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Denmark’s prime minister on Sunday said her country faces a “decisive moment” in its diplomatic battle with the United States over Greenland, after President Donald Trump again suggested using force to seize the Arctic territory.Ahead of meetings in Washington from Monday on the global scramble for key raw materials, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that “there is a conflict over Greenland”.”This is a decisive moment” with stakes that go beyond the immediate issue of Greenland’s future, she added in a debate with other Danish political leaders.Frederiksen posted on Facebook that “we are ready to defend our values — wherever it is necessary  — also in the Arctic. We believe in international law and in peoples’ right to self-determination.”Germany and Sweden backed Denmark against Trump’s latest claims to the self-governing Danish territory. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson condemned US “threatening rhetoric” after Trump repeated that Washington was “going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not”.”Sweden, the Nordic countries, the Baltic states, and several major European countries stand together with our Danish friends,” he told a defence conference in Salen where the US general in charge of NATO took part. Kristersson said a US takeover of mineral-rich Greenland would be “a violation of international law and risks encouraging other countries to act in exactly the same way”.- No ‘immediate threat’ -Germany reiterated its support for Denmark and Greenland ahead of the Washington discussions. Before meeting US counterpart Marco Rubio on Monday, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadehpul held talks in Iceland to address the “strategic challenges of the Far North”, according to a foreign ministry statement.”Security in the arctic is becoming more and more important” and “is part of our common interest in NATO”, he said at a joint news conference with Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir.”If the American president is looking at what threats might come from Russian or Chinese ships or submarines in the region, we can of course find answers to that together,” he added.But “the future of Greenland must be decided by the people of Greenland” and Denmark, he said.Asked about a possible strengthening of NATO’s commitment in the Arctic, Wadephul said Germany was “ready to assume greater responsibilities”.Earlier Sunday, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said: “We are strengthening security in the Arctic together, as NATO allies, and not against one another.”He was speaking ahead of an international meeting on critical raw materials in Washington. European nations have scrambled to coordinate a response after the White House said this week that Trump wanted to buy Greenland and refused to rule out military action.On Tuesday, leaders of seven European countries including France, Britain, Germany and Italy signed a letter saying it is “only” for Denmark and Greenland to decide the territory’s future.Trump says controlling the island is crucial for US national security because of the rising Russian and Chinese military activity in the Arctic.NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Alexus Grynkewich told the Swedish conference that alliance members were discussing Greenland’s status.While there was “no immediate threat” to NATO territory, the Arctic’s strategic importance was fast growing, the US general added.Grynkewich said he would not comment on “the political dimensions of recent rhetoric” but talks on Greenland were being held at the North Atlantic Council.”Those dialogues continue in Brussels. They have been healthy dialogues from what I’ve heard,” the general said.A Danish colony until 1953, Greenland gained home rule 26 years later and is contemplating eventually loosening its ties with Denmark. Polls indicate that Greenland’s population strongly oppose a US takeover. “I don’t think there’s an immediate threat to NATO territory right now,” Grynkewich told the conference.But he said Russian and Chinese vessels had been seen patrolling together on Russia’s northern coast and near Alaska and Canada, working together to get greater access to the Arctic as ice recedes due to global warming.burs-jj/des

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that hundreds more federal agents were heading to Minneapolis, brushing aside demands by the city’s Democratic leaders to leave after an immigration officer fatally shot a woman protester.In multiple TV interviews, Noem defended the actions of the officer who shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, whose death has sparked renewed protests nationwide against President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown.Noem reiterated her claim that Good’s actions in the Midwestern city on Wednesday amounted to “domestic terrorism,” and that the agent acted in self-defense when he fatally shot Good in her car.Prominent Democratic officials, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have strongly disputed this narrative, saying viral footage from the scene shows Good’s vehicle turning away from the agent and posing no threat to his life.Noem, when pressed repeatedly by CNN about how she could make such definitive statements while an investigation into the incident had just begun, insisted she and the administration were in the right.”Why are we arguing with a president who’s working to keep people safe?” she said.Speaking separately to the conservative Fox News network, Noem said hundreds more officers will arrive Sunday and Monday, to allow immigration agents “that are working in Minneapolis to do so safely.”If protesters “conduct violent activities against law enforcement, if they impede our operations, that’s a crime, and we will hold them accountable to those consequences,” Noem told “Sunday Morning Futures.” – ‘Extremely politicized’ -Meanwhile confrontations between federal agents and protesters continued Sunday in Minneapolis, with officers seen using pepper spray against people holding signs outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in the city.Noem accused Democrats of encouraging violence against immigration officers.”These locals, if you look at what Governor Walz has said, if you look at what Mayor Frey has said, they’ve extremely politicized and inappropriately talked about the situation on the ground in their city,” she told CNN’s “State of the Union.””They’ve inflamed the public. They’ve encouraged the kind of destruction and violence that we’ve seen in Minneapolis the last several days.”Since Wednesday’s shooting, thousands of people have demonstrated, largely peacefully, in several cities across the country including Minneapolis, where 29 people were detained and then released Friday, according to police.The protesters have demanded a full investigation into the circumstances of the deadly encounter.Democratic officials are particularly critical of the fact that local authorities have been excluded from the investigation, which is being conducted by the FBI.”It should be a neutral, unbiased investigation where you get the facts,” Frey told CNN.He also described as legitimate activists’ actions to disrupt immigration enforcement operations, such as one in which Good was involved.”You need to enforce laws, of course, but there’s also a requirement that you carry out laws and carry out enforcement in a constitutional way,” Frey added.”We’ve got pregnant women getting dragged through the street. We’ve got high schoolers just getting — American citizens, by the way — getting taken away.”On Sunday agents were carrying out Trump’s immigration crackdown and were seen detaining people in residential areas. People were also seen laying flowers at makeshift memorials honoring Good.The federal security operation in Minneapolis occurred amid a highly politicized fraud investigation in Minnesota.

Venezuelans waited Sunday for more political prisoners to be freed as ousted president Nicolas Maduro defiantly claimed from his US jail cell that he was “doing well” after being seized by US forces a week ago.The government of interim president Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday began to release prisoners jailed under Maduro in a gesture of openness after she pledged to cooperate with Washington.The government said a “large” number would be released in a gesture of appeasement for which President Donald Trump’s administration took credit — but rights groups and the opposition say only about 20 have walked free since, including several prominent opposition figures.Rodriguez, vice president under Maduro, said Venezuela would take “the diplomatic route” with Washington, with Trump claiming the United States was “in charge” of the South American country.”Venezuela has started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners. Thank you!” Trump said in a post late Saturday on his Truth Social platform.”I hope those prisoners will remember how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done.”Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured in a dramatic January 3 raid that began with overnight air strikes across Caracas. They were taken to New York by US forces to stand trial on drug-trafficking and weapons charges.- Anxiety over prisoners -A detained police officer accused of “treason” against Venezuela died in state custody, the opposition and rights groups said on Saturday.”We directly hold the regime of Delcy Rodriguez responsible for this death,” Primero Justicia (Justice First), which is part of the Venezuelan opposition alliance, said on X.Families held candlelight vigils outside El Rodeo prison east of Caracas and El Helicoide, a notorious jail run by the intelligence services, holding signs with the names of their imprisoned relatives.”I am tired and angry,” Nebraska Rivas, 57, told AFP as she waited for her son to be released from El Rodeo.”But I have faith that they will hand him over to us soon,” she said after sleeping on the pavement outside the prison for two nights.- ‘Trust blindly’ -Maduro claimed he was “doing well” in jail in New York, his son Nicolas Maduro Guerra said in a video released Saturday by his party.Around 1,000 protesters, waving flags and placards with the face of the mustachioed ex-leader and his wife Cilia Flores, rallied on Saturday in the west of Caracas and a few hundred in the eastern Petare district. “I’ll march as often as I have to until Nicolas and Cilia come back,” said demonstrator Soledad Rodriguez, 69. The demonstrations were far smaller than Maduro’s camp had mustered in the past, and top figures from his government were notably absent.The caretaker president has moved to placate the powerful pro-Maduro base by insisting Venezuela is not “subordinate” to Washington.- Pressure on Cuba -Trump vowed to secure US access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves following Maduro’s capture, and Delcy Rodriguez has pledged to cooperate.Trump pressed top oil executives at a White House meeting on Friday to invest in Venezuela’s reserves, but was met with a cautious reception.Experts say Venezuela’s oil infrastructure is creaky after years of mismanagement and sanctions.Washington has also confirmed that US envoys visited Caracas on Friday to discuss reopening their embassy there.Trump on Sunday pressured Caracas’s leftist ally Cuba, which has survived in recent years under a US embargo thanks to cheap Venezuelan oil imports.He urged Cuba to “make a deal” or face unspecified consequences, warning that the flow of Venezuelan oil and money to Havana would now stop.Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel retorted on X that the Caribbean island was “ready to defend the homeland to the last drop of blood.””Cuba is a free, independent and sovereign nation,” he said. “No one tells us what to do.”

