gbaapk

( MENAFN - Robotics & automation News) Opinion: Will autonomous cars ever gain regulatory approval to operate freely on public roads? The news that General Motors has decided to fold cruise into its overall business should send shock waves through the industry. If Cruise can't do it, with all its money and giant parent's backing, who can? Cruise is a relatively new startup which had huge optimism around it because several billion dollars were invested into it and a lot of people still believe autonomous cars are the future of global road traffic. But after burning through $10 billion and only generating $500 million in revenue, Cruise seems to have lost its parent company's confidence and has now been absorbed into the historic automotive giant, with its technology being repackaged into GM production cars as, essentially, an advanced driver assistance system called“Super Cruise”. The imminent disappearance of a specialist autonomous car developer of such a size raises the question of whether the nascent autonomous car sector has any hope at all to become a sizeable market. Or whether a combination of regulatory hurdles, public apprehension and technological limitations will turn everything into the proverbial white elephant, with tens of billions invested and little to nothing in return. Autonomous vehicles represent a technological leap that had promised – and still promises – to revolutionise transportation. Its proponents are always keen to promote the potential to reduce accidents, improve traffic efficiency, and lower emissions. Despite unconvincing evidence for such claims, these vehicles are often heralded as the future of mobility. Yet, despite years of development and billions of dollars in investments, their widespread adoption remains uncertain – unless you're watching sci-fi films, in which case they are everywhere. The critical question is: Are autonomous cars safe enough to convince regulators and governments to allow them to operate freely on public roads? This article explores the safety, regulatory, and economic dimensions of this question, using examples from test programs around the globe and examining what the future holds for the industry. Over the past decade, autonomous vehicle technology has advanced significantly. Companies like Waymo, Tesla, and Baidu have made strides in areas such as lidar, AI-powered navigation, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication. For instance, Waymo has conducted extensive trials in Phoenix, Arizona, where its driverless taxis operate under controlled conditions. Similarly, Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, while controversial, has amassed vast amounts of real-world driving data. Despite these advancements, challenges persist. Autonomous systems often struggle with so-called“edge cases” – rare but critical scenarios like erratic pedestrian behaviour or ambiguous road markings. Additionally, sensor reliability in adverse weather conditions, such as heavy rain or snow, remains a major hurdle. These limitations underline the gap between the promise of autonomous vehicles and their readiness for unrestricted use on public roads. Taken together, these technological limitations mean that fully autonomous vehicles on regular public roads are not going to happen in the foreseeable future. In 10-15 years maybe, possibly, but not anytime before that. But that's just our view. Regulators worldwide are cautious about allowing autonomous vehicles to operate freely. Safety is the foremost concern: any failure in an autonomous vehicle system could have catastrophic consequences. Governments and regulatory bodies demand near-zero failure rates, a standard that current technology emphatically has not met. Examples of regulatory roadblocks abound. In California, stringent testing requirements have slowed the implementation of autonomous vehicles, even for companies with significant technological prowess. In Europe, regulators have adopted a similarly cautious approach, emphasising strict compliance with safety standards and liability frameworks. Public perception also plays a significant role; incidents like the fatal Uber self-driving car crash in 2018 have prompted scepticism and heightened scrutiny. And with good reason. The fact is that, in completely new and unforeseen situations, an autonomous car cannot use its own judgment because it hasn't got any; and the data it has been trained on won't help because it doesn't contain any information about this new and novel situation because it may never have happened before or even have been imagined before. So, bridging the gap between current capabilities and regulatory expectations is a formidable task. Autonomous systems must achieve a level of reliability that matches or exceeds human drivers while addressing the unpredictability of human behaviour. Unfair though it may be, autonomous driving technology has got to surpass human drivers in many ways for it to convince the public. While advances in AI and machine learning show promise, they may never fully eliminate the edge cases that confound autonomous vehicles systems. Ethical dilemmas also complicate the path forward. Decision-making algorithms face scenarios akin to the classic trolley problem: should the car prioritise the safety of its passengers or pedestrians? Resolving these questions in a manner acceptable to regulators, insurers, and the public is crucial for autonomous vehicles to gain approval. And that is very unlikely in the near-term future. Yes, many autonomous vehicles are being operated on large, industrial sites or transport hubs where there are no pedestrians and far few obstacles, but the chaos of some public roads in the world would basically overload the circuits of a typical autonomous car – it just would not be able to cope. General Motors' decision to close Cruise highlights the immense challenges facing the industry. Despite years of development and significant investment, Cruise's progress was insufficient to justify continued funding. This