Billed as "one of the most exciting artists of our time", Ai-Da differs from generations of past masters in one inescapable way: she is a robot.
Ai-Da is the brainchild of Aidan Meller, who claims she is the world's first ultra-realistic humanoid artist, able to draw creatively thanks to in-built artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
The 46-year-old art dealer unveiled Ai-Da -- dressed in a brown wig and period-style painter's blouse -- in Oxford on Wednesday, ahead of an exhibition of her first works opening next week in the English university city.
"She is fully algorithmic... fully creative," Meller told reporters, standing alongside his creation.
"She is not an expensive printer. We do not know what she's going to do," he insisted.
As he spoke, an occasionally blinking Ai-Da, built with cameras for eyes and a robotic arm to draw with, worked on a sketch of him from behind a desk.
Forty-five minutes later, a delicate expressionist drawing of Meller, comprising deft pencil ...

British art dealer unveils pioneering robot artist

PTI Automatic

At least 101 people were killed in a crackdown on Sudanese protesters carried out by security forces that started when security forces broke up a sit-in outside army headquarters, a doctors committee close to demonstrators said.
"To this moment, the total number of deaths that have been accounted by doctors is 101," the Central Committee for Sudanese Doctors said after reporting that 40 bodies were recovered from the Nile. It gave no further details.

101 dead in crackdown on Sudan protesters: New toll

Sudanese protest leaders on Wednesday turned down a call by the country's military leader for talks and demanded justice for a crackdown on that demonstrators said left nearly 60 people dead.
"The Sudanese people are not open for talks, the Sudanese people are not open to this TMC (Transitional Military Council) that kills people and we need justice and accountability before talks about any political process," Amjad Farid, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Association, which spearheaded protests that led to the ouster of president Omar al-Bashir, told AFP.
Farid said the SPA and umbrella protest group the Alliance for Freedom and Change would "continue using all non-violent tools and civil disobedience in resisting the TMC".

Sudan protesters reject talks, demand justice over crackdown

Thailand's junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha was elected late Wednesday as the kingdom's first civilian prime minister since the 2014 coup he led, in a vote by a parliament stacked with appointed allies of the conservative, arch-royalist army.
Prayut swept aside his sole challenger, the charismatic 40-year-old billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit who led the anti-military bloc, comfortably passing the 375-vote threshold to win a majority, with scores of votes still to be counted.
His victory was all but guaranteed by the support of the handpicked 250-member senate and the late swing of key secondary parties into an army-affiliated coalition after frantic behind-the-scenes talks.
The senate, which was appointed by the junta, includes scores of military officers and loyalists -- many identifiable as they read out Prayut's name by their short serviceman's haircuts.
His election completes a journey for the 65-year-old Prayut from gruff army chief who toppled the last civilian government .

Thai lawmakers elect junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha as PM

Malta's navy said on Wednesday that it had rescued a total of 370 migrants from the Mediterranean in four separate operations.
The navy rescued 63 migrants in distress after their dinghy started to take in water overnight, a statement said, and 99 in a similar incident on Wednesday.
A patrol boat rescued another 61 migrants after they made a distress call, and then 147 more in a third rescue, the navy said.
The rescued migrants, including many women and children, were taken to Malta for health checks.
Malta has appealed to the EU for help in dealing with the flow of migrants, which its much larger neighbour Italy has begun to turn away.
Italy's hardline stance has increased pressure on the island nation of 450,000 people, which was already a common destination for migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa.

Malta navy rescues 370 migrants from Mediterranean

A Dutch teenager traumatised by a childhood rape died at home after refusing food and drink but was not euthanised, a clinic said on Wednesday, dismissing "incorrect" media reports.
Noa Pothoven, 17, who won fame by writing a book about her long battle with anorexia, severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, died on Sunday.  Pothoven said in a final Instagram post that she had "lost the will to fight".
The Levenseindekliniek, a clinic based in The Hague which specialises in euthanasia, released a statement to counter what it said was false media coverage of the story.
"To put an end to incorrect reporting (in foreign media in particular) about her death, we refer to the statement made by friends of Noa this afternoon: Noa Pothoven did not die of euthanasia," said the statement.
She had stopped eating and drinking "to stop her suffering", the clinic added.
News of her death was reported by some Dutch media on Monday. Some said Noa had contacted the Levenseindekliniek to ask 

