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☆ Army Called in to Rescue About 600 Spanish Motorists Stuck in Snow
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID (Reuters) - Army units were mobilised to help about 600 drivers who were stuck on a motorway in heavy snow as Storm Juan blanketed many parts of Spain, authorities said on Friday. Snowfalls left motorists stranded for hours on the N-122 road between Soria and Agreda in northern Spain so authorites said they had dispatched troops from a base in Zaragoza to help move the drivers. Temperatures plunged to minus 13 Celsius (8.6 Fahrenheit) in Soria, AEMET, the state weather forecaster, said on Friday. Heavy rains fell in the western region of Extremadura and in Catalonia in northeastern Spain, Aemet added. The storm was expected to pass by Saturday, forecasters said.

Persons: Juan blanketed, authorites, Miguel Ángel Clavero, Aemet, Graham Keeley, Sandra Maler Organizations: Army, Saturday Locations: MADRID, Spain, Soria, Agreda, Zaragoza, Aragon, AEMET, Extremadura, Catalonia

☆ A man was jailed for using AI to create hundreds of sexual images of children
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A man in South Korea was jailed for creating sexually explicit images of children. A Spanish town has been rocked after an AI app was used to create fake naked photos of girls. AdvertisementAdvertisementA South Korean man was jailed for using AI prompts to create sexually explicit images of children, The Korea Herald reported, citing local outlets. The man is alleged to have used an image-generating AI program to create about 360 sexual images, the prosecutor's office told CNN. The deepfake images were reportedly made using made using Clothoff, an AI-powered app that allows users to "undress girl for free."

Persons: — Organizations: Korea Herald, Service, CNN, FBI Locations: South Korea, Spain, Almendralejo, Extremadura

Seoul, South Korea CNN —A South Korean man has been sentenced to jail for using artificial intelligence to generate exploitative images of children, the first case of its kind in the country as courts around the world encounter the use of new technologies in creating abusive sexual content. He had created about 360 AI-generated images in April, the prosecutor’s office told CNN. Prosecutors argued during the case that the definition of sexually exploitative material should include descriptions of sexual behaviors by “virtual humans” and not just the appearance of actual children. For years, deepfakes – highly convincing fake videos made using AI – have been used to put women’s faces into often aggressive pornographic videos, without their consent. The videos often appear so real it can be hard for female victims to deny it isn’t really them.

Persons: deepfakes, ” Samantha Cole, “, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg – Organizations: South Korea CNN, Court, CNN, Prosecutors, European Union Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Busan, Spain, Extremadura, China, United States, Washington

☆ Spanish Prosecutor to Probe AI-Generated Images of Naked Minors
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID (Reuters) - A Spanish prosecutor's office said on Monday it would probe whether AI-generated images of naked teenaged girls, allegedly created and shared by their peers in southwestern Spain, constituted a crime. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation warned in June that criminals were increasingly using artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit images to intimidate and extort victims. In Madrid, a court is investigating a similar case involving naked pictures of two young victims they claim were generated by AI, police said. In Extremadura, teenagers aged between 13 and 15 have been identified as being responsible for generating and sharing the images, according to the police report. Under Spanish law, minors under 14 cannot be charged, but their cases are sent to child protection services, which can force them to take part in rehabilitation courses.

Persons: Miriam al Adib, Al Adib, Fernando Miro, Elena Rodriguez, Emma Pinedo, David Latona, Charlie Devereux, William Maclean Organizations: U.S . Federal Bureau of Investigation, Reuters, Miguel Hernandez University, of Europe Locations: MADRID, Spain, Almendralejo, Extremadura, Madrid

☆ Fake naked pictures of young girls created with AI spark fury in a small Spanish town
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A small town in southern Spain has been rocked by fake naked pictures created by an AP app. AI-generated naked images of local girls have been circulating in Almendralejo, Extremadura. The photos were processed by an AI application that created new, fake images showing the girls naked, per the report. AdvertisementAdvertisementMore than 20 girls aged 11 to 17 have been identified as victims in the town, in the western Spanish region of Extremadura. María Blanco Rayo, the mother of a 14-year-old, told BBC News the images were having a significant impact on some of the girls.

Persons: El País, Euronews, Miriam Al Adib, They'd, María Blanco Rayo, Al Adib Organizations: Service, BBC Locations: Spain, Almendralejo, Extremadura, Wall, Silicon, Spanish

☆ Outcry in Spain as artificial intelligence used to create fake naked images of underage girls
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Police in Spain have launched an investigation after images of young girls, altered with artificial intelligence to remove their clothing, were sent around a town in the south of the country. A group of mothers from Almendralejo, in the Extremadura region, reported that their daughters had received images of themselves in which they appeared to be naked. One of the mothers, Miriam Al Adib, used a video published on her verified Instagram account to raise awareness about the situation. On Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the high court of justice in Extremadura told CNN that a police investigation is ongoing. According to the outlet, the images were made using an app which uses artificial intelligence to produce images of people without any clothes on.

