Mark Few likes No. 3 Gonzaga's toughness after win over future Pac-12 'partner' SDSU

Brisbane news live: Dutton says he would not use Indigenous flags as PM

After the Australian data watchdog that retail chain Bunnings was breaching the country’s privacy laws by using facial recognition, the company received some unexpected support. A conducted by news.com.au this week revealed that 78 percent of nearly 11,000 respondents supported the company’s use of the controversial program, calling it an “important tool.” The news comes after Bunnings showing its staff being abused at work, which supports its claims that facial recognition systems are necessary for security. The household hardware and gardening chain store also indicated that it may appeal to the decision of the Office of the Information Commissioner (OAIC), adding that the technology reduced incidents of abuse, threats and assaults by half. Last week, the OAIC found Bunnings in breach of Australia’s Australian privacy law, which states that biometric data derived from facial recognition is highly sensitive and requires consent for collection. The company trialed the facial recognition system between November 2018 and November 2021, capturing the faces of customers in 63 of its stores across the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales. Former Australian Human Rights Commissioner Edward Santow said that authorities are concerned about the technology despite “legitimate concerns” such as preventing crime. “What you’re creating with this sort of facial recognition is a kind of virtual line up and we’re always in it every time we walk into one of those stores,” he told the media outlet. The company has also worked with the police in testing the system. Faces were matched against a “limited database” of almost 500 banned people, created by Bunnings stores by trawling through CCTV footage and collecting independent records from the police. Santow points out that current facial recognition systems rely on data captured without “rigor.” The legal expert, who currently works as Director for Policy and Governance at the Human Technology Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, also questioned the bias leading to errors with people with darker skin, women and other categories. The OAIC decision was hailed as a “landmark decision” by consumer group Choice, which has been highlighting facial recognition use by retailers such as Bunnings and Kmart. The latter is also under OAIC investigation. The ruling, however, could have broader effects on any organizations that use CCTV in Australia, according to Mullins law firm. “This case serves as a wake-up call for all organizations to consider their privacy practices, including in relation to the information they collect and why,” writes Andrew Nichols, partner at Mullins. In September, the OAIC also wrapped up an ’s use of facial recognition technology, after the retailer promised it would not repeat its 2021 breaches of the Privacy Act. UK’s supermarket chain Iceland Foods is standing in support of facial recognition. The frozen food stores’ executive chairman Richard Malcolm Walker shared his reaction on social media to recently released statistics from a UK Parliament committee. The data showed that nearly 17 million shoplifting incidents are happening every year, costing retailers almost £2 billion (US$2.5 billion). “Whilst we don’t yet use it, I will HAPPILY trial and use legal, proportionate facial recognition technology as an effective response to the very real threat my colleagues face,” Walker on LinkedIn. The statistics were by the Justice and Home Affairs Committee which called for reforms to address organized retail crime. In a letter to Policing Minister Diana Johnson, the group highlighted an unprecedented spike in large-scale theft operations. Facial recognition tools could become a crucial asset in identifying and deterring habitual offenders in retail settings, the committee concluded. An Illinois federal court has refused to dismiss a lawsuit against Target, that there was the plaintiff submitted enough sources to create a “plausible inference” that the retailer engaged in the alleged conduct. The Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) lawsuit was by a group of four customers who claimed that the retail giant was collecting and storing their biometrics without their consent. Target argued that the court should not accept the complaint because it is based on news articles and internet posts, USA Today . One of the women in the suit claims that Target employees followed her through the store and viewed her LinkedIn profile shortly after she entered it. The judge also noted that Target has declined to reveal the name of the video surveillance equipment provider to one of the plaintiff’s attorneys. And while retailers are struggling with facial recognition regulation, some companies are trying to find novel solutions. Paris-based company has developed AI technology that alerts store owners of shoplifting without collecting biometric data. Instead of facial recognition, the software detects gestures associated with potential shoplifting such as people putting items in their bags or clothes. A shoplifting attempt will generate a real-time video alert on the store owner’s mobile phone which allows them to approach the client and ask if they need help – warning them that they are being watched. Since the technology focuses on analyzing body movements, it does a better job at avoiding bias from store employees, Veesion co-founder Benoit Koenig CBS News. The firm’s technology can be incorporated into existing CCTV systems and is being used in 4,000 stores worldwide, including 500 in the U.S. | | | | | | | |Luigi Mangione merchandise gains popularity as sweater worn by murder suspect sells out

