Scroll through TikTok, Instagram Reels, or X for five minutes and you’ll notice something: the “camera” no longer has to be real. A product shot can be generated. A background can be rebuilt. A person can “say” something they never said. And the clips that look like they were filmed on a set? Sometimes they weren’t. That shift is now reaching a new stage — not just “cool tools,” but real-world rules. Platforms are moving to label AI-made videos, major creative companies are baking generative video into professional workflows, and publishers are wrestling with how AI changes traffic, licensing, and…
Author: Oki Bin Oki
Michael Schumacher, a Wisconsin author who produced a diverse array of works ranging from biographies of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and musician Eric Clapton to accounts of Great Lakes shipwrecks, has died. He was 75. Schumacher’s daughter, Emily Joy Schumacher, confirmed Monday that her father passed away on Dec. 29. She did not provide the cause of death. Schumacher produced such varied biographies as “Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker’s Life;” “Crossroads: The Life and Music of Eric Clapton;” and “Dharma Lion: A Biography of Allen Ginsberg” — a prominent Beat Generation poet and writer. Other biographies included “Mr. Basketball: George…
At least 29 people have been killed during the last 10 days of protests across Iran, a human rights group has said. The foreign-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that two of those confirmed killed as of Monday night were affiliated with security forces. Iranian authorities have not published an official death toll. HRANA also said 64 protesters had been injured and 1,200 had been arrested during the unrest, which was sparked by an economic crisis and has spread to 27 of 31 provinces. On Tuesday, videos obtained by BBC Persian showed security forces fired tear gas during…
At least 22 migrants were killed and 65 others injured after a lorry they were travelling in overturned in Ethiopia’s north-eastern Afar region, authorities say. About 85 Ethiopian migrants were travelling along the eastern migration route when the lorry overturned in the town of Semera on Tuesday morning, a senior Afar official Mohammed Ali Biedo said in a statement. Their final destination was unclear but the route typically runs from Ethiopia through Djibouti, across the Red Sea to Yemen, and onward to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. Yemen is a major pathway for migrants from the Horn of…
At least 13 people were killed – eight of them children – after a drone strike on a house in the Sudanese city of el-Obeid, says the Sudan Doctors’ Network. Most of the dead were part of the same family, the medical group added. Although no group has claimed responsibility, the medics say the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out the attack in an area controlled by the army, and which it has been trying to penetrate for months. As the civil war between Sudan’s army and RSF rebels approaches its third year, the scale of suffering has seen…
At least 14 members of the press were detained in Venezuela on Monday as they were covering the aftermath of the seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by US forces. The union representing media workers in Venezuela said all but one of those detained were employed by foreign news organisations and were released later on Monday, with one reporter deported. Foreign news media have long faced restrictions in Venezuela, with very few being granted visas to work in the country. Their detention came as Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as the interim president and shortly after she said that she…
A gambler made nearly half a million dollars on the capture of Venezuela’s president just before it was officially announced, raising questions about whether someone profited from inside knowledge of the US operation. Wagers on Polymarket, a crypto-powered platform, that Nicolás Maduro would be out of power by the end of January rose in the hours before President Donald Trump announced on Saturday the Venezuelan leader had been seized. One account, which joined the platform last month and took four positions, all on Venezuela, made more than $436,000 (£322,000) from a $32,537 bet. It remains unclear who placed the bet.…
Nvidia unveiled a new tech platform for self-driving cars as the world’s leading chip-maker seeks more physical products to embed AI into. Speaking at the annual CES technology conference in Las Vegas, boss Jensen Huan said the system – called Alpamayo – would bring “reasoning” to autonomous vehicles. That would allow cars to “think through rare scenarios, drive safely in complex environments, and explain their driving decisions,” Huang claimed. He said Nvidia was working with Mercedes to produce a driverless car powered by the tech, which would be released in the US in the coming months before being rolled out…
Delcy Rodríguez, a 56-year-old Venezuelan lawyer and politician, was sworn in by her brother Jorge Rodríguez, who serves as president of Venezuela’s National Assembly. Rodríguez is a senior figure within the country’s ruling political establishment and a long-standing member of the United Socialist Party (PSUV), which has governed Venezuela for more than two decades. Rodríguez holds a law degree from the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), one of the country’s leading public universities. During her time at UCV, she was active as a student leader. She later pursued further studies in labor law in Paris, although she did not complete…
U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein has handled numerous weighty cases in his nearly three decades on the bench, including matters involving Trump, the 9/11 attacks and Sudanese genocide. Now, the 92-year-old Manhattan judge is presiding over what could be his biggest case yet. Hellerstein arraigned Nicolás Maduro and Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, on Monday, kickstarting a judicial assignment that was on hold for six years as Maduro eluded arrest after U.S. prosecutors first indicted him. In the meantime, Hellerstein, a Clinton appointment, has been presiding over cases involving some of Maduro’s co-defendants. He presided over Trump’s hush money trial along…
Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro appeared in a New York court on Monday afternoon, saying he had been “kidnapped” with his wife by U.S. forces from their home in Caracas, and that he was a “prisoner of war,” as he pleaded not guilty to drug-trafficking charges Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also charged in the case, have been held since they were taken from Venezuela on Saturday after a U.S. strike on the country at the orders of U.S. President Donald Trump. Flores also pleaded not guilty. “I’m innocent. I am not guilty of anything,” Maduro repeatedly…
Egypt made it into the quarter-finals of the the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) after two goals in extra time, including one from Mohamed Salah, saw the Pharaohs edge a tight last-16 tie against Benin. Clearcut chances were at a premium in Marrakesh, with Salah, who remains in the hunt for a first Afcon title with his country, largely a peripheral figure until his strike in the 124th minute. After a goalless first half, Egypt midfielder Marwan Attia broke the deadlock with a fine strike from the edge of the penalty area which found the top corner with just…
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula is among several individuals who have recorded statements with detectives investigating the death of businessman and politician Cyrus Jirongo, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has said. The DCI also indicated preliminary findings indicate the incident was a road traffic accident, with no signs of foul play at this stage. In a statement issued on Monday, the DCI said Wetang’ula, alongside the owner a bar Jirongo was before he died Rebman Malala and Ibrahim Sambuli, voluntarily presented themselves to investigators for grilling. This was after it emerged they had interacted with the deceased on the…
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Monday that the Pentagon is taking administrative action to punish Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, by cutting his retirement pay for participating in a video where he and other Democratic lawmakers reminded US service members of their duty to refuse illegal orders. Hegseth said in a post on X that the US military will reduce the amount of retirement pay Kelly receives and has issued a secretarial letter of censure, which would stand as a written reprimand but have no practical consequences for the Arizona Democrat. “In response to Senator Mark Kelly’s…
Uganda’s authorities have denied reports that they are planning to cut access to the internet during next week’s election. The main opposition candidate last week repeated claims that the government was going to block the internet to prevent his supporters from mobilising, and sharing election results. On Friday, satellite internet provider Starlink restricted its services in Uganda following an order from the communications regulator, fuelling these concerns. President Yoweri Museveni is seeking to extend his 40-year rule in the 15 January elections. His strongest challenger is expected to be Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, a former pop star.…