《TAIPEI TIMES》YouTuber reveals how CCP buys ‘influencers’
In the end, the success of "National Beauty" and "White Deer" will ultimately come down to how well they are received by viewers. While both dramas offer different themes and settings, they both have the potential to captivate audiences and leave a lasting impression. Fans of Yang Zi and Bai Lu are eagerly waiting to see how these talented actresses will bring their characters to life and which drama will come out on top in this highly anticipated showdown. One thing is for sure, viewers are in for a treat with these two exciting new dramas hitting the screens on the same day. Let the battle of the dramas begin!With Lindelof set to make his return in the Europa League midweek clash, Manchester United will be looking to secure a positive result and advance in the competition. The experience and leadership that Lindelof brings to the team will be invaluable as they aim to progress further in the tournament.A chorus of support is growing behind actress Blake Lively after she filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment and a smear campaign against "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni. Actress Amber Heard on Monday became the latest celebrity to speak out on behalf of the "Gossip Girl" alum over what she says was a coordinated social media effort to tarnish her name. Over the weekend, Lively filed a complaint claiming that Baldoni and a lead producer had behaved unacceptably during the filming of box office hit "It Ends With Us." The allegations included that Baldoni -- who also directed the film -- had spoken inappropriately about his sex life, and had sought to alter the film to include sex scenes that were not in the script and had not been agreed to. They also detailed how lead producer Jamey Heath had watched Lively while she was topless, despite having been asked to turn away. But the complaint goes into great detail -- including with texts and emails -- on a PR campaign to wreck her reputation and to divert attention from any public comments she might make about the men's alleged misbehavior. This was "a carefully crafted, coordinated, and resourced retaliatory scheme to silence her, and others from speaking out about the hostile environment that Mr Baldoni and Mr Heath created," the complaint says. It includes allegations that the two men hired a crisis PR team that amplified or planted negative stories about Lively on social media platforms. "You know we can bury anyone," Melissa Nathan, a member of the team, is alleged to have said, according to messages contained in the complaint. Heard's ex-husband Johnny Depp hired the same PR team during the high-profile defamation trial between the couple in 2022, in which a jury unanimously found that Heard defamed Depp over allegations he abused her. "Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying 'A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on,'" Heard said in a statement carried by NBC News. "I saw this firsthand and up close. It's as horrifying as it is destructive." Heard's support came on the heels of a joint statement by America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel, who starred with Lively in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." "As Blake's friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation," they wrote on Instagram. "Throughout the filming of 'It Ends with Us', we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice." A lawyer for Wayfarer, the studio behind the film, said in a statement released to the New York Times that neither the studio, its executives, nor its PR team did anything to retaliate against Lively. "These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media," lawyer Bryan Freedman wrote. The complaint was lodged with the California Civil Rights Department, and is a precursor to a lawsuit. Major Hollywood talent agency WME -- which represents Lively -- has reportedly dropped Baldoni as a client. hg/aha
NoneA person’s face is covered by a Chinese flag fluttering in the wind in Beijing in an undated photograph.Photo: Bloomberg ‘UNITED FRONT’: Beijing provides Internet ‘influencers’ with templates and directions, such as criticizing Taiwanese politicians, the rapper said By Chung Li-hua and Esme Yeh / Staff reporter, with staff writer 請繼續往下閱讀... Taiwanese rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源) in a video showed how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) bribes Taiwanese online influencers in its “united front” efforts to shape Taiwanese opinions. The video was made by YouTuber “Pa Chiung (八炯)” and published online on Friday. Chen in the video said that China’s United Front Work Department provided him with several templates and materials — such as making news statements — with some mentioning Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) politician Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) and asking him to write a song criticizing the Democratic Progressive Party. 請繼續往下閱讀... He said he had produced content for China as requested, but did not receive the royalties as promised by a Beijing-based management company for his song Chinese Bosses (中國老總), which is sung in an exaggerated Taiwanese accent with lyrics implying a pleasant life for businesspeople in China. Chen said he also founded a company in China jointly with a business partner from the Jinjiang Taiwan Compatriots Friendship Association, who worked as his manager and later poached all his employees and capital invested in the company. He was labeled as a fraud and a “Taiwanese independence separatist,” and attacked by Chinese Internet trolls, after he released an online video condemning his former business partner for betraying him. “I finally realized the hard way that where I was staying [China] was not a place of democracy,” Chen said, adding that there is a huge difference between democratic Taiwan and autocratic China. The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday said it is in control of the situation where Taiwanese influencers allegedly vilify the government’s policies, lure Taiwanese to work in China or engage in “united front” campaigns requested by the Chinese government. The National Security Act (國家安全法) prohibits people from engaging, initiating, funding, hosting, manipulating, directing or developing an organization for a foreign country, including China, Hong Kong and Macau, external hostile forces, or any type of organizations, institutions, or groups established or controlled by them, or a representative dispatched by such organizations, institutions or groups, the council said. The Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) prohibits people from receiving instructions, being commissioned or funded by external hostile forces to engage in activities that disrupt social order, spread disinformation or interfere with elections, it said. Article 33-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) prohibits individuals, juristic persons, organizations or other institutions from engaging in any form of cooperation with the Chinese military, political parties or any organization of a political nature, it added. 新聞來源: TAIPEI TIMES 不用抽 不用搶 現在用APP看新聞 保證天天中獎 點我下載APP 按我看活動辦法
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In a recent court decision, Yang Niu Hua, a woman convicted of a serious crime, faced the second appeal of her death sentence, which was ultimately upheld by Judge Yu Hua. Despite the challenging circumstances and the grim outcome, Yang Niu Hua exhibited unwavering faith and determination in the face of the verdict.