move raises broader questions about the viability of autonomous vehicle companies. Other players in the field are adopting varied strategies. Waymo, for example, has pivoted toward partnerships with logistics and ride-hailing companies to create practical, revenue-generating applications for its technology. Meanwhile, Tesla continues to position its FSD system as a consumer-oriented product, albeit with significant controversy surrounding its safety claims. These differing approaches reflect the uncertainty and high stakes of the autonomous vehicle market. If autonomous vehicles were to gain regulatory approval, the market potential is immense. Estimates from McKinsey suggest that the global autonomous vehicles market could reach $1.6 trillion annually by 2030, encompassing ride-hailing, freight, and last-mile delivery. However, this growth depends on overcoming regulatory and technological hurdles, as well as public acceptance, none of which – as has been said repeatedly in this article but needs to be emphasised – has been done. Geographical differences also shape the market's outlook. Some analysts say that urban centres, with their dense populations and structured environments, are“more likely” to adopt autonomous vehicles than rural areas. They might point to countries like China, which have shown a willingness to rapidly implement emerging technologies, but we would argue that such an example is not appropriate. In fact, the opposite is more likely – there are fewer obstacles and complications on rural roads, desert roads and so on, so it stands to reason that autonomous cars will be better suited to such environments. Still, China might currently be leading the way, but that's because Chinese regulators are apparently not as strict in some ways as their counterparts in Europe and America. China still probably considers itself an emerging economy and may take risks that mature economies would not take in order to enable an apparently promising sector like autonomous vehicles to grow. That is a problem for many reasons, not least of which is that a less regulated environment may lead to faster refinement of the technology through trial and error – no matter how dangerous to humans that refinement process is. China, being the largest car market in the world, could incorporate autonomous cars into its public road system earlier than the West, which means that European and American car companies that are still developing autonomous cars should be able to get the returns on their investments over there. And then, maybe, eventually, sell in Europe and in America and the rest of the world. Regulatory caution in the US and Europe may slow progress in their respective regions, but that doesn't mean that they can't enter the market at a later stage. When Japanese watchmakers started producing cheap quartz watches in the 1960s and '70s, they nearly killed off the entire Swiss watchmaking industry. But the technological shift had to take place. Switzerland was essentially stuck in past, with unions and regulators preventing the modernisation of the watchmaking sector. But when quartz watches outsold mechanical watches for the first time in 1970, the Swiss watchmakers realised they had to change. Switzerland reorganised itself to adapt and is still the fourth-largest watchmaking nation in the world today . Similarly, when Japanese carmakers produced cheap, reliable cars that put European and American cars to shame because of their constant breaking down and so on – let's be honest – it forced Western carmakers to improve the product and that, in turn, led to maintaining a very large worldwide market share. At least half the car brands in any top 10 global list will be American or European car companies. The dream of autonomous vehicles operating freely on public roads remains elusive. In fact, for now, it could be argued that it's nothing but a pipe dream. Technological challenges, regulatory hurdles, and public scepticism form significant barriers that will take years, if not decades, to overcome. While we do believe that autonomous cars and vehicles will eventually outnumber human-driven cars on the road, that eventuality is more than a decade away – we'd say several decades but we don't want to depress everyone too much. Companies developing autonomous cars face tough decisions about whether to continue investing in this space or pivot to other opportunities, like GM has decided. While the market potential is vast, making money in it requires substantial breakthroughs in both technology and policy. As the industry navigates these complexities, one question looms large: Will autonomous vehicles ever be safe enough to earn the approval of the regulators and the trust of the public? Until that question is answered, the road to widespread adoption will remain a long and rocky one. MENAFN13122024005532012229ID1108992067 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.This article was originally published on December 16, 2020, but the holidays haven’t gotten any less scary since then. We’ve updated the list to include subsequent films like Terrifier 3 . It’s that time of year again: The temperature is dropping, festive decorations are going up, e-commerce platforms have slashed prices for Cyber Monday — the holiday season has arrived. While the rest of the world seems to be gearing up for Christmas , there are those who might be less than enthused when it comes to snowflakes and string lights. If you’re not a fan of winter — or if you’re simply missing Spooky Season — don’t resign yourself to yuletide cheer quite yet. There are plenty of Christmas horror movies to watch when you’re craving more Krampus and less jolly old Saint Nick. Whether it’s watching mall Santas killing or being killed, elves engaging in neo-Nazi conspiracies, or the terror of family members turning on one another, you have options when it comes to holiday horrors. So throw a log on the fire, curl up in your favorite festive quilt, and hold onto your mittens — you’re in for all