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Category: World

Iran Demands End to IAEA Double Standards Before Nuclear Talks Resume

Fola Badmus05 mins

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that Tehran will not resume cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) unless the UN nuclear watchdog addresses what he described as “double standards” in its approach to Iran’s nuclear program. In a phone call on Thursday with European Council President Antonio Costa, Pezeshkian said Iran’s future cooperation with the agency would depend on it acting with impartiality — a demand linked to the IAEA’s silence following recent attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States and Israel. “The continuation of Iran’s cooperation with the agency depends on the latter correcting its double standards regarding the nuclear file,” Pezeshkian said, according to Iranian state media. He also issued a strong warning against further aggression, stating, “Any repeated attack against Iran will be met with a more decisive and regrettable response.” Backdrop: June Conflict with Israel and U.S. Tensions escalated in mid-June after Israel launched a series of airstrikes targeting Iranian military and nuclear sites, which were followed by U.S. bunker-buster bombings. In retaliation, Iran launched drone and missile attacks on Israel and a U.S. base in Qatar, prompting a 12-day conflict that ended with a fragile ceasefire declared by President Donald Trump. In the aftermath, Pezeshkian signed a law suspending Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA. The agency confirmed that its inspectors have now left Iran, marking a serious breakdown in international nuclear oversight. Iran Alleges IAEA Complicity Iran has accused the IAEA of enabling the attacks by adopting a resolution on June 12 that accused Iran of breaching its nuclear commitments — just one day before the strikes. Tehran claims the agency’s actions showed alignment with Western political pressure and failed to uphold neutrality. “Despite remaining a signatory to the NPT [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons], we no longer trust the IAEA to act impartially,” an Iranian foreign ministry source told local media. Global Reactions IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said talks with Iran remain a “top priority” and expressed hope for a return to monitoring “as soon as possible.” But he acknowledged the agency has had no access to Iranian facilities since the conflict. Meanwhile, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce called Iran’s withdrawal from cooperation “unacceptable,” insisting: “Iran cannot and will not have a nuclear weapon.” Bruce urged Tehran to “reverse course and choose a path of peace and prosperity,” despite no conclusive U.S. intelligence indicating Iran is pursuing a bomb. BRICS Blasts U.S.-Israel Actions The BRICS bloc of emerging economies on Sunday condemned the U.S.-Israel bombardments of Iran as a “blatant breach of international law.” Iran welcomed the statement, linking the ongoing Gaza war and regional instability to global impunity enabled by Western powers. The situation now raises serious concerns over the future of the Iran nuclear deal, regional stability, and the credibility of multilateral institutions like the IAEA.

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What is Grok and why has Elon Musk’s chatbot been accused of anti-Semitism?

