Latest news with #RTT
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
New text message service launched for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people
A new text message service has been launched designed to improve emergency communications for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. Vodafone Ireland has announced the roll out of Real-Time Text (RTT), a next-generation messaging technology that enables text to be transmitted instantly, character by character, while maintaining a voice connection, eliminating the need to press "send". The service is designed to create a more natural, fluid communication experience, particularly for deaf, hard of hearing, and speech-impaired users. RTT is fully compatible with Ireland's Emergency Call Answering Service, allowing users to communicate directly with 112 or 999 in real time. "This capability can be lifesaving in urgent situations where every second counts," Vodafone Ireland said. The RTT service is natively supported on smartphones that meet international accessibility standards. These devices allow character-by-character text transmission during voice calls, without requiring third-party apps or additional hardware. This ensures that users can communicate directly and immediately in emergency situations and in everyday interactions. RTT is an accessibility service that allows text to be transmitted instantly as it is typed. Unlike traditional text messages, RTT does not require waiting for a full message to be typed before transmission. "RTT represents a significant step forward in digital accessibility, especially in emergency scenarios where real-time communication can save lives," the chief executive of Vodafone Ireland, Sabrina Casalta, said. "The RTT launch has been developed in partnership with government stakeholders, accessibility advocates, and emergency response teams," Ms Casalta said. Vodafone Ireland customers using both Android and iOS devices can now activate Real-Time Text (RTT) directly from their handset settings. "The introduction of Real-Time Text by Vodafone Ireland marks a significant milestone in our national journey towards digital equality," said Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O'Donovan. "As the European Accessibility Act comes into force, it is heartening to see Irish tech leaders stepping up with meaningful innovation which instantly improves lives," Mr O'Donovan said. Mark Byrne, Chairperson of Chime, Ireland's national charity for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people, welcomed the launch of the new service. "Chime is excited to see Vodafone Ireland leading the way in ensuring crucial accessibility to emergency services through its RTT service," Mr Bryne said. "We know this is a major challenge for deaf and hard of hearing people who face barriers in reaching emergency services when they need to," he added.
IOL News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Chairs thrown at chaotic ANC Limpopo regional conference
ANC Limpopo provincial secretary, Reuben Madadzhe. Image: X The ANC provincial secretary, Reuben Madadzhe, has legitimised the Peter Mokaba Regional Elective Conference in Limpopo, despite chaotic scenes and allegations of irregularities. The conference, held in Polokwane recently, saw Polokwane mayor, John Mpe reelected unopposed as chairperson for a third term, amidst violent clashes and police intervention. The conference descended into chaos on its first day, with delegates clashing and hurling chairs and tablecloths at one another in protest. Some delegates accused the Regional Task Team (RTT) of allowing "bogus" delegates into the venue, leading to verbal disputes that escalated into physical confrontations. Police intervened to restore order, and the conference continued with the election of Mpe and his slate uncontested. Madadzhe dismissed allegations of irregularities, stating that the party's regional structures followed all protocols. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ "We stand by that decision that the conference is not bogus, and is a legitimate conference of the ANC. You will never have a bogus conference of the ANC with four PEC officials attending the conference," Madadzhe said. He congratulated the newly elected leadership, adding that the conference met the party's guidelines. However, a dissident group of delegates, led by former ANC Youth League official, Thabo Mabotja, raised concerns about the legitimacy of the proceedings. Mabotja claimed that the conference did not meet the necessary quorum to continue with elections and announced plans to submit a formal complaint to the ANC's provincial and national structures. "We believe these elections were irregular and premature. We will be engaging the provincial and national leadership on this matter," Mabotja said. Other ANC members in Mabotja's camp vowed to take the matter further saying they are considering legal action with some claiming that Madadzhe was biased because he was aligned to Mpe. It is not yet clear whether the new structure will take office as no official of the National Executive Committee attended the conference. ANC general secretary Fikile Mbalula did not respond to questions. The newly elected top five officials of the Regional Executive Committee (REC) are: - Chairperson: John Mpe - Deputy Chairperson: Edward Paya - Secretary: Lesiba Matsemela - Deputy Secretary: Kholofelo Lehong - Treasurer: Merriam Molala The elected members come from a slate widely seen as aligned to Mpe, with no competing candidates from the opposing faction standing for nomination. Despite Madadzhe's defense of the conference's legitimacy, tensions remain high within the region.
Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Lost, and gained, in digital real-time translation
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, recently announced the launch of real-time translation (RTT) in Google Meet, its popular video communication service. While text translation has been available for a while and conversation was possible on mobile phones — Apple Translate, for instance — by recording in one and replaying in another language, RTT when 100 people are conversing across the globe on an online communications platform is a leap. Add to it Google Beam, a device capable of rendering immersive 3D videos. The result would be a video conference in 3D with participants talking in their preferred language. The translation reaches listeners in the voice and tone of the speaker making it super realistic. Behind all this is Google's upgraded artificial intelligence-based large language model (LLM) Gemini, whose self-description if you ask it, is, 'I am a super-smart computer program that can understand and talk with you'. Until OpenAI's bot ChatGPT burst into the public domain, speaking to computers was a skill to be acquired in advanced university courses. It took a few years for a student to have proficiency in Basic, C++, SQL, Java, Python, or any of the other languages required to give commands in logical sequences and unique syntax to computers to get tasks done. Artificial intelligence removed that qualification. LLMs have it in reverse. Instead of humans speaking computer code, the bots learnt human languages. Now, it is possible to chat with computers in English, Hindi, German, Chinese, or, if duly trained, in even less spoken languages. RTT takes it to a new level. It could be a blessing for India which speaks, quite literally, in a thousand and more tongues. There are 22 officially recognised languages and close to 20,000 dialects. It is an uphill task when dialects and cultural contexts change every few miles, but it opens up numerous possibilities and opportunities. Ideas could flow freely. Talent spotting and hiring could become easier. RTT can also provide some unexpected political benefits too should we choose to look at it with an open mind. India can protect and preserve its language diversity. Parliamentary debates could become richer when members speak in their preferred language. It's a stretch but language chauvinism could diminish; south Indians would not need to learn Hindi and Indians north of the Vindhyas could skip Tamil or Kannada lessons. It is quite another matter that the underlying reason for language conflicts is not necessarily the lack of comprehension but a contest between zealous regionalism and rasping nationalism. Yet, technology presents a chance to overcome them, at least in the online world. On the flip side, it neutralises the advantage India has had so far as an English-speaking country. The IELTS, a test of English proficiency, will lose its relevance. The competitive edge in IT services and outsourcing industries of knowing English would erode as AI-based RTT catches on. Translation as a vocation would eventually vanish. Work could dwindle for professionals such as dubbing artists. The other, more sinister fallout of the technology is it will likely abet fraud. It would become easier to impersonate someone and victims rarely have recourse. Mumbai, for instance, reported over 2,000 cyber fraud cases in four years to April 2025 but only two have so far ended in convictions. Deep Internet and mobile phone penetration combined with the lack of awareness and skills makes matters worse. India has 81 mobile connections for every 100 persons. Although it is a major global player in the tech sector, its population is not very high on information and communications technology skills. More than half of Indians are good at communicating through applications such as WhatsApp, but just a quarter of adult Indians know how to send emails. Only 1% know how to code. Yet, advances in AI tech offer Indians constrained by language and location to quickly bridge their skill gap. India has among the world's cheapest costs for communication. Combined with the breaking down of language barriers, it is an opportunity should we choose to see it for what it is. Dinesh Narayanan is a Delhi-based journalist and author of The RSS and The Making of The Deep Nation. The views expressed are personal
The Citizen
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Limpopo ANC conference rocked by membership manipulation claims
Claims of manipulated membership packages and political patronage threaten to derail the ANC Limpopo elective conference this weekend. Trouble is brewing in Limpopo ahead of this weekend's crucial elective conference in the Peter Mokaba region of the ANC. This involves claims of political patronage, intolerance and attempts to manipulate the party's membership system. The conference begins today and runs until Sunday. Controversy clouds ANC Limpopo elective conference Delegates will elect top five officials and additional members to run the region for the next three years. The biggest contest will be between Polokwane municipality's mayor John Mpe and Capricorn district municipality mayor Mamedupi Teffo. Hundreds of people claiming to be ANC branch members marched to the party's offices at Frans Mohlala and Polokwane municipality council chamber to express their anger about the alleged bad conduct of some members during branch general meetings (BGMs). ALSO READ: Rigging claims stall ANC Youth League provincial elections Branch member Fistos Mothudi said the marchers came from all branches that had parallel BGMs and those who registered disputes with the Limpopo provincial dispute resolution committee and the national dispute resolution committee. 