Month: January 2023

India’s Supreme Court will consider petitions next week against a government order blocking the sharing of clips of a BBC documentary that questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership during riots in 2002 in the western state of Gujarat.

The government has dismissed as a biased “propaganda piece” the film released last week, titled “India: The Modi Question,” and blocked the sharing of any clips from it on social media.

The Supreme Court will take up the petitions next week, Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said in court on Monday.

A New Delhi-based lawyer, M L Sharma, opposed the government’s move in one of the petitions to the Supreme Court.

A separate petition by lawyer Prashant Bhushan, journalist N. Ram and opposition politician Mahua Moitra focused on the order to take down social media links to the documentary.

In a Twitter comment on the second petition, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “This is how they waste the precious time of the Honorable Supreme Court, where thousands of common citizens are waiting and seeking dates for justice.”

Modi, who aims for a third term in elections next year, was chief minister of Gujarat in February 2002, when a suspected Muslim mob set fire to a train carrying Hindu pilgrims.

The incident sparked one of the worst outbreaks of religious bloodshed in independent India.

In reprisal attacks across the state at least 1,000 people were killed, most of them Muslim, as crowds roamed the streets for days, targeting the religious minority. But activists put the toll at more than twice that, at about 2,500.

Modi has denied accusations that he did not do enough to stop the riots. He was exonerated in 2012 following an inquiry overseen by the Supreme Court and a petition questioning his exoneration was dismissed last year.

The BBC has said the documentary was “rigorously researched” and involved a wide range of voices and opinions, including responses from people in Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

The dodo bird isn’t coming back anytime soon. Nor is the woolly mammoth. But a company working on technologies to bring back extinct species has attracted more investors, while other scientists are skeptical such feats are possible or a good idea. 

Colossal Biosciences first announced its ambitious plan to revive the woolly mammoth two years ago, and on Tuesday said it wanted to bring back the dodo bird, too. 

“The dodo is a symbol of man-made extinction,” said Ben Lamm, a serial entrepreneur and co-founder and CEO of Colossal. The company has formed a division to focus on bird-related genetic technologies. 

The last dodo, a flightless bird about the size of a turkey, was killed in 1681 on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. 

The Dallas company, which launched in 2021, also announced Tuesday it had raised an additional $150 million in funding. To date, it has raised $225 million from wide-ranging investors that include United States Innovative Technology Fund, Breyer Capital and In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital firm that invests in technology. 

The prospect of bringing back the dodo isn’t expected to directly make money, Lamm said. But the genetic tools and equipment that the company develops to try to do it may have other uses, including for human health care, he said. 

For example, Colossal is now testing tools to tweak several parts of the genome simultaneously. It’s also working on technologies for what is sometimes called an “artificial womb,” he said. 

The dodo’s closest living relative is the Nicobar pigeon, said Beth Shapiro, a molecular biologist on Colossal’s scientific advisory board, who has been studying the dodo for two decades. Shapiro is paid by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which also supports The Associated Press’ Health and Science Department. 

Her team plans to study DNA differences between the Nicobar pigeon and the dodo to understand “what are the genes that really make a dodo a dodo,” she said. 

The team may then attempt to edit Nicobar pigeon cells to make them resemble dodo cells. It may be possible to put the tweaked cells into developing eggs of other birds, such as pigeons or chickens, to create offspring that may in turn naturally produce dodo eggs, Shapiro said. The concept is still in an early theoretical stage for dodos. 

Because animals are a product of both their genetics and their environment — which has changed dramatically since the 1600s — Shapiro said that “it’s not possible to recreate a 100% identical copy of something that’s gone.” 

Other scientists wonder if it’s even advisable to try, and question whether “de-extinction” diverts attention and money away from efforts to save species still on Earth. 

“There’s a real hazard in saying that if we destroy nature, we can just put it back together again — because we can’t,” said Duke University ecologist Stuart Pimm, who has no connection to Colossal. 

“And where on Earth would you put a woolly mammoth, other than in a cage?” asked Pimm, who noted that the ecosystems where mammoths lived disappeared long ago. 

The maker of ChatGPT is trying to curb its reputation as a freewheeling cheating machine with a new tool that can help teachers detect if a student or artificial intelligence wrote that homework.

The new AI Text Classifier launched Tuesday by OpenAI follows a weeks-long discussion at schools and colleges over fears that ChatGPT’s ability to write just about anything on command could fuel academic dishonesty and hinder learning.

OpenAI cautions that its new tool – like others already available – is not foolproof. The method for detecting AI-written text “is imperfect and it will be wrong sometimes,” said Jan Leike, head of OpenAI’s alignment team tasked to make its systems safer.

