Breaking Europe’s hold on soccer

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1.5 billion persons tuned in to see the closing of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which brought together countries from all over the world. However, despite the fact that soccer is a source of national pride, love, and individual and societal identity worldwide, its recognized governing body is located in Europe.

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association( FIFA ), which was established in Paris in 1904 and is now based in Switzerland, is in charge of overseeing the development of international soccer, from rule changes to hosting rights for significant tournaments.

Along with the Premier League of England( EPL ), the Bundesliga of Germany, LaLiga of Spain, Serie A of Italy, and Ligue 1 of France, the Union of European Football Associations( UEFA ) contribute significantly to international soccer and bring in a sizable amount of money for FIFA. Major talent is drawn to European clubs and national teams, which can then use” sports diplomacy” to project their economic, political, and cultural pursuits abroad and have an impact on FIFA.

This supremacy has long drawn critique. In order to resist their underrepresentation at the World Cup, American teams organized boycotts in 1966. Yet UEFA and Sepp Blatter, who succeeded Joo Havelange as president of FIFA from 1974 to 1998, began to criticize FIFA’s Eurocentric effect in 2015.

This type of criticism has just become even more obvious. FIFA ordered German teams to drop plans to use pro-LGBT wristbands during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while UEFA-affiliated teams and FIFA fought over Qatar’s individual rights record prior to the competition. However, significant improvements in Saudi Arabia and the United States have challenged Europe’s long-standing dominance throughout 2023.

Arabian motives

Saudi Arabia wants to expand its business and draw in foreign investment, according to its 2016 Vision 2030. Soccer is the basis of Riyadh’s efforts to present and market the nation, even though it includes hosting and sponsoring racing, golf, fighting, and other athletics tournaments.

Western accusations of” sportswashing ,” in which sports are used to boost a nation’s reputation and deflect attention away from negative actions, have been made in response to this charm offensive.

Saudi Arabia, like other Gulf nations, has recently acquired significant European clubs. Newcastle United was purchased by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in 2021, and Sheffield United, which the Saudis also purchased in 2013, will play in the EPL once more during the 2023 – 2024 season.

While competitions like the Supercoppa Italiana and Spanish Super Cup are being held more frequently in Saudi Arabia, the Saudis apparently made a multimillion dollar pay to acquire the EPL’s Chelsea.

Nevertheless, Riyadh’s main sporting goal is to improve the Saudi Professional League( SPL ) reputation. The Saudis have made significant investments in the SPL, turning it into one of the world’s most well-known teams, with support from the oil-fueled Public Investment Fund.

Findings from this investment have already been seen: SPL staff Al-Hilal finished second in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, falling to Real Madrid of Spain.

This year, a number of high-profile SPL offers snatched up best talent from all over the world and Europe. Royal clubs snatched up players like Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, Édouard Mendy of Senegal, Jordan Henderson of England, Gabri Veiga of Spain, and Portuguese singer Neymar without being constrained by UEFA’s spending restrictions.

While some are nearing the end of their profession, others are in their equations or are just getting started, and SPL clubs have also been successful in luring renowned coaches.

Concerns about Saudi Arabia’s influence in international football have grown, and human rights concerns are frequently brought up. Due to these issues, Saudi Arabia was forbidden from sponsoring the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this time.

The people’s FIFA Club World Cup will be held in December, and Saudi Arabia and Egypt and Greece will look into co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Championship with an offer to finance their fresh stadiums if three-quarters of the games are played there.

US initiatives

US entities have also made significant inroads amid rising Royal attempts to sway FIFA and the international football scene. Eight out of the 20 groups in the EPL are now entirely or partially owned by the US.

However, the main US challenge to European soccer dominance, like Saudi Arabia, is the expansion of its domestic league, Major League Soccer( MLS ). The group has been expanding steadily for decades with the goal of capturing the possible sizable domestic US market.

The MLS’s annual winter began in 1996 following the success of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, which was held in the US.

With the addition of English superstar David Beckham to the LA Galaxy in 2007, MLS experienced a considerable increase. The agreement included a provision allowing Beckham to buy the rights to an enlargement team after his five-year contract expired as well as the designated gamer rule, which allowed teams to reach the salary cap for some players.

Since therefore, MLS has grown from 13 to 29 groups, and Beckham then co-owns Inter Miami, which acquired Lionel Messi of Argentina from European league Paris Saint-Germain in the middle of 2023. Messi’s agreement includes a stake in Inter Miami, demonstrating how MLS keeps luring superstars with its ownership of the group.

MLS has been experiencing what is known as the” Messi effect” ever since Messi’s signing. Inter Miami has amassed 14 million Instagram followers, sold record-breaking jerseys, and sold hundreds of millions of tickets.

As of September 7, Apple’s MLS game streaming service had nearly 300,000 subscribers. Leonardo DiCaprio, LeBron James, and Prince Harry were among the current Miami game stars. Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, two former Messi colleagues from Barcelona, have also recently signed on with Miami.

The major growth of the Hispanic population since MLS’s inception in 1996, which capitalized on Italian Americas’ passion for the sport, as well as the recent success of US national womens team, have also contributed to the expansion of this sport. This time saw the start of a brand-new, expanded Leagues Cup between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX, with Inter Miami coming out on top.

