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☆ TikTok influencers fear their careers will be destroyed and their work 'deleted forever' as a US ban looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Lindsay Dodgson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Chinese-owned ByteDance will be forced to sell TikTok to a US company or face a nationwide ban. AdvertisementThose who want the app banned argue that TikTok may be forced into giving over user data to the Chinese government. A ban would be "devastating" for her, she said, because years of her work would be "deleted forever." AdvertisementA TikTok spokesperson told BI in March that the legislation has a "predetermined outcome," which is a total ban of TikTok in the US. Editor's note, April 23, 2024: This article has been updated to reflect the House of Representatives vote, which passed a bill to ban TikTok in the US.

Persons: —, TikTok, Leo LonDini, LonDini, Brett Jansen Organizations: Service, Google, Epic Games, Universal Group, Warner Music Group, Spotify, Tesla Locations: China

☆ TikTok influencers fear their careers will be destroyed and their work 'deleted forever' as a US ban gains steam
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Lindsay Dodgson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A new bill would make Chinese-owned ByteDance sell TikTok to a US company or face a nationwide ban. Those who want the app banned argue that TikTok may be forced into giving over user data to the Chinese government. The whole TikTok ban is clearly a tactic to control the narrative." AdvertisementA ban would be "devastating" for her, she said, because years of her work would be "deleted forever." A TikTok spokesperson told Business Insider the legislation has a "predetermined outcome," which is a total ban of TikTok in the US.

Persons: —, TikTok, Shira, aren't, She's, Ben Stanley, hasn't, Tahrea Sherman, Sherman, Catalina Goanta, Goldman Sachs, Goanta Organizations: Service, Energy, Commerce, Google, Utrecht University Locations: Congress, TikTok, Netherlands, Statista

☆ Are we in the Anthropocene Epoch? Not so fast, geologists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Scientists have voted against a proposal to declare a new geological epoch called the Anthropocene to reflect how profoundly human activity has altered the planet. The vote followed a 15-year process to select a geological site that best captures humanity’s impact on the planet. Some experts argued that the start of the Anthropocene could be better defined in other ways, such as the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. “This is the commission’s expert group for this interval of geological time and we are bound by its decision. Regardless of whether the term is officially classified as a geological epoch, Anthropocene is already widely in use, Cohen noted.

Persons: Kim Cohen, ”, Cohen, Phil Gibbard, eon, Colin Waters, Waters, …, David Harper, ” Harper, hadn’t, “ Organizations: CNN —, International Union of Geological Sciences, CNN Tuesday, geosciences, Utrecht University, Scott Polar Research, University of Cambridge, Geologists, University of Leicester, Durham University, International, of Locations: Ontario, Netherlands, United Kingdom

Photos You Should See View All 21 Images“It also depends on the rate of climate change we are inducing as humanity,” van Westen said. The Dutch team simulated 2,200 years of its flow, adding in what human-caused climate change does to it. They found after 1,750 years “an abrupt AMOC collapse,” but so far are unable to translate that simulated timeline to Earth's real future. "This value is getting more negative under climate change,” van Westen said. The world should pay attention to potential AMOC collapse, said Joel Hirschi, division leader at the United Kingdom's National Oceanography Centre.

Persons: ”, Rene van Westen, “, ” van Westen, it's, van Westen, Stefan Rahmstorf, ” Rahmstorf, Tim Lenton, ” Lenton, Wei Cheng, Joel Hirschi, ” Hirschi, ” ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: Southern, Utrecht University, United Nations, Earth Systems, Potsdam Institute, Climate Research, ” University of Exeter, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NASA, Pacific, U.S ., United, National Oceanography, Associated Press Locations: Europe, Netherlands, Germany, Greenland, Americas, Africa, Florida, U.S, U.S . East Coast, AP.org

☆ Atlantic Ocean currents may be on the verge of collapse, which could plunge Europe into a deep freeze, a new study shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Seth Borenstein | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

“It also depends on the rate of climate change we are inducing as humanity,” van Westen said. AdvertisementThe Dutch team simulated 2,200 years of its flow, adding in what human-caused climate change does to it. They found after 1,750 years “an abrupt AMOC collapse,” but so far are unable to translate that simulated timeline to Earth's real future. "This value is getting more negative under climate change,” van Westen said. The world should pay attention to potential AMOC collapse, said Joel Hirschi, division leader at the United Kingdom's National Oceanography Centre.

