Apple says it will fix software problems blamed for making iPhone 15 models too hot to handle

Apple says it will fix software problems blamed for making iPhone 15 models too hot to handle
The iPhone 15 phones are shown during an announcement of new products on the Apple campus in Cupertino, California, on Sept. 12, 2023. (AP)
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Updated 01 October 2023
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Apple says it will fix software problems blamed for making iPhone 15 models too hot to handle

Apple says it will fix software problems blamed for making iPhone 15 models too hot to handle
  • Says it is working on an update to the iOS17 system that powers the iPhone 15 lineup to prevent the devices from becoming uncomfortably hot
  • Dismisses speculation that the overheating problem might be tied to a shift from its Lightning charging cable to the more widely used USB-C port

Apple is blaming a software bug and other issues tied to popular apps such as Instagram and Uber for causing its recently released iPhone 15 models to heat up and spark complaints about becoming too hot to handle.

The Cupertino, California, company said Saturday that it is working on an update to the iOS17 system that powers the iPhone 15 lineup to prevent the devices from becoming uncomfortably hot and is working with apps that are running in ways “causing them to overload the system.”
Instagram, owned by Meta Platforms, modified its social media app earlier this week to prevent it from heating up the device on the latest iPhone operating system.
Uber and other apps such as the video game Asphalt 9 are still in the process of rolling out their updates, Apple said. It didn’t specify a timeline for when its own software fix would be issued but said no safety issues should prevent iPhone 15 owners from using their devices while awaiting the update.
“We have identified a few conditions which can cause iPhone to run warmer than expected,” Apple in a short statement provided to The Associated Press after media reports detailed overheating complaints that are peppering online message boards.
The Wall Street Journal amplified the worries in a story citing the overheating problem in its own testing of the new iPhones, which went on sale a week ago.
It’s not unusual for new iPhones to get uncomfortably warm during the first few days of use or when they are being restored with backup information stored in the cloud — issues that Apple already flags for users. The devices also can get hot when using apps such as video games and augmented reality technology that require a lot of processing power, but the heating issues with the iPhone 15 models have gone beyond those typical situations.
In its acknowledgement, Apple stressed that the trouble isn’t related to the sleek titanium casing that houses the high-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max instead of the stainless steel used on older smartphones.
Apple also dismissed speculation that the overheating problem in the new models might be tied to a shift from its proprietary Lightning charging cable to the more widely used USB-C port that allowed it to comply with a mandate issued by European regulators.
Although Apple expressed confidence that the overheating issue can be quickly fixed with the upcoming software updates, the problem still could dampen sales of its marquee product at time when the company has faced three consecutive quarters of year-over-year declines in overall sales.
The downturn has affected iPhone sales, which fell by a combined 4 percent in the nine months covered by Apple’s past three fiscal quarters compared with a year earlier.
Apple is trying to pump up its sales in part by raising the starting price for its top-of-the-line iPhone 15 Pro Max to $1,200, an increase of $100, or 9 percent, from last year’s comparable model.
Investor worries about Apple’s uncharacteristic sales funk already have wiped out more than $300 billion in shareholder wealth since the company’s market value closed at $3 trillion for the first time in late June.


Blinken welcomes Israel probe on reporters killed, wounded in Lebanon

Blinken welcomes Israel probe on reporters killed, wounded in Lebanon
Updated 08 December 2023
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Blinken welcomes Israel probe on reporters killed, wounded in Lebanon

Blinken welcomes Israel probe on reporters killed, wounded in Lebanon
  • Jointly conducted with Airwars, an NGO that investigates attacks on civilians in conflict situations, the investigation found that the attack involved a 120-mm tank shell only used by the Israeli army in this region

