Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah start a ceasefire after nearly 14 months of fighting
Sean “Diddy” Combs ' lawyers tried for a third time Friday to persuade a judge to let the hip-hop mogul out of jail while he awaits his sex trafficking trial, but a decision won’t come until next week as prosecutors warned of his "concerted effort" from behind bars to disrupt the case. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said he'll rule promptly on Combs’ bail request after the defense and prosecution file letters by noon Monday fleshing out some of the arguments they made during at a two-hour hearing in Manhattan federal court. Combs’ lawyers pitched having him await trial under around-the-clock surveillance either at his mansion on an island near Miami Beach or — after the judge scoffed at that location — at an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Their $50 million bail proposal, secured by his Florida home, essentially amounts to keeping Combs on house arrest instead of in custody at the troubled Brooklyn federal jail where he’s been held for 67 days since his September arrest. Under their plan, Combs' lawyers said he'll be under near-total restrictions on his ability to see or contact anyone but them. But prosecutors argued that no bail conditions can mitigate Combs' “risk of obstruction and dangerousness to others.” Combs has routinely flouted jail rules while locked up at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, prosecutors said, accusing him of attempting to interfere with witnesses and taint the jury pool. “Really, this amounts to the defendant paying his way out of custody,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik told Subramanian. Defense lawyer Anthony Ricco countered that the prosecution’s portrayal of Combs as "a lawless person who doesn’t follow instructions” or “an out-of-control individual who has to be detained” is inaccurate. Another Combs lawyer, Teny Geragos, added that given the strict release conditions they've proposed, “it would be impossible for him not to follow rules." Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years with help from a network of associates and employees while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings. His trial is slated to begin May 5. Two other judges previously concluded that the Bad Boy Records founder would be a danger to the community if he is freed, and an appeals court judge last month denied Combs’ immediate release while a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals weighs his bail request. Friday's hearing was the second time Combs was in court this week. On Tuesday, a judge blocked prosecutors from using as evidence papers that were seized from his cell during a jail-wide sweep for contraband and weapons. As he entered through a side door, Combs waved to relatives including his mother and several of his children in the courtroom gallery, tapping his hand to his heart and blowing kisses at them. He then hugged his lead attorney, Marc Agnifilo, before sitting at the defense table. Combs was not handcuffed or shackled and wore a beige jail uniform, occasionally pulling a pair of reading glasses from his pocket as he peered at papers in front of him. Prosecutors contend that while incarcerated the “I’ll Be Missing You” singer has orchestrated social media campaigns aimed at influencing potential jurors. They allege that he has also attempted to leak materials he believes would help his case and is contacting potential witnesses via third parties. “Simply put, the defendant cannot be trusted,” Slavik argued. In renewing their push for Combs' release, his lawyers sought to undercut the strength of a potential key piece of evidence: a March 2016 video showing him hitting and kicking his then-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, in a Los Angeles hotel hallway. Prosecutors contend the assault happened during a “Freak Off," an event in which they allege Combs used his “power and prestige” to induce female victims into drugged-up, elaborately produced sexual performances with male sex workers. Combs' lawyers said in court papers that newly unearthed evidence refutes that, and that the video, which first aired on CNN in May, was “a minutes-long glimpse into a complex but decade-long consensual relationship” between Combs and Cassie. Slavik, responding to defense claims that the recording was manipulated or taken out of context, said prosecutors don’t have the full version because Combs paid hotel staff $100,000 “to make the original video go away.” “This is a case about violence," Slavik told Subramanian in a final plea to keep Combs locked up. “The defendant has engaged in physical, sexual and emotional abuse of his romantic partners for years. ... He’s hit. He’s kicked. He’s dragged.”Entire city of San Francisco under flash flood warning
