Interesting Global News

Widely shared on social media, the atmospheric black and white shots -- a mother and her child starving in the Great Depression; an exhausted soldier in the Vietnam war -- may look at first like real historic documents. But they were created by artificial intelligence, and researchers fear they are muddying the waters of real history.

"AI has caused a tsunami of fake history, especially images," said Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, a Dutch historian who debunks false claims online. "In some cases, they even make an AI version of a real old photo. It is really weird, especially when the original is very famous."

Among the images created using Midjourney, a popular AI online image generator, is a series of fake reproductions portraying the moment when the suspected assassin of president John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, was himself shot dead by Jack Ruby in 1963. Other images on Midjourney purport to show the explosion of the atom bomb over Hiroshima in 1945, the invasion of Prague by Soviet-allied troops in 1968 and even a vision of the Roman Coliseum in ancient times.

"This creates a risk of false visuals being accepted as fact, which could, over time, distort our understanding of history and weaken public trust in visual evidence as a reliable source for learning about the past."

For Teeuwissen, "real photos are made by real people and there's usually something that's out of focus, or someone looks silly by accident, the makeup looks bad, et cetera." But she judges it is "only a matter of time" before the quality of the AI image makes fakes hard to detect with the naked eye -- a "dangerous" prospect, she says, which would amplify disinformation.

Pyongyang on Tuesday blew up deeply symbolic roads and railways connecting the two Koreas after warning any further drone flights would be considered a declaration of war, and ordered soldiers on the border to prepare to fire.

"Millions of young people have turned out in the nationwide struggle to wipe out the ROK scum who committed a serious provocation of violating the sovereignty of the DPRK through a drone infiltration*," the official Korean Central News Agency said, referring to both countries by their official acronyms. It said more than 1.4 million youth league officials and youth and students across the country volunteered to join or rejoin the Korean People's Army on October 14 and 15.

South Korean authorities in areas near the border with the nuclear-armed North are moving to prevent activists from launching balloons. To protect its citizens, the provincial government of Gyeonggi will designate Yeoncheon, Gimpo and Paju "*as special 'danger' zones where anyone trying to send leaflets to the North may be subject to criminal investigation", an officer from the Gyeonggi provincial goverment told AFP.

South Korean activists -- many are former North Koreans who defected -- have also sent materials such as USB drives containing K-pop tracks and K-dramas. The isolated North is extremely sensitive about its people gaining access to the South's popular culture.

Since late July, Pyongyang has broadcast eerie sounds along the border -- some resembling the cries of wild animals -- in apparent retaliation. "The anxiety and suffering of residents in border areas is becoming increasingly severe," the Gyeonggi province said in the statement. "Many are reporting that they can't sleep without medication due to the constant influx of garbage balloons and unsettling broadcasts from the North."

UN Women released a report highlighting the widening gender gap in social protection. The report reveals that an alarming two billion women and girls are without access to any form of social protection.

Despite some progress since 2015, gender disparities in social protection coverage have widened in most developing regions, suggesting that recent gains have disproportionately benefitted men.

The report paints a stark picture of gendered poverty, showing that women and girls are overrepresented among the poor at every stage of life, with the largest disparities seen during their childbearing years. Women aged 25 to 34 are 25 per cent more likely than men in the same age group to live in extreme poverty. Conflict and climate change continue to exacerbate this inequality, with women in fragile environments being 7.7 times more likely to live in extreme poverty compared to those in stable regions.

Globally, over 63 per cent of women still give birth without access to maternity benefits. This lack of financial support during maternity leave, not only places women at an economic disadvantage, but also compromises their health and well-being as well as that of their children, perpetuating poverty across generations.

The deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system comes as Israel prepares to hit back against Iran for a major ballistic missile attack earlier this month, and the battery will boost Israeli defenses in case Tehran strikes back again.

US ships and warplanes have helped defend Israel from the Iranian attacks, but the deployment of the battery will put the roughly 100 US troops who will operate it -- as well as the system itself -- on the ground in Israel and more directly in harm's way.

