new york times – The Milli Chronicle https://millichronicle.com Factual Version of a Story Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:52:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://media.millichronicle.com/2018/11/12122950/logo-m-01-150x150.png new york times – The Milli Chronicle https://millichronicle.com 32 32 US Halts $500 Million Cash Transfer to Iraq Amid Militia Tensions https://millichronicle.com/2026/04/65693.html Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:52:40 +0000 https://millichronicle.com/?p=65693 Baghdad — The United States has blocked a shipment of nearly $500 million in cash bound for Iraq and suspended certain security cooperation measures, according to media reports, as Washington increases pressure on Baghdad over attacks by Iran-aligned militant groups.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the halted transfer involved funds generated from Iraqi oil revenues, while also citing a broader pause in financial flows and security assistance following strikes on U.S. interests in Iraq by groups expressing support for Iran.

An Iraqi government official told AFP that only one shipment had failed to arrive, attributing the delay to logistical constraints and airspace closures linked to the ongoing regional conflict. A central bank official separately said dollar transfers had slowed due to flight suspensions and security concerns but stressed that Iraq maintains sufficient reserves and has not requested additional funds.

However, an Iraqi security official confirmed that Washington had suspended elements of its security cooperation, including programs tied to training and counterterrorism operations.

U.S. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott acknowledged Iraqi efforts to respond to attacks but said that support for militia groups by some political actors was harming bilateral relations. He said the United States expects Iraq to take immediate steps to dismantle Iran-aligned factions and warned that attacks on U.S. interests would not be tolerated.

The State Department recently summoned Iraq’s ambassador in Washington to condemn attacks, including an ambush on U.S. diplomats in Baghdad on April 8. U.S. officials did not directly comment on the reported cash transfer decision, and the Treasury Department declined to respond.

Iraq has been drawn deeper into regional tensions, with Iran-backed groups carrying out rocket and drone attacks targeting U.S. diplomatic and military sites, including the embassy in Baghdad and facilities in Erbil, where coalition forces are stationed.

Most attacks have been intercepted, according to officials.The United States retains significant financial leverage over Iraq, as revenues from Iraqi oil exports are largely held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York under arrangements established after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that removed former leader Saddam Hussein.

According to the New York Times, the suspension of funding also affects programs supporting Iraq’s military and efforts against the Islamic State group, a cornerstone of U.S.-Iraq security cooperation since the militant group’s territorial expansion in 2014.

In a parallel diplomatic effort, Esmail Qaani, head of Iran’s Quds Force, visited Baghdad for talks with Iraqi officials and armed faction leaders aimed at addressing regional de-escalation and its implications for Iraq.

Pro-Iran armed groups announced earlier this month a temporary halt to attacks following a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, though tensions remain elevated across the region.

]]> New York Times Sues Perplexity AI Over Unauthorized Content Use https://millichronicle.com/2025/12/60350.html Sat, 06 Dec 2025 20:00:12 +0000 https://millichronicle.com/?p=60350

The lawsuit intensifies the growing clash between news publishers and AI companies over control, copyright, and the future of digital journalism.

The New York Times has filed a major lawsuit against Perplexity AI, accusing the fast-growing artificial intelligence startup of copying, distributing, and displaying millions of its articles without permission as part of the company’s effort to fuel its generative AI platforms.

The action marks one of the most high-profile legal battles yet in the escalating fight between traditional news publishers and emerging AI firms that rely heavily on large-scale content ingestion to develop their tools

The Times argues that Perplexity used both free and paywalled material without authorization, allowing the startup to benefit commercially while undermining the value of the newspaper’s original reporting.

The complaint also alleges that Perplexity’s systems produced fabricated outputs—commonly referred to as hallucinations—and presented them as Times journalism, even placing the newspaper’s registered trademarks beside inaccurate information.

This, the Times says, risks confusing users and damaging the integrity of its brand at a moment when the accuracy of information online is already under intense scrutiny.

In its filing, the Times sought damages, injunctive relief, and broader restrictions that would prevent Perplexity from continuing to leverage its reporting without proper licensing or compensation.

A spokesperson for the Times underscored that the outlet supports responsible advancements in artificial intelligence but opposes what it sees as the unauthorized extraction and monetization of its content.

The case adds to a series of legal challenges facing Perplexity, which has been the subject of mounting complaints from several publishers as the company attempts to secure a foothold in the competitive generative AI market.

Just a day earlier, the Chicago Tribune also lodged a lawsuit, making similar allegations about unauthorized content usage.
Perplexity, in response, has pushed back sharply against the claims, arguing that the lawsuits represent outdated resistance to technological innovation.

The company maintains that it is not engaged in large-scale scraping to train foundational models and instead says it merely indexes publicly available web pages while offering citations for factual references.

The broader legal dispute reflects a growing global debate over how AI companies collect and use copyrighted content, raising questions about fair use, compensation models, and data transparency.

This conflict is not limited to Perplexity alone; major platforms across the tech industry face similar accusations as publishers push back on the unlicensed use of their intellectual property.

The case also follows earlier tensions between the Times and several technology firms, including its ongoing friction with OpenAI, as the newspaper seeks to defend the commercial and editorial value of its journalism.

Meanwhile, Perplexity continues to face legal scrutiny from other major content organizations, including Encyclopedia Britannica as well as media groups linked to Rupert Murdoch’s Dow Jones and the New York Post.