Like clockwork, ( ) delivered another round of explosive growth in its , but investors seemed to be missing the most impressive part of the performance. The company didn't mention it in the earnings call or press release, consigning it instead to the "CFO Commentary" section of its earnings report. By now, most investors know that the data centre segment is driving Nvidia's growth. While Nvidia's business spans everything from gaming to autonomous vehicles to visualisation tools like the Omniverse, its success in the data centre business, driven by the explosive growth of , has stolen the narrative and now makes up the vast majority of Nvidia's revenue. While overall revenue in the fiscal 2025 third quarter jumped 94% from a year ago to $35.1 billion, growth in the data centre segment was even stronger, climbing 112% from a year ago to $30.8 billion. However, Nvidia breaks down its data centre revenue into two categories. It brings in revenue from "networking" and "compute." Compute refers to the components that run applications on a server, such as processors and memory chips. Networking includes components like switches and routers that provide the connectivity and the security needed for the applications to run. AI training and inference are driven by the compute components so it makes sense that compute makes up the bulk of that revenue. Data centre networking revenue in the third quarter grew just 20% year over year to $3.1 billion, while data centre compute revenue was up 132% to $27.6 billion. The data centre compute figure looks like the best reflection of the underlying growth in Nvidia's business, even with the discrepancy between as the company said several times on the earnings call that the business is supply-constrained and it expects those constraints to continue for the next several quarters, especially on the Blackwell platform. Data centre compute revenue also grew 22% sequentially, above 17% overall sequential growth for the whole company. and 17% sequential growth in the data centre. The chart below shows the performance in data centre compute revenue over the last several quarters. The data centre compute platform is at the core of Nvidia's AI offering. It accelerates the most compute-intensive workloads, and it includes a wide range of products such as APIs, software development kits (SDKs), its DGX Cloud, which is an AI training-as-a-service platform, and GPUs, DPUs, and AI enterprise software. All of that makes it very difficult to compete with Nvidia and helps explain why the data centre business is growing so fast. Revenue growth is heating up The other telling data point in the table above is that while Nvidia's year-over-year revenue growth in the data centre compute segment continued to decelerate, sequential revenue growth, which is arguably a better barometer of growth, accelerated from 17% to 22%, lifting a similar acceleration in overall revenue from 15% to 17%. Sequential growth of 22% would translate to a 122% year-over-year growth rate if the business grew at that pace over four quarters. Given the and management's commentary about demand outstripping supply for the next several quarters, the company could maintain a growth rate similar to that over the next year. What's next for Nvidia? Nvidia stock fell slightly on the earnings report. Investors seemed to think guidance was underwhelming as the company called for year-over-year revenue growth to slow to 70% in the fourth quarter, with the top line reaching $37.5 billion, plus or minus 2%. However, Nvidia has a long history of topping its guidance, and it looks like a good bet to do so again in the fourth quarter, given the scorching growth from the data centre compute business and locked-in demand for its Blackwell platform. Don't be surprised to see Nvidia top that forecast again three months from now. The business is on fire. It continues to deliver stellar results, and there's little in the way to slow it down.SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California, home to some of the largest technology companies in the world, would be the first U.S. state to require mental health warning labels on social media sites if lawmakers pass a bill introduced Monday. The legislation sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta is necessary to bolster safety for children online, supporters say, but industry officials vow to fight the measure and others like it under the First Amendment. Warning labels for social media gained swift bipartisan support from dozens of attorneys general, including Bonta, after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to establish the requirements earlier this year, saying social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people. “These companies know the harmful impact their products can have on our children, and they refuse to take meaningful steps to make them safer,” Bonta said at a news conference Monday. “Time is up. It’s time we stepped in and demanded change.” State officials haven't provided details on the bill, but Bonta said the warning labels could pop up once weekly. Up to 95% of youth ages 13 to 17 say they use a social media platform, and more than a third say that they use social media “almost constantly,” according to 2022 data from the Pew Research Center. Parents’ concerns prompted Australia to pass the world’s first law banning social media for children under 16 in November. “The promise of social media, although real, has turned into a situation where they’re turning our children’s attention into a commodity,” Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who authored the California bill, said Monday. “The attention economy is using our children and their well-being to make money for these