Latest news with #Belgian
The South African
an hour ago
- Sport
- The South African
Orlando Pirates news: Riveiro throws shade, Broos has a vendetta, update on Sesane
Today's Orlando Pirates rumours involved ex-boss Jose Riveiro and a theory involving Hugo Broos, Tshegofatso Mabasa and Evidence Makgopa. Evidence Makgopa and Tshegofatso Mabasa again find themselves in the wilderness for Bafana Bafana. Is there something sinister happening behind the scenes? Meanwhile, Belgian boss Hugo Broos has included Simphiwe Selepe. Click for the story Broos explains why he likes Selepe for Bafana Meanwhile, we won't read between the lines too much, but it sounds as though Jose Riveiro feels he's taken a step up with his move to Egyptian giants Al Ahly. Click for the story Thabiso Sesane started the campaign in domineering form, becoming a pillar in the heart of their defence. It was, therefore, a massive blow to the club and player when he was cruelly struck down with a serious tendon injury in February. Click for the story Sandile Mthethwa and Thabiso Sesane of Orlando Pirates celebrate. Image: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix How excited are you to see Thabiso Sesane return to action for the Buccaneers? Let us know by leaving a comment below or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Also, subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Scotsman
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
'I became the AI voice of Lothian Buses, but didn't know about it', says angry Scottish voiceover artist
Second woman discovers a synthetic version of her voice being used by a Scottish transport operator - in this case, Lothian Buses. Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A Glasgow voiceover artist has accused an AI company of 'stealing her vocal soul' for creating an synthetic version of her voice that has been supplied to Edinburgh bus operator Lothian for announcements. Diane Brooks told The Scotsman that other artists were likely to have been similarly treated after Midlothian-based Gayanne Potter revealed an AI version of her voice had been used by ScotRail for train announcements. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Voiceover artist Diane Brooks in her studio near Glasgow on Thursday | John Devlin/The Scotsman Ms Brooks said her voice recordings made 11 years ago for Belgian company Acapela had been used to created a synthetic voice known as 'Rhona'. She thought Rhona may also have been used by other transport operators. 'I am sorry to say and unbeknown to me, my voice is the voice on Lothian buses,' Ms Brooks said. 'I had done a text-to-speech (TTS) project in 2014 when TTS was in its infancy and had known my voice was on Acapela as Rhona, but thought it wouldn't get used as it has been. 'I have felt very strongly for a long time that I had to do something, but felt a bit alone about it all, and what chance would I have against a big corporate company?' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Brooks said when Ms Potter revealed an AI version of her voice, known as Iona, had been used by ScotRail, 'it has given me the strength to do something about it, as it's an infringement of my rights as a voiceover artist'. ScotRail said Ms Potter's dispute was with Swedish firm ReadSpeaker, which supplied Iona. Gayanne Potter wants ScotRail to remove the 'Iona' AI version of her voice from its train announcements | Gayanne Potter Ms Brooks said: 'The worst thing is that I have no control of my own voice. I don't know where it will end up and basically, they have stolen my vocal soul. At first I was quite upset, but now I'm really angry. It's not right. 'It's a relief to know I am not the only one who is in the situation and am sure more voiceover artists will come out of the woodwork with the same issue. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We must stick together and show a united approach to it all and we can't let these big corporate companies take away our identities and our livelihoods.' Ms Brooks said she was now taking legal advice 'as I want to make sure I have all the ammo I need to take on these companies that really take advantage in the most profitable way for them'. 'I hope strength in numbers will truly resolve this issue as AI is becoming increasingly dominant in everything we do and as voiceover artists we must be better protected in our work,' she said. Ms Brooks' work has included for BBC Bitesize, TV and radio commercials, and announcements for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The artist said she had recorded phrases for her agent, Scottish Voiceovers, now part of Voquent, on behalf of Acapela, but she had not been clear what they were to be used for and did not remember signing a contract. The recordings were later used by Acapela to create Rhona. Ms Brooks said: 'You are trusting your agent to do the best for you and look at things.' Performing arts union Equity said such cases had become common, which it said infringed its members' rights. Liam Budd, its industrial official for recorded media, said: 'It is extremely exploitative for companies to use and commercialise voice recordings to create digital replicas of artists from contracts which pre-date the development of generative AI or were not drafted explicitly for this purpose. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Sadly, we have heard from numerous performers who have lost control over their voice or likeness, and had their privacy and likeness hijacked through the misuse of AI. Such misuse is an attack on our members' fundamental rights. 'The union continues to call on the [UK] government for legal certainty around the use of historic contracts for AI-purposes and greater enforcement of existing GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation] laws, which give our members much-needed protections, but are currently being ignored.' A spokesperson for Lothian, which is owned by the City Of Edinburgh Council, said: 'We have two different passenger information systems in use. One uses a recording of a commissioned voice artist for mp3 playback, and the other uses a text-to-speech engine to synthesize a voice. 'Lothian is a licensed user of the text-to-speech engine, which originates from our equipment supplier and as such we were not involved in its creation.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lothian said the engine had been supplied by a passenger information equipment provider, which it has yet to name. It said it had 'no direct agreement or contract with Acapela'.
