GE2025: Singapore authorities identify a number of foreigners attempting to influence election
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CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
US Senator Hawley launches probe into Meta AI policies
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley launched a probe into Facebook parent Meta Platforms' artificial intelligence policies on Friday, demanding documents on rules that had allowed its artificial intelligence chatbots to 'engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.' Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have expressed alarm over the rules outlined in an internal Meta document first reported by Reuters on Thursday. Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, chairs the Senate subcommittee on crime and counterterrorism, which will investigate "whether Meta's generative-AI products enable exploitation, deception, or other criminal harms to children, and whether Meta misled the public or regulators about its safeguards," he said in a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. "We intend to learn who approved these policies, how long they were in effect, and what Meta has done to stop this conduct going forward," Hawley said. Meta declined to comment on Hawley's letter on Friday. The company said previously that "the examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed.' In addition to documents outlining those changes and who authorized them, Hawley sought earlier drafts of the policies along with internal risk reports, including on minors and in-person meetups. Reuters reported on Thursday about a retired man who died while traveling to New York on the invitation of a Meta chatbot. Meta must also disclose what it has told regulators about its generative AI protections for young users or limits on medical advice, according to Hawley's letter. Hawley has often criticized Big Tech. He held a hearing in April on Meta's alleged attempts to gain access to the Chinese market which were referenced in a book by former Facebook executive Sarah Wynn-Williams.
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Straits Times
UK councillor acquitted by a jury over ‘cut all their throats' speech
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LONDON - A British councillor was on Aug 15 acquitted of encouraging violent disorder for saying far-right activists should have their throats cut amid riots in 2024, drawing claims from right-wing politicians of a hypocritical 'two-tier' justice system. Mr Ricky Jones made the comments at a counter-protest in London after three girls were murdered in the north English town of Southport and was suspended by the ruling Labour party. Disinformation on social media said the teenager who committed the murders at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event was an Islamist migrant, fuelling days of violent riots including attacks on mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers. Mr Jones, 58, was cleared by a jury following a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court. He had made the remarks to a crowd gathered near an immigration advice centre in London after reports that far-right supporters were planning a protest. 'They are disgusting Nazi fascists... We need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all,' he said, running a finger across his throat. Mr Jones gave evidence that he did not intend his words to be taken literally and said his comments referred to far-right stickers with hidden razor blades found on a train. Right-wing politicians and activists said his case was an example of how Britain had an unfair police and justice system, with those who voice concerns about immigration treated differently to those who support liberal or left-wing causes. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran after judge cites judicial mercy Singapore Why was Ong Beng Seng fined instead of jailed? Key points from the case Singapore ICA to review Ong Beng Seng's PR status after he is fined for abetting obstruction of justice Singapore Drug trafficker gets death sentence commuted after President Tharman grants clemency Asia Former China envoy to Singapore Sun Haiyan reappears after reported questioning Singapore Over 600 orchids on display at Gardens by the Bay to mark 60 years of Singapore-Malaysia ties Singapore Father of 4 among S'poreans arrested in CNB raids; drugs worth over $128k seized They contrasted Mr Jones' treatment with that of Lucy Connolly, the wife of a Conservative councillor who was jailed for 31 months for inciting racial hatred for a post urging mass deportation of migrants and the burning of their hotels. Unlike Mr Jones, she had pleaded guilty to the offence. Mr Chris Philp, the opposition Conservative Party's home affairs spokesperson, said on X: 'The development of two-tier justice is becoming increasingly alarming.' Mr Zia Yusuf, from the populist right-wing Reform UK party which is leading in opinion polls, also compared Mr Jones' acquittal to Connolly's sentence. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was labelled 'two-tier Keir' by some opponents last summer after claims some ethnic groups were policed more leniently than others, a suggestion that has been rejected by senior ministers, police chiefs and prosecutors. REUTERS
Straits Times
11 hours ago
- Straits Times
Foreign Islamists petition Syrian state for citizenship