California companies.” Lawmakers instead should focus on online safety education and mental health resources, not warning label bills that are “constitutionally unsound,” said Todd O’Boyle, a vice president of the tech industry policy group Chamber of Progress. “We strongly suspect that the courts will set them aside as compelled speech,” O’Boyle told The Associated Press. Victoria Hinks' 16-year-old daughter, Alexandra, died by suicide four months ago after being “led down dark rabbit holes” on social media that glamorized eating disorders and self-harm. Hinks said the labels would help protect children from companies that turn a blind eye to the harm caused to children’s mental health when they become addicted to social media platforms. “There's not a bone in my body that doubts social media played a role in leading her to that final, irreversible decision,” Hinks said. “This could be your story." Common Sense Media, a sponsor of the bill, said it plans to lobby for similar proposals in other states. California in the past decade has positioned itself as a leader in regulating and fighting the tech industry to bolster online safety for children. The state was the first in 2022 to bar online platforms from using users’ personal information in ways that could harm children. It was one of the states that sued Meta in 2023 and TikTok in October for deliberately designing addictive features that keep kids hooked on their platforms. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, also signed several bills in September to help curb the effects of social media on children, including one to prohibit social media platforms from knowingly providing addictive feeds to children without parental consent and one to limit or ban students from using smartphones on school campus. Federal lawmakers have held hearings on child online safety and legislation is in the works to force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm. The legislation has the support of X owner Elon Musk and the President-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr . Still, the last federal law aimed at protecting children online was enacted in 1998, six years before Facebook’s founding.
A new forecast from the Bank of Montreal (BMO) is signalling that the economic situation the deputy prime minister called a “vibecession” could come to an end next year. In a brief note to clients from BMO economist Shelly Kaushik published late Monday, the bank suggested that a decline in population growth to a “more manageable pace” and signs the economy is rebounding through monetary policy easing mean the “vibecession” should dissipate in 2025. BMO’s note comes only a week after Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland suggested the federal government’s proposed break on GST and HST, which is making its way through the Senate, would address the “vibecession.” “There is a disconnect between the really positive economic news, the fact that the Canadian economy does appear set for a soft landing — that’s good news — but Canadians aren’t feeling it and that is shaping their economic behaviour in ways that are not great for the Canadian economy,” Freeland told reporters last week. Economists have also called it a “me-cession,” referencing the fact that although picture economic trends like inflation are returning to the central bank target zone, households are struggling with groceries, rent and mortgages that saw prices ramp up rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and wages that have yet to catch up. In the note, Kaushik says while the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is still growing, that growth lags the population surge. Last week, data from Statistics Canada showed the economy grew by one per cent in the third quarter. But it was a slowdown from the 2.2 per cent annualized growth seen in the previous quarter and undershot the Bank of Canada’s call for 1.5 per cent growth. Kaushik adds that real GDP per capita is a way to measure the standard of living, and its “deterioration” is a reason why it may “feel like a recession” for some Canadians. The boost to the economy rebounding though could in part come from policies to encourage spending by Canadians, such as the proposed “tax holiday” on GST and HST. If passed, consumers will see the GST — and in some provinces the HST — removed from various items, including certain groceries, children’s clothing, toys, restaurant meals and video game consoles starting Dec. 14 until Feb. 14, as the holiday season is in full swing. Freeland said it’s about ensuring Canadians feel confidence to spend again and act on it. Last week, TD Bank put out its own report that suggested the proposed $250 rebate cheques from the federal government, the fate of which remains uncertain amid political gridlock, would also provide stimulus to the economy and spur more Canadians to spend. That report noted it also could lead to a slowdown in interest rate cuts as the Bank of Canada won’t have to provide extra stimulus itself. Though not mentioned in her note, BMO last week estimated the stimulus from the “tax holiday” and cheques amounts to 0.3 per cent of GDP, but senior economist Robert Kavcic cautioned in a report that while “hefty,” it would “do little to change economic behaviour.” –with files