“Because of that, it shouldn’t be solely relied upon when making decisions,” Leike said.

Teenagers and college students were among the millions of people who began experimenting with ChatGPT after it launched November 30 as a free application on OpenAI’s website. And while many found ways to use it creatively and harmlessly, the ease with which it could answer take-home test questions and assist with other assignments sparked a panic among some educators.

By the time schools opened for the new year, New York City, Los Angeles and other big public school districts began to block its use in classrooms and on school devices.

The Seattle Public Schools district initially blocked ChatGPT on all school devices in December but then opened access to educators who want to use it as a teaching tool, said Tim Robinson, the district spokesman.

“We can’t afford to ignore it,” Robinson said.

The district is also discussing possibly expanding the use of ChatGPT into classrooms to let teachers use it to train students to be better critical thinkers and to let students use the application as a “personal tutor” or to help generate new ideas when working on an assignment, Robinson said.

School districts around the country say they are seeing the conversation around ChatGPT evolve quickly.

“The initial reaction was ‘OMG, how are we going to stem the tide of all the cheating that will happen with ChatGPT,'” said Devin Page, a technology specialist with the Calvert County Public School District in Maryland. Now there is a growing realization that “this is the future” and blocking it is not the solution, he said.

“I think we would be naïve if we were not aware of the dangers this tool poses, but we also would fail to serve our students if we ban them and us from using it for all its potential power,” said Page, who thinks districts like his own will eventually unblock ChatGPT, especially once the company’s detection service is in place.

OpenAI emphasized the limitations of its detection tool in a blog post Tuesday, but said that in addition to deterring plagiarism, it could help to detect automated disinformation campaigns and other misuse of AI to mimic humans.

The longer a passage of text, the better the tool is at detecting if an AI or human wrote something. Type in any text — a college admissions essay, or a literary analysis of Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” — and the tool will label it as either “very unlikely, unlikely, unclear if it is, possibly, or likely” AI-generated.

But much like ChatGPT itself, which was trained on a huge trove of digitized books, newspapers and online writings but often confidently spits out falsehoods or nonsense, it’s not easy to interpret how it came up with a result.

“We don’t fundamentally know what kind of pattern it pays attention to, or how it works internally,” Leike said. “There’s really not much we could say at this point about how the classifier actually works.”

“Like many other technologies, it may be that one district decides that it’s inappropriate for use in their classrooms,” said OpenAI policy researcher Lama Ahmad. “We don’t really push them one way or another.”

Actor Alec Baldwin and set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were charged with involuntary manslaughter on Tuesday in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Western movie “Rust” in 2021, a New Mexico prosecutor’s spokesman said. 

District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies had announced January 19 that she would file the charges by month’s end, following months of speculation she would determine she had evidence Baldwin showed criminal disregard for safety when a revolver with which he was rehearsing fired a live round that killed Hutchins. 

Heather Brewer, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office, said the district attorney had filed the charges against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed. 

The actor has denied responsibility for the shooting, saying he cocked the revolver but never pulled the trigger and that it was the job of Gutierrez-Reed and other weapons’ professionals to ensure it was unloaded. 

Gutierrez-Reed said she checked the rounds she loaded into the gun were dummies before handing it to first assistant director Dave Halls. Halls handed it to Baldwin, telling him it was a “cold gun,” meaning it did not contain an explosive charge, according to police.  

Halls has signed a plea deal for a misdemeanor charge and is expected to cooperate with the prosecution. 

On December 13, Halls testified to New Mexico’s worker safety bureau that Gutierrez-Reed handed the gun to Baldwin and that he never declared the Pietta reproduction Colt .45 a “cold gun.” 

Industry-wide firearms safety guidelines instruct actors to assume a firearm is loaded with blank ammunition. Live ammunition is strictly forbidden on sets.  

Two years after Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup, data on the state of journalism in the country reveals a dire picture.

More than 130 journalists have been arrested, with dozens still detained; at least 10 outlets were forced to shutter; four reporters were killed, two of them while in custody; and the country’s press freedom ranking plunged 36 spots on a global index.

In interviews with VOA in the past two years, journalists have spoken about the risks they take daily to keep covering events in the country and how the restrictions limit their ability to provide news to their audiences.

But if you ask the military regime for its view, it says the media are the fourth pillar of nation building, in accordance with the country’s press law.

Myanmar is currently one of the worst jailers of journalists globally. But military spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun told VOA those imprisoned are arrested for violating laws and not for their reporting.

“The journalists themselves know, I think, the question of whether they are fulfilling their responsibilities to the public,” he said.