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” kept the North American box office churning, claiming the top spot for a fourth week running with $21.3 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday.The third installment in director James Cameron’s blockbuster fantasy series has now earned a massive $1.23 billion worldwide, according to Exhibitor Relations.”Fire and Ash” stars Zoe Saldana as Na’vi warrior Neytiri and Sam Worthington as ex-Marine Jake Sully, who must battle a new foe threatening their family’s life on the planet Pandora.It is the fourth Cameron film to pass the $1 billion mark, with the first two “Avatar” films and “Titanic.”Debuting in second place in the United States and Canada was “Primate,” a horror film about a violent pet chimpanzee, with $11.3 million.”This is a good opening for an original horror film,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.”Horror stories that feature an evil creature generally perform better at the box office than horror stories about evil humans.”Not far behind in third place at $11.2 million was “The Housemaid,” an adaptation of Freida McFadden’s best-selling novel about a young woman who is hired by a wealthy couple with dark secrets.Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried star in the Lionsgate release.Disney’s feel-good animated film “Zootopia 2” — the other juggernaut of the holiday box office — dropped to fourth place at $10.1 million. Its global total now stands at $1.65 billion.Lionsgate’s disaster sequel “Greenland 2: Migration” starring Gerard Butler came in fifth place at $8.5 million.Rounding out the top 10 are:”Marty Supreme” ($7.6 million)”Anaconda” ($5.1 million)”The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” ($3.8 million)”David” ($3.1 million)”Song Sung Blue” ($3 million)

Hollywood’s A-listers are set to hit the red carpet on Sunday for the Golden Globes, with the politically charged “One Battle After Another” expected to solidify its status as the film to beat this awards season.With nine nominations, “One Battle” appears a lock to take home the prize for best comedy/musical film.”We’re seeing a real sweep and a juggernaut in that movie,” Deadline’s awards columnist and chief critic Pete Hammond told AFP, two months ahead of the Oscars.Paul Thomas Anderson’s screwball thriller, which centers on an aging revolutionary (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his teenage daughter (Chase Infiniti), is a rollicking ride featuring violent leftist radicals, immigration raids and white supremacists.At a time when the United States is deeply polarized, many critics and pundits have hailed the film as capturing the moment.DiCaprio will vie for best actor at the Globes — a sometimes eccentric bellwether for the Academy Awards — with Timothee Chalamet, who stars in “Marty Supreme” as an ambitious 1950s table tennis player.”Leonardo DiCaprio would be tremendously helped by actually winning at the Globes. That’s the ideal moment to stop Timothee Chalamet’s momentum before the Oscars,” Hammond said.Teyana Taylor, who plays an unapologetically bold leftist revolutionary, could fuel a sweep for “One Battle” if she can pick up the prize for best supporting actress.But in her way are Amy Madigan for her wacky villainous turn in “Weapons” and Ariana Grande for her portrayal of Glinda in the blockbuster “Wicked: For Good.”- ‘Sinners’ versus ‘Hamnet’ -The Golden Globes offer separate awards for dramas and comedies/musicals — widening the field of stars in attendance, and fueling the suspense. “Sinners,” Ryan Coogler’s period horror film about the segregated South of the 1930s, is expected to be the toughest competition for “One Battle” at the Oscars. But at the Globes, they are in separate categories.”Sinners” surprised moviegoers with its eclectic mix of vampires, politics, race relations and blues music.It is the frontrunner for the best drama film Globe, against rival “Hamnet,” which stars Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley as his grief-stricken wife, as the two cope with the death of their young son.”Sentimental Value,” the Norwegian family dramedy starring Stellan Skarsgard, earned a strong eight nominations and is also in the running.A “Sinners” victory “would be an indication of a real change,” Hammond says, noting that in the past, voters “were never actually that drawn to Black stories.”Buckley is the favorite for best drama actress honors.The Golden Globes went through a crisis period, following a Los Angeles Times expose in 2021 that showed that the awards’ voting body — the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — had no Black members.Now under new ownership, and with the HFPA disbanded, a wider net of overseas critics has been brought in to pick the winners.”These new voters are less keen on movies that make a lot of money at the box office, and more interested in international movies that are highly praised in Cannes and Venice,” Hammond explained.