Latest news with #YasuyoshiChiba
GMA Network
25-05-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Timor-Leste could join ASEAN bloc by October —minister
Timor-Leste is the youngest country in Southeast Asia, having gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 after 24 years of occupation. Yasuyoshi Chiba/ AFP KUALA LUMPUR — Timor-Leste is a step closer to fulfilling its longstanding wish to join the Southeast Asian regional bloc and could become its 11th member state by October, Malaysia's foreign minister said on Sunday. Mohamad Hasan said on the sidelines ahead of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur that Dili "has made meaningful progress in implementing a roadmap" for it to join. Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, is one of the world's poorest countries and some concerns remain around whether it could participate meaningfully in ASEAN's development agenda. However, the bloc's foreign ministers voiced "strong support for Timor-Leste's full membership in ASEAN, particularly in its efforts to fulfil the remaining criteria," Mohamad told a news conference. The top Malaysian diplomat did not give details on issues still outstanding but full membership could be granted at ASEAN's next regional meeting in October, chaired this year by Malaysia. ASEAN member states will "now begin undertaking their respective domestic legal procedure with a view to finalize Timor-Leste's accession process by the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in October, hopefully," Mohamad said. Timor-Leste is the youngest country in Southeast Asia, having gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 after 24 years of occupation. Its president, Jose Ramos-Horta, has long campaigned for ASEAN membership and an application was first submitted by the former Portuguese colony of around 1.3 million people in 2011. Dili was granted observer status to the regional body in 2022 but its full membership has been delayed by various challenges. Timor-Leste is grappling with high levels of inequality, malnourishment and unemployment and remains heavily reliant on oil, with little diversification into other sectors. It also faces challenges in infrastructure development and human resource capacity, seen as critical for effective participation in ASEAN's economic community. — AFP
The Guardian
13-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Vesak Day 2025: celebrations of Buddha
Vesak, also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhists and some Hindus in south and southeast Asia as well as Tibet and Mongolia Photograph: Devi Rahman/AFP/Getty Images Visitors watch as hot air balloons are launched at Ngawen Temple complex in Muntilan, Central Java, Indonesia Photograph: Devi Rahman/AFP/Getty Images Dancers perform in the Progo River in Magelang, Central Java, as others release fish in a traditional life-release ritual held on the eve of Vesak Day, in Magelang, Central Java Photograph: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images Buddhist monks take part in a ritual on Vesak Day in Magelang, Central Java. Photograph: Dwi Oblo/Reuters A giant thangka, a canvas painting of Buddha, is held up for people to walk under to receive blessings from the Buddha for the coming year, in Ipoh, Malaysia Photograph: Fazry Ismail/EPA People visit a Pandal, a temporary platform decorated with illuminated panels illustrating episodes from the life of Buddha, in Colombo, Sri Lanka Photograph: Thilina Kaluthotage/Reuters People pour fragrant water over a statue of Buddha to symbolise inner purification and act as a reminder to clear their minds of negative thoughts, at Tunjungan Plaza in Surabaya, Indonesia Photograph:Thousands of lanterns are released in front of Borobudur Temple, the world's largest Buddhist monument and a Unesco World Heritage Site, in Magelang Photograph: ZUMA Press/Alamy Live News A monk prays during celebrations organised by the Maha Bodhi Society in Bangalore, India Photograph: Jagadeesh Nv/EPA Devotees with lotus flowers offer prayers at the Kelaniya Temple Photograph: Ishara S Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images A man holds a giant incense stick during celebrations at the Enlightened Heart Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Ipoh, Malaysia Photograph: Fazry Ismail/EPA Devotees visit the Kelaniya Temple at a suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka Photograph: Ishara S Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images People light oil lamps as part of their prayers at the Kelaniya Temple Photograph: Thilina Kaluthotage/Reuters A Buddhist monk walks around the Wat Dhammakaya Temple in Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok Photograph: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images People gather around a lantern installation in Colombo, Sri Lanka Photograph: Ishara S Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images Buddhist monks carry candle lights at a ceremony at the Wat Saket Temple in Bangkok, Thailand Photograph: Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters A Buddha bathing ritual at the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery in Singapore Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters People visit the statue of Gautama Buddha to offer prayers at the Global Vipassana Pagoda, in Mumbai, India Photograph: Divyakant Solanki/EPA Temples are decorated with flowers, and offerings of food and flowers are given to the monks Photograph: ZUMA Press/Alamy Live News A woman lights candles at a temple in Denpasar, Bali Photograph: Made Nagi/EPA A temple volunteer lays out candle offerings at the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery in Singapore Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters Buddhist monks pose for a photo after praying at Borobudur Temple in Magelang, Central Java Photograph: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images A depiction of a reclining Buddha made from electric candles at Wat Dhammakaya Temple in Pathum Thani Photograph: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Yahoo
Images of 'exhausted South Korean firefighters' bear signs of AI generation
"They are truly, truly admirable," reads the Korean-language caption of an image shared on Threads on March 27, 2025. It shows a group of firemen -- some sitting on the ground, others standing in the rain -- looking completely exhausted, with part of a fire engine visible behind them. In a separate post the following day, the Threads user shared another image of a firefighter -- his face smudged with soot and an inferno blazing in the background -- with the caption: "This single photo says it all. They are working incredibly hard... Please do your best until the very end." The pictures circulated as more than a dozen fires scorched wide swathes of South Korea's southeast and forced around 37,000 people to flee (archived link). Thirty-one people have been killed in the fires, the country's largest and deadliest on record, as of April 4 (archived link). The images were also included in similar posts elsewhere on Threads, X, Instagram and Facebook, and the image was featured in a media report with credit given to an unnamed reader. The pictures, however, are inconsistent with photos of firefighters taken during the wildfires. The firefighters' clothing and the fire engine in the circulating images differ from how they appear in photos taken by AFP photojournalists Anthony Wallace and Yasuyoshi Chiba amid efforts to contain the deadly wildfires. "Both images have clear visual artefacts as AI-generated," Siwei Lyu, director of the University at Buffalo's Media Forensic Lab, told AFP in an April 4 email (archived link). Lyu said figures and objects in the first image, including the firefighters' clothing and the fire engine, are misshapen and "lack realistic details". In the second image, there is an "extra hand near the glove". Moreover, the AI detection tool Hive found both images were 'likely to be AI-generated'. AFP has debunked other misinformation about South Korea's wildfires here and here.
AFP
07-04-2025
- AFP
Images of 'exhausted South Korean firefighters' bear signs of AI generation
"They are truly, truly admirable," reads the Korean-language caption of an image shared on Threads on March 27, 2025. It shows a group of firemen -- some sitting on the ground, others standing in the rain -- looking completely exhausted, with part of a fire engine visible behind them. In a separate post the following day, the Threads user shared another image of a firefighter -- his face smudged with soot and an inferno blazing in the background -- with the caption: "This single photo says it all. They are working incredibly hard... Please do your best until the very end." The pictures circulated as more than a dozen fires scorched wide swathes of South Korea's southeast and forced around 37,000 people to flee (archived link). Thirty-one people have been killed in the fires, the country's largest and deadliest on record, as of April 4 (archived link). Image Screenshots of the false Threads posts, captured on April 4, 2025 The images were also included in similar posts elsewhere on Threads, X, Instagram and Facebook, and the image was featured in . The pictures, however, are inconsistent with . Visual anomalies The firefighters' clothing and the fire engine in the circulating images differ from how they appear in by AFP photojournalists Anthony Wallace and Yasuyoshi Chiba amid efforts to contain the deadly wildfires. Image Comparison of the falsely shared image (top left) and AFP photos, with visual discrepancies highlighted by AFP "Both images have clear visual artefacts as AI-generated," Siwei Lyu, director of the University at Buffalo's Media Forensic Lab, told AFP in an April 4 email (archived link). Lyu said figures and objects in the first image, including the firefighters' clothing and the fire engine, are misshapen and "lack realistic details". In the second image, there is an "extra hand near the glove". Image Signs of AI generation in the images shared in the false posts, highlighted by AFP Moreover, the found both images were 'likely to be AI-generated'. Image Screenshots from Hive, taken on April 4, 2025 AFP has debunked other misinformation about South Korea's wildfires here and here.
