TikTok loses bid to strike down law that could ban it from the US

 

New YorkCNN — 

TikTok has lost its bid to strike down a law that could result in the platform being banned in the United States.

A US appeals court upheld the law in a ruling Friday. Denying TikTok’s argument that the law was unconstitutional, the judges found that the law does not “contravene the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States,” nor does it “violate the Fifth Amendment guarantee of equal protection of the laws.”   

The ruling means that the platform is one step closer to facing a US ban — unless it can convince Chinese parent-company ByteDance to sell and find a buyer — starting on January 19, 2025. After the deadline, US app stores and internet services could face hefty fines for hosting TikTok if it is not sold. (Under the legislation, Biden may issue a one-time extension of

 the deadline.)In a statement, TikTok indicated it would appeal the decision.

“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,” said company spokesperson Michael Hughes. “Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people. The TikTok ban, unless stopped, will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.”

ByteDance has previously indicated it will not sell TikTok.

Finding in favor of the US government     

The court’s ruling Friday largely deferred to Congress, finding that lawmakers acted within their constitutional powers and followed appropriate procedure in crafting the TikTok law. The legislation “narrowly” addressed the specific problem of TikTok’s China ties, the judges said, and “does not suppress content or require a certain mix of content.”

“People in the United States would remain free to read and share as much PRC propaganda (or any other content) as they desire on TikTok or any other platform of their choosing,” the judges said. “What the Act targets is the PRC’s ability to manipulate the content covertly. Understood in that way, the Government’s justification is wholly consonant with the First Amendment.”

Unimpressed with TikTok’s counterarguments, the judges dismissed the company’s objections to the US government’s national security concerns. TikTok only “quibbles” with how US officials have characterized its data practices, they said, and TikTok’s defense of its data collection “misses the forest for the trees.”

A key flashpoint in the case had been a proposed deal with US national security officials that TikTok claimed would have resolved the potential spying concerns. During the litigation, TikTok implied that the US government acted in bad faith by pursuing negotiations for months before suddenly cutting off communication and then backing the legislation that Biden ultimately signed. US government lawyers, meanwhile, responded that the draft deal was insufficient to resolve the security concerns.

On Friday, the judges sided with the US government on the deal negotiations, saying they “can neither fault nor second guess” the determination by US officials that the draft deal with                                                       More

                       

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Spotify advertises with Nemo in Basel

 

Since Wednesday, listeners have been able to discover their personal streaming highlights in Spotify's 2024 annual review Wrapped, and the most streamed international and national artists, songs and podcasts of the year have been revealed.   

Spotify launched a marketing campaign to mark the end of the year, which is running in 31 markets via (D)OOH, digital channels, social media and its own platform, according to a statement. A huge out-of-home poster can currently be seen on the market square in Basel, which celebrates Nemo's impressive ESC victory this year.   

"The Wrapped campaign reflects what moved users in Germany and around the world this year - far beyond music and podcasts. Wrapped is always an expression of how video, audio and culture grow together and constantly reinvent themselves. We are particularly proud to capture success stories such as Nemo's impressive ESC victory this year on an OOH space in Basel," said Heiner Kuhlmann, Director of Marketing at Spotify in Central Europe. (pd/wid)

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Das waren die Top-Songs in der Region

 

Jedes Jahr veröffentlicht der schwedische Musik-Streamingdienst einen personalisierten Rückblick der meistgehörten Songs des zurückliegenden Jahres. Wir haben die Top-Ten der drei Städte.

Die Vorweihnachtszeit hält für viele ein weiteres Highlight bereit: Spotify erstellt seit einigen Jahren seinen eigenen Jahresrückblick „Wrapped“. Dabei führt der schwedische Marktführer zum Beispiel auf, welche die Lieblingssongs der Nutzer waren, wie viele Minuten sie gestreamt haben und nach welchen Künstlern sie besonders verrückt waren. Auch für einzelne Städte gibt es eine Zusammenfassung. Wir haben die Lieblingssongs des Jahres 2024.      der Nürtinger, Esslinger und Kirchheimer. Auffällig: Der Sommerhit „Bauch Beine Po“ von Shirin David hat es nur in die Top-Ten einer der drei Städte geschafft:

Nürtingen:

