Live Tv
Rtv Plus
US Court Upholds Law Ordering Sale of TikTok
Deutsche Welle
07 Dec 2024, 09:40
Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
A US federal appeals court on Friday upheld a law which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent firm ByteDance, in a move that could lead to a ban on the popular short video platform as early as next month.
The law — which was signed by US President Joe Biden in April — gave ByteDance one year to divest from TikTok or be banned from app stores in the US.
For a long time, US officials had raised alarm over the app's growing popularity among the country's youth, claiming that it could allow China to spy on its nearly 170 million users in the country.
TikTok argued that the law violates the freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment of the US constitution.
But the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday rebuffed the company's challenge of the statute, stating that the law was in line with long-standing regulatory practices and there was no intention to suppress specific expressions.
"The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States," the court said in an opinion 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 to appeal again
TikTok said it now plans to appeal the decision in the Supreme Court.
"The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans' right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue," a TikTok spokesperson 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," they said.
The spokesperson added that unless stopped, the statute "will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025."
Looming ban
TikTok said in its petition that a separation of ByteDance as mandated by the law was "simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally."
The app's fate now lies in the hands of two US presidents.
President Biden can grant a 90-day extension of the January 19 deadline to force a sale. However, it's unclear if ByteDance could show it had made progress towards a divestiture required to trigger the extension or if the government in Beijing would approve a sale.
President-elect Donald Trump — who takes office on January 20 — was unsuccessful in banning TikTok during his previous term in 2020. But in a change of stance, he said before the November presidential election that he would not allow the TikTok ban.
Comments
NVIDIA and SoftBank Conduct World’s First AI-Powered 5G Network Test
NVIDIA and SoftBank have achieved a telecom milestone by conducting the first-ever test of a 5G network driven by AI technology. This pioneering network, built to support AI-powered radio access (AI-RAN), is designed to facilitate high-speed applications, including remote vehicle control and advanced robotics.
For this project, NVIDIA developed its Blackwell chip specifically for SoftBank, now powering AI supercomputers. SoftBank has launched the initial outdoor testing setup in Fujisawa City, Japan, where NVIDIA’s GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip allows a single server to manage baseband processing for 20 5G cells, each with 100 MHz bandwidth.
Using the 4.9 GHz frequency band, the test reached impressive speeds of up to 1.4 Gbps. This trial marks a significant step toward AI-optimized 5G networks, paving the way for faster, more intelligent telecommunications in the future.
World Diabetes Day: Essential Tips for Prevention
14 November is World Diabetes Day which provides an opportunity to raise awareness about diabetes as a critical global public health issue and emphasize the collective and individual actions needed to improve the prevention, diagnosis and management of the condition.
This year’s theme, “Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps,” underpins our commitment to reducing the risk of diabetes, and ensuring that all people who are diagnosed with diabetes have access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable and quality treatment and care. Join us in raising awareness, spreading knowledge and creating lasting change for all affected by diabetes.
Preventing diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, involves adopting healthier lifestyle habits that can significantly reduce your risk.
Here are 15 effective tips to help you prevent diabetes:
1. Maintain a Healthy Weight: Aim to keep your Body Mass Index (BMI) within a healthy range (18.5–24.9). Excess body fat, especially around the abdomen, increases insulin resistance.
2. Engage in Regular Physical Activity: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise (like brisk walking) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (like jogging) per week, plus strength training twice a week. Regular exercise improves insulin sensitivity and helps lower blood sugar levels.
3. Eat a Balanced Diet: Incorporate plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins. A diet high in fiber and nutrients supports blood sugar control and overall health.
4. Limit Sugary Drinks and Processed Foods: Minimize intake of sugary sodas, juices, and processed snacks high in refined sugars. These foods can spike blood sugar levels and contribute to insulin resistance.
5. Choose Healthy Fats: Include sources of unsaturated fats like avocados, olive oil, nuts, and fatty fish. Healthy fats can improve cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation.
6. Practice Portion Control: Use smaller plates, eat slowly, and pay attention to hunger cues. Controlling portion sizes helps prevent overeating and weight gain.
7. Limit Refined Carbohydrates: Opt for Whole Grains. Choose whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, and whole wheat over refined grains like white bread and pasta. Whole grains have a lower glycemic index, which helps stabilize blood sugar.
8. Stay Hydrated with Water: Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Water is the best beverage for staying hydrated without added sugars or calories.
9. Get Enough Sleep: 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. Lack of sleep can disrupt insulin sensitivity and increase the risk of weight gain.
10. Manage Stress Levels: Try yoga, meditation, deep breathing exercises, or hobbies to reduce stress. Chronic stress can increase blood sugar levels and contribute to insulin resistance.