In collaboration with the Confederation of North, Central, and Caribbean Association Football ( CONCACAF ) and the South American Football Association( COMEBOL ), the US will host the Copa América in 2024. The 2026 Men’s World Cup will also be held in the US, Mexico, and Canada.

In an effort to compete with German youth development leagues( the Saudis launched their personal this year ), the MLS launched sports Next in 2020 as young Americans’ interest in the sport has grown. Children soccer players are currently most prevalent in the US, and MLS talent is being sought out more and more by Western leagues.

FIFA is normally eager to take advantage of MLS’s potential for expansion. In terms of brand sponsorship and the number of people attending World Cups, the US is currently one of FIFA’s most significant revenue sources for the competition.

FIFA might become attempting to placate Washington as well. The US Justice Department accused FIFA of accepting money from Qatar and Russia to secure their World Cup hosting requests in 2020. In 2015, American authorities launched a number of legal actions and investigations into bribery in FIFA.

Steep conflict

However, in terms of popularity, the SPL and MLS are second only to the big European teams. Sports venues in Saudi Arabia and the United States are typically much smaller than those in Europe, and their teams lack the prestige of well-known European teams.

Even though some clubs have experienced financial success, more than half of MLS teams also lose money, and incomes are also lower than in Europe. The EPL and Mexico’s Liga MX both have higher popularity in the US than MLS, and US activities culture also favors other activities.

Past difficulties have also been defeated by UEFA’s ascendancy over FIFA. The Intercontinental Cup, which featured the best teams from Europe and South America and eventually evolved into the FIFA Club World Cup ), overshadowed the US’s failure to establish the International Soccer League in 1960. More just, the Chinese Super League experienced difficulties as a result of significant purchases that started in 2017.

However, UEFA’s past animosity has even recently come to light. Two attempts to create a separate” Super League” outside of FIFA and UEFA control — one in 1998 and one in 2021 — have been sparked by frustration. Over the past few years, the flow of funds from Russia, Gulf States, and the US into Western leagues has been a key factor in inciting big teams’ dissatisfaction with UEFA and its Financial Fair Play rules.

Aleksander Eiferin, the head of UEFA, just dismissed worries about the SPL’s extravagant wasting and has largely avoided discussing the MLS. However, the classic international soccer dominance of Europe has been undermined by these concurrent challenges.

Additionally, there are rumors that US investment firm Clearlake Capital and Chelsea proprietors Todd Boehly are selling Chelsea players to the SPL at exorbitant prices, demonstrating how powerful Royal and US figures have grown even in the sports world of Europe.

By enabling a more equitable distribution of resources, the SPL and MLS perhaps give FIFA new career. Concerns that decentralizing international soccer could only shift the source of financial power from Europe to fresh players, probably introducing a unique set of challenges, are raised by the major influence of Saudi and American money in improving their profiles.

FIFA has carefully navigate this change in order to achieve true equity without introducing new imbalances.

This content was created by Globetrotter, who also gave it to Asia Times.

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MOM officer gets jail for illegally obtaining co-workers’ salary details through ex-colleague from DBS

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SINGAPORE: On Thursday, September 14, a Ministry of Manpower ( MOM) officer was imprisoned for five weeks for asking an ex-colleague from DBS Bank to access the salary information of MOM colleagues.

Singaporean Dinath Silvamany Muthaliyar requested admittance to the customer information in a DBS collection from his former classmate Liong Yan Sin. & nbsp,

Due to his work as a collections agent, where he responded to inquiries from bank customers and spoke with them about past payments and settlement plans, Liong had access to the information. Liong was prohibited from disclosing or accessing knowledge outside the scope of his responsibilities, though. & nbsp,

Before joining MOM, where he managed the charge management, Dinath worked as a collections official as well.

The 35-year-old admitted guilt to four works under the Computer Misuse Act for aiding Liong in conducting the unauthorized searches and to giving info that he was not authorized to reveal on the Banking Act. For his punishment, 14 additional expenses of a comparable nature were taken into consideration. & nbsp,

Liong had previously admitted guilt to comparable claims and received a 16-week prison term. Another man, Ang Kok How, received a two-week prison term for asking Liong to get an acquaintance’s target improperly. & nbsp,

The jury learned that Liong and Dinath had both been aware of the regulations that forbade collections officers from giving consumer information to third parties in an unauthorized manner and that they were not permitted to access customer data outside of their line of work.

But starting in June 2018, Dinath asked Liong to assist him in learning the wage information of MOM coworkers so he could contrast it with his own. & nbsp,

According to the trial, the accused wanted to learn about his coworkers’ salaries in order to determine his position in relation to them and the discrepancy between them. & nbsp,

Between then and November 2018, Liong consented and went to the DBS collection to conduct searches.