1. AYLIVA, Apache 207 - Wunder

2. Artemas - i like the way you kiss me

3. Benson Boone - Beautiful Things

4. $OHO BANI, Ericson, Herbert Grönemeyer - ZEIT, DASS SICH WAS DREHT

5.Bausa, CHEKAA, FOURTY - VEMPA

6. CYRIL - Stumblin‘ In

7. BENNETT - Vois sur ton chemin - Techno Mix

8. Cris Mj, FloyyMenor - Gata Only

9. Mark Ambor - Belong Together

10. Agatino Romero, Jaxomy, Raffaella Carrà - Pedro

Kirchheim:

1. AYLIVA, Apache 207 - Wunder

2. Benson Boone - Beautiful Things

3. Artemas - i like the way you kiss me

4. $OHO BANI, Ericson, Herbert Grönemeyer - ZEIT, DASS SICH WAS DREHT

5. CYRIL - Stumblin‘ In

6.Mark Ambor - Belong Together

7. Cris Mj, FloyyMenor - Gata Only

8. BENNETT - Vois sur ton chemin - Techno Mix

9. Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten

10. Shirin David - Bauch Beine Po

 

Esslingen:

1. AYLIVA, Apache 207 - Wunder

2. Artemas - i like the way you kiss me

3. Benson Boone - Beautiful Things

4. Cris Mj, FloyyMenor - Gata Only

5. $OHO BANI, Ericson, Herbert Grönemeyer - ZEIT, DASS SICH WAS DREHT

6. Bausa, CHEKAA, FOURTY - VEMPA

7. Mark Ambor - Belong Together

8. BENNETT - Vois sur ton chemin - Techno Mix

9. Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten

10. CYRIL - Stumblin‘ In 

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2024 Wrapped Everything You Need To Know About Your Music Evolution

 

This year, you grew and transformed, and your musical journey reflects this evolution. Did you start the year with some Pink Pilates Princess Strut Pop and transition to a Surf Crush Beach Reggae phase in August? Were you all about Wild West Slow Dance Country before moving into your Sweater Weather Softcore Indie era?

Whatever your journey looked like, 2024 Wrapped is celebrating Your Music Evolution, revealing the musical phases that uniquely defined your year. Users will receive up to three distinctive musical phases, which are based on hundreds of thousands of unique descriptors, genres, and artists. 

Each phase features artists drawn from your listening this year, and each has a uniquely crafted title to capture the essence of that phase. 

How Spotify picked the phases of Your Music Evolution

Several special factors went into creating Your Music Evolution, including the amount of time you spent listening to an artist or genre, peak listening months, and distinctiveness, which means spotlighting a genre that stood out from your usual listening patterns. 

• Spotify combined machine learning with human curation to associate descriptors and genres with different tracks. These descriptors then informed your musical phases. 
• While the Your Music Evolution data story may not encompass every musical moment of your year, it aims to reflect some of the most significant ones, revealing your unique journey and evoking 2024 memories through music.
• To be eligible for Your Music Evolution, you will need to have streamed at least three tracks and one artist per music category over the course of the year. 

In addition to Your Music Evolution, you will also receive a custom Your Music Evolution 2024 playlist in your Wrapped feed on Home. The playlist includes familiar favorites along with new songs that we think you’ll love, related to your unique musical phases. 

Each year, Spotify Wrapped celebrates the millions of ways our fans show up for the artists they love, and with Your Music Evolution, we’re offering an exciting new way to relive your biggest moments of the year.

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United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson killed by masked gunman outside Midtown Hilton hotel

 

Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare, was killed by a masked gunman early Wednesday outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown where he was expected to speak to a ballroom full of colleagues, officials said.

Detectives are investigating the possibility that the gunman was lying in wait for Thompson before the shooting.

Thompson, 50, was walking to the Residences Hilton Club on Sixth Ave. near W. 54th St. about 6:45 a.m. when the gunman stormed up and opened fire from about 20 feet away, police sources said.EMS rushed the victim to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where he died of his wounds.The gunman ran off and was being sought.

According to preliminary reports, witnesses told police that the gunman, who was dressed in a cream-colored coat, a black sweatshirt, a black facemask, black and white sneakers, and was sporting a backpack, stepped out of an alley before shooting Thompson, who was expected to give a speech at an investor day sponsored by United Healthcare.