The entire village erupted into wild celebrations, with music, dance, and fireworks lighting up the night sky. The players were hoisted onto the shoulders of their ecstatic fans, paraded through the streets like conquering heroes. It was a moment of pure joy and bliss, a day that would forever be etched in the memories of the villagers.NoneI was escorted to a cozy treatment room where a skilled TCM practitioner named Master Li awaited me. Master Li was a seasoned expert in TCM bone setting, and his compassionate demeanor immediately put me at ease. He carefully examined my posture and inquired about any specific areas of discomfort before beginning the treatment.
House approves $895B defense bill with military pay raise, ban on transgender care for minorsNew Jersey’s Task Force has concluded its work by issuing a report to the governor, with recommendations in four specific areas to support the state’s continuing AI work. Gov. Phil Murphy established the AI Task Force in with Executive Order 346 (EO 346). The state has made continual advancements in this area before and after the group’s conception, including , , , and the release of the . The AI Task Force’s November report to the governor was called for as part of EO 346. It includes a landscape and risk assessment and offers recommendations in four key areas: 1) safety, security, technology and privacy; 2) workforce training, jobs of the future and training public professionals; 3) AI, equity and literacy; and 4) making New Jersey a hub for AI innovation. “Everything that’s proposed in here is something that we’re doing, or going to do, or planning to do,” New Jersey’s Chief AI Strategist said of the report. Noveck co-chaired the AI Task Force with state Chief Technology Officer . The report will inform both policy and strategy to support AI implementation, including data governance. As Rein explained, officials have already created an acceptable use policy to guide AI implementation across the state government, and will be augmenting data governance within the Office of Information Technology and other agencies. “No AI solution that we offer is ever going to be better than the data that it is trained on,” Rein said, arguing that the data powering AI technologies is “mission critical” to their success. The process for informing the state’s AI assessment and recommendations entailed surveying New Jersey’s workforce, residents, institutions and businesses in the public and private sectors. A notable outcome from the AI Task Force’s work is that in the AI space. Both Murphy’s commitment and the report’s findings contributed to the state’s prioritization of this work. So far, 10,000 public-sector workers and counting have been using AI tools, Noveck said. Part of the purpose, she said, is to ensure that people developing AI policy for the state have the necessary understanding of the technologies being governed. The state’s workforce training is expanding, too. Noveck pointed to a series of grant programs that will support AI curriculum development for students, who she underlined will be “the workers of tomorrow.” While there is no formal or legal timeline for implementing the recommendations outlined in the report, Noveck said that they are already underway or forthcoming. She emphasized that the state’s AI work has been ongoing. For example, the NJ AI Assistant was created to offer workers a safe environment in which they could practice using AI technology without the risk of state information being put into a private vendor’s website. Another AI implementation in the early days of the task force’s work involved the use of AI-assisted tools for call center employees. When agencies implement new technologies, there has long been a systems architecture review process. This process, according to Rein, has now been augmented to include a series of questions related to AI as part of the state’s change review process. Officially, the task force’s work has concluded. However, Noveck said the task force is comprised of members of state leadership who regularly communicate and collaborate with or without the formal existence of the task force, including in frequent AI-focused discussions. Rein said the relationships built through this task force — including those in government and in the education and private sectors — are the most rewarding part of the work. Noveck highlighted the importance of the governor supporting responsible AI use, from investing in upskilling to forming the task force. The governor has the power to recreate this or a similar task force as needed, but even without doing so, Noveck said “the conversations are continuing, even without the need for a formal extension of the task force.”NoneRomania police raid houses after vote scrapped over 'irregularities'