The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, comes more than a year after the Times issued a cease-and-desist notice, underscoring the depth of the dispute and signaling a new phase in the legal battle over AI data rights.

At the same time, other technology companies such as Reddit have taken legal action of their own, accusing Perplexity and others of unauthorized data extraction from their platforms.

The growing wave of litigation highlights the shifting power dynamics between content creators and AI developers, especially as news organizations search for sustainable models in a digital ecosystem increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

The outcome of this legal confrontation could have far-reaching implications for how AI firms access premium journalism, how publishers negotiate licensing, and how courts interpret copyright in the age of machine learning.

]]> FACTBOX: Are 150 Saudi Royals infected with Coronavirus? https://millichronicle.com/2020/04/factbox-are-150-saudi-royals-infected-with-coronavirus.html Fri, 10 Apr 2020 16:15:04 +0000 https://millichronicle.com/?p=9380 by Zahack Tanvir

It’s not a mere tittle-tattle piece of information based on anonymous claims…

America’s most popular newspaper — The New York Times — came up with a highly speculative report on 8th of April about 150 Saudi royal family members infected by Coronavirus—which was authored by London-based David D. Kirkpatrick and Lebanon-based Ben Habbard.

The report was later published with a back-reference to the NYTimes by Israel’s—Times of Israel, and Qatar’s—Al Jazeera, and gradually it went like Chinese-whispers among the newsagencies of India and Pakistan.

The way it’s written and quoted raises serious concerns about the ethics of journalism—as the rule of thumb is to accurately quote the valid sources while publishing such an intriguing matter that can adversely affect a country’s stability and its people.

It’s not a mere tittle-tattle piece of information based on anonymous claims like—“according to an internal ‘high alert’ sent out by hospital officials”, “a copy was obtained by The New York Times”, “according to a person close to the family”, “according to doctors and people close to the family”, etc.

Well, it isn’t hard to speculate about the objectives and the motives of the authors, but it obviously seems the motives were ulterior which were directed to create panic and chaos among the residents, citizens and the Kingdom’s allies.

Ben Habbard has the history of spreading anti-Saudi rhetoric, and it’s quite obvious that he is currently marketing his latest book against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman—for this very reason majority of his articles are directed at attacking Saudi Arabia and the royal family.

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s journalist Maria Maloof has outrightly called NYTimes staff as “liars”, and rejected the report as “wrong information” and “total lies”, and asked why it keeps targeting the royal family of Saudi Arabia.

“The New York Times are liars. They published wrong information that 150 members of the royal family of the House of Saud have been infected with the corona virus. These are total lies. Why do you keep targeting the royal family of Saudi Arabia with these false accusations”.

Mohammad Wasim Ameen, a research scholar from India’s prestigious university based in New Delhi Jamia Milla Islamia posted on his Facebook page in Urdu language, talking about the crass attitude of the Western media in handling the affairs related to Saudi Arabia.

“Rumors are circulating and spreading these days. A few months ago, a news went viral about the luxurious lifestyle of a Saudi Prince who died 13 years ago, and even the news of Mohammed bin Salman’s death was viral,” wrote Wasim. “It seems that world media and democratic countries are disturbed by the prosperity of Saudi Arabia and its people.”

Mohammed Wasim’s post seems to hold truth about the absolute reason behind the media attacks directed against Saudi Arabia and its leaders, perhaps the way Saudi Arabia is currently dealing with the pandemic situation.

At the time when the countries who criticized Saudi Arabia were grappling against the coronavirus lockdowns with heavy economical wounds on their backs, even asking their citizens to go for “charities”. Saudi Arabia was assuring its citizens and expatriates to be worriless.

British travellers who were stranded in New Zealand and Australia were literally weeping about not getting any help from the UK government.

UK embassy in Kuwait tweeted that, “Embassy cannot provide financial assistance to British nationals and as a last resort UK nationals sometimes need to contact charities”.

Canada who boastfully helped a Saudi teenager run away from her family “safely”, couldn’t even repatriate thousands of its citizens stranded abroad.

Spain was reaching out to NATO for humanitarian assistance to fight coronavirus.

In United States, nearly a third of renters did not pay their rent, and thousands of working class people lost their jobs.

However on the other side of this planet, Saudi Arabia gave five-star accommodation and toothsome food and desserts to the quarantined coronavirus patients.

The World Health Organization (WHO) praised the Saudi Government for its approach that comes from the 2012 MERS experience, and its unique expertise in emergency preparedness from managing the Haj pilgrimage every year.

In fact, the expatriates of the above mentioned countries living in Saudi Arabia have hailed Kingdom’s efforts in smoothly handling the crisis.

The US ambassador to Saudi Arabia John Abizaid advised the American community in the Kingdom to “shelter in place,” instead of returning to the US amid the present crisis.

Unfortunately, what is more appalling and inhumane on the part of NYTimes authors is that—over 16000 Americans have died due to coronavirus and more than 450,000 residents had tested positive for the virus, but the authors’ curiosity revolves around 150 Saudi royals and the happenings in Saudi Arabia.

Zahack Tanvir is a Computer Engineer based in Saudi Arabia. He holds Diploma in Journalism from London School of Journalism. He regularly writes for MilliChronicle on socio-political issues. He tweets under @ZahackTanvir.

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