Author: afp

  • Japan Literary Laureate Unashamed About Using ChatGPT

    Japan Literary Laureate Unashamed About Using ChatGPT

    The winner of Japan’s most prestigious literary award has acknowledged that about “five percent” of her futuristic novel was penned by ChatGPT, saying generative AI had helped unlock her potential.

    Since the 2022 launch of ChatGPT, an easy-to-use AI chatbot that can deliver an essay upon request within seconds, there have been growing worries about the impact on a range of sectors – books included.

    Lauded by a judge for being “almost flawless” and “universally enjoyable”, Rie Kudan’s latest novel, “Tokyo-to Dojo-to” (“Sympathy Tower Tokyo”), bagged the biannual Akutagawa Prize on Wednesday.

    Set in a futuristic Tokyo, the book revolves around a high-rise prison tower and its architect’s intolerance of criminals, with AI a recurring theme.

    The 33-year-old author openly admitted that AI heavily influenced her writing process as well.

    “I made active use of generative AI like ChatGPT in writing this book,” she told a ceremony following the winner’s announcement.

    “I would say about five percent of the book quoted verbatim the sentences generated by AI.”

    Outside of her creative activity, Kudan said she frequently toys with AI, confiding her innermost thoughts that “I can never talk to anyone else about”.

    ChatGPT’s responses sometimes inspired dialogue in the novel, she added.

    Going forward, she said she wants to keep “good relationships” with AI and “unleash my creativity” in co-existence with it.

    When contacted by AFP, the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature, the Akutagawa award’s organiser, declined to comment.

    On social media, opinions were divided on Kudan’s unorthodox approach to writing, with sceptics calling it morally questionable and potentially undeserving of the prize.

    “So she wrote the book by deftly using AI … Is that talented or not? I don’t know,” one wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

    But others celebrated her resourcefulness and the effort she put into experimenting with various prompts.

    “So this is how the Akutagawa laureate uses ChatGPT — not to slack off but to ‘unleash creativity’”, another social media user wrote.

    Titles that list ChatGPT as a co-author have been offered for sale through Amazon’s e-book self-publishing unit, although critics say the works are of poor quality.

    British author Salman Rushdie told a press conference at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October that recently someone asked an AI writing tool to produce 300 words in his style.

    “And what came out was pure garbage,” said the “Midnight’s Children” writer, to laughter from the audience.

    The technology also throws up a host of potential legal problems.

    Last year, John Grisham, Jodi Picoult and “Game of Thrones” author George RR Martin were among several writers who filed a class-action lawsuit against ChatGPT creator OpenAI over alleged copyright violation.

    Along with the Authors Guild, they accused the California-based company of using their books “without permission” to train ChatGPT’s large language models, algorithms capable of producing human-sounding text responses based on simple queries, according to the lawsuit.

  • Women’s Health Gap Costs $1 Trillion Worldwide: Report

    Women’s Health Gap Costs $1 Trillion Worldwide: Report

    The huge gap between how women and men’s health are treated costs $1 trillion a year worldwide, the World Economic Forum said on Wednesday.

    Women spend a quarter more of their lives suffering from poor health than men, a disparity that includes an unequal focus on men across medical research, diagnosis and treatment, the report said.

    Closing this gap would boost the global economy by $1 trillion annually by 2040 — a 1.7 percent increase in per capita GDP driven by women, it added.

    The report was released as the WEF hosts its 54th annual conference in Davos, Switzerland.

    The Swiss firm Ferring Pharmaceuticals and McKinsey Health Institute also contributed to the 42-page report.

    Every US dollar invested in women’s health would return three dollars in projected economic growth, the report said.

    A large part of this growth would come from sick women getting back into the workforce.

    The gender health gap causes around 75 million years of life lost due to poor health annually, equating to a week per woman every year, the report said.

    For example, addressing the inequities related to endometriosis and menopause — which only affect women and have long been considered under-studied — could contribute $130 billion to global GDP by 2040, it estimated.

    Research also suggests that fewer than half the women living with endometriosis have been properly diagnosed, the report added.

    The study also looked at how treatment and diagnosis has benefitted men more than women.

    Asthma inhalers, for example, have been found to be significantly less effective for women than men.

    Women are diagnosed later than men for 700 different diseases, previous research has shown. It also takes women two and a half years longer to be diagnosed with cancer.

