web analytics

ARY NEWS

AFP

  • Netanyahu has become a ‘problem’, says Danish PM

    Netanyahu has become a ‘problem’, says Danish PM

    Copenhagen: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Saturday that Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has become a “problem”, adding she would try to put pressure on Israel over the Gaza war as her country currently holds the EU presidency.

    “Netanyahu is now a problem in himself,” Frederiksen said in an interview with the Jyllands-Posten daily, adding that the Israeli government was going “too far.”

    The centre right leader slammed the “absolutely appalling and catastrophic” humanitarian situation in Gaza and new settlement project in the occupied West Bank.

    “We are one of the countries that wants to increase pressure on Israel, but we have not yet obtained the support of EU members,” she said.

    Frederiksen added that she wanted to consider “political pressure, sanctions, whether against settlers, ministers, or even Israel as a whole,” referring to trade or research sanctions.

    “We are not ruling anything out in advance. Just as with Russia, we are designing the sanctions to target where we believe they will have the greatest effect,” added Frederiksen, whose country is not among those who have said they will recognise the Palestinian state.

    Israel’s offensive on Gaza has killed more than 61,430 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to figures from Gaza’s health ministry.

  • Malnourished Gaza woman flown to Italy for treatment, dies

    Malnourished Gaza woman flown to Italy for treatment, dies

    Rome: A young Palestinian woman with severe wasting who was flown from Gaza to Italy this week for treatment has died, the hospital said on Saturday.

    The 20-year-old, named by Italian media as Marah Abu Zuhri, arrived in Pisa on an Italian government humanitarian flight overnight Wednesday-Thursday.

    She had a “very complex clinical picture” and was “in a profound state of organic wasting”, the University Hospital of Pisa said in a statement.

    On Friday, after undergoing tests and starting treatment, she had a sudden respiratory crisis and cardiac arrest, and died.

    The hospital did not elaborate on her condition, but Italian news agencies reported that she was suffering from severe malnutrition.

    Humanitarian groups, UN agencies and Palestinian militant group Hamas have warned of the risk of widespread famine in war-battered Gaza.

    The young woman had come to Italy with her mother on one of three Italian air force flights that arrived this week with a total of 31 patients and their companions.

    They all suffered from serious congenital diseases, wounds or amputations, the Italian foreign ministry said at the time.

    So far more than 180 children and young people from Gaza have been brought to Italy since the war began between Israel and Hamas.

    The head of the Tuscany region, Eugenio Giani, offered his condolences to the young woman’s family.

  • YouTube turns to AI to spot children posing as adults

    YouTube turns to AI to spot children posing as adults

    YouTube has started using artificial intelligence (AI) to figure out when users are children pretending to be adults on the popular video-sharing platform amid pressure to protect minors from sensitive content.

    The new safeguard is being rolled out in the United States as Google-owned YouTube and social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok are under scrutiny to shield children from content geared for grown-ups.

    A version of AI referred to as machine learning will be used to estimate the age of users based on a variety of factors, including the kinds of videos watched and account longevity, according to YouTube Youth director of product management James Beser.

    “This technology will allow us to infer a user’s age and then use that signal, regardless of the birthday in the account, to deliver our age-appropriate product experiences and protections,” Beser said.

    “We’ve used this approach in other markets for some time, where it is working well.”

    The age-estimation model enhances technology already in place to deduce user age, according to YouTube.

    Users will be notified if YouTube believes them to be minors, giving them the option to verify their age with a credit card, selfie, or government ID, according to the tech firm.

    Social media platforms are regularly accused of failing to protect the well-being of children.

    Australia will soon use its landmark social media laws to ban children under 16 from YouTube, a top minister said late last month, stressing a need to shield them from “predatory algorithms.”

    Communications Minister Anika Wells said four-in-ten Australian children had reported viewing harmful content on YouTube, one of the most visited websites in the world.

    Australia announced last year it was drafting laws that will ban children from social media sites such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram until they turn 16.

    “Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens,” the company said in a statement at the time.

    “It’s not social media.”

