Author Archives: Layla Nelson

USA’s favorite app Temu makes its big game debut in rookie year

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Temu, an e-commerce platform specializing in affordable quality products, made a bold statement in its first year of operation by running an advertisement during the Big Game. This achievement makes Temu one of the youngest companies to advertise at this high-profile event, a testament to the company’s rapid growth.

Founded in September 2022, Temu has quickly established itself as the go-to destination for the best value and quality products among budget-conscious shoppers. Its mobile app quickly climbed the app rankings, surprising industry insiders. The Temu app has been the most downloaded app in major US app stores since late last year, earning it the informal title of “America’s Favorite App”.

Now in the middle of his rookie season, Temu has again rewritten the playbook, sharing the biggest advertising platform with household names like General Motors, Pepsi and Heineken.

Temu’s 30-second commercial is titled “Shop Like A Billionaire” and follows the adventure of a protagonist as she experiences the joys of shopping on the Temu app. Her face lights up when she realizes that the shopping possibilities are endless at such low prices. From the latest trends to tools, headphones and more, Temu has something for everyone. “I feel so rich,” plays the cheerful jingle, “I feel like a billionaire.”

As the spot ends, excited shoppers fill the streets, dancing and celebrating Temu’s arrival. Created by Saatchi & Saatchi and directed by Robert Jitzmark, the spot premiered in the first quarter, followed by a third quarter appearance and two post-game airings.

Temu’s pursuit of maximizing value for consumers

“We are very excited to be part of the Big Game 2023 franchise and to share Temu’s mission of quality at affordable prices,” a Temu spokesperson said. “Using the biggest stage possible, we want to provide more consumers with the exciting shopping experience of the best products at the best prices on Temu.”

Temu’s decision to spend millions on the Big Game spot — Ad Age reports a 30-second spot costs $7 million — could pay off if the presence increases brand recall among consumers, analysts say of the sector. Temu is backed by PDD Holdings Inc., a Nasdaq-listed multinational business group that also owns social commerce platform Pinduoduo. PDD Holdings has a market cap of more than $100 billion and revenue of $17 billion for the 12 months ending September, up $5.2 billion.

Temu attributed the lightning speed at which it grew its multi-category marketplace to the support of parent company PDD Holdings, which has amassed more than 11 million vendors and serves more than 900 million customers globally through its stores. Temu’s e-commerce platform offers 29 main product categories, including clothing, beauty products, kitchenware and home improvement tools, all from independent third-party retailers.

Timing also explains Temu’s popularity with consumers. Its launch in September 2022 coincided with soaring inflation, allowing it to capture the zeitgeist of post-pandemic spending. Consumers, hit by the end of pandemic-era relief programs, rising costs of living and uncertain job prospects, were poised to get more value from their paychecks.

Temu offers great prices on coveted products

“With our fears of inflation and tighter budgets, now is probably a good time in America to launch a service that offers seemingly endless discounts, free shipping, and a majority of items under $10,” wrote Kirk Miller, editor at InsideHook.

Miller described shopping on Temu as “the equivalent of a hundred neon signs offering discounts” and that the prices are “ridiculously low” for “the products you actually want to buy”.

Temu has received positive reviews from its customers, who are amazed at the savings on purchases that they can spend on something else. A review by Tim R. on Sitejabber, the review site, said, “I used to shop on the most popular sites, but they were really expensive and I didn’t need to buy the article or I exhausted my savings.”

“So glad a friend of mine recommended Temu because she said she shopped there online to save money,” the review read. “There is no turning back, once you tried Temu you seriously changed my life.”

McClatchy Newsroom and its editors were not involved in the creation of this content.

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#USAs #favorite #app #Temu #big #game #debut #rookie #year

Researchers discover 19th century shipwreck in Lake Superior

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Deep in the choppy waters of Lake Superior, researchers have discovered a 19th-century ship that actually sank twice before finally sinking.