    WEF healthcare head Shyam Bishen said the analysis demonstrates that “investing in women’s health must be a priority for every country”.

    “Beyond improving women’s quality of life, ensuring women have access to innovations in healthcare is one of the best investments that countries can make for their societies and their economies,” he said in a statement.

    The WEF announced it was launching the Global Alliance for Women’s Health, with $55 million pledged for women’s health.

  • Indian Americans Rise In US Politics, Navigate Identity

    Indian Americans Rise In US Politics, Navigate Identity

    Of the many attacks between this year’s US presidential candidates, some of the harshest have pitted Vivek Ramaswamy against Nikki Haley.

    Ramaswamy went so far as to hold up a sign at a debate calling the South Carolina former governor and UN ambassador corrupt over her corporate work — and she has hit back hard, calling him untrustworthy and berating him for mentioning her children.

    Personal attacks are routine in US politics, and both Haley and Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old entrepreneur who has never held elected office, are facing uphill climbs to wrest the Republican nomination from former president Donald Trump.

    But the two have something in common — they are children of Indian immigrants. Also expected on this year’s ballot is Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, whose mother came from India and whose father was born in Jamaica.

    Indian Americans are split on whether the Ramaswamy versus Haley feud channels larger community tensions, but what is uncontestable is that Indian Americans are more politically prominent than ever before — and increasingly wearing their identity proudly.

    It is another sign of success for the community, whose average household income is the highest of any US ethnic group.

    Raj Goyle, a former state lawmaker in Kansas and co-founder of Indian American Impact, a South Asian American political group, said that ethnic groups in the United States historically have waited for a greater comfort level and critical mass before entering politics.

    “Indian Americans actually have had a quicker journey than other immigrant communities in terms of political success,” he said.

    He noted that Indian Americans are unusual as an immigrant group in that many arrived as educated professionals, highly regarded by other Americans.

    “When the first wave of us were elected, we had to think about how voters would react to our ethnicity,” Goyle said.

    While racism still exists, “Now, I think there’s a very good argument to make that it’s a huge plus.”

    While few give Ramaswamy much chance of winning the presidency, his candidacy marks a watershed in his embrace of his religion.

    Asked at a debate in Iowa about his religion, Ramaswamy said: “I am a Hindu. I won’t fake my identity.”

    Ramaswamy, who has made his name as a Trump-style rabble-rouser denouncing “woke” politics, has cast his Hinduism as in line with conservative Christian beliefs and has voiced opposition to gay marriage.

    He also explained to voters in farm state Iowa, which holds the nation’s first caucus, how he is a vegetarian due to his religion.

    Meanwhile, a Trump campaign aide, Chris LaCivita, told voters to “beware” of Ramaswamy’s diet, also calling him a “fraud.”

    While few give Ramaswamy much chance of winning the presidency, his candidacy marks a watershed in his embrace of his religion.

    Asked at a debate in Iowa about his religion, Ramaswamy said: “I am a Hindu. I won’t fake my identity.”

    Ramaswamy, who has made his name as a Trump-style rabble-rouser denouncing “woke” politics, has cast his Hinduism as in line with conservative Christian beliefs and has voiced opposition to gay marriage.

    He also explained to voters in farm state Iowa, which holds the nation’s first caucus, how he is a vegetarian due to his religion.

    Meanwhile, a Trump campaign aide, Chris LaCivita, told voters to “beware” of Ramaswamy’s diet, also calling him a “fraud.”

    Despite the prominence of Republicans like Haley, Ramaswamy and Jindal, the community has overwhelmingly voted Democratic.

    Dipka Bhambhani, an Indian American writer based in Washington, said the feud between Haley and Ramaswamy showed a divide within the community.

    Haley grew up helping with the bookkeeping at her parents’ clothing store, while Ramaswamy, an Ivy League graduate, was born in Ohio to an engineer father and psychiatrist mother and later married an Indian American doctor.

    “When I first saw the animus from Ramaswamy toward Haley, I knew what it was about. There are wealthy Indians out there who malign other Indians for deviating, exercising American choice in who they marry, how they worship and the like,” Bhambhani said.

    “Ramaswamy criticizing Haley has been (a source of) anguish for so many of us in the Indian community. There are enough spears thrown at people of color in this country. Do we really need an Indian man to take up arms against his Indian sister?”

    But she said the Indian American candidates at the end of the day were Americans, even as they brought Indian values such as commitment to family.