- Prize for Iran’s Panahi? -One of those movies is Brazilian thriller “The Secret Agent,” and lead actor Wagner Moura is favored to win best drama actor honors over “Sinners” star Michael B. Jordan, according to awards prediction site Gold Derby. Skarsgard, a Hollywood stalwart, is poised to take home the award for best supporting actor. “The Secret Agent” and “Sentimental Value” will vie for the Globe for best non-English language film with “It Was Just An Accident” from Iranian dissident director Jafar Panahi. “The Globes may want to make a statement and give him this prize,” Hammond said of Panahi.The Globes also honor the best in television, with HBO’s black comedy anthology “The White Lotus,” sci-fi office thriller “Severance” and searing teen murder saga “Adolescence” leading the contenders.Comedian Nikki Glaser, who is returning as host of the gala in Beverly Hills, says she will not hold back on the jokes.”Everyone is fair game,” she told People magazine.

Venezuelans were waiting for more political prisoners to be released on Sunday, as ousted president Nicolas Maduro defiantly claimed from his US jail cell that he is “doing fine” after being seized by US forces a week ago.Interim president Delcy Rodriguez has begun to free prisoners jailed under Maduro, saying a “large” number would be released in a gesture of appeasement for which Washington took credit.Rodriguez, vice president under Maduro, said Venezuela would take “the diplomatic route” with the United States, with President Donald Trump claiming it was “in charge” of the South American country.”Venezuela has started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners. Thank you!” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday night.”I hope those prisoners will remember how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done.”Rights groups estimate there are 800 to 1,200 political prisoners held in Venezuela.Maduro and his wife were captured in a dramatic nighttime raid on January 3 that began with air strikes across Caracas. They were taken to New York City by US forces to stand trial on drug-trafficking and weapons charges.- Anxiety over prisoners -Only 21 people had been released by Saturday evening, including several prominent opposition figures, prisoners’ rights groups and the opposition said.A detained police officer accused of “treason” against Venezuela had also died in state custody, the opposition and rights groups said on Saturday.”We directly hold the regime of Delcy Rodriguez responsible for this death,” Primero Justicia (Justice First), which is part of the Venezuelan opposition alliance, said in a statement on X.Anxious relatives have camped outside jails, awaiting the promised release of political prisoners.Families held candlelight vigils outside El Rodeo prison east of Caracas and El Helicoide, a notorious prison run by the intelligence services, displaying signs with the names of their imprisoned relatives.”I am tired and angry,” Nebraska Rivas, 57, told AFP as she waited for her son to be released from El Rodeo.”But I have faith that they will hand him over to us soon,” she said after sleeping on the pavement outside the prison for two nights.- ‘Trust blindly’ -Maduro claimed he was “doing well” in jail in New York, his son Nicolas Maduro Guerra said in a video released by his party on Saturday.Around 1,000 protesters, waving flags and placards with the face of the mustachioed ex-leader and his wife Cilia Flores, rallied in the west of Caracas and a few hundred in the eastern Petare district. “I’ll march as often as I have to until Nicolas and Cilia come back,” said demonstrator Soledad Rodriguez, 69.”I trust blindly that they will come back — they have been kidnapped.”The demonstrations were far smaller than Maduro’s camp had mustered in the past, and top figures from his government were notably absent.Rodriguez was instead seen attending an agricultural fair. She has moved to placate the powerful pro-Maduro base by insisting Venezuela is not “subordinate” to Washington, and vowed in televised comments she would “not rest for a minute until we have our president back.”The other two hardline powers in his government, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, were also not seen at the rallies.