'We believe that our BGM packages were tampered with. This is so because we had our BGM on 1 April. We passed the audit and reached the 70% threshold,' he said. 'But when we went for preregistrstion this week, we found that our package had been tampered with and even the signature of the deployee on the package was forged.' 'Rented drunkards' Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, a senior politician at the Polokwane subregion alleged those who took part in the march were 'rented drunkards collected from shebeen and taxi ranks'. Spokesperson for the ANC regional task (RTT) team in the Peter Mokaba region, Adolf Rapetsoa, also slammed the marchers. 'The march to the ANC provincial office [Frans Mohlala House] and Polokwane council chamber was nothing but a cheap and desperate attempt to cause trouble for the region ahead of the elective conference,' said Rapetsoa. ALSO READ: Malema slams politicians exploiting 'blackness' to mask corruption and escape justice He said the mobilisation of non-ANC members for frivolous political aims was frowned upon by the RTT. 'The ANC will investigate this and those behind the march will face the full might of the organisation,' he said. Earlier this week, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula was accused of having a hidden hand in manipulating the party's membership system to cook the regional and provincial outcomes to favour him or his faction. Mbalula accused of manipulating party's membership system This is contained in an anonymous document circulating on social media and WhatsApp groups, apparently penned by a disgruntled ANC staff member. But party headquarters Luthuli House said it had no knowledge of the document and declined to respond to it. According to the anonymous document, Mbalula's office allegedly manipulated the membership portal system in provinces with political divisions. NOW READ: 'ANC conference whispers will be suppressed to the moon and back' – Mbalula [Video]
IOL News
21-04-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
KZN ANC task team faces internal conflict over regional task team plan
A political showdown is looming within the reconfigured ANC provincial task team (PTT) in KwaZulu-Natal over the proposal to appoint regional task teams to replace regional executive committees. Insiders in the provincial task team said there is a push by certain members of the PTT not to hold regional conferences and instead install regional task teams (RTT), until after next year's local government elections. Those in support of this move argue that if regions are allowed to hold elective conferences before local government elections, those who lose will be disgruntled and leave the party or not vote for it in the local government elections. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ However, some PTT members are against the decision and accused those in favour of wanting to control the regions so that they manage them until the provincial elective conference, to boost their chances of being elected into the provincial leadership. One insider who spoke on condition of anonymity said the decision to appoint the RTTs may have also been influenced at Luthuli House by those who are positioning themselves for the national party conference in 2027. The source, who is a member of the PTT, said they are against the suggestion of a RTT and want the regions to go to conferences to elect new leadership. 'We heard about that in the corridors and we do not know where that is coming from because we have not discussed it in the PTT. We will not agree to it and we will push for conferences in the regions,' said the PTT member. An ANC member in one of regions, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said he was in favour of the appointment of RTTs, arguing that if the party allows conferences without having revived branches, the powerful Ethekwini metro and Msunduzi regions would be lost in the next year's elections. 'Allowing eThekwini and Moses Mabhida regions to hold conferences will be a disaster. Many of our members in these regions voted for the Umkhonto weSizwe Party, so the party needs enough to consolidate support in the two regions before local government elections, otherwise we must say goodbye to controlling these two municipalities,' said the source. A regional secretary, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said he was not opposed to the appointment of RTTs since many have had their terms of office lapsed, however, he wants conferences to be held before local government elections. He argued that regional leadership needs political power to control the deployment of members to the councils and be able to hold them accountable. 'Terms of office for many regions have already expired so the PTT needs to replace them with RTTs, if you keep regional leadership whose term has expired you are running the risk of being taken to court for illegitimate decisions. Such leadership has lost control of the structures because it is now illegitimate. The RTTs will prepare for the elective conferences, however, we will oppose a decision to keep RTTs until after the local government elections,' said the regional secretary ANC provincial spokesperson Fanle Sibisi said the party has not yet decided on whether it will appoint RTTs or allow regions to hold conferences. He said the party is awaiting a report from a team that was appointed to verify branches, saying that report will determine whether regions are allowed to hold conferences or not on the basis of the state of the branches.