    “It would be nice to see someone in the presidency who embodies those Indian values,” she said.

  • Hamas says many hostages likely killed, blames Israel

    Hamas says many hostages likely killed, blames Israel

    Many of the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip are likely to have been killed, a spokesman for the group said Sunday, blaming the Israeli leadership for their fate.

    “The fate of many of the enemy’s hostages and detainees has become unknown in recent weeks and the rest have all entered the tunnel of the unknown due to the Zionist aggression,” Abu Obeida said in a televised statement.

    “Most likely, many of them were killed recently, the rest are in great danger every hour and the enemy’s leadership and army bear full responsibility.”
    Abu Obeida said the group’s allies from the “axis of resistance” had informed Hamas they would “expand their attacks” against Israeli troops in the coming days.

    “After 100 days of battle… this is the enemy’s leadership, gulping down pain and wading through the mud of failure and setback,” he said.

  • ‘We love life’: Gaza couple celebrate wartime wedding

    ‘We love life’: Gaza couple celebrate wartime wedding

    Surrounded by family and friends, clapping and cheering, Gaza woman Afnan Jibril beams a brilliant smile on her wedding day, determined to celebrate even as war rages.

    “We are a people that love life, despite death, murders and destruction,” said her father, Mohamed Jibril.

    Relatives were gathered on Friday for the wartime wedding in a tiny room at an abandoned school building in the besieged Gaza Strip’s southern city of Rafah, near the frontier with Egypt.

    The city has suffered daily Israeli bombardment, and the families of both bride and groom are among hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have fled the fighting further north.

    “The usual preparations for marriage are not possible, and traditional ceremonies are not feasible,” said the bride’s father. “However, clothes are available, although they are scarce and expensive.”

    Afnan, 17, donning a crown of flowers and pristine white dress with stark red embroidery, and her partner Mustafa Shamlakh, 26, want to make the most of their rare chance to celebrate.

    They dance and laugh as guests spray white mousse around the room.

    But eventually they have to face reality.

    Israel’s relentless military campaign, triggered by attacks by Palestinian militants, has killed at least 23,843 people, mostly women and children, in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

    The war began when Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on October 7, which resulted in about 1,140 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

    The newlyweds make up part of another grim tally — those displaced by the violence, which UN estimates put at 1.9 million Palestinians out of a total population in Gaza of 2.4 million.

    “The house where the groom was supposed to live was destroyed,” Ayman Shamlakh, the groom’s uncle, told AFP.

    As the war went on, both families felt there was nothing to be gained from waiting and they agreed to the marriage.

    After the school celebration, the couple head for a ceremony set to take place in a tent.

    As they dive into a waiting black SUV, surrounded by a massive crowd of well-wishers, it almost looks like any other wedding day.

    “We are all living through the same tragedy,” said Ayman Shamlakh. “However, we must continue to live, and life should go on.”

  • ‘Oppenheimer’ leads SAG nominations as Gala moves to Netflix

    ‘Oppenheimer’ leads SAG nominations as Gala moves to Netflix

    Fresh from its wins at the Golden Globes, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” on Wednesday topped the nominations for the influential Screen Actors Guild Awards, which are key to Oscars success.

    The SAG Awards, voted on by Hollywood actors, are likely to enjoy a profile boost of their own this year as they are broadcast globally on Netflix -an awards show first for the world’s biggest streamer.

    “Oppenheimer,” which tells the story of the inventor of the atomic bomb, earned nods for Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., and Emily Blunt, as well as “outstanding performance by a cast” – the SAG Awards’ top prize.

    Nolan’s three-hour epic, which earned nearly $1 billion and received rave reviews from critics, is rapidly becoming the clear favorite for the Academy Awards in March.

    “Barbie” -the other half of last summer’s “Barbenheimer” box office phenomenon, and the year’s highest-grossing film -picked up nominations for Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and the overall cast.

    The surreal comedy based on the wildly popular doll also picked up a nomination for its stunt performers.

    The other films with three acting nominations were the historical epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” -despite its leading man Leonardo DiCaprio missing out — and the scathing satire “American Fiction,” starring Jeffrey Wright.

    Both movies are nominated for best cast, with the musical remake “The Color Purple” rounding out that category.

    This year’s SAG Awards gala, held on February 24, will be streamed on Netflix, as the platform slowly moves into hosting live events.

