Elon Musk’s Twitter Widens Its Censorship of Modi’s Critics

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:00:48 GMT

Two months after teaming up with the Indian government to censor a BBC documentary on human rights abuses by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Twitter is yet again collaborating with India to impose an extraordinarily broad crackdown on speech.Last week, the Indian government imposed an internet blackout across the northern state of Punjab, home to 30 million people, as it conducted a manhunt for a local Sikh nationalist leader, Amritpal Singh. The shutdown paralyzed internet and SMS communications in Punjab (some Indian users told The Intercept that the shutdown was targeted at mobile devices).While Punjab police detained hundreds of suspected followers of Singh, Twitter accounts from over 100 prominent politicians, activists, and journalists in India and abroad have been blocked in India at the request of the government. On Monday, the account of the BBC News Punjabi was also blocked — the second time in a few months that the Indian government has used Twitter to throttle BBC services...

America May Finally Be Done With Donald Trump

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:00:48 GMT

Former President Donald Trump points to the crowd as he leaves after speaking at a campaign rally, March 25, 2023, in Waco, Texas.Photo: Evan Vucci/APThe U.S. Army began to strip its bases of their old Confederate names last week, as Donald Trump faced a possible criminal indictment. The timing was hardly a coincidence.Neither reckoning would have been possible if Trump were still president. Both have been winding their way through the government bureaucracy for the past two years since Trump left office and are now happening at the same time as part of a growing repudiation of Trump and Trumpism.The big question is whether Trump, who held a surreal rally in Waco on Saturday, can stage a comeback and halt the nation’s efforts to move on, or whether he will finally be thrown into history’s dustbin.Trump’s Waco event, the first rally of his 2024 presidential campaign, where thousands of MAGA zealots cheered as the ex-president raged, came one day after a much smaller but more signific...

Man charged with firebombing Wisconsin anti-abortion office

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:00:48 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — After nearly a year of searching, investigators used DNA pulled from a half-eaten burrito to capture the man they believe firebombed a prominent Wisconsin anti-abortion lobbying group’s office.The U.S. attorney’s office in Madison announced that police arrested 29-year-old Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury at Boston’s Logan International Airport on Tuesday. He was charged via the complaint with one count of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive. He made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Tuesday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell set a detention hearing for Thursday. Roychowdhury’s attorney, Brendan O. Kelley, who is listed in online court records as a federal public defender, declined comment when reached by phone after Tuesday’s hearing. Federal agents have been searching for almost a year for whoever tossed a pair of Molotov cocktails into the Wisconsin Family Action office in Madison on May 6. One of t...

No felony charges for masked day care workers scaring kids

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:00:48 GMT

ABERDEEN, Miss. (AP) — A grand jury has declined to bring felony charges against four former Mississippi day care workers who were filmed scaring young children while wearing Halloween masks, Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook said. But the charges were sent to Monroe County Justice Court as misdemeanors and will go before a judge later, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported Tuesday.The videos — one filmed in September and another in October — were posted on social media. They show a day care worker at Lil’ Blessings Child Care & Learning Center in Hamilton wearing a Halloween mask similar to the one in the “Scream” movies and yelling at children who didn’t “clean up” or “act good.”Children can be seen bawling, cowering in fear and at times running from the masked employee. Another employee gives directions, singling out which children have acted good or bad. The employee in the mask is shown screaming inches away from children’s faces, the video showed.The sheriffR...

Galiano Gold: Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:00:48 GMT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Galiano Gold Inc. (GAU) on Tuesday reported net income of $28.5 million in its fourth quarter.On a per-share basis, the Vancouver, British Columbia-based company said it had net income of 13 cents. Losses, adjusted for non-recurring gains, were 3 cents per share.For the year, the company reported profit of $40.8 million, or 18 cents per share._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on GAU at https://www.zacks.com/ap/GAUSource

