Briefly

RUSSIA

Moscow says it will close German cultural centers

Russia will close German cultural centers on its territory, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday in a retaliatory measure reflecting the deepening tensions between Moscow and European countries. Lavrov's announcement came after Berlin blamed Moscow for an alleged attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport on Aug 4, which Russia denied. Germany said on Wednesday it was closing both the Russian Consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural center in Berlin.

YEMEN

Over 120 killed in worst flare-up in years: Sources

More than 120 people have been killed since Yemen's Houthis launched an offensive on Thursday on the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, in the deadliest clashes for years between the militants and government forces. The toll rose to 129 on Friday, according to an AFP tally compiled from several sources, up from an earlier count of 81. A military official told AFP that 66 of his men had been killed, while medical and military sources close to the Houthis said at least 62 militants had died. Another medical source said a civilian had also been killed.

UNITED STATES

OpenAI begins rollout of new AI model

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said on Thursday it would begin rolling out its newest artificial intelligence model to select customers, saying it had built-in safeguards to mitigate security risks. "At this level of capability, safety has to become our top priority," OpenAI President Greg Brockman said about the release of GPT-6.

AGENCIES VIA XINHUA