the thrills, chills, and kills this time of year has to offer. Based on Richard Matheson’s 1971 horror novel, Hell House , The Legend of Hell House kicks off a week before Christmas Eve when a group of researchers opt to spend the lead-up to the holiday in a haunted house. Specifically, this house belonged to an alleged murderer and “sadist” thought to have retained the spirits of his victims within the confines of his walls. A prior cohort of researchers “inexplicably” died during the last attempted investigation of the property — and the only survivor has opted to come back to solve the mystery. All of the tropes of the infamous slasher genre can be found in this seminal film — and it just so happens to be a holiday movie. Join a group of sorority sisters who, after receiving an ominous phone call consisting of disturbing voices and guttural animal sounds the night of their Christmas party, begin to disappear one by one. The alcoholic house mom and the psychotic pianist boyfriend make this one a fun tryst into Canadian horror. A remake of this classic came out in 2019, but there’s no topping the original. What happens when an impressionable child sees Santa Claus kissing his mom’s lower lips on Christmas Eve? He develops an unparalleled Christmas fetish that culminates in a murder spree to protect the sanctity of the holiday, of course. Join factory worker Harry as he decides to take the spirit of the holiday — and an ax — into his hands and kill everyone who doesn’t embrace the selflessness of the season. Plus, Christmas Evil features an identity parade of Santa Clauses that gives the police lineup in The Usual Suspects a run for its money. A remote all-girls school about to go on winter break? Check. A party thrown while the head of the school is gone for the holidays? Check. A group of boys crashes the party and suddenly a maniac in ol’ Saint Nick garb starts slaughtering co-eds? Check and check. Another “guy in a Santa Claus costume goes on a killing spree,” To All a Goodnight is notable for being the worst “guy in a Santa Claus costume goes on a killing spree.” We have over-the-top acting, ridiculous kills, and a nuts final sequence that lacks some internal logic. Who knew bad could be such a good time? Who could forget the timeless story of a father gifting his son a mogwai — a cute creature that looks like a bipedal Pekinese — for Christmas, only to have the mogwai reproduce asexually and then dupe the son into letting them chow down after midnight, after which they transform into the infamous gremlins who terrorized pilots during World War II? Highlights include the gremlins holding a bartender captive to drink ad nauseum in a dive bar and that same bartender divulging the horrible truth about why she hates Christmas to Billy, who replies, “Oh.” Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 is a notoriously bad movie, but bad has never been so festive. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen the first one — Part 2 revisits the events of the first movie in a series of flashbacks. This movie focuses on Ricky, the brother of the first film’s murderer. The sequel begins in a mental hospital where Ricky is being held after his own run of murders, years after his brother’s. After a brief recap of his and his brother’s exploits, Ricky escapes from the hospital, steals a Santa suit, and the real schlocky fun commences. As December rolls around, it’s time for anti-Christmas teenagers to hold pagan rituals in the woods and accidentally summon a demonic Christmas elf hell-bent on bringing Hitler’s vision to life — a vision that actually included a eugenic plot to create a half-human, half-elf master race. Luckily, Dan Haggerty (you may know him as Grizzly Adams ) plays a disgraced ex-cop turned department-store Santa and is ready to redeem himself by killing some Nazi elves. Not a great movie in the traditional sense, but a great Christmas movie that teaches the most important lesson of all: Nazis are always the enemy. If an overt holiday movie isn’t your idea of a good time, try the French movie Dead End . It combines everything that makes the holidays special: a dysfunctional family, romantic partners on vastly different pages about their relationship, and a brother who thinks any time is an appropriate time to masturbate. But the movie doesn’t feature Santa — or his elves. On a Christmas Eve road trip that never seems to end, two parents, their two adult children, and their daughter’s boyfriend encounter a mysterious woman in white, her unsettling baby, and a continuously reappearing hearse on a dark, abandoned road. Dead End will remind you that sheltering in place is sometimes the best holiday plan you can make. This Finnish film begins with a research team excavating a site in Finland that turns out to be an ancient burial ground — possibly housing the remnants of Santa Claus. When the excavation’s explosions begin disrupting the safety of nearby reindeer slaughterer Rauno’s herd, Rauno approaches the research team, only to find the site vacant, the earth scorched, and a giant pit at the center of it all. From there, Rare Exports gets weirder. After laying traps for the wolves that Rauno assumed the research team provoked, he finds the trap hasn’t ensnared a wolf at all but a thin, naked old man. Is it Santa Claus? In Rare Exports , the answer isn’t that simple. The same year Krampus had its debut, a second comedy-horror film revolving around the anti-Claus came out. This one features William Shatner as an out-of-touch DJ trying to spread non-politically correct holiday — scuse me, Christmas — cheer. With foul-mouthed zombie elves, murderous changelings, and more, these connected vignettes take place in the same town, with varying degrees of separation between characters. A Christmas Horror Story satirizes all of the overly saccharine ensemble holiday movies, which means if a family member broaches watching Love Actually , you can now say you have a similar suggestion. This Australian horror film boasts genre favorite