CNN
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Photos this week: March 20-27, 2025
Family members of Jason Gomez mourn for him during a vigil in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Sunday, March 23. A mass shooting in Las Cruces left Gomez and two other teenagers dead. Four people were arrested in connection with the shooting, which also injured 15, police said early Sunday. Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal/AP Pope Francis makes a public appearance at a window of Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Sunday, March 23. He was discharged that day from the hospital, where he had been battling pneumonia in both of his lungs. Though the Pope looked frail and struggled to speak, he addressed the crowd outside the hospital, thanking them and acknowledging one woman in the crowd who was holding flowers. He also gave a blessing, though he appeared to have some difficulty raising his arms. Oliver Weiken/Sophanise Diego, a tabby bi-color Persian cat, is photographed in a studio during a cat show in Preston, England, on Saturday, March Karly Weathers, left, shoots over two Maryland players during their NCAA Tournament game on Monday, March 24. Maryland won 111-108 in double overtime to advance to the tournament's Sweet Ballal, the Palestinian director of the Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land," is released from a police station in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba on Tuesday, March 25. The day before, Ballal was attacked by a mob of Israeli settlers in front of his home in the village of Susya. Afterward, he and two other Palestinians were taken away by Israeli soldiers and detained. The Israeli military accused Ballal of throwing stones at soldiers and said that he had been detained on suspicion of rock hurling, property damage and endangering regional security. Ballal disputes the military's interpretation of the events. Attacks on Palestinian farmers and activists in the occupied West Bank are not new. But the ferocity of the attack – and Ballal's subsequent detention – made him feel that the settlers – and the Israeli military – were taking revenge for the film and its international reach, he told CNN. Leo Correa/AP Asparagus is covered in foil as Marko Kabitschke, head of vegetable production at the Unterspreewald agricultural cooperative, works in a field in Brandenburg, Germany, in this aerial photo taken on Thursday, March 20. Patrick Pleul/A wildfire spreads along mountain slopes in Uiseong, South Korea, on Monday, March 24. South Korea is struggling to contain wildfires ravaging the country's southeast after more than two dozen blazes broke out over the weekend. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images Packed Buddha statues are secured on a trailer's cargo bed as they're moved to safety in Andong, South Korea, on Wednesday, March 26. The statues are from Andong's Bongjeongsa Temple, which was under threat because of the country's wildfires. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images Emma Wilkins, a 10-year-old who was kneeling down in front of state lawmakers and chanting 'stop attacking my friends,' is asked to go back to her seat as a House committee votes on a bill in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, March 26. The committee approved a bill that would let schools block undocumented children from enrolling, according to The Tennessean. Nicole Hester/The Tennessean/USA Today Network/Imagn Images Firefighters extinguish a fire at the North Hyde electrical substation in Hayes, England, on Friday, March 21. The fire disrupted the local power supply, causing a shutdown at nearby Heathrow Airport that affected hundreds of flights around the world. Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Amir Khan, student manager of the McNeese State men's basketball team, celebrates with the team after it upset Clemson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 20. Khan, nicknamed 'Aura,' has become famous for being the team's most vociferous hype-man, rapping with the players and holding a boombox as they exit from the tunnel. Ben Solomon/American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn celebrates her second-place finish in a World Cup super-G race in Sun Valley, Idaho, on Sunday, March 23. The podium spot concluded Vonn's comeback season at the age of 40. She came out of retirement this season after a partial knee replacement. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images A woman takes a photograph of the empty spot where a painting of President Donald Trump used to be at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver on Tuesday, March 25. The painting, which was hanging with other presidential portraits, was taken down after Trump claimed that his was 'purposefully distorted,' according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press. David Zalubowski/AP
