logo
Alaska Airlines grounds all flights over major IT issue

Alaska Airlines grounds all flights over major IT issue

Al Bawaba7 days ago
Published July 21st, 2025 - 05:53 GMT
ALBAWABA - American major airline "Alaska Airlines" has halted all its planes due to an "IT outage," an advisory notice by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced.
Alaska Airlines said on Sunday that the American company has "experienced an IT outage that's impacting our operations", which forced "a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air flights until the issue is resolved."
The FAA status page revealed that all Alaska Airlines flights were halted due to the issue.
Alaska Airlines said it was sorry for the error and called on its passengers to check their flight status a time ahead.
"We apologize to our guests for this inconvenience," the airlines statement read, and continued: "There will be residual impacts to our operation throughout the evening."
The massive Microsoft hack reported earlier today is the reason Alaska Airlines has just grounded all its planes.Remember the F-35 that force-ejected the pilot and 'disappeared' for a day?Did you notice the other one that crashed in Alaska earlier this year?
What about the… pic.twitter.com/atatXo3SQW — Chase Geiser (@realchasegeiser) July 21, 2025
© 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

From OpenAI to Meta: ChatGPT architect joins Zuckerberg's billion-dollar AI bet
From OpenAI to Meta: ChatGPT architect joins Zuckerberg's billion-dollar AI bet

Al Bawaba

time2 days ago

  • Al Bawaba

From OpenAI to Meta: ChatGPT architect joins Zuckerberg's billion-dollar AI bet

Published July 26th, 2025 - 12:37 GMT ALBAWABA - Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has appointed Shengjia Zhao, a founding figure behind OpenAI's ChatGPT, as Chief Scientist of Meta's newly established Superintelligence Labs, the company's latest venture into advanced artificial intelligence research. Also Read Israel launches a new wave of airstrikes on southern Lebanon The announcement, reported by CNBC, marks a significant step in Zuckerberg's aggressive AI hiring and investment campaign, which includes a $14 billion investment in Scale AI and the launch of Meta Superintelligence Labs — a division dedicated to building cutting-edge AI models and infrastructure. Though Zhao's name was listed in Meta's internal June hiring memo, Zuckerberg confirmed on Friday that Zhao co-founded the Superintelligence Labs and has served as its Chief Scientist "since day one." He will work closely with Zuckerberg and Alexander Wang, the former CEO of Scale AI and now Meta's Chief AI Officer. In a social media post, Zuckerberg praised Zhao's leadership in AI innovation, writing, 'Shengjia has led several breakthroughs, including a new approach to scaling models. He has established himself as a leader in the field, and I look forward to working closely with him to bring his scientific vision to life.' The new Chief Scientist of Facebook's Superintelligence Labs is Chinese. Shengjia Zhao did his Bachelor's at Tsinghua University and then came to the US to study at Stanford. He was also the co-creator of ChatGPT. How China and immigration make America great again! — S.L. Kanthan (@Kanthan2030) July 26, 2025 A Track Record of AI Innovation Zhao's AI credentials are extensive. At OpenAI, he played a key role in developing ChatGPT, GPT-4, and several advanced iterations such as GPT-4.1, O3, and a range of compact AI models. He also headed OpenAI's Synthetic Data Division, contributing foundational work to model training and scalability. His recruitment is part of Meta's broader ambition to dominate the next generation of artificial intelligence. The Meta Superintelligence Labs will be responsible for developing foundational AI models, such as the LLaMA open-source model series, alongside conducting high-level AI research. Billions Poured Into AI Infrastructure Zuckerberg has recently declared that Meta is prepared to invest 'hundreds of billions of dollars' into building the computing infrastructure needed to support its superintelligence ambitions. The company's goal is to position itself at the forefront of AI development, competing with major players like OpenAI and Google DeepMind. With Zhao now leading the scientific front and Wang overseeing strategy, Meta is positioning its Superintelligence Labs as a major force in the race toward artificial general intelligence (AGI). © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (

Trump announces 'massive' Japan trade deal
Trump announces 'massive' Japan trade deal