Persons: ”, Rene van Westen, “, Bob Edme, ” van Westen, it's, van Westen, Stefan Rahmstorf, ” Rahmstorf, Tim Lenton, Thwaites, ” Lenton, Wei Cheng, Joel Hirschi, ” Hirschi, ” ___ Read Organizations: Service, Southern, Utrecht University, AP, United Nations, Earth Systems, Potsdam Institute, Climate Research, University, Exeter, NASA, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Pacific, U.S ., United, National Oceanography Locations: Europe, Northwestern, Netherlands, Germany, Greenland, Americas, Africa, Florida, U.S, U.S . East Coast

☆ YouTube helped solve an evolutionary mystery that's puzzled biologists for decades
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

One of his videos provided the missing piece to link 400-year-old fossils with living euglenoids. And it helped them solve a scientific mystery that's confused biologists for decades. To find ancient evidence of euglenoids, van de Schootbrugge and his colleagues looked at microfossils — teensy fossils that are only a few millimeters in size. AdvertisementA chance viewing of a YouTube video helped van de Schootbrugge and his colleagues link the fossils and living euglenoids. The proof was in a pond (and on YouTube)There were two main problems with the cyst microfossils: what they were called and what they looked like.

Persons: Fabian Weston, —, who's, Euglenoids, Bas, de, de Schootbrugge, they've, van de Schootbrugge, van de Schootbrugge's, Paul Strother, Strother, Van de Schootbrugge, Wilson Taylor Organizations: Service, Utrecht University, YouTube, New South Wales, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire Locations: New South, Vouliagmeni, Greece

☆ The Himalayan mountains are growing — but Tibet could be splitting apart in the process
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

As the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates slowly collide, the Himalayan mountains continue to rise. However a new study suggests the Indian plate may be peeling apart, causing a slab tear. AdvertisementAn eons-long collision that created the Himalayas, the world's tallest mountain range, may also be splitting Tibet apart into two pieces, new research suggests. The edge of the Eurasian plate crumpled upward as India pressed into it, thrusting the Himalayas into existence. But scientists haven't been sure where exactly the Indian plate was going.

Persons: —, Gongga, haven't, Stringer, van Hinsbergen, Utrecht University geodynamicist, Simon Klemperer, it's Organizations: Service, China News Service, Reuters, American Geophysical Union, Utrecht University, Stanford University, Science Locations: Tibet, India, Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, Utrecht

☆ In setback, Wilders' first post-election appointee resigns
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The swift departure of Gom van Strien, appointed on Friday by Wilders, underlines the difficulties ahead for coalition talks as Wilders seeks to form a government with himself as prime minister. "Therefore I have informed Geert Wilders and the chairwoman of parliament I will lay down my work as scout immediately," he said in a statement. Wilders' PVV booked major gains in the Nov. 22 election. Van Strien had been due to meet with VVD leader Dilan Yesilgoz on Monday. Newspaper NRC Handelsblad first reported on Saturday that Van Strien was sued in March by a subsidiary of Utrecht University over alleged fraud.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Wilders, Van Strien, Gom van Strien, PVV, Mark Rutte, Dilan Yesilgoz, Pieter Omtzigt, Toby Sterling, Peter Graff, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Freedom Party, VVD Party, NSC Party, NRC, Utrecht University, Thomson Locations: The Hague, Netherlands, AMSTERDAM, Dutch, Wilders

☆ An ancient missing continent was finally rediscovered 155 million years after it vanished
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A chunk of land that broke off from Australia 155 million years ago seemed to have vanished. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe continent of Argoland, which seemingly vanished after splitting from Australia 155 million years ago, has finally been discovered, according to a new study. The discovery could help explain something known as the Wallace line, which is an imaginary boundary that separates Southeast Asian and Australian fauna. With this work, they were finally able to bring Argoland's journey over the past 155 million years back to life. A map shows an approximate location of the Wallace line.

Persons: —, Argoland, Wallace, Eldert Advokaat, Advokaat, Douwe van Hinsbergen, CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN, van Hinsbergen Organizations: Service, Utrecht University, Google Locations: Australia, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Netherlands, South East Asia, Africa, South America, Argoland, Myanmar, Utrecht

[1/3] A general view of a grain terminal at the port of Odesa, Ukraine, April 10, 2023. Drone attacks wrecked buildings in the port of Izmail and prevented ships on the Danube River from loading grain for export. WHAT DOES INTERNATIONAL LAW SAY? The Geneva Conventions and additional protocols say that parties involved in military conflict must distinguish between “civilian objects and military objectives”, and that attacks on civilian objects are forbidden. This prohibition is also codified in the Rome Statute of the ICC, which opened an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine soon after the invasion.

Persons: Ritzau Scanpix, Bo Amstrup, Russia's, Yousuf Syed Khan, RIA, Katharine Fortin, Michael Schmitt, Marko Milanovic, Anthony Deutsch, Stephanie van den Berg, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Criminal, Global Rights, ICC, Utrecht University, Lieber, U.S, West, International, University of Reading, Nova, Thomson Locations: Odesa, Ukraine, Izmail, The Hague, Kherson, Geneva, Rome, Russian, Nova, Russia

But using the dynamic currency conversion to pay the restaurant bill directly in euros would end up costing them €107.60. Despite the high fees, our research shows that more than half of international customers still choose to pay in their familiar home currency. The companies which provide dynamic currency conversion options earn significant conversion revenues – a portion of which is often shared with the business where the transaction takes place. It's better to make electronic payments using the local currency. PeopleImages/iStockphoto/Getty ImagesGreater transparencyAnd despite the high conversion fees involved with dynamic currency conversion, most government regulators around the world have been hesitant to intervene.

