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Elise Stefanik’s comments at Senate hearing align her with Israeli far right and highlight US-UN rifts over Israel policy Donald Trump’s nominee for US ambassador to the United Nations has endorsed Israeli claims of biblical rights to the entire West Bank during a Senate confirmation hearing, aligning herself with positions that could complicate diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.The New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a Republican, was confronted on Tuesday over her backing of a position that aligns her with the Israeli far right, including Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and former national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump has taken varied stances on TikTok, the wildly popular social media app that experts — including members of Congress and the FBI — warn poses risks to U.S. national security and raises significant privacy concerns for American users. Now, Trump is now disregarding those issues and leveraging his presidential authority to intervene in favor of the Chinese-owned platform, which, under federal law, was to be sold to a U.S. company or banned in the United States by January 19."Every rich person has called me about TikTok," Trump declared to reporters Monday evening, highlighting his newfound relationships with tech billionaires, some of whom were noticeably on stage near him during the inauguration.About a dozen countries, including the U.S., have banned, fined, or restricted the use of TikTok in various ways, including by children or on government devices, according to a Washington Post report.Calling it a "national emergency," Trump in 2020, during his first term as president, signed an executive order aiming to ban TikTok, citing a wide range of issues, including "information and communications technology and services supply chain."READ MORE: Cannon Blocks Classified Docs Report as Trump Targets Ex-Officials Over ‘Sensitive’ Info"Specifically, the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People’s Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. At this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application in particular, TikTok," his executive order read."TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories," the order stated. "This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information — potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage."Trump's order also cited the risk of censorship by the Chinese Communist Party, and said the app "may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, such as when TikTok videos spread debunked conspiracy theories about the origins of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus."Now, Trump is dismissing all those privacy and national security concerns, going so far as to apparently minimize concerns raised about how TikTok reportedly affects children.In October, NPR reported that "internal TikTok communications have been made public that show a company unconcerned with the harms the app poses for American teenagers. This is despite its own research validating many child safety concerns.""As TikTok’s 170 million U.S. users can attest, the platform’s hyper-personalized algorithm can be so engaging it becomes difficult to close the app. TikTok determined the precise amount of viewing it takes for someone to form a habit: 260 videos. After that, according to state investigators, a user 'is likely to become addicted to the platform.'"According to NPR, 14 state attorneys general conducted an investigation into TikTok, spanning more than two years.Investigators in Kentucky wrote that while 260 videos "may seem substantial, TikTok videos can be as short as 8 seconds and are played for viewers in rapid-fire succession, automatically.”READ MORE: Skipping Hand on Bible, Trump Declares ‘We Will Not Forget Our God’ at Inauguration“Thus, in under 35 minutes, an average user is likely to become addicted to the platform,” they alleged.NPR also reported that "TikTok’s own research states that 'compulsive usage correlates with a slew of negative mental health effects like loss of analytical skills, memory formation, contextual thinking, conversational depth, empathy, and increased anxiety,' according to the suit.""In addition, the documents show that TikTok was aware that 'compulsive usage also interferes with essential personal responsibilities like sufficient sleep, work/school responsibilities, and connecting with loved ones.'"Those concerns did not appear to be on display Monday during Trump's inauguration."TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew was seated next to Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump’s nominee to be the director of national intelligence, at the Capitol as Trump was sworn-in," The Wall Street Journal reported, noting that "the seating of Chew and Gabbard together comes as TikTok is under scrutiny for national security concerns."Later on Monday, reporters asked Trump why he flipped his position on TikTok and now supports it."Because I've got to use it. And remember, TikTok is largely about kids, young