WASHINGTON: Top US diplomat Antony Blinken on Thursday welcomed an Israeli investigation into a strike that killed a journalist and wounded six others on Oct. 13 in southern Lebanon.
“It is important and appropriate that it be fully and thoroughly investigated. My understanding is that Israel has initiated such an investigation and it will be important to see that investigation come to a conclusion and to see the results,” he said when asked about the case at a news conference alongside his British counterpart David Cameron.
An investigation by Agence France-Presse published Thursday into the strike, which killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and wounded six others, including two from AFP, points to a tank shell only used by the Israeli army in the high-tension border region.
AFP photographer Christina Assi, 28, had a leg amputated and is still in hospital.
Jointly conducted with Airwars, an NGO that investigates attacks on civilians in conflict situations, the investigation found that the attack involved a 120-mm tank shell only used by the Israeli army in this region.
It found that the strikes likely came from the southeast near the Israeli village of Jordeikh where Israeli tanks were operating.
“I have extraordinary admiration for the men and women in your profession who, every day around the world, in the most dangerous places in the world, are trying to bring the facts, the stories to other people,” Blinken said.
Cameron also underscored the important role of journalists, particularly those working in conflict zones.
“It’s absolutely essential that you have independent, impartial, professional journalists covering these conflicts,” he said.
“And it’s an incredibly difficult job, incredibly brave job and my condolences from me and everyone in the UK for that loss of life.”
Amnesty International said on Thursday that Israeli strikes that killed Abdallah were likely to have been a direct attack on civilians and must be investigated as a war crime.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a separate report, said the two Israeli strikes were “an apparently deliberate attack on civilians and thus a war crime”, saying those responsible must be held to account.
A Reuters investigation published on Thursday found an Israeli tank crew killed Abdallah and wounded the six other journalists by firing two shells in quick succession from Israel while the group were filming cross-border shelling from a distance.
An Israeli government spokesperson denied Israeli forces targeted non-combatants.
“We do not target civilians,” spokesperson Eylon Levy said in a televised briefing, when asked about reports from Reuters, AFP, Amnesty International and HRW. “We’ve been doing everything possible to get civilians out of harm’s way.”
The Israel prime minister’s office did not respond to questions from Reuters on Thursday seeking comment on the reports by HRW and Amnesty International.
The group of seven reporters from AFP, Al Jazeera and Reuters were all wearing blue flak jackets and helmets, most with “PRESS” written on them in white letters.
They were on a hilltop in an open area with no tree cover nor other buildings to obscure the reporters from nearby Israeli military outposts. Drones had been buzzing overhead and an Israeli helicopter patrolling.
Directly targeting civilians is forbidden under the laws of armed conflict, such as the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which all U.N. member states have ratified.
Amnesty said its investigation uncovered “chilling evidence pointing to an attack on a group of international journalists who were carrying out their work by reporting on hostilities”.
HRW said that evidence indicated the Israeli army “knew or should have known that the group of people they were firing on were civilians”.
Commenting on the findings of the Reuters investigation, a spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said: “The protection of journalists must be guaranteed at all times. Incidents in which journalists are injured or killed must be fully investigated. This also applies in this case.”
Neither Israel nor Lebanon is a signatory to the International Criminal Court, whose 124 member states accept its jurisdiction in the prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Reuters presented the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with its findings that the tank rounds were fired from within Israel and posed additional detailed questions, including whether Israeli troops knew they were firing upon journalists.
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht, the IDF’s international spokesman, said in response: “We don’t target journalists.” He did not provide further comment.
Lebanon said it would refer the Reuters and AFP reports to the U.N. Security Council to be added to a complaint it has submitted saying Israel has killed civilians during ongoing hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
The Israeli prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment on Lebanon’s statement.
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, in the government statement issued in response to the reports’ publication, said: “Israeli criminality has no limits”.


Committee to Protect Journalists appoints vice chair and 4 new members of board of directors

Committee to Protect Journalists appoints vice chair and 4 new members of board of directors
Updated 08 December 2023
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Committee to Protect Journalists appoints vice chair and 4 new members of board of directors

Committee to Protect Journalists appoints vice chair and 4 new members of board of directors
  • The vice chair is Lydia Polgreen, an opinion columnist for The New York Times who previously was managing director of podcast studio Gimlet and editor-in-chief of HuffPost
  • The new board members are Roula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times; Alan Murray, CEO of Fortune Media; Maria Ressa, co-founder of Rappler; and Jacqueline Simmons, of Bloomberg

DUBAI: The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday appointed a vice chair and four new members to its board of directors.

The vice chair is Lydia Polgreen, an opinion columnist for The New York Times whose previous jobs include managing director of podcast studio Gimlet and editor-in-chief of HuffPost.

The new board members are Roula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times; Alan Murray, CEO of Fortune Media; Maria Ressa, co-founder of news website Rappler; and Jacqueline Simmons, editorial lead for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Bloomberg.

“They represent a tremendous range of knowledge and experience and share a fundamental commitment to press freedom and safety around the world,” said Jacob Weisberg, the chair of the committee.

Prior to her appointment as editor of the Financial Times, Khalaf served as its deputy editor from 2016 to 2020, during which time she oversaw various initiatives, editorial projects and a global network of more than 100 foreign correspondents.

Murray spent nearly 20 years at The Wall Street Journal and was president of the Pew Research Center before joining Fortune in 2015.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Ressa is known for co-founding Rappler, described as the Philippines’ leading digital-only news site. She has been arrested several times and faced political harassment during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s time in power.

Simmons currently oversees more than 30 Bloomberg bureaus in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Since her career began in 1996 she has held several news reporting and managerial roles at the company in Europe and the US.