The 144-foot barquentine, called the Nucleus, was found in 600 feet of water about 40 miles northwest of Vermilion Point Nature Preserve on Lake Superior, according to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society.

MORE: Historic ship resurfaces on Utah’s Great Salt Lake

The ship was carrying a cargo of iron ore after leaving Marquette, Michigan, when it sank in the middle of a storm on September 14, 1869, researchers said. When the Nucleus began to take on water, the crew abandoned ship on a lifeboat.

After a few hours on the water, officers aboard the SS Union spotted the struggling crew in the storm, but were unable to rescue them, researchers said.

“What a bunch of idiots, aren’t you?” Corey Adkins, director of communications for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, told ABC News.

PHOTO: The wreck of the 144-foot Barquentine Nucleus, which sank September 14, 1869, was recently discovered in Lake Superior off Whitefish Point, Michigan. (Courtesy Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)

After about five hours in rough seas, the crew members were picked up by a schooner named Worthington, researchers said.

“Lake Superior is often referred to as a freshwater ocean. It’s one of the largest lakes in the world,” Adkins said. “So I’m sure in that storm of September 1869 it probably wasn’t very hospitable – to the crew of the Nucleolus or the ship.”

MORE: Buried 19th century wreck likely discovered by hurricanes on Florida beach

The Nucleus is nicknamed the “Bad Luck Barquentine” because of her many accidents – one of which occurred in 1854 when she rammed and sank a side-wheeler named SS Detroit in Lake Huron. In the previous two incidents, the Nucleus was re-hoovered, repaired and reused, Adkins said.

Researchers first discovered the wreckage from the surface of Lake Superior using marine sonic technology in the summer of 2021, Adkins said. It was later positively identified as the Nucleus in 2022 after researchers used a remote-operated vehicle to further explore the site.

PHOTO:FILE – The crew of the fishing boat ‘Three Suns’ sets out to check nets on Lake Superior from Black River Harbor March 27, 2017 near Ironwood, Michigan. (Scott Olson/Getty Images, FILE)

The ship was one of the oldest to sink along Lake Superior’s shipwreck coast, making it a “significant discovery,” Shipwreck Society executive director Bruce Lynn said in a statement.

The wreckage site is “strewn” with shovels and a few plaques, which testifies to the work and life of the crew on board, Lynn said.

MORE: Look inside a shipwreck thousands of feet below the Atlantic Ocean

The ship is largely intact, Darryl Ertel Jr., director of naval operations for the historical society, said in a statement.

PHOTO: The wreck of the 144-foot Barquentine Nucleus, which sank September 14, 1869, was recently discovered in Lake Superior off Whitefish Point, Michigan. (Courtesy Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society)

“At first I thought everything was torn underneath,” Ertel said.

Ertel had a “really good shipwreck hunting year” in 2021, finding 10 this year alone, Adkins said.

Researchers Discover 19th-Century Shipwreck in Lake Superior, originally published on abcnews.go.com

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#Researchers #discover #19th #century #shipwreck #Lake #Superior

SNP MP Stewart McDonald’s emails hacked by Russian group

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An MP told the BBC his emails had been stolen and he feared they would be made public.

SNP’s Stewart McDonald said the hack happened in January and he wanted to block any posts she shared.

The group responsible would be linked to the Russian spy services.

Britain’s Cyber ​​Defense Authority has warned of targeted attacks on politicians in recent weeks.

On January 13, Mr McDonald was walking down the street when he received a notification on his phone.

There was a new message in the MP’s private email account.

He glanced at it – it was one of his employees.

There was nothing suspicious about it, and it came from the employee’s real email account.

The message said it came with a password-protected document containing a military update on Ukraine.

This made sense as the MP for Glasgow South had had a keen interest in Ukraine for several years and had received the Order of Merit from the Ukrainian government.

He was also the defense spokesman for the SNP until last year.

