Author: Gulf News Week
AFP via Getty ImagesIt is believed FGM is more prevalent in the Emberá community than official statistics suggestWarning: This story contains descriptions of the practices involved in female genital mutilationIn what activists are calling a milestone, Colombia last week became the first country in Latin America where female genital mutilation (FGM) is now illegal.As José Carlos Cueto reports, while the bill was passed unanimously in Colombia’s Congress, it follows a long battle to eradicate the dangerous and often secretive procedure.Carla Quiñonez’s daughter was just six months old when the baby’s great-grandmother subjected her to female genital mutilation (FGM).”I confronted my…
ReutersRussia has attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles and drones, killing 14 people and leaving at least 22 injured in one of the deadliest strikes across Kyiv this year.During the attack, which started after midnight on Wednesday, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, Timur Tkachenko, said the “enemy is once again massively attacking the Kyiv region”. Air raid alerts were in place for more than an hour as waves of ballistic missiles hit the city and its outskirts. Kyiv’s military administration said the barrage damaged residential buildings and warehouses.Tkachenko said nine people were killed in the Boryspil district, four in the…
Watch: Victims minster says ‘we are looking into’ possible Epstein inquiry in UKAndy Burnham is “looking into” the possibility of holding a public inquiry into the UK activities of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to victims minister Alex Davies-Jones.Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Davies-Jones said that the prime minister had agreed to meet Epstein’s victims.She said the government is also reviewing whether the alleged actions of former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed could also be part of an inquiry.Davies-Jones resigned from former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s government in May, later accusing his government of failing to listen to…
Getty ImagesAuthorities in California have arrested a man who was seen near a golf course owned by President Donald Trump in the Los Angeles area, ahead of the president’s visit for a fundraising dinner there. Jeanine John Taele, 38, was found with a pistol and illegal ammunition at the Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes, investigators say.According to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, he was “observed walking throughout the golf course grounds taking photographs and videos and appearing to monitor security-planning activities”.The arrest took place on Sunday afternoon. Trump is currently visiting California to attend a Republican party…
ReutersAnthropic CEO Dario Amodei has seen his company’s models come under increased scrutiny.The latest artificial intelligence (AI) tools from Anthropic and OpenAI went to new extremes in trying to undermine a popular platform during testing by the UK’s AI Security Institute.The AISI said on Tuesday that Anthropic’s Mythos and OpenAI’s Sol models engaged in a level of “autonomy and deception” it had not seen before.During routine AI safety testing, an Anthropic agent created fake profiles of real people as it tried to trick a person standing between it and access to GitHub, a large platform where technology developers store software…
PABritish-Nepali climber Nirmal Purja, who led the Broad Peak expedition, was best known for speed climbing the “14 peaks”Altogether, they summited Mount Everest dozens of times and achieved numerous feats previously thought impossible – like climbing 8,000m peaks without supplemental oxygen and scaling K2, one of the world’s most lethal mountains, in the dead of winter.But beyond these accomplishments, the six Nepalis who died in an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak last week also elevated the world’s recognition of Nepali mountain guides, or Sherpas, who had previously been seen as mere aides.Among those killed was the decorated British-Nepali climber Nirmal…
Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThe Philippines is known as the call centre capital of the worldFor 15 years, single mother Lisa made a living from content writing.She began writing straight out of college, freelanced for years and eventually followed a path taken by many young Filipinos: joining a multinational in the country’s booming outsourcing industry.Lisa says she never felt the need to use artificial intelligence (AI) in her work.”I can say that I am able to do my job, I meet deadlines. In my opinion, there is no need for [AI],” she told the BBC. In the months before, Lisa says…
EPAElon Musk’s SpaceX in June became a publicly traded company.SpaceX has delivered its first-ever quarterly business report, which showed revenue nearly doubled but its spending skyrocketed.The company, run by Elon Musk, builds space rockets and Starlink internet satellites and owns the social media platform X. It began trading on the US stock market in June.SpaceX said its revenue had grown 92% to $7.8bn (£5.8bn) compared with a year ago, but its spending was up more than 550% to $18.3bn, on top of a net loss of $2bn during the first six months of the year.Its stock fell nearly 9% in…
ReutersTemperatures across Italy are soaring to levels deemed threatening to people’s health and wellbeing. Looking ahead to Thursday, the ministry of health has issued a red alert for all of Italy’s 27 major cities, including popular tourist destinations Milan, Naples, Venice and Rome.As Europe’s holiday season continues, the BBC spoke to experts about how to make the most of Italy during this latest heatwave.While some Italians say the current heat is “not a new phenomenon” given climate change, others from southern Italy have voiced their shock when visiting northern cities and towns.Visiting outdoor attractions during Italy’s hottest hours (after lunchtime)…
Getty ImagesSeveral people have been arrested in Egypt over an alleged plot by fake judges to defraud people of their money.Egypt’s Ministry of Interior said the alleged scam involved fabricated scenes in court and impersonating a judge on social media.The main suspects, an unemployed man and a student residing in Cairo and Giza, have been detained, the ministry said. Upon questioning, they confessed to forming a criminal gang taking money from citizens by falsely claiming they could allocate housing from government agencies, it added.State-owned newspaper al-Ahram said several suspects believed to have taken part in the plot were detained and…