    The Screen Actors Guild will bestow a lifetime achievement award on Barbra Streisand.

    In a statement, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher praised the EGOT -Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony – winner as “a colossal icon with a relentless work ethic, evolving with each stage of her remarkable journey.”

    Speeches at next month’s gala are certain to feature multiple references to last year’s Hollywood strikes, which saw the industry shut down as SAG-AFTRA – along with the writers’ guild -went head-to-head with studios.

    A deal was finally reached to end the actors’ strike in November.

    While Netflix will host the gala, none of its films were nominated for the night’s biggest prize.

    But the streamer did land five movie nominations, including Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan for Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro,” and Jodie Foster and Annette Bening for “Nyad.”

    Elsewhere, Globes winners Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph picked up nods for “The Holdovers,” as did Emma Stone and her co-star Willem Dafoe for “Poor Things.”

    All four films missed out on nominations for Outstanding Cast.

    The winner of that prize has gone on to win the best picture at the Oscars in three of the past four years (“Parasite,” “CODA” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once”).

    Actors represent the biggest branch of the membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which votes for the Oscars.

    The SAG Awards also honor television, with “Succession” on top with five nods, followed by “The Bear,” “The Last of Us” and “Ted Lasso,” all on four.

    Hollywood’s Directors’ Guild also announced its own nominations Wednesday.

    Both Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” again made the shortlist of five nominees for the Directors Guild of America’s best film.

    They were joined by Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon, “Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers,” and “Poor Things” from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos.

    The DGA Awards will take place on February 10.

  • Defiant Houthis to continue targeting Israel-linked ships despite US, UK airstrikes

    Defiant Houthis to continue targeting Israel-linked ships despite US, UK airstrikes

    Heavy US and British air strikes pounded targets in Yemen early on Friday after weeks of attacks on Red Sea shipping by Houthi forces acting in solidarity with Gaza.

    Yemen’s Houthi, however, have vowed to continue targeting Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea despite overnight air strikes by the US and Britain, their spokesman said on Friday.

    “We affirm that there is absolutely no justification for this aggression against Yemen, as there was no threat to international navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas, and the targeting was and will continue to affect Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine,” Mohammed Abdulsalam posted on X, formerly Twitter.

    The Houthis have carried out a growing number of attacks Israel-linked shipping in the key international trade route since the intensified attacks on Gaza since October 7.

    Friday’s strikes targeted an airbase, airports and a military camp, the Houthi rebels’ Al-Masirah TV station said.

    “Our country was subjected to a massive aggressive attack by American and British ships, submarines and warplanes,” Huthi Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Al-Ezzi said, according to official media.

    “America and Britain will have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression,” he said.

    A joint statement by the United States, Britain, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and South Korea said the “aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea”.

    “But let our message be clear: we will not hesitate to defend lives and protect the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways in the face of continued threats,” it said.

    The Huthis said there was “no justification” for the air strikes and warned that attacks on Israel-linked shipping would continue.

    Yemen’s neighbour Saudi Arabia, which is trying to end its involvement in a nine-year war with the Houthis, urged against escalation.

    “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is following with great concern the military operations,” a foreign ministry statement said, calling for “self-restraint and avoiding escalation”.

  • Israel accused at UN court of Gaza ‘genocide’

    Israel accused at UN court of Gaza ‘genocide’

    South Africa on Thursday accused Israel of breaching the UN Genocide Convention, arguing that even the deadly October 7 Hamas attack could not justify such alleged actions, as it launched a landmark case at the top UN court.

    Pretoria has lodged an urgent appeal at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to force Israel to “immediately suspend” its military operations in Gaza.

    Israel has dismissed the case as “atrocious” and “preposterous” and vowed to set out a robust defence on Friday.

    “No armed attack on a state territory, no matter how serious… can provide justification for or defend breaches of the convention,” said Pretoria’s Justice Minister Ronald Lamola.

    “Israel’s response to the October 7 attack has crossed this line and given rise to the breaches of the convention,” he added.

    The Gaza war erupted when Hamas launched its unprecedented attack, which resulted in about 1,140 people killed in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

    Israel has responded with a relentless military campaign that has killed at least 23,357 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

    A world away from the death and destruction in Gaza and Israel, robed lawyers battled it out over technical legal arguments in the Peace Palace in The Hague.

