Cops arrest men for alleged sexual assault of minors
Tokyo, March 12: Japanese media reported this week that police have arrested several men accused of sexual assault of their underaged daughters and sharing their abuse videos online.
Police have so far refused to confirm the reports.
The Kyodo News agency, NHK television and other outlets say police in the Aichi prefecture, a region in central Japan, took into custody several men, who are in their 30s, 40s and 50s.
They are accused of repeatedly raping their daughters or stepdaughters, aged 6-14, filming the scenes of the assaults and sharing the videos on social media. They are also accused of child prostitution and child pornography, the reports said.
They allegedly exchanged messages and footage of their attacks in a group chat. The group was uncovered after one of the men was arrested in November on accusations of raping a child. Police investigated the data on his mobile phone, which led to the arrest of the other men, reports said. (AP)
Publishers, authors sue Meta over copyright works used in AI training
Paris, March 12: French publishers and authors said Wednesday they’re taking Meta to court, accusing the social media company of using their works without permission to train its artificial intelligence model.
Three trade groups said they were launching legal action against Meta in a Paris court over what they said was the company’s “massive use of copyrighted works without authorisation” to train its generative AI model. The National Publishing Union, which represents book publishers, has noted that “numerous works” from its members are turning up in Meta’s data pool, the group’s president, Vincent Montagne, said in a joint statement.
Meta didn’t respond to a request for comment. The company has rolled out generative-AI powered chatbot assistants to users of its Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms.
Montagne accused Meta of “noncompliance with copyright and parasitism”.
Another group, the National Union of Authors and Composers, which represents 700 writers, playwrights and composers, said the lawsuit was necessary to protect members from “AI which plunders their works and cultural heritage to train itself”.
The union is also worried about AI that “produces ‘fake books’ which compete with real books,” the union’s president, Francois Peyrony, said.
The third group involved in the lawsuit, the Societe des Gens de Lettres, represents authors.
They all demand the “complete removal” of data directories Meta created without authorisation to to train its AI model.
Under the European Union’s sweeping Artificial Intelligence Act, generative AI systems must comply with the 27-nation bloc’s copyright law and be transparent about the material they used for training. It’s the latest example of the clash between the creative and publishing industries and tech companies over data and copyright.
British musicians released a silent album last month to protest the UK government’s proposed changes to artificial intelligence laws that artists fear will erode their creative control.
Media and technology company Thomson Reuters recently won a legal battle against a now-defunct legal research firm over the question of fair use in AI-related copyright cases, while other cases involving visual artists, news organisations and others are still working through US courts. (AP)
Nearly 1 in 10 elderly in S Korea suffer from Alzheimer’s disease
Seoul, March 12: Nearly one out of 10 older adults in South Korea suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, with the number of dementia patients expected to surpass 1 million next year, data showed on Wednesday.
According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the number of dementia patients has reached 970,000 as of 2025, accounting for 9.17 per cent of those aged 65 or older, Yonhap news agency reported. The figure is anticipated to surpass the 1 million mark next year and the 2 million in 2044. The ministry said the proportion of dementia cases among older adults decreased from the corresponding tally of 9.5 per cent in 2016, attributing the drop to improved education levels and health conditions of older adults.
“The proportion of dementia cases among older people is expected to stay around the 10 per cent level until 2045 and increase to around 12 per cent to 13 per cent by 2059,” a ministry official said. The ministry said it will devise support measures for dementia patients to lessen the financial and caregiving burden on their families. Meanwhile, a recent survey by the Korea Institute of Public Administration showed that the number of South Koreans feeling anxiety and depression increased last year, Yonhap reported. (IANS)