AFP USA

Beyond smart watches and rings, artificial intelligence is being used to make self-testing for major diseases more readily available — from headsets that detect early signs of Alzheimer’s to an iris-scanning app that helps spot cancer.”The reason preventive medicine doesn’t work right now is because you don’t want to go to the doctor all the time to get things tested,” says Ramses Alcaide, co-founder and CEO of startup Neurable.”But what about if you knew when you needed to go to the doctor?”Connected rings, bracelets and watches — which were everywhere at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas — can already monitor heart rate, blood pressure and glucose levels, with varying degrees of accuracy.These gadgets are in high demand from consumers. A recent study published by OpenAI showed that more than 200 million internet users check ChatGPT every week for information on health topics.On Wednesday, OpenAI even launched a chatbot that can draw on a user’s medical records and other data collected by wearable devices, with their consent, to inform its responses.Using electroencephalogram (EEG) technology, Neurable has developed a headset that records and deciphers brain activity.The linked app compares data with the user’s medical history to check for any deviation, a possible sign of a problem, said Alcaide.”Apple Watch can pick up Parkinson’s, but it can only pick it up once you have a tremor,” Alcaide said. “Your brain has been fighting that Parkinson’s for over 10 years.”With EEG technology, “you can pick these things up before you actually see physical symptoms of them. And this is just one example.”- Detection before symptoms -Some people have reservations about the capabilities of such devices. “I don’t think that wearable EEG devices are reliable enough,” said Anna Wexler, a University of Pennsylvania professor who studies consumer detection products, although she acknowledges that “AI has expanded the possibilities of these devices.”While Neurable’s product cannot provide an actual diagnosis, it does offer a warning. It can also detect signs of depression and early development of Alzheimer’s disease.Neurable is working with the Ukrainian military to evaluate the mental health of soldiers on the front lines of the war with Russia, as well as former prisoners of war, in order to detect post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).French startup NAOX meanwhile has developed EEG earbuds linked to a small box that can help patients with epilepsy.Rather than detect seizures, which are “very rare,” the device recognizes “spikes” — quick, abnormal electrical shocks in the brain that are “much more difficult to see,” said NAOX’s chief of innovation Marc Vaillaud, a doctor by training.NAOX’s device — which has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration — is designed to be worn at night, to track several hours of data at a time.The company is working with the Rothschild and Lariboisiere hospitals in Paris to try to better understand the links between these brain “spikes” and Alzheimer’s disease, which have been raised in scientific papers.Advances in AI and technology in general have paved the way for the miniaturization of cheaper detection devices — a far cry from the heavy machinery once seen in medical offices and hospitals.IriHealth is preparing to launch, for only about $50, a small smartphone extension that would scan a user’s iris.The gadget relies on iridology, a technique by which iris colors and markings are believed to reveal information about a person’s health, but which is generally considered scientifically unreliable.But the founders of IriHealth — a spin-off of biometrics specialist IriTech — are convinced that their device can be effective in detecting anomalies in the colon, and potentially the lungs or the liver.Company spokesman Tommy Phan said IriHealth had found its device to be 81 percent accurate among patients who already have been diagnosed with colon cancer.