    South Africa argues Israel is breaking its commitments under the UN Genocide Convention, a treaty signed in 1948 in the wake of the Holocaust.

    Top lawyer for South Africa Adila Hassim said Israel’s bombing campaign aimed at the “destruction of Palestinian life” and had pushed Palestinians “to the brink of famine”.

    “Genocides are never declared in advance, but this court has the benefit of the past 13 weeks of evidence that shows incontrovertibly a pattern of conduct and related intention that justifies a plausible claim of genocidal acts,” she said.

    As a fellow signatory to the treaty, South Africa can take Israel to the ICJ, which rules on disputes between countries and is often described as the “World Court”.

    The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has long been a firm supporter of the Palestinian cause, often linking it to its own historic struggle against the white-minority government, which had cooperative relations with Israel.

    South Africa has acknowledged the “particular weight of responsibility” of accusing Israel of genocide. It “unequivocally” condemned the Hamas attacks that sparked off the war in Gaza.

    ‘Atrocious and preposterous’

    Israel President Isaac Herzog has already hinted at his country’s likely defence against what he called an “atrocious and preposterous… claim”.

    “We will present proudly our case of using self defence… under international humanitarian law,” he said.

    Herzog said the Israeli army was “doing its utmost under extremely complicated circumstances on the ground to make sure that there will be no unintended consequences and no civilian casualties”.

    The United States is backing its ally Israel, with the State Department describing the charges as “unfounded”.

    “In fact, it is those who are violently attacking Israel who continue to openly call for the annihilation of Israel and the mass murder of Jews,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

    As it is an urgent procedure, the ICJ could rule in a matter of weeks.

    Its rulings are final and cannot be appealed. However, countries do not always follow the court’s verdicts — the ICJ has ordered Russia to stop its invasion of Ukraine, for example.

    But a court ruling against Israel would certainly increase political pressure on the country, with many speculating it could serve as a pretext for sanctions.

    Cecily Rose, assistant professor of public international law at Leiden University, noted the court did not have to rule on the fundamentals of the case at this stage — that issue will likely take years.

    “Instead, the court would only be evaluating whether there is a risk of irreparable prejudice to rights held under the Genocide Convention, in particular the right of the Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts that threaten their existence as a group,” Rose told AFP.

    Dutch police kept rival demonstrations apart in The Hague. Hundreds of pro-Israeli protesters waving flags marched through the streets while a smaller group of pro-Palestinian supporters brandished placards saying: “End Israel apartheid.”

    Pro-Israeli protester Ada Deyl, an 80-year-old pensioner, said: “I think it’s a shame that Israel — who is doing all the right things and is attacked by Hamas — is now facing a lawsuit.”

    On the other side, Zohar Janovitch, 40, alleged that Israeli leaders had “explicitly expressed their disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians.”

  • Ecuador president orders gangs ‘neutralised’ after gunmen storm TV studio

    Ecuador president orders gangs ‘neutralised’ after gunmen storm TV studio

    QUITO – Ecuador’s president gave orders on Jan 9 to “neutralise” criminal gangs after gunmen stormed and opened fire in a TV studio, as bandits threatened random executions on a second day of terror in the country.

    Gangs declared war on the government when President Daniel Noboa announced a state of emergency following the prison escape on Jan 7 of one of Ecuador’s most powerful narco bosses.

    Mr Noboa ordered military operations to “neutralise” criminal gangs, as the country exploded into what he called an “internal armed conflict”.

    Long a peaceful haven sandwiched between top cocaine exporters Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has seen violence explode in recent years as rival gangs with links to Mexican and Colombian cartels vie for control.

    In the port city of Guayaquil, men wearing balaclavas and waving weapons stormed a state-owned TV station during a live broadcast, taking several journalists and staff members hostage on Jan 9.

    At least 10 people have been killed in a series of attacks blamed on gangs – eight in Guayaquil, and two “viciously murdered by armed criminals” in the nearby town of Nobol, police said on Jan 9. Three other officers were wounded in Guayaquil.

    After the escape of Jose Adolfo Macias, aka “Fito” – leader of Ecuador’s biggest gang Los Choneros – Mr Noboa on Jan 8 declared a countrywide state of emergency and nightly curfew.

    Gangs retaliated, taking police officers hostage, setting off explosions in several cities.

    On Jan 9, they stormed a studio of state-owned TC Television in Guayaquil with guns and explosives.