from Global News’ Craig Lord and The Canadian PressNoneNEW YORK — It’s almost that time of year: Spotify is gearing up to release its annual Wrapped, personalized recaps of users' listening habits and year in audio. Spotify has been giving its listeners breakdowns of their data since 2016. And each year, it’s become a bigger production — and internet sensation. Spotify said its 2023 Wrapped was the “biggest ever created,” in terms of audience reach and the kind of data it provided. So, what will 2024 have in store? Here’s a look at what to know ahead of this year’s Spotify Wrapped. What exactly is Spotify Wrapped? It’s the streaming service's annual overview of individual listening trends, as well as trends around the world. Users learn their top artists, songs, genres, albums and podcasts, all wrapped into one interactive presentation. The campaign has become a social media sensation, as people share and compare their Wrapped data with their friends and followers online. Past iterations have provided users with all kinds of breakdowns and facts, including whether they’re among an artist’s top listeners, as well as a personalized playlist of their top 100 songs of that year to save, share and listen to whenever they’re feeling nostalgic. Spotify also creates a series of playlists that reflect national and global listening trends, featuring the top streamed artists and songs. In 2023, Taylor Swift was Spotify's most streamed artist , unseating Bad Bunny who had held the title for three years in a row. Each year has something new in store. In 2019, Wrapped included a summary of users’ streaming trends for the entire decade. Last year, Spotify matched listeners to a Sound Town based on their artist affinities and how it lined up with those in other parts of the world. When is the expected release date? So far, the streaming platform has kept the highly anticipated release date of Wrapped under ... er, wraps. In past years, it’s been released after Thanksgiving, between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6. Each year, rumors tend to swell on social media around when Spotify stops collecting data in order to prepare their Wrapped results, and this year was no exception. Spotify quickly squashed those presumptions , assuring on social media that “Spotify Wrapped doesn’t stop counting on October 31st.” A representative for Spotify did not respond to a request for comment on when the company stops tracking data for Wrapped. Where can I find my Spotify Wrapped? When Wrapped is released, each user's Spotify account will prompt them to view their interactive data roundup. It can be accessed through the Spotify smartphone app, or by logging on to the Spotify website . Wrapped is available to users with and without Premium subscriptions. What else can I learn with my Spotify data? There are a handful of third-party sites that you can connect your Spotify account to that will analyze your Wrapped data. How Bad is Your Spotify is an AI bot that judges your music taste. Receiptify gives you your top songs on a sharable graphic that looks like, yes, a receipt. Instafest gives you your own personal music festival-style lineup based on your top artists. How NPRCore Are You assesses how similar your music taste is to NPR Music's. What if I don’t have Spotify? Other major streaming platforms such as Apple Music and YouTube Music have developed their own versions of Wrapped in recent years. Apple Music’s Replay not only gives its subscribers a year-end digest of their listening habits but monthly summaries as well — a feature that helps differentiate itself from the one-time Spotify recap. That's released at the end of the calendar year. YouTube Music, meanwhile, has a similar end-of-the-year release for its listeners, as well as periodic seasonal releases throughout the year. It released its annual Recap for users earlier this month.
Though the game was actually pretty competitive for prolonged stretches on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Vikings imposed their will in the final quarter to run away with a 42-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons. ADVERTISEMENT It was a masterful performance from Sam Darnold in a game against the man he replaced. It wasn’t as good of a game for Kirk Cousins as he struggled to make much of an impact against his former team. Here are five takeaways from the Vikings’ 42-21 win over the Falcons: There were audible “MVP! MVP! MVP!” chants as the game between the Vikings and Falcons wound to a close. They were for Darnold, who completed 22 of 28 passes for 347 yards and five touchdowns, proving that the Vikings are legitimate Super Bowl contenders with him at the helm. There aren’t many quarterbacks in the NFL that have played better than Darnold over the past month. In that span, Darnold has completed 85 of 125 passes for 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns, while leading the Vikings to a 4-0 record. ADVERTISEMENT Will he actually win MVP? Not likely. Does he deserve to be in the conversation? Absolutely. Never mind that Cousins put up some prolific numbers, completing 23 of 37 passes for 344 yards. He also threw a pair of interceptions and failed to keep the game competitive. There were countless games while he was playing for the Vikings that featured