Mr. McDonald clicked on the document.

He opened a login page for the email account he was using. He entered his password.

Curiously, it then brought up a blank page.

Maybe it wasn’t loading properly on his phone, he thought?

He would ask the employee to send him back to the next conversation.

What he didn’t know was that a hacking group believed to be linked to Russian intelligence is now on his account – a group that has on other occasions published emails containing prominent figures in the public life.

A few days later, the employee mentioned to the MP that he had been locked out of his personal email account for suspicious activity and was having trouble verifying his identity and getting back.

“I wanted to ask you about the email you sent. I couldn’t open the attachment,” Mr McDonald recalled speaking to her.

“I didn’t send an email,” replied the employee.

Alarm bells were ringing now for MPs.

The advice was to contact the National Cyber ​​Security Center (NCSC), a branch of the British intelligence agency GCHQ.

Together with the parliamentary security team, they requested that the email and attachment be sent so that they could investigate.

The NCSC was already preparing to issue a notice about a hacking group called Seaborgium, which said it was responsible for a highly targeted campaign against individuals including politicians, activists and journalists.

This recommendation aligns very well with what Mr. McDonald has been through – compromising individuals like his employee so they can in turn be used to send emails to the primary destination.

These are highly targeted and sophisticated attacks against a small number of people, rather than the usual sending of malicious emails.

Sources say the consultation was planned for a long time and confirm that the same group was behind the hacking of Mr McDonald’s account.

The UK government has not officially accused the Russian state of being behind the group or the hacks, but within the wider cybersecurity community the group has been identified as being linked to Russian intelligence agencies.

The same group is said to have published hacked emails and documents belonging to others, including former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove and journalist Paul Mason.

Mr McDonald says he decided to go public to warn others of the risks and limit potential damage while he waits and sees what hackers do with the stolen material.

“If this is indeed a state-sponsored malicious group, I expect that, consistent with what I’ve seen elsewhere, they will release some of the information online.

“And I can expect them to manipulate and tamper with some of that content and I want to anticipate that to make sure that any misinformation attack against me is discredited before it’s even made public,” he said. he told the BBC.

“An incident has been reported to us and we are supporting the person,” an NCSC spokesperson told the BBC.

“The NCSC regularly provides parliamentarians with security information and advice to help them defend against the latest cyber threats.

Mr. McDonald remains uncertain what, if anything, will happen to the stolen equipment. Although he was aware of the risks before the incident, he has since taken additional steps to secure his accounts.

“It can bring people, even those who are alive, to these threats,” he said.

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#SNP #Stewart #McDonalds #emails #hacked #Russian #group

Why scientists are worried about bird flu

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a chicken. Illustrated | Getty Images

The 2022-2023 bird flu epidemic is officially the worst on record. Since last winter, an estimated 208 million birds have died or been culled by H5N1 worldwide, driving up the prices of eggs and chicken around the world. In recent days, scientists have expressed growing concern that a mutation could cause a “spillover” event, in which H5N1 is transmitted more efficiently from person to person.

Why are scientists concerned?

Revelations about the spread of avian flu in a Spanish mink farm in October sounded the alarm. The minks were infected with an H5N1 variant called 2.3.4.4b, which was discovered in 2020 and has since been seen around the world. Although it is not uncommon for mammals to contract avian flu after direct contact with infected birds, mink farming has shown evidence of transmission between minks themselves, “unprecedented in mammals”. wrote Zeynep Tufekci, a professor at Columbia University. The New York Times.

Samples taken from the mink showed a mutation that allowed the virus to take hold more easily in mammals, and this appears to be the first case of such transmission outside laboratory settings. What the virus can do to mink, it can do to us. That says virologist Tom Peacock of Imperial College London Science this “is a clear mechanism for the onset of an H5 pandemic”. Dutch virologist Marion Koopmans said on Twitter that “we are playing with fire”. The more animal species infected with H5N1, the more likely the virus is to enter humans via an intermediate host. The incident at a mink farm is one of 119 outbreaks in animals since October 2021, according to the BBC. During this period, there have been five confirmed human cases and one death.

