afghanistan's transboundary water challenges: - Central Asian states to the north - Afghanistan is emerging as a new player in often fraught negotiations on the use of the Amu Darya, one of two key rivers crucial for crops in water-stressed Central Asia, where water sharing relies on fragile accords since Soviet times. Central Asian states have expressed concern over the Qosh Tepa mega canal project that could divert up to 21 percent of the Amu Darya's total flow to irrigate 560,000 hectares of land across Afghanistan's arid north, and further deplete the Aral Sea. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are likely to face the biggest impact, both joined by Kazakhstan in voicing alarm, even as they deepen diplomatic ties with the Taliban authorities -- officially recognised so far by only Russia. "No matter how friendly the tone is now," water governance expert Mohd Faizee warned, "at some point there will be consequences for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan when the canal starts operating". Taliban officials have denied that the project will have a major impact on the Amu Darya's water levels and pledged it will improve food security in a country heavily dependent on climate-vulnerable agriculture and facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. "There is an abundance of water, especially when the Amu Darya floods and glacial meltwater flows into it" in the warmer months, said project manager Sayed Zabihullah Miri, during a visit to the canal works in Faryab province, where diggers carved into a drought-ridden plain dotted with camels and locusts. - Iran to the west - Iran is the only country with which Afghanistan has a formal water sharing treaty, agreed in 1973 over the Helmand river, which traverses Taliban heartland territory, but the accord was never fully implemented. Longstanding tensions over the river's resources have spiked over dams in southern Afghanistan, particularly in periods of drought, which are likely to increase as climate shocks hit the region's water cycle. Iran, facing pressure in its parched southeastern region, has repeatedly demanded that Afghanistan respect its rights, charging that upstream dams restrict the Helmand's flow into a border lake. The Taliban authorities insist there is not enough water to release more to Iran, blaming the impact of climate pressures on the whole region. They also argue long-term poor water management has meant Afghanistan has not gotten its full share, according to an Afghanistan Analysts Network report by water resources management expert Assem Mayar. Iran and Afghanistan have no formal agreement over their other shared river basin, the Harirud, which also flows into Turkmenistan and is often combined into a single basin with the Morghab river. While infrastructure exists on the Afghan portions of the basin, some has not been fully utilised, Faizee said. But that could change, he added, as the end of conflict in Afghanistan means infrastructure works don't incur vast security costs on top of construction budgets, lifting a barrier to development of projects such as the Pashdan dam inaugurated in August on the Harirud. - Pakistan to the east - Water resources have not topped the agenda in consistently fraught relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghanistan's Kabul river basin, which encompasses tributaries to the greater Indus basin and feeds the capital and largest city, is shared with Pakistan. The countries, however, have no formal cooperation mechanism. With the Afghan capital wracked by a severe water crisis, the Taliban authorities have sought to revitalise old projects and start new ones to tackle the problem, risking fresh tensions with Pakistan. But the lack of funds and technical capacity means the Taliban authorities' large water infrastructure projects across the country could take many years to come to fruition -- time that could be good for diplomacy, but bad for ordinary Afghans. sw/ecl/rsc/cwl
Yahoo
13 hours ago
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Drought, dams and diplomacy: Afghanistan's water crisis goes regional
Over four decades of war, Afghanistan wielded limited control over five major river basins that flow across its borders into downstream neighbouring nations. But as Taliban authorities swept to power and tightened their grip on the country, they have pushed for Afghanistan's water sovereignty, launching infrastructure projects to harness precious resources in the arid territory. Dams and canals have sparked tensions with neighbouring states, testing the Taliban authorities' efforts to build strong regional ties, as they remain largely isolated on the global stage since their 2021 takeover. At the same time, the region is facing the shared impacts of climate change intensifying water scarcity, as temperatures rise and precipitation patterns shift, threatening glaciers and snowpack that feed the country's rivers. Here are key points about Afghanistan's transboundary water challenges: - Central Asian states to the north - Afghanistan is emerging as a new player in often fraught negotiations on the use of the Amu Darya, one of two key rivers crucial for crops in water-stressed Central Asia, where water sharing relies on fragile accords since Soviet times. Central Asian states have expressed concern over the Qosh Tepa mega canal project that could divert up to 21 percent of the Amu Darya's total flow to irrigate 560,000 hectares of land across Afghanistan's arid north, and further deplete the Aral Sea. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are likely to face the biggest impact, both joined by Kazakhstan in voicing alarm, even as they deepen diplomatic ties with the Taliban authorities -- officially recognised so far by only Russia. "No matter how friendly the tone is now," water governance expert Mohd Faizee warned, "at some point there will be consequences for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan when the canal starts operating". Taliban officials have denied that the project will have a major impact on the Amu Darya's water levels and pledged it will improve food security in a country heavily dependent on climate-vulnerable agriculture and facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. "There is an abundance of water, especially when the Amu Darya floods and glacial meltwater flows into it" in the warmer months, said project manager Sayed Zabihullah Miri, during a visit to the canal works in Faryab province, where diggers carved into a drought-ridden plain dotted with camels and locusts. - Iran to the west - Iran is the only country with which Afghanistan has a formal water sharing treaty, agreed in 1973 over the Helmand river, which traverses Taliban heartland territory, but the accord was never fully implemented. Longstanding tensions over the river's resources have spiked over dams in southern Afghanistan, particularly in periods of drought, which are likely to increase as climate shocks hit the region's water cycle. Iran, facing pressure in its parched southeastern region, has repeatedly demanded that Afghanistan respect its rights, charging that upstream dams restrict the Helmand's flow into a border lake. The Taliban authorities insist there is not enough water to release more to Iran, blaming the impact of climate pressures on the whole region. They also argue long-term poor water management has meant Afghanistan has not gotten its full share, according to an Afghanistan Analysts Network report by water resources management expert Assem Mayar. Iran and Afghanistan have no formal agreement over their other shared river basin, the Harirud, which also flows into Turkmenistan and is often combined into a single basin with the Morghab river. While infrastructure exists on the Afghan portions of the basin, some has not been fully utilised, Faizee said. But that could change, he added, as the end of conflict in Afghanistan means infrastructure works don't incur vast security costs on top of construction budgets, lifting a barrier to development of projects such as the Pashdan dam inaugurated in August on the Harirud. - Pakistan to the east - Water resources have not topped the agenda in consistently fraught relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghanistan's Kabul river basin, which encompasses tributaries to the greater Indus basin and feeds the capital and largest city, is shared with Pakistan. The countries, however, have no formal cooperation mechanism. With the Afghan capital wracked by a severe water crisis, the Taliban authorities have sought to revitalise old projects and start new ones to tackle the problem, risking fresh tensions with Pakistan. But the lack of funds and technical capacity means the Taliban authorities' large water infrastructure projects across the country could take many years to come to fruition -- time that could be good for diplomacy, but bad for ordinary Afghans. sw/ecl/rsc/cwl