First Period_None. Penalties_Gostisbehere, CAR (Slashing), 0:42; Orlov, CAR (Roughing), 20:00; Ekblad, FLA (Roughing), 20:00; Svechnikov, CAR (Roughing), 20:00. Second Period_1, Florida, Ekblad 1, 6:42. 2, Florida, Samoskevich 5 (Barkov, Tkachuk), 19:59 (pp). Penalties_Lundell, FLA (Cross Checking), 13:37; Tkachuk, FLA (Roughing), 17:01; Svechnikov, CAR (Delay of Game), 19:14. Third Period_3, Florida, Bennett 12 (Luostarinen, Lundell), 8:19. 4, Florida, Barkov 6 (Reinhart, Tkachuk), 11:37 (pp). 5, Florida, A.Boqvist 1 (Greer), 11:48. 6, Florida, Rodrigues 6 (Verhaeghe, Schmidt), 13:01 (pp). Penalties_Kotkaniemi, CAR (Roughing), 6:12; Bennett, FLA (Interference), 6:12; Walker, CAR (Tripping), 10:22; Necas, CAR (Slashing), 12:09; Kotkaniemi, CAR (Holding), 19:00. Shots on Goal_Carolina 11-7-2_20. Florida 9-10-16_35. Power-play opportunities_Carolina 0 of 2; Florida 3 of 6. Goalies_Carolina, Perets 0-0-0 (7 shots-6 saves), Carolina, Martin 3-4-1 (28-23). Florida, Knight 4-4-0 (20-20). A_18,648 (19,250). T_2:39. Referees_Jean Hebert, Dan O'Rourke. Linesmen_Jonathan Deschamps, Libor Suchanek.

LA Tech, Army players discuss altered postseason plansA Massachusetts judge dismissed criminal charges Monday against a backer of Karen Read who admitted placing dozens of yellow rubber ducks and fake $100 bills around town in support of Read. Richard Schiffer Jr. had argued in Stoughton District Court that he had a First Amendment right to support the defense theory that Read — accused of ramming into her boyfriend John O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving the Boston police officer to die in a snowstorm — has been framed in the polarizing murder case. Schiffer's attorney Timothy Bradl said Monday that the judge made the right call by quickly tossing the felony witness intimidation and criminal harassment charges against Schiffer. The ruling comes as another judge decided Monday to push back Read's retrial to April after a mistrial was declared in July when jurors couldn’t reach an agreement. Read was facing second-degree murder charges and two other charges. Her attorneys have argued that other law enforcement officers were responsible for O’Keefe’s death. Regarding Schiffer's charges, Bradl said, “There wasn't a leg to stand on.” “Hats off to the judge. He didn’t make everyone wait and ruled from the bench. Everything was completely protected by the First Amendment. This was political speech," Bradl said. The Norfolk District Attorney’s office declined to comment. Schiffer has said he got the ducks idea after thinking about a defense lawyer’s closing argument that Read was framed. Alan Jackson told jurors that “if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s a duck.” Schiffer's actions did not rise to the level of witness intimidation and criminal harassment "nor does his speech, or in this case his written word on fake currency and use of rubber toys, which are afforded the protections of the First Amendment," Judge Brian Walsh wrote. “It is the view of this Court that the defendant's conduct and speech, though a rather sophomoric expression of his opinion, is nonetheless protected speech,” he wrote. Walsh concluded the two-page ruling with quotes from Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley, believed to have coined the “walks like a duck” phrase, and Robert McCloskey, author of the children's book “Make Way For Ducklings.” The defense alleged that O’Keefe was actually killed inside the home of his fellow Boston officer Brian Albert and then dragged outside. They argued that investigators focused on Read because she was a “convenient outsider” who saved them from having to consider law enforcement officers as suspects. Schiffer has been among the dozens of Read supporters who accuse state and local law enforcement of a widespread cover-up. Their demonstrations have led to confrontations, especially in the town of Canton where the murder happened, between those who support Read and others who believe she is guilty. Schiffer, who owns Canton Fence and has said that he knows practically everyone in town through his contracting work, was accused of placing some of the ducks outside a pizza shop run by Brian Albert’s brother, Canton Selectman Chris Albert. Other ducks appeared in O’Keefe’s neighborhood.

