OpenAI to introduce ChatGPT app for iOS

The public battle to dominate the AI technology space kicked off late last year with the launch of ChatGPT. (AFP/File)
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Updated 19 May 2023
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OpenAI to introduce ChatGPT app for iOS

  • App is available for iOS in US, but to expand to additional countries in coming weeks, OpenAI said

LONDON: OpenAI, the company behind the ChatGPT chatbot, said on Thursday it is introducing the ChatGPT app for Apple’s iOS.
The ChatGPT app is free to use and would sync history across devices, OpenAI said.
“ChatGPT Plus subscribers get exclusive access to GPT-4’s capabilities, early access to features and faster response times, all on iOS,” the company added.
GPT-4 is a powerful artificial intelligence model that succeeds the technology behind the wildly popular ChatGPT.
Earlier in February, OpenAI launched a pilot subscription plan for its popular AI-powered chatbot, called ChatGPT Plus, for $20 per month.
The company said it was starting the roll-out for iOS in the US and will expand to additional countries in the coming weeks.
The public battle to dominate the AI technology space kicked off late last year with the launch of ChatGPT and prompted tech heavyweights from Alphabet Inc. to Meta to trumpet their own offerings.


Israeli court overturns conviction of officer who assaulted Palestinian journalist, citing ‘Oct. 7 PTSD’

Updated 25 February 2026
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Israeli court overturns conviction of officer who assaulted Palestinian journalist, citing ‘Oct. 7 PTSD’

  • Judge sentenced Yitzhak Sofer to 300 hours of community service, saying officer “devoted his life to Israel’s security” and conviction was “disproportionate to severity of his actions”
  • Footage shows Sofer throwing photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf to the ground, and repeatedly beating and kicking him while he covered Palestinian gatherings near Al-Aqsa Mosque

LONDON: An Israeli court overturned the conviction of a border police officer who assaulted a Palestinian journalist, ruling his actions were influenced by post-traumatic stress disorder from serving during the Oct. 7 2023 attacks.

On Tuesday, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court sentenced officer Yitzhak Sofer to 300 hours of community service for assaulting Anadolu Agency photojournalist Mustafa Alkharouf in occupied East Jerusalem in December 2023.

Footage shows Sofer and other officers drawing weapons, throwing Alkharouf to the ground, and repeatedly beating and kicking him while he covered Palestinian gatherings near Al-Aqsa Mosque amid heavy restrictions.

Alkharouf was hospitalized with facial and body injuries. His cameraman, Faiz Abu Ramila, was also attacked.

Sofer had been convicted in September 2024 of assault causing bodily harm (acquitted of threats) and initially faced six months’ community service, as recommended by Mahash, the Justice Ministry’s police misconduct unit.

Judge Amir Shaked accepted the defense request to cancel the conviction, replacing it with community service.

He cited Sofer’s PTSD from responding to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack, noting the officer had “no prior criminal record” and had “devoted his life to Israel’s security.”

“The court cannot ignore this when considering whether the defendant’s conviction should stand,” he said, adding that while the incident is “serious and does cross the criminal threshold,” the conviction in place could cause Sofer harm “disproportionate to the severity of his actions.”

The ruling comes amid surging attacks on journalists in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza since Israel’s war on Gaza began.

The Committee to Protect Journalists reported Israel responsible for two-thirds of the 129 media workers killed worldwide in 2025, the deadliest year on record, citing a “persistent culture of impunity” and lack of transparent probes.

Reporters Without Borders called the Israeli army the “worst enemy of journalists” in its 2025 report, with nearly half of global reporter deaths in Gaza.

Foreign journalists face raids, arrests and intimidation. In late January 2026, Israel’s Supreme Court granted a delay on ruling a ban on foreign media access to Gaza.