
Flightmares before Christmas: why December disruption is so painful
Sophie Hediger, a member of Switzerland's snowboard cross team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has died following an avalanche at a mountain resort, the country's skiing federation said on Tuesday. The incident occurred on Monday at the Arosa resort in Switzerland. Hediger, 26, competed at the Beijing Games in the women’s snowboard cross and the mixed team version of the same event. Hediger achieved her first two World Cup podium finishes in the 2023-24 season. Her best result was a second place in St. Moritz in January. “We are shocked and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we offer our deepest condolences,” said Swiss-Ski CEO Walter Reusser in a statement. “(She lost her life) tragically, brutally and far too soon.” AP sports: https://apnews.com/sportsCanadian Prime Minister Trudeau flies to Florida to meet with Trump after tariffs threat WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has flown to Florida to have dinner with President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club after Trump threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products. Joining Trump and Trudeau at dinner were Trump's picks for commerce secretary, interior secretary and national security adviser, and the three men's wives. From the Canadian side, the dinner guests included Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, whose responsibilities include border security. Trump’s transition did not respond to questions about what they had discussed or whether the conversation alleviated Trump’s concerns about the border. A smiling Trudeau declined comment upon returning to his West Palm Beach hotel late Friday. Emboldened 'manosphere' accelerates threats and demeaning language toward women after US election CHICAGO (AP) — An emboldened fringe of right-wing “manosphere” influencers has seized on Donald Trump’s presidential win to justify and amplify misogynistic derision and threats online. Many have appropriated a 1960s abortion rights rallying cry, declaring “Your body, my choice,” and have been using it publicly on college campuses and even in public schools. While none of the current online rhetoric is being amplified by Trump, experts say many young men see the former president’s return to the White House as vindication of their views on women. For many women, the words are a worrying sign of what might lie ahead as some men perceive the election results as a rebuke of reproductive rights and women’s rights. Syrian insurgents are inside Aleppo in a major setback for Assad as government forces regroup BEIRUT (AP) — Thousands of Syrian insurgents have fanned out inside Syria's largest city Aleppo a day after storming it with little resistance from government troops. Syria's army said troops have redeployed to prepare for a counteroffensive. Witnesses said insurgents were seen Saturday at landmarks in Aleppo for the first time since 2016, when they were expelled by government forces backed by Russia and Iran. The surprise offensive is a major embarrassment for Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has regained total control of the city eight years ago. An Israeli strike in Gaza kills World Central Kitchen workers. Israel says 1 was an Oct. 7 attacker DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike on a car in the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed five people including employees of World Central Kitchen. The charity says it is “urgently seeking more details” after Israel’s military said it targeted a WCK worker who had been part of the Hamas attack that sparked the war. The charity in an email says it is “heartbroken” by the airstrike and that it had no knowledge anyone in the car had alleged ties to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, saying it is “working with incomplete information.” It says it is pausing operations in Gaza. Lebanese fisherman hope ceasefire with Israel means normal life returning TYRE, Lebanon (AP) — The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is bringing hope for normality back to many in southern Lebanon. That includes fishermen who’ve long launched their single-engine wooden boats into the Mediterranean at dawn. For months, Israel imposed a siege that kept hundreds of fishermen at this ancient Phoenician port ashore. That upended their lives and dealt the industry a major blow. The port siege also cut people off from key ingredients for traditional Lebanese dishes. As war devastated their country, the loss of fish damaged a deep association with home. Now, the possibility of renewed fishing is helping fuel hope. How Brazilian police say Bolsonaro plotted a coup to stay in office SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Federal Police have formally accused former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others of plotting a coup to keep him in office. The plot was allegedly comprised of several components and substantiated by evidence and testimony in the agency's 884-page report. The pieces of the puzzle include laying the groundwork by systematically sowing distrust of the electoral system among the populace. It also includes drafting a decree to give the plot a veneer of legal basis and pressuring top military brass to go along with the plan. Bolsonaro and his main allies have denied any wrongdoing or involvement and accuse authorities of