Trump announces 25% tariff on countries doing business with Iran
US President Donald Trump on Monday said he had imposed a 25% tariff on goods from countries with commercial ties to Iran, a move that could put pressure on Tehran as anti-government protests enter a third week, BBC reported.
Trump said on social media that the tariff was "effective immediately", without offering details of what constituted "doing business" with Iran.
China is Iran's largest trading partners, followed by Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and India, according to BBC.
Malaysia and Indonesia block Musk's Grok over explicit deepfakes
Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked access to Elon Musk's artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok over its ability to produce sexually explicit deepfakes, BBC reported.
Grok, a tool on Musk's X platform, allows users to generate images but has recently been used to edit images of real people to show them in revealing outfits.
The South East Asian countries said Grok could be used to produce pornographic and non-consensual images involving women and children. They are the first in the world to ban the AI tool, according to BBC.
Guard dies at Olympic site
A security guard working an overnight shift at a construction site near a venue for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo has died, Italian authorities confirmed on Saturday. The 55-year-old man was on duty near Cortina’s ice arena when the incident occurred late Thursday night, as temperatures dropped to minus 12 degrees Celsius.
Italy’s Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini has called for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death. According to Milan Cortina 2026 organizers, initial information from emergency services indicates the guard suffered a heart attack while at work.
Andrea Varnier, chief executive of the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, said all required documentation related to the site was in order and stressed that authorities are awaiting the outcome of official investigations to confirm the exact cause. The construction site was not managed by Simico, the state company overseeing Olympic infrastructure.
Local officials in Cortina expressed deep sorrow over the incident. The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are scheduled to take place from Feb 6 to 22, 2026.
Malaysia and Indonesia block Grok
Malaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries to block Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, citing its misuse in creating sexually explicit and non-consensual images. Authorities in both countries said existing safeguards failed to prevent the generation and spread of fake pornographic content, particularly involving women and children.
Indonesia temporarily restricted access to Grok on Saturday, followed by Malaysia on Sunday. Indonesia’s Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said non-consensual sexual deepfakes pose a serious threat to human rights, dignity and digital safety. Officials added that manipulated images based on real photos could violate privacy and cause psychological and reputational harm.
In Malaysia, the communications regulator said Grok was repeatedly used to create obscene content, including material involving minors. It ordered a temporary block, saying responses from X and xAI relied too heavily on user reporting. The ban will remain until stronger safeguards are implemented. The move comes amid growing global scrutiny of generative AI tools.
