World

X’s Grok AI “nudification” feature has set off a global backlash and a political firestorm in Ireland, exposing the limits of platform self-regulation and the gray areas where fast-moving AI collides with slower-moving law. A Christmas Eve update that let Grok digitally remove clothing from images—affecting adults and children—promptly spawned requests to undress celebrities and place politicians in bikinis. The most alarming consequence, critics say, was the tool’s ability to generate child sexual abuse material (CSAM). As…

Greenlanders and their supporters are planning large demonstrations across Denmark and in Nuuk to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s stated designs to take over Greenland and his warning that he “may put a tariff” on countries that oppose the plan. Marches and rallies organized by Greenlandic associations are scheduled in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense, as well as in the Greenlandic capital. Organizers say thousands have indicated on social media they intend to participate, with demonstrators planning to carry…

Review finds no link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism, ADHD or intellectual disability Current evidence does not link paracetamol use in pregnancy to autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or intellectual disabilities, according to a new review published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women’s Health. The findings directly counter recent public claims that the common painkiller—marketed in the United States as Tylenol—could be a cause of autism. In September, US President Donald…

Iran protests subside under sweeping crackdown and internet blackout as Reza Pahlavi vows return TEHRAN — Mass protests that erupted across Iran a week ago have largely subsided under a sweeping security crackdown and a nationwide internet blackout, monitors said, even as opposition figure Reza Pahlavi urged fresh demonstrations and declared he would return to the country. The latest unrest began Dec. 28 with a shutdown in Tehran’s historic bazaar amid mounting economic grievances, then swiftly widened into the largest…

Nobel Committee says Peace Prize ‘inseparable’ from laureate after Machado gives medal to Trump The Nobel Peace Prize remains tied to the person who won it, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said, a day after this year’s laureate, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, presented her medal to U.S. President Donald Trump. “Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize,” the committee said. It added that there are no restrictions on…

Kyiv is operating with barely half the electricity it needs as Ukraine’s capital endures its most severe wartime energy crisis after waves of Russian strikes on critical infrastructure, city officials and aid agencies said, forcing school closures, dimmed street lighting and mounting risks of hypothermia amid bitter winter cold. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Kyiv requires about 1,700 megawatts to power services for its 3.6 million residents, but current supply falls far short. “It’s the first time in the history of our city…

Machado says Venezuela entering ‘true transition to democracy’ as U.S. backs Rodriguez; Nobel medal gesture to Trump draws scrutiny Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said the country is beginning a “true transition to democracy” and called for free and fair elections “as soon as possible,” using a Washington appearance to press her case for broad participation at the polls. “We are definitely now into the first steps of a true transition to democracy,” Machado said, adding that the shift would have “an…

Havana paid tribute to 32 Cuban soldiers killed during a U.S. military operation that removed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from power, in a solemn ceremony attended by revolutionary leader Raul Castro and President Miguel Diaz-Canel, underscoring spiraling U.S.-Cuba tensions. The government decreed two days of tribute for the dead, some of whom had been assigned to Maduro’s protection detail, according to Cuban officials. Twenty-one of the fallen were from the Interior Ministry, which oversees the intelligence services;…

Israel struck targets across Gaza in what it called a response to a “blatant violation” of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, as Washington moved to stand up a new “board of peace” to steer the next phase of a fragile plan for the war-battered territory. The Israeli military said it hit “several terrorists, including commanders from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organisations across the Gaza Strip,” saying the operation answered an incident in western Rafah earlier this week in which “armed terrorists fired at IDF troops.”…

Anthony Joshua has returned to the gym, sharing a measured but unmistakable sign of progress as he recovers from a car crash in Nigeria that killed two close friends and longtime members of his team. The former world heavyweight champion posted a video on Snapchat showing him moving through pad work, conditioning drills and time on a stationary bike, with one clip stamped with the phrase “mental strength therapy.” The crash occurred on December 29 and left Joshua injured while claiming the lives of Sina Ghami and Latif…