political persecution. More than 100 arrested as Georgian police clash with protesters over suspension of EU talks TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — More than 100 demonstrators were arrested overnight in Georgia as protesters clashed with police following the government’s decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union, the country’s Interior Ministry said. Friday marked the second straight night of protests after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the country’s ruling Georgian Dream party announced the suspension the previous day. The Associated Press saw protesters in Tbilisi being chased and beaten by police as demonstrators rallied in front of the country's parliament building. The violence follows Georgian Dream’s disputed victory in the Oct. 26 election, which was widely seen as a referendum on the country’s aspirations to join the European Union. Romania's parliamentary vote risks being overshadowed by presidential race chaos BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanians are preparing to go to the polls in a parliamentary vote that will determine a new government and prime minister to lead the European Union and NATO member country. However, Sunday's vote is sandwiched between a two-round presidential race and is overshadowed by controversies and chaos following the outcome of the first vote. While the president has significant decision-making powers in areas such as national security and foreign policy, the prime minister is the head of the nation’s government. Sunday’s vote will determine the formation of the country’s 466-seat legislature. North Korea's Kim vows steadfast support for Russia’s war in Ukraine SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country will “invariably support” Russia’s war in Ukraine as he met Russia's visiting defense chief. A Russia military delegation led by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday as international concerns about the two countries’ expanding cooperation deepened after North Korea sent thousands of troops to Russia. During a Friday meeting, Kim and Belousov reached “a satisfactory consensus” on issues on how to further boost strategic partnership and defend each country’s sovereignty and security interests, state media said. Great Lakes, Plains and Midwest forecast to be hit with snow and dangerous cold into next week BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The first big snowfall of the season is threatening to bury towns in upstate New York and northwestern Pennsylvania as the hectic holiday travel and shopping weekend winds down. Numbing cold and heavy snow could persist into next week and cause hazards in the Great Lakes, Plains and Midwest regions. A state of emergency was declared for parts of New York, making it problematic for scores of Thanksgiving travelers trying to return home. This week’s blast of frigid Arctic air also brought bitterly cold temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average to the Northern Plains. Cold air was expected to move over the eastern third of the U.S. by Monday, the weather service said, with temperatures about 10 degrees below average.
Sports on TV for Wednesday, Dec. 25
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday congratulated Hari Babu Kambhampati on his appointment as the new governor of Odisha. President Droupadi Murmu earlier in the evening accepted the resignation of Raghubar Das as the governor of Odisha and appointed Mizoram governor Kambhampati in his place. Deputy CM KV Singh Deo also congratulated the new governor. ''It is with great pleasure that I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati on his appointment as the new Governor of Odisha. Your exemplary leadership and dedication to public service will undoubtedly guide our state towards greater heights. I look forward to working together to further the development and prosperity of Odisha,'' he posted on X. (This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Share Tweet Share Share Email Almost 41% of teens have screen time of more than 8 hours per day. Online exposure to this extent makes an incomprehensible amount of information accessible to children. Depending on the screen time and content consumed, your child can suffer from mental health issues like depression and addiction . To avoid such precarious situations from uprooting, you must practice monitoring to protect your children from hidden social media dangers. However, if you are having a hard time choosing a monitoring tool to use, this article can better equip you to make that decision. What Lurks Behind These Seemingly Good Social Media Platforms? Before that though, you need to understand what a kids monitoring app for parents can protect your child from. 1. Adult Content Unlike adults, kids have a very impressionable brain that can make the impact of adult content more gruesome. Frequent intentional or unintentional exposure to pornographic, violent, and graphic content can affect kids adversely. 2. Online Grooming Likewise, predators commonly target underage children to partake in grooming and sextortion. To put the seriousness of the situation in perspective, almost 3.5% of children have experienced sexual extortion online during the last year alone. 3. Phishing Scams Teens also easily fall for phishing scams and unknowingly give away their personal information to scammers. Your inability to prevent them from becoming prey to this can lead to their sensitive information like usernames, passwords, and card details being leaked. 