Dee Wallace — whom you probably know from The Howling (1981), Cujo (1983), The Frighteners (1996), or many, many other outings — as the matriarch Diane and focuses on the truly most terrifying part of the holidays: family secrets. Diane’s past comes back to haunt her when a mysterious man appears at a family holiday gathering to exact revenge — and reveal his familial ties. Not for the faint of heart, the “red” in this movie’s title is rightly earned — you’ve never enjoyed watching an entire family be slaughtered this much. If you’ve ever wondered what a mash-up of Shaun of the Dead and High School Musical would be like, wonder no more. (And if musical numbers sound unappealing, don’t worry, most of the singers die gruesomely.) Join Anna Shepherd and her ragtag crew of classmates as they try to make it back to the school where their families have taken shelter after a zombie outbreak occurs the night of the high school Christmas show. With high production values, some snappy songs, and plenty of nods to classic zombie and slasher flicks, Anna and the Apocalypse straddles its genres amazingly well. Let’s just call it like it is: Kids can be freaky. They’re especially freaky when they’re your newly minted stepkids who hate you since their father (Richard Armitage) left their mother (Alicia Silverstone) for you and then she died by suicide. Also, you’re trapped in a remote locale during a snowed-in holiday, and your husband must leave you all on short notice to attend to a work emergency. The premise alone will leave you uneasy, and it only intensifies with the revelation of the stepmom’s (played by Riley Keough) horrific past and cultish father. But also, these kids are little shits. In the same vein as the 1960 television show the Alfred Hitchcock Hour , Netflix’s new anthology series tells tales of horror, often featuring great creature design, hosted by the master of creatures himself, Guillermo del Toro. Though “The Outside” is technically a television episode, we’re going to consider this hour-long entry directed by Ana Lily Amirpour ( A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night , The Bad Batch ) as a short movie for the sake of this list. This particular story centers around a co-worker holiday party gone wrong. Kate Micucci, from the folk-rock-comedy duo Garfunkel and Oats , stars as Stacey, a quirky woman who loves taxidermy. Her boyfriend, Keith (Martin Starr), not-so-secretly wishes she could join the ranks of the other bank tellers — gregarious and gossipy women ultra-focused on outward appearances. An invitation to the clique leader’s Secret Santa party, plus the gift of a mysterious lotion, sends Stacey on a downward spiral too bonkers to believe. In typical horror fashion, be careful what you wish for. Technically an action-comedy, Violent Night qualifies for this list by the sheer number of graphic kills that take place during its 107-minute run time. From the producers of John Wick , which should surprise no one, Violent Night stars David Harbour as a particularly murderous Santa Claus defending an estate against a team of thieving mercenaries who break in, take the family hostage, and slay the house staff on Christmas Eve. With weapons including an icicle, sledgehammer, and chimney, Santa uses all the accoutrements of the season to prove he is, indeed, real — real deadly. Starring Cassandra Naud, whom you may know from Shudder’s 2022 horror film Influencer , as well as genre favorites Justin Long, Katharine Isabelle, and Yellowjackets ’ Jane Widdop, It’s a Wonderful Knife answers the question, “Would the world be better off if I had never been born?” with “No, a lot of people would have died at the hands of a serial killer, actually.” Definitely leaning more comedic than scary, It’s a Wonderful Knife still serves several seasonal slashings that’ll make you reconsider if all angels deserve their wings. In this wintry offering, two strangers break into a house to escape a Christmas blizzard and encounter an overprotective mother and otherworldly daughter who give Stephen King’s Carrie and her zealot mom a run for their money. The mother is a nurse who keeps her daughter locked in her room and lethargic on methadone to keep her mystery “illness” at bay. Naturally, there’s more to the daughter’s ailment — and the mother — than meets the eye. From the director of The Cleansing Hour , Damien LeVeck, this one promises more twists than a defective candy cane. True-crime podcaster Lola returns to her hometown for the holidays. She’s apprehensive for a few reasons: The town is deeply conservative, it’s her first visit since transitioning, and there’s been a slew of murders that seem to follow the modus operandi of a Yuletide-themed urban legend from days of yore. Known as “The Toymaker,” this killer commits his crimes sporting a Santa mask. Lucky for everyone, Lola is on the case. This Australian comedy-horror came out in May of 2024 to coincide with down-under wintertime. If you missed it then, now’s the time to catch up. With a runtime of an hour and 10 minutes, Carnage for Christmas is the perfect quick-fix for generating holiday spirit(s) in a time crunch. After Art the Clown’s Halloween festivities in Terrifier 2 , we’re treated to a five-year time jump and a seasonal shift for Terrifier 3 . The final girl of the previous Terrifier entry, Sienna Shaw, has just been released from a mental-health center to stay with her aunt and uncle over the holidays. It just so happens Art the Clown and his possessed sidekick, Victoria, simultaneously emerge — and they’re ready for festivities. Art greets the season by literally snatching the beard off a Santa Claus impersonator’s face, donning his costume, and delivering his version of Christmas cheer to all the boys and girls. If you’ve ever wanted to see Santa Claus kill children, this one’s for you — but beware: This film is a splatterfest from beginning to end. Definitely a permanent entry on the naughty list.Threatening text messages seen by jury at bush bash shooting trialgbaapk 。

