IntelScooper

Saudi Arabia’s cabinet has sharply criticized Israel’s decision to expand its military operations in the Gaza Strip, accusing the country of committing “ethnic cleansing” against Palestinians.

During a session in NEOM chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ministers condemned what they described as the Israeli occupation’s persistence in “crimes of starvation, brutal practices, and ethnic cleansing against the brotherly Palestinian people,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The cabinet warned that the international community’s and UN Security Council’s continued inability to halt such attacks “undermines the foundations of the international system, threatens regional and global peace, and risks encouraging genocide and forced displacement.”

Last week, Israel approved a controversial plan to seize control of Gaza City. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the move, saying he had no choice but to “complete the job” by defeating Hamas and securing the release of hostages taken during the October 2023 attacks.

Regional Repercussions

Riyadh’s warning comes as Middle Eastern states recalibrate their positions amid fears that the conflict could spill across borders.

• Egypt has tightened security along the Rafah border crossing, wary of a potential mass influx of Palestinian refugees that could strain its already fragile economy and create long-term demographic challenges. Cairo has also been quietly pressuring Israel to limit ground operations in southern Gaza, warning that further escalation could jeopardize the Egypt-Israel peace treaty framework.
• Qatar, a key mediator in previous hostage exchanges, is attempting to revive stalled negotiations between Israel and Hamas. However, officials in Doha privately concede that prospects for a breakthrough are fading as both sides double down on their objectives—Israel on “destroying Hamas” and Hamas on retaining leverage through hostages.
• Iran has intensified its rhetoric, framing the conflict as part of a broader resistance movement against Israel and the United States. Tehran has signaled continued backing for armed groups in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, raising fears that proxy confrontations could erupt into direct conflict if Gaza operations expand.

Global Stakes

For Saudi Arabia, the Gaza crisis is a political and diplomatic stress test. The kingdom has been engaged in careful normalization talks with Israel—brokered by the United States—but the scale of civilian casualties and the displacement of over a million people have made continued dialogue politically untenable at home and across the Arab world.

Western allies, particularly the US and several EU states, remain publicly supportive of Israel’s right to self-defense but are increasingly uneasy about the humanitarian fallout. Washington faces mounting pressure in Congress to condition military aid to Israel, while European capitals are experiencing large-scale pro-Palestinian protests that complicate foreign policy positioning.

Saudi Arabia’s warning also taps into a broader concern among Global South nations that the Gaza war exposes double standards in the application of international law—particularly when compared to swift sanctions and diplomatic isolation imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

Looking Ahead

Diplomatic sources say Riyadh is preparing to push for a renewed Arab League initiative that could combine calls for a permanent ceasefire with the revival of a Palestinian statehood track. This would likely be tied to demands for international monitoring of humanitarian corridors and a potential UN-led reconstruction plan for Gaza.

For now, however, the immediate outlook remains grim. Israel’s approval last week of a plan to seize control of Gaza City marks a significant escalation, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisting there is “no choice” but to “complete the job” of defeating Hamas and freeing Israeli hostages. Saudi Arabia and its regional allies fear that “completing the job” could mean the permanent displacement of Gaza’s population—a scenario they are determined to prevent.

[…]

Via https://intelscoops.com/2025/08/12/saudi-cabinet-condemns-israels-gaza-expansion-accuses-it-of-ethnic-cleansing/

Dangers of AI in healthcare (Image Source: Freepik)

Pallavi Mehra

A 60-year-old man was hospitalized after following ChatGPT’s advice to remove salt from his diet and replace it with toxic sodium bromide. Experts warn against relying solely on AI for health guidance.

These days, many people turn to ChatGPT for advice, whether it’s picking an outfit, fixing a bad hair day, or figuring out what to eat. It feels almost like talking to a friend who always has an answer and is there for you no matter what. Recently, a 60-year-old man ended up in the hospital after following ChatGPT’s suggestion to swap regular salt for sodium bromide. While this chemical was once used in medicines over a century ago, it can be dangerous in large amounts.

According to a case report in the Annals of Internal Medicine (published by the American College of Physicians), the man had been using sodium bromide for three months. He ordered it online after reading on AI that bromide could replace chloride, not realising it was meant for cleaning, not eating.

Doctors found that he had ‘bromism,’ a condition caused by excessive bromide in the body. During his stay, he also developed paranoia, hallucinations, and skin problems.

“He was very thirsty but refused water we offered because he believed it was contaminated,” the report noted. He was treated with fluids and electrolytes, and once he was medically stable, he was transferred to the psychiatric unit.

Why salt matters for your health

Salt, or sodium chloride, is important for the body. Dr. Rakesh Gupta, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, explains that, “Sodium helps with nerve function, muscle contraction, and maintaining the body’s fluid balance. Cutting it out entirely without medical supervision can cause hyponatremia, a dangerously low sodium level in the blood.”

