IDF targets top Hamas commander in strike on south Gaza hospital; 6 said killed
An Israeli precision strike on a hospital in southern Gaza overnight targeted a Hamas brigade commander, the military said Thursday morning, as medics in the Strip reported six killed, including a surgeon, and at least 20 wounded in the attack.
According to the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency, the strike shortly after midnight on the Nasser Hospital complex in Khan Younis targeted Muhammad Abu Ismail, the commander of the terror group’s Khan Younis Brigade, “along with additional terrorists who were hiding” at the medical center.
The Hamas operatives were targeted to “remove a threat, as they were advancing terror plots against Israeli civilians and IDF troops, after Hamas established a presence on the hospital grounds and turned it into a headquarters for military and terror activities against IDF troops and the State of Israel,” the joint statement said.
Thousands of hoax bomb alerts sent to schools in Italy, U.K. and Ireland in latest cyberattack
Schools across Italy were evacuated Wednesday after around 6,300 of them received bomb warnings, the latest in a series of threats and cyberattacks around Europe against supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic and broadcasters.
Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland said many of their schools received a similar email threat from abroad, but it was classed as a hoax and did not disrupt classes.
Fiery chaos erupts across Spain as protesters clash with police during massive nationwide strike
Unruly protesters set fires, smashed storefronts and launched fireworks at riot police across parts of Spain on Wednesday as a massive nationwide strike over soaring housing costs disrupted transportation and businesses.
Violent scenes unfolded in Barcelona, where some demonstrators vandalized stores along the city’s popular Paseo de Gracia shopping boulevard, set small bonfires and launched fireworks at officers arriving in riot gear and armored vehicles, according to The Associated Press.
The violence erupted after a largely peaceful march as Spain experienced its first general strike in 14 years, with workers demanding relief from skyrocketing rents and the rising cost of living.
French army ministry to set up center for defense-related AI
France’s armed forces ministry said on Thursday it will create an international center to promote and support the growing use of artificial intelligence in defense, as Europe races to strengthen its military technology capabilities and reduce its reliance on the United States.
The ministry is hoping that NATO will recognize the center, due to open in summer 2027, an official told reporters at a briefing.
AI tools have become key to warfare since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, helping to speed up battlefield decision-making by processing and interpreting large quantities of data produced by drones, satellites and other sensors.
Facial recognition errors put ethnic minorities at risk of wrongful arrest, police watchdog warns
Police officers risk arresting innocent people if they treat inaccurate facial recognition data as evidence, an official report has found.
Although the technology can help fight crime, the report found it is beset by errors and biases, and operators do not always realise they must make further inquiries to verify the data.
The report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, published on Wednesday, covers only retrospective facial recognition. The technology is seen as less controversial and less tricky to get right than live facial recognition, which is used in real time to find suspects.
Google Warns Australia’s Online “Safety” Bill Would Bring Mass Surveillance
Google has told an Australian Senate inquiry that a controversial bill could force the tech giant to check users’ ages and lock those under 18 out of email, messaging, and file storage.
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson has called the proposal “mass surveillance of people’s emails.”
This is one of the ways in which the Digital Duty of Care bill, which has already passed the House of Representatives, is under fire during the Senate’s review.
YouTube’s senior manager of government affairs and public policy, Rachel Lord, told the committee on Monday that one section of the bill could have this effect on Google’s services.
EU Commission to examine citizen-led initiative seeking suspension of Israel pact
The European Commission says it will examine a citizen-led initiative calling for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement over alleged human rights violations by Israel.
The initiative has gathered more than 1.1 million validated signatures across 12 EU member states, surpassing the threshold required for a formal review.
United Airlines is banning AI bots from booking flights
United Airlines doesn’t want to deal with your AI agent.
The airline said Wednesday that it will prevent personal artificial-intelligence assistants from accessing its systems to book tickets.
United cited concerns that the third-party agents could expose customers’ sensitive information or make unintended purchases. It also said automated AI actions could violate Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Department rules governing the information airlines must present to customers. An AI agent can’t, for example, attest during check-in that bags don’t contain explosives.
Abdul El-Sayed reveals he’ll swear into office on a Quran
Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed vowed to be sworn in on a Quran when he takes his seat but said he has not yet decided which specific copy he will use.