Asahi Shimbun
11 hours ago
- General
- Asahi Shimbun
‘Anne Frank' roses at Tokyo girls' school sow desire for peace
Anne's roses executive committee members Rino Nakamura, left, and Haruka Minami pose with roses of the 'Souvenir d'Anne Frank' variety in glorious full bloom on a flower bed at Tokyo Jogakkan Middle School & High School, in the capital's Shibuya Ward, on April 26. (Eriko Noda) Roses named in honor of a young holocaust victim continue to be raised with great care at a girls' school in Tokyo a quarter-century after the bush first arrived as a gift. Officials of Tokyo Jogakkan Middle School & High School, in the capital's Shibuya Ward, began growing 'Souvenir d'Anne Frank' roses 25 years ago, hoping that tending the flowers would help students connect with history and grow a desire for peace in their hearts. The flowers, more commonly referred to as 'Anne's roses,' bloomed in full glory once again this spring. The Belgian horticulturist who developed this rose variety named it in memory of Anne Frank (1929-1945), the famed author of 'The Diary of a Young Girl,' who perished in a concentration camp during World War II. Roses of the Souvenir d'Anne Frank variety were donated to Japan through Anne's father, and are treasured as symbols of peace in the various places they are grown across the country. The radiant flowers are red as buds, but become orange and, later, light pink after they open. The roses came to the school in the spring of 2000, when Machiyo Kurokawa (1929-2011), a Tokyo Jogakkan alumna and researcher of Anne Frank, donated a bush of Anne's roses, which the school then planted on the grounds. Several students volunteered to form the 'Anne's roses executive committee' to tend the plant with care, water it three times a week, weed it and prune it. Grafting has since allowed the Anne Frank roses to multiply to more than 60 bushes. 'We couldn't have just allowed that one precious plant to wither,' recalled Takaaki Fukuhara, principal of the girls' school. School officials also organized peace education programs, which continue to this day, to help students learn about the historical background of the roses. These include tours to the Anne's Rose Church in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, and the Holocaust Education Center, Japan, in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, to learn about the Holocaust. In the meantime, the Anne's roses executive committee has grown to around 100 students from all six grades of Tokyo Jogakkan's junior high school and senior high school divisions. 'For students of that age, history can just seem like a story in a book,' said Nobuyo Ueda, a Tokyo Jogakkan teacher in charge of the group. 'I hope that tending to Anne's roses will help the students develop awareness of peace naturally, without being forced to do so.' Rino Nakamura, a third-year senior high school student who headed the executive committee last year, said she read 'The Diary of a Young Girl' when she was in elementary school. She said that her activities have led her to believe that it is essential to seek to share happiness with others instead of just seeking happiness for oneself. Nakamura added she has also come to think of peace as an issue that concerns her personally. Haruka Minami, another third-year senior high school student, said she has been on the committee since she was in her first year of junior high school. After tending the flowers alongside her friends for six years, this will be her last year at the school to see them bloom. Minami said she tells herself, as she tends the roses, that keeping the flowers that are symbols of peace will also help keep the desire for peace alive. She said she has felt relief and joy every time she sees the roses bloom each year.
