Latest news with #Milestone
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Awami League slams B'desh interim govt's 'reckless' move of altering Ganabhaban structure
Dhaka: Bangladesh's Awami League has sharply criticised the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government for what it calls a "reckless and disgraceful" decision to implement structural changes at Ganabhaban, the official residence of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The party denounced the move as an attack on the nation's democratic heritage and accused the interim administration of overstepping its mandate. The party described the move as 'a reckless and disgraceful decision' and expressed grave concern over the 'illegal, fascist usurper Yunus and his clique's politically motivated attempt' to construct a "so-called mass graveyard' inside the Ganabhaban premises. 'It appears this illegal occupying group fails to understand that Ganabhaban is not Sheikh Hasina's private residence. It is the official residence of the head of government of Bangladesh and was designed in harmony with the architectural plan of the National Parliament complex. The iconic American architect Louis I. Kahn designed the Parliament building and its surrounding structures. It is considered one of the finest architectural works in the world, a reflection of Bangladesh's heritage and culture,' read a statement issued by the Awami League on Monday. 'Altering this structure means attempting to distort our national heritage and cultural identity. Therefore, we strongly condemn and protest any fundamental changes to the architecture of the National Parliament building, Ganabhaban, or any of its associated structures,' the statement added. The party asserted that just as the White House is the official residence of the President of the United States, and 10 Downing Street that of the British Prime Minister, so too is Ganabhaban the official residence of Bangladesh's Prime Minister, 'not a private home of Sheikh Hasina'. Slamming the Yunus-led interim government, the Awami League stated that 'this construction, ignoring the architectural significance of Ganabhaban, stems solely from deep-seated hatred toward the daughter of Bangabandhu, Sheikh Hasina.' The party mentioned that the greenery and environmental harmony around Ganabhaban carry significant ecological value, which is being ignored 'out of malice and spite by this fascist, murderous, and illegal regime of Yunus.' 'Just days ago, after failing to manage the aftermath of the Milestone tragedy, the fascist-murderer Yunus took to Facebook to beg the people for help. And yet, today, he is shamefully spending taxpayers' money on such hateful and unnecessary projects. To this violent extremist clique, establishing their hatred takes precedence over saving lives. On behalf of the Bangladesh Awami League, we vehemently denounce and protest this vile, politically motivated act,' the statement concluded.
Techday NZ
2 days ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
Sourcing video data for AI training: overcoming the challenges of scale, safety and representation
As AI advances, its potential benefits to video security are undeniable. The market for AI-powered video analytics is predicted to grow from $32 billion in 2025 to over $133 billion by 2030, due to its wide-ranging applications in e.g. cities, retail, logistics and manufacturing, residential developments and transport., where it can increase operational efficiency, improve energy efficiency, deliver marketing and sales insights – and much more. To unlock these benefits, however, organisations must always err on the side of responsible use. Most importantly, this also extends to the data used to power and train AI models. Understanding data transparency and quality As a recent Amnesty International report highlighted, there needs to be transparency around the use of AI-powered video surveillance. However, to do so, it's vital that we go back a stage and closely consider the quality and origin of the data that an AI model has been trained and fine-tuned on. As AI-enabled video is rolled out, developers mustn't fall into the same trap as their colleagues working on the large language models (LLM) on which generative AI depends, namely, the challenge of sourcing enough data for AI model training. LLM developers, unfortunately, find themselves paying increasing amounts for large data sets, due to their scarcity, lack of privacy measures, or facing litigation from rights holders. Bias from unrepresentative data may have also tainted the implementations of AI, with knock-on impacts on people's trust in AI and the insights delivered. Building accurate video AI models In order to mitigate many of these challenges before they spread, considering how to gain access to high-quality, responsibly sourced, visual data to train AI video models is crucial. The datasets used to train AI models need to be representative, diverse to ensure accuracy and fairness, and legally sourced to respect data owners' IP rights. This is not a simple task to obtain, especially when dealing with sensors such as cameras that can collect a lot of personal or confidential information. One solution to this challenge is Project Hafnia; a platform developed by Milestone Systems in partnership with NVIDIA, leveraging NVIDIA NeMo Curator and AI model. Project Hafnia enables data generators to share and utilise their data and allows developers to access traceable and regulatory-compliant annotated video data, which thereby can be used to train AI models. One of the first data generators to the platform is the American city