Troubled Dutch teen was not euthanised: Clinic

Alabama is planning to require convicted pedophiles to undergo chemical castration in order to be granted parole from prison, a controversial measure already in effect in several other US states.
The southern state's legislature passed a bill stipulating that any inmate aged 21 or over who was convicted of a sexual crime against a minor aged under 13 years must take medication to reduce their testosterone before they can be granted early release.
The treatment, which affects a person's libido, will continue until a judge rules it to be "no longer necessary." If the person stops taking their medication, they will be returned to jail.
Aside from exceptional cases, the parolees will have to pay for the medication themselves, according to the bill, which has been sent to Republican governor Kay Ivey who has voiced her support for it.
"They have marked this child for life and the punishment should fit the crime," the bill's sponsor, lawmaker Steve Hurst, told local WIAT radio.
California ..

Alabama proposes chemical castration for convicted pedophiles seeking parole

With several 2020 presidential hopefuls unveiling their climate plans this week, Democrat Joe Biden released his own ambitious proposal, but it made headlines for the wrong reasons.
The former vice president's USD 1.7 trillion plan, which seeks net-zero emissions by 2050, quickly faced criticism for including unattributed passages lifted from other organizations' previously published documents, drawing fire from President Donald Trump.
Biden's campaign called the incident an error that was swiftly corrected.
"Several citations were inadvertently left out of the final version of the 22-page document," Biden's campaign said in response to the accusations.
"As soon as we were made aware of it, we updated to include the proper citations." Biden, who holds a commanding lead in the crowded 2020 Democratic field, is no stranger to plagiarism accusations.
The latest incident recalled his unattributed use of passages from a speech by British politician Neil Kinnock that helped drive Biden from 

Plagiarism charges hit Biden, campaign blames error

Six people have died and dozens are missing after heavy rains triggered a series of landslides in eastern Uganda's mountainous Bududa district, government officials and the Red Cross said on Wednesday.
The Red Cross said that around 50 people were believed missing after the landslides on Tuesday night in the foothills of Mount Elgon -- an extinct volcano with five major peaks.
Uganda's Minister for Relief and Disaster Preparedness Hillary Onek told journalists in Kampala that "the landslide killed six people".
"There were several other small landslides. Seventeen people were injured," including eight children.
"Fifty households have been displaced so far. However, assessment is still ongoing and the number is expected to rise," Onek added.
Uganda Red Cross spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita earlier counted a 73-year-old woman and several children among the dead.
"There were multiple landslides," in Bududa district, "but for now Red Cross has concentrated in the worst hit areas", she said in .

Six dead, dozens missing in Uganda landslides: Red Cross

Roland Garros organisers were facing a scheduling nightmare on Wednesday after the entire day's play was washed out with the prospect of another all-consuming deluge expected to swamp Paris on Friday, possibly forcing the women's final to be played alongside the men's on Sunday.
Tournament director Guy Forget said he remained hopeful of the French Open finishing on time on Sunday.
However, if the weather continues to deteriorate, the women's final could be shifted from Saturday to Sunday, sharing top billing with the men's title match.
"We always have to study the worse case scenario," said Forget.
Wednesday was the second time since 2016 that all Roland Garros play was cancelled and third since 2000.
The decision left world number one Novak Djokovic and defending women's champion Simona Halep to play their quarter-finals on Thursday and semi-finals on Friday if they get through.
With the women's final traditionally set for Saturday, third seed Halep could end up playing three days in 

Roland Garros chiefs won't rule out finals shift after washout

Chinese President Xi Jinping began a three-day visit to "best friend" Vladimir Putin on Wednesday with a touch of panda diplomacy and a raft of new Russian-Chinese business contracts.
The leaders praised their countries' ties during talks at the Kremlin, as Russia and China seek to shore up cooperation amid shared tensions with the US.  "President Putin is for me a best friend," Xi told journalists during a joint statement following the meeting.
"We decided that we would raise our bilateral relations to a new, higher level -- increasing our mutual support and assistance, and promote our relations in a new era," he said, in remarks translated into Russian.
Russian President Putin thanked his Chinese counterpart for an earlier loan of two pandas that are being housed at the Moscow Zoo.
"This is a sign of a special respect, of a special trust in Russia," he said. "When we speak about pandas, a smile always appears on our face." The two men signed a joint statement on the development of ..