How happy are workers? Answering this depends on a multitude of factors. To add to this, there will be national differences. Take the U.S. as an example, one poll finds that employees are more unhappy at work than they have been in years, and currently more than a quarter of U.S. citizens are looking to change roles. This is the highest in a decade. The data suggests that employees were happier and more satisfied at the height of the pandemic than they are today. In contrast to the ‘lockdown years’, over 80 percent of U.S. citizens are dissatisfied with the way things are going at work. To address this, flexible work appears to result in higher employee satisfaction amid increasing return to office mandates For those running a new small business, when hiring a new employee is an especially timely, costly, and pivotal practice, creating a culture of contentment has never been more important. To aid new business owners boost employee satisfaction, the firm Wix.com has provided to Digital Journal advice on how business owners can create a positive work environment, and how to spot when employees might be losing morale. How to create a positive work environment from your company’s inception In terms of strengthening the workplace environment, the data suggests to build a company based on trust, honesty and fairness. Regardless of company size, employees expect a work environment where: • People are held accountable for their actions, • Respect is shown for others’ ideas, values and beliefs, • There is overarching trust and a sense of community between staff and management, • Difficult situations are addressed efficiently and effectively Establish backend processes early on While startups often expect their first employees to wear many hats, failing to have processes in place around job roles and the specifics of what is expected of employees can ultimately create a negative working environment. Similarly, if firms are making fundamental changes within the business, managers need to make sure they have planned out a protocol to communicate this to your staff and keep them in the loop. Additionally, processes around mental health, dealing with difficult situations, and day to day operational procedures should also be in place so that you can deal with issues in a standardized way. Give hiring decisions the attention they deserve Hiring the right people is always important, but especially significant for newer businesses and startups, as they’re often the people that are going to drive your organization forward. Hire people that align with your mission and business values. In a smaller company, these are equally important to employees as it is to senior stakeholders. Hire for attitude as well as skill (it’s vital to have people who are respectful and easy to work with), and ensure applicants are aligned with the company and invested in its mission before signing on the dotted line. An aligned vision keeps employees happy, and as a smaller team, being on the same page and having the same end goal helps to avoid friction. Build a work environment that encourages support and developmen t Employees want roles that are both personally and professionally fulfilling, allowing them to receive fair compensation while working on projects that challenge them and align with their personal values. Creating an environment that supports this development – whether that’s through in-house training, budget allocation, or mentoring amongst colleagues -, – helps employees feel nurtured and respected in their role. Prioritise work-life balance from the beginning Expectations should be clear around working times, but as is often the case in work, employees will be expected to work beyond these times where required. Where there is adequate work-life balance in place, and employees are aligned with their company’s mission, staff often don’t resent working beyond their assigned hours (so long as this doesn’t occur week in, week out). Leaders should show respect for employees’ personal lives and passion projects by monitoring workloads, and if a member of staff is consistently working overtime, conversations should be had around whether there is too much work assigned, or whether there are other reasons why they cannot complete this within their usual working hours. Invest in good leadership While founders are typically excellent at what they do, leadership often doesn’t come naturally. Focus on investing in leadership training, promote those who lead by example, and be prepared to challenge instances where leadership could be improved or acted upon differently. Poor leadership is one of the greatest performance-killers for highly-motivated employees, and once this relationship diminishes, it can be easy for employees to lose morale. Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.The Deerfield boys basketball team opened up the 2024-25 season with a 78-51 win against Johnson Creek in a Trailways South Conference matchup on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Deerfield High School. Senior Ben Wetzel led Deerfield with 27 points, shooting 11 of 23 from the field. Wetzel also made a game-high five 3-pointers, while recording six steals, five rebounds and three assists. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied TikTok’s petition to overturn the law — which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — and rebuffed the company’s challenge of the statute, which it argued had ran afoul of the First Amendment. “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” said the court’s opinion, which was written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, though its unclear whether the court will take up the case. “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting ans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,” TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people,” Hughes said. Unless stopped, he argued the statute “will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.” Though the case is squarely in the court system, it’s also possible the two companies might be thrown some sort of a lifeline by President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term but said during the presidential campaign that he is now against such action. The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was the culmination of a yearslong saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. The U.S. has said it’s concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits, that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect. The European Union on Friday expressed similar concerns as it investigates intelligence that suggests Russia possibly abused the platform to influence the elections in Romania. TikTok, which sued the government over the law in May, has long denied it could be used by Beijing to spy on or manipulate Americans. Its attorneys have accurately pointed out that the U.S. hasn’t provided evidence to show that the company handed over user data to the Chinese government, or manipulated content for Beijing’s benefit in the U.S. They have also argued the law is predicated on future risks, which the Department of Justice has emphasized pointing in part to unspecified action it claims the two companies have taken in the past due to demands from the Chinese government. Friday’s ruling came after the appeals court panel, composed of two Republicans and one Democrat appointed judges, heard oral arguments in September. In the hearing, which lasted more than two hours, the panel appeared to grapple with how TikTok’s foreign ownership affects its rights under the Constitution and how far the government could go to curtail potential influence from abroad on a foreign-owned platform. On Friday, all three denied TikTok’s petition. In the court’s ruling, Ginsburg, a Republican appointee, rejected TikTok’s main legal arguments against the law, including that the statute was an unlawful bill of attainder, or a taking of property in violation of the Fifth Amendment. He also said the law did not violate the First Amendment because the government is not looking to “suppress content or require a certain mix of content” on TikTok. “Content on the platform could in principle remain unchanged after divestiture, and people in the United States would remain free to read and share as much PRC propaganda (or any other content) as they desire on TikTok or any other platform of their choosing,” Ginsburg wrote, using the abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China. Judge Sri Srinivasan, the chief judge on the court, issued a concurring opinion. TikTok’s lawsuit was consolidated with a second legal challenge brought by several content creators — for which the company is covering legal costs — as well as a third one filed on behalf of conservative creators who work with a nonprofit called BASED Politics Inc. Other organizations, including the Knight First Amendment Institute, had also filed amicus briefs supporting TikTok. “This is a deeply misguided ruling that reads important First Amendment precedents too narrowly and gives the government sweeping power to restrict Americans’ access to information, ideas, and media from abroad,” said Jameel Jaffer, the executive director of the organization. “We hope that the appeals court’s ruling won’t be the last word.” Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers who had pushed for the legislation celebrated the court’s ruling. “I am optimistic that President Trump will facilitate an American takeover of TikTok to allow its continued use in the United States and I look forward to welcoming the app in America under new ownership,” said Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on China. Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who co-authored the law, said “it’s time for ByteDance to accept” the law. To assuage concerns about the company’s owners, TikTok says it has invested more than $2 billion to bolster protections around U.S. user data. The company has also argued the government’s broader concerns could have been resolved in a draft agreement it provided the Biden administration more than two years ago during talks between the two sides. It has blamed the government for walking away from further negotiations on the agreement, which the Justice Department argues is insufficient. Attorneys for the two companies have claimed it’s impossible to divest the platform commercially and technologically. They also say any sale of TikTok without the coveted algorithm — the platform’s secret sauce that Chinese authorities would likely block under any divesture plan — would turn the U.S. version of TikTok into an island disconnected from other global content. Still, some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in purchasing the platform. Both men said earlier this year that they were launching a consortium to purchase TikTok’s U.S. business. This week, a spokesperson for McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative, which aims to protect online privacy, said unnamed participants in their bid have made informal commitments of more than $20 billion in capital. A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a A Boston city councilor was arrested Friday on federal fraud U.S. stocks rose to records Friday after data suggested the The Nov. 29 print edition of The Business Journal included