Persons: Miriam Al Adib, Al Adib, ” Francisco Mendoza, ”, Pilar Porrón, Fátima Gomez, María Ramírez, María Guardiola, Guardiola, Luis Rubiales, Jennifer Hermoso, Rubiales, Hermoso Organizations: CNN — Police, CNN, “ Locations: Spain, Almendralejo, Extremadura, Spanish, Madrid

☆ Spanish teens say people are making AI-generated nudes of them and passing them around their schools
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

At least 20 teenage girls said they saw AI-generated naked photos of themselves, per Spanish media. The 14-year-old is one of at least 20 teenage girls from the town of Almendralejo who have seen AI-generated naked photos of themselves spread on social media, according to Spanish media. Gómez said a boy sent her daughter an AI-generated naked photo of herself on Instagram after she refused to give him money, per the regional broadcaster. Miriam Al Adib, a mother of four teenage daughters, told El País that her "heart skipped a beat" when her 14-year-old daughter showed her an AI-generated photo of her. AdvertisementAdvertisement"If I didn't know my daughter's body, this photo looks real," she told the Spanish newspaper.

Persons: Isabel, didn't, Gómez, Miriam Al Adib, El País, Al Adib, Fernando Cumbres Organizations: Service, El, Canal, Spanish Locations: El, Spanish, Wall, Silicon, Spain, Almendralejo, Canal Extremadura, Extremadura

☆ Spanish federation chief to quit over kiss scandal - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The incident sparked outrage within and outside Spain, with many, including government ministers, demanding his resignation. The favourites to succeed Rubiales are Pedro Rocha, head of the Extremadura football federation, and Pablo Lozano, head of the Andalusia federation, the source said. Rubiales, who played for several lower league clubs in Spain, finished his playing career in 2009 with Hamilton Academical in Scotland. There was also a mutiny within the Spain women's squad last September, when a large group of players demanded that long-standing coach Jorge Vilda be sacked. The RFEF backed Vilda and he cut 12 of the 15 players involved in the dispute from his World Cup squad.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales, Juan Medina, Luis Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso, Spain's, Cadena, Rubiales, Hermoso, Pedro Rocha, Pablo Lozano, Angel Maria Villar, Julen Lopetegui, Jorge Vilda, Fernando Kallas, Charlie Devereux, Ed Osmond Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Spain's, Moncloa, Royal Spanish Football Federation, Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales REUTERS, Rights, Cadena Ser, England, Sunday, Reuters, Extremadura, Hamilton Academical, Association of Spanish, Spanish, Spain, World, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Madrid, Spain, Spanish, Sydney, Andalusia, Scotland, Saudi Arabia

ATHENS/ROME, July 13 (Reuters) - Southern Europe sweltered under a fierce heatwave on Thursday, with a warning that temperatures could hit record highs for the continent next week. Health authorities issued a top, red alert warning for 10 Italian cities for the next two days, including Rome, Florence, Bologna and Perugia. Weather forecasts and official records are based on the air temperature which is significantly lower than the land surface reading. The record European temperature of 48.8C was registered in Sicily in August 2021 and could be exceeded next week, according to the European Space Agency. "With this solitude and this heat emergency, we see an explosive mix," he told a press conference.

Persons: Europe's sweltering, Luca Lombroso, Marco Impagliazzo, It's, Michele Kambas, Pietro Lombardi, Emma Pinedo, Keith Weir, Crispian Balmer, Emelia Organizations: Italian Meteorological Society, Health, Agency's Sentinel, European Space Agency, Catholic, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, ROME, Southern Europe, Islands, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Athens, Europe's, Lodi, Rome, Florence, Bologna, Perugia, Spain, Extremadura, Sicily

☆ Factbox: Companies invest in EV battery factories in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Below are recent investments announced by companies:GERMANYSweden's Northvolt said on May 13 it will invest 3-5 billion euros ($3.3-5.5 billion) in an EV battery plant in Heide in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein as long as subsidies are approved. Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) plans to build six battery factories in Europe totalling 240 gigawatt (GWh) of capacity by 2030. Production at its first battery plant, "SalzGiga", in Salzgitter in the Lower Saxony region will start in 2025. Slovakian battery manufacturer InoBat said last October it had signed a declaration of intent with the Spanish government to set up an EV battery factory in central Spain's city Valladolid, expected to cost 3 billion euros. POLANDLG Chem EV battery in Wroclaw started production in the second half of 2017, with a capacity of 100,000 batteries per year.