Japan Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Japan Today
Denz breaks away to win for Roglic as Del Toro protects Giro lead
cycling Nico Denz escaped from the remnants of a huge breakaway to win stage 18 of the Giro on Thursday as the surviving overall contenders took it easy ahead of two mountain-top battles. Even so, the race continued to take a toll on the big names. Juan Ayuso started the stage but retired two days after Primoz Roglic, the other big pre-race favorite, pulled out. Denz, a 31-year-old German, surged away from the other 10 remaining members of the lead group to give Roglic's Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team their first win of a disastrous Giro. "Everyone on the team had the big goal to win the Giro with Primoz," Denz said. "We spent two months in altitude for that. I'm now three months gone from home - I did not see my wife or children. If you lose a leader like Primoz, you lose a dream. We've thought all this hard work was for nothing. Luckily things turned around." Italian Mirco Maestri sprinted to second 1 minute, 1 second later, edging Belgian Edward Planckaert. Overall leader Isaac Del Toro rolled home alongside his main rivals 13 minutes, 51 seconds back. The Mexican has two former grand tour winners in close pursuit. He is a mere 41 seconds ahead of Richard Carapaz and 51sec ahead of Simon Yates. Asked what he was on his mind on the eve of the final battle, the 21-year-old Del Toro replied that he would go to bed thinking of having Nutella for breakfast. "I'm starting to get used to the pink jersey," Del Toro said. "For the next two stages, I hope to be at the front with the best legs I've ever had. We'll see what happens, but I want to be at the front." Thursday's transitional stage from Morbegno to Cesano Maderno was designed to give sprinters a chance and the main contenders a rest, ahead of two days of high-altitude battles. Instead, a breakaway group of almost 40 riders, none well placed overall, coalesced up the road. With almost every team represented, the pack let the break go and spent the gently 144km run rolling easily along. The stage ended with two 12.5km laps and the peloton was so slow that there was a danger it would start its first circuit just as the leaders were beginning their last loop. Organisers solved the problem by asking the previously dormant Q36.5 team, which had no riders in the breakaway, to up the pace at the head of the pack. Ayuso, the designated leader of the UAE team, started the day more than 49 minutes behind team-mate Del Toro, his right swollen eye closed by a sting. "It's been a couple of hard days," he said at the start. "Yesterday a bee went inside my helmet and I can't see out of my right eye." Ayuso had also been nursing a knee injury since a crash on stage nine that required three stitches. Saturday's 166km run from Del Biella to Champoluc includes three first-category climbs. It is first of two two ferocious mountain days before the survivors can roll into Rome in triumph on a flat final day. Before they start racing on the final Sunday, the riders will visit the Vatican where newly-elected Pope Leo XIV will greet the peloton. © 2025 AFP
Scotsman
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hearts target a new striker as transfer talks take place
EFL player and more forwards wanted at Tynecastle Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Hearts are targeting a new striker as part of their summer recruitment drive. New head coach Derek McInnes wants a physical and mobile goalscorer to complement forwards already contracted for next season. He is also in talks aimed at keeping captain Lawrence Shankland, who is out of contract. A loan deal for the Union Saint-Gilloise striker Elton Kabangu was converted into a permanent transfer on Wednesday when Hearts paid the Belgian club a fee in the region of £250,000 to keep him in Edinburgh. He signed a three-year contract. Teeanger James Wilson's deal runs until summer 2027 and carries an option to extend. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad McInnes is eager to keep Shankland but also wants an alternative type of centre-forward to compete with him, Kabangu and Wilson. In addition, transfer talks have taken place with the Walsall midfielder Oisin McEntee and a deal to bring the 24-year-old to Tynecastle Park is close. Hearts also held talks with targets in other positions, and already have Norwegian right-back Christian Borchgrevink and Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis signed for next season. Discussions over a quick transfer for the Kazakhstan international winger Islam Chesnokov are progressing. McInnes admitted that he would like four or five strikers as part of his first-team squad. He sees Scotland internationalist Wilson as a player who can develop further over the coming months after watching the youngster establish himself under previous Hearts managers Steven Naismith and Neil Critchley. 'He's one of a few academy products that have come through at the club,' said McInnes. 'Credit to Naisy and Neil who played him. Obviously being involved in the Scotland set-up elevates him. I remember playing a closed-door game against Naisy's team at Rugby Park a while back. The boy came on and I liked him right away. His movement is really top-class in and around the box. He works in tight spaces and he's proven that he's a good footballer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'He can see that and he knows his way to goal. So the more goal threats you have, the better. It's getting that balance, having the right type of strikers. I want to work with four or five strikers at the top end of the pitch and everybody's got to be able to give something a wee bit different. I think James is one of the boys that's got a lot to offer.' SPFL fixtures season 2025/26 New fixtures for season 2025/26 will be released on 20 June by the Scottish Professional Football League. McInnes is eagerly anticipating his first experience of the Edinburgh derby as a manager and will be looking out for Hearts' meetings with rivals Hibs. 'It's obviously an attraction for any Hearts manager, the atmosphere and the whole intensity,' he acknowledged. 'I'm looking forward to all the games, but obviously the derbies are massive and I've attended loads over the years. You get it. You know how important it is. 'I also know how important it is for a manager to win these games as well. I'm looking forward to getting started and playing any team, but obviously the Hibs games have got a bit more on it. I think that for the players, myself and the supporters, it's the games that we'll probably look for first when the fixtures come out.'
