MANILA – A resolution seeking to look into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s footprint in the Philippines will soon be filed in the Senate. Sen. Loren Legarda, during the Senate’s Tuesday session, signified her intent to file the measure, emphasizing the need to examine the organizations, syndicates, and public relations companies that allegedly worked to help cleanse Epstein’s physical and digital image. “This is very recent. It’s right here at our doorstep. I don’t know whether it was him personally or his associates, but this convicted pedophile—who was supposedly a financial wizard at the time and who died or was…
Author: Asia News Network
TOKYO – SoftBank Corp. has launched a corporate service that uses AI to convert the voices of customers who call in with a harsh speaking voice into a calmer tone. The company expects the service to be introduced at corporate call centers as a measure to address customer harassment, which includes the verbal abuse of employees and unreasonable demands from customers. Based on joint research with the University of Tokyo, the company has developed the technology, which allows AI to instantly convert customers’ voices into a calmer tone without changing their remarks. The AI was trained on a total of…
SINGAPORE – Data on income, wealth and inequality released on Feb 9 shows that Singapore’s policies have worked well over the past decade, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. But amid new headwinds, more effort and a willingness to do things differently are required to keep the city state moving in the right direction, he added. In a social media video following the Ministry of Finance’s (MOF) release of an occasional paper on Singapore’s income and social mobility trends, PM Wong said there are early signs of social mobility here slowing as the economy matures, similar to pressures faced by many…
JAKARTA – Indonesia has signed two separate Letters of Intent (LoIs) during the recently concluded Singapore Airshow to acquire Italian-made M-346 Master trainer jets and Russian-made Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum jet fighters. The first LoI was signed between Leonardo “with PT E-System Solutions Indonesia and the Ministry of Defense (MoD) of the Republic of Indonesia aimed at cooperating for the supply and support of the Leonardo M-346 F Block 20 aircraft to meet Indonesian Air Force operational requirements,” the Italian defense said in a press release issued on Wednesday. “The LOI follows the selection of the M-346 by the MoD to…
DHAKA – Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus today called on all political parties to issue firm instructions to their leaders and activists, from the national level down to the grassroots, to ensure that no one engages in disorder, violence, intimidation or any attempt to influence voters during the election process. “Any move to forcibly take over polling centres, disrupt voting or provoke unrest would not be tolerated by the state,” he said in a televised address to the nation at 7:00pm. The chief adviser also warned against the spread of misinformation, particularly on social media platforms, saying rumours and fabricated…
SINGAPORE – A woman turns her torso one way, flings her gaze the other, and says in a sultry voice: “Gan ma?” – what do you want? The video clip, in which she teaches others how to flirt by twisting their bodies into an X-shape, went viral in January. It was parodied across Chinese social media – and even spoofed by Singaporean comedian Mr Brown. The virality shone a spotlight on her multi-million yuan business empire, triggering a backlash that led to its abrupt collapse. The woman is Ms Zhou Yuan, a self-styled “godmother of sexual intelligence”. A former banker…
SINGAPORE – In August 2023, Singaporean content creator Mathilda Huang, 28, found deepfake nudes of her on “seedy websites”. The person who posted the pictures falsely claimed that they came from her OnlyFans account, a subscription-based platform where creators share adult content with paying fans. Ms Huang recounted having to go through the “humiliating” task of tracking down websites to request their removal from search results. In recent times, the proliferation of “AI nudifying tools” – online services that use artificial intelligence (AI) to digitally strip subjects – on forums, Telegram groups and third-party app stores has worsened the problem.…
BEIJING – As a leader in regional cooperation, a champion of multilateralism and a key driver of the global economy, China’s role as the host of the 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting holds significance that extends well beyond the organization itself and reaches far beyond the Asia-Pacific region, a senior Chinese official has said. Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu made the remarks during a media interview held on the sidelines of the first APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting, which opened in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Feb 1 and will conclude on Tuesday. Hosting the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting fully…
SEOUL – Police plan to deploy special forces and additional safety personnel for a BTS comeback concert expected to draw up to 260,000 fans to Gwanghwamun Square on March 21, officials said Monday. Seoul Metropolitan Police Commissioner General Park Jeong-bo said at a regular press briefing that authorities are preparing “with all available resources” to ensure safety, including appointing a public safety chief to lead a task force. Police estimate that about 230,000 people could gather near Daehanmun Gate of Deoksugung Palace, mainly in the northern section of Gwanghwamun Square, where the stage will be located, with the total crowd…
TOKYO – The Liberal Democratic Party looked certain to secure a single-party majority in the 51st House of Representatives election on Sunday, according to exit polls jointly conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun, NHK and Nippon TV-affiliated stations. The LDP appeared set to take the majority, which is 233 seats of the 465-seat chamber, garnering more than the 198 seats it held before the lower house was dissolved. The ruling coalition of the LDP and the Japan Innovation Party was poised to secure more than 300 seats. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also LDP president, had aimed to win a…