The AI revolution that’s been shaking up Hollywood for the past few years has made its way to South Korean shores. From remastering classics to creating productions entirely through generative AI, the local film industry is starting to test out using AI tools for experimental projects. This week brings a remastered version of “Leafie, a Hen into the Wild.” The 2011 animated feature gets new life through an AI remaster from Inshorts, a local tech startup launched just last year whose “AI Super-scaler” tech claims to transform the visuals into crisp 4K quality. For those familiar with Korean cinema, “Leafie”…
Author: Asia News Network
Indonesia’s plan to set a minimum age for social media users has been largely welcomed by parents and advocacy groups, although some have raised a few concerns over the plan, including the possible leakage of personal data. Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said on Jan 13 that talks on the age restriction had begun, with the government aiming for a law to protect children online. The plan follows Australia’s passing of a law in late 2024 banning under-16s from using social media. An age-assurance trial to test the technology to enforce the Australian law is starting in January, with…
Donald Trump was sworn in for a historic second term as president on Monday, pledging a blitz of immediate orders on immigration and the US culture wars as he caps his extraordinary comeback. With one hand raised in the air and the other on a Bible given to him by his mother, the 47th US president solemnly took the oath of office beneath the huge Rotunda of the US Capitol. Trump, 78, was a political outsider at his first inauguration in 2017 as the 45th president, but this time around he is surrounded by America’s wealthy and powerful. The world’s…
SINGAPORE – It is a rainy Sunday afternoon in October and a lively menagerie has taken over a nondescript industrial office in Toa Payoh: five dogs, two rabbits, a cat and a white dove named Quinty. Among them sit 15 humans, some with their hands on their furry and feathered friends, eyes closed in concentration as they try to focus on sending healing energy. Leading the session is Mr Ezekiel Ong, a veterinary technician, reiki master and animal “communicator”. Dressed in a loose top with a mandarin collar and wearing a necklace with a cracker-size crystal, the tall, large man…
NEW YORK – After a brief weekend outage, TikTok was up and running again on Sunday in the United States after President-elect Donald Trump said he would issue an executive order Monday to keep the popular video platform active. It was the latest in a flurry of news about the short-form video site, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance and has gained some prominent supporters in the US. TikTok went dark around 10:30 pm ET Saturday but was back online just before 12:30 pm on Sunday. “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” users were told in a pop-up message Saturday.…
Massive forest fires, allegedly started by poachers four days ago, continue to rage in Suphan Buri, with approximately 1,000 rai of forest already damaged, officials have reported. Volunteers, park rangers, and officials from relevant agencies joined forces on Thursday morning to contain the fires, which have been spreading across forests on the mountain range in Tambon Plap Plachai and Tambon Ban Khong in Suphan Buri’s U Thong district for four consecutive days. Officials stated that fires in most areas have been extinguished or have burned themselves out. However, the blazes persist in steep, mountainous regions inaccessible to firefighters on foot.…
With the national minimum wage set to rise to RM1,700 from Feb 1, business owners are preparing to shoulder additional operating expenses, but at the same time, they are hoping for government measures to ease their financial burden. Particularly affected are food court operators, coffee shop owners and vegetable farmers as they typically employ more foreign workers compared with other industries. Malaysia-Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors General Association president Wong Teu Hoon noted that large food courts employ more foreigners compared with traditional coffee shops, and so, they are impacted by the higher minimum wage of RM1,700 from RM1,500 previously. “About…
The court late Thursday night dismissed impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol’s request challenging the detention, effectively maintaining him under custody for an investigation into insurrection charges. The decision by the Seoul Central District Court was made after two hours of deliberation since 5 p.m. for which Yoon’s legal representatives took issue with the legality of the probe led by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. They had argued the warrant to detain him was issued by the Seoul Western District Court, which they said makes it invalid due to jurisdictional issues. With the court’s decision, the CIO is expected…
Apple has begun work on a factory worth US$1 billion [Rp 16 trillion] on the island of Batam in Riau Islands to make its AirTag tracking devises, according to the government. Investment and Downstream Minister Rosan Roeslani said the United States-based tech giant had acquired land to build the plant. The government has been pushing for direct investment from Apple to revoke a sales ban that prevents the company from selling its latest iPhone model in the country, but the AirTag factory project has yet to convince the Industry Ministry to lift the ban. “We have managed to convince them…