a similar script. It was commonplace for Cousins to pad his stats in garbage time of a game that he had no chance of winning. Now, that’s a problem the Falcons are navigating in real time. After some strong play from Cousins earlier this season, he has regressed over the past month, and as a result, the Falcons have an 0-4 record in that span. ADVERTISEMENT The dynamic duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison rewrote the record books for the Vikings in the win over the Falcons. They became the only players in franchise history to each record more than 100 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns in the same game. That’s an insane stat considering Randy Moss and Cris Carter played together as did Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. In total, Jefferson finished with seven catches for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Addison finished with eight catches for 133 yards and a trio of touchdowns. ADVERTISEMENT After being held in check last time out, Aaron Jones bounced back with a solid effort for the Vikings against the Falcons. He was extremely effective carrying the ball and finished with 13 rushes for 73 yards and a touchdown. The fact that Jones was able to find pay dirt late in the game was a nice reward for him, considering he was an unsung hero on offense. As explosive as the Vikings proved to be throughout the air, Jones provided a nice changeup on the ground, which helped in chewing up clock down the stretch. As somebody who had a lot of success in the final month of last season, Jones is well on his way to replicating that this season. Though the defense for the Vikings struggled at times, allowing nearly 500 yards of total offense, it also stepped up a couple of times to force key turnovers. ADVERTISEMENT Whether it was Josh Metellus recording an interception early, or Byron Murphy with an interception late, the defense needed both of them to help turn the tide in the game. There was also an important forced fumble from Brian Asamoah on special teams that ended up being recovered by C.J. Ham. On the flip side, the Vikings did not turn the ball over on offense, which helped them pull away in the final frame. ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .JERUSALEM — Israel approved a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. In the hours leading up to the Cabinet meeting, Israel carried out its most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 24 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities, as Israel signaled it aims to keep pummeling Hezbollah in the final hours before any ceasefire takes hold. Israel's security Cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement late Tuesday after it was presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East, but neither he nor Netanyahu have proposed a postwar solution for the Palestinian territory, where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable. Still, any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year. Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. Netanyahu presented the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers after a televised address in which he listed a series of accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on its main enemy, Iran, which backs both groups. “If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.” Netanyahu's office later said Israel appreciated the U.S. efforts in securing the deal but "reserves the right to act against every threat to its security.” It was not immediately clear when the ceasefire would go into effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not released. The deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor all sides’ compliance. But implementation remains a major question mark. Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Biden said Israel reserved the right to quickly resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce, but that the deal "was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state” of Lebanon, he said. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” In this screen grab image from video provide by the Israeli Government Press Office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes a televised statement Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Jerusalem, Israel. Even as Israeli, U.S, Lebanese and international officials have expressed growing optimism over a ceasefire, Israel has continued its campaign in Lebanon, which it says aims to cripple Hezbollah’s military capabilities. An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs killed at least one person and wounded 13, it said. Three people were killed in a separate strike in Beirut and three in a strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media said another 10 people were killed in the eastern Baalbek province. Israel says it targets Hezbollah fighters and their infrastructure. Israel also struck a building in Beirut's bustling commercial district of Hamra for the first time, hitting a site that is around 400 meters (yards) from Lebanon’s Central Bank. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it struck targets in Beirut and other areas linked to Hezbollah's financial arm. The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously have not been targeted. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks before a ceasefire, sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, and some cars had mattresses tied to them. Dozens of people, some wearing their pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead. Hezbollah, meanwhile, kept up its rocket fire, triggering air raid sirens across northern Israel. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is headquartered. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told The Associated Press that peacekeepers will not evacuate. A police bomb squad officer inspects the site where a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024. The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometers (miles) from the Israeli border. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have been exchanging barrages ever since. Israel escalated its campaign of bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon. Chehayeb and Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press reporters Lujain Jo and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
Sci-fi pioneer Bae Myung-hoon wants Korea to embrace the space opera Published: 10 Dec. 2024, 07:00 LEE JIAN [email protected] [Page-turners] As translated fiction enters a more global limelight, Korean books are being discovered by a wider audience beyond its borders. With the help of the massive inventory retained by dbBooks, Korea’s oldest independent book dealer, the Korea JoongAng Daily sought out hidden gems on their shelves. In this interview series, we find them for you and talk to the creatives behind them. Author Bae Myung-hoon speaks to the Korea JoongAng Daily for an interview at Tongbang Books' office in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul. [PARK SANG-MOON] Writing was originally a hobby for author Bae Myung-hoon. He began in politics, earning both bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from Seoul National University in the early 2000s. He wasn't interested in popular science fiction, a genre in which Korean characters were few and far between at the time. Related Article Truth in tales: How illustrator Hanna Cha's dragons symbolize her Korean American experience Not just for kids: Author Lee Suzy touts benefits of picture books for all readers It wasn't until he won a university fiction contest with a short story titled “Terrorist” (2004), followed by a science fiction competition hosted by the Korea Foundation for Science and Creativity at the Dong-A Ilbo, that he realized he might have a knack for the activity — and, more importantly, that the traditionally western genre could have a place in Korean society. “In the beginning, I had no prior knowledge of the genre,” Bae told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “I just wrote about things that I knew.” The 46-year-old, now the author of more than 20 books and short stories, is considered a pioneer of Korea's modern science fiction market. His writing is known to blur the line between genre and literary fiction, touching on universal themes such as nationalism, war and resilience. Many of his works are set in Korea and feature Korean characters, a trend that was less common before he entered the scene. Still, when writing “The Proposal,” his newly translated book, Bae wasn't exactly sure how it, or he, would fit into the writing world. The book was published 11 years ago to a reaction the author describes as “lukewarm." “People, including myself, weren’t very aware of the sci-fi genre, and some even considered it a kind of low-rate,” the author said. Related Article Han Kang 'shocked' by martial law, calls it a 'return to the age of control and suppression' 'Truths will be spoken': Nobel winner Han Kang on the necessity of literature Han Kang says 1979 martial law in hometown of Gwangju still affects her Based in space ahead of an imminent war, “The Proposal” is a series of letters from a space-born protagonist to his lover in Seoul. The work reflects “on the distances that separate us—both physically and emotionally—and celebrates the resilience of the human spirit, ever striving to overcome these divides,” according to Honford Star. The space-born protagonist questions, often wittingly, humanity's tendencies, like its inherent nationalism, that draw lines in the face of a lesser-understood existence. “The most primal ethic that makes humans humans is not the taboos against cannibalism or incest but the ability to tell up from down," Bae writes in the book. Such themes tap into Korean experiences, Bae believes, in a way that sci-fi historically hasn't. “SF books require a bit of nationalistic confidence,” he said, “and Korean writers in the past didn’t have that. For example, if someone were to go to the moon, it would be odd to make that character a Korean. It would make more sense for the protagonist to be an American.” Cover of ′′The Proposal′′ by Bae Myung-hoon [HONFORD STAR] Much of sci-fi, consequently, used to be narrated by American characters, which Bae says “didn’t quite click with the readers." “It would seem obvious today that a Korean author would write in a Korean voice, but that wasn’t the case in science fiction 20 years ago.” Bae was one of the authors who paved the path for sci-fi stories