Arkansas sues TikTok, Meta over privacy, child safety claims

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:00:48 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The state of Arkansas sued TikTok and Facebook parent Meta on Tuesday, claiming the social media companies were misleading consumers about the safety of children on their platforms and protections of users’ private data.The state filed two lawsuits against TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance and a third lawsuit against Meta, which also owns Instagram, accusing the companies of violating the state’s deceptive trade practices act. “TikTok is a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” one of the lawsuits, filed in state court, said. “As long as TikTok is permitted to deceive and mislead Arkansas consumers about the risks to their data, those consumers and their privacy are easy prey.”Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Attorney General Tim Griffin, both Republicans, announced the lawsuit as TikTok faces growing questions about the safety of its users’ data. Both the FBI and officials at the Federal Communications Commission have warned that By...

Scotland upsets Spain, Croatia wins, Belgium beats Germany

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:00:48 GMT

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scott McTominay scored twice as Scotland upset Spain 2-0 in qualifying for the European Championship on Tuesday, its first win in 39 years over one of soccer’s biggest heavyweights.McTominay’s goals came after he also scored two in a 3-0 win over Cyprus on Saturday and ended Spain’s 19-game unbeaten run in European qualifiers. The result also puts Scotland top of Group A with six points from two games.Mateo Kovačić also scored twice as Croatia defeated Turkey 2-0 away for its first win in Group D. Romania and Switzerland both won in Group I, continuing their perfect starts.A look at the Euro 2024 qualifying games across Europe on Tuesday:GROUP ASpain’s players were warned after McTominay scored two late goals in Scotland’s opening win over over Cyprus.But few expected him to do it again Tuesday against a team that had not lost a European qualifying game since a 2-1 loss to Slovakia ahead of the 2016 tournament. Spain had not lost to Scotland since Maurice Jo...

Blackhawks’ Toews returns to ice, hints at retirement

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:00:48 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Longtime Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews returned to the ice Tuesday but hinted his stellar NHL career could be winding down after 15 years.Toews, 34, skated with teammates prior to Chicago’s game with the Dallas Stars. It was his first time practicing with them since a game in Edmonton on Jan. 28.He made a statement through the team on Feb. 19 saying he would be stepping away because of the effects of Chronic Immune Response Syndrome and “long COVID.”In meeting with reporters Tuesday, Toews stopped short of saying he hoped to play in any of last-place Chicago’s nine remaining games. His eight-year, $84 million contract is set to expire at the end of the season.Toews said he’s feeling stronger, but isn’t sure if he’ll be able to play again for the Blackhawks or another team.“Both if I’m being fully honest,” Toews said. “I feel like I’ve said it already, that I’ve gotten to the point where my health is more important.“When you’re young and you’re playin...

Baseball Glance

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:00:48 GMT

All Times EDTEast DivisionWLPctGBBaltimore1613.552_Toronto1715.531½Tampa Bay1514.5171Boston1414.5001½New York1318.4194Central DivisionWLPctGBKansas City1913.594_Minnesota1415.4833½Detroit1416.4674Chicago1214.4624Cleveland1215.4444½West DivisionWLPctGBLos Angeles1711.607_Houston1410.5831Seattle1413.5192½Texas1315.4644Oakland1117.3936___East DivisionWLPctGBAtlanta1810.643_Washington1312.5203½Philadelphia1615.5163½New York1014.4176Miami716.3048½Central DivisionWLPctGBSt. Louis177.708_Chicago1712.5862½Cincinnati1514.5174½Milwaukee1115.4237Pittsburgh918.3339½West DivisionWLPctGBLos Angeles1412.538_Arizona1514.517½San Diego1514.517½San Francisco1415.4831½Colorado1318.4193½___AMERICAN LEAGUEMonday’s GamesMinnesota 8, Pittsburgh 4Atlanta 6, Boston 1St. Louis 8, Baltimore 2Philadelphia 5, Toronto 2N.Y. Yankees 8, Tampa Bay 4San Diego 4, Seattle 2L.A. Angels 5, L.A. Dodgers 4Arizona 7, Cleveland 6Oakland 12, San Francisco 6Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs, 4:05 p.m.Houston at Sugar Lan...