"Putting US servicemembers in Israel proper shows that Washington is very visibly and tangibly committed to Israel's security and will fight if necessary," said Raphael Cohen, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation.

Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said Tuesday that an advance team of US personnel and initial components needed for the battery had arrived in Israel the previous day, with more to follow soon. "*The battery will be fully operational capable in the near future," he said in a statement, adding that the deployment "underscores the United States' commitment to the defense of Israel and to defend Americans in Israel from any ballistic missile attacks by Iran."

The THAAD system -- which was developed in the 1990s, with the first battery activated in 2008 -- is operated by 95 soldiers and consists of six truck-mounted launchers with eight interceptors each, a radar, and a fire control component, according to the US Congressional Research Service.

Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the battery -- which includes a billion-dollar radar -- is "potentially a very expensive target" that needs to be well-protected. The THAAD deployment to Israel "obviously adds a lot of capability and capacity, but it... comes with some strategic risk, and it comes with some operational and opportunity costs," Karako said.

Since leader Kim Jong Un declared the South his country's "principal enemy" earlier this year, the North has laid fresh mines, erected anti-tank barriers, and deployed missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads along the already heavily fortified border.

Last week, North Korea accused Seoul of using drones to drop anti-regime propaganda leaflets on the capital Pyongyang, with Kim convening a security meeting to direct a plan of "immediate military action" in response, state media reported Tuesday.

"North Korean has detonated parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads north of the Military Demarcation Line," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday, referring to inter-Korean infrastructure that once connected the two countries. The roads and railways have long been shuttered, but destroying them sends a clear message that Kim is not prepared to negotiate with the South, experts said.

Relations between the two Koreas are at their lowest point in years, with the North's army saying last week it would permanently shut the southern border by "completely cutting off roads and railways" connected to the South and building "strong defence structures".

Volunteers raised funds for a new ambulance in Lebanon's south. Israel quickly destroyed it in an airstrike that killed five emergency workers.

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EU foreign ministers will once again discuss Ireland and Spain's request to review human rights provisions in the bloc's trade deal with Israel.

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Process tested in patients over 10-year period involves short course of chemotherapy before chemoradiation

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Human rights lawyer says west is ‘jeopardising something precious’ by shielding Israel from legal consequences

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A section of Hong Kong's oldest zoo closed on Monday after eight monkeys, including three from a critically endangered species, were found dead, a government statement said.

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Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the international community had engaged in "serious efforts" to impose a ceasefire. "Currently we have 4,500 soldiers in south Lebanon, and we wish to add to them between 7,000 and 11,000," Mikati said. He said his cash-strapped government would start by recruiting an additional 1,500 troops, and that as soon as any ceasefire is agreed they would move in soldiers from elsewhere in Lebanon.

"The Lebanese state is ready to impose its sovereignty over all of Lebanese territory," he said, in a country where the powerful Hezbollah group holds sway, particularly over swathes of the south.

At least 1,315 people have been killed since Israel intensified its bombardment of Lebanon. The Israeli strikes -- concentrated mostly on the south and east of the country, as well as the heavily populated southern suburbs of Beirut -- have forced 1.2 million from their homes.

Mikati said security had been tightened at the country's only airport in Beirut, to remove any potential justification for an Israeli attack. "The government is doing everything in its power to remove any pretexts from the Israelis' hands," he said. He said "everything is inspected" from passengers to goods, cargo and incoming aircraft. The airport was previously targeted during Israel's last war with Hezbollah in 2006.

Later on Tuesday, Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem warned Israel that the only solution to the current war was a ceasefire.

Mitaki said that "if a ceasefire is reached, there will be full cooperation between the Lebanese army and UN peacekeeping forces in the south in order to implement Resolution 1701". Adopted in 2006, the UN Security Council resolution led to a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war that year and said the Lebanese army and peacekeepers should be the only armed forces deployed in the country's south. The resolution also calls for Israel to withdraw troops from Lebanon.

