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Renewed calls to surface the disappeared
"Our strength and determination mirror the struggles faced by numerous families across the nation who persistently seek answers regarding their missing loved ones." The post Renewed calls to surface the disappeared appeared first on Bulatlat......»»
Pope’s peace envoy visits Ukraine as fighting rages
Pope Francis' peace envoy to Ukraine, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, began a two-day visit to Kyiv on Monday for talks with officials about the war with Russia, the Vatican said. The visit came as Russia claimed it had repelled "a large-scale offensive" by Ukrainian forces in the Moscow-occupied Donetsk region. Zuppi, from the Sant'Egidio Catholic community which specialises in diplomacy and peace efforts, would "listen in depth to the Ukrainian authorities about possible ways to achieve a just peace", the Vatican said. Francis regularly calls for an end to the war in Ukraine but Vatican's attempts to mediate in the conflict have yet to yield any results. Last month the pope named Zuppi, the head of the Italian bishops' conference, "in the hope, which the Holy Father has never given up, that this can initiate paths of peace", the Vatican said at the time. In an interview broadcast Sunday by Italian public broadcaster Rai, Francis said that "with peace, you always benefit, perhaps not much but you benefit. With war you lose everything". Ukraine's ambassador to the Vatican, Andrii Yurash, on Monday, tweeted that his country "welcomes (the) interest of the Vatican to the bloody war". He said he was sure "close acquaintance" with the consequences of war would "help for sure in finding appropriate answers in (the) name of (a) just peace". Vatican News, the Vatican's official media outlet, said Zuppi's trip to Kyiv could be followed by a visit to Moscow, saying the Kremlin had already agreed to receive the cardinal, although no date had been confirmed. In the first few months after Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022, the pope faced criticism for not blaming Moscow explicitly. Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said recently that Zuppi's mission was not aimed at mediation, at least not yet, but seeking to "favour a climate that can lead to paths of peace". Pope Francis hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last month, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal a few weeks earlier. Shmyhal said afterwards he had invited the pope to visit Ukraine and also asked for help to return children forcibly taken to Russia. Vatican watchers suggest Francis is unlikely to go unless he can also travel to Russia to speak to President Vladimir Putin. The pope revealed in March that he had offered to go to Moscow to negotiate peace, but had been rebuffed. The post Pope’s peace envoy visits Ukraine as fighting rages appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
AI perils
Good Catholics that we Filipinos are, striking images of a supposedly vigorous Pope Francis stepping out stylishly clad in an immaculate-white puffer winter jacket certainly turned our heads. The images went viral on social media the other week and are now considered by social media watchers among the year’s best memes. There’s just one problem: we had been fooled. The pictures weren’t real. In fact, a Web culture expert calls the pope images “the first real mass-level AI (artificial intelligence) misinformation case.” The pictures were generated by the generative AI program Midjourney, which produces images based on text prompts. Midjourney is but one creation of the ongoing worldwide generative AI arms race which has prompted frantic calls to stop its further development. Should we Filipinos be worried by the pope’s images? Up to now, I have not felt a true sense of alarm over the risks inherent in digital technologies. But the dizzying speed by which generative AI has taken off is something else. Take for instance the generative AI program ChatGPT. Newsworthy ChatGPT started slow last November. But by January, ChatGPT had registered 100 million users. Social media wonder TikTok, despite its alleged privacy lapses, took nine months to hit the same numbers. ChatGPT, as described by one expert, “is a bot that engages in conversational dialogue — you feel like you’re literally chatting with it.” A complex language-model software technology, ChatGPT, once prompted, literally mines the internet and dishes out answers in respectable English. Enterprising students have turned ChatGPT into a handy tool and, in the process, unleashed stormy debates — still ongoing — among educators worldwide. (In case you’re wondering what a bot is, it is a software application that is programmed to do certain tasks, typically boring repetitive tasks. Bots are automated.) Anyway, these generative AI vanguard tools are increasingly vital in our digital era and we need to keep up with them. The possibilities of what AI can achieve or how much further it will transform our screen-tapping consciousness we can’t foretell, however. But we are at a