Former Federal Reserve chiefs on Monday sharply criticized a US criminal probe into current chair Jerome Powell, calling it an “unprecedented attempt” to undermine the central bank’s independence.Two Republican senators joined in rebuking the Trump administration and questioned the credibility of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in targeting Powell, whom the US president has long sought to replace in a push for lower interest rates.On Sunday, Powell revealed that the Fed received grand jury subpoenas and threats of a criminal indictment relating to Senate testimony he gave in June.The issue at hand was a $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed’s headquarters. Last year, President Donald Trump floated the possibility of firing Powell over cost overruns for the historic buildings’ facelift.On Monday, ex-Fed chiefs Ben Bernanke, Alan Greenspan and Janet Yellen joined other former economic leaders in slamming the DOJ’s probe.In a joint statement, they called it “an unprecedented attempt to use prosecutorial attacks” to undermine the Fed’s independence.”This is how monetary policy is made in emerging markets with weak institutions, with highly negative consequences for inflation and the functioning of their economies more broadly,” the statement added. “It has no place in the United States.”In an extraordinary statement on Sunday, Powell himself rebuked the administration, dismissing the building renovation and his testimony before Congress as “pretexts.””The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president,” he said.He vowed to carry out his duties “without political fear or favor.”Separately, New York Fed President John Williams said that historic precedent of political influence on monetary policy typically leads to “unfortunate” outcomes like inflation.- Stocks hit records -Despite worries spurred by the probe, US stock indices closed at records. “The fact that market measures of inflation expectations have remained calm indicates that markets are brushing off the investigation as having little, if any, impact on Fed independence,” said Bernard Yaros, lead US economist at Oxford Economics.The independent Fed has a dual mandate to keep prices stable and unemployment low. Its main tool is setting a benchmark interest rate that influences the price of US Treasury bonds and borrowing costs.Trump has regularly slammed Powell, calling him a “numbskull” and “moron” for the Fed’s policy decisions and not cutting borrowing costs more sharply.On Monday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Powell “has proven he’s not very good at his job.””As to whether he’s a criminal, that’s an answer the Department of Justice is going to have to find,” she said.- Republican pushback -The DOJ’s probe has drawn criticism from both sides of the political aisle.Republican Thom Tillis, who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, vowed Sunday to oppose the confirmation of any Fed nominee, including for the next Fed chief, until the legal matter is “fully resolved.””It is now the independence and credibility of the Department of Justice that are in question,” he said.Another Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, supported Tillis’ move, calling the investigation “nothing more than an attempt at coercion.”Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer earlier dubbed the probe an assault on the Fed’s independence.David Wessel, a senior fellow at Washington think tank the Brookings Institution warned of serious consequences if the Fed came under Trump’s control.Elected politicians could be inclined to set interest rates low to boost the economy ahead of elections, for instance.If Trump succeeds in influencing the Fed, the US economy could see “more inflation, and the willingness of global investors to lend money to the Treasury will diminish somewhat,” Wessel told AFP.Trump nominated Powell as Fed chair during his first presidency. Powell’s term as chair ends in May, but he could stay on the Fed’s board until 2028.Last year, Trump separately attempted to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook over mortgage fraud allegations.

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday wades into the hot-button issue of transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.The conservative-dominated court is to hear challenges to state laws in Idaho and West Virginia banning transgender athletes from female competition.More than two dozen US states have passed laws in recent years barring athletes who were assigned as male at birth from taking part in girls’ or women’s sports.The Idaho case to be heard by the nine justices stems from the Republican-led state’s 2020 “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.”The act was challenged by a transgender athlete at an Idaho university, and lower courts ruled that it violates the equal protection clause of the US Constitution.West Virginia’s 2021 Save Women’s Sports Act was challenged by a middle school student who was not allowed to compete for the girls’ track team.An appeals court ruled that the ban amounted to discrimination on the basis of sex and violated Title IX, the federal civil rights law which prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational programs.Last February, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at banning transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports after campaigning for the White House on the issue.”From now on women’s sports will be only for women,” Trump said. “With this executive order the war on women’s sports is over.”The executive order allows federal agencies to deny funding to schools that allow transgender athletes to compete on girls’ or women’s teams.- UPenn case a lightning rod -University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became a lightning rod in the debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports after competing in female collegiate meets in 2022. Critics and some fellow swimmers said Thomas, who had earlier swum on UPenn’s men’s team, should not have been allowed to compete against women due to an unfair physiological advantage.UPenn eventually agreed to ban transgender athletes from its women’s sports teams, settling a federal civil rights complaint stemming from the furor around Thomas.The move followed an investigation by the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights which found the university had violated Title IX by allowing Thomas to compete in women’s competitions.Conservatives outnumber liberals six to three on the Supreme Court, and the justices weighed in on two high-profile transgender cases last year.They upheld a Tennessee state law banning gender-affirming medical treatment for transgender minors and backed a move by Trump to have transgender troops dismissed from the military.The Supreme Court is expected to rule in June or early July.

The US state of Minnesota sued the Trump administration on Monday over the immigration crackdown that saw a woman protester fatally shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis last week.Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who announced the lawsuit, said the Department of Homeland Security’s surge of immigration officers into the Democratic-led northern state in recent days has “made us less safe.””Thousands of poorly trained, aggressive and armed agents of the state, of the federal government, have rolled into our communities,” Ellison said at a press conference.”The obvious targeting of Minnesota for our diversity, for our democracy and our differences of opinion with the federal government, is a violation of the Constitution and federal law,” he said.”This is, in essence, a federal invasion.”Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis, where 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Wednesday, said Republican President Donald Trump was targeting Minnesota for his immigration crackdown because of its Democratic leadership.”If the goal were simply to look for people who are undocumented, Minneapolis and Saint Paul would not be the place you would go,” Frey said. “There are countless more people that are undocumented in Florida and Texas and Utah,” the mayor said, but those states, he noted, are Republican-controlled.Illinois, another Democratic-ruled state targeted by the Trump administration for its immigration crackdown, filed a similar suit against the federal government on Monday.Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in television interviews on Sunday, defended the actions of the ICE officer who shot and killed Good, an American citizen.Noem said the officer acted in self-defense when Good drove her car at him, a narrative strongly disputed by local officials who point to footage from the scene showing Good’s vehicle turning away from the agent.Noem also said that hundreds more federal agents were heading to Minneapolis, where there have been daily protests and vigils mourning Good’s death.