kids.""If China's gonna get information about young kids, I don't know," he said appearing to shrug off the implications. "I think to be honest with you, I think we have bigger problems than that.""But, you know, when you take a look at telephones that are made in China and all the other things that are made in China, military equipment made in China. TikTok, I think TikTok is not their biggest problem."Trump went on to make the case for why he says the federal government should own half of TikTok."But there's big value in TikTok if it gets approved. If it doesn't get approved, there's no value. So if we create that value, why aren't we entitled to like half?"The Washington Post's Aaron Blake, responding to Trump's remarks, noted, "Members of the House Energy and Commerce committee saw the intelligence on this and quickly voted 50-0 in favor of the ban."Watch the video below or at this link.READ MORE: Trump Expected to Target Citizenship of Children With Undocumented Parents

by Tonye BAKAREA French woman who lost her life savings to scammers pretending to be American actor Brad Pitt is seeking to unmask at least three Nigerians her legal team accuses of defrauding her.The scammers tricked the victim, identified as 53-year-old Anne by French broadcaster TF1, into believing she was in a romantic relationship with the 61-year-old Hollywood star by using AI-generated photos.The case illustrates how Nigerian scammers, already known for a variety of internet schemes including "romance" scams, are pivoting towards new technologies to swindle victims. Anne told TF1 she was first targeted on Instagram by someone posing as Pitt’s mother after she shared pictures of herself skiing in the resort of Tignes. The scammers claimed that the actor urgently needed money to pay for kidney treatment, alleging that his bank accounts had been frozen due to ongoing divorce proceedings with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie. Anne's lawyer Laurene Hanna said her client lost 830,000 euros ($850,000) to the scammers.Anne has been in touch with Marwan Ouarab, the founder of the FindmyScammer.com website, in a bid to find the fraudsters, the attorney said on X.According to French daily Le Parisien, which quoted Ouarab, the scammers -- three men in their 20s -- are located in Nigeria.Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) anti-graft agency said it can only investigate the claim if a petition is submitted. "It is a petition that authorizes the EFCC to act," spokesman Dele Oyewale told AFP.‘Yahoo Boys’Africa's most populous country is saddled with a reputation for internet fraudsters known in local slang as "Yahoo Boys".The influence of internet fraudsters in popular culture has risen steadily since Afrobeats star Olu Maintain in 2007 released ‘Yahooze,’ a song eulogizing fraudsters.Several Nigerian songs referencing cyberfraudsters -- also known locally as "419" in a reference to Nigeria's criminal code for fraud -- enjoyed mainstream success. Nigerian authorities, in 2019 and in a case due to resume in March, briefly arrested a popular local musician known as Naira Marley on conspiracy and credit card fraud charges.Another musician, Shallipopi -- real name Crown Uzama -- and his manager were arrested in May 2023 for "internet-related fraud," EFCC said.In November 2022, a US court sentenced Ramon Abbas, a Nigerian fraudster once popular with politicians and celebrities, to a 135-month jail term and was ordered to pay $1,732,841 in restitution to two victims. US authorities said Abbas "conspired to launder tens of millions of dollars through a series of online scams".The use of AI is a new twist to an old crime, one expert told AFP.Romance scams, sextortion and the once popular emails from a "Nigerian prince" have been used to swindle victims in the past. The "use of AI and deepfake" will "erase the huge gains made already and set us back over 20 years," cybercrime expert Timothy Avele told AFP.Last July, Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta deleted 63,000 Instagram accounts linked to sextortion scams from the West African country and blamed "Yahoo Boys" for the scam accounts.Sextortation cases often involve young male or teen victims being persuaded to send compromising photos to fraudsters posing as young women. They are then blackmailed."We’ve banned Yahoo Boys under Meta’s Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy —- one of our strictest policies -— which means we remove Yahoo Boys’ accounts engaged in this criminal activity whenever we become aware of them," Meta stated in July.Weeks after the Meta clampdown, two Nigerian brothers, Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, were jailed to 210 months in prison each after they "sexually exploited and extorted more than 100 victims," including 11 minors. ‘Foreign syndicates’Foreign "cybercrime syndicates" are also exploiting Nigeria’s weakness in cybersecurity systems, and find it a "profitable place to set up their operations centers," Avele said.EFCC's Oyewale said the agency is ready to "tackle every emerging crime, including AI-enabled crimes." Last month, EFCC said it had arrested 