with Korean protagonists, best known for “Tower” (2009) and “Launch Something!” (2022), both of which have been translated into English. “The Proposal,” translated by Stella Kim and released this fall by Honford Star, was the third of his books to be published in the language. One thing those works have in common, Bae says, is that their characters identify conflict not within themselves but rather with their surroundings. Solutions, if they exist, are also found in the environment. “There isn’t a big internal realization that happens and then changes the protagonist,” he said. “It is about how the characters interact with the world around them.” For instance, in "The Proposal," the protagonist's main dilemma with his army's corruption is a completely external problem. As he works through his conflicts, no significant mind shift or growth ensues that he comes out at the end of the novel a changed person. His love for space - his home - is left unchanged and because of that, and his sense of loyalty to his job, he is unable to travel back to his lover on Earth. They also, as is the case with some sci-fi works, don't bog readers with scientific facts and measurements. He makes heavy use of the phenomenon sci-fi critics refer to as “cognizant estrangement,” whereby a fictional setting helps the reader to better understand their empirical reality. “I’m not so interested in science and technology but how a society functions,” Bae said. “Sci-fi is how I understand the world.” He hopes that such genre-bending stories like “The Proposal” will continue to resonate in Korea's market, where he feels that, despite decades of progress, sci-fi is still considered inferior to more “traditional” works. It's a genre, after all, that chose him. “There wasn’t a specific moment that I told myself, ‘I want to be a science fiction writer,’” said Bae. “What I liked writing, it turned out, was science fiction. It was very organic in coming.” He's spent a considerable amount of time thinking about space and studying it, but it isn't a place where he would rather be. “Space is a great place for my mind to travel to limitlessly, but I like Earth,” he said, and more jokingly added, “I wouldn't be able to handle space's zero-gravity.” BY LEE JIAN [ [email protected] ]
The legislation sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta is necessary to bolster safety for children online, supporters say, but industry officials vow to fight the measure and others like it under the First Amendment. Warning labels for social media gained swift bipartisan support from dozens of attorneys general, including Bonta, after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to establish the requirements earlier this year, saying social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people. “These companies know the harmful impact their products can have on our children, and they refuse to take meaningful steps to make them safer,” Bonta said at a news conference Monday. “Time is up. It’s time we stepped in and demanded change.” State officials haven't provided details on the bill, but Bonta said the warning labels could pop up once weekly. Up to 95% of youth ages 13 to 17 say they use a social media platform, and more than a third say that they use social media “almost constantly,” according to 2022 data from the Pew Research Center. Parents’ concerns prompted Australia to pass the world’s first law banning social media for children under 16 in November. “The promise of social media, although real, has turned into a situation where they’re turning our children’s attention into a commodity,” Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who authored the California bill, said Monday. “The attention economy is using our children and their well-being to make money for these California companies.” Lawmakers instead should focus on online safety education and mental health resources, not warning label bills that are “constitutionally unsound,” said Todd O’Boyle, a vice president of the tech industry policy group Chamber of Progress. “We strongly suspect that the courts will set them aside as compelled speech,” O’Boyle told The Associated Press. Victoria Hinks' 16-year-old daughter, Alexandra, died by suicide four months ago after being “led down dark rabbit holes” on social media that glamorized eating disorders and self-harm. Hinks said the labels would help protect children from companies that turn a blind eye to the harm caused to children’s mental health when they become addicted to social media platforms. “There's not a bone in my body that doubts social media played a role in leading her to that final, irreversible decision,” Hinks said. “This could be your story." Common Sense Media, a sponsor of the bill, said it plans to lobby for similar proposals in other states. California in the past decade has positioned itself as a leader in regulating and fighting the tech industry to bolster online safety for children. The state was the first in 2022 to bar online platforms from using users’ personal information in ways that could harm children. It was one of the states that sued Meta in 2023 and TikTok in October for deliberately designing addictive features that keep kids hooked on their platforms. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, also signed several bills in September to help curb the effects of social media on children, including one to prohibit social media platforms from knowingly providing addictive feeds to children without parental consent and one to limit or ban students from using smartphones on school campus. Federal lawmakers have held hearings on child online safety and legislation is in the works to force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm. The legislation has the support of X owner Elon Musk and the President-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr . Still, the last federal law aimed at protecting children online was enacted in 1998, six years before Facebook’s founding.NEW YORK , Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- It is with profound sadness that TGM mourns the death of its Co-founder and Managing Principal, Steven C. Macy (1949-2024). Steve, real estate executive, husband, brother, uncle, friend, mentor, proud parent and grandparent, and oracle of wisdom who told endless anecdotes, died in New York on December 2 nd . Steve was a dynamic leader with a breadth of interests and knowledge that matched his energy, enthusiasm, and drive. He was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio . Steve co-founded TGM Associates L.P. ("TGM") with Thomas Gochberg in July 1991 . TGM provides an integrated suite of asset and property management services to large, global institutions, including state pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, corporate pension plans, and high-net-worth individuals. Prior to co-founding TGM, Steve worked at Smith Barney Real Estate and its successor company, Security Capital, where he first met Thomas Gochberg . Steve also worked for Integrated Resources, where he headed Integrated's national portfolio of 32,000 apartments. Steve was responsible for overseeing Smith Barney's nationwide property management operations and is recognized by some as one of the principal creators of the national property management business. Prior to his tenure at Smith Barney, real estate investment was predominantly a local and regional business, and Steve was responsible for creating an organization that was national in scope and capable of efficiently managing a portfolio stretching from coast to coast. He replicated this process twice more while at Integrated Resources and TGM. Steve was profiled in Bloomberg Businessweek's Executive Profile Directory for multiple years. He was also awarded the Institute of Real Estate Management's Certified Property Manager designation and was instrumental in TGM's designation as an Accredited Management Organization by that same institution. Steve's Real Estate affiliations included being a member of the Institute of Real Estate Management, the National Multi Housing Council (he served on the Board of Directors from 1990 to 1991), the National Apartment Association, and the Pension Real Estate Association. Steve was a member and patron of numerous New York social and cultural institutions and was an active member of the New York City Catholic Diocese. He accompanied Cardinal Dolan and his predecessor, Cardinal Egan, as members of their entourage on several visits to the Vatican, where Steve met sitting Popes. Steve was also an active member of St. Ignatius Loyola's congregation on the Upper East Side of Manhattan . Steve also enjoyed traveling with his Jesuit friends, including attending several silent retreats and several trips to Israel . Steve and his wife Emi had a plethora of shared interests that included volunteering, cooking, and good food (Steve was an excellent cook and enjoyed preparing meals for all), and was an adventurous traveler. Steve had an amazing rolodex of excellent restaurants from all the places he visited and usually a good story or two from the times he frequented them. Steve dedicated significant time to mentoring young minds in search of wisdom. He once published his feelings on how to lead a "successful life" which reflected those tenets that resonated deeply with him and were evident to any person that he came in contact with. In short, Steve stated that if you wanted to change the world: Steve is survived by his wife Emi; children Christopher, Tiffany, Alexa, and Akane; grandchildren Todd Jr., Tess, Tanner and Tom; his sister Karen; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. He will be missed by all. About TGM Founded in 1991, TGM is an investment advisory firm organized to provide an integrated suite of asset and property management services to its investors through a series of fully integrated operating companies. Through its vertically and horizontally integrated operating companies, TGM specializes in acquisitions, property management, leasing, construction, property maintenance and asset management services. An affiliate of TGM provides property management services under the brand TGM Communities. As of September 30, 2024, TGM has invested in 141 multifamily properties throughout 28 states. To learn more about TGM please contact John Gochberg , Managing Principal, Chief Executive Officer, and President. Phone: (212) 830-9312, E-mail: jgochberg@TGMAssociates.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tgm-mourns-death-of-co-founder-and-managing-principal-steven-c-macy-302326734.html SOURCE TGM