- Oil talks -Trump vowed to secure US access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves following Maduro’s capture, and Rodriguez has pledged to cooperate.The White House said Trump has signed an emergency order protecting US-held revenues derived from sales of Venezuelan oil, preventing them from being seized by courts or creditors.Trump pressed top oil executives at a White House meeting on Friday to invest in Venezuela’s reserves, but was met with a cautious reception.Chevron is currently the only US firm licensed to operate in Venezuela, through a sanctions exemption.Experts say Venezuela’s oil infrastructure is creaky after years of mismanagement and sanctions.Washington has also confirmed that US envoys visited Caracas on Friday to discuss reopening their embassy there.The Venezuelan government did not respond when asked whether the US officials had met with Rodriguez.The US embassy in Colombia warned on Saturday that “the security situation in Venezuela remains fluid” and advised Americans to leave “immediately” as commercial flights become available.

American guitarist and songwriter Bob Weir, a founding member of the revolutionary, psychedelic jam band Grateful Dead, has died aged 78, his family announced Saturday.Weir was diagnosed with cancer in July and had beaten the disease, but “succumbed to underlying lung issues,” his family said in a statement on his personal website, without specifying where or when he died.”For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road,” the statement said. “Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music.””His work did more than fill rooms with music; it was warm sunlight that filled the soul, building a community, a language, and a feeling of family that generations of fans carry with them.”Founded in San Francisco by Weir, Jerry Garcia, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Phil Lesh, and Bill Kreutzmann, the Grateful Dead became one of the leading music groups to emerge from the 1960s counterculture movement.With its trademark improvisational, genre-blending style, the band became known for never performing the same show twice, winning an avid and diverse legion of fans, and selling millions of records.The group revolutionized fan engagement, as followers — famously known as “Deadheads” — recorded and swapped bootleg tapes of the concerts in a communal, drug-addled camp environment that traveled from stadium to stadium, a trend later copied by other bands’ fandoms.The rockers disbanded in 1995, a few months after lead guitarist Garcia’s death at the age of 53, and a year after the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.Weir would however continue to perform intermittently with other living bandmembers, more recently in the group Dead & Company, which also included guitarist and singer John Mayer.”As we remember Bobby, it’s hard not to feel the echo of the way he lived,” the family said.”A man driftin’ and dreamin’, never worrying if the road would lead him home. A child of countless trees. A child of boundless seas,” the family said, quoting the songs “Cassidy” and “Lost Sailor,” written by Weir and the late John Perry Barlow.Following Weir’s death, 79-year-old drummer Kreutzmann became the last living co-founder of the Grateful Dead.Bassist Lesh died in October 2024 at the age of 84, while keyboardist McKernan died aged 27 in 1973.Drummer Mickey Hart, 82, joined the group in 1967.In 2024, the final year of Joe Biden’s presidency, Weir and other living Grateful Dead members were given Kennedy Center Honors, among the highest American arts awards.”The Grateful Dead has always been about community, creativity, and exploration in music and presentation,” Weir, Hart, Lesh and Kreutzmann said at the time.”Our music belongs as much to our fans, the Dead Heads, as it does to us. This honor, then, is as much theirs as ours.”