He therefore sent Dinath the data via WhatsApp. At least seven coworkers were impacted across all the expenses. & nbsp,

Dinath was sentenced to six to seven months in prison by the trial, who claimed that he was less guilty than Liong because the latter had been trusted at the time of his offense. & nbsp,

S S Dhillon, Dinath’s attorney, claimed that his client had requested that Liong test the wages of his coworkers” against his better judgment” and” purely out of curiosity.” & nbsp,

There were” no intended benefits ,” according to Mr. Dhillon, and Dinath did not give the information to outside parties. & nbsp,

He was informed that this was an offense when he was called up for studies, which surprised him. He was unaware that simply requesting for information would amount to him serving a statement, according to Mr. Dhillon. & nbsp,

At this point, Dinath had formerly worked for DBS and should have been aware of the repercussions, according to Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan. & nbsp,

Mr. Dhillon retorted that even when Dinath was employed by DBS, he was unaware that merely requesting information had get him in jail. & nbsp,

Dinath’s spotless history, admission of guilt, and cooperation with the government were all cited by the attorney as mitigating factors. & nbsp,

He described Dinath’s potential job loss as a” back punishment for his stupid, foolish mistakes.” & nbsp,

” Sir, you can see his conduct; he speaks for himself.” Please provide him this one chance in life because he is completely ashamed and bad.

Mr. Dhillon added that Dinath was” shell-shocked” by the proceedings in his moderation appeal. & nbsp,

Dinath will no longer try to be anything less than a law-abiding citizen because he is so terrified and concerned about it. This worry has made him shiver, which in and of itself is a severe abuse for him.

CNA has contacted MOM to inquire as to whether Dinath is also employed by the company.

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Exclusive interview with Paul Yang, BNP Paribas CEO for Asia Pacific | FinanceAsia

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In: Asia, Finance, South-East Asia

Paris-headquartered BNP Paribas boasts a history of over 160 years in Asia and today, it draws upon a 20,000-strong team that is active in thirteen markets across the continent.

The regional effort is led by Paul Yang, who ascended to role of CEO for Asia Pacific in December 2020, as the world succumbed to the full throes of the beginnings of a three-year pandemic. As society grappled with widespread affliction, Asia’s key economies responded to rapidly evolving government direction with fervour: leaving borders closed and markets shaken.

However, as you will discover through this exclusive interview, Yang was defiant in his refusal to be beset by external challenges. Proving himself an astute leader at the regional helm, he navigated the uncertain scenario deftly, and would go on to secure solid returns for both full-year 2021 and 2022; as well as robust revenue for the first quarter of 2023.

With a view to steering the bank’s business in support of the group’s Growth, Technology and Sustainability (GTS) strategy for 2025, FinanceAsia sought Yang’s take on Asia as a key international powerhouse, and learned about the milestones of his international career to date.

Entering Asia

BNP Paribas’ forerunner, the Comptoir National d’Escompte de Paris (CNEP), was set up by France’s finance minister following the hardships endured during the French Revolution; to curb mass bankruptcy in the financial markets; and to stimulate the economy. 

Following signature of a free trade agreement with the British, the Comptoir sought to develop an international strategy to source the raw materials required to support the flourishment of European industry. To do so, it extended beyond its French national borders for the first time; establishing offices in Calcutta and Shanghai in 1860, independent of foreign partnership.

Later, CNEP merged with the Banque Nationale pour le commerce et l’industrie (BNCI) to form the Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP). Capitalising on these regional capabilities, the bank made Hong Kong the centre of its Asian platform.

Q: Paul, you’ve been based in Asia Pacific for the majority of your career with BNP Paribas. Can you share what has defined BNP’s corporate journey in Asia so far?

A: Well, I wasn’t there in the 1860s, but it’s true that we have had a very long presence in the region. However, I consider “modern” BNP’s presence to be quite recent. It was really the bank’s merger in 2000 that created who we are today, elevating us as France – and then Europe’s – leading financial group and the most profitable bank in the eurozone.

But regarding Asia, we’re proud to be able to say that we’ve been here for a long time, which demonstrates our commitment to the region.

In Hong Kong, for instance, we often deal with multiple family generations of entrepreneurs and tycoons. The same is the case for some of our mid-cap clients – we have dealt with their fathers. We have built a sufficient network in the region to be able to play a key role in executing succession plans and building businesses for the future.  It really means something that we’ve been here for so long and to be profitable in all of the 13 markets where we operate.

These days, being relevant to your clients counts. You need a strong balance sheet, presence and scale to guide key them from their home markets into new areas. This is how we started, building our financial institutions group (FIG), then multinational and corporate (MNC) franchises,before further progressing to build scale, solutions, products and platforms.

We have developed a strong Asian presence and over the last three years, we’ve built on connectivity to improve the flows between the various corridors we participate in. We are relevant to key local participants and accompany international clients in reverse, also.

This goes for all facets of our business: whether in the corporate and institutional world, or in consumer finance. We are bigger than the sum of our parts and many things we do have relevant purpose for our clients.

Q: How does the bank’s business in Asia compare to that of the European markets (e.g. France, Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg)?

A: Understandably, our stronghold is Europe and we are significant as well in America. But overall, Asia represents a sizable portion of group business.

The bank’s longevity and strong heritage in Asia Pacific, coupled with our integrated business model places us in good stead to extend and reinforce our presence in this growth region.

