Latest news with #Aya
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cohere seeks $500m funding to advance AI development
Cohere, a Canadian artificial intelligence start-up, is reportedly seeking to raise more than $500m (C$685m) in a new funding round. This move aims to strengthen its position in the competitive AI landscape, alongside industry leaders such as OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. Cohere is targeting a valuation of more than $5.5bn, reported Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the discussions. According to the media report, the valuation could potentially reach between $6bn and $6.5bn, although discussions remain in the early stages. This anticipated funding would position Cohere among the most valuable start-ups in the AI sector, despite trailing behind US competitors that have seen significant valuation increases. In April 2025, OpenAI achieved a $300bn valuation, up from $157bn in 2024, while Anthropic's funding round in March increased its valuation to $61.5bn. Cohere was founded by former Google researchers, including CEO Aidan Gomez, a co-author of the influential "Attention Is All You Need" paper, which introduced the transformer AI architecture. Unlike its competitors, Cohere has not launched a consumer-facing app, instead it is focusing on enterprise and privacy-centric solutions. The company has developed "open" models like the Aya multilingual models, accessible for developers to build upon, entering a market with competitors such as Meta and start-ups Mistral and DeepSeek. Cohere's founders, including Gomez, Nick Frosst, and Ivan Zhang, are also pursuing contracts with tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, which offer their own AI models to enterprises. Cohere has doubled its annual recurring revenue in the past four months, surpassing $100m last month. "A lot of the consumer adoption happened right away," said a source close to Cohere. "Enterprise tends to be slower in adoption but stickier in terms of users. Companies aren't known to adopt tech early." The development of advanced AI models demands significant financial investment for training and computing power. Nearly three years after OpenAI's ChatGPT sparked the AI boom, investors are eager to see returns on their investments in AI model creators. Cohere has also launched North, a platform enabling businesses to build AI agents for office tasks, although it is currently available to a limited number of customers. In December 2024, it was reported that Cohere plans to build an 'multibillion-dollar' AI data centre in Canada with financial support from the Canadian government. "Cohere seeks $500m funding to advance AI development" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Errore nel recupero dei dati Effettua l'accesso per consultare il tuo portafoglio Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati
LeMonde
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
At trial over banner targeting Aya Nakamura, far-right activists stand by their actions
On March 8, 2024, as rumors swirled that Aya Nakamura would headline the Olympic Games opening ceremony, around 15 young far-right activists, members of the group Les Natifs, gathered on Île Saint-Louis in the center of Paris to unfurl a banner hostile to the French-Malian singer: "No way, Aya, this is Paris, not the Bamako market!" The slogan referenced lyrics from one of Nakamura's hits ("Djadja") and her birthplace, the Malian capital. Heirs to the far-right group Génération Identitaire, which was dissolved in 2021, Les Natifs – who have 10,000 followers on Instagram and 19,000 on X – specialize in actions involving hostile posters and banners, often targeting immigration or promoting the defense of "European civilization." Recently, activists plastered portraits of Joan of Arc and Sainte Geneviève over images of veiled women displayed at the Basilica of Saint-Denis, in the northern Paris suburb. Posted on their X account and viewed nearly 4.5 million times, the photo of the anti-Nakamura banner was accompanied by a short text lamenting President Emmanuel Macron's supposed plan: "To replace French elegance with vulgarity, to Africanize our popular songs, and to sideline the native population in favor of extra-European immigration." The message demanded that "France be represented by an artist embodying our heritage, our values and our identity!"
Local France
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Local France
Thirteen on trial in France over ‘racist' stunt targeting singer Aya Nakamura
The defendants, linked to extreme-right group Les Natifs (the Natives), are on trial for unveiling a banner in March 2024 that read: 'No way, Aya, this is Paris, not the Bamako market' – a reference to Mali's capital, where the singer was born. The political storm among far-right politicians and conservatives towards Nakamura's performance, was described by French President Emmanuel Macron at the time as 'racist' and 'shocking'. The 13 defendants, between 20 and 31 years old, face charges of publicly inciting hatred or violence – or complicity in such incitement – on the grounds of ethnicity, nationality, race, or religion. Les Natifs espouses the far-right, white nationalist so-called 'Great Replacement' conspiracy theory that claims white Europeans are being deliberately supplanted by non-white immigrants. Nakamura responded to the group's stunt on social media, writing: 'You can be racist, but you're not deaf... and that's what really bothers you! I'm suddenly the number one topic of debate – but what do I really owe you? Nothing.' The singer and anti-discrimination NGOs filed complaints with the Paris prosecutor's office over the incident, which was investigated by France's anti-hate crimes organisation, OCLCH. The 30-year-old is the world's most listened-to Francophone singer, and her July 2024 performance on Paris's Pont des Arts was among the most-watched moments of the opening ceremony. But when rumours began circulating in March that the Mali-born and Paris-raised superstar was going to perform, far-right politicians and groups vehemently criticised the decision. An appearance by Nakamura, who mixes French with Arabic and Malian slang, would 'humiliate' the country, far-right leader Marine Le Pen suggested, taking aim at her supposed 'vulgarity' and 'the fact that she doesn't sing in French'. Advertisement Far-right media amplified Les Natifs' banner which they unfurled along the capital's Seine River, another in a series of provocative stunts by the group which it shares with thousands of followers on social media. In March, the group covered portraits of veiled women on display in a church in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis with black sheets. One of the 13 defendants set to stand trial on Wednesday, Stanislas T, 24, will also face charges in that case on Thursday. And in February, they plastered an Air Algeria office in Paris with posters reading 'Re-migrate 'light' from France to Algeria, for a one-way ticket with no return' written over a single suitcase. The goal for groups like Les Natifs is to 'provoke massive reactions and shock public opinion so we have no choice but to talk about them', said Marion Jacquet-Vaillant, an expert on far-right movements in France. In April, one of Les Natifs' roughly 50 members described the group's identity as 'civilisational, European; national, French; and local, Parisian'. The so-called fight against the 'great replacement' is the 'mother of all battles', said Gabriel, 25, who works in finance. Advertisement The United Nations human rights chief warned in 2024 that the conspiracy theory is 'delusional and deeply racist', and a direct driver of violence. Nakamura's complaint is not the only one stemming from last summer's opening ceremony to head to trial. A French court in May found seven people guilty of bullying Thomas Jolly, the artistic director for the opening ceremony over his sexuality. And five people are to stand trial in September over similar complaints from Barbara Butch, a French DJ and lesbian activist who starred in a controversial scene during the event.