4. Identity Theft Unsafe use of social media apps can result in identity theft. Predators can use children’s personal information and pictures to create a fake profile to lure in other teens. Contrarily, fraudsters can steal their credit or use their security number to carry out illegal activities. What Are the 5 Best Apps to Keep Child’s Online Activity Safe? Now to ensure your child’s social media safety, you can take measures like: Set their privacy carefully; Ensure they think before they post; Have strong passwords, etc. Unfortunately, though, all of these measures can prove futile given parents cannot always be bugging their kids and be on their heads at all times. A more complete solution to this problem is monitoring apps that give parents access to their children’s phone activity and help ensure their social media safety. 1. Xnspy Xnspy is a kids monitoring app for parents that logs all online and offline phone activities of a target device. Users gain access to messages, calls, IM chats, multimedia files, locations, app clocking, remote controls, etc. As soon as new activity is logged in the target device, Xnspy uploads it in real-time to its dashboard. Parents can then check all those logs at their convenience. Xnspy commits to a comprehensive monitoring experience by offering all of these features to its users: Phone calls, messages, contacts; Gmail, internet history, Wi-Fi networks, calendar; Social media chats and call monitoring; Phone and third-party apps’ call recording; Screen records for content monitoring; Phone and app clocking with actuarial records; App list and blocking for screen time management; SIM, GPS, and Wi-Fi live location tracking; Android and iOS keylogger; Videos, photos, and other multimedia files; Alerts for watchlist words, contacts, and locations; Remote controls of surround record, lock the phone, wipe data, take screenshots, etc. Xnspy Pros Operates in 100% stealth mode and is undetectable; The dashboard is end-to-end encrypted and has no possibility of a data breach; Works remotely and discreetly without informing the phone user; The installation takes 5 minutes, and has remote tech support plus an installation guide; The user interface is sleek, modern, glitch-free, and interactive with a responsive design; Runs smoothly on both Android and iOS with 20+ features; Offers monitoring for over 13 social media apps; Does not miss any logs or malfunction and provides updates in real-time; Has 24/7 live customer support with only a minute-long response time; Provide features for both social media chats and content monitoring. Xnspy Cons Require one-time physical access to the target device for installation; Does not offer a live camera; Sifting through so many logs can be tiresome even with search options and subcategories. 2. ClevGuard ClevGuard is a Chinese monitoring platform that aims to keep tabs on a child’s phone activity. Parents can check their children’s location, calls, history, keystrokes, and other phone activities to stay in a loop. To collect these logs, ClevGuard runs in the background of the target device and uploads any new updates on its dashboard via the Internet. Basic monitoring features available on ClevGuard are as follows: Calls, messages, contacts; Browsing history, Gmail, photos; Screen time, keylogger; GPS location tracking and geofencing; Social media chats and video apps; Remote controls. ClevGuard Pros Encrypted and protected user data with no leaks; The user interface is functional and easy to navigate; Live camera option available even if with a lack of practical usage. ClevGuard Cons Customer support is below par with only chatbots to help with technical issues; To gain full access to its feature range, additional fees are required; Stealth mode is not applicable for Android version 10 and above; Feature falsely advertised with limited functioning. 3. Qustodio Qustodio is a parenting app that provides parents with a non-invasive solution to monitoring through content filters. Parents can stay informed while also giving their children much-needed space. Putting to use its web filters, screen time limits, and social media monitoring, parents can reinforce healthy digital habits in their children. To aid monitoring, Qustodio provides access to these features: Browsing history and web filtering options; Screen time tracking and restriction; Location tracking and alerts; Social media chats and content monitoring; Call and message tracking (need additional app though); Daily, weekly, biweekly, and monthly activity reports. Qustodio Pros Works on Android, iPhone, Windows, and Mac; Blocking options to control exposure to harmful content or excessive usage of an app; Does not intrude on children’s privacy. Qustodio Cons Detectable so kids can easily bypass and uninstall it; App functioning on iPhones is limited and littered with issues; Data loading takes time and can slow down the target device; No timely responses from customer support. 