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The working farm tackling anxiety in young people

Education - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 07:20
GroundEd provides training to students who have special educational needs such as autism and anxiety.

The working farm tackling anxiety in young people

Education - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 07:20
GroundEd provides training to students who have special educational needs such as autism and anxiety.

School takes a stand to stop teen toilet vaping

Education - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 07:19
The Royal High School in Edinburgh is installing "screaming" vape detectors in toilets to tackle the problem.

Why Wales' sign language GCSE is being delayed

Education - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 07:12
It will be introduced a year later than planned but an expert says it is vital to "get it right".

China’s former football chief sentenced to life in prison over corruption

Around The Globe - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 07:06
Chen Xuyuan's sentencing concludes a wide-ranging anticorruption probe involving top football officials in China.

ABC Australia staff’s concerns over pro-Israel bias revealed

Around The Globe - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 06:38
Staff warned that language in national broadcaster's coverage 'favoured the Israeli narrative over objective reporting'.

Donald Trump says time for Israel to ‘finish up’ Gaza war

Around The Globe - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 06:01
US presidential candidate says October 7 Hamas attack was brutal, but Israel is now losing international support.

‘Eyes of the world on us’: Boeing shakes up leadership amid safety crisis

Around The Globe - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 05:15
CEO Dave Calhoun's departure comes as aircraft manufacturer is facing intense scrutiny over safety record.

New Zealand says Chinese ‘state-sponsored’ group hacked parliament

Around The Globe - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 03:40
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters says alleged cyberattack 'unacceptable'.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 761

Around The Globe - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 01:23
As the war enters its 761st day, these are the main developments.

‘Fighting spirit’: How Myanmar’s armed resistance is taking new ground

Around The Globe - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 01:16
Groups fighting against the ruling military are making gains despite air and drone attacks.

‘Not enough’: Why the US did not veto a Gaza ceasefire resolution at the UN

Around The Globe - Tue, 03/26/2024 - 00:14
Analysts say US decision against vetoing the UN measure signals Biden's growing frustration with Israel's PM Netanyahu.

Canada launches programme to get citizens out of violence-hit Haiti

Around The Globe - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 23:13
Canada has organised helicopters to fly 'vulnerable' citizens out of Haiti and into the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

Florida's Governor Signs One of Country's Most Restrictive Social Media Bans for Minors

Technology - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 22:11
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida will have one of the country's most restrictive social media bans for minors — if it withstands expected legal challenges — under a bill signed by Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday.  The bill will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 15- and 16-year-olds. It was slightly watered down from a proposal DeSantis vetoed earlier this month, a week before the annual legislative session ended. The new law was Republican Speaker Paul Renner’s top legislative priority. It takes effect January 1.  “A child in their brain development doesn’t have the ability to know that they’re being sucked into these addictive technologies and to see the harm and step away from it, and because of that we have to step in for them,” Renner said at the bill-signing ceremony held at a Jacksonville school.  The bill DeSantis vetoed would have banned minors under 16 from popular social media platforms regardless of parental consent. But before the veto, he worked out compromise language with Renner to alleviate the governor's concerns and the Legislature sent DeSantis a second bill.  Several states have considered similar legislation. In Arkansas, a federal judge blocked enforcement of a law in August that required parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts.  Supporters in Florida hope the bill will withstand legal challenges because it would ban social media formats based on addictive features such as notification alerts and auto-play videos, rather than on their content.  Renner said he expects social media companies to “sue the second after this is signed. But you know what? We’re going to beat them. We’re going to beat them and we’re never, ever going to stop."  DeSantis also acknowledged the law will be challenged on First Amendment issues and bemoaned the fact the “Stop Woke Act” he signed into law two years ago was recently struck down by an appeals court with a majority of Republican-appointed judges. They ruled it violated free speech rights by banning private business from including discussions about racial inequality in employee training.  “Any time I see a bill, if I don’t think it’s constitutional, I veto it,” said DeSantis, a lawyer, expressing confidence that the social media ban will be upheld. “We not only satisfied me, but we also satisfied, I think, a fair application of the law and Constitution.”  The bill overwhelmingly passed both chambers, with some Democrats joining a majority of Republicans who supported the measure. Opponents argued it was unconstitutional and that the government shouldn't interfere with decisions parents make with their children.  “This bill goes too far in taking away parents’ rights,” Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani said in a news release. “Instead of banning social media access, it would be better to ensure improved parental oversight tools, improved access to data to stop bad actors, alongside major investments in Florida’s mental health systems and programs.”