Hawaii’s Kilauea was spraying a spectacular fountain of lava on Monday, keeping up its reputation as one of the world’s most active volcanoes.For over a year now, Kilauea has been regularly throwing out thousands of tonnes of molten rock and gases since it burst to life in December 2024.Volcanologists with the US Geological Survey said the incandescent lava was being hurled more than 1,500 feet (460 meters) into the air, with plumes of smoke and gases rising as high as 20,000 feet (six kilometers).Eruptions such as this one tend to last around one day, the USGS said, but can still vent up to 100,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide.This gas reacts in the atmosphere to create a visible haze known as vog — volcanic smog — which can cause respiratory and other problems.Tiny slivers of volcanic glass, known as “Pele’s hair,” are also being thrown into the air.Named after Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes, the strands can be very sharp and can cause irritation to the skin and eyes.The eruption poses no immediate danger to any human settlement, with the caldera having been closed to the public for almost two decades.Kilauea has been very active since 1983 and erupts relatively regularly.It is one of six active volcanoes located in the Hawaiian Islands, which also include Mauna Loa, the largest volcano in the world.Kilauea is much smaller than neighboring Mauna Loa, but it is far more active and regularly wows helicopter-riding tourists who come to see its red-hot shows.

US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has generally avoided escalation in the face of Donald Trump’s relentless criticism — but in recent months, the central banker has become a rare figure to publicly resist his attacks.The change of tack was especially pronounced on Sunday night, when Powell accused the Trump administration of threatening him with prosecution to push the Fed into cutting interest rates. He warned that a new Department of Justice investigation targeting him was a threat to the central bank’s independence.”What made the statement so powerful is how rare it is,” Jason Furman, a top economic adviser to former US president Barack Obama, told AFP.”A year ago, Powell got a question about Donald Trump and the Fed, and gave a one-word answer,” added Furman, now a professor at Harvard University. “He has not wanted to be baited into a fight.”The fact that Powell felt the need to respond forcefully now “conveys just how serious the issue is,” Furman said.Powell, a 72-year-old former investment banker, took the helm at the Fed in 2018 after he was tapped by Trump to replace Janet Yellen. It was Trump’s first presidency.Powell then withstood months of withering attacks from Trump for raising interest rates.When Covid-19 took hold in 2020, the Fed rapidly slashed its benchmark rate to zero and rolled out new support measures, moves that helped to prevent a more severe downturn.His tenure won him praise and criticism from all sides as he maintained the central bank’s independence.Over that tumultuous period, Powell, who is also called “Jay,” managed to forge consensus among the diverse members of the Fed’s rate-setting committee.In 2021, the wealthy Republican with no formal economics training was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden to lead the Fed for a second term.He proceeded to oversee a series of sharp rate hikes in 2022 to curb surging inflation after the pandemic, before beginning to cautiously lower rates again in 2024 and 2025 as he eyed the price effects from Trump’s sweeping new tariffs.- ‘The guy who stood up’ -Less than a year before his time as Fed chair expires in May 2026, however, Powell has again come under fire as Trump lashes out at him for not lowering interest rates more aggressively.Trump, now in his second presidency, has called Powell a “numbskull” and “moron,” and in July went so far as to suggest he could be dismissed for “fraud” over the handling of a $2.5 billion renovation project at the Fed’s headquarters.Since Trump returned to the White House, Powell has proven willing to compromise in certain areas, such as by pulling back on the Fed’s work on climate change.But “Trump pushed him too far this time, and he came out with all guns blazing,” Brookings senior fellow David Wessel said of the Fed chief’s sharp rebuke of the Justice Department probe.Wessel expects the forceful response will cement Powell’s legacy as “a Fed chair with a spine.””He will be seen as the guy who stood up for the independence of the Fed, and the rule of law,” Wessel told AFP.Already, Powell made headlines when he appeared with Trump in July as the president toured the under-renovation Fed buildings while criticizing cost overruns.In a brief exchange in front of reporters, Powell corrected Trump in real-time as the president claimed the price tag for the revamp had ballooned to $3.1 billion. The usually stoic Fed chair was seen shaking his head on camera while Trump spoke, and responding: “I haven’t heard that from anybody.”Prior to his appointment to the central bank in 2012 by then-president Obama, Powell was a scholar at the Bipartisan Policy Center think tank. The native of Washington served in the Treasury Department, in charge of financial institutions, for a brief period under Republican President George H.W. Bush.