11. Quit Smoking: Smoking is linked to an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other health issues. Seek support groups or cessation programs to help quit smoking.
12. Limit Alcohol Consumption: If you drink, limit to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. Excessive alcohol intake can lead to blood sugar imbalances and weight gain.
13. Increase Fiber Intake: Beans, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Fiber helps slow the absorption of sugar, improves gut health, and promotes satiety.
14. Monitor Blood Sugar Levels: Especially for High-Risk Individuals: Regular check-ups if you have a family history of diabetes or other risk factors. Early detection allows for timely intervention to prevent the progression of diabetes.
15. Consider Regular Health Screenings: Annual check-ups including fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, and lipid profiles. Early identification of prediabetes or high-risk factors can lead to proactive measures.
Prevention is largely about lifestyle changes—maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, and staying active. Small, sustainable changes can have a significant impact on your health and help prevent diabetes.
Adopting these tips not only reduces your risk of diabetes but also improves your overall health and well-being.
(Dr Shahjada Selim, Associate Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University)
Elon Musk’s AI Chatbot ‘Grok’ Ignites Healthcare Innovation Debate
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, is sparking widespread discussion in healthcare as users on X (formerly Twitter) experiment with its ability to analyze medical images like X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. Musk has championed Grok’s potential in diagnosing diseases, emphasizing its promising early results and his plans to enhance its accuracy through user data. However, this approach has raised serious concerns about privacy, data security, and ethics.
Grok has been tested on conditions such as brain tumors and bone fractures, with mixed feedback. While some users praised its ability to identify tumors, others reported errors, like confusing a broken bone for a dislocation. Experts argue these inconsistencies highlight the challenges of adapting general AI systems for medical use.
Privacy concerns loom large. Unlike regulated healthcare providers, X isn’t subject to stringent laws like HIPAA. Although the platform claims not to sell user data, its policy of sharing data with related entities has raised alarms about how sensitive medical information might be handled.
While AI holds transformative potential for healthcare, experts stress the importance of thorough testing and user education. Sharing sensitive medical data with non-regulated platforms demands careful consideration to balance innovation with safety and privacy.
ASEF Executive Committee Meeting Held in Singapore
The Executive Committee Meeting of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) concluded in Singapore on 22 November 2024 with a renewed commitment to further collaboration between the countries from the two continents, Asia and Europe.
The Director-General, Regional Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Md. Rais Hasan Sarower, NDC, as the current chair of the ASEF Board of Governors, led the discussion.
In addition to discussions on a wide range of administrative and financial matters, the executive body also provided directives to enhance the visibility of the organization and recommended exploring new funding mechanisms and ensuring data privacy and strategic upgrades to make ASEF more meaningful for member states.
The meeting also approved a project proposal for women, peace, and security training proposed by the Government of Latvia.
To complement the ASEM process, in February 1997, the 1st ASEM Foreign Ministers' Meeting welcomed the establishment of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF). Based in Singapore, ASEF provides opportunities for Asians and Europeans to exchange ideas and collaborate, and achieve innovative and substantive solutions for common global challenges.
Bangladesh has been the Chair of the ASEF Board of Governors for the first time since January 2024 and the term will end in December 2024.
Notable Deaths of 2024
From Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to British actress Maggie Smith and US music titan Quincy Jones, here are some of 2024's most notable deaths.
February
4 February: HAGE GEINGOB, Namibia's President and its first post-independence prime minister, aged 82
9 February: ROBERT BADINTER, former French justice minister who ended capital punishment in 1981, 95
16 February: ALEXEI NAVALNY, the top opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is in prison aged 47, after over three years behind bars
29 February: ALI HASSAN MWINYI, former Tanzanian president, who introduced multi-party democracy, 98
March
1 March: IRIS APFEL, New York fashion celebrity known as the "geriatric starlet", 102
1 March: AKIRA TORIYAMA, creator of Japan's "Dragon Ball" comics and anime cartoons, 68
April
2 April: MARYSE CONDE, French writer, and chronicler of the lives of the descendants of Africans taken as slaves to the Caribbean, 90
8 April: PETER HIGGS, British physicist whose theory of a mass-giving particle -- the so-called Higgs boson -- jointly earned him the Nobel Physics Prize, 94