“If you work as a journalist, we have already given you a guarantee,” Zaw Min Tun said. “[But] if they do something that violates the provisions of the terrorism law, we must take action against the journalists and the media. I would like to say that we only look at the crimes committed by the news media.”

Myanmar is currently detaining more than 70 journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Among them is VOA contributor Sithu Aung Myint, who is serving 12 years in prison with labor, after an arrest in August 2021.

RSF and other organizations tracking arrests say most journalists are accused of having discredited the military or violating new laws related to incitement. Some are charged under counterterrorism laws for contacting groups such as the National Unity Government of Myanmar or the People’s Defense Force that the junta has designated as terrorist groups.

The current environment makes it difficult for journalists to work, and as a result, the right of access to information is diminishing.

“There is no way for media to stand in the country, neither as an agency nor as an individual journalist,” said Nathan Maung, founder and editor-in chief of the news website Kamayut Media. “Even holding a mobile could be dangerous.”

Maung, an American journalist of Burmese descent, was jailed for 98 days in 2021 after authorities raided his Yangon-based newsroom.

After his release, he recalled to VOA how he was blindfolded, beaten and accused of being the “enemy of the state” before finally being released.

Two years on, media are limited in their ability to gather information, and journalists are taking risks to keep reporting, Maung told VOA.

“Journalists are paying a huge price with lessons learned, facing challenges to stand up to cover news. There is no press freedom at all. We lost our freedom of expression. Our vision is to rebuild the independent media.”

The difficulty in accessing reliable news since the February 1, 2021, coup was raised by a veteran journalist, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation.

“Most media [have] turned into propaganda mode,” which, the journalist said, “is useless for the audience.”

“The opportunity to get professional news is lessened. It has become a situation where everyone is responsible and does not bear any accountability,” the journalist told VOA. “There are consequences to covering the news under the current circumstances.”

With the risk of arrest or even being killed, “the quality of news has declined. The media itself is not in a position to do the job well,” the journalist added. “I see it as a detriment to the audience.”

One reporter, who requested anonymity for fear of safety, recounted being arrested and questioned about coverage. Even after being released, the journalist said it is hard to continue because they and their family are under strict surveillance.

“I was working as a dedicated journalist all my life. When I was released, I wanted to resume my work as a journalist, but the news media is not there in the country,” the reporter said. “I didn’t want to be accused of committing crimes. I felt like I was always being watched. My family was not safe. I had to work discreetly as a reporter because I didn’t want to give up my passion as a journalist.”

RSF has said that in the past two years “anti-journalist terror” has grown in Myanmar, and the military crackdown on media has “escalated steadily in every respect.”

The country ranks a lowly 176 out of 180 countries on the RSF press freedom index, where 1 signifies the best environment for media.

“RSF has been constantly appalled by the figures it has been compiling for the tragedy in Myanmar,” said Daniel Bastard, head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk, in a prepared statement. “The entire country has been subjected to an implacable repressive machine. The prison sentences passed on journalists keep getting longer. All this has but one goal: to prevent the world from knowing what is happening under Myanmar’s generals.”

The junta has pledged to hold elections but outlined limitations on parties planning to run, the Reuters news agency reported.

A spokesperson for the United Nations general secretary flagged concerns on Monday concerning “the military’s stated intention to hold elections amid intensifying aerial bombardment and burning of civilian houses, along with ongoing arrests, intimidation and harassment of political leaders, civil society actors and journalists.”

“Without conditions that permit the people of Myanmar to freely exercise their political rights, the proposed polls risk exacerbating instability,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists also cautioned that elections could lack credibility under the current restrictive environment.

Noting in a statement that “press freedom conditions in Myanmar have deteriorated drastically” since the coup, CPJ’s senor southeaster representative Shawn Crispin said, “The junta’s stated intent of restoring democracy through elections will lack credibility as long as Myanmar’s beleaguered press continues to live under fear and repression.”

This story originated in VOA’s Burmese Service.

Give us 5 minutes, and we’ll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we’ll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

The United States and South Korea will increase the pace and scope of joint military exercises, and expand intelligence sharing, in response to repeated and more frequent missile tests by North Korea.   

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup promised a more resolute response to what they described as Pyongyang’s unprecedented level of provocations over the past year.   

During a joint news conference following an hour-long meeting at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, Austin assured South Korean officials that Washington’s resolve remains firm, and that the Pentagon will use “the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, including our conventional, nuclear, and missile-defense capabilities” to defend its long-time ally.   

Austin and Lee also said the two countries would move ahead with new table-top exercises next month, as well as additional exercises and training.   