When sodium levels drop too far, it can lead to headaches, confusion, muscle cramps, and in severe cases, seizures, coma, and death. A 2018 BMJ study titled ‘Effect of longer-term modest salt reduction on blood pressure’ found that both very high and very low sodium intakes are linked to higher health risks.

What happens when you stop eating salt completely?

As per American Heart Association, your body needs about 1,500 mg of sodium every day. Without enough sodium, your cells can swell, causing headaches, confusion, and nausea. You may also experience low blood pressure, which can make you feel dizzy or you may even faint. Since sodium helps muscles contract, too little can lead to weakness or cramps. Without enough sodium, your nerves can’t work properly, which may cause seizures.

Dr. Gupta warns that AI tools cannot replace a doctor. “AI can give general information, but it doesn’t know your medical history or lifestyle. It’s dangerous to make big changes to your diet or medication without a doctor’s guidance,” he said.

AI like ChatGPT works by predicting answers based on patterns in data. It is not aware of the latest clinical guidelines for your personal case, and it cannot monitor side effects or run tests. He further explains that AI can help you learn more about your health, but it’s safest to use it as a supplement to and not a replacement for real medical advice. The safest way is to talk to a doctor who knows your health well and can give advice after taking the required tests.

[…]

Via https://www.financialexpress.com/life/lifestyle-incorrect-chatgpt-advice-lands-60-yr-old-man-in-hospital-expert-warns-against-blind-trust-in-ai-3942979/

Ashkenazi Israelis—European Jews with Aryan features—employ Nazi-style racial mockery against Palestinians, targeting their Semitic appearance in scenes reminiscent of 1930s Germany.

BettBeat Media

The question is whether the international community — including Russia and China — will act to prevent the completion of this genocide, or whether it will stand by and watch as an entire people are erased while their killers celebrate. History will judge not just the perpetrators, but all those who had the power to stop it and chose silence instead.

The statistics are as chilling as they are revealing. Four out of five Jewish Israelis express no concern for the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. In the immediate aftermath of October 7th, as Israeli bombs began falling on Palestinian civilians, optimism about the country’s future shot up dramatically among the Israeli public. This was not the response of a people in genuine fear for their survival—this was the euphoria of a population finally given permission to unleash its darkest impulses.

What we are witnessing in Israel today is the logical endpoint of a process that Hannah Arendt warned us about decades ago: the transformation of ordinary people into willing participants in systematic brutality through the machinery of a fascist state. It is what happens when a society becomes so thoroughly “nazified“—to borrow the stark but accurate term from American Exception  podcast host Aaron Good—that mass murder becomes not just acceptable, but cause for celebration.

This is not hyperbole. Israeli citizens have been filmed setting up lawn chairs to watch the bombing of Gaza as entertainment. Children create music videos mocking Arab women trapped under rubble. Songs celebrating the death of “Amalek“—a biblical reference to enemies marked for total destruction—top the Israeli music charts. These are not the actions of a few extremists; they represent the mainstream response of a society that has been systematically conditioned to view Palestinian life as worthless.

By Al Mayadeen English

Nearly half of the 532 people arrested during a major demonstration in Parliament Square against the UK’s ban on Palestine Action were aged 60 or over, according to Metropolitan Police figures.

Police data shows nearly half of the 532 arrests at the London Palestine Action protest were of people aged 60 or over, sparking debate over civil liberties and anti-terror laws.

Nearly half of the 532 people arrested during a major demonstration in Parliament Square against the UK’s ban on Palestine Action were aged 60 or over, according to Metropolitan Police figures released on Sunday. The protest, organised by Defend Our Juries, took place on Saturday and is the largest to date since Palestine Action was officially proscribed last month.

The arrests were overwhelmingly made under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for displaying placards or signs in support of Palestine Action. Of the 519 detainees with confirmed dates of birth, 49.9% were 60 years or older, including almost 100 in their 70s and 15 in their 80s. The oldest detainees were held for hours in hot weather, with some alleging they were denied timely access to water.

According to The Guardian, among those arrested were prominent public figures such as Sir Jonathon Porritt, 75, former government adviser, and Chris Romberg, 75, a former British Army officer and son of a Holocaust survivor. Both were arrested under Section 13 and bailed until October. Award-winning poet Alice Oswald, 58, was arrested under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act, accused of inviting support for a proscribed organisation.

The Metropolitan Police defended their approach, stating that medics and water were available, but also emphasising that those who knowingly broke the law bore “personal responsibility” for the consequences.

[…]

Via https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/elderly-make-up-half-of-arrests-at-london-palestine-action-p

Image Credits:Meta / Meta

By Sarah Perez

Echoing sentiments shared in his “superintelligence”-focused blog post this morning, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expanded on his bullish ideas that glasses will be the primary way users interact with AI in the years ahead. During Meta’s second-quarter earnings call, the social networking exec told investors he believes people without AI glasses will be at a disadvantage in the future.

