Author: Web Desk

Frankfurt: DeepSeek expulsion in Germany has entered the spotlight as Germany’s data protection commissioner has asked Apple and Google to remove the Chinese AI startup from their app stores. The commissioner, Meike Kamp, has said that DeepSeek illegally transfers German users’ personal data to China without adequate safeguards matching EU standards. Apple and Google now must assess this request and decide whether to block DeepSeek’s app in Germany. DeepSeek has not provided any comment on the matter. Apple and Google have also not responded. DeepSeek’s privacy policy confirms it stores user data, including AI requests and uploaded files, on Chinese…

Tokyo: Japan has executed Twitter killer Takahiro Shiraishi, the man responsible for one of the country’s most disturbing serial murder cases. In 2017, Shiraishi targeted young people who expressed suicidal thoughts, using online chats to contact them and lure them to his small apartment in Zama, near Tokyo. The victims, mostly women between 15 and 26 years old, believed Shiraishi would help them end their lives, but instead, Shiraishi strangled and dismembered them. Police uncovered the crime scene in October 2017 when investigating the disappearance of one victim. Officers found nine dismembered bodies stored in coolers and tool boxes, which…

San Francisco: Meta has won a US court case involving AI training and copyright, after a judge ruled that a group of authors failed to prove the company’s use of their copyrighted books to train its AI system was unlawful. The lawsuit, filed by a group of authors including Sarah Silverman and Ta-Nehisi Coates, alleged that Meta had used pirated versions of their books without consent to train its AI system. This ruling marks a significant development in the ongoing debate over AI training and copyright practices in the tech industry. The focus of the AI training and copyright case…

London: A groundbreaking scientific project to develop the synthetic human genome has begun in the UK, supported by a £10 million ($12.6 million) grant from the Wellcome Trust. The initiative seeks to build synthetic human genome structures from scratch in laboratory conditions, marking a major leap beyond the Human Genome Project. Led by top institutions including the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the effort builds on progress made through the Human Genome Project. Now, researchers plan to move from reading DNA to synthesizing it, molecule by molecule, starting with entire human chromosomes. Dr. Julian Sale,…

Hanoi: Vietnam death penalty laws are undergoing major reform as the National Assembly has approved changes to the Criminal Code that remove capital punishment for eight non-violent crimes, including embezzlement, espionage, and manufacturing fake medicine. The law, taking effect on July 1, 2025, will commute existing death sentences for these crimes to life imprisonment. The move comes amid growing discussions around legal reform and human rights across Southeast Asia. The revised code no longer allows the death sentence for offences such as vandalizing state property, initiating invasive wars, and certain drug-related crimes. The change spares Truong My Lan, chairwoman of…

London: According to a new study published in The Lancet, global immunization rates have stagnated since 2010 and, in some countries, even declined. Childhood vaccine coverage has faltered worldwide, leaving millions of children vulnerable to preventable diseases such as measles, polio and tuberculosis. Researchers said that, despite major gains since the launch of the global program in 1974, which has vaccinated over four billion children and prevented an estimated 150 million deaths, recent years have shown a worrying reversal in progress. By 2023, nearly 16 million children had not received any childhood vaccinations, with the majority of these cases concentrated…

England: At-home cervical screening tests have been made available across England to help more women detect cervical cancer at an early stage. NHS England said that the DIY test kits, which contain a long cotton-wool swab, can be used privately at home to check for human papillomavirus (HPV), the main cause of most cervical cancers. Women aged 25 to 64 have already been offered routine cervical screening every few years, but government figures have shown that more than five million are not up to date with their tests. The Department for Health and Social Care has stated that the at-home…

Middle East: The Israel-Iran conflict has severely impacted flight operations throughout the Middle East, forcing airlines to cancel or divert flights and disrupting major transit hubs. Qatar’s Doha airport, a critical gateway for international travelers, has halted operations after Iran fired missiles at a US military base in what it has said was retaliation for American strikes on its nuclear facilities. Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, the world’s busiest air terminal, has temporarily paused flights as passengers have been advised to expect delays and cancellations. More than a dozen airlines have confirmed that they have cancelled services…

Bogota: Colombian soldiers have been kidnapped in the remote Micay Canyon region, highlighting the ongoing tensions in one of Colombia’s most volatile zones. The Colombian military has reported that 31 soldiers were initially detained with another 26 taken captive on Sunday by a group of over two hundred civilians. Military leaders believe that these civilians acted under direct threats and influence from dissidents of the Farc rebel group, which signed a peace agreement with the government in 2016 but has since splintered into various armed factions. Brigadier General Federico Alberto Mejia confirmed in a public statement that 4 non-commissioned officers…

South Lake Tahoe: Lake Tahoe boat capsize has claimed six lives and left 2 people missing after strong winds and huge waves overturned a 27-foot vessel near DL Bliss State Park. The accident occurred on Lake Tahoe, a major tourist destination on the California-Nevada border. The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has reported that two survivors have been rescued from the frigid waters and are receiving hospital treatment for hypothermia and related injuries. According to the US Coast Guard, the vessel, a 27-foot gold Chris-Craft boat, was hit by strong gusts reaching thirty-five miles per hour, creating swells up to…