How deadly is H5N1 to humans?

Data from the World Health Organization shows that over the past 20 years, 868 documented human H5N1 infections contracted the virus through direct contact with the saliva, mucus and feces of infected birds. Of those cases, 457 resulted in deaths, giving H5N1 a known case fatality rate (CFR) of over 53%. Although the infection fatality rate (IFR), an estimate that takes into account asymptomatic or mild cases that go unreported, may not be as high, there is no doubt that if the virus could spread easily between people, it would provoke a serious crisis of public opinion. health. In 2008, a group of Canadian researchers estimated that the human CFR of a mutant bird flu pandemic would be between 14% and 33%, making the COVID-19 crisis miniscule in comparison. Other researchers are more optimistic, believing that the mortality rate of the existing strain, which infects humans through direct contact with birds, is much lower than WHO estimates due to missed cases.

Why was this epidemic so serious?

The disaster of 2022-2023 is ongoing and approaching a year, and scientists have no clear answer as to why this epidemic is much worse than those of the past.

Bird flu kills nearly every bird it infects and can burn entire flocks within days. At least 80 bird species have been infected in this outbreak, which has affected countries around the world. Health authorities have taken different approaches to combat the outbreak. China vaccinates commercial birds, while French and British authorities have encouraged farmers to bring their flocks indoors to avoid infection from passing wild birds. U.S. farmers are being encouraged to implement a range of biosecurity measures, including limiting the number of people entering and exiting farm facilities and placing “disinfectant footbaths” at stall entrances. Other producers have effectively locked themselves in to limit their own reach.

Other countries, including France and the Netherlands, are experimenting with new vaccines in what has until now been a last resort. Vaccinated birds and their eggs are difficult to export commercially – paradoxically because vaccination is taken as proof that bird flu is occurring in the exporting country and because vaccinated birds may show no symptoms if infected. But the most common approach, and the one used in the United States, is to cull domestic herds, which can be excruciating and financially ruinous for farmers.

How concerned should we be?

Experts have been warning about the outbreak of pandemic-capable bird flu in humans for years. No mutations that would facilitate human-to-human transmission have been found in humans infected with the virus, and the risk to humans not in direct contact with infected birds is negligible. In the past, there have been cases where people have been found to be infected with versions of H5N1 that carry mutations of concern, but have not yet resulted in a pandemic. “But it seems foolish to rely on it,” Tufekci wrote. After all, “deadly influenza pandemics have occurred regularly throughout human history.”

Efforts to develop human vaccines are ongoing. Vaccines already exist that would likely be useful, but production would have to be increased dramatically and adaptations would have to be made to adapt to the new strain of flu. Eyal Leshem, director of the Center for Travel Medicine and Tropical Diseases at Sheba Medical Center in Israel, said last year: “I don’t think anyone should panic about this because bird flu has been around for a long time in various places. and a highly pathogenic pandemic influenza did not yet exist.

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#scientists #worried #bird #flu

This $6 car charger can charge your phone in minutes

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Don’t worry if your car doesn’t have all the compatible chargers you need. You don’t need all the bells and whistles when an easy-to-use car charger can do the job, and we’ve got just the thing for you: the Hussell USB Car Charger Adapter – on sale for $6 (was $11) — is faster than the wall charger that came with your phone. And buyers seem to agree – it almost earned a five-star rating. 28,000 examiners.

Powerful

The Hussell Lightning Fast USB Car Charger Adapter features two USB ports that deliver up to six times the power of the charger that came with your phone. It even protects against overloads and short circuits. Translation: Your phone will not be fried.

The charger is ideal for Android and Apple phones and can also be used to charge batteries, tablets and GPS devices.