Weisberg said: “All four new board members are not only accomplished journalists but passionate about the role that a free press plays in the world. We look forward to working with them to keep journalists free and safe.”

The CPJ is a non-profit, nongovernmental organization based in New York City that promotes freedom of the press and defends the rights of journalists.


Hollywood criticized for dropping pro-Palestinian A-listers

Hollywood criticized for dropping pro-Palestinian A-listers
Updated 08 December 2023
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Hollywood criticized for dropping pro-Palestinian A-listers

Hollywood criticized for dropping pro-Palestinian A-listers
  • Hamzah Semaan, a member of the Casting Society of America, tells Arab News: ‘The industry is racist and it’s just the way it is’
  • In recent weeks, Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon was dropped by her agency, and star Melissa Barrera was fired from her leading role in ‘Scream VII’

LONDON: Amid the pro-Palestine protests that have been taking place around the world since the conflict in Gaza began two months ago, several Hollywood stars have been penalized for publicly voicing support for the Palestinian people.

The United Talent Agency, for example, dropped the veteran, Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon as a client. Production company Spyglass Media Group fired Melissa Barrera from her leading role in “Scream VII.” And Tom Cruise’s agent, Maha Dakhil had to resign from her leadership role with the Creative Artists Agency.

All three had publicly stood in solidarity with Palestinians and in opposition to Israel’s occupation and war crimes in Gaza.

Sarandon has attended several pro-Palestinian rallies and stated that criticism of the State of Israel should not in itself be considered antisemitic.

“To see somebody (like Sarandon) who is an American legend standing up for Palestinian people is amazing,” said Hamzah Semaan, a casting director and member of the Casting Society of America, told Arab News. “Why would (the agent) drop a legendary actress? A million people will pick her up.”

Barrera, who is from Mexico, appeared in the two most recent films in the “Scream” franchise but was fired from her lead role in the upcoming “Scream VII” after she took to social media to share pro-Palestinian views and referred to Israel as a “colonized” land. Spyglass said the company has zero tolerance for antisemitism.

Semaan said he admires Barrera as a “great actress” who helped to revive the Scream franchise, and criticized the decision “to just toss her for that.”

He added: “The industry is racist and it’s just the way it is. If it’s not racist, why do you have diversity in Hollywood programs and diversity in Hollywood awareness? We don’t need that awareness because we know what’s right and wrong. But no, a lot of people don’t.”

Many actors have also voiced support for Israel but it is difficult to know the true stance of many others on the Palestinian cause given that speaking out could cost them their jobs.

Jenna Ortega, for example, might face challenges in her career after dropping out of “Scream VII” a day after Barrera was fired. The official reason given was the shooting schedule for season two of her Netflix TV series “Wednesday” but the timing led some, including Semaan, to question whether she had dropped out “in protest of that.”

He added: “That just shows the impact of what the younger generation is doing. Younger people are united to the truth.”

This month, more than 1,300 artists, including Academy Award-winner Olivia Colman and BAFTA winners Aimee Lou Wood and Siobhan McSweeney, signed an open letter accusing arts and cultural institutions in Western countries of “repressing, silencing and stigmatizing Palestinian voices and perspectives.”


Probe by rights groups, wire services finds Israeli attack on journalists in Lebanon was likely to have been intentional

Probe by rights groups, wire services finds Israeli attack on journalists in Lebanon was likely to have been intentional
Updated 08 December 2023
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Probe by rights groups, wire services finds Israeli attack on journalists in Lebanon was likely to have been intentional

Probe by rights groups, wire services finds Israeli attack on journalists in Lebanon was likely to have been intentional
  • Evidence suggests that the military had knowledge that the individuals were civilians
  • Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime

LONDON: Investigations by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse have found that an Israeli attack on Oct. 13 was likely to have been a deliberate assault by the Israel Defense Forces on civilians, which is a war crime.

The attack killed journalist Issam Abdallah, from Reuters, and injured six others including Carmen Joukhadar and Elie Brakhya from Al Jazeera; Dylan Collins and Christina Assi from AFP; and Thaer al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh from Reuters. 

The reports include witness testimony and are based on analysis of videos, audio, munition remnants, and satellite imagery verified by the organizations, as well as multiple interviews with officials and civilians.

Aya Majzoub, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “Our investigation into the incident uncovers chilling evidence pointing to an attack on a group of international journalists who were carrying out their work by reporting on hostilities.

“Direct attacks on civilians and indiscriminate attacks are absolutely prohibited by international humanitarian law and can amount to war crimes.”