10 April: O.J. SIMPSON, ex-American football star acquitted in 1995 following the televised "Trial of the Century" of the murder of his ex-wife and her male friend. A 1997 civil trial found Simpson liable and he then served nearly nine years in prison for a bungled 2007 armed robbery, 76
30 April: PAUL AUSTER, American novelist who wrote "The New York Trilogy", 77
May
9 May: ROGER CORMAN, American B-movie filmmaker, 98
13 May: ALICE MUNRO, Nobel Prize-winning Canadian author known for her mastery of the short story, 92
June
5 June: AKIRA ENDO, Japanese biochemist who discovered cholesterol-lowering statins, 90
11 June: FRANCOISE HARDY, a French singer who shot to international stardom in the 1960s, 80
18 June: ANOUK AIMEE, French film star of Claude Lelouch's box-office smash "A Man and A Woman", 92
20 June: DONALD SUTHERLAND, Canadian actor of "The Dirty Dozen" and "The Hunger Games", 88
July
1 July: ISMAIL KADARE, Albanian novelist whose novels defied the communist
dictator Enver Hoxha, 88
13 July: SHANNEN DOHERTY, US actress of the high school drama series "Beverly Hills 90210", 53
19 July: NGUYEN PHU TRONG, general secretary of Vietnam's Communist Party, considered the country's top leader, 80
27 July: EDNA O'BRIEN, radical Irish writer whose first novel "The Country Girls" was burned and banned in her native country, 93
31 July: ISMAIL HANIYEH, Hamas political chief, killed in Tehran in an attack blamed on Israel, 62
August
14 August: GENA ROWLANDS, award-winning US actress and muse of her first husband, director John Cassavetes, 94
18 August: ALAIN DELON, French film legend known for his roles in classics "Purple Noon" (1960) and "Le Samurai" (1967), 88
September
11 September: ALBERTO FUJIMORI, Peru's former president, who spent 16 years in prison for crimes against humanity, 86
27 September: MAGGIE SMITH, Britain's double Oscar-winning actress, 89
27 September: HASSAN NASRALLAH, Hezbollah chief, killed in an Israeli strike, 64
28 September: KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, US country music legend, 88
October
9 October: RATAN TATA, Indian industrialist, head of the Tata Group, 86
10 October: ETHEL KENNEDY, human rights activist and widow of assassinated US politician Robert F. Kennedy, 96
16 October: LIAM PAYNE, a former member of the best-selling boys band One Direction, having fallen from the third floor of a Buenos Aires hotel, 31
16 October: YAHYA SINWAR, Hamas political chief, killed by Israeli troops, 61
20 October: FETHULLAH GULEN, a Muslim cleric and bitter enemy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in exile in the United States, 83
November
3 November: QUINCY JONES, US music industry titan, 91
24 November: BREYTEN BREYTENBACH, South Africa's award-winning writer and anti-apartheid activist, 85
Source: BSS
John Alfred Tinniswood, World’s Oldest Man, Dies at 112
John Alfred Tinniswood, celebrated as the world’s oldest man, passed away peacefully at the age of 112 on Monday in a Southport care home. A devoted Liverpool FC supporter, Mr. Tinniswood gained the title of the world’s oldest man in April 2024, following the death of Juan Vicente Pérez Mora.
Born on August 26, 1912—the year the Titanic sank—Mr. Tinniswood was acknowledged as the UK’s oldest man in 2020 and earned global recognition this year from the Guinness Book of Records.
A widower, he is survived by his daughter Susan, grandchildren Annouchka, Marisa, Toby, and Rupert, and great-grandchildren Tabitha, Callum, and Nieve. His family remembered him as wise, courageous, and eloquent, traits he displayed during his service in World War II with the Royal Army Pay Corps, where he oversaw logistics and accounts.
In 1942, he married his wife Blodwen, with whom he shared 44 cherished years until her death in 1986. After the war, Mr. Tinniswood pursued a career with Royal Mail and later as an accountant for Shell and BP, retiring in 1972. He remained active in retirement, serving as a church elder and delivering sermons at Blundellsands United Reform Church. His family shared that he passed “surrounded by music and love.”
Special Weather Bulletin on Cyclone Fengal
A deep depression located in the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjacent areas is moving further north-northwestwards. If the deep depression develops into a cyclone, it will be named Fengal. It may cross the north Tamil Nadu coast by Saturday (November 30) morning.
This information was revealed in the special weather bulletin (serial number 08) on Friday (November 29).
The Meteorological Department said that a deep depression located in the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjacent areas is moving further north-northwestwards and is located in the same area (10.5° north latitude and 82.6° east longitude).
It was located 1,655 km southwest of Chattogram Seaport, 1,600 km southwest of Cox's Bazar Seaport, 1,540 km southwest of Mongla Seaport, and 1,535 km southwest of Payra Seaport at 6 am today. It is likely to move further northwestwards and cross the north Tamil Nadu coast by Sunday morning.
The maximum sustained wind speed within 48 km of the center of the deep depression is 50 kmph, increasing to 60 kmph in gusts or squalls. The sea is rough in the area near the deep depression.
The seaports of Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Mongla, and Payra have been asked to hoist distant warning signal number 1. All fishing boats and trawlers in the north Bay of Bengal and deep sea have been asked to proceed with caution near the coast until further notice.