NATO and Greenland’s government on Monday said they intended to work on strengthening the defence of the Danish autonomous territory, hoping to dissuade US President Donald Trump from trying to seize the island.Trump has been talking up the idea of buying or annexing the Arctic territory for years, and further stoked tensions on Sunday by saying that the United States would take the territory “one way or the other”.Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Monday that the island’s security and defence “belong in NATO”, the 32-member military alliance dominated by the US. He said his government would “therefore work to ensure that the development of defence in and around Greenland takes place in close cooperation with NATO, in dialogue with our allies, including the United States, and in cooperation with Denmark”.NATO chief Mark Rutte also said Monday that the alliance was working on “the next steps” to bolster Arctic security.Diplomats at NATO say some alliance members have floated the idea of launching a new mission in the region, though no concrete proposals are yet on the table.Trump has insisted that Greenland needs to be brought under US control, arguing that the Danish autonomous territory is crucial for national security.The island is also rich in largely untapped resources, including rare earth minerals coveted by the tech industry.On the streets of Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, locals told AFP they were increasingly worried.”We laughed at Trump first when he tried to buy us but now the second time he’s more aggressive,” said 35-year-old theology student Nuunu Binzer.Mininnguaq Fontain, 19, also a student, added: “I would rather see our country doesn’t have any soldiers but of course if we get attacked then I would feel more safe if soldiers are here.”- ‘Unease’ -Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that a US armed attack on Greenland would spell the end of NATO. In a bid to appease Washington, Copenhagen has invested heavily in security in the region, allocating some 90 billion kroner ($14 billion) in 2025.Greenland, which is home to some 57,000 people, also houses a US military base.According to Rutte, Denmark would have no problem with a larger US military presence on the island.Under a 1951 treaty, updated in 2004, the United States could simply notify Denmark if it wanted to send more troops.Denmark is also working on the diplomatic front, with a meeting between Danish and Greenlandic representatives and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expected this week.According to US and Danish media reports, the meeting is set to take place on Wednesday in Washington.Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen on Monday posted a photo from a meeting with his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt.Denmark reportedly wants to present a united front with the leaders of the autonomous territory before the meeting with US representatives.The Danish media reported last week on a tense videoconference between Danish lawmakers and their Greenlandic counterparts over how to negotiate with Washington.Facing Trump’s repeated threats, Nielsen said in his message on Monday: “I fully understand if there is unease.”His government said in a statement that it could not accept “under any circumstance” a US takeover of Greenland.A Danish colony until 1953, Greenland gained home rule 26 years later and is contemplating eventually loosening its ties with Denmark. Polls show that Greenland’s people strongly oppose a US takeover. 

UK media regulator Ofcom on Monday launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk’s X over its AI chatbot Grok’s image-creation feature that has been used to produce sexualised deepfakes.The probe came as Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned: “If X cannot control Grok, we will — and we’ll do it fast because if you profit from harm and abuse, you lose the right to self regulate.”Grok is facing growing international backlash for allowing users to create and share sexualised pictures of women and children using simple text prompts.Ofcom described the reports as “deeply concerning”.It said in a statement that the undressed images of people “may amount to intimate image abuse or pornography — and sexualised images of children… may amount to child sexual abuse material”.Starmer’s office welcomed the investigation, saying that Ofcom “has our full support to take any action it sees fit”.Ofcom said it had contacted X on January 5 asking it to explain the steps it has taken to protect UK users. Without sharing details of the exchange, the regulator said that X responded within the given timeframe.The formal investigation will determine whether X failed to meet its legal obligations.Contacted by AFP, X referred to a previous statement, which said: “We take action against illegal content on X… by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary.”- Global backlash -Under Britain’s Online Safety Act, which entered force in July, websites, social media and video-sharing platforms hosting potentially harmful content are required to implement strict age verification through tools such as facial imagery or credit card checks.It is meanwhile illegal for sites to create or share non-consensual intimate images, or child sexual abuse material, including sexual deepfakes created with AI.Ofcom has the power to impose fines of 10 percent of an offending company’s worldwide revenue for breaches of these rules.Addressing parliament Monday, Technology Minister Liz Kendall pledged to go further, by creating a new criminal offence which would “make it illegal for companies to supply tools designed to create non-consensual internet images”.She added that “tackling violence against women and girls is as important online as it is in the real world”. Musk’s xAI company, which runs Grok, sought to deflect the international criticism with a new monetisation policy at the end of last week, posting on Grok’s X account that the tool was now “limited to paying subscribers”, alongside a link to a premium subscription.Starmer, speaking to a meeting of his Labour Party’s lawmakers, branded the actions of Grok and X “absolutely disgusting and shameful”. Musk brushed off the UK’s criticism this weekend, posting on X that “they just want to suppress free speech”.On Saturday, Indonesia became the first country to deny all access to the tool, with Malaysia following suit Sunday.The European Commission, which acts as the EU’s digital watchdog, has ordered X to retain all internal documents and data related to Grok until the end of 2026 in response to the uproar.”We will not be outsourcing child protection and consent to Silicon Valley,” European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday. “If they don’t act, we will,” she added. 