Persons: Dirk Gerritsen, Coen Rigtering Organizations: CNN, European Union, Utrecht University Locations: French

The Ukrainian prosecutor general's office said on Tuesday it was investigating the blast at the Nova Kakhovka dam, situated in Russian-occupied territory, as a war crime and possible act of environmental destruction, or "ecocide". Kyiv said this was a war crime, while Moscow said the targets were legitimate. WHAT DOES INTERNATIONAL LAW SAY? The Geneva Conventions and additional protocols shaped by international courts say that parties involved in a military conflict must distinguish between “civilian objects and military objectives”, and that attacks on civilian objects are forbidden. IS ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE MILITARY OR CIVILIAN?

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, general's, Marko Milanovic, Michael Schmitt, Milanovic, Katharine Fortin, Stephanie van den Berg, Anthony Deutsch, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, HAGUE, Russia, Criminal, European, of International, University of Reading, ICC, Lieber Institute for Law & Warfare, United States Military Academy West, Utrecht University, Thomson Locations: Nova, Kherson region, Ukraine, Geneva, Ukrainian, Dnipro, Russia, Moscow, Rome

Putin is just the third head of state to be indicted by the International Criminal Court while still in power. The ICC accuses Putin of responsibility for the war crime of deporting Ukrainian children - at least hundreds, possibly more - to Russia. TRAVEL ABROADThe ICC's 123 member states are obliged to detain and transfer Putin if he sets foot on their territory. Kenya's President William Ruto and his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta were both charged by the ICC before they were elected. Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, one of Milosevic's adversaries in the 1990s Balkan wars, left office after being indicted for war crimes by the Kosovo war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

☆ U.S., China, other nations urge 'responsible' use of military AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

However, the statement was a tangible outcome of the first international summit on military AI, co-hosted by the Netherlands and South Korea this week at The Hague. Signatories said they were committed to developing and using military AI in accordance with "international legal obligations and in a way that does not undermine international security, stability and accountability." Under Secretary of State for Arms Control Bonnie Jenkins put forward a U.S. framework for responsible military AI use. China representative Jian Tan told the summit that countries should "oppose seeking absolute military advantage and hegemony through AI" and work through the United Nations. "It paves the path for states to develop AI for military purposes in any way they see fit as long as they can say it is 'responsible'," she said.

☆ Explainer: When are attacks on civilian infrastructure war crimes?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Stephanie Van Den Berg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Gleb GaranichTHE HAGUE, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Russia's attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities, have been described as possible war crimes by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Amnesty International. The Geneva conventions and additional protocols shaped by international courts say that parties involved in a military conflict must distinguish between "civilian objects and military objectives" and that attacks on civilian objects are forbidden. IS ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE MILITARY OR CIVILIAN? "Simply put, Russian forces are almost certainly striking many targets that do not qualify as military objectives," Schmitt argues. Russia says it attacks military targets including energy infrastructure.

☆ 'Zombie ant' fungi infected with parasites of their own
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Over the years, he kept noticing something strange: a fuzzy white fungus growing on top of the zombie ant fungus. João Araújo“We realized that there were two different lineages of fungi, novel lineages of fungi, infecting one species of zombie ant fungus in Florida,” said Araújo, the study’s lead author. Checks and balancesThe fungi attacking the zombie ant fungus don’t, in turn, zombify their host, but they do feed on its tissues and appear to cause it harm. One of the new fungi, Niveomyces coronatus, causes the white coating on the zombie ant fungus. João AraújoThese new genera are the first parasites officially described as infecting the zombie ant fungus, but the researchers suspect there could be others out there.

☆ Revista NANO ENERGY a publicat o nouă lucrare științifică marca UTM
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-14 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: +5 min

univ., dr. hab. hab., șef DMIB, Oleg LUPAN, directorul Centrului Nanotehnologii și Nanosenzori, UTM, în colaborare cu echipa prof. univ., dr. hab. hab., UTM) a fost formată ad-hoc pentru soluționarea unei probleme specifice, implicând profesioniști din Republica Moldova în strânsă colaborare cu cei de la Kiel University – Germany, PSL Université – France, University of Central Florida – USA, University of Leeds – United Kingdom, University of Brescia – Italy, Utrecht University – The Netherlands. Acest material a fost scris și redactat de echipa UTM.

Persons: Nicolai ABABII, ., . hab, Oleg LUPAN, ABABII, Rainer ADELUNG, . Zhong Lin WANG, Drd, Oleg Lupan Organizations: ENERGY, UTM, Universitatea Tehnică a Moldovei, Universitatea din, Georgia Institute, Germany, PSL, University of Central, University of, United Kingdom, Open Locations: Universitatea din Kiel, Germania, Georgia, Republica Moldova, Franța, Italia, SUA, Olanda, Anglia, Kiel University, University of Central Florida, USA, University of Leeds, University of Brescia, Italy, Utrecht, Netherlands

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