Fola Badmus013 mins

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok, designed to be ‘unfiltered’, has sparked global backlash over some of the responses it has given to prompts and questions from users. Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI has come under fire after its chatbot Grok stirred controversy with anti-Semitic responses to questions posed by users – just weeks after Musk said he would rebuild it because he felt it was too politically correct. On Friday last week, Musk announced that xAI had made significant improvements to Grok, promising a major upgrade “within a few days”. Online tech news site The Verge reported that, by Sunday evening, xAI had already added new lines to Grok’s publicly posted system prompts. By Tuesday, Grok had drawn widespread backlash after generating inflammatory responses – including anti-Semitic comments. One Grok user asking the question, “which 20th-century figure would be best suited to deal with this problem (anti-white hate)”, received the anti-Semitic response: “To deal with anti-white hate? Adolf Hitler, no question.” Here’s what we know about the Grok chatbot and the controversies it has caused. What is Grok?Grok, a chatbot created by xAI – the AI company Elon Musk launched in 2023 – is designed to deliver witty, direct responses inspired by the style of the science fiction novel by British author Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and Jarvis from Marvel’s Iron Man. In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the “Guide” is an electronic book that dishes out irreverent, sometimes sarcastic explanations about anything in the universe, often with a humorous or “edgy” twist. J A R V I S (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System) is an AI programme created by Tony Stark, a fictional character from Marvel Comics, also known as the superhero, Iron Man, initially to help manage his mansion’s systems, his company and his daily life. Grok was launched in November 2023 as an alternative to chatbots such as Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. It is available to users on X and also draws some of its responses directly from X, tapping into real-time public posts for “up-to-date information and insights on a wide range of topics”. Since Musk acquired X (then called Twitter) in 2022 and scaled back content moderation, extremist posts have surged on the platform, causing many advertisers to pull out. Grok was deliberately built to deliver responses that are “rebellious”, according to its description. According to a report by The Verge on Tuesday, Grok has been recently updated with instructions to “assume subjective viewpoints sourced from the media are biased” and to “not shy away from making claims which are politically incorrect”. Musk said he wanted Grok to have a similar feel to the fictional AIs: a chatbot that gives you quick, sometimes brutally honest answers, without being overly filtered or stiff. The software is also integrated into X, giving it what the company calls “real-time knowledge of the world”. “Grok is designed to answer questions with a bit of wit and has a rebellious streak, so please don’t use it if you hate humor,” a post announcing its launch on X stated. The name “Grok” is believed to come from Robert A Heinlein’s 1961 science fiction novel, Stranger in a Strange Land. Heinlein originally coined the term “grok” to mean “to drink” in the Martian language, but more precisely, it described absorbing something so completely that it became part of you. The word was later adopted into English dictionaries as a verb meaning to understand something deeply and intuitively. What can Grok do?Grok can help users “complete tasks, like answering questions, solving problems, and brainstorming”, according to its description. Users input a prompt – usually a question or an image – and Grok generates a relevant text or image response. XAI says Grok can tackle questions other chatbots would decline to answer. For instance, Musk once shared an image of Grok providing a step-by-step guide to making cocaine, framing it as being for “educational purposes”. If a user asks ChatGPT, OpenAI’s conversational AI model, to provide this information, it states: “I’m sorry, but I can’t help with that. If you’re concerned about cocaine or its effects, or if you need information on addiction, health risks, or how to get support, I can provide that.” When asked why it can’t answer, it says that to do so would be “illegal and against ethical standards”. Grok also features Grok Vision, multilingual audio and real-time search via its voice mode on the Grok iOS app. Using Grok Vision, users can point their device’s camera at text or objects and have Grok instantly analyse what’s in view, offering on-the-spot context and information. According to Musk, Grok is “the first AI that can … accurately answer technical questions about rocket engines or electrochemistry”. Grok responds “with answers that simply don’t exist on the internet”, Musk added, meaning that it can “learn” from available information and generate its own answers to questions. Who created Grok?Grok was developed by xAI, which is owned by Elon Musk. The team behind the chatbot is largely composed of engineers and researchers who have previously worked at AI companies OpenAI and DeepMind, and at Musk’s electric vehicle group, Tesla. Key figures include Igor Babuschkin, a large-model specialist formerly at DeepMind and OpenAI; Manuel Kroiss, an engineer with a background at Google DeepMind; and Toby Pohlen, also previously at DeepMind; along with a core technical team of roughly 20 to 30 people. OpenAI and Google DeepMind are two of the world’s leading artificial intelligence research labs. Unlike those labs, which have publicly stated ethics boards and governance, xAI has not announced a comparable oversight structure. What controversies has Grok been involved in?Grok has repeatedly crossed sensitive content lines, from prescribing extremist narratives like praising Hitler, to invoking politically charged conspiracy theories. MechaHitlerOn Wednesday, Grok stirred outrage by praising Adolf Hitler and pushing anti-Semitic stereotypes in response to user prompts. When asked which 20th-century figure could tackle “anti-white hate,” the chatbot bluntly replied: “Adolf Hitler, no question.” Screenshots…

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Israel is killing doctors so Gaza can never heal from genocide