“I’m super impressed with this little car charger,” said one five-star reviewer. “I bought this this summer for a 700+ mile road trip and was very pleased with it. My phone had several apps running throughout the trip including Google Maps and a podcast and my phone never went below 100%…”

For just $7, you’ll have to hurry to get yourself one of these Hussell car chargers. (Photo: Amazon)

Fast

This USB car charger is fast. These two USB-A ports offer speeds up to 80% faster than traditional car chargers, and one uses Qualcomm Quick Charger 3.0 technology for even faster speeds. Now your phone can go from empty to fully charged in minutes instead of hours.

“This charger did it,” shared a satisfied Amazon buyer. “…It charges my phone at near warp speed, far exceeding the capacity of a regular car charger…”

At this price, the Hussell USB Car Charger Adapter should be added to your cart right away.

Of course, if you have Amazon Prime, you get free shipping. Not a member yet? No problem. You can sign up for your 30-day free trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)

The opinions quoted above reflect the latest versions at the time of publication.

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tablets and technology

  • Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i – 2-in-1 Chromebook Laptop

    $300$430Save $130

Originally published Feb 6, 2023 2:45 PM

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Cleanup of industrial waste on Lynemouth beach is due to start this year

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£5million cleanup work to rid a beach of ‘historic pollution’ – including mining pipes, cables and machinery – will start later this year.

The objects were discovered when waves washed away parts of the Lynemouth cliffs onto a former mine dump.

Northumberland County Council provided the money to help prevent landfills from being washed into the sea.

In 2020, the agency said tests on beach samples showed some litter could be harmful to humans.

Planning and regulatory approvals have also been obtained to move the project forward.

It was hoped the cleanup would be completed sooner, but the agency said weather and environmental conditions affected the start date.

The council said preparatory work on the beach would start in the autumn, with main work starting next year.

Contaminated areas of the beach will be excavated and removed before the dunes are reformed with a mixture of soil and sand.

John Riddle, Cabinet Member of Northumberland Council, said: “Although we would have liked to start sooner, there were many factors beyond our control.

“The new timetable also allows us to finalize the details and funding arrangements with the Coal Authority for the work required on their lands north of Lyneburn so that we can do this as a single ‘integrated’ scheme to ensure best value. and deliver the best delivery of results for the local environment and communities in this part of Northumberland.

Prior to the start of work, Council crews will continue to remove material from the beach found during weekly inspections.

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook And instagram. Submit your story ideas to [email protected].

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#Cleanup #industrial #waste #Lynemouth #beach #due #start #year

Andrew Tate: In the Romanian town where the brothers’ empire began

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The road to Brasov

The villa at the end of Strada Narciselor is at the end of a dangerous road surrounded by the fir-covered peaks of the Carpathians.

Andrew Tate’s first Romanian address is a far cry from the glitzy lifestyle he displayed in Bucharest before his arrest – it’s a squat three-storey building with yellow walls a short drive from the village of Sacele.

The long drive from Bucharest winds for miles through a snow-covered forest, tree branches covered in ice to the tips, mountains dipping to the horizon – it’s like driving through a Christmas card.

Outside Sacele, the icy track narrows to the width of a car as it climbs towards the villa, a steep slope on one side.

No Ferrari here. A Dacia and a Skoda are parked between muddy snowdrifts in front of the building.

Inside, it is divided into small functional apartments. It was here, in apartments 9 and 17, that the Tate brothers began to build their Romanian business empire.

Vasile Mezdrea, a local developer, sold the lots to them “in 2015 or early 2016” for less than €35,000 ($37,900; £31,425) each.

“They paid in installments because they didn’t have the money to buy the apartments directly,” he told me. “They didn’t have cars back then – they took taxis with their friends to go shopping.”

He says Andrew moved here with a British friend, Melissa, who bought a third flat in the same block.

But she was not the only woman living here with the brothers, according to locals. Several people told us that other women lived in their homes or visited them regularly.