China's Xi visits 'best friend' Putin, vows new era of ties

The Islamic State group has claimed it was involved in an insurgent clash in Mozambique for the first time, but analysts expressed doubt and police dismissed the claim outright.
A jihadist insurgency has been growing in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado since 2017, with more than 200 people killed and many villages torched.  According to SITE Intelligence, a company that monitors extremist activity, Islamic State issued a statement late Tuesday claiming involvement in an apparent gunfight with the Mozambique military in Cabo Delgado.
"The soldiers of the Caliphate were able to repulse an attack by the Crusader Mozambican army in Metubi village, in the Mocimboa area," said the statement, according to a SITE translation.
"They clashed with them with a variety of weapons, killing and wounding a number of them.
"The mujahideen captured weapons, ammunition, and rockets as spoils." Insurgents regularly attack villages, kill local people -- sometimes beheading them -- and burn 

Islamic State claims first presence in Mozambique, denied by police

Press freedom is declining around the world, with democratic governments joining authoritarian regimes in seeking to suppress independent journalism, a human rights watchdog said Wednesday.
An annual report by Freedom House said press freedom saw notable declines in Europe while US President Donald Trump's vilification of the press has "seriously exacerbated an ongoing erosion of public confidence in the mainstream media."
The impact of Trump's effort has been to undermine free press because journalists around the world now have less reason to believe that Washington will come to their aid if their rights are violated," Freedom House said.
"In some of the most influential democracies in the world, populist leaders have overseen a concerted attempt to throttle the independence of the media," said Sarah Repucci, senior director for research at the human rights group.
"While threats to global media freedom are concerning in their own right, their effect on the state of democracy is what .

Press freedom in 'downward spiral' worldwide: watchdog

Sri Lanka's government will introduce five-year jail terms for those caught spreading fake news and hate speech on social media, the government said Wednesday, following a surge in online vitriol and disinformation after the Easter suicide attacks.
The cabinet of ministers approved a proposal by the acting justice minister, which will also see offenders fined one million rupees (USD 5,715), the government said in a statement.
It did not immediately release a definition of the two offences, but said the penal code will be amended to introduce the new penalties.
The move follows repeated government allegations that platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp have been used to spread online hate, in a country where ethnic divisions still linger after decades of war.
Sri Lanka shut down internet access in March last year to prevent further violence when anti-Muslim mobs went on the rampage in the island nation's central region, killing three people and destroying hundreds of homes, ..

Sri Lanka proposes new law on fake news after Easter attacks

Paceman Matt Henry grabbed four wickets as New Zealand bowled Bangladesh out for 244 in their World Cup match at the Oval on Wednesday.
Henry finished with figures of 4-47 to follow his three wickets against Sri Lanka as Bangladesh -- sent in to bat -- lost their last six wickets for just 65 runs.
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan hit a fighting 68-ball 64 with seven boundaries in his 200th one-day international but no other batsmen cashed in on good starts.
Once Shakib was caught by wicketkeeper Tom Latham off the bowling of Colin de Grandhomme in the 31st over, the innings fell apart.
Mohammad Mitun (26), Mahmudullah (20) and Mosadeek Hossain (11) all failed to build a significant innings.
Tailender Mohammad Saifuddin hit a 23-ball 29 with a six and three boundaries before Henry and Trent Boult (2-44) mopped up the tail.
Earlier, openers Tamim Iqbal, who made 24, and Soumya Sarkar, who scored 25, gave Bangladesh a solid base, putting on 45 runs for the first wicket.
But Henry ..