A&M's Prager, LaViolette named Top 100 prospects for 2025 MLB Draft

By CLAIRE RUSH PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Googly eyes have been appearing on sculptures around the central Oregon city of Bend, delighting many residents and sparking a viral sensation covered widely by news outlets and featured on a popular late-night talk show. Related Articles National News | Biden’s commutation in ‘kids for cash’ scandal angers some Pennsylvania families National News | Drones, planes or UFOs? Americans abuzz over mysterious New Jersey sightings National News | FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup National News | OpenAI whistleblower found dead in San Francisco apartment National News | Judge rejects an attempt by Trump campaign lawyer to invalidate guilty plea in Georgia election case On social media, the city shared photos of googly eyes on installations in the middle of roundabouts that make up its so-called “Roundabout Art Route.” One photo shows googly eyes placed on a sculpture of two deer, while another shows them attached to a sphere. It’s not yet known who has been putting them on the sculptures. “While the googly eyes placed on the various art pieces around town might give you a chuckle, it costs money to remove them with care to not damage the art,” the city said in its posts. The Facebook post received hundreds of comments, with many users saying they liked the googly eyes. “My daughter and I went past the flaming chicken today and shared the biggest laugh,” one user said, using a nickname for the “Phoenix Rising” sculpture. “We love the googly eyes. This town is getting to be so stuffy. Let’s have fun!” Another Facebook user wrote: “I think the googly eyes on the deer specifically are a great look, and they should stay that way.” Others said the city should focus on addressing more important issues, such as homelessness, instead of spending time and money on removing the googly eyes. Over the years, the city’s sculptures have been adorned with other seasonal decorations, including Santa hats, wreaths, leis. The city doesn’t remove those, and views the googly eyes differently because of the adhesive, Bend’s communications director, Rene Mitchell, told The Associated Press. “We really encourage our community to engage with the art and have fun. We just need to make sure that we can protect it and that it doesn’t get damaged,” she said. The post and its comments were covered by news outlets, and even made it on a segment of CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert .” The city regrets that its post was misunderstood, Mitchell said. “There was no intent to be heavy-handed, and we certainly understand maybe how that was taken,” she said. “We own this large collection of public art and really want to bring awareness to the community that applying adhesives does harm the art. So as stewards of the collection, we wanted to share that on social media.” The city has so far spent $1,500 on removing googly eyes from seven of the eight sculptures impacted, Mitchell said, and has started treating some of the art pieces, which are made of different types of metal such as bronze and steel. The “Phoenix Rising” sculpture might need to be repainted entirely, she said. For some, the googly eyes — like the other holiday objects — provide a welcome boost of seasonal cheer. “I look forward to seeing the creativity of whoever it is that decorates the roundabouts during the holidays,” one social media commenter said. “Brings a smile to everyone to see silliness.”

Yakima Valley College volleyball team takes third at NWAC tournament for second straight yearPrésentation de la HONGQI Guoya, une berline de luxe, à Auto Guangzhou 2024

California Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks is feeling a time crunch in California’s quest to combat climate change. So she’s trying to speed up renewable energy source construction and storage. “We do have to make it faster and better,” Wicks said recently. “Government has to work better for people.” Wicks, an Oakland Democrat, was speaking about a Legislative subcommittee field hearing on permitting reform that she held to discuss streamlining renewable energy permits last month. It was part of a statewide tour of several cities to explore permitting solutions for issues such as energy, housing and climate change. The first stop in the Coachella Valley hearing was the Desert Peak battery storage project in Palm Springs, by NextEra Energy Resources. It’s silhouetted against the San Bernardino Mountains, surrounded by a field of wind turbines and next to a Southern California Edison substation. The battery storage center draws power from the Palo Verde nuclear generating station in Arizona and renewable energy projects in the desert, said Pedro Villegas, executive director for political and regulatory affairs for NextEra. Rows of sheds house hundreds of lithium-ion batteries that store power and then feed it into the grid. At full capacity Desert Peak will produce 700 megawatts, enough to power about 140,000 homes. Facilities like this are key to California’s ambitious climate goals. The state aims to reach net carbon zero — the point at which the amount of greenhouse gasses that humans emit equals the amount removed from the atmosphere — by 2045. In 2022 the California Air Resources Board released a plan to get there. To do that, California has to cut red tape, Wicks said. Industry experts at the hearing said there has to be less duplication of paperwork, increased staffing at regulatory agencies and better coordination between them. Wind and solar farms can displace valuable ecosystems and farmland, while battery storage sites pose fire risks, so the state is facing pushback from rural communities that are Ground Zero for renewable energy development. Five years ago San Bernardino County restricted new large-scale wind and solar projects on more than a million acres of rural land after residents in some communities complained the projects threatened fragile natural environments and historic sites. “We need to be mindful of creating sacrifice zones in pursuing climate solutions,” Nataly Escobedo Garcia, policy coordinator for the Fresno-based Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, told the subcommittee. Converting traditional farms to solar farms also sparks opposition, Villegas said. “Especially in rural areas, some folks have a reaction to turning agricultural lands to solar energy,” he said. Battery storage has gotten bad press lately, with several high profile fires in San Diego County. An Escondido battery storage facility caught fire in September, prompting evacuations and closures of nearby schools. In May a blaze at a battery storage site in Otay Mesa burned for two and a half weeks, sparking worry about the safety of the high-powered batteries. In September 2023, a Valley Center energy storage facility caught fire . Energy experts said the industry has improved its fire safety protocols since those were built. “The facility in Escondido was installed in 2017,” said Scott Murtishaw, executive director of the California Energy Storage Alliance. “That’s ancient technology.” Despite advances in newer and potentially safer energy technology, lawmakers say efforts to wean Californians off fossil fuels aren’t moving fast enough to avert the effects of climate change. “There’s a huge chasm between the things we say are our priorities and what we are actually delivering in the state” in renewable energy and climate action, said Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris , a Democrat from Irvine. “The No. 1 thing we need to do to accelerate the pace is permit reform.”