One, who asked not to be named, said he had received complaints that naked women were clearly visible in the Tates’ ground floor apartment.

The building in the Romanian countryside where the Tate brothers founded their Romanian business empire

Few people in the block remember the Tates. And those who do not want to speak officially.

“They were contemptuous, arrogant,” said one. But “very low key – there was no music, no fighting”.

She said her dog, a German Shepherd, was released to roam the building, at one point attacking one of the residents, leaving her with bruises.

The complaints addressed to the brothers would have gone unanswered.

Seven years later, the brothers are worth millions with a Bucharest lifestyle of designer watches, private jets and an extensive real estate portfolio.

In Sacele itself, with its post office, pizzeria and slot machines, the Tates are best known for their recent return visits – their flashy new cars were a must.

Vasile Mezdrea says they moved to Romania because there are “beautiful women there and life is cheaper”.

But he says the brothers had ambitions that went beyond Sacele. “They always wanted more,” he told me.

Andrew Tate (left) and his brother Tristan (right) appeared in a Bucharest court last week

Sacele may seem like an unlikely starting point for the two young British kickboxers, but it reveals a connection to two people who will play key roles in their lives.

One is a businessman named Sebastian Vieru, who brought the Tate brothers to Romania in 2014.

Mr. Vieru hails from the Brasov area around Sacele and has traveled there several times to act as a coach and commentator for his cage fighting shows.

It was Mr Vieru who spoke to the Tates about the new Vasile Mezdrea block of flats outside Sarcele, telling them that the developer was in desperate need of funds to complete the building and that they could secure the flats at reduced price.

He says Andrew and Tristan Tate brought money home from the UK, but their fortunes grew rapidly in Romania.

The search for this wealth – how it was made and where it came from – is believed to be part of investigations into allegations of rape and human trafficking currently being carried out by Romania’s Organized Crime Unit.

Sacele’s features seem to have made them very small. They sold them a few years later when they moved to Bucharest for only a few thousand euros in profit.

But they left this mountain refuge with a new business: Talisman Enterprises profits from web portals, according to official Romanian records. It hasn’t made a profit since 2017.

Sebastien Vieru says he acts as financial executor for the company, which is registered at an address 15 kilometers from Sacele and was until recently owned by Mr Vieru’s parents.

He also owns a 10% stake in a real estate company called War Room Vegas, also registered at the same address and partly owned by Andrew Tate.

The other is Andrew’s friend, Georgiana Naghel, a former employee of Mr. Vieru’s cage fighting business.

According to official Romanian records, Andrew and Tristan transferred all their shares and management of Talisman Enterprises to them in August last year.

The transfer of the business to Ms Naghel, a Romanian national, came four months after police began investigating the brothers. There is no evidence that the two actions are related.

Andrew Tate has amassed millions of social media followers where he posts about a lavish lifestyle

Talisman Enterprises is also affiliated with another company that lists Ms. Naghel as the sole shareholder, director and beneficiary; a management consulting firm called New Era Learning, founded in August 2022.

No financial records are listed for the company.

A third company, a consultancy called Groundbreaking Developments, was also transferred to Ms Naghel in August. In October it was sold to another company owned by Abigail Tyson, believed to be a close associate of the Tate brothers.

Ms Naghel is currently being held with the Tate brothers and another Romanian national, Luana Radu. None of them have yet been charged.

In recent weeks, investigators have confiscated numerous assets from the four suspects, including Talisman Enterprises.

They also searched a long list of the brothers’ possessions, including land in Brasov County and homes in and around Bucharest.

Designer watches have been confiscated and the brothers’ fleet of luxury cars have been removed from their warehouse-like complex on the outskirts of the capital.

Observers believe much of the Tate’s wealth may have come from their investments in a major Romanian casino chain and their online training courses on Andrew Tate’s rigid model of masculinity.