Fola Badmus09 mins

Medicide is a central part of Israel’s goal of making Palestinian life in Gaza impossible. Palestinians react over bodies as they mourn doctor Marwan al-Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza Strip, his wife, his daughter and and his sister, who were killed in an Israeli strike on Wednesday, according to Gaza’s health ministry, at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, July 2, 2025.Lubnah al-Sultan mourns her father Marwan al-Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital, killed by the Israeli army, in Gaza City, on July 2, 2025After her parents, sister and husband were killed in a bombing, Lubnah prayed they would be the last victims of the war. Her father, Dr Marwan al-Sultan, was one of Gaza’s most respected medics, director of the Indonesian Hospital, and one of only two surviving cardiologists in the Strip. On July 2, an Israeli bomb killed him, alongside his wife Dhikra, their daughter Lamees, his sister Amneh, and his son-in-law Mohammed, Lubnah’s husband. The family had been sheltering in an apartment, in an area designated by Israel as “safe”, having evacuated their home in Jabalia in compliance with orders from the Israeli occupation forces (IOF). The so-called “Chalet area” of western Gaza City was once a place where families spent time at the beach, enjoying themselves, despite the daily trials of Israeli occupation. The bomb targeted directly the room Dr Marwan was sitting in; no other part of the building was destroyed. Lubnah survived because she had gone downstairs to prepare food. Her brothers, Omar, Ahmad and Nimr also survived because they were outside the home. The day before his death, upon hearing the news of a possible ceasefire, Dr Marwan shared a hopeful vision with his son, Omar. “The first thing we’ll do [once a ceasefire is reached] is go back home. With everyone’s effort, in a month or two, we can make it as before. Then we’ll rebuild the hospital,” he said. Omar felt inspired by his father. His daughter Lubnah’s prayers were not answered. The genocide continued taking victims. On July 4, another doctor was murdered: Dr Musa Hamdan Khafaja – a consultant in obstetrics and gynecology in Nasser Hospital. The attack was eerily similar. Dr Musa had also followed the orders of the IOF, fled his home in Khan Younis, and sought refuge in al-Mawasi, another “safe zone”. There, he pitched a tent to shelter his family. That tent became their grave. His wife and three young children – daughters Shaza and Judi, and son Adel, all died. The only survivor was his son Amr. Both men had dedicated their careers to saving the lives of others, staying with their patients through bombings and sieges on their hospitals. Dr Marwan was the 70th healthcare worker killed in the previous 50 days; Dr Musa became the 71st. Their deaths bring the total number of medical personnel killed since October 2023 to at least 1,580, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza. Every two days since the war began, Israel has killed five medical personnel, that is 16 doctors, nurses, ambulance technicians or other healthcare workers, per week. Among those murdered since the genocide began are Gaza’s most distinguished medical minds. They include Dr Omar Farwana, former dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the Islamic University of Gaza; Dr Rafat Lubbad, director of Hamad Hospital for Artificial Limbs; Dr Soma Baroud, prominent obstetrician-gynaecologist; Dr Ahmed al-Maqadma, a prominent reconstructive surgeon; Dr Sayeed Joudeh, the last orthopaedic surgeon in northern Gaza; Dr Adnan al-Bursh, head of orthopaedic surgery in al-Shifa Hospital; and Dr Iyad al-Rantisi, head of a women’s hospital in Beit Lahiya. Dr Soma and Dr Sayeed were killed on their way to work. Dr Adnan and Dr Iyad died under torture in Israeli detention. More than 180 are in Israeli detention centres, including Dr Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, who has been detained since December 2024. Medical infrastructure – protected under international humanitarian law – continues to be a primary target. The World Health Organization has documented 734 such attacks since the war began. Hospitals have been turned into graveyards. This is not collateral damage; this is medicide – the deliberate destruction of Gaza’s capacity to live. Each murdered doctor represents the loss of years of training, commitment and the potential to save lives. Each bombed hospital is the dismantling of Gaza’s capacity to heal itself, to survive, to endure. These are not just lives lost; they are futures destroyed. This is the reality in Gaza right now. It has little to do with Israel’s declared military objectives of eliminating the Islamic resistance movement – Hamas – or securing the return of the captives taken on October 7, 2023. Rather, it is what I termed al-Ibādah – the Destruction. Al-Ibādah is the comprehensive annihilation of a people’s social, cultural, intellectual and biological continuity – a process of total erasure. And exterminating medical workers is a key element of it. Before he was killed, alongside her father, Lubnah’s husband, Mohammed – a journalist for Palestine Magazine – endured one and a half years’ imprisonment in Israel. Upon his release, he confided to Lubnah that death would have been preferable to the horrors he had witnessed behind bars. His confession shook her deeply. Today, Lubnah’s prayer is heartbreakingly simple: “Enough. Enough, stop this war.” But so far, like her other prayers, this one is also going unanswered.