Several hundred supporters of deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro staged protests in the capital Saturday, a week after his capture by US forces, as the interim government moved to revive ties with Washington and slowly released some prisoners.Waving flags and placards with the face of the mustachioed ex-leader and his wife Cilia, around 1,000 protesters rallied in the west of Caracas and a few hundred in the eastern Petare district — far smaller than demonstrations Maduro’s camp has mustered in the past.”I’ll march as often as I have to until Nicolas and Cilia come back,” demonstrator Soledad Rodriguez, 69, said of the presidential couple who were taken by US forces to New York to face trial on drug-trafficking charges.”I trust blindly that they will come back — they have been kidnapped.”Notably absent from the rallies were top figures from the government, which has said it is reviving diplomatic contact with Washington and discussing possible cooperation on US President Donald Trump’s oil demands.Interim president Delcy Rodriguez instead attended an agricultural fair, where she vowed in televised comments she would “not rest for a minute until we have our president back.”The other two hardline powers in the government, Interior Minister and street enforcer Diosdado Cabello, and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, were also not seen at the demos.- Diplomatic maneuvers -Maduro claimed he was “doing well” in jail, his son Nicolas Maduro Guerra said in a video released Saturday by his party.Despite the shock of his capture during deadly nighttime raids on January 3, signs emerged Friday of cooperation with Washington after Trump’s claim to be “in charge” of the South American country.Rodriguez said Venezuela would deal with the United States through “the diplomatic route,” and Washington said US envoys visited Caracas on Friday to discuss reopening their embassy.The Venezuelan government did not respond when asked by AFP whether the US officials had met with Rodriguez.She has pledged to cooperate with Trump over his demands for access to Venezuela’s huge oil reserves.But she also moved to placate the powerful pro-Maduro base by insisting Venezuela is not “subordinate” to Washington.The US embassy in Colombia warned Saturday that “the security situation in Venezuela remains fluid” and advised Americans to leave the country “immediately” as commercial flights become available.- Anxiety over prisoners -Anxious relatives meanwhile camped outside jails, awaiting the promised release of political prisoners.Rodriguez’s camp on Thursday began freeing prisoners jailed under Maduro, saying a “large” number would be released in a gesture of appeasement that Washington took credit for.”Venezuela has started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners. Thank you! I hope those prisoners will remember how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done,” Trump posted Saturday night on his Truth Social platform.However, prisoners’ rights groups and the opposition said only 21 people had been released by Saturday evening, including several prominent opposition figures. Rights groups estimate there are 800 to 1,200 political prisoners in Venezuela.Families held candlelight vigils outside El Rodeo prison east of Caracas, and El Helicoide, a notorious prison run by the intelligence services, displaying signs with the names of their imprisoned relatives.”I am tired and angry,” Nebraska Rivas, 57, told AFP, as she waited for her son to be released from El Rodeo.”But I have faith that they will hand him over to us soon,” she said, after sleeping on the pavement outside the prison for two nights.- Oil talks -Following Maduro’s capture, Trump vowed to secure US access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.The White House said Trump has signed an emergency order protecting US-held revenues derived from sales of Venezuelan oil, preventing them from being seized by courts or creditors.Chevron is currently the only US firm licensed to operate in Venezuela, through a sanctions exemption.At a White House meeting on Friday, he pressed top oil executives to invest in Venezuela’s reserves, but was met with a cautious reception.Experts say Venezuela’s oil infrastructure is creaky after years of mismanagement and sanctions.

The future of the Chrysler Building, a unique monument to art deco architecture on the Manhattan skyline, remains in limbo as it awaits a possible sale.The building, affixed with gargoyles, stainless steel design nods to early Chrysler vehicles and a celebrated crown and needle top, has been put up for sale after a New York judge expropriated the property in September 2024 from prior leaseholders who were in arrears.The famed skyscraper, which began hosting tenants in April 1930 and was once the world’s tallest building, continues to draw tourists to its blue-chip address of 405 Lexington Avenue in the heart of Manhattan.But real estate insiders say the property is badly in need of remodeling, with aging office spaces, tiny windows, fickle elevators and a pesky rodent population among its ills.”The beautiful (Chrysler Building) has lots of technical issues but it’s unclear what the best use for the building is,” said Ruth Colp-Haber, a partner at Wharton Property Advisors, who believes costly investment will be needed to update the structure.”Everything’s on hold there until they figure out who’s the owner and what’s his game plan,” she said. “They are not showing spaces.”