The investigation could answer questions about how the couple went from their cheap mountain apartment to the world of Bugattis, cigars and private jets, which have been posted on social media accounts.

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#Andrew #Tate #Romanian #town #brothers #empire #began

See an F-22 finally shoot down the Chinese spy balloon off South Carolina

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Chinese spy balloon finally shot downAnadolu Agency – Getty Images

  • An F-22 Raptor finally shot down the Chinese spy balloon off South Carolina on Saturday.

  • The Chinese spy balloon, which China says is a weather device, flew over the continental United States last week in violation of US airspace.

  • President Joe Biden waited until it was safe to throw the ball, although critics called for more immediate action.

The United States finally shot down the alleged Chinese spy balloon off South Carolina on Saturday afternoon. An F-22 Raptor from Langley Air Force Base shot down the spy balloon with an AIM-9X air-to-air missile at 2:39 p.m. ET, marking the end of a bizarre international episode that has captured the nation’s attention in recent years. years had drawn days.

The US government was actively tracking the high-altitude Chinese spy balloon that flew for five days from Idaho across the continental United States to the Carolinas. With the Chinese spy balloon clearly infiltrating US airspace, President Joe Biden began discussing military options with the Pentagon on Tuesday, before it became a real problem for the general American public, he said. declared. New York Times.

But despite criticism from politicians who urged Biden to order warplanes to shoot down the balloon immediately, especially as it had long hovered over Montana, Biden vowed to take no action until ” the mission could not be conducted without undue risk to American lives.” below the path of the ball,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

Finally, on Saturday morning, Biden told reporters, “we’re going to take care of the spy balloon.” Shortly after, as the balloon hovered off and over the Atlantic, the Federal Aviation Administration closed airspace and grounded flights at several airports in North and South Carolina ahead of the mission.

At 2:39 p.m., one of two F-22 Raptors flying at 58,000 feet fired the AIM-9X missile at the balloon, which was flying between 60,000 and 65,000 feet. At 3 p.m., fighters returned to Langley after successfully downing the balloon, Pentagon official says Just.

“Today’s deliberate and lawful action demonstrates that President Biden and his national security team will always prioritize the safety of the American people while effectively responding to it. [People’s Republic of China’s] unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” Austin said in the statement.

According to CBS News, “several Navy and Coast Guard vessels,” including the USS carters room, are collecting debris near the crash site of the balloon, which is believed to have spread “over a field of about seven miles”.

Earlier this week, before the balloon crashed, the Pentagon said US intelligence agencies had “very high confidence” that the spy balloon originated in China and that US officials had worked with their Chinese counterparts “urgently and through multiple channels” to fix it. the balloon problem.

China’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, issued a statement about the spy balloon days before its launch, saying it was a weather device. China claimed responsibility for the balloon’s errant path through US airspace, but called it “Force majeure”-diplomatically speaking, an extraordinary, unforeseeable misfortune:

“The airship comes from China. It is a civilian airship used for research purposes, primarily for meteorological purposes. Influenced by westerly winds and with limited self-piloting capability, the airship drifted off its intended course. Chinese side regrets accidental intrusion of airship into US airspace force majeure. The Chinese side will continue to communicate with the US side and appropriately handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure.”

According to JustUS officials are closely monitoring China’s response to the US government’s launch of the spy balloon and are waiting to see if the Chinese military will retaliate.

We will continue to update this story as new information develops.

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#F22 #finally #shoot #Chinese #spy #balloon #South #Carolina

Online safety law needs tougher rules on misogyny, say colleagues

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Photo: Jonathan Hordle/Rex/Shutterstock

Tougher rules are needed to tackle online misogyny under the Online Safety Act, a group of colleagues have said.

Under the Online Safety Act, which is being finalized, social media companies will be required by law to abide by their terms of service, which prohibit misogynistic abuse in general. If they are not enforced, fines will be imposed and their services could be blocked by Ofcom, the online regulator.

