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Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Former Mediacorp actress Zully Le criticises Ian Fang for his sexual offences
Former Mediacorp actress Zully Le (right) has lashed out at former actor Ian Fang after he pleaded guilty to three counts of sexually penetrating an underage girl. PHOTOS: LIANHE ZAOBAO, IAMZULLY/INSTAGRAM SINGAPORE – Former Mediacorp actress Zully Le has lashed out at former actor Ian Fang after the latter was sentenced to 40 months' jail for committing sexual offences against a minor. Fang, 35, pleaded guilty on May 19 to three counts of sexually penetrating an underage girl. Better known as Le Yao, she wrote the post, titled 'The Price of Being In the Limelight', on Instagram and Facebook on May 20. 'The limelight is a double-edged sword. It can make you a national idol or bring you back to your former self overnight,' she wrote in Chinese. 'You want to enjoy the benefits of being in the limelight, yet you don't set a strict standard for your behaviour? You want to have social influence and make lots of money, but yet you don't obey the law and be a good citizen? It's impossible to be so greedy as to 'have it all'.' 'Please – be a human first before acting,' Le wrote, without naming the person. She told Mediacorp's online publication 8world that she was referring to Fang, saying that they both hailed from Shanghai. She came to Singapore to participate in the Star Search finals after she was the female winner for the Shanghai zone in 2001. Meanwhile, local actor Christopher Lee was approached by Chinese-language evening daily Shin Min Daily News. Fang had previously addressed him as 'shifu' (mentor or teacher). The 53-year-old, who is married to actress Fann Wong, responded with 'I don't know what to say', and declined to comment further. Fang played Fann's younger brother in crime drama On The Fringe (2011) and then interned at media production company Wawa Pictures. He served as a production assistant on the medical drama The Oath (2011), which starred Lee and Jesseca Liu. Ian Fang (left) and Christopher Lee in a file photo from 2011. PHOTO: IAN FANG Fang then played Lee's son in gambling drama Show Hand (2012) and became Lee's mentee. 'I would always 'pester' him on the set, for example, by calling him 'shifu',' Fang had said. However, on the YouTube programme Rise 'N Shine in October 2024, Fang said that he no longer called Lee 'shifu' but 'big brother' instead. 'I let him down a few times and I could feel it even though he didn't say it,' Fang said. Referring to the leak of explicit private messages between him and actress Carrie Wong in 2019, Fang said: 'I was lectured by him after the incident.' Fang quoted a disappointed Lee as saying then: 'Can you make me feel proud when you call me 'shifu'? Not the type of incredulous expression when people learn that I am your 'shifu'.' Fang added that Lee did not cut ties with him due to the text-messaging scandal. He apologised to Lee on the show and promised to be the best version of himself. The video has since been deleted. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Economic Times
07-05-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Elon Musk's xAI sparks pollution uproar: ‘I can't breathe at home'—Is AI fueling an environmental crisis?
— MemphisHoller (@MemphisHoller) The Price of Power: Illegal Generators and Toxic Turbines You Might Also Like: Is Elon Musk eyeing number one status in AI race? Check Tesla boss' latest big artificial intelligence move Communities Cry Foul: 'Our Lungs Were Sold to the Richest Man Alive' Silence from Musk as Outcry Grows You Might Also Like: Elon Musk's xAI buys new property in Memphis amid supercomputer expansion Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI, has been in the headlines since its inception in March 2023—but not just for its high-powered ambitions. While Musk touts the explosive success of Grok3, xAI's flagship chatbot, behind the buzz is a growing backlash in Memphis, where the company's supercomputers may be turning a vulnerable community into collateral a city already battling severe air quality issues, Musk's cutting-edge technology is reportedly fuelling an environmental crisis. Locals claim they're struggling to breathe—literally—as pollution linked to xAI's facility floods their neighborhoods. 'I can't breathe at home, it smells like gas outside,' resident Alexis Humphreys told officials at a public hearing in April. 'How come I can't breathe at home and y'all get to breathe at home?'According to a Politico investigation, the xAI supercomputing center is powered by 35 methane gas turbines , which are currently operating without mandatory federal pollution controls or permits under the Clean Air Act. These turbines, said to be temporary, are emitting an estimated 1,200 to 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) annually—key components of smog and respiratory experts say this makes the xAI facility one of Shelby County's largest sources of smog-producing pollutants. Memphis was already deemed the asthma capital of the U.S. by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, and the situation has only worsened since xAI's arrival. Emergency room visits for asthma in Tennessee have reportedly spiked, with Memphis leading the xAI has now applied for permits to install 15 permanent turbines, company consultants admit that pollution controls won't be added until after approval. Shannon Lynn, xAI's environmental consultant, claimed federal emissions permits aren't required for temporary setups—a loophole critics argue shouldn't apply at this Pearson, founder of the nonprofit Memphis Community Against Pollution , calls the city a 'sacrifice zone.' He believes corporate giants have long exploited Memphis for industrial development at the expense of public health. 'They put our lungs and our air on the auction block and sold us to the richest man in the world,' added his brother, Tennessee State Representative Justin local representative Brent Mayo countered the criticism by claiming the facility will become 'the lowest-emitting' in the country once permanent turbines and controls are in place. But for residents already choking on fumes, that promise may be too little, too growing public outrage and a series of official inquiries, Elon Musk has yet to publicly comment on the situation. The tech mogul, known for his frequent social media presence, has remained uncharacteristically silent on the health and environmental concerns linked to his AI xAI forges ahead with ambitions to redefine artificial intelligence, Memphis residents are left gasping—trapped between technological progress and environmental justice. The question now looms: Can innovation coexist with accountability, or will the cost of tomorrow's intelligence be today's breathable air?