None

Beyond beeps and boops: Video game music has grown up - The Japan Times

Trump's lawyers rebuff DA's idea for upholding his hush money conviction

Chiefs show Chargers how to win close gamesDespelote is dribbling its way to the Nintendo Switch

Tottenham continue to be lavished with praise following Saturday’s sensational victory against Premier League champions Manchester City. Spurs romped to a 4-0 win over City to breathe fresh hope into their season. Ange Postecoglou’s plans to establish his side as genuine contenders have frequently been undermined by inconsistencies, but the emphatic manner of their victory was quite the statement of intent. While much will be made of the state of crisis Pep Guardiola’s side find themselves in, Spurs went to the Etihad Stadium – where the champions hadn’t lost in almost two years – without a raft of key players. Both first choice central defenders in Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero missed the game, while Rodrigo Bentancur served the first of his seven-match suspension . Postecoglou was forced into changes as a result, pairing Ben Davies and Radu Dragusin together at the heart of his defence to great effect. The Spurs boss also risked moving Dejan Kulusevski back out wide after a productive spell in midfield to bring James Maddison into the starting lineup following his recent dropping. The moves certainly paid off, with Maddison bagging a brace on his 28th birthday while Kulusevski played a starring role in two of the four goals. Guardiola was full of praise for the duo after the game , while Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville believes the pair were just two of five Spurs players who ran “all over” City in midfield. “He’s [Guardiola] obviously put in Rico Lewis on the right of midfield to make it a bit more solid with Bernardo Silva, [Ilkay] Gundogan and Savinho on the left, Phil Foden just in front of them. “They’ve been obliterated in midfield. I mean Kulusevski, [Heung-min] Son, Maddison, even [Pape Matar] Sarr and [Yves] Bissouma, they’ve really run all over them. They really have.”ZALSBURG, Austria (Reuters) -A fine finish from Goncalo Ramos, a goal from Nuno Mendes and a late strike from Desire Doue gave Paris St Germain a vital Champions League victory, as they beat RB Salzburg 3-0 on Tuesday to move into the playoff spots. Luis Enrique’s side, who have made a terrible start to their Champions League campaign, now sit 24th in the standings just inside the playoff positions, with seven points from six games, while Salzburg are 32nd. PSG looked sharp in the first half and went close early on through Lee Kang-in’s long-range effort and Vitinha’s attempt that was denied by goalkeeper Alexander Schlager. Bradley Barcola also went close as he burst into the area after a superb run but was unable to finish. “I’m missing that little something in front of goal that will unlock me. Don’t think it is a blockage, but we talked about it a lot among ourselves. I had to continue working,” Barcola said. Achraf Hakimi set up Ramos for the opener on the half-hour mark. The Parisians looked dangerous in the second half as the home side struggled to find their feet. The closest Salzburg came was through Nene Dorgeles in the 63rd minute, as he broke into the box on the left and shot at goal, but PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma kept the ball out. But PSG were the better side and Mendes doubled their advantage in the 72nd minute with a thunderous left-footed shot from Doue’s pass. Defender Lucas Hernandez returned to the side after a long-term injury and replaced Mendes six minutes from time before Doue added a third goal to seal a much-needed win. (Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico CityEditing by Toby Davis) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

Is Your PC Ready? Discover This Stunning Indiana Jones GameORNL Triumphs at SC24 with Multiple Awards, Including Coveted Gordon Bell Prize and Top Supercomputing Achievement

Adapting to Change: Understanding China's Updated Export Control Framework for Dual-Use ItemsHOMB Takes Additional Hurricane Reserve Out of Abundance of Caution

49ers WR Deebo Samuel speaks on his deleted tweet: ‘A little frustrated, for sure’

'Forbidden Planet' is one of the most influential sci-fi films of all time, and it's getting a remake