In this regard, BNP Paribas’ Asia Pacific revenue contribution to the group’s corporate and institutional business is about 20%; and it will continue to grow.

Ultimately, the bank is emerging as a leading player in the region – and this brings us to a better position to aim for larger deals and more ambitious goals.

In this respect, we have grown our market share in our regions – for example, we hold dominance in markets such as Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong in the wealth management space, and we have recently launched an onshore wealth capability in Thailand. Asset management is developing; and our insurance business – Compagnie d’Assurance et d’Investissement de France (Cardif), has also been successful.

Where we do not have underlying domestic market strength, we choose to partner. We are humble enough to realise that sometimes it is better to do so. For example, in Asia, on the insurance side of the business we have partnered with local banking distributors. We started exploring this type of partnership around 25 years ago in markets such as Taiwan, Japan and Korea, and we are building up our strength in China, India and Southeast Asia.

The same goes for the retail side – personal finance. In 2005, we became a strategic shareholder of Bank of Nanjing in China and we are now their single largest shareholder with a 15.7% stake. 

We have built core business through partnerships, but where we think that we can control the entire business because it’s part of our DNA, is on the wealth management and corporate institutional banking (CIB) sides.

Q: What are the bank’s strategic priorities across Asia over the short and long term?

A: We are a bank that tries to deliver short-term results alongside long-term goals. Long-term relationships are part of our nature from a strategy perspective, and we are not in the business of pursuing rash opportunities when things look great and then making drastic cuts in a down cycle. We have a long-term vision and try to cultivate trust and relationships with this timeframe in mind.

From a short-term perspective, we have targets around our top line to maintain cost discipline and ensure that we invest for the future. We are intrinsically risk-aware and we insist on having a good mix of new blood and older experience, to move forward prudently.

Diversification is key. When you pursue disciplined growth, you avoid temptation, fashion and fad and consequentially, mistakes. Across all markets and products, we want to be positioned as the number one European bank for CIB, the preferred partner for wealth management, insurance and asset management – and we are not far from achieving this goal. 

Asia comprises a mix of developed and developing markets. Whether you look at the position we have in Japan, Australia, or Korea – or across more emerging business hubs such as Southeast Asia or China, we are well positioned there for our clients and we generate good returns.

Some of our peers will concentrate their presence at a particular local base, say in hubs. But we do not believe in guaranteeing strong, underlying growth simply by sitting in Hong Kong and Singapore and flying bankers all over the place.

The creation of local platforms is important. We have been building these in a considered manner across Southeast Asia, Taiwan, mainland China and elsewhere for the past decade and we are able to see the results. For example, we recently complemented our business mix with a securities licence in China. Once we have completed the takeover of several prime brokerage businesses from our competitors, we will see an increase in the equity cash portion of our business mix. Then there’s the joint venture (JV) we secured with the Agricultural Bank of China, which is the largest bank in the market by network and with whom we’ll be structuring investment products for retail clients.

Q: Diversification is a theme that has emerged from the pandemic to build business resilience. But are there any particular geographies or sectors that stand out as offering growth opportunity?

A: We’ve seen some volatility in the banking sector, but as a group, our corporate culture has focussed on development in a very diversified way. In terms of resilience, this sets us apart.

If you look at our group results, you will see that around 50% of our business is in the domestic retail and consumer finance market;

a third is in CIB; and over 15% is concentrated on activities such as asset gathering – from private banking to asset management and insurance. Within CIB, there’s also security services, which might not have a great cost income, but involves limited capital consumption and brings recurrent fees.

This percentage mix has been kept stable as we’ve grown across all areas and however you slice and dice our business, you will always see diversification. It’s the same for our client base – we not only serve financial institution clients but also corporates and high net worth individuals (HNWI). These three pillars are quite well balanced and offer us the means to build a sufficient product platform.

Capital market activities, including equity capital markets (ECM), debt capital markets (DCM), fundraising and advisory services can be volatile and event-driven; while another big portion of our business and effort is in transaction banking: following the flow of finance, supply chains, trade finance and cash management activities.

The interest rate surge of the last 12 -18 months has been very much beneficial to the cash management business, while monoliners who rely only on investment banking, have suffered. We have benefitted. Whatever way the world or region goes, we are naturally hedged.

Across the Asian region, our presence differentiates us from the rest. We are more than 2,500 in Hong Kong, have 2,200 in Singapore, plus a solid foothold in Japan where we’ve ranked consistently within the top five thanks to our leadership in the global macro environment, both in fixed income currencies and commodities (FICC) and across equity and credit.

In Australia, we have a dominant position in the custodian business that we started 20 years ago; we do well in China, and then we have strong ambition in India and Southeast Asia. I cannot see any market where there isn’t potential.

Q: How do you aim to grow the Asian business?

A: In the past, we have grown organically – even when we looked to secure Deutsche Bank’s prime brokerage business in 2019, it was not a typical acquisition. They were trying to expand in terms of platforms and wanted to lighten up their equity business. Meanwhile, in July 2021, we acquired another 51% of Exane, the top-rated equity research business, following a successful 17-year partnership where we had held 49%.