4. Msafely Msafely, better known as a parental control tool, allows parents to monitor and manage their kid’s online activities remotely. With access to phone app logs and social media chat monitoring, parents can ensure that their kids’ activity is safe. Using this monitoring solution, both Android and iOS devices can be tracked. For iOS, the monitoring offered is cloud-based while for Android, users can select either cloud-based or direct phone monitoring. To help parents effectively monitor, the following features are provided: Messages, calls, contacts, media; Browser history, email, screen time; Location tracking with GPS (both) and Wi-Fi (only iOS); Social media message monitoring. Msafely Pros Compatible with both Android and iPhone; 24/7 chatbots and customer support available; Ensures data security and is not detectable on the target device. Msafely Cons Social media monitoring is limited to messages; Arbitrary arrangement of features and lack of subcategories make navigation difficult; Remote commands are not available for proper control of the target device; Price is not justifiable given its limited features for basic monitoring. 5. Minspy Minspy is a phone tracker app that works remotely on a target device. Users can, therefore, access and monitor the activities logged on a device without alerting the phone user. Users with Android target devices have to install the app directly on the phone while for iOS, iCloud password and username are required to indirectly monitor through its backup. To make monitoring possible, Minspy offers multiple features to its users: Contacts, calls, messages; Browser history, calendar, photos, videos; Social media chat monitoring; Location tracking via GPS (both) and SIM (only Android); App list (both), keylogger (only Android). Minspy Pros Compatible with both Android and iPhone; Chat monitoring for over 15 apps on Android (only two on iOS); Customer support includes FAQs, tickets, and email. Minspy Cons Logs update after 30 minutes for Android and after 24 hours for iOS; Features range for Android and iOS vary largely but at almost the same price; App malfunctions, lags, delays data loading, and at times hangs up completely; Easily detectable by phone security and free anti-virus. Conclusion If your child is exhibiting signs of disrupted sleep, chronic pain, and poor mental health, they might have already become a victim of phone overconsumption. However, not all is lost as is already established in this article. An effective kids monitoring app for parents can help you ensure they are away from mature content, predators, bullies, and abusers. You can further use a monitoring app to keep tabs on whether they are abiding by the safety rules and screen time limits. In case they are not, you can simply use remote commands and take back control of their phones. Related Items: Teens Online , Teens Online Activity Share Tweet Share Share Email Comments
Meta Hosts First Youth Summit to Drive Innovation, Empowerment
Daniel Silva of Buchalter Law Firm believes that the Adani Group is likely to face significant restrictions, including the exclusion from raising capital in US markets due to the indictment order. In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Silva highlighted that financial institutions, particularly in the US, are likely to be reluctant to lend or maintain banking relationships due to the heightened risks associated with the criminal and securities fraud investigations. A US court has indicted Gautam Adani , his nephew Sagar Adani, and several other officials for allegedly bribing Indian government officials to secure solar energy contracts. The indictment claims that Adani paid over ₹2,000 crore in bribes, including ₹1,750 crore to a senior official in the Andhra Pradesh government. The Adani group is also accused of hiding information regarding an FBI investigation to Indian financial institutions and investors. Silva noted that Adani Group has already experienced substantial financial repercussions, including a decline in stock value and the cancellation of major contracts, such as a key deal in Kenya post the indictment. However, drawing parallels to past high-profile cases like Siemens and Oracle, Silva suggests that the Adani Group could eventually face large financial settlements as part of a potential resolution to the charges. Below is the verbatim transcript of the interview. Q: Give us a sense of the seriousness of these charges. And when do you think ordinarily, this investigation would have begun, and would all the defendants in this case have already been notified about this investigation and given a notice to join the probe. Silva: The investigation would have started years ago, most likely two or three years ago. Some of these international investigations of complex international frauds, which are what the allegations show, take a very long time. In this case, based on the indictment and the other public information, it's clear that the investigators and prosecutors have obtained co-operators. This is individuals who may have engaged in some type of criminal conduct or assisted in the criminal conduct, and have assisted by providing information, communications, financial transactions and other insights into the alleged bribery scheme. In terms of how serious this is, it really does not get any more serious than this. There is a widespread multi 100-million-dollar bribery scheme, fraud scheme, securities fraud scheme, and obstruction of the actual investigation in the United States. Regarding your question about whether or not all of the individuals indicted would have been contacted in advance of the indictment. Typically, yes, they would have, but at this point, it's unclear whether or not they would have been, especially in light of the allegation that there was