    Hooded attackers fired gunshots during a live TC broadcast as a woman could be heard pleading: “Don’t shoot, please don’t shoot.”

    The intruders forced terrified crew onto the ground and a person could be heard screaming as the studio lights went out but the broadcast continued.

    Police entered the studio after about 30 minutes of chaos.

    ‘You will get war’

    Mr Noboa, 36, who was elected last year on a pledge to fight drug-related violence, ordered the military operations against gangs he described as “terrorist organisations and belligerent non-state actors”.

    Authorities reported multiple explosions and cars set alight on Jan 9, including in the capital Quito, and said seven police officers had been kidnapped.

    A video circulating on social media showed three of the kidnapped officers sitting on the ground with a gun pointed at them as one was forced to read a statement addressed to Mr Noboa.

    “You declared war, you will get war,” the visibly terrified officer read. “You declared a state of emergency. We declare police, civilians and soldiers to be the spoils of war.”

    The statement added that anyone found on the street after 11pm “will be executed”.

    There was panic on the streets, with shops and businesses in various cities closing early and residents rushing home as face-to-face classes were suspended nationwide until Jan 12.

    The head of Ecuador’s Joint Command of the Armed Forces, Rear Admiral Jaime Vela, said that gangs had “committed bloody acts without precedent”.

    “Despite their brutal wickedness, this attempt will fail,” he told media after a Security Council meeting in Quito headed by Mr Noboa.

    Mr Brian Nichols, the top United States diplomat for Latin America, said Washington was “extremely concerned” by the violence and kidnappings, and pledged to provide assistance and “remain in close contact” with Mr Noboa’s team.

    Peru put its border with Ecuador under a state of emergency.

    China’s embassy and consulates in Ecuador announced on Jan 10 that services to the public were suspended.

    “The reopening to the public will be announced in due course,” the embassy said in a statement shared on Chinese social media.

    Chile, Colombia and Brazil sent messages of support for Mr Noboa.

    ‘Return peace to all Ecuadorians’

    A manhunt is under way for Fito, who had been serving a 34-year sentence for organised crime, drug trafficking and murder.

    The 44-year-old is believed to have escaped just hours before police arrived to conduct an inspection of the Guayaquil prison where he was held.

    On Jan 9, officials said another narco boss – Los Lobos leader Fabricio Colon Pico – also escaped since his arrest on Jan 5 for alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate Ecuador’s Attorney-General.

    Unrest has broken out at several penitentiaries, and on Jan 9 the SNAI prisons authority said 125 guards and 14 administrative officers were being held by inmates in five cities.

    Unverified videos circulating on social media purported to show captives armed with knives executing at least two guards. SNAI has not commented on the images.

    The security forces, in turn, have sent out videos of numerous prison raids since Jan 7, with hundreds of inmates amassed in courtyards in their underwear, hands on their heads.

    Mr Noboa had vowed on Jan 8 to “not negotiate with terrorists nor rest until we return peace to all Ecuadorans”.

    Drug violence has taken a heavy toll on the South American country since it became a key stop on the US- and Europe-bound cocaine trade.

    The murder rate quadrupled from 2018 to 2022 and a record 220 tonnes of drugs were seized last year.

    Since February 2021, clashes between prisoners have left more than 460 dead, many beheaded or burnt alive. AFP

  • Palestinian Journalist Freed From Israeli Custody Abused: Report

    Palestinian Journalist Freed From Israeli Custody Abused: Report

    London-based media outlet The New Arab announced on Tuesday the release of one of its Palestinian journalists from Israeli custody, alleging he faced torture during more than a month in detention.

    Diaa al-Kahlout, who was among dozens of Palestinians shown detained by Israeli troops and stripped to their underwear in north Gaza last month, had been released back into the Palestinian territory, the Qatari-owned outlet said.

    In an report on its website, Kahlout told The New Arab he had faced “indescribably tough and difficult” conditions following his arrest.

    The 37-year-old said he had been beaten and tortured.

    “The moment I was detained, Israeli soldiers crowded round me… before they gagged me with tape so I couldn’t speak.”

    Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said following his arrest the journalist was briefly held in Eshel prison in Israel and was subjected to torture, according to several of the organisation’s sources.

    The bloodiest ever Gaza war broke out after Hamas gunmen launched their October 7 attack that resulted in about 1,140 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.