- Cooper Union connection -The Chrysler Building was first envisioned in the roaring 1920s, prior to the 1929 Wall Street crash, and completed in just two years.It opened with fanfare and hosted an observation deck until 1945. The building stood as the tallest structure in the world prior to the completion of the Empire State Building in 1931.The land on which the building sits has been owned since 1902 by the Cooper Union, a private college that specializes in art, architecture and engineering.The school’s most recent tenant, a consortium of real estate firm RFR and Austrian firm Signa, had reached an agreement in 2019 to buy the building for $151 million with a promise of $250 million in upgrades.But Signa filed for insolvency in 2023 and RFR stopped paying rent in May 2024, according to legal documents reviewed by AFP, with the latter owing $21 million when the property was expropriated. Cooper Union leaders have said the Chrysler Building’s travails will not result in higher tuition rates or fewer scholarships. “We have built important reserves and surpluses over the last seven years,” Cooper Union interim president Malcolm King said in a message to employees and students, adding that they had “planned for a range of scenarios, including this one.”Current tenants of the building include prestigious law firms, investment groups and creative agencies.New York’s commercial real estate industry has partially recovered from the pandemic and early post-pandemic period when companies were slow to return to the office. But the Chrysler Building faces tough competition from newer buildings, like the nearby One Vanderbilt Avenue or the gleaming Hudson Yards structures. Further complicating the situation is the structure’s 1978 designation as a New York City landmark, a distinction that means significant changes must be approved by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.Exactly what will happen to the building remains clouded in mystery. AFP queries to the Cooper Union, the landmark commission and leading real estate brokers went unanswered.In any case, “it is extraordinarily rare for the commission to approve the demolition of an individual landmark,” said an expert who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Toy makers at the Consumer Electronics Show were adamant about being careful to ensure that their fun creations infused with generative artificial intelligence don’t turn naughty.That need was made clear by a recent Public Interest Research Groups report with alarming findings, including an AI-powered teddy bear giving advice about sex and how to find a knife.After being prompted, a Kumma bear suggested that a sex partner could add a “fun twist” to a relationship by pretending to be an animal, according to the “Trouble in Toyland” report published in November.The outcry prompted Singaporean startup FoloToy to temporarily suspend sales of the bears.FoloToy chief executive Wang Le told AFP that the company switched to a more advanced version of the OpenAI model used.When PIRG tested the toy for the report, “they used some words children would not use,” Wang Le said.He expressed confidence that the updated bear would either evade or not answer inappropriate questions.Toy giant Mattel, meanwhile, made no mention of the report in mid-December when it postponed the release of its first toy developed in partnership with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.- Caution advised -The rapid advancement of generative AI since ChatGPT’s arrival has paved the way for a new generation of smart toys.Among the four devices tested by PIRG was Curio’s Grok — not to be confused with xAI’s voice assistant — a four-legged stuffed toy inspired by a rocket that has been on the market since 2024.The top performer in its class, Grok refused to answer questions unsuitable for a five-year-old.It also allowed parents to override the algorithm’s recommendations with their own and to review the content of interactions with young users.Curio has received the independent KidSAFE label, which certifies that child protection standards are being applied.However, the plush rocket is also designed to continuously listen for questions, raising privacy concerns about what it does with what is said around it.Curio told AFP it was working to address concerns raised in the PIRG report about user data being shared with partners such as OpenAI and Perplexity.”At the very least, parents should be cautious,” Rory Erlich of PIRG said about having chatbot-enabled toys in the house.”Toys that retain information about a child over time and try to form an ongoing relationship should especially be of concern.”Chatbots in toys do create opportunities for them to serve as tutors of sorts.Turkish company Elaves says its round, yellow toy Sunny will be equipped with a chatbot to help children learn languages.”Conversations are time-limited, naturally guided to end, and reset regularly to prevent drifting, confusion, or overuse,” said Elaves managing partner Gokhan Celebi. This was to answer the tendency that AI chatbots get into trouble — spouting errors or going off the rails — when conversations drag on.Olli, which specializes in integrating AI into toys, has programmed its software to alert parents when inappropriate words or phrases are spoken during exchanges with built-in bots.For critics, letting toy makers police themselves on the AI front is insufficient.”Why aren’t we regulating these toys?” asks Temple University psychology professor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek.”I’m not anti-tech, but they rushed ahead without guardrails, and that’s unfair to kids and unfair to parents.”