But a group of fellow Tories, including Nicky Morgan, Gabrielle Bertin and Helen Newlove, a former victims commissioner, plan to propose an amendment that would push the law further.

The amendment would give Ofcom the power to fine social media companies up to 10% of their worldwide turnover for breaching a code banning online misogyny.

The Labor Party should support the change.

Related: Donelan confirms tougher online security measures after backbench pressure

Referring to the proposed change on BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Saturday, Lady Morgan said: “Women are 27 times more likely to be harassed online and unfortunately without this regulation we allow misogyny to thrive in public and women to be taken offline.”

The peers believe that the government’s current plans for new crimes such as cyberstalking and the sharing of intimate images such as revenge porn do not go far enough to stop misogynistic abuse online, which is legal but harms women and girls.

Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell told The Telegraph the bill had been “significantly weakened” by removing legal but harmful content provisions, allowing “viral misogyny to flow freely”.

“At a minimum, Ofcom should have the power to set codes of conduct for platforms to ensure that their systems and processes do not actively push people into content that promotes violence against women and girls,” she said.

A possible draft code of conduct for online businesses was drafted by campaign groups such as the NSPCC, 5Rights Foundation, Refuge, End Violence Against Women and the Carnegie Trust, who developed the original concept of due diligence behind government law on online safety.

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#Online #safety #law #tougher #rules #misogyny #colleagues

Google engineer found out she was fired while on vacation when her boss sent her a LinkedIn message

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A Google engineer found out via a LinkedIn post from her manager, View Pictures/Getty Images, that she was fired while on vacation

  • A former Google engineer told Insider she was fired while on vacation with her family.

  • She learned of the layoff via a LinkedIn post from her manager.

  • The company cut benefits and increased work pressure in the months leading up to the layoffs, she said.

A five-year-old Google engineer said she found out she was fired while on vacation after receiving a LinkedIn message from her manager.

The former employee – who asked to remain anonymous because she feared speaking to the media could harm her future job prospects – said she was on holiday with her family and had not consulted any of his work emails.

Your identity and your termination by Google have been verified by Insider.

“I had friends who texted me while checking in, but I figured they just wanted to know how my vacation was going,” she told Insider in an interview. “It didn’t occur to me that they wanted to see if I had been fired or not. Nobody told me it happened, I just didn’t know.

The engineer said she finally checked one of her two personal emails when she realized her manager had messaged her on LinkedIn.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ There’s no reason for him to try to reach me on LinkedIn,” she said. “Why don’t you email me or chat? other ways to reach me.

“So I knew straight away. My heart just sank when I saw that.

Her manager apologized in the message he sent her and told her she had been fired, she said. The manager said he had no other way to contact her, and his resignation was sent at 5 a.m. to her second personal email, which she rarely checks.

Insider checked out a copy of the layoff notice she received.

“It was like a whirlwind of emotions because I just couldn’t reach anyone,” she said. “Also, it was really difficult that it wasn’t on your terms and it happened abruptly, with no closure or explanation.”

She added, “I think it’s hard to spend so much time and energy building something for someone else and monetizing it with your work, just to get pushed around and let go.”

She was among 12,000 people laid off by Google as part of a major cost-cutting initiative by the tech giant. CEO Sundar Pichai sent an email to employees on January 20, announcing that employees around the world were being laid off in various departments and functions.

The former employee told Insider that “even before the layoffs, due to reduced benefits and increased pressure to perform, morale was very low,” so she had no plans to stay longer. in the business.

However, the tech giant’s handling of the layoffs was “terrible”.

“I know it’s hard to do a layoff of this magnitude, but I really believe they could have found a better way to at least give people some dignity and attention,” she said.

She said she heard that a current employee who avoided layoffs later quit because he was upset with the company’s handling of the matter.

“People are really upset about how it happened and I think everyone, even the top performers, are really nervous afterwards,” she added.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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