UN condemns terror attack, offers condolences to victims’ families
On Monday (8 September), two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Police described the incident as a “terrori...
A court in Ankara has ordered regulators on Wednesday to block access to Grok, the artificial-intelligence chatbot built into Elon Musk’s X platform, after it allegedly generated insulting replies about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — a criminal offence in Türkiye.
The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) enforced the ruling within hours, making Türkiye the first country to ban an AI tool outright on grounds of presidential insult. The chief prosecutor’s office in Ankara has also opened a formal investigation into the episode.
Insulting the head of state under Article 299 of the penal code carries a prison term of up to four years. Justice-ministry data show that 6,879 people — including more than 500 minors — faced court on such charges in 2023, with more than 1,600 convictions.
Neither X nor Musk’s AI firm xAI has commented on the Turkish decision. Last month Musk said Grok would be upgraded because “far too much garbage” remained in large-language training data.
Concerns about political bias and hate speech in chatbots have persisted since ChatGPT’s debut in 2022. Grok has previously been criticised for sharing antisemitic tropes and praising Adolf Hitler. Turkish media reported that the latest ban followed user prompts in Turkish that elicited derogatory remarks about Mr Erdogan.
The ruling comes as Türkiye tightens oversight of online platforms. Parliament last year authorised the BTK to suspend services that “threaten national security or public order,” and the government has fined several social-media firms for refusing to remove content deemed illegal.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
Violent clashes broke out on Monday in Nepal between police and protesters demonstrating against a social media ban and alleged corruption.
On Monday (8 September), two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Police described the incident as a “terrorist attack,” reporting that six people were killed and several others injured.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed the creation of a unicameral parliament in the country. Speaking to the nation on Monday at the parliament in Astana, he said the reform would have a “serious positive impact” on the country’s socio-economic development.
U.S. defence secretary Pete Hegseth and joint chiefs of staff chairman Dan Caine made a surprise visit to Puerto Rico on Monday, marking the first trip by senior Pentagon officials since Washington increased its military presence in the Caribbean, heightening tensions with Venezuela.
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