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South Korean president faces calls to step down

 Opposition pushes for impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol after failed attempt to impose martial law

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South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol faced mounting calls for his impeachment on Wednesday after his failed attempt to impose martial law triggered the country’s worst constitutional crisis in decades. Opposition lawmakers called on him to resign or face proceedings that would remove him from office following a parliamentary vote, while protesters against the 63-year-old former prosecutor held a rally in central Seoul on Wednesday morning. The turmoil came after Yoon declared martial law in an unscheduled national broadcast late on Tuesday, saying he needed to purge South Korea of “anti-state forces” and “normalise the country”. But he backed down hours later, lifting the order after it was unanimously rejected by the opposition-controlled legislature. Troops sent to surround the parliament building were withdrawn. South Korea’s main opposition, the Democratic party, said Yoon’s declaration of martial law “was a grave violation of the constitution”. “This amounts to a clear act of treason and is a perfect reason to impeach him,” it said in a statement.

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“[Yoon] is likely to make another attempt as his first attempt at a martial decree failed,” Lee Jae-myung, the party leader, told a rally in the parliamentary compound. “But we face a bigger risk where he can provoke North Korea and run the risk of an armed clash with North Korea by destabilising the divided border.” Yoon’s bid to impose martial law — the first in the country since democracy was restored in the 1980s — came after months of tensions with his rivals in parliament. Following the night of upheaval, South Korea’s financial authorities vowed to stabilise Asia’s fourth-largest economy with “unlimited” liquidity. The Bank of Korea said after an emergency meeting on Wednesday that it was “keeping all options open until the markets stabilise”. The won, which weakened sharply against the dollar following Yoon’s declaration of martial law, recovered. The benchmark Kospi index fell nearly 2 per cent. Shares of Samsung Electronics, the country’s biggest company, fell 1.1 per cent.

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Why did South Korea's leader declare martial law - and what now?

 

South Korea's president shocked the country on Tuesday night when, out of the blue, he declared martial law in the Asian democracy for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Yoon Suk Yeol's drastic decision - announced in a late-night TV broadcast - mentioned "anti-state forces" and the threat from North Korea.

But it soon became clear that it not been spurred by external threats but by his own desperate political troubles.

Still, it prompted thousands of people to gather at parliament in protest, while opposition lawmakers rushed there to push through an emergency vote to remove the measure.

Defeated, Yoon emerged a few hours later to accept the parliament's vote and lift the martial law order.

Now, he faces the prospect of possible impeachment and even expulsion from his own party.

How significant is martial law?

Martial law is temporary rule by military authorities in a time of emergency, when civil authorities are deemed unable to function.

The last time it was declared in South Korea was in 1979, when the country's then long-term military dictator Park Chung-hee was assassinated during a coup.

It has never been invoked since the country became a parliamentary democracy in 1987.

But on Tuesday, Yoon pulled that trigger, saying in a national address he was trying to save South Korea from "anti-state forces".

Yoon, who has taken a noticeably more hardline stance on North Korea than his predecessors, described the political opposition as North Korea sympathisers - without providing evidence.

Under martial law, extra powers are given to the military and there is often a suspension of civil rights for citizens and rule of law standards and protections.

Despite the military announcing restrictions on political activity and the media, protesters and politicians defied those orders. And there was no sign of the government seizing control of free media - Yonhap, the national broadcaster, and other outlets kept reporting as normal.

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CSKA beat Spartak Varna, goalkeeper saved the Falcons from pogrom.

                          Click Here to watch this full video.

The CSKA team recorded a comfortable 3:1 victory over Spartak Varna in a match of the 18th round of the efbet League. Once again, Godwin Koyalipu became a key figure for the "reds", who scored two of the goals for the hosts. Thibaut Vion scored the third, and Ahmed Akhmedov scored for Varna.

Koyalipu's goals were respectively number twelve and thirteen since the start of the season. The striker scored in his eighth consecutive match for the "reds". Martin Velichkov had a very strong match for the "falcons", who made several magnificent performances and saved his team from a real pogrom.  

The match at the "Vasil Levski" National Stadium started with a very good position for the home team. Matias Phaeton managed to take the ball away from two players of Spartak Varna and drifted down the left flank. A double pass followed with Godwin Koyalipu in the box and a shot from a small angle. However, Christian Ilić was in his place and managed to parry the ball, which went into the corner.

The better game of the "reds" from the beginning of the match gave a result already in the 7th minute. Stanislav Shopov controlled the half of Spartak Varna and with a wonderful pass managed to lead Godwin Koyalipu, who advanced and with a precise shot past Martin Velichkov scored. Even at the moment of the attacker's shot, however, the side referee signaled an ambush. The situation was however reviewed with the help of VAR, who ruled that Koyalipu's position was legal and the goal was awarded. TV replays showed that Franjo Perce covered the ambush by literally a few centimeters.