Paramount Skydance said Monday that it filed a lawsuit against Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD) as it presses an unwelcomed bid to buy the CNN-parent company.Paramount’s suit seeks to compel the WBD board to provide certain information to shareholders that it argues will cast its offer in a more favorable light.The suit, and a letter to WBD shareholders by Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison, are the latest moves in a saga spanning several months.Television and film titan WBD put out word in late October that it was open to acquisition offers, with its board subsequently accepting a bid by streaming giant Netflix.WBD formally rejected an offer from Paramount Skydance for the entire company.The Netflix offer favored by the board does not include buying WBD television properties such as CNN and Discovery, which would belong to a newly created and publicly traded company called Global Networks if the deal is sealed.Paramount Skydance accuses the WBD board of failing to present shareholders with details needed to properly compare its offer to the Netflix bid.”We are committed to seeing our tender offer through,” Ellison said in the letter to shareholders.”If WBD calls a special meeting ahead of its annual meeting to vote on the Netflix Agreement, Paramount will solicit proxies against such approval.”Paramount Skydance will try to get several representatives elected to the WBD board at the annual meeting as shareholders to strengthen its position.The suit was filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery, which specializes in business and financial matters.

The UK government has paid “substantial” compensation to a Guantanamo detainee who was tortured by the CIA and has been held there without charge for two decades, his lawyer said Monday.Abu Zubaydah, 54, was the first of a number of prisoners to be subjected to CIA “enhanced interrogation” techniques following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.The Saudi-born Palestinian — whose full name is Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn — was captured in Pakistan in 2002 and has been held without trial at the US Guantanamo Bay military camp in Cuba since 2006.He was waterboarded 83 times and suffered other physical abuse, according to a US Senate report, which said the CIA conceded he was never a member of Al-Qaeda and not involved in planning the 9/11 attacks.Britain’s Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that he could use English law in a legal claim against the UK government over alleged complicity in the torture.Helen Duffy, his international legal counsel, said in a statement sent to AFP that the case had now reached a financial settlement.”The payment is significant, but clearly insufficient to meet the UK’s obligations. More must be done to bring this chapter to an end,” said Duffy. “Critically, the UK should seek to facilitate the immediate release of Abu Zubaydah, and other prisoners held without charge or trial at Guantanamo,” she said.She added that, among other tactics, Zubaydah was also locked into a coffin-sized box for 11 days and two hours, “left to marinate in his own urine and faeces”.Zubaydah alleged that London was “vicariously liable” for multiple wrongs against him, including conspiracy to injure, false imprisonment and negligence.He sought personal damages for injuries which he says were sustained during interrogation at CIA “black site” facilities in Thailand, Poland, Morocco, Lithuania and Afghanistan, as well as Guantanamo.He has not argued that UK forces were involved in his capture, rendition to the facilities or were present during his mistreatment.But he accused Britain’s intelligence agencies — MI5 and MI6 — of being aware of his torture, and even “sent numerous questions” to the CIA for the purpose of eliciting information from him.- Two other cases -The UK government declined to comment.It has neither admitted nor denied that officials knew where Zubaydah was being held at any given time, or that they were aware of his treatment, arguing they cannot do so for national security reasons.It has argued that the laws of the six countries where Zubaydah was held should apply to the case.But in 2023 the UK Supreme Court upheld an earlier Court of Appeal ruling that the laws of England and Wales applied.For years, calls have multiplied in the UK, to no avail, for full disclosure about the actions of British secret services in the US “war on terror” alongside their American allies.In 2023, lawyers for two other Guantanamo detainees — Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri — accused Britain of being “complicit” with the CIA in their torture after 9/11.Both brought civil complaints to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) — a specialist UK court that investigates complaints about UK intelligence agencies.In October the body ruled that, in Hawsawi’s case, the intelligence services did not act unlawfully.Nashiri’s case is still ongoing.