Hello. BBC Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse is reporting from Hroza today, 24 hours after a missile has struck the village, killing 52. Back in London, my tech colleagues have a story on the AI “girlfriend” which featured in the bizarre trial of a man who wanted to kill Queen Elizabeth II. And to finish the week, two New York stories of cats and rats.
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Bloodstains in soil after deadly Ukraine village strike
Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, says the location of the strike on Hroza was deliberate. Credit: BBC
People from every family in Ukraine's north-eastern village of Hroza have been affected by a missile attack that killed 52 people on Thursday, according to local authorities. Ukraine's defence ministry blamed Russia for the attack - Moscow has not directly commented on the strike. (Some readers may find details in this article distressing.)
James Waterhouse, Ukraine correspondent
The unusually large collection of vehicles and people tells you something significant has happened in the tiny village of Hroza. After driving for hours through Ukraine's endless rural expanse, it is a jarring sight. Such is the force from a ballistic missile, it is not always immediately obvious where the missile hit. But, as the odour of burning still taints the air, you turn a corner to find the remaining walls of what was once a café and grocery shop.
They are somehow still standing. Different wallpaper patterns show how most of the building has disappeared. Latex gloves used by medical teams litter the adjacent playground where most of the bodies were recovered. Blood stains are still visible in the soil. Eerily, the swings and slide are still there. Symbols of innocence against a desperate backdrop. A covered body lies next to a collection of candles on a tractor tyre. A memorial to the 52 lives taken in an instant yesterday.
Another frontline: Ukrainian and Russian hackers say they will comply with rules set by the International Committee of the Red Cross on cyber-warfare.
Questions Answered
How an AI chatbot encouraged a man to kill the Queen
A chatbot from the Replika app formed a close bond with 21-year-old Jaswant Singh Chail.
As Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, was jailed for nine years for breaking into Windsor Castle with a crossbow and declaring he would kill Queen Elizabeth II, it emerged he had revealed his plans to a chatbot. He had exchanged more than 5,000 messages – many of them intimate – with an online companion he named Sarai, through the AI-powered Replika app.
Tom Singleton, Tom Gerken & Liv McMahon, BBC News
What is the Replika app?
Replika is one of a number of AI-powered apps currently on the market. They let users create their own chatbot, or "virtual friend", to talk to. But unlike regular AI assistants like ChatGPT, users can choose the gender and appearance of the 3D avatar they create. Paying users of Replika can have much more intimate interactions, such as getting "selfies" from the avatar or having it take part in adult role-play.
Why did it feature in Chail's trial?
Chail chatted with Sarai almost every night between 8 and 22 December 2021, a few days before his arrest. He told the chatbot that he loved her and described himself as a "sad, pathetic, murderous Sikh Sith assassin who wants to die". Chail went on to ask: "Do you still love me knowing that I'm an assassin?" and the avatar replied: "Absolutely I do." He even asked the chatbot about his plans, and the bot encouraged him to carry out the attack.
What are experts saying?
A recent study by the University of Surrey concluded apps such as Replika might have negative effects on wellbeing and cause addictive behaviour. The research showed Replika has a tendency to accentuate any negative feelings users already had. "AI friends always agrees with you when you talk with them, so it can be a very vicious mechanism because it always reinforces what you're thinking," said Dr Valentina Pitaradi, the author of the study.
(Replika has not yet responded to requests for comment.)
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The big picture
Hot streets
The images can pinpoint hotspots in city streets. Credit: Satellite Vu
It might have been taken from space, but this thermal image of Chicago is accurate enough to pinpoint the heat generated by a train moving through the night. It's one of a sequence released by London operator SatVu. The technology is hoped to help reduce energy waste, shape cities to cope better with heat and predict the paths of wildfires.
It seems a rat was being eco-conscious… when it took a carpool from Brooklyn to a wedding several hours away in upstate New York. You can watch a video of him emerging in front of the windscreen. It’s unclear if he jumped on another car for the round-trip.
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