of Dubuque, Iowa. Along with AI analytics company Vaidio, Milestone built a collaborative visual language model that transformed Dubuque's raw video, via anonymization and curation, into powerful training material, improving AI accuracy from 80% to over 95%. This leap forward has enabled smarter traffic management, quicker emergency responses, and stronger public safety. All done responsibly and without massive infrastructure overhauls. With Milestone's recent acquisition of brighter AI, a company specializing in anonymization solutions, a further layer of data privacy has been added to Project Hafnia. Thus, brighter AI's technology automatically detects a personal identifier such as a face or a license plate and generates a synthetic replacement. Consolidating and curating data from multiple data generators is one way for developers to obtain enough visual data on to develop accurate AI models to detect events such as vandalism, vehicle accidents, and traffic flow. Synthetic data for hard-to-gather data sets Another solution comes in the form of synthetic data, which is artificially generated or augmented datasets that simulate or generalise real-world conditions. Using synthetic data, AI developers can train models on vast amounts of diverse and representative information while mitigating the ethical and legal concerns surrounding privacy and consent. For example, in Aalborg Harbour in Denmark, training an AI model to detect individuals falling into the harbour was not possible due to the dangers that would pose to human volunteers. The dataset also needed to include a diversity of human actors such as wheelchair users. Using dummies couldn't fully capture the full complexity, either. The best solution, therefore, was synthetic data that could expand the training dataset with diverse falling scenarios, avoiding safety or ethics concerns. The AI model developed through this process shows promising results to alert rescue teams if and when a person falls into the harbour, increasing the chances of survival by minimising response times and reducing cold water exposure. Unlocking the potential of AI in video AI holds great promise for our cities, buildings, and individual safety. Yet, this can only be realised with AI models that fully capture the complexities of our built environments and human behaviour. Video analytics developers should explore their options when trying to build a comprehensive data set for AI model training. New, responsible options are emerging - from consolidated data gathered across many data generators to synthetic data generators. It's just a matter of where to look.
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Schwarber's 1,000th hit is 319th homer, topping mcgwire for most to the mark
Kyle Schwarber topped Mark McGwire for most home runs among players' first 1000 hits, hitting long ball No. 319. 'I don't know if that's a good thing or not,' the Philadelphia Phillies slugger said. Ten days after lifting the National League to victory in the first All-Star Game swing-off, Schwarber keeps going deep. He hit a pair of two-run homers in a 12-5 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday night. The first drive—his milestone hit—started the comeback from a 2-0 deficit. He even got the ball back after it was grabbed by a Phillies fan attending with his friends in Yankee Stadium's right-center field seats. 'I saw it on the video and then I see the dude tugging. I'm like: 'Oh, they all got Philly stuff on.' That was cool,' Schwarber said. He met the trio after the game, gave an autographed ball to each, and exchanged hugs. When he went to get a third ball to autograph, one of the three said he just wanted the potential free agent to re-sign with the Phillies. 'You show up to the field every single day trying to get a win at the end of the day, and I think our fans kind of latch on to that, right?' Schwarber said. 'It's been fantastic these last 3 1/2 years—four years now—the support that we get from our fans, and it means a lot to me that you know that they attach theirselves on our team.' Schwarber tied it at 2 in the fifth against Will Warren when he hit a 413-foot drive on a first-pitch fastball. After J.T. Realmuto's three-run homer off Luke Weaver built a 6-3 lead in a four-run seventh, and the Yankees closed within a run in the bottom half, Schwarber sent an Ian Hamilton fastball 380 feet into the right-field seats. Schwarber reached 1000 hits with eight more homers than McGwire. Schwarber has 36 homers this year, three shy of major league leader Cal Raleigh, and six homers in seven games since he was voted All-Star MVP. He has 33 multi-homer games. 'I don't know where we'd be without him,' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. 'Comes up with big hit after big hit after big hit. It's just—it's amazing.' Schwarber is 32 and eligible for free agency this fall after completing a 79 million four-year contract. He homered on all three of his swings in the All-Star Game tiebreaker, and when the second half began, Phillies managing partner John Middleton proclaimed: 'We love him. We want to keep him.' 'He's been an incredible force all season long,' Realmuto said. 'What he's meant to his team, his offense, it's hard to put in words.' A World Series champion for the 2016 Chicago Cubs, Schwarber has reached 35 homers in all four seasons with the Phillies. He's batting .255 with 82 RBIs and a .960 OPS. He also has almost as many home runs as singles (46). Schwarber had not been aware he topped McGwire for most homers among 1000 hits. 'I had no clue. I didn't even know it was my 1000th to be honest with you,' he said.
Global News
21-07-2025
- General
- Global News
Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashes into school, killing 20 in capital
A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a school in Dhaka, the capital, shortly after takeoff on Monday afternoon, catching fire and killing the pilot and at least 19 other people, most of whom were students, officials said. Another 171 students were rescued with injuries from a smoldering two-story building, officials said, including many with burns who were whisked away in helicopters, motorized rickshaws and the arms of firefighters and parents. The Chinese-made F-7 BGI training aircraft experienced a 'technical malfunction' moments after takeoff at 1:06 p.m. local time, and the pilot attempted to divert the plane to a less populated area before crashing into the campus of Milestone School and College, according to a statement from the military. Students said the school's buildings trembled violently, followed by a big explosion that sent them running for safety. A desperate scene soon unfolded at the crash site, as panicked relatives searched for loved ones. Screams filled the air at a nearby hospital. Story continues below advertisement The Milestone school is in Dhaka's Uttara neighborhood, which is roughly 11 kilometers (7 miles) drive from the A.K. Khandaker air force base. The school is in a densely populated area near a metro station and numerous shops and homes. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The pilot, Flight Lt. Mohammed Toukir Islam, made 'every effort to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas toward a more sparsely inhabited location,' the military said, adding that it would investigate the cause of the accident. It is the deadliest plane crash in the Bangladeshi capital in recent memory. In 2008, another F-7 training jet crashed outside Dhaka, killing its pilot, who had ejected after he discovered a technical problem. The government announced a national day of mourning on Tuesday, with flags to fly at half-staff across the country. At the crash site Monday afternoon, a father sprinted with his daughter cradled in his arms. A mother cried out, having found her younger child, but desperately searched for her older one. Another father described his feeling of helplessness while waiting to learn the fate of his daughter. 'The plane crashed on the building where my daughter was. My wife called me, but I was praying so I could not pick up,' Jewel, who goes by one name, said at the scene. 'When I came here I saw there was a huge fire. There was a dead body of a child.' Story continues below advertisement Luckily, his daughter was safe, he said, but he saw many other children suffering from burns. Students also scrambled to see what had happened. 'We fought with the crowd and the soldiers to get close to the crash site in our school,' said Estiak Elahi Khan, who is in the 11th grade. 'What I saw I can't describe that … that's terrible.' Doctors at Uttara Adhunik Hospital said more than 60 students, many between the ages of 12 and 16, were transferred to a special hospital for burn victims. By Monday evening, rescuers continued to scour the debris, searching for bodies. A crane was being used to remove debris. Bangladesh's interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, also pledged an investigation, and he expressed his deep sorrow over the 'heartbreaking accident.' He called it 'a moment of deep national grief.' Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed shock and sadness. 'Our hearts go out to the bereaved families,' Modi said in a post on X. 'India stands in solidarity with Bangladesh and is ready to extend all possible support and assistance.' Rafiqa Taha, a student who was not present at the time of the crash, said by phone that the school, with some 2,000 students, offers classes from elementary grades through high school. Story continues below advertisement 'I was terrified watching videos on TV,' the 16-year-old said. 'My God! It's my school.'
San Francisco Chronicle
21-07-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
What to know about the Bangladesh Air Force jet crash into a Dhaka school
At least 19 people have been killed after a Bangladesh Air Force jet crashed into a private school campus in the south Asian country's capital city on Monday. It is the deadliest airplane crash in the Bangladeshi capital in recent memory. What happened? The F-7 BGI jet, a variant of a Chinese fighter, crashed into the campus of the Milestone School and College, in the Uttara neighborhood of the Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka. At least 19 people have died, including the pilot, according to military and a fire official. More than 160 people have been injured. Officials described the plane as a training aircraft. The military said the jet took off at 1:06 p.m. local time and crashed soon after, catching fire immediately. The cause was not immediately clear. The cause of the crash is being investigated. Where did it happen? The crash happened on the campus of Milestone, a school with some 2,000 students. It describes itself as having more than two decades of experience as a leading private educational institution. Rafiqa Taha, a student who was not present at the time of the crash, told The Associated Press by phone that the school offers classes from elementary to twelfth grade. The school says it has a focus on extracurricular activities, career counseling and 'global opportunities.' Who are the victims? Details are still emerging. Officials have said the pilot is among the dead.