Binance executive detained in Nigeria in crypto case escapes custody

Around The Globe - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 21:45
The Binance executive was detained when he arrived in Nigeria following the crackdown on the company.

Will UNRWA collapse without US support?

Around The Globe - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 21:43
New US law includes yearlong ban on funding to UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees.

Russia’s Putin says ‘radical Islamists’ behind Moscow concert hall attack

Around The Globe - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 21:20
Russian leader also suggests Ukraine is somehow involved in the attack without providing any evidence.

Putin: Concert hall shooting is act of intimidation by Kyiv regime

Around The Globe - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 21:19
Russian president Vladimir Putin says the ‘Kyiv regime’ is responsible for Friday’s deadly shooting

US Vice President: Banning TikTok 'Not at All the Goal'

Technology - Mon, 03/25/2024 - 21:12
 Austin, Texas — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said the Biden administration has no intention to ban TikTok, the popular short video application from Chinese company ByteDance.  Harris told ABC’s “This Week” program on Sunday that a ban was “not at all the goal or the purpose of this conversation.”    The White House urged the Senate last week to swiftly advance a bill that would force ByteDance to sell TikTok over privacy and national security concerns within six months or face a ban.   U.S. officials and lawmakers worry that the Chinese government could access American consumers’ data on the platform, which could also be used to push a pro-Beijing agenda. ByteDance denies it would provide such private data to the Chinese government, despite reports indicating it could be at risk. The bill passed in the House on March 13 with overwhelming bipartisan support but has yet to advance in the Senate.   China has firmly opposed any forced sale of TikTok.    TikTok has urged its American users to call their representatives and tell them not to support the bill, leading to hundreds of phone calls to some senators, including a few death threats, according to The Associated Press.  Despite the security and privacy concerns, many Americans are still enthusiastic about the app.  An American social media influencer, who cannot reveal her real name due to her contract with a talent agency, has been on TikTok since 2021 and saw the popularity of her hairdressing videos explode to hundreds of thousands of views.  She had no idea TikTok was owned by a Chinese company until it gave her a notification telling her to call her congressional representative, and then she read the news reports.    "I am worried that I won't be able to use TikTok," she told VOA. "I think the communities on TikTok are great. You feel like you are part of a super large community when you watch a video. There are so many comments, [and] you can connect to so many more people."   TikTok has about 170 million users in the U.S., though its growth rate among youth last year hit a snag, The Wall Street Journal reported. Citing analytics company Data.ai., the Journal reported the average monthly users between 18 and 24 dropped nearly 9% from 2022 to 2023. But the report said the drop probably has more to do with young people being too busy after the COVID-19 pandemic, when TikTok users skyrocketed, than with concerns over what the Chinese government may access.  Texas-based cereal maker Greg Bastin started using TikTok during the pandemic.  "I plan to use influencers on TikTok to help market my products, as I know it can be a powerful way to increase sales and create entertaining content at an affordable price," he told VOA.    But Bastin admits the security and privacy concerns mean he would not post personal content on TikTok. "Giving up basic data rights is the price of admission for using social media platforms today,” he said.  The Financial Times this month reported that TikTok generated a record $16 billion in revenue in the U.S. last year, and ByteDance could soon overtake Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta in global sales, though most of ByteDance’s income comes from China. James Lewis, senior vice president of the strategic technologies program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told VOA that if there are disruptions to TikTok, other short video platforms like Instagram will certainly benefit. But he said most American TikTok users are not going to quickly jump ship.   "People use TikTok for a reason. They are not going to switch.” he said. “So, I think that it's wishful thinking to say that if you close TikTok down, everyone will move to another platform."    A number of governments and institutions have banned TikTok on employee and contractor devices since 2022 over security concerns, including in Australia, Britain, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, Taiwan and the United States. India has banned TikTok and several other Chinese applications since 2020 after a deadly border clash with Chinese troops.  In 2020, then-President Donald Trump issued a presidential order banning TikTok and Chinese messaging app WeChat in the U.S. and required ByteDance to either divest TikTok or cease business.  Court orders stopped the move, and President Joe Biden revoked and replaced the order with a fresh investigation. Biden’s administration is supporting the legislation for TikTok to be divested or face a ban, while Trump this month appeared to walk back on his previous aim to ban the app.  The former president said in a call-in interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box" that he believed TikTok still posed a threat to national security but banning it would help Facebook, which he has attacked since his 2020 election loss. Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.

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