After the home team's goal, the CSKA players completely took the initiative in the match and created a lot of chances in front of their opponent's goal. However, the visiting keeper Martin Velichkov had a day and made some magnificent saves.

Mathias Faeon was twice wavered by the Varna goalkeeper, and on the third shot at the goal he was unlucky and hit the crossbar. Godwin Koyalipu also missed a glorious opportunity and Thibaut Vion missed the target with a header from two metres.

Lumbard Delova had a great chance to increase his team's lead in the 42nd minute, but he shot hard from the edge of the penalty area, sending the ball wide of the right side post.

The CSKA team recorded a comfortable 3:1 victory over Spartak Varna in a match of the 18th round of the efbet League. Once again, Godwin Koyalipu became a key figure for the "reds", who scored two of the goals for the hosts. Thibaut Vion scored the third, and Ahmed Akhmedov scored for Varna.

Koyalipu's goals were respectively number twelve and thirteen since the start of the season. The striker scored in his eighth consecutive match for the "reds". Martin Velichkov had a very strong match for the "falcons", who made several magnificent performances and saved his team from a real pogrom.  

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41 photos

The match at the "Vasil Levski" National Stadium started with a very good position for the home team. Matias Phaeton managed to take the ball away from two players of Spartak Varna and drifted down the left flank. A double pass followed with Godwin Koyalipu in the box and a shot from a small angle. However, Christian Ilić was in his place and managed to parry the ball, which went into the corner.

The better game of the "reds" from the beginning of the match gave a result already in the 7th minute. Stanislav Shopov controlled the half of Spartak Varna and with a wonderful pass managed to lead Godwin Koyalipu, who advanced and with a precise shot past Martin Velichkov scored. Even at the moment of the attacker's shot, however, the side referee signaled an ambush. The situation was however reviewed with the help of VAR, who ruled that Koyalipu's position was legal and the goal was awarded. TV replays showed that Franjo Perce covered the ambush by literally a few centimeters.

After the home team's goal, the CSKA players completely took the initiative in the match and created a lot of chances in front of their opponent's goal. However, the visiting keeper Martin Velichkov had a day and made some magnificent saves.

Mathias Faeon was twice wavered by the Varna goalkeeper, and on the third shot at the goal he was unlucky and hit the crossbar. Godwin Koyalipu also missed a glorious opportunity and Thibaut Vion missed the target with a header from two metres.

Lumbard Delova had a great chance to increase his team's lead in the 42nd minute, but he shot hard from the edge of the penalty area, sending the ball wide of the right side post.

The second part offered even more serious emotions for fans. The visitors made a unique miss just two minutes after the restart. Spartak Varna striker Ahmed Akhmedov failed to score with a shot at an empty goal from a few meters away.

A few minutes later, however, the scorer of the "falcons" got revenge in the best way, scoring a magnificent goal for 1:1. Bernardo Couto found Yves Romees on the right flank, who advanced and launched a pass parallel to the goal line, which Akhmedov intercepted with his back to goal and caught Ivan Dylgerov by surprise.

Ten minutes after the goal from Varna, CSKA managed to regain its lead through Thibaut Vion. The full-back made one of his signature breakthroughs to score a technical with a shot from the arc of the penalty area.

In the 66th minute, Godwin Koyalipu was on target again to calm the situation for the “Reds”. It was the striker’s thirteenth goal since the start of the season, scoring in his eighth consecutive match for his team. 

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Barcelona woke up with a bang, Yamal with an inhuman assist.

                               Barcelona woke up with a bang, Yamal with an inhuman assist.

After three consecutive shoots, Barcelona showed the familiar face from the beginning of the season, defeating Mallorca 5:1 as a guest in a La Liga match . Ferran Torres (12') put the Catalans ahead relatively early, but just before the break the home team equalized through Vedat Murici (43'). After the break, however, Hanzi Flick's players went wild, with Rafinha and Lamin Yamal being particularly active . The Brazilian scored for 2:1 from a penalty in the 56th made by his young teammate. Then Yamal made an outstanding pass to his teammate for 3:1 in the 74th, and then with another magical pass he assisted Frenkie de Jong 's goal in the 79th. Then the Dutchman assisted Pau Victor for the final 5:1 in the 84th.

The match has been withdrawn from round 19, which is scheduled for the second weekend of January. Just then, however, the two teams in question, along with Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid , who play each other on Wednesday night, will be involved in the Spanish Super Cup tournament in Saudi Arabia. With the success, Barca increased their lead over the champions to 4 points, who, however, have two games in hand.

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