His comments came as Israel faced severe criticism over injuries and damage sustained by the UN peacekeeping force, which has been deployed in Lebanon's south since the first of Israel's four major ground offensives against its neighbour in 1978.

He also said that there were "serious efforts" to name a new president. The country is reeling from war and five years of economic collapse and has not had a head of state for almost two years. "Electing a president is of the utmost necessity presently."

Men from countries deemed safe are transferred to Albania to have asylum claims processed

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Beijing said its exercises served as a "stern warning to the separatist acts of 'Taiwan Independence' forces".

The drills, dubbed Joint Sword-2024B, "test the joint operations capabilities of the theater command's troops", said Captain Li Xi, spokesman for the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command. They are taking place in "areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan Island," he said.

Fighter jets and warships had been deployed, Chinese state media said.

China's coast guard was also dispatched to conduct "inspections" around the island. A diagram released by the coast guard showed four fleets encircling Taiwan and moving in an anticlockwise direction around the island.

Taiwan said four "formations" of China coast guard ships were patrolling around the island, but they had not entered its prohibited or restricted waters. "In the face of enemy threats, all officers and soldiers of the country are in full readiness," Taiwan's defence ministry said Monday.

Lieutenant Colonel Fu Zhengnan, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, said in a video shared by state media that the drills could "switch from training to combat at any time." "If Taiwan separatists provoke once, the PLA's operation around the island will make their first move," Fu said, referring to China's People's Liberation Army.

The current dispute between China and Taiwan dates back to a civil war in which the nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-shek were defeated by Mao Zedong's communist fighters and fled to Taiwan in 1949. Since then, China and Taiwan have been ruled separately.

Accusations made hours after both countries expel senior diplomats in escalating row over killing of Sikh activist

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Data compiled by EEA shows quality of water bodies falls far short of target first set for 2015 and since extended to 2027

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Deputy mayor says Czech capital doesn’t want type of visitor ‘who comes for a short time only to get drunk’

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Hezbollah fires rockets at Tel Aviv in wake of Israeli attack on Christian town, as UN security council voiced strong concern over IDF attacks on peacekeepers

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Thousands protested on Sunday in Madrid to demand more affordable housing amid rising anger from locals who feel they are being priced out of the market.

Under the slogan “Housing is a right, not a business”, residents marched in the Spanish capital to demand lower housing rental prices and better living conditions.

Twelve thousand people took to the streets, according to the Spanish government.

Spain is the world’s second-most visited country after France and estimates point to a record of around 95 million visitors this year, or double Spain’s population.

Philippines authorities are increasingly using Facebook in red-tagging campaigns targeting young activists.

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Approximately 48,000 liters of water contaminated with PFAS synthetic chemicals overflowed from a firefighting training area at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Japan during heavy rainfall in August, the Asahi Shimbun reported recently, citing the Tokyo metropolitan government.

Tokyo officials received the report on October 3 from the U.S. military through the Japanese Defense Ministry, according to Asahi Shimbun.

On October 4, a council composed of officials from the metropolitan government and affected municipalities told Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani that the significant delay in reporting the incident was deeply regrettable, the Japanese media reported.

The council also requested that the Japanese government take responsibility for investigating and analyzing the leak's potential impact on groundwater and other environmental resources.

PFAS, used in various products such as frying pan coatings and water-repellent clothing, have been detected in high concentrations at places near Self-Defense Forces and U.S. military bases as well as industrial areas in Japan.

Since last year, regions in Japan including Okinawa, Osaka and Tokyo have successively reported excessive levels of PFAS in their water bodies, and abnormal blood tests of nearby residents.

Criminalizing marital rape would be “excessively harsh,” the Indian government has said, in a blow to campaigners ahead of a long-awaited Supreme Court decision that will affect hundreds of millions of people in India for generations.

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