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Indonesia Elections 2024: How AI has become a double-edged sword for candidates and election officials From chatbots to childlike images, AI is being used and abused by some for political purposes in Indonesia’s Feb 14 presidential and parliamentary elections. Analysts say lack of regulation and gimmickry could turn some voters off. The use of AI for political purposes both to woo voters and create disinformation has been rampant in the lead-up to Indonesia’s presidential and parliamentary elections on Feb 14, 2024. (Illustration: iStock/mathisworks) JAKARTA:  The frontrunner in the upcoming presidential election speaking fluent Arabic. A   long-deceased president praising the incumbent. A   presidential candidate being scolded by one of his political backers.

  New law paves way for passport-free, biometric clearance for Changi Airport departures from 2024 Changes to the Immigration Act will allow further digitalisation of the process while tightening border controls. Passengers at the Terminal 2 departure hall in Changi Airport on Mar 31, 2023. (File photo: CNA) The Immigration (Amendment) Bill was passed on Monday (Sep 18) to allow for end-to-end biometric clearance at the airport and checkpoints The Bill includes other provisions to better deal with pandemics, screen travellers before they enter Singapore and clarify rules for permanent residents MPs raised some concerns about moving to automated clearance, in particular cybersecurity risks and disruption from technological glitches

  Can virtual reality therapy help you get over your fear of cockroaches and other phobias? We tried it out We put our CNA Lifestyle senior producer, who always keeps Baygon and cockroach baits in every corner of her apartment and bedroom, through a session to find out. Would you put yourself through an episode of Fear Factor, especially one that is designed to tap into your deepest, most terrifying fear – your very own personal nightmare, so to speak?  CNA Lifestyle's intrepid senior producer Joyee Koo did and came face-to-face with her mortal fear: Cockroaches, especially flying ones.

  Why fashion's 'recycling' is not saving the planet PARIS: In H&M's flagship Paris store it is hard to find clothes that don't claim to be made from "recycled materials". Last year, 79 per cent of the polyester in its collections came from recycled materials, and next year it wants it all to be recycled. The Swedish fast fashion giant told AFP that recycled material allows the "industry to reduce its dependence on virgin polyester made from fossil fuels". The problem is that "93 per cent of all recycled textiles today comes from plastic bottles, not from old clothes", said Urska Trunk of campaign group Changing Markets. In other words, from fossil fuels. And while a plastic bottle can be recycled five or six times, a T-shirt in recycled polyester "can never be recycled again", said Trunk. Almost all recycled polyester is made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) from plastic bottles, according to the non-profit Textile E...

  Singapore to host 2025 World Para Swimming Championships SINGAPORE: Singapore will host the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships, the first time the event is held in Asia, said the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) on Monday (Feb 5). The championship is the highest-ranked swimming event outside the Paralympic Games. It will take place at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in Singapore Sports Hub from Oct 3 to Oct 9, 2025. "This is a major milestone for our sport and is also evidence of the growth of para swimming in the country and the region," said Mr Craig Nicholson, the head of World Para Swimming. SDSC said that para swimming was a "consistent stronghold" for Singapore, producing Paralympic medallists and world record holders like Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh. "Additionally, Asian medalist Toh Wei Soong, Asian record holder Sophie Soon and numerous ASEAN Para Games medallists have contributed to the nation’s rich para swimming legacy," said SDSC. SDSC...

  Commentary: 'Forcing' drivers to slow down requires more than harsh penalties After two recent fatal accidents involving children, it’s worth asking how we can compensate for human limitations to prevent tragic deaths on the road, say Yale-NUS’ Jean Liu and lawyer Bozy Lu. Traffic accidents leading to fatalities had risen in the first half of 2023, compared to same period in 2022 according to data from the Singapore Police Force. (File photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)    SINGAPORE: The premature deaths of young children are always heartbreaking. There’s a deep sense of tragedy, as it goes against the natural order of things. On Jan 23, 4-year-old Zara Mei Orlic was walking home from her preschool in River Valley when a car t...

  IN FOCUS: Untangling Singapore-Malaysia food fights - what's it got to do with identity and pride? Did laksa come from Katong or Penang; Siglap or Sarawak? Maybe that’s not the right question, as CNA's Chew Hui Min finds out. On the left is a bowl of laksa from Donald & Lily @ The Bendahari market in Melaka, Malaysia, and on the right, Janggut laksa in Paya Lebar, Singapore. (Photos: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas and Raydza Rahman) Chew Hui Min ...

  Commentary: What to do about rising medical costs in Singapore Slowing down the rapidly rising cost of healthcare in Singapore requires the authorities to be willing to try new ways to solve the problem, says former veteran newspaper editor Han Fook Kwang. File photo of a patient in hospital. The rising cost of providing healthcare in Singapore is an issue that requires urgent attention. (Photo: iStock/Jacob Wackerhausen) SINGAPORE: After I wrote a piece on ever-rising medical insurance premiums in December last year, a reader responded with his own experience. His story is interesting and there are lessons for Singapore. When his son was diagnosed with a life-threatening cardiovascular disease, the future looked grim. This ...