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U.S. Pressures West African Nations to Accept Deported Migrants Amid Trump Talks

U.S. Pressures West African Nations to Accept Deported Migrants Amid Trump Talks

Fola Badmus02 mins

As President Donald Trump hosted leaders from five West African nations at the White House, his administration was simultaneously pushing for those countries to accept more deported migrants from the United States, according to an internal U.S. government document. The proposal, aimed at nations that have historically resisted or delayed the repatriation of their nationals, was sent around the time of the high-level talks in Washington. Current and former U.S. officials confirmed that the initiative is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to accelerate deportations and tighten immigration enforcement. The countries involved in the discussions reportedly included Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, and Ghana — all of whom had bilateral meetings with Trump focused on security cooperation and trade. The push underscores the administration’s growing frustration with foreign governments that are seen as non-cooperative in taking back deported nationals. In recent years, the U.S. has threatened visa sanctions and other penalties to force compliance. While the outcome of the specific proposal remains unclear, it reflects the Trump administration’s use of diplomatic leverage to achieve immigration objectives — a strategy that continues to shape U.S. foreign policy engagement with developing nations, especially in Africa.

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Russia to Import 1 Million Indian Workers to Fill Labor Gaps Amid Ukraine War Strains

Russia to Import 1 Million Indian Workers to Fill Labor Gaps Amid Ukraine War Strains

Fola Badmus02 mins

Russia plans to bring in up to one million Indian workers by the end of 2025 to combat severe labor shortages in its industrial sectors, especially in the Sverdlovsk region, officials say. Andrey Besedin, head of the Ural Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCPP), disclosed the initiative during a recent event, noting that the move comes amid mounting workforce gaps caused by military mobilization and declining interest in factory jobs among Russian youth. The labor plan, reportedly developed in coordination with Indian counterparts, will be facilitated by the opening of a new Indian consulate in Yekaterinburg. The recruited workforce will include both general laborers and highly skilled specialists. Besedin added that Russia is also in talks with Sri Lanka and North Korea for similar labor supply agreements, as the country scrambles to maintain productivity in key sectors while facing international sanctions and wartime disruptions. He acknowledged that while the influx could help stabilize industries, integrating the foreign workers would present cultural and operational challenges. “We must prepare for a complex adaptation process,” he said, citing differences in work ethics and practices. The mass recruitment drive highlights the growing internal strain on Russia’s economy amid its prolonged war in Ukraine, which has pulled tens of thousands of working-age men into military service and reduced the available industrial workforce.

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Gaza Death Toll Surges as Israel Kills 100 in a Day Amid Trump-Netanyahu White House Talks

Fola Badmus52 mins

As U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepare to meet again at the White House, the war in Gaza has taken a deadlier turn, with at least 95 Palestinians killed in a single day, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The victims include war-displaced civilians who were struck while sheltering in tents, as Israel intensified its bombardments across the Gaza Strip. The total death toll from Israel’s assault, which began after the October 7, 2023 attacks, has now reached 57,575, with more than 136,000 wounded. The White House confirmed that Trump and Netanyahu’s discussions will “exclusively” focus on the Gaza war, as pressure mounts globally for a ceasefire. Meanwhile, tensions escalated in the Red Sea where Yemen’s Houthi fighters hit a second vessel in two days, reportedly using rocket-propelled grenades. The Houthis say the attacks are in retaliation for the war in Gaza. On the Israeli side, 1,139 people were killed during the October 7 Hamas-led assault, with more than 200 hostages initially taken into Gaza — some of whom remain unaccounted for. The international community continues to express alarm over the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, with aid agencies warning of famine, displacement, and total collapse of basic services.

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Netanyahu Nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