crossroads. As one technology expert puts it, “That is where we stand now, at a crossroads, and many of us — dare I say most of us, and especially those of us who dwell in the margins of society — will fall victim to more intelligently designed schemes, from email fraud and identity theft to online harassment.” For us Filipinos, that’s no idle threat. Given that we Filipinos are one of the heaviest users of social media in the world — Filipino internet users spend 3 hours and 43 minutes on social media daily — we have cause for more worry once newer sophisticated fakery schemes are unleashed on our already disinformation-damaged society. Not believing that we don’t have a disinformation-damaged society is delusional. It is not for nothing that the country was once described by a Facebook executive as “patient zero” in the global disinformation epidemic. A recent study showed that we Filipinos top the world in consuming daily vlogs from YouTube hustlers and playing video games — stark evidence that Filipino culture is oriented towards the visual rather than text. At any rate, advanced manipulated images from Midjourney and others give us a sense of where manipulated generative AI pictures and videos are heading — straining further our abilities to distinguish real pictures and video clips from fake ones. Bad actors have already deployed fake videos and pictures now running riot in our weaponized social media ecosystem that is, more than anything else, a propagandist’s playground. Yet, as algorithmic knobs and levers behind these new image generators are tweaked, these new tools will be incredibly adept at further remaking Filipinos with fakeries. The past six years have conclusively shown the Filipino has been remade after unbridled fakeries uncaged the barbaric, inhumane horrors lurking in the dark depths of the Filipino psyche and soul. Are we all ready and prepared against more fakery horrors coming our way, threatening to remake us even more? Email: nevqjr@yahoo.com.ph The post AI perils appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
P2 million donation jumpstarts STAR’s Cagayan fund drive
The Philippine STAR’s humanitarian arm, Operation Damayan, answers Cagayanons’ calls for help as it provides much-needed and immediate relief to families overwhelmed by Typhoon Ulysses, thanks to a P2-million donation from the Angelo King Foundation......»»
Coach Tab calls Philippines the Mecca of basketball
Tab Baldwin has been in the Philippines for five years now. First brought here to coach Gilas Pilipinas, the brilliant tactician has since assembled a juggernaut in Ateneo de Manila University which has won the past three championships in the UAAP. It didn't take long for Coach Tab to fall in love with the Philippines and, of course, that was all because of Philippine basketball. "I love the Philippines and I think one of the most endearing aspects of the Philippines is this is a basketball paradise. Everywhere you look there are players, there are teams, there are competitions, there are fans, there are facilities," he said in the inaugural episode of Coaches Unfiltered. "I can tell you from the countries that I've been that much of what I've said isn't there, never is all of it there. That includes the US." The American-Kiwi had been around in the international basketball circuit and his most successful stint prior to the Philippines was in New Zealand. For him, though, the Filipino homeland is something special. "This, to me, is the Mecca of basketball," he said. And for him, the fact that Filipinos are not necessarily built for basketball makes all of this more special. As he put it, "You may say we don't have the greatest players in the world and that's true. Demographically, we are challenged with our size, but that doesn't really impact the passion for the game, the love for the game." That fire and desire, first and foremost, the reason why Coach Tab views the Philippines as the center of basketball. "When you put on top of that that this is one of the most hospitable countries in the planet with one of the kindest, gentlest, and friendliest populations, I start to ask myself where else would I wanna be and there aren't too many answers to that questions," he said. Does that mean that he will retire here - just like Tim Cone, Norman Black, and Alex Compton did? "Retirement? Why not," he said. "And if then, I can still continue being part of the basketball community to help coaches, to help young players, even if they have to push me around in a wheelchair, why not?" Of course, nothing is set in stone. What is for sure, however, is that Tab Baldwin loves Philippine basketball and will only continue to do so. "I love this country. I love the basketball landscape here even with its flaws and I hope to be a part of helping better every aspect of it because I know (Philippine basketball) has done so much to better my life," he shared. He then continued, "I think I can show my appreciation for that in no better way than to submit myself to what is good for Philippine basketball." --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @riegogogo......»»