The findings are in line with the Committee to Protect Journalists’ report “Deadly Pattern,” published in May, which showed lethal force by the Israel Defense Forces had left 20 journalists dead over the last 22 years, without any accountability.

The CPJ said it welcomed the four reports and “reiterates its call for an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation that holds the perpetrators to account.”

Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: “This is not the first time that Israeli forces have apparently deliberately attacked journalists, with deadly and devastating results.”

The attack on Oct. 13 occurred at around 6 p.m. The group of journalists had gathered as early as 4:45 p.m. in a clearing on a hilltop in Alma Al-Shaab, to film ongoing fighting on Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.

Journalists from Al Jazeera had conducted two live TV reports, the first at 4:55 p.m. and the second at 5:24 p.m., from the same location. 

Live transmissions by Reuters and AFP were also broadcast on air by several television stations during that period. 

The journalists had remained stationary for over 75 minutes before they were hit, and none of the evidence indicated the presence of any military target near the journalists.

All seven journalists were wearing helmets and blue ballistic vests with labels that said “PRESS,” and were clearly identifiable as journalists.

Footage also shows the group wearing the clearly marked vests and helmets in the same area, near a car marked with “TV” in large letters on its hood.

Five cameras belonging to journalists indirectly captured the attack and its aftermath, shedding light on how the attack was carried out and from where.

Evidence reviewed by the organizations indicates that the Israeli military knew or should have known that the people they were firing on were civilians.

The journalists interviewed said that the first attack struck Abdallah, killing him instantly, and badly injuring photojournalist Assi. 

Just 37 seconds later, the car owned by Al Jazeera was engulfed in flames and destroyed by a second attack, resulting in more injuries to journalists.  

Majzoub said: “Under international humanitarian law, parties to a conflict have a clear obligation to protect civilians, including journalists, and must at all times distinguish between civilians and civilian objects on one hand and fighters and military objectives on the other.”

HRW asserted that “warring parties are obligated to take all feasible precautions to avoid harm to civilians” and must “verify that targets are military objectives.”

It also suggested that Israel’s key allies, Germany, Canada, the US and the UK, “should suspend military assistance and arms sales to Israel, given the real risk that they will be used to commit grave abuses.”

Kaiss said: “The evidence strongly suggests that Israeli forces knew or should have known that the group that they were attacking were journalists.

“This was an unlawful and apparently deliberate attack on a very visible group of journalists.”


Google set to overtake ChatGPT with launch of AI model, Gemini

Google set to overtake ChatGPT with launch of AI model, Gemini
Updated 08 December 2023
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Google set to overtake ChatGPT with launch of AI model, Gemini

Google set to overtake ChatGPT with launch of AI model, Gemini
  • The multimodal Gemini model is optimized for three sizes

DUBAI: Google announced the launch on Wednesday of its multimodal AI model, Gemini, which will power its chatbot Bard.

Gemini has been optimized for three sizes — Ultra, Pro and Nano — “which means it’s able to run on everything from mobile devices to large-scale data centers,” said Eli Collins, vice president of product at Google DeepMind, during a press briefing. 

The most advanced version, Ultra, outperforms on 30 of the 32 academic benchmarks used in large language model research and development, Collins said. 

He explained that Gemini was designed to be “natively multimodal” unlike some AI models, which means that it was trained on different formats from the beginning, enabling it to “understand nuanced information (such as) text, images, audio and code,” and “answer questions relating to complicated topics and reason in math and physics.”

“With Gemini, Bard is getting its biggest and best upgrade yet,” said El-Sisie Hsiao, vice president and general manager of Bard and Assistant. 

“A specifically tuned version of Gemini Pro” that has “more advanced reasoning, planning, understanding and other capabilities” is now integrated into Google’s chatbot Bard, she said.

Google will integrate the AI model into other Google products such as search and adverts in the future, and next year launch Bard Advanced, “which is our largest and most capable model, and it’s designed for highly complex tasks,” Hsiao said.

Google is strengthening its foothold in the field of AI nearly eight years into its journey as an “AI-first company,” wrote Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai in a blog post. 

He wrote: “We’re approaching this work boldly and responsibly. That means being ambitious in our research and pursuing the capabilities that will bring enormous benefits to people and society, while building in safeguards and working collaboratively with governments and experts to address risks as AI becomes more capable.”  

Gemini has a score of 90 percent on the MMLU (massive multitask language understanding) test and is the first model to outperform human experts (89.8 percent), as well as GPT-4 (86.4 percent) in various tasks across 57 subjects including maths, physics, history, law, medicine and ethics.

Gemini Nano is currently available to developers, while Gemini Pro will be available to enterprise and Vertex AI customers as well as developers in AI Studio from Dec. 13. Gemini Ultra will be rolled out in 2024.