- Associated Press
France is proud of its secularism. But struggles grow in this approach to faith, school, integration
Brought into the international spotlight by the ban on hijabs for French athletes at the upcoming Paris Olympics, France’s unique approach to “laïcité” — loosely translated as “secularism” — has been increasingly stirring controversy across the country. Perhaps the most contested ground is public schools, where visible signs of faith are barred under policies seeking to foster national unity. “It has become a privilege to be allowed to practice our religion,” said Majda Ould Ibbat, who was considering leaving Marseille, France’s second-largest city, until she discovered a private Muslim school, Ibn Khaldoun, where her children could both freely live their faith and flourish academically.
- Associated Press
Tunisia sentences journalists to a year in prison for criticizing the government
A Tunisian court on Wednesday sentenced two TV and radio journalists to one year in prison for criticizing the government on their programs and on social networks. Borhane Bsaïs and Mourad Zeghidi were each given six months' imprisonment for disseminating “fake news” and an additional six months for “making false statements with the aim of defaming others," in reference to Tunisian President Kaïs Saied, court spokesperson Mohamed Zitouna said.
- Associated Press
US intelligence agencies' embrace of generative AI is at once wary and urgent
Long before generative AI's boom, a Silicon Valley firm contracted to collect and analyze non-classified data on illicit Chinese fentanyl trafficking made a compelling case for its embrace by U.S. intelligence agencies. Excited U.S. intelligence officials touted the results publicly — the AI made connections based mostly on internet and dark-web data — and shared them with Beijing authorities, urging a crackdown. One important aspect of the 2019 operation, called Sable Spear, that has not previously been reported: The firm used generative AI to provide U.S. agencies — three years ahead of the release of OpenAI’s groundbreaking ChatGPT product — with evidence summaries for potential criminal cases, saving countless work hours.
