Author: admin@primenews

Meta says it will introduce technology that can detect and label images generated by other companies’ artificial intelligence (AI) tools. It will be deployed on its platforms Facebook, Instagram and Threads. Meta already labels AI images generated by its own systems. It says it hopes the new tech, which it is still building, will create “momentum” for the industry to tackle AI fakery. But an AI expert told the BBC such tools are “easily evadable”. In a blog written by senior executive Sir Nick Clegg, Meta says it intends to expand its labelling of AI fakes “in the coming months”. In…

Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has defended the country’s Eurovision song after it was branded “anti-women”. The electro-pop anthem Zorra has come under fire because its title, which means vixen, is more often used to mean “bitch” or “slut” in Spanish slang. The song “insults women in a sexist way”, said the Feminist Movement of Madrid in a statement. But Mr Sánchez dismissed the criticism, saying the song challenged sexist stereotypes. “It seems to me that feminism is not only fair, it can be fun, and this type of provocation must come from culture,” he told the Al Rojo Vivo…

Nikki Haley has suffered a humiliating defeat in the Republican primary in Nevada, despite facing no competition in the absence of Donald Trump. She received fewer votes than “None of these candidates” by a large margin, the Associated Press projected. The state governor had advocated voting in this way as a protest because Ms Haley will skip Thursday’s caucuses. Mr Trump runs unopposed in that vote as he closes in on the presidential nomination. With 86% of precincts reported, “None” had 63% of Tuesday’s primary votes and Ms Haley had 31%. But the contest is non-binding because it has been…

Two bomb explosions have killed at least 22 people in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on the eve of general elections, officials say. The first blast killed 14 people in front of an independent candidate’s party office in Pishin district. A second explosion left eight people dead in Qillah Saif Ullah district, about 150km (93 miles) away. Many others were injured in the two blasts. The election has been marred by violence and claims of poll-rigging. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack in Pishin, a town about 50km from the city of Quetta and 100km south-east of the Afghan…

Long lines in snowy weather to buy merchandise days in advance. Hordes of fans, some from other countries, filling up the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome, excitedly swapping homemade bracelets. People around the world feverishly calculating time zones and watching online flight trackers. This is the Taylor Swift phenomenon – and the mania that has followed the pop superstar as she prepares to perform four nights of sold-out shows in Tokyo before potentially jetting back to Las Vegas to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce play at the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Tokyo leg of Swift’s Eras Tour – a multi-continent extravaganza that could end up…

Some of the very first signs of banking stress in the crisis that unfolded last year were reflected in Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank’s nosediving share prices. All of them eventually failed. So it’s no wonder why more people are questioning whether New York Community Bancorp (NYCB) will meet the same fate after the stock shed 60% of its value over the past week. Now it’s under even more pressure after Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the bank’s credit grade to junk status Tuesday evening. Its stock plunged another 15% in after-hours trading. “NYCB’s ratings could be…

Pakistan is on edge as the South Asian nation heads to the polls Thursday for a widely anticipated general election in which its charismatic – and widely popular – former leader is barred from standing. Imran Khan, 71, is a former international cricket star who rose to Pakistan’s highest political office before he was ousted from power in a storm of controversy. Now the former prime minister is imprisoned on multiple convictions and banned from contesting the vote against his rivals – scions of the country’s elite political dynasties. The vote, delayed by a year, comes as nuclear-armed Pakistan faces mounting challenges – from economic uncertainty and frequent militant attacks to climate catastrophes…

A pod of around a dozen killer whales trapped by drift ice in waters off Japan’s northern island appear to have successfully escaped, officials say. The stranded orcas were spotted by a fisherman earlier this week, almost one kilometre off Hokkaido. Drone footage showed the animals packed closely together and sticking their heads out of the water to breathe. That sparked an official response – with officials travelling to the seaside town to monitor the whales. The footage was also shown on Japanese TV, prompting a wave of concern for the animals from the public this week and calls for…

A Chinese app aimed at preventing fraud could be used to monitor Tibetans, according to a new report. The investigation by Tibet research groups found the app could monitor users’ texts, internet browser histories and access personal data. They also alleged some Tibetans were being forced to download the app. Restrictions in Tibet have increased in recent years, say rights groups, tightening the screws on an already heavily controlled part of China. Authorities have ramped up state surveillance and censorship in recent years, particularly during the pandemic. Politically sensitive regions such as Tibet and Xinjiang have especially come under scrutiny.…

Chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is upping its output in Japan as it continues to expand its global presence. The world’s largest chipmaker will build a second semiconductor fabrication plant, or fab, in the country in “response to rising customer demand,” TSMC said in a statement Tuesday. Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM), a subsidiary majority-owned by TSMC, plans to start construction by the end of 2024, it added. The facility is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2027. Together with JASM’s first plant, which is scheduled to begin operation this year, the overall investment in Japan will exceed…