“I continue to think that glasses are basically going to be the ideal form factor for AI, because you can let an AI see what you see throughout the day, hear what you hear, [and] talk to you,” Zuckerberg said during the earnings call. Adding a display to those glasses will then unlock more value, he said, whether that’s a wider, holographic field of view, as with Meta’s next-gen Orion AR glasses, or a smaller display that might ship in everyday AI eyewear.

“I think in the future, if you don’t have glasses that have AI — or some way to interact with AI — I think you’re … probably [going to] be at a pretty significant cognitive disadvantage compared to other people,” Zuckerberg added.

Meta has been focused on building smart glasses, like its Ray-Ban Meta glasses and, more recently, Oakley Meta glasses. The glasses let users listen to music, take photos or videos, and ask Meta AI questions, including about what they’re seeing, among other things. These wearables have turned into a surprise hit for the company, as revenue from sales of the Ray-Ban Metas more than tripled year-over-year, according to glasses giant EssilorLuxottica.

But Zuckerberg believes there’s more to be done with displays.

“This is … what we’ve been maxing out with Reality Labs over the last 5 to 10 years — basically doing the research on all these different things,” he said.

The Reality Labs division has been a money pit for the company, so it’s not surprising the exec wants to justify its cost to investors by positioning it as a bet on the future of AI and consumer computing in general. For example, Meta said Reality Labs’ operating loss was $4.53 billion in the second quarter. Since 2020, the unit has lost nearly $70 billion.

However, the future of consumer AI may or may not be in the form of glasses. This spring, OpenAI acquired former Apple executive Jony Ive’s startup in a $6.5 billion deal to build new consumer devices for interacting with AI. Already, other startups have dabbled in this area as well, including in form factors like AI pins — such as with Humane’s flop — and pendents, like those from Limitless and Friend.

Glasses, for now, seem to make the most sense, as many people already wear them, and they’re more socially acceptable. But the world didn’t know it needed smartphones, either, until someone dreamed them up. The next AI device could be something we can’t even imagine yet.

Still, Zuckerberg cheers the idea that glasses are going to be it.

“The other thing that’s awesome about glasses is they are going to be the ideal way to blend the physical and digital worlds together,” he said. “So the whole Metaverse vision, I think, is going to … end up being extremely important, too, and AI is going to accelerate that.”

[…]

Via https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/30/zuckerberg-says-people-without-ai-glasses-will-be-at-a-disadvantage-in-the-future/

Vietnam: 50 Years of Forgetting

Directed by Mai Hugen Chi (2025)

Film Review

The 1955-75 War on Vietnam killed 4 million people (including 58,220 US troops, 521 Australian troops and 35 New Zealand troops).*

In this documentary, Vietnamese filmmaker Mai Hugen Chi portrays her bewilderment on discovering her grandmother Mai Dang Chung (born 1912-16) was a national hero for fighting both the French and US occupation of her country. Besides learning little about the US war on Vietnam in school, her family members prefer not to talk about it. This film records her efforts to understand why. She believes the US was guilty of war crimes in Vietnam and needs to be held accountable.

Vietnam was a longtime French colony before the Japanese occupied it in 1940. Vietnamese anti-fascists who joined the Western allies in defeating the Japanese in 1945 expected to be granted independence when the Japanese withdrew. Instead they found themselves battling French re-occupation.

When they successfully overthrew French colonial rule in 1945, the Geneva peace split the country in half, with North Vietnam to be ruled by communist leader Ho Chi Minh and South Vietnam to be ruled by a CIA-approved puppet.

The filmmaker’s grandmother was killed in 1968 during the North Vietnamese Tet Offense at Da Nang. A great aunt she interviews was buried under rubble and lost five family members during the brutal US bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong in 1972. She admits to reluctance discussing the experience because “it’s our personal grief.” While sympathetic with her profound grief, Chi also worries about about Vietnam losing its history.

Another aunt was married a South Vietnamese army officer evacuated by the Americans (owing to his fear of retaliation by the North Vietnamese). The aunt, who lived in Saigon. speaks of rumors spread by the South Vietnamese government falsely portraying North Vietnamese troops as rapists and looters. Quickly seeing through these vicious lies, South Vietnamese civilians turned out in their thousands to cheer the North Vietnamese a they entered Saigon.

Chi also interviews two uncles affected by widespread spraying of toxic Agent Orange across Vietnam. One uncle suffered severe birth defects from his parents’ exposure; another has an adult child so severely affected he can’t walk, talk or feed himself.

About a third of the film is archival footage of civilians caught in US airstrikes.

*Both Australian and New Zealand troops were conscripted (as were Americans) and forced to serve in Vietnam