Bangladesh undone by New Zealand pace at World Cup

Henry Lynch, a pioneering cancer researcher who was among the earliest to probe its genetic causes, has died at the age of 91.
During the 1960s, Lynch was one of the first researchers to examine familial susceptibility to certain cancers at a time when the prevailing wisdom held that environmental factors were the main driver.
His death on June 2 was announced by the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in a statement late Tuesday.
His early grant applications were frequently rejected but he persisted, founding in 1984 a hereditary cancer registry at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, which now contains the cancer histories of more than 3,000 families.
ASCO said among his most notable achievements was the identification of a strain of inherited colon cancer that was named "Lynch syndrome" after him in 1984.
He is also credited with the discovery of hereditary breast-ovarian cancer syndrome, which led to the identification of the inherited BRCA gene mutations that affect 

Henry Lynch, pioneering cancer researcher, dead at 91

Thailand's new parliament elected junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha as the country's civilian prime minister late Wednesday, according to a televised vote count.
He comfortably reached the 375-vote threshold, with the vote ongoing, to give him the majority needed to fend off his sole challenger, a charismatic billionaire heading up the anti-junta coalition.

Thai lawmakers elect junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha as PM: TV count

Voters cast ballots in Denmark on Wednesday in a general election where the opposition Social Democrats are tipped to return to power following a campaign dominated by concerns over the climate, welfare cuts and immigration.
Opinion polls indicate the centre-left Social Democrats will win more than 27 percent of the vote, almost 10 points ahead of Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen's ruling Liberal Party, which has been in power for 14 of the last 18 years.
Voting at a school in Copenhagen, Rasmussen said he was staying "calm".
"The only count that matters is the one that can be settled when the election is decided tonight," he told reporters.
If the Social Democrats emerge victorious, they intend to form a minority government -- common in Denmark's proportional representation system -- relying on the support of other parties to pass legislation.
The party, led by Mette Frederiksen, appears to have boosted its appeal after adopting the right wing's long-standing restrictive stance on 

Denmark votes with centre-left set to win

YouTube said Wednesday it would ban videos that promote or glorify racism and discrimination as well as those denying well-documented violent events, like the Holocaust or the Sandy Hook school shooting.
The announcement by the Google-owned video-sharing platform was the latest of a series of industry moves to filter out hateful and violent content, which have spurred calls for tougher regulation.
"Today, we're taking another step in our hate speech policy by specifically prohibiting videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status," YouTube said on its blog.

YouTube to ban 'hateful,' 'supremacist' videos

The Islamic State group claimed an attack that killed eight Egyptian policemen in the restive Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday, as the country marked the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
"Islamic State fighters this morning launched two simultaneous attacks on two police checkpoints in the city of El-Arish," said a statement released by the jihadist group's propaganda wing, Amaq.
It claimed that 10 policemen were killed in the two attacks; one on a checkpoint south of El-Arish and another on a second checkpoint in a "nearby area".
It said the twin operation was designed to "divide" the attention of security forces and give militants enough time to pull back before reinforcements arrived.
The country's interior ministry said 8 Egyptian policeman were killed in an attack on the northeastern region, a hotbed of a years-long insurgency by militants, some linked to IS.
Egyptian state television said there were fears the death toll could rise, amid reports of attacks on multiple ...

IS claims deadly attack in Egypt's Sinai: Propaganda arm

North Macedonia's prime minister on Wednesday urged the EU to start membership talks with Skopje immediately, warning any delay could topple his government and bolster nationalist, anti-European parties.
EU member states are expected to discuss Skopje's bid to join the bloc in Luxembourg later this month, and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev warned that a negative response would open the door to greater influence from outside powers like Russia and China.
The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, says North Macedonia and Albania are both ready to start talks to join the EU, but several existing members such as France and the Netherlands are reluctant.
"With a negative decision, they will bring back nationalism and radicalism again in North Macedonia and in whole region," Zaev told reporters in Brussels.
"They will open the space for third sides like China and Russia."
North Macedonia has made major changes under Zaev as it seeks to join the EU and NATO -- not least amending the ...

AFP

AFP

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