Persons: Helena Soderpalm, GERMANY Sweden's Northvolt, China's CATL, Germany's, Mercedes Benz, Elon Musk, Berclau, Taiwan's ProLogium, Jean, Luc Monfort, Mata, BASQUEVOLT, InoBat, China's BYD, AEHRA, Poland's, Alessandro Parodi, Tiago Brandao, Matteo Allievi, Barbara Lewis, Milla Nissi Organizations: REUTERS, Volkswagen, EV, Germany's BASF, Automotive Cells Company, ACC, Stellantis, Tesla, FRANCE Joint, France, Renault, Basque Country, Spanish, India's Tata Group, ITALY Joint, POLAND LG, European Commission, SWEDEN Northvolt's Skelleftea, Thomson Locations: Vasteras, Sweden, Europe, Asia, United States, GERMANY, Heide, Schleswig, Holstein, Salzgitter, Lower Saxony, China, Erfurt, Thuringia, Schwarzheide, Brandenburg ., Ludwigsfelde, Berlin, Kaiserslautern, Rhineland, Palatinate, Gigafactory, FRANCE, Billy, France, Dunkirk, Douai, Ruitz, Ergué, Quimper, Montreal, SPAIN Spain, Europe's, Germany, Navalmoral de, Extremadura, Sagunto, Valencia, Spain, Basque, Slovakian, Spain's, Valladolid, Britain, ITALY, Termoli, POLAND, Wroclaw, HUNGARY

☆ Spain's conservative PP elbows Socialists out in regional elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Spain's ruling Socialists suffered heavy losses to opposition conservatives in Sunday's local election, with around 95% of the votes counted, showing their electoral vulnerability ahead of an end-of-year general election. Only three of the 12 regions holding elections will retain Socialist dominance by very narrow margins, with the rest likely go to the conservative People's Party, albeit with coalitions or informal support agreements with the far-right Vox party. The gains for the People's Party (PP) indicate the conservatives could unseat the current left-wing coalition led by the Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) if they replicate the performance in national elections by December. The numbers showed few clear majorities, except in the Madrid region where regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso of the PP looked set to win re-election with an absolute majority. Campaigning had been marked by several controversies, from allegations of voter fraud in small towns to an unprecedented case of kidnapping.

[1/4] Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez appears after he casts his vote at a polling station during Regional elections, in Madrid, Spain, May 28, 2023. he said in a televised speech that took even some of his political allies by surprise. "...I believe it is necessary to respond and submit our democratic mandate to the will of the people." But it is highly unusual for a Spanish government to call a snap ballot after a poor performance in a regional vote. The PP potentially took as many as eight regional governments from the Socialists, depending on how successful the opposition party is in negotiating alliances with Vox.

☆ Villagers evacuated as wildfire ravages woodlands in western Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, May 19 (Reuters) - Emergency crews evacuated around 600 villagers in western Spain overnight as a wildfire blamed on arsonists ravaged up to 8,000 hectares (19,800 acres) near the border with Portugal, officials said. "The are very strong gusts of wind ... that make efforts to extinguish it difficult," Military Emergency Unit commander David Barona told state TV channel 24H. "It's a very large attack on vegetation and the area," the head of Extremadura emergency services Nieves Villar told reporters, referring to the suspicions of arson. An unusually dry winter across parts of southern Europe coming after three years of below-average rainfall in Spain have raised the risk of wildfires. A total of 493 fires destroyed a record 307,000 hectares in Spain last year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

☆ A jar of 'ethical' foie gras will cost you over $200. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Irene Anna Kim | Sarah Elkasaby | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

In Extremadura, Spain, Eduardo Sousa produces "ethical foie gras" from wild geese. Foie gras is typically produced by force-feeding ducks or geese — a controversial process. The reason for the cost and the controversy is that it's produced by force-feeding ducks and geese. But in Extremadura, Spain, fifth-generation farmer Eduardo Sousa is trying something different: natural foie gras. Instead of force-feeding, Eduardo allows his geese to feed naturally on acorns and olives, and his processes have been certified by Spain's National Association of Ethical Food Producers.

☆ O româncă, șoferiță de ambulanță și voluntară la Crucea Roșie, a fost decorată de regele Spaniei
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-19 | by ( Marina Gorbatovschi | ) www.zdg.md time to read: +3 min

Aici a muncit din greu și a reușit să aibă propriul bar, timp de 8 ani, perioadă în care a studiat și a obținut permisul de conducere pentru toate categoriile. În barul ei a aflat despre activitatea de voluntariat în Crucea Roșie spaniolă și a luat decizia de a se înscrie, împreună cu cea mai bună prietenă a sa, la cursurile de transport medical auxiliar. În acest ultim an, munca sa a fost esențială”, a spus Elena Ochoa, care a prezentat ceremonia și a prezentat portretele persoanelor decorate de Regele Spaniei. Sursă foto: Casa Regală din SpaniaDe când a izbucnit pandemia, Mihaela a continuat să fie voluntară pe ambulanță. „Cel mai rău lucru a fost să văd oamenii plângând pe stradă”, a declarat ea, pentru sursa citată.

Persons: Regele, Regele Spaniei Felipe al VI - lea, Libertatea, Alice Mihaela Cozma, Mihaela, Liliana, Alice, de Barros, Elena, Spaniei, Felipe al VI - lea Organizations: Universitatea, Crucii Roșie, Casa Regală Locations: Spania, Regele Spaniei, Madrid, Almendralejo, Extremadura, spaniolă, România, Crucea Roșie spaniolă, Mérida, Universitatea Extremadura, n.r, de, Spaniei

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