Prior to the meeting, U.S. officials had promised a resumption of joint, live-fire exercises later this year.   

Austin said South Korea could also expect more support along the lines of recent U.S. deployments, which included the deployment of F-22 and F-35 fighter jets, and a visit by the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group.   

The United States currently has about 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea. But Pyongyang’s bellicose behavior has stoked growing concern in South Korea, prompting President Yoon Suk Yeol to suggest earlier this month that Washington might need to redeploy nuclear weapons to the peninsula while saying Seoul could also begin to develop its own nuclear arsenal.   

Austin met with Yoon Tuesday, following his meeting with Lee, though neither spoke to the media.    

Lee, though, seemed satisfied with Austin’s assurances.   

“Even if they [North Korea] do use their nuclear capabilities, the Republic of Korea and the United States have the capability to deter their efforts,” Lee said, speaking through a translator.   

“The United States has the will to deter other uses of nuclear weapons, as well,” he added. “This goes on to demonstrate that we have the capability to deter any additional provocation by North Korea.”   

“As things continue to evolve, our alliance continues to strengthen,” Austin added. “And we look for ways to strengthen that extended deterrence.”   

This is Austin’s third trip to South Korea and his fourth meeting with Lee.   

In a joint statement following their meeting, the two also committed to working with Japan to improve and facilitate the sharing of missile warning data due to the North Korean threat.   

Support for Ukraine   

Austin’s visit to Seoul Tuesday followed a visit Monday by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.   

Stoltenberg urged South Korea, which has mostly provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine, to increase its military support for Kyiv.   

When asked Tuesday whether that could happen, South Korea’s Lee seemed to leave open the possibility.   

Lee said he and Stoltenberg “shared a sentiment on the need for the international effort in overcoming this crisis” in Ukraine.   

“Regarding our weapons support, our Republic of Korea weapons support, I’ll just say that I like to leave my answer that we are directing our close attention to the situation in Ukraine,” Lee said. 

India’s population is set to surpass China’s sometime this year according to the United Nations. Experts say while this represents an opportunity to reap a demographic dividend, much will depend on how India leverages its numbers, especially its massive population of young people. Anjana Pasricha has a report from New Delhi.

An Iranian court has handed jail sentences of more than 10 years each to a young couple who danced in front of one of Tehran’s main landmarks, activists said on Tuesday. 

Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, both in their early 20s, had been arrested in early November after a video went viral of them dancing romantically in front of the capital’s Azadi Tower.  

Haghighi did not wear a headscarf in defiance of the Islamic republic’s strict rules for women, while women are also not allowed to dance in public in Iran, let alone with a man. 

A revolutionary court in Tehran sentenced them each to 10 years and six months in prison, as well as bans on using the internet and leaving Iran, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.  

The couple, who already had a following in Tehran as popular Instagram bloggers, were convicted of “encouraging corruption and public prostitution” as well as “gathering with the intention of disrupting national security,” it added. 

HRANA cited sources close to their families as saying they had been deprived of lawyers during the court proceedings, while attempts to secure their release on bail have been rejected. 

The group said Haghighi is now in the notorious Qarchak prison for women outside Tehran. Activists regularly condemn conditions in the facility. 

Sensitive site

Iranian authorities have clamped down severely on all forms of dissent since the death in September of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the headscarf rules, sparked protests that have turned into a movement against the regime. 

At least 14,000 people have been arrested, according to the United Nations, ranging from prominent celebrities, journalists and lawyers to ordinary people who took to the streets. 

The couple’s video had been hailed as a symbol of the freedoms demanded by the protest movement, with Ahmadi at one moment lifting his partner in the air as her long hair flowed behind. 

One of the main landmarks of the Iranian capital, the gigantic and futuristic Azadi (Freedom) Tower is a place of huge sensitivity. 

It opened under the rule of the last shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the early 1970s when it was known as the Shahyad (In Memory of the Shah) Tower. 

It was renamed after the shah was ousted in 1979 with the creation of the Islamic Republic. Its architect, a member of the Bahai faith which is not recognized in today’s Iran, now lives in exile. 

HRANA also said that young Iranian woman Armita Abbasi, whose case has prompted international concern, went on trial on Sunday after she was arrested in October over protests in the city of Karaj outside Tehran. 

In November, U.S. news outlet CNN, citing leaks and an anonymous medical source, had reported she was rushed to the hospital after being raped while in custody. Iranian authorities have denied the allegations. 

HRANA and Iranian media on Tuesday quoted her lawyer Shahla Oroji as saying that Abbasi had been presented with charges including propaganda against the system and the court had refused to grant bail.