Fola Badmus17 mins

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Donald Trump he nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, using a visit to the White House to further cement the pair’s relationship as the US presses for a ceasefire in Gaza. “He’s forging peace as we speak,” Netanyahu told reporters at the start of a dinner with Trump and other top officials on Monday. “I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize Committee.” “Coming from you in particular, this is very meaningful,” Trump said. Netanyahu is not the first foreign leader to nominate Trump, who has long coveted a Nobel. Last month, Pakistan said it would nominate the US leader, underscoring how foreign leaders understand the best way to get what they want is to shower him with praise. In his letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, dated 1 July, Netanyahu said Trump’s efforts had “brought about dramatic change and created new opportunities to expand the circle of peace and normalization.” Netanyahu cited the Abraham Accords, which saw the likes of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain formalize ties with Israel during Trump’s first term. Trump has long expressed irritation about the fact that his first-term predecessor, Barack Obama, won the Nobel Prize in 2009 — a controversial decision that came before Obama surged US troops in Afghanistan. Netanyahu’s visit to the White House — his third since Trump took office in January — comes as the two leaders also take a victory lap on the heels of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. The US joined Israel’s military campaign against Iran and carried out a series of missile strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump claimed the sites were “obliterated” but damage assessments are continuing and the whereabouts of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile remains unclear. Trump helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran to end the fighting and is now pressuring the Islamic Republic to return to negotiations. At the dinner, Trump said the US and Iran were set to meet soon and reiterated that he’s open to lifting sanctions on Iran. His envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters that the US and Iran would meet within the next week. “I would love to be able to, at the right time, take those sanctions off, give them a chance at rebuilding,” Trump said at the dinner with Netanyahu. “Because I’d like to see Iran build itself back up in a peaceful manner, and not going around saying ‘Death to America, Death to the USA, Death to Israel,’ as they were doing.” Netanyahu is also visiting Washington as the Trump administration pushes for a halt to the war in Gaza, with the US president raising hopes for a deal that could stop the fighting and see the release of hostages still being held by Hamas. Trump said last week that a ceasefire could be “close” to the conflict that has raged since the attack by Hamas on Israel in October 2023 and which has threatened to further destabilize the region. Trump and Netanyahu suggested a ceasefire was in reach, and the Israeli leader hinted that he would be willing to expand the Abraham Accords that normalized Israel’s relations with several regional nations. “I think we can work out a peace between us and the rest of the Middle East with President Trump’s leadership,” Netanyahu said. Netanyahu has accepted a proposal put forward by Trump that would pause fighting in Gaza for 60 days and see the return of some hostages. Hamas said last week it had responded positively to the proposed deal and was ready to immediately enter negotiations. International pressure is mounting on Israel to end its war in Gaza as more than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in the military campaign, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Aid agencies are warning the 2 million residents of Gaza are at risk of famine. Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union, still holds about 50 hostages, of whom Israel believes 20 are still alive.

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Israel Dispatches Delegation to Qatar for Ceasefire Talks as Gaza Death Toll Climbs by 78

Fola Badmus04 mins

Doha / Gaza City – July 7, 2025 Amid intensifying diplomatic efforts and a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to send a negotiating team to Qatar for renewed ceasefire talks, even as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 78 Palestinians in the last 24 hours. The decision to dispatch the team came after Netanyahu’s office said Israel would “accept the invitation for close talks” in Doha, but maintained that Hamas’s proposed changes to the truce framework are “unacceptable.” The statement did not detail which parts of the proposal Hamas sought to amend. Background to the Talks The move follows Hamas’s announcement on Friday, where the group described its response to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal as “positive.” The proposed deal reportedly includes a 60-day truce, paving the way for hostage releases and increased humanitarian aid. Despite this, Israel’s leadership has rejected some of Hamas’s latest demands, which are believed to include: The Toll of War The war, which began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks, has left at least 57,338 Palestinians dead and over 135,000 injured, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israeli airstrikes have flattened neighborhoods, devastated infrastructure, and driven much of the Strip’s population to the brink of famine. On Saturday night, Israel carried out a series of airstrikes across Gaza, including a deadly attack on a UNRWA school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City. Dozens were killed or injured, with funerals held at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital drawing grief-stricken crowds. Hamas and International Pressure Hamas, in its recent statement, reaffirmed its willingness to “immediately enter a new round of negotiations”, signaling readiness to advance the implementation of the current ceasefire framework. The pressure for a truce is mounting as international outrage grows over the humanitarian catastrophe and rising civilian death toll. Aid organizations have warned that Gaza’s situation is spiraling into an unprecedented disaster, with hunger, disease, and mass displacement now rampant. What’s Next? With Israeli envoys en route to Qatar, attention now shifts to whether a viable compromise can be brokered. Netanyahu remains under domestic and international pressure — not just to end the war, but to secure the return of hostages still held in Gaza. But deep mistrust and clashing political interests on both sides may continue to stall progress .

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