France 24
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- France 24
Thirteen go on trial in France over 'racist' stunt targeting singer Aya Nakamura
The defendants, linked to extreme-right group Les Natifs (the Natives), are on trial for unveiling a banner in March 2024 that read: "No way, Aya, this is Paris, not the Bamako market" -- a reference to Mali's capital, where the singer was born. Nakamura's performance sparked a political firestorm amongst far-right politicians and conservatives in a reaction French President Emmanuel Macron at the time described as "racist" and "shocking". The 13 defendants, between 20 and 31-years-old, now face charges of publicly inciting hatred or violence -- or complicity in such incitement -- on the grounds of ethnicity, nationality, race, or religion. Les Natifs espouses the far-right, white nationalist so called "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, according to which white Europeans are being deliberately supplanted by non-white immigrants. Nakamura responded to the group's stunt on social media, writing: "You can be racist, but you're not deaf... and that's what really bothers you! I'm suddenly the number one topic of debate -- but what do I really owe you? Nothing." The singer and anti-discrimination NGOs filed complaints with the Paris prosecutor's office over the incident, which was investigated by France's anti-hate crimes organisation, OCLCH. - 'Shock public opinion' - The 30-year-old is the world's most listened to Francophone singer, and her July 2024 performance on one of Paris's fabled bridges the Pont des Arts was among the most-watched moments of the opening ceremony. But when rumours began circulating in March that the Mali-born and Paris-raised superstar was going to perform, far-right politicians and groups vehemently criticised the decision. An appearance by Nakamura, who mixes French with Arabic and Malian slang, would "humiliate" the country, far-right leader Marine Le Pen suggested, taking aim at her supposed "vulgarity" and "the fact that she doesn't sing in French." Far-right media amplified Les Natifs' banner which they unfurled along the capital's Seine River, another in a series of provocative stunts by the group which it shares with thousands of followers on social media. In March, the group covered portraits of veiled women on display in a church in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis with black sheets. One of the thirteen defendants set to stand trial on Wednesday, Stanislas T., 24, will also face charges in that case on Thursday. And in February, they plastered an Air Algeria office in Paris with posters reading "Re-migrate 'light' from France to Algeria, for a one-way ticket with no return" written over a single suitcase. The goal for groups like Les Natifs is to "provoke massive reactions and shock public opinion so we have no choice but to talk about them", said Marion Jacquet-Vaillant, an expert on far-right movements in France. In April, one of Les Natifs' roughly 50 members described the group's identity as "civilisational, European; national, French; and local, Parisian". The so-called fight against the "great replacement" is the "mother of all battles", said Gabriel, 25, who works in finance. The United Nations human rights chief warned in 2024 that the conspiracy theory is "delusional and deeply racist," and a direct driver of violence. Nakamura's complaint is not the only one stemming from last summer's opening ceremony to head to trial. A French court in May found seven people guilty of bullying Thomas Jolly, the artistic director for the opening ceremony who is openly gay. And five people are to stand trial in September over similar complaints from Barbara Butch, a French DJ and lesbian activist who starred in a controversial scene during the event. © 2025 AFP
Gulf Insider
02-06-2025
- Gulf Insider
Three Siblings Severely Injured In Fatal Saar Crash
An outpouring of sympathy continues across Bahrain in the wake of a tragic traffic accident that claimed the lives of a young couple and left their three children with serious injuries. The horrific incident occurred days ago on Saar's internal road, when a speeding vehicle collided head-on with the family's car in a devastating crash. Medical sources informed Al Ayam that 12-year-old Aya Ahmed, one of the children involved, underwent a complex surgical procedure to reinforce her bones with metal rods extending from her pelvis to her thigh. Aya has regained consciousness and is now responsive to medical staff and those around her. Doctors have described her condition as 'stable,' with close monitoring continuing. Her 7-year-old brother, Abdulaziz Ahmed, remains in a highly critical condition. He is suffering from severe head trauma and multiple fractures and is currently under intensive observation in the ICU. Medical professionals have described his condition as 'in God's hands.' Their older brother, 10-year-old Yousif Ahmed, initially responded well to emergency surgery after sustaining internal bleeding in the kidneys and abdominal area. Although he briefly regained consciousness, doctors later discovered a skull fracture that required him to be sedated again and placed back under intensive care. The collision, which occurred on the road leading to Saar Mall, resulted in the immediate deaths of both parents at the scene. Since the news broke, the Bahraini community has been gripped by grief and rallied in solidarity with the surviving children. In a heartfelt gesture of support, Karranah Primary Girls School and Jaber bin Hayyan Primary Boys School-where Aya and her brothers are students-announced the cancellation of graduation celebrations. The decision was made to honor the children and express solidarity with the grieving family, highlighting the deep sense of unity and compassion that characterizes Bahraini society. Also read: The British School of Bahrain to Open New Senior School Campus in 2026