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Foreign fighters and others who joined Syria's civil war from abroad have petitioned the new Islamist-led government for citizenship, arguing they have earned it after sweeping to power with rebels who ousted former leader Bashar al-Assad. The fate of foreign fighters has loomed large since Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took power, with few states willing to take back people they often view as extremists and some Syrians wary of their presence. Many of the fighters and their families, and others including aid workers and journalists who joined the rebels, have no valid documentation. Some have been stripped of their original citizenship, and fear lengthy prison sentences or even death in their countries of origin. But rewarding them with Syrian citizenship could alienate Syrians and foreign states whose support the new government is seeking as it tries to unify and rebuild a country devastated by war and shaken by sectarian killings. A petition submitted to Syria's interior ministry on Thursday, seen by Reuters, argues the foreigners should be granted citizenship so they can settle down, own land and even travel. "We shared bread, we shared sorrow, and we shared in the hope for a free and just future for Syria ... Yet for us, the muhajireen (emigrants), our status remains uncertain," reads the letter. "We respectfully request that the Syrian leadership, with wisdom, foresight and brotherhood, grant us full Syrian citizenship and the right to hold a Syrian passport." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran after judge cites judicial mercy Singapore Why was Ong Beng Seng fined instead of jailed? Key points from the case Asia Sun Haiyan, ex-China ambassador to S'pore, detained for questioning: Sources Singapore Love that saves lives: Seniors in Singapore overcome challenges to donate organs Singapore Over 600 orchids on display at Gardens by the Bay to mark 60 years of Singapore-Malaysia ties Singapore Father of 4 among S'poreans arrested in CNB raids; drugs worth over $128k seized The letter was submitted by Bilal Abdul Kareem, a U.S. stand-up comedian-turned-war journalist residing in Syria since 2012 and a prominent voice among Islamist foreigners there. He told Reuters by phone that the petition aimed to benefit thousands of foreigners from more than a dozen states. That includes Egyptians and Saudis, Lebanese, Pakistanis, Indonesians and Maldivians, as well as Britons, Germans, French, Americans, Canadians and people of Chechen and Uyghur ethnicity. Reuters could not determine how many people backed the petition for citizenship, but three foreigners in Syria - a Briton, an Uyghur and a French citizen - confirmed they did. A spokesperson for Syria's interior ministry said the Syrian presidency would be the one to decide on the issue of citizenship for foreigners. A presidency media official did not respond to a request for comment. In the weeks after taking power, Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly HTS leader, said foreign fighters and their families might be granted Syrian citizenship, but there have been no public reports of such a move. Some Syrians are concerned, seeing the foreigner fighters as more loyal to a pan-Islamic project than to Syria, and fearing their perceived extremism. In the months since Assad fell, foreign fighters have been accused of participating in violence targeting members of Alawite and Druze minority religious groups. A Reuters investigation into violence in Syria's coastal regions in March in which more than 1,000 Alawites were killed found that Uyghurs, Uzbeks, Chechens, and some Arab fighters participated in the killings, though the majority were carried out by Syrian factions. 'JUST OUTCOME' Thousands of Sunni Muslim foreigners flocked to Syria after popular protests in 2011 spiralled into an increasingly sectarian civil war that also drew in Shi'ite Muslim militias from across the region. They joined various groups, some clashing with HTS, others building a reputation as fierce and loyal fighters whom the group's leadership even relied on for their personal security. Many married and started families. The Uyghur fighter, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the topic, said his goal had shifted to making a life in the new Syria. "I have a 4-year-old boy who should join school soon, and I have to think about his future away from the battlefields of jihad," the fighter said. Tauqir Sharif, a British aid worker who has lived in Syria since 2012, told Reuters in May that foreigners who contributed to society deserved nationality. "The muhajireen that came were not killers, they were life savers that came here to stop the oppression," said Sharif, who was stripped of his UK citizenship in 2017 for alleged links to an al Qaeda-aligned group, allegations he denies. After taking power in December, Syria appointed foreign fighters to senior military posts. It received a U.S. green light to include several thousand in the army, and has handed foreigners other roles. Supporters of giving foreign fighters citizenship argue it would make them accountable under the law. "This would be the just outcome of the sacrifices these young brothers and sisters made to free the country from the clutches of Bashar al-Assad," said Abdul Kareem, who has also been critical of HTS and the new Syrian leadership. Orwa Ajjoub, a Syrian analyst who has studied Syrian jihadist groups since 2016, said the issue "should be addressed through dialogue with a broad spectrum of Syrian society, which still holds diverse opinions on the matter". REUTERS