In Focus: Chito Miranda Calls The Lockdown His Eye-Opener As A Dad
The funny musician candidly answers his wife's questions on parenting!.....»»
Kaspersky Shares Cybersecurity Tips for a Peaceful Getaway during the holy week
As the holiday season approaches, the urge to unwind and kick back is natural. And it’s all too common for people to let their guard down completely when connecting to the Internet too– but shouldn’t. Recently, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group shared its findings on identity theft cases in the country. Between November […].....»»
Antipolo City throws support on Ajido
The Antipolo City government led by Mayor Casimiro “Jun” Ynares III will provide support to Antipolo-born swimmer Jamesray Mishael Ajido, who won the country’s lone gold medal in record-breaking fashion at the recent 11th Asian Age-Group Swimming Championships......»»
Hope for more survivors from Baltimore bridge collapse fades
BALTIMORE – The coast guard announced on Wednesday that hope of finding more survivors of the Baltimore bridge collapse has dimmed, and efforts have switched to searching for the bodies of the missing persons, as well as seeking more answers as to why a container ship crashed into the span. The coast guard announced on.....»»
88% of Pinoys oppose Cha-cha – Pulse Asia
Public opinion on Charter change, which last year was roughly divided among Filipinos, is now largely skewed toward those opposed to changing the country’s Constitution, a survey conducted by Pulse Asia showed......»»
EDITORIAL - Finally, plastic license cards
It says a lot about the quality of governance and ease of doing business in this country that it takes forever just to obtain a plastic driver’s license card......»»
‘Danger’ level heat index recorded in 9 areas
Nine areas in the country experienced a heat index classified as “danger” level on Tuesday amid El Nino and the start of the dry and warm season......»»
P1.1 billion released to restore heritage school buildings
The Department of Budget and Management has released P1.1 billion to conserve and restore heritage school buildings in the country......»»
PSAC welcomes Blinken’s bid to deepen bilateral ties
Private sector leaders have extended their full support to President Marcos as he deepened ties with the United States during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s diplomatic visit to the country last March 19......»»
Philippines FDI ‘bound to improve’ in coming years – HSBC
The Philippines would be able to attract more foreign direct investments (FDI) in the coming years amid reforms that improved the country’s business climate, HSBC Global Research said......»»
DOF: GFIs can seek extended relief after Maharlika infusion
Government financial institutions Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines will likely seek an extension of its regulatory relief following contributions to the country’s sovereign wealth fund......»»
'India, Russia have taken extra care to look after each other s interests': EAM Jaishankar
Singapore, March 25 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday stressed that Russia is a country with which India has always had a positive relationship. While addressing the members of the Indian Community in Singapore, Jaishankar said that both countries have taken extra care to look after each other's interests. "I will ask myself...Has Russia helped us or harmed us?...Are there gains to be made from Russ.....»»
Jaishankar calls on Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong, values his perspective on current state of world
Singapore, March 25 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday and conveyed the greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jaishankar valued Lee Hsien Loong's perspectives on the current state of the world. In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, "Honoured to call on Prime Minister @leehsienloongat The Istana. Conveyed the personal greetings of PM @narendramodi. V.....»»
Philippines declares 'strategic defeat' of NPA rebels
MANILA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines declared on Tuesday a "strategic defeat" of the New People's Army (NPA) rebels, who have been fighting against the government since the 1960s, saying there is no more active guerilla fronts in the country. Eduardo Ano, National Security Adviser and former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said "thousands" of NPA insurgents have decided to return t.....»»
Jaishankar, Philippines counterpart discuss shared interests in ensuring maritime safety
Manila [Philippines], March 26 (ANI): India has briefed the Philippines on the Indian Navy's deployments in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea to counter ongoing threats, external affairs minister Jaishankar said on Tuesday. Jaishankar, who is on a visit to the archipelagic country, said that he discussed with Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo discussed shared interests in ensuring maritime safety. Addr.....»»