Appeals Court Upholds TikTok Ban in the U.S.

Dec 7 2024

A U.S. federal appeals court has ruled to uphold a law that could lead to TikTok being banned in the United States unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells its stake in the app. This decision is a major blow to TikTok as it tries to fight off concerns from U.S. lawmakers about national security risks.

The court’s three judges agreed unanimously that the law is constitutional, with Senior Judge Douglas Ginsburg stating, “The government acted to protect national security, not to stifle free speech.”

The law, passed in April, gives TikTok until 19 January 2025 to cut ties with ByteDance or risk removal from app stores and web-hosting services. TikTok has promised to take the fight to the Supreme Court, claiming the ban infringes on Americans’ right to free speech.

Concerns centre on TikTok’s ties to China, with fears it could be used for espionage or influence operations. ByteDance has warned that selling TikTok’s core recommendation algorithm would be nearly impossible.

Attorney General Merrick Garland praised the ruling, saying it will help protect American data from misuse. As the deadline approaches, lawmakers remain hopeful that TikTok could stay afloat through U.S.-led ownership.

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All of Peppa Pig Cast Revealed on XOW

Dec 7 2024

The cast behind the Maltese version of Peppa Pig was officially unveiled on Xow yesterday evening.The show features Janàh as Peppa Pig, whose motivation stems from a desire to help her little cousin Pippa learn Maltese all the way from Switzerland

Joining her are local TV icons Peppi Azzopardi and Eileen Montesin, who bring Nannu Pig and Nanna Pig to life. Both actors expressed their excitement at being part of this project, with Azzopardi noting it coincided with his real-life role as a grandfather. The adaptation aims to promote Maltese to younger audiences, both locally and abroad.

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Only Junk Food Ads Affected By TV Ban

Dec 7 2024

Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, backs tighter rules on junk food ads and wants brands included in the ban. She hopes companies will step up by making healthier products but admits some might dodge the rules by focusing on logos instead of food. “We’re all for these restrictions but want to see loopholes closed in the future,” she said.

Many brands are already addressing this, shifting to ads that don’t feature their products, especially on TV and social media. Vic Banham, who runs a marketing agency called Antler Social, says it’s clever marketing. “They’re not selling food directly but still putting their name out there in a big way. It’s more like organic content than traditional ads,” Banham explained.

The Department of Health and Social Care says the ban targets products high in sugar, fat, or salt. Brands can still advertise if what they’re promoting meets the appropriate health standards.

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‘Muhammad’ becomes England’s most popular baby name

Dec 6 2024

The latest statistics from the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed a significant shift in baby name trends in England and Wales.

For the first time, ‘Muhammad’ has surpassed ‘Noah’ as the most popular baby name for boys. These are followed by ‘Oliver’ which replaced ‘George’ as the third most popular.

The name, with its multiple variations, reflects the growing influence of Muslim communities in the UK, where it is commonly chosen in reverence to the Prophet Muhammad. This marks a notable shift in the UK’s culture and demographics, with ‘Muhammad’ showing a steady rise in the top rankings of recent years.

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This is also seen where unlike previous decades, it seems that names like Charles, Harry and George, which are synonymous with members of the royal family, are losing appeal. However, the ONS claims that parents are selecting fewer names for boys than for girls, which increases the occurrence of each boy’s name.

For baby girls, the top three most popular names have remained the same since 2022, starting with ‘Olivia’ followed by ‘Amelia’ and ‘Isla’ – with Olivia being the highest ranking name since 2016. The ONS also noted some new additions to the top 100 names. For girls these included ‘Lilah’, ‘Hazel’, ‘Raya’ and ‘Nevaeh’, whereas the new additions for boys included ‘Endo’, ‘Jax’, and ‘Bodhi’.

Depending on the season, some names were more popular than others; for example, ‘Summer’ and ‘Autumn’ were more prevalent in their respective seasons, while ‘Holly’, ‘Robyn’, and ‘Joseph’ were more popular in December.

Pop culture has also affected naming trends with a notable spike in baby names such as ‘Reign’ and ‘Saint’ after members of the Kardashian-Jenner family and those of artists like Billie Eilish and Lana Del Rey.

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