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Tokyo police have arrested a man accused of using artificial intelligence to create and sell explicit fake images of female celebrities, in what local media have called Japan’s first criminal case involving AI-generated pornography depicting public figures.The 31-year-old suspect, Hiroya Yokoi from the northeastern Japanese city of Akita, admitted he began making the deepfakes to earn pocket money and repay a student loan, authorities said on Thursday.Between last October and September this year, Yokoi earned 1.2 million yen (US$8,000) from selling around 20,000 sexually explicit images of 262 women – including actresses, television personalities and J-pop idols, Jiji Press reported.Police…

Pakistan has sought China’s support for its membership in the New Development Bank (NDB), formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank, as part of the country’s efforts to expand access to multilateral financing and strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries. The development came during a meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb with Liao Min, Deputy Finance Minister of the People’s Republic of China, in Washington DC. During the meeting, Aurangzeb “sought China’s support for Pakistan’s membership in the NDB and welcomed enhanced investment from Chinese enterprises in key sectors, including information and communication technology, agriculture, industry, and minerals,”…

Pakistan has sought China’s support for its membership in the New Development Bank (NDB), formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank, as part of the country’s efforts to expand access to multilateral financing and strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries. The development came during a meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb with Liao Min, Deputy Finance Minister of the People’s Republic of China, in Washington DC. During the meeting, Aurangzeb “sought China’s support for Pakistan’s membership in the NDB and welcomed enhanced investment from Chinese enterprises in key sectors, including information and communication technology, agriculture, industry, and minerals,”…

Shanghai is sinking while the sea level along China’s coastline is rising fast – the fastest in 4,000 years, possibly threatening China’s financial hub and the global supply chain, scientists warn in a new study.China faces a double threat from rising seas, as many of its largest and most economically important cities are concentrated in delta regions, which are flat lands close to water. They were ideal for urban development but extremely vulnerable to flooding, the team said.Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong are among key cities in delta regions, which are naturally prone to sinking because they were built on…

After a week-long rout that erased hundreds of billions in digital-asset value, bitcoin has again failed to live up to its billing as a safe-harbour asset.Once cast as a hedge against market turmoil – a “digital gold” for the blockchain age – the original cryptocurrency stabilised on Friday morning in Singapore after sliding alongside global equities and credit to hover near US$109,000, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.Bitcoin had struck an all-time high of US$126,251 as recently as October 6. Days later, a record spree of liquidations sparked by escalating US-China trade tensions coincided with a sharp sell-off that encompassed…

BRUSSELS (AP) — Europe’s main center-left political family on Friday kicked out the party of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is accused of cozying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin while undermining the rule of law in his own country.The Party of European Socialists voted unanimously to expel Fico’s Smer party for taking political positions in recent years that contradict “severely and deeply the values and principles our family stands for,” Secretary-General Giacomo Filibeck said.“This is a unanimous, clear message. If you belong to the PES family, you share the values that we all do,” Filibeck said after the…

Investors should consider buying into the pullback in Chinese stocks, even as a rotation from household savings to equities slows and the world’s two largest economies are locked in a renewed trade dispute, according to Morgan Stanley.A 10 to 15 per cent correction in the MSCI China Index would present a buying opportunity, especially amid signs that a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump would still take place by the end of the month, as well as a potential upgrade of earnings forecasts, analysts led by Laura Wang at the American investment bank wrote…

Investors should consider buying into the pullback in Chinese stocks, even as a rotation from household savings to equities slows and the world’s two largest economies are locked in a renewed trade dispute, according to Morgan Stanley.A 10 to 15 per cent correction in the MSCI China Index would present a buying opportunity, especially amid signs that a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump would still take place by the end of the month, as well as a potential upgrade of earnings forecasts, analysts led by Laura Wang at the American investment bank wrote…

Chinese electric-vehicle (EV) makers are raising the game in the premium segment by launching more spacious and longer-range models to challenge Tesla, which has been steadily losing market share on the mainland.Stellantis-backed Leapmotor has become the latest to join the fray against Elon Musk’s Tesla, with founder and CEO Zhu Jiangming describing its decision to move up the value chain as a mission to offer consumers the best EVs at the best prices.“Leapmotor is able to launch higher-end and more sophisticated models at affordable prices, which will prove to be a value-for-money proposition for all customers,” he said at an…

Chinese electric-vehicle (EV) makers are raising the game in the premium segment by launching more spacious and longer-range models to challenge Tesla, which has been steadily losing market share on the mainland.Stellantis-backed Leapmotor has become the latest to join the fray against Elon Musk’s Tesla, with founder and CEO Zhu Jiangming describing its decision to move up the value chain as a mission to offer consumers the best EVs at the best prices.“Leapmotor is able to launch higher-end and more sophisticated models at affordable prices, which will prove to be a value-for-money proposition for all customers,” he said at an…