Both deals demonstrated ambition and keenness to complement the building blocks of our equity business.

So yes, our focus is organic over external growth. We feel it’s better to rely on organic opportunity.

Q: Which developments excite you across sustainability?

A: We’ve been involved in sustainability for over a decade, having started our sustainable finance forum (SFF) in Singapore seven years ago. I’m happy to see that what was a niche market is now very much mainstream.

I would say we have been dominating the ESG thematic, especially when it comes to corporate social responsibility (CSR). We’ve exited from carbon-heavy energy, have moved towards renewables, and we are working to lighten up our upstream exposure. It’s pleasing that every year we do more, whether green bonds, sustainable loans or other structures. We are among the top three banks in the space and even if we cannot manage to stay number one, our efforts make a positive impact across society.

Last year, we created a group of more than 150 bankers, the Low Carbon Transition Group (LCTG), to support our clients’ energy transitions. We’re experienced, so are not having to start from scratch and can support those corporates who might not know where to begin.

We recently held an electric vehicle (EV) conference where we gathered more than 300 clients, corporates and investors in Hong Kong. The topic sits well with what we want to do in the sector around mobility as an engine for growth and we think we can bring value-add to our clients.

EV adoption figures are impressive. In 2019, they accounted for 2.2% of the global total in cars sold, and rose to 13% last year. In China, the penetration figures are double. We’ve seen how this market can surprise everybody regarding adoption of new technologies. China did it with internet access, the smartphone, payments, and now EV. It’s exciting.

Q: You started in the IT department, held positions in Paris, Taipei and Hong Kong, before taking on Asia Pacific leadership at the height of the pandemic. What has shaped your career?

A: You’re right, I took the helm of the region in the middle of the pandemic. I was very fortunate to have been based in Asia for more than 20 years, so I knew the people, the teams, key clients and our platforms, which helped tremendously. During the pandemic, we adopted new technologies and forms of digital communication to stay close to our clients. We succeeded and the vast majority of our clients did also.

I think I’ve been lucky. I started in IT – I’m not sure I was good enough to stay in it, but my first business trip was to Hong Kong. I loved the place and dreamed of how amazing it would be to be based there. Thirty years later, here I am.

Like everybody, I’ve worked hard, but I was very fortunate, and at times, daring. When I wanted to switch from IT to credit, people said “No, Paul. We like you very much, but please don’t do something stupid. You already have a promising future.”

My response was to ask for a chance. I was curious to learn and probably would have gone elsewhere if I hadn’t been given opportunity. Fear around not succeeding makes you try harder and you don’t want to disappoint the people who see something in you.

A few years in, I moved from credit to corporate banking, where I was offered a great job in China – everybody wanted to be in China, but interestingly, it was a bit early – nobody was ready to do much there. So, I transferred to Taiwan to lead the corporate banking team and learned management on the ground. Doing quite well, I was later promoted to head of the territory and then after, moved to Hong Kong. That was 18 years ago!

For me, it’s been a combination of hard work, opportunity, luck and meeting the right senior people to support my development.

One memory that stands out was when the bank appointed a Hong Kong local to lead Greater China. It was a big move, as previously, the standard was someone French and male, but a Hong Kong woman took on the role and I worked for her for many years, learning from her insights. She believed in me and offered me the support to grow.

Q: What’s been the biggest highlight of your career to date?

A: This is difficult! But a key milestone was being given the opportunity to move from IT to banking. I’ve always liked a challenge – from coding, to implementing new tech systems and platforms, to what I do today.

I’ve seen many different things in my career and I have always been very curious. I’ve really cherished every opportunity I’ve had.

I’ve been very happy in the organisation and even today, it’s meaningful to partner with faces old and new. Back in 2004-2005, I had the opportunity to build a partnership in China. After much research, we invested in the Bank of Nanjing, which, two years later, was the first City Commercial Bank to list. There are many board members who I know well. It’s great for both them and me – it’s nice that our professional focus involves making core connections. It’s meaningful.

Q : If you weren’t in banking, what do you think you’d be doing?  

A : Very early on, I think we all wanted to be football players! For France or Argentina – the recent World Cup rivals!

Sometimes I reflect and think I would have been pretty good at teaching. But whatever alternate path I would have taken, it would have involved international opportunity.

I grew up first in Taiwan before moving to France and it was at that point that I knew that I wanted to see the world and find opportunity to do so.

Of course, these days, when I look at my daughter evolving, I can see that there is a lot of opportunity ahead for her, more so than when I was young.  

¬ Haymarket Media Limited. All rights reserved.

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Coffee Meets Bagel: Dating app users rue missed connections amid outage

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Screenshots of the app's interface on mobile app storesCOFFEE MEETS BAGEL

Users of the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel have expressed frustration over an ongoing, multi-day system outage.

The app – which sells itself as “the dating app for serious daters” – first went down on 27 August, blocking users from their budding romances.

It has now been down for three days with firm engineers saying they are working on a “system outage”.

The app claims to have more than 10 million sign-ups worldwide, including many across Asia.

The Silicon Valley-headquartered firm’s entire online domain is also down, with its website displaying a 503 Service error.