Jordan Times

time4 days ago

  • Jordan Times

Trump announces 'massive' Japan trade deal

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has announced a "massive" trade deal with Japan, as China said it will send its vice premier to US trade talks next week to secure its own agreement ahead of a looming deadline. In an attempt to slash his country's colossal trade deficit, the US president has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive "reciprocal" tariffs if they do not hammer out a pact with Washington by August 1. The Japan agreement, along with another pact with the Philippines also announced on Tuesday, means Trump has now secured five agreements since his administration promised in April "90 deals in 90 days." The others are with Britain, Vietnam and Indonesia, which the White House said Tuesday would ease critical mineral export restrictions. Negotiations are still ongoing with much larger US trading partners China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Representatives from China and the United States will meet next week in the Swedish capital Stockholm to try and hammer out a deal before an August 12 deadline agreed in May. As the clock ticks down, China said Wednesday it will seek to "strengthen cooperation" with Washington at the talks, and confirmed vice premier He Lifeng would attend. Japan deal "We just completed a massive Deal with Japan, perhaps the largest Deal ever made," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday. He said that under the deal, "Japan will invest, at my direction, $550 Billion Dollars into the United States, which will receive 90% of the Profits". He did not provide further details on the unusual investment plan, but said it "will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs". Japanese exports to the United States were already subject to a 10 per cent tariff, which would have risen to 25 per cent on August 1 without a deal. Duties of 25 per cent on Japanese autos -- an industry accounting for eight per cent of Japanese jobs -- were also already in place, plus 50 per cent on steel and aluminum. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that the autos levy had now been cut to 15 per cent, sending Japanese car stocks soaring, with Toyota and Mitsubishi up around 14 per cent each. The Nikkei rose 3.5 per cent. "We are the first (country) in the world to reduce tariffs on automobiles and auto parts, with no limits on volume," he told reporters. "By protecting what needs to be protected, we continued the negotiations with an aim to reach an agreement that meets the national interest of both Japan and the US," Ishiba added. Rice imports However, Japan's trade envoy Ryosei Akazawa, who secured the deal on his eighth visit to Washington, said the 50 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum would remain. Akazawa also said increased defense spending by Japan -- something Trump has pressed for -- was not part of the agreement. Trump said Tuesday Japan has also agreed to "open their Country to Trade including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products, and other things." Rice imports are a sensitive issue in Japan, and Ishiba's government -- which lost its upper house majority in elections on Sunday -- had previously ruled out any concessions. Japan currently imports 770,000 tons of rice tariff-free under its World Trade Organization commitments, and Ishiba said it would import more US grain within this. Ishiba said Wednesday that the deal does not "sacrifice" Japan's agricultural sector. Tatsuo Yasunaga, the chair of Japan Foreign Trade Council, welcomed the trade deal announcement but said the business community needed to see details to assess its impact. "I highly commend the fact that this major milestone has been achieved and dispelled the uncertainty that private companies had been concerned about," Yasunaga said. Naomi Omura, an 80-year-old voter, said it was "disappointing that Japan cannot act more strongly" towards the United States. Tetsuo Momiyama, 81, said that Ishiba "is finished... It's good timing for him to go." Reports claimed Wednesday that he aims to step down soon following the election debacle. Eyes on the prize Other major US trading partners are watching closely as the end of the month approaches. The Philippines' deal also announced Tuesday only saw levies cut by one percentage point, to 19 per cent, after Trump hosted President Ferdinand Marcos. China on Wednesday said it supported "equal dialogue" following the announcement of the Japan-US deal. Beijing and Washington imposed escalating, tit-for-tat levies on each other's exports earlier this year, reaching triple-digit levels. But in talks in Geneva in May they agreed to lower them temporarily until August 12.

Crypto total market capitalization surges to all-time high. House passes three key crypto bills
Crypto total market capitalization surges to all-time high. House passes three key crypto bills

Al Bawaba

time7 days ago

  • Al Bawaba

Crypto total market capitalization surges to all-time high. House passes three key crypto bills

The total market capitalisation of the global crypto market soared to a new all-time high of $3.92 trillion last week, following a pivotal moment in U.S. regulatory progress, with the House of Representatives passing three major crypto bills during what is being referred to as "Crypto Week", according to Simon Peters, crypto market analyst at surge was driven largely by altcoins, which added an impressive $200 billion to their market capitalisation and saw their dominance relative to Bitcoin increase by 6%. This shift has raised speculation that a new alt-season may be underway, as investor sentiment continues to strengthen beyond the traditional market of the most notable developments was the record-breaking inflows into Ethereum spot ETFs, which saw a total of $2.18 billion in institutional investments over the week. The single biggest day was Wednesday, which recorded $726.6 million in inflows – a clear indicator of intensifying institutional interest in the second-largest cryptoasset."The passing of these bills could mark a turning point for crypto regulation and investor confidence, especially in altcoins with ties to the U.S. market," said Peters. "As Bitcoin dominance declines, investors are beginning to explore opportunities further along the risk curve."With legislative clarity improving and institutional interest rising, the crypto market appears to be entering a new phase of growth and MOVERSTezos $XTZ was one of the biggest movers last week, rallying 80% to $1.20, the highest price since January, due to whales aggressively memecoins, given their more speculative nature, saw double digit gains last week. $FLOKI being the biggest mover in the category, up 43%. Discover more here: EYE-CATCHING STORIESHouse passes three crypto billsIn what was dubbed as 'Crypto Week' the House of Representatives passed three key crypto bills last week, a major step forward in achieving regulatory clarity for cryptoassets in the lengthy discussions the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act, Anti CBDC Surveillance State Act and GENIUS Act were passed by the former two will now head to the Senate for approval, whilst GENIUS, as it has already passed the Senate, will now head to President Trump's desk to be signed into CLARITY Act lays out definitions to distinguish between which cryptoassets fall under securities and which fall under commodities, and in turn which regulator, either the SEC or CFTC, is Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act prevents the Federal Reserve from developing or issuing a Central Bank Digital establishes the first federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins - tokens whose values are pegged to fiat currencies such as the US well as the overall capitalisation of stablecoins significantly growing in the years to come as financial institutions and major retailers form their own stablecoins, the prices of the native cryptoassets of the blockchains on which these stablecoins are issued could also benefit, as typically the price of the native cryptoasset correlates to increased network preparing executive order to allow 401K plans to invest in cryptoassetsAs reported by President Trump is preparing to sign an executive order that would allow 401K plans to include cryptoassets, as well as gold and private equity marking a major shift in how Americans can invest their retirement executive order would instruct regulatory agencies to assess and remove the existing barriers which currently prevent investment in these alternative assets. The US retirement market stands at around $9 trillion. Even a small percentage flowing into the crypto space could drive significant adoption and price increases of included cryptoassets. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba ( Signal PressWire is the world's largest independent Middle East PR distribution service.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store