a conspiracy to obstruct the investigation. Typically, when that happens, they won't reach out to the people who themselves are attempting to undermine that investigation. Q: I would also like to ask you about the manner in which some of these cases have been settled in the past, Siemens, Oracle for example, these are companies which had been charged for bribing officials across the world, including in India, those cases were eventually settled for millions of dollars. How do you think this could proceed? And do you think eventually this would also reach a settlement? Silva: What's interesting is no entity, no company, whether in the United States, India, or anywhere where else in the world, is named in the indictment. What that suggests to me is that the resolution, as you propose, in the same vein as Siemens, there might be an additional conversation happening separately from the individual indictments. What that means is, in the United States, an entity has its own liability, has its own potential criminal exposure, and so it will have its own attorneys who will most likely be negotiating with the US authorities to resolve that. One extra point is it's not only the company's criminal liability and the individual's criminal liability. There's also an SEC complaint that was filed, and so there's also securities issues, so there's most likely very complex, expansive negotiations happening, both on the criminal level and at the securities level. Q: How does this impact the future possibility of the companies of the defendants mentioned in the indictment and in the SEC investigation their ability to raise capital globally, and will the banks which have given them capital in the US, do you think they will also be brought into this investigation, and would documents and evidence be sought from them as well? Silva: Yes, there is no doubt that the financial institutions involved in the underlying financing or promoting the securities in this indictment have already been contacted and are already providing information - these are the financial transactions, these are the communications, these are any interactions with the defendants or the unindicted co-conspirators in this case. In terms of the Adani Group, they have already suffered financial impacts in terms of the reduction of their stock price. I believe one contract in Kenya was already cancelled. So there's hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue that will be lost. In addition, because of the nature of the securities allegations, there is also the potential that they will be restricted or excluded from raising money on US markets. And then the final issue is similar to the Kenyan government's desire to no longer engage in any contracts with the Adani Group. A lot of financial institutions, particularly in the United States, will be concerned with financing or any type of lending or banking relationship with any company affiliated with the Adani Group, for the simple reason that they are potentially in the middle of a criminal and securities fraud investigation and prosecution, meaning that increases the risks massively for the financial institutions who never want to take very many risks, more than they have to and tend to be much more conservative in issues like this.
Offense rules day as No. 10 Georgia dispatches MassachusettsShark Tank star Kevin O’Leary said on Monday on Fox Business Network’s “Fox Business Live” that President-elect Donald Trump must take on China with tariffs. Host David Asman said, “The difference between Canada and China is monumental. I mean, Trudeau came into the U.S., bowed at the feet of Donald Trump and folded like a cheap suit. I don’t sense the same kind of reaction coming from Xi. What’s gonna happen with Xi, they’re gonna play hardball?” O’Leary said, “China’s a different issue completely to Canada or any other country. The only way, you’ve got to remember since 1999, since they came into the World Trade Organization, they have broken the rules with every country, including the U.S., every year. I’m an individual who does business there. My businesses have been absolutely screwed. I’ve said it countless times. They don’t play by the rules. There’s nothing reciprocal in our relations. The only way to make it work with the Supreme Leader, as I like to call him, is to inflict massive economic pain and risk on him by imposing tariffs on sectors where many Chinese people are employed.” He added, “I have nothing against Chinese people, I have a lot against their government, and the only way to put him at risk is to say, look, if you want to mess with the largest economy you trade with, then we’re going to force a lot of people that make yoga mats or electronics or whatever else it is to be unemployed in your cities. They’ll be rioting in the streets, they won’t have any bread, and you will be out of power. That is the only way it’s going to work. So very selected, high impact weaponry, like tariffs, but you’ve got to be hardcore. He only understands the stick. That’s all he understands. Any weakness at all, he plays off, and he has done so for years. So I’m hoping this is the administration that fixes the problem. I have really been hurt by China and there are millions of other businesses in America that are the same boat I’m in.” Follow Pam Key on X @pamkeyNEN
Mayor Olivia Chow’s city hall has inconsistently addressed antisemitism in Toronto, based on a range of community complaints