Man City blow three-goal lead in Champions League, Bayern beat PSG

B.C. Premier Eby says Canada must negotiate from position of strength on U.S. tariff

Mario Tama/Getty Images News Two of the top-performing restaurant stocks of 2024 fell sharply on Monday as investors pulled back on CAVA Group ( NYSE: CAVA ) and Sweetgreen ( NYSE: SG ). Some traders are pointing to an SEC filing late on Friday from CAVA ( CAVA ) co-founder TheodorosLabour historian and trade union activist Jack McGinley diesJaylon Johnson isn't interested in bright spots with the Bears' skid at 5 games

2 big winners reported at East Peoria casinoWashington — The collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria has raised hopes that more information could come to light on the whereabouts of journalist Austin Tice, who is believed to still be alive more than 12 years after his kidnapping. After a rebel offensive brought an end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family on Sunday, President Biden expressed optimism that Tice could be returned to the U.S. "We think we can get him back, but we have no direct evidence of that yet," Mr. Biden said at the White House Sunday. "We have to identify where he is." Tice, a Marine veteran and freelance journalist disappeared on Aug. 14, 2012, while he was reporting on the Syrian civil war. Weeks later, a short video appeared online that showed a distressed Tice blindfolded with his apparent captors. It was the last time he was seen. Though no one has ever claimed responsibility for his disappearance, Mr. Biden previously said that the U.S. knows "with certainty that he has been held by the Syrian regime." "We remain committed to returning him to his family," Mr. Biden said Sunday. Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview with " CBS Mornings " on Monday that the U.S. has been in engaged with its allies and others on the ground in Syria "to track who's coming out of these prisons." "We are committed to reuniting Austin Tice with his family, and we're going to work with people in Syria to make that happen," Sullivan said. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed Monday that the government's top hostage negotiator, Roger Carstens, is in neighboring Lebanon working on Tice's case. "He is in Beirut to talk with people in the region, to talk with parties in the region, to collect information and to try to find out where Austin Tice is and get him home as soon as possible," Miller said. CBS News has reached out to the Tice family for comment. Tice family says "significant source" provided new details Two days before rebels toppled the Assad regime, Tice's parents and siblings questioned Sullivan about his case in a meeting they said had been planned for months. Debra Tice, his mother, said at a news conference later in the day that "Austin Tice is alive" and "is being cared for and he is well." She said the information was from a "significant source" that had been vetted by the U.S. government. Marc Tice, his father, said the new information "is very different" from past leads. "We are confident that this information is fresh. It indicates as late as earlier this year that Austin is alive and being cared for," he said. But the family also said they're frustrated with the U.S. government's inability to bring him home and said they received few assurances about the Biden administration's efforts. "There just seems to be a massive disconnect between what President Biden has dictated for Austin in terms of doing everything that we can to bring him home, and then the actions and the behavior of the people that sit just below him," his brother Simon Tice said at the news conference. The family also blamed the U.S. government for preventing the release of information about the source of Austin Tice's well-being. Joe Biden Syria Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

‘Movie Night’ ranks top 10 movies of 2024Judge dismisses charges against Karen Read supporter who scattered rubber ducks and fake $100 bills