In a company update on Tuesday night local time, the firm said. “Good news: We’re making solid progress, and we’re on track to get things back up and running.”

“We’ll send you both an email and a push notification once things are fixed.”

But frustrated users are venting their concerns. This has led to speculation online of a ransomware attack, data compromises as well as jokes about employee sabotage.

On the Reddit forum r/CoffeeMeetsBagel, users expressed worries about missed connections, expiring messages and concerns their matches – known on the app as “bagels”- might think they’re being ignored.

One user wrote: “I meet a girl on this app and she said we could have a date. We haven’t arranged and then the server went down.”

Another user said he and his date had only communicated through the app and had been in the middle of planning a second date when it went down. He says he then resorted to searching for his match on Google, and “finally” found her LinkedIn profile and messaged her there. “I felt like a creep,” he wrote.

“This is affecting many people’s ability to connect with people they’ve begun to develop relationships with,” one top-liked comment read.

“RIP to the poor souls who scheduled dates yesterday and couldn’t coordinate, who had meaningful conversations going and lost them.”

Much of the criticism has centred around the company’s lack of information about the system failure. “The status update isn’t really sufficient. Can you please let us know if this outage is expected to last hours, or days more?” one user wrote.

“I really hope it’s not a hack,” another said. “I provided a copy of my passport when they asked for verification. Stupid, stupid, stupid.”

Others said they would be deleting the app – “Back to Hinge and Bumble,” one user wrote.

Coffee Meets Bagel was founded in San Francisco in 2011 by three sisters, Arum Kang, Dawoon Kang and Soo Kang. The app claims to distinguish itself from other dating apps through “curated” matches and in-depth profiles. It claims that 90% of its users use the app with the intention of finding a long-term relationship.

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CNA Explains: What is money laundering and why does it involve luxury cars, watches and bags?

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In: South-East Asia

MAS is also proposing additional measures to strengthen surveillance against money laundering risks in the fast-growing single family office sector.

Meanwhile, the Urban Redevelopment Authority rolled out new rules in end-June. Among the new measures, the authority requires developers to conduct due diligence checks on home buyers based on their risk profiles. They also have to be checked against lists of terrorists, terrorist entities and designated individuals.

Mr Athreya H D, financial services partner at audit and advisory firm Mazars, said that given how crimes are constantly evolving, the Singapore government has been working to ensure that adequate controls are in place and its policies are updated.

“So while money laundering is picking up, so is the government trying to stay abreast of the evolving regulatory requirements to be one step ahead,” he told CNA.

But more can be done, he said. 

Mr Athreya noted the public-private partnerships like the COSMIC platform, and said that more stringent rules can be extended beyond the financial industry to other sectors, such as high-end retailers.

“Generally, high cash-value transactions in luxury goods are a common way people try to launder money because these transactions involve cash and also don’t involve a lot of due diligence checks,” said Mr Athreya.

Retailers of luxury goods can be required to step up their due diligence by implementing certain limits when high-value transactions are carried out in cash. Retailers can also be asked to note down the details of these customers.

“(These details) can eventually feed back into a database to identify customers and … patterns in financial crimes,” Mr Athreya said.

For the real estate sector, the introduction of fresh regulations suggests that authorities are working to close the gap, he said.

Further stringent checks, such as determining a customer’s source of funds and verifying the “real beneficiary” of the transaction, should be enforced before a transaction is carried out, said Mr Athreya.

WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES?

Those convicted of money laundering can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to S$500,000, or both.

On items that are seized, experts said these would initially be kept as evidence.

At the end of a criminal prosecution, the court will determine whether the goods seized will be forfeited to the state, returned to the people from whom they were seized, or returned to specific victims if they can be traced, said Mr Wee.

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Woman whose body was found decomposing in HDB flat identified after fingerprint, DNA methods fail

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SINGAPORE: A coroner’s court on Monday (Aug 14) confirmed the identity of a woman who was found dead in the kitchen toilet of her Housing Board flat, using circumstantial evidence after her fingerprints, DNA samples and dental records yielded dead ends.

Madam Tham Yoke Hing, 66, had no children or spouse and lived alone in a flat on the fourth floor at 48 Teban Gardens Road.

On Apr 21 this year, a neighbour living directly below her noticed water leaking from his ceiling and sought help from HDB officers to contact Mdm Tham.

Mdm Tham’s niece went down to the flat on Apr 23, after her uncle was notified of the issue, but was unable to get a response by knocking on the door.

She called the police for help that evening. Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force broke the door lock to gain entry with the permission of Mdm Tham’s family.

SCDF BREAKS INTO UNIT

They found Mdm Tham’s body lying in the kitchen toilet in a state of advanced decomposition. 

The investigating officer on the case, Inspector Benjamin Sim, said he observed the floor to be wet and slimy when he went down to the scene.

Mdm Tham’s facial features were also “beyond recognition”, he said. There were no signs of ransack, forced entry or struggle, and valuables were intact in the unit.

“The police do not suspect any foul play, but due to the decomposed state of her body, the identity of the body needs to be ascertained,” he said.

Forensic specialists tried twice to lift thumbprints from the body, but were unable to because of the advanced state of decomposition.

Next, DNA was extracted from bone marrow taken from the body, and Mdm Tham’s older brother’s DNA samples were sent for DNA profiling.

However, the results showed that the pair were not biologically related, said INSP Sim. The DNA results did not match any existing DNA profiles in the system.

Mr Tham was interviewed and revealed that his sister was adopted.

A forensic pathologist from the Health Sciences Authority was consulted on using dental means to identify the body, but this was also a futile search as there were no teeth in the mouth and Mdm Tham had no dental records.

As the three primary means of identification – fingerprinting, DNA and dental records – were unsuccessful, INSP Sim said he had to rely on circumstantial evidence and accounts.

ACCOUNTS FROM NIECE AND NEIGHBOURS

Mdm Tham was last seen alive by neighbours about two to three weeks before her body was found.

One neighbour said he used to see her around 9am in the mornings when she went to the market.

Another neighbour said she had not seen Mdm Tham for over a month.

They said Mdm Tham lived alone in her flat and had no relatives or friends to visit her often. 

Mdm Tham also did not like visitors because “of the state of her house”, INSP Sim noted.

Mdm Tham’s niece said the older woman usually wore a jade bangle and a metallic watch on her wrist, and the body found in the toilet bore these items, also on the wrist.

Medical records showed that Mdm Tham had chronic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and osteoporosis.

Her cause of death was ascertained to be hypertensive heart disease, a natural disease process.

State Coroner Adam Nakhoda found that she had died of natural causes.

He added that Mdm Tham had not rented her flat to any tenants, nor did she have visitors. Thus, the body found in the flat could not have belonged to an unknown person, he said.

He confirmed that she was the person found dead in the unit, and extended his condolences to her next-of-kin.

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Here’s why you could be eating 3D-printed meat and less rice by 2040, according to food futurists

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As for the poultry industry, you could say Yip “cried fowl” on its heavy reliance on antibiotics to promote growth and prevent diseases, “which contribute to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that may pose health risks to consumers”.

Furthermore, COVID-19 and the ripple effects of the Ukraine war have emphasised the importance of self-reliance globally. In Singapore, the government, along with key industry and community stakeholders, have been gearing up to meet the “30 by 30” goal of sustainably meeting 30 per cent of our nutritional needs by 2030.

With just 1 per cent of the country’s land set aside for farming, you won’t just be seeing high-tech urban farms and edible gardens in community gardens. There are also other food innovations that are starting to come into fruition, and become scalable and affordable to Singaporeans by 2040, said Tay.

3D-PRINTED PORK BELLY AND BACON

Other than the plant-based meat alternatives that you already see in supermarkets and on menus, there is also cultured meat created using animal cells. Yip predicted that such lab-grown cultured meat will likely gain wider acceptance by 2040 as the technology matures and becomes more affordable.

“By then, the technology can potentially evolve to a point where consumers can order meat products tailored to their preferences, dietary needs, and cultural preferences,” he said.

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Beijing overreaching for exiled HK dissidents

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The Hong Kong government has extended its efforts to suppress political dissent overseas, issuing arrest warrants for eight exiled pro-democracy figures and offering bounties of HK$1 million (US$128,000) each.

The targeted pro-democracy figures, who now live in Australia, the US and UK, were selected from a longer list of wanted dissidents. There is a curated feel to their profiles – three ex-legislators, three activists, a unionist and a lawyer – that suggests the list is symbolic, as well as pragmatic.

It is reminiscent of the infamous “Umbrella Nine” trial that capped years of prosecutions after Hong Kong’s 2014 “Umbrella Movement” protests. Three academics, three politicians and three activists were tried and convicted together to send a message to “troublesome” sectors of civil society.

The mugshots of those issued with arrest warrants this week depict not gun-slinging outlaws, but amiable-looking intellectual types.

Their “very serious crimes”, according to police, consist mostly of calling for sanctions to turn the tide of political repression in Hong Kong. In the terms of the controversial national security law under which the warrants were issued, this is considered “subversion of state power”, an offence punishable by up to life imprisonment.

How extradition with Hong Kong works

Hong Kong is nominally a self-governing region of China under the “one country, two systems” model agreed to when the UK handed the territory back in 1997.

However, the national security law was drafted in Beijing and applied to Hong Kong after the tumultuous, protracted protests that gripped the city in 2019. These were prompted, ironically, by fears the region’s autonomy was breaking down.

A curious feature of the national security law is its purported extraterritorial effect. It claims jurisdiction over any person of any nationality who has committed any of its offences anywhere in the world.

Whether the Hong Kong government can realistically bring these people to trial is another matter entirely.

The international law of extradition (technically, in Hong Kong’s case, the surrender of fugitive offenders, as only states engage in extradition) includes certain safeguards. The act must be a sufficiently serious crime in both places, and it must not be a political offence.

The warrants in question fail both of these tests, notwithstanding the Hong Kong government’s hyperbolic claims about national security.

Moreover, extradition is guided by bilateral agreements between jurisdictions. Numerous Western countries, including the UK, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, suspended their extradition agreements with Hong Kong when the national security law was imposed, foreseeing the politicization of criminal justice.

A billboard referring to Beijing’s National Security Law for Hong Kong, seen beyond a Chinese national flag held up by a pro-China activist during a rally outside the US Consulate in the city. Photo: Asia Times Files / AFP / Anthony Wallace

The pro-democracy figures targeted this week knew which way the wind was blowing when they left Hong Kong. They will probably never return there, a sad fact to which they may already be reconciled.

However, they may also need to reconsider their travel to jurisdictions which do maintain extradition agreements with Hong Kong or China.

The risk goes beyond formal arrest and extradition. The bounties on offer may encourage vigilantism, and sympathetic governments may turn a blind eye to or even facilitate extra-legal rendition of the eight exiled activists.

This is illustrated by the 2015 case of the five Hong Kong booksellers who disappeared from various locations, including Thailand, and later showed up in China where they “confessed” to crimes in the state media.

The existence of overseas dissidents has long rankled Beijing – as the lifetime of spats with the Dalai Lama illustrates – but in recent years it has shown increased determination to monitor and influence the overseas Chinese diaspora.

The government has even set up secret “overseas police offices” in Europe, North America and elsewhere, as bases for information-gathering and harassment.

Hong Kong brought to heel

In the past, China and Hong Kong could be regarded as distinct political entities, but over the last decade, the “firewall” between the mainland and the region has gradually collapsed. Hong Kong’s government and political system have been stripped of democratic elements, and its national security and law enforcement apparatus are now dictated by the mainland.

Compared with its mainland counterpart, the Hong Kong government goes to greater pains to paper over its actions with a veneer of law and legal process.

However, this tactic is increasingly transparent as it ramps up its pursuit of authoritarian goals. The cooption of Hong Kong’s once-celebrated legal institutions undermines their already-damaged legitimacy.

Hong Kong’s civil society has been brought to heel via a suite of repressive reforms spanning the legal, political, education and media sectors. These new warrants are the latest sign that China will never stop trying to muzzle its critics, so long as they are willing to speak out.

Ultimately, these warrants may be futile overreach – for the sake of their targets, we can only hope that is so – but the intention behind them remains condemnable.

Brendan Clift is Lecturer, The University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Forum discusses limits of AI

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Prof Daniel Little of the University of Michigan-Dearborn addresses the Asian Network for the Philosophy of the Social Sciences 2033 event at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, Thammasat University. Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication
At the Asian Network for the Theory of the Social Sciences 2033 event at Thammasat University’s Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Michigan-Dearborn Professor Daniel Little speaks. School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Artificial intelligence ( AI ) can be both a threat and an opportunity, but it will never be able to imitate social media users and develop self-awareness, the forum claimed.

For the third Asian Network for Philosophy of Social Science ( Anposs ) conference, academics and philosophers from all over the world recently gathered at Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan campus.

In a rapidly changing social environment, the bi-annual event provides the opportunity for students and practitioners in beliefs and social science to explore their research and broaden their knowledge.

Prof. Daniel Little of the University of Michigan – Dearborn served as the conference’s director. His metaphysical independence suggests that society and people are influenced by one another.

He claimed that Egyptian women are having an impact on Egyptian community through their opposition to the using of the hijab. As they gain backers, they demonstrate how people can change society through self-presentation, he claimed.

Control is not limited to a single kind, he claimed, though the implications vary depending on the context, experience, and fundamental change of the culture.

Self-awareness is essential to one’s life, according to Phanomkorn Yothasorn, director of the Bachelor of Arts Programme in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Thammasat University. Social media users and their website information should be viewed independently.

For a more authentic website knowledge, she claimed, Facebook encourages users to connect with friends and use their given names.

Users create an account and write their report information, she said. The online account serves as the inner layer, whereas the actual people experience is dull, she claimed.

Prof. Phanomkorn responded that her definition of experience differs from the typical explanation when asked about whether creating fake online profiles can change oneself.

She remarked,” It is about being conscious of ourselves.” ” It makes no difference if you steal information from people.”

The focus should be on the true personality of the person, and social media users are evaluated by the frequency of contacts and gestures. There can be several images of a person online, but there can only be one with the” real experience ,” she said.

However, she added,” In the end, you are the same as an entity, both online and offline.” Although the soul may be expanded, you won’t be any less without it.

The possibility of AI developing self-awareness or” consciousness” and eventually replacing people at work was also discussed at the event. According to Yukti Mukdawijita, another doctor from Thammasat University,” perception means you know that you exist for some.” If no, it might appear to be an expansion of humans rather than existing on its own.

However, Peng Bi Qi, a Nankai University PhD candidate, claimed that the changing interaction between humans and AI has prompted us to consider the limits of separateness and how our identities are entwined with our function and purpose.

The recent human-designed system does not adequately take into account essential components of selfhood, such as personal consciousness, self-reflection, and subjective feelings. She claimed that although AI facial recognition technology is widely used in many different fields, it is unable to recognize the prosperous, personal experiences of humans.

She claimed that although AI algorithms may recognize faces and fit them to information, they do not comprehend the encounter, feelings, or narrative associated with the individual’s face.

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