CALIFORNIA: The 2-year-old son of a Yemeni woman who sued the Trump administration to let her into the country to be with the ailing boy has died.
Abdullah Hassan died Friday in UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, where his father Ali Hassan brought him in the fall to get treatment for a genetic brain disorder.
Ali Hassan is a US citizen who lives in Stockton, California. He and his wife Shaima Swileh moved to Egypt after marrying in Yemen in 2016. Swileh is not an American citizen and remained in Egypt while fighting for a visa.
“We are heartbroken. We had to say goodbye to our baby, the light of our lives,” Ali Hassan said.
Swileh held her son for the first time in the hospital 10 days ago.
A funeral is scheduled for Saturday.
Swileh had been trying to get a visa since 2017, so the family could move to the United States.
Citizens from Yemen and four other mostly Muslim countries, along with North Korea and Venezuela, are restricted from coming to the United States under President Donald Trump’ s travel ban.
When the boy’s health worsened, the father went ahead to California in October to get their son help, and Swileh remained in Egypt hoping for a visa. As the couple fought for a waiver, doctors put Abdullah on life support.
“My wife is calling me every day wanting to kiss and hold her son for the one last time,” said Ali Hassan, choking up at a news conference earlier this month.
He started losing hope and was considering pulling his son off life support to end his suffering. But then a hospital social worker reached out to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which sued on Dec. 16, said Basim Elkarra, executive director of the group in Sacramento.
The State Department granted Swileh a waiver the next day.
“With their courage, this family has inspired our nation to confront the realities of Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban,” said Saad Sweilem, a lawyer with the council who represents the family. “In his short life, Abdullah has been a guiding light for all of us in the fight against xenophobia and family separation.”
2-year-old Yemeni boy whose mother sued US to see him has died
2-year-old Yemeni boy whose mother sued US to see him has died
Indonesia threatens to ban Musk’s Grok AI over degrading images of children and women
- Grok has been complying with user requests to alter images of real people
- Other countries, including Malaysia and France, have also threatened action against X
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Communications Ministry threatened on Wednesday to ban Elon Musk’s X and its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok after degrading pictures of women and children generated without consent surged on the social media platform.
Grok has been complying with requests from X users to modify images of real women and children stripped to their underwear, creating a viral trend that has sparked concerns across the globe.
A preliminary investigation found that Grok “does not yet have explicit and adequate regulations to prevent the production and distribution of pornographic content based on real photos” of Indonesian citizens,” Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs said in a statement.
Indonesia has strict laws against the production and distribution of pornography, with the government regularly instructing internet service providers to block access to websites containing such content.
“The obligation to comply with Indonesian laws and regulations applies to all digital platforms operating in Indonesia,” the ministry said.
“Should there be non-compliance or lack of cooperation, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs may impose administrative sanctions, including termination of access to Grok’s AI services and the X platform.”
Indonesia has joined a growing list of countries, which includes Malaysia, India and France, that are calling for investigations and threatening action against Grok.
Concerns grew after a December update to the chatbot made it easier for users to post photographs of people and ask for their clothing to be removed.
In a report published on Tuesday, European non-profit organization AI Forensics said Grok is “systematically ‘undressing’ women.”
Its analysis of 20,000 images generated by Grok between Dec. 25 and Jan.1 found that 53 percent of them contained individuals in minimal attire, with 81 percent of them being women, while two percent of the images depicted persons appearing to be 18 years old or younger.
Indonesia’s Communications Ministry said AI service providers and users are also subject to administrative or criminal sanctions under Indonesian law if they are proven to have produced or distributed pornographic content or modified personal images without permission.
“Every digital platform must ensure that the technology they provide does not become a medium for privacy violation, sexual exploitation or the degradation of a person’s dignity,” said Alexander Sabar, director-general of digital space at the ministry.
“We urge all parties to use artificial intelligence technology responsibly. The digital space is not a lawless space; every citizen’s privacy and right to their image must be respected and protected.”