    On paper, the ban is one of the strictest in the world. It is due to come into effect on December 10. The legislation has been closely monitored by other countries, with many weighing whether to implement similar bans.

  • US proposed NATO-style joint defence guarantees for Kyiv: source

    US proposed NATO-style joint defence guarantees for Kyiv: source

    KYIV, Ukraine: The US has proposed security guarantees for Ukraine similar to — but separate from — those enjoyed by NATO member countries, a diplomatic source told AFP on Saturday.

    The suggestion was raised during a call US President Donald Trump held with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders earlier on Saturday, the source said.

    “As one of the security guarantees for Ukraine, the American side proposed a non-NATO Article 5 type guarantee, supposedly agreed with (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin,” the diplomatic source said on condition they are not identified in any way.

    NATO’s collective security is based on its Article 5 principle: if one member is attacked, the entire alliance comes to its defence.

    Trump, Zelensky and European leaders — who included NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte — spoke early Saturday to discuss Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin held on Friday in Alaska.

    Before that joint call, Trump also had a call with Zelensky as flew back from Alaska.

    “The American side voiced this (joint security proposal) during a conversation with the president (Zelensky) and then repeated it during a joint conversation with the Europeans,” the diplomatic source said.

    Another source with knowledge of the matter confirmed the NATO-like guarantees had been discussed.

    But that source added: “No-one knows how this could work and why Putin would agree to it if he is categorically against NATO and obviously against really effective guarantees of Ukraine’s sovereignty.”

    Kyiv has long aspired to join NATO — but Russia has given that as one of its reasons for its war in Ukraine, and some Western circles have expressed resistance to the idea.

    Trump has repeatedly ruled out Ukraine joining the Western military alliance.

    Zelensky is due in Washington on Monday for talks with Trump.

    The second source told AFP that Zelensky is to discuss what form a possible Trump-Putin-Zelensky summit would have, the role of Kyiv’s European allies in peace talks, territories, and security guarantees.

  • Trump briefed Zelensky, European leaders on Putin talks

    Trump briefed Zelensky, European leaders on Putin talks

    WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS: US President Donald Trump had a “lengthy call” with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on the flight back to Washington after the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin yielded no ceasefire, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

    Trump also spoke with NATO leaders, Leavitt told reporters on Air Force One. The president disembarked from the plane at 2:45 am Saturday local time (0645 GMT) and did not respond to reporters’ questions.

    US President Donald Trump spoke early Saturday with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to discuss his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a European Commission spokesperson said.

    European leaders held a second call afterwards to discuss the next steps in the Ukraine conflict, the spokesperson said.

    Trump spoke for more than an hour with Zelensky, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, the spokesperson said.

    According to the Ukrainian presidency, Trump spoke first with Zelensky and then the other European leaders joined the call.

    After the summit, at which Trump and Putin did not agree on a path to end Russia’s invasion, the European leaders were holding their own telephone diplomacy session to debrief on the talks, the EU spokesperson added.

    There had been unease among European leaders over Trump’s outreach to Putin.

    A call between European leaders regarding the US-Russia summit was underway Saturday following an initial exchange with President Donald Trump, a spokesperson for the European Commission said.

    The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte are among the participants, the same source said.

  • Meta probed over AI chatbot talk with children

    Meta probed over AI chatbot talk with children

    SAN FRANCISCO, United States: A US senator on Friday announced an investigation into whether Meta AI chatbots were allowed to engage in potentially harmful online exchanges with children.

    Republican Senator Josh Hawley posted a copy of a letter to Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg demanding all documents and communications related to a report that its AI chatbots were permitted to have “romantic” and “sensual” exchanges with minors.

    “We have clear policies on what kind of responses AI characters can offer, and those policies prohibit content that sexualizes children and sexualized role play between adults and minors,” a Meta spokesperson said in response to an AFP inquiry.

    Hawley said the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, which he heads, will start an investigation into whether Meta generative AI products “enable exploitation, deception, or other criminal harms to children.”

    Meta was put on notice to preserve all relevant records and submit them to Congress by September 19.

    The Missouri senator cited a reported example of Meta’s AI chatbot being allowed to refer to an 8-year-old child’s body as “a work of art” and “a treasure I cherish deeply.”

  • Trump and Putin end summit without Ukraine deal

    Trump and Putin end summit without Ukraine deal

    ANCHORAGE, United States: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin made no breakthrough on Ukraine at their high-stakes summit on Friday, pointing to areas of agreement and rekindling a friendship but offering no news on a ceasefire.

    After an abrupt ending to three hours of talks with aides, Trump and Putin offered warm words but took no questions from reporters — highly unusual for the media-savvy US president.

    “We’re not there yet, but we’ve made progress. There’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump said.

    He called the meeting “extremely productive” with “many points” agreed, although he did not offer specifics.

    “There are just a very few that are left, some are not that significant, one is probably the most significant,” Trump said without elaborating.

    Putin also spoke in general terms of cooperation in a joint press appearance that lasted just 12 minutes.

    “We hope that the understanding we have reached will… pave the way for peace in Ukraine,” Putin said.

    As Trump mused about a second meeting, Putin smiled and said in English: “Next time in Moscow.”

    The former KGB agent quickly tried to flatter Trump, who has voiced admiration for the Russian leader in the past.

    Putin told Trump he agreed with him that the Ukraine war, which Putin ordered, would not have happened if Trump were president instead of Joe Biden.

    Trump for his part again complained of a “hoax” that Russia intervened to help him the 2016 election — a finding backed by US intelligence.

    Before the summit, Trump had warned of “severe consequences” if Russia did not accept a ceasefire.

    But when asked about those consequences during a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity after the talks, Trump said that “because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now.”

    Putin warns Western allies

    The friendly reception contrasted with Trump’s berating of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he met him at the White House in February.

    Trump earlier said he sought a three-way meeting with Zelensky but did not announce one at the summit.

    Trump said he would now consult Zelensky as well as NATO leaders, who have voiced unease about the US leader’s outreach to Putin.

    “Now it’s really up to President Zelensky to get it done,” Trump said in the Fox News interview after the summit.

    Putin warned Ukraine and European countries to “not create any obstacles” and not “make attempts to disrupt this emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigues.”

    Trump invited Putin just a week ago and ensured there was some carefully choreographed drama for their first in-person meeting since 2019.

    The two leaders arrived in their respective presidential jets and descended on the tarmac of an air base, with Trump clapping as Putin appeared.

    US military might was on display with a B-2 stealth bomber flying overhead, as a reporter shouted audibly to Putin, “Will you stop killing civilians?”

    Putin, undaunted, grinned widely as Trump took the unusual step of escorting him into “The Beast,” the secure US presidential limousine, before a meeting in a room before a screen that said — in English only — “Pursuing Peace.”

    Putin smiled and joked with Russian reporters on the visit, a landmark for a leader who is facing an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court related to the Ukraine war, which has killed tens of thousands of people.

    Battlefield gains

    Russia in recent days has made battlefield gains that could strengthen Putin’s hand in any ceasefire negotiations, although Ukraine announced as Putin was flying in that it had retaken several villages.

    Trump had insisted he would be firm with Putin, after coming under heated criticism for appearing cowed during a 2018 summit in Helsinki.

    While he was traveling to Alaska, the White House announced that Trump had scrapped a plan to see Putin alone and he instead held the talks alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his roving envoy Steve Witkoff.

    Zelensky was not included and has refused pressure from Trump to surrender territory seized by Russia.

    “It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America,” Zelensky said in a social media post.

  • UN warns Russia, Israel of conflict sex crimes listing risk

    UN warns Russia, Israel of conflict sex crimes listing risk

    United Nations: The UN warned Israel and Russia on Friday that their militaries faced being listed as parties suspected of committing sexual violence in conflict in light of credible evidence of violations.

    UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s report said the two countries risked being added to a list of parties thought to use sexual violence including rape in conflict that includes Myanmar’s military, Sudan’s army and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

    “Due to significant concerns regarding patterns of certain forms of sexual violence perpetrated by Israeli armed and security forces and Russian armed and security forces and affiliated armed groups, these parties have been put on notice for potential listing in the next reporting period,” said the annual report.

    “These concerns relate primarily to violations recorded in detention settings.”

    In the case of Israel, the report alleges “credible information” military and security forces perpetrated patterns of sexual violence including “genital violence, prolonged forced nudity and repeated strip searches conducted in an abusive and degrading manner.”

    In February, the Israeli army said it had charged five soldiers for abusing a Palestinian detainee at a site used to hold Palestinians following the start of the war in Gaza in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.

    Among the charges was an allegation that the accused had stabbed a man with a sharp object “which had penetrated near the detainee’s rectum.”

    The report said there was “credible” evidence of violations “against Ukrainian prisoners of war, in 50 official and 22 unofficial detention facilities in Ukraine” and Russia.

    “These cases comprised a significant number of documented incidents of genital violence, including electrocution, beatings and burns to the genitals, and forced stripping and prolonged nudity, used to humiliate and elicit confessions or information,” it said.

    In 2024, the human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine documented 209 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, including rape, the report added.

    Israel has cooperated with a special representative on the issue of sexual violence in conflict, whereas Russia has not, the report said.

    The report said however that Israel’s refusal to grant access to inspectors had frustrated her ability to determine patterns and trends.

  • UN says at least 1,760 killed while seeking aid in Gaza since late May

    UN says at least 1,760 killed while seeking aid in Gaza since late May

    Jerusalem: The UN human rights office said Friday that at least 1,760 Palestinians had been killed while seeking aid in Gaza since late May, a jump of several hundred since its last published figure at the beginning of August.

    “Since 27 May, and as of 13 August, we have recorded that at least 1,760 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid; 994 in the vicinity of GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Foundation) sites and 766 along the routes of supply convoys. Most of these killings were committed by the Israeli military,” the agency’s office for the Palestinian territories said in a statement.

    That compares with a figure of 1,373 killed the office reported on August 1.

    The update came as Gaza’s civil defence agency said at least 23 people were killed by Israeli fire on Friday, including 12 who were waiting for humanitarian aid.

    The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports when contacted by AFP for comment.

    On Wednesday, the chief of staff of the Israeli military said plans had been approved for a new offensive in Gaza, aimed at defeating Hamas and freeing all the remaining hostages.

    The military intends to take control of Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, some of the most densely populated parts of the territory, which has been devastated by more than 22 months of war.

    In recent days, Gaza City residents have told AFP of more frequent air strikes targeting residential areas, while earlier this week Hamas denounced “aggressive” Israeli ground incursions in the area.

    The Israeli government’s plans to expand the war have sparked an international outcry as well as domestic opposition.

    UN-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in the territory, where Israel has drastically curtailed the amount of humanitarian aid it allows in.

  • Apple rejects Musk claim of App Store bias

    Apple rejects Musk claim of App Store bias

    Apple on Thursday rejected Elon Musk’s claim that its digital App Store favors OpenAI’s ChatGPT over his company’s Grok and other rival AI assistants.

    Musk has accused Apple of giving unfair preference to ChatGPT on its App Store and threatened legal action, triggering a fiery exchange with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman this week.

    “The App Store is designed to be fair and free of bias,” Apple said in reply to an AFP inquiry.

    “We feature thousands of apps through charts, algorithmic recommendations, and curated lists selected by experts using objective criteria.”

    Apple added that its goal at the App Store is to offer “safe discovery” for users and opportunities for developers to get their creations noticed.

    But earlier this week, Musk said Apple was “behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation,” without providing evidence to back his claim.

    Read more: Apple announces $100 billion US investment

    “xAI will take immediate legal action,” he said on his social media network X, referring to his own artificial intelligence company, which is responsible for Grok.

    X users responded by pointing out that China’s DeepSeek AI hit the top spot in the App Store early this year, and Perplexity AI recently ranked number one in the App Store in India.

    DeepSeek and Perplexity compete with OpenAI and Musk’s startup xAI.

    Altman called Musk’s accusation “remarkable” in a response on X, charging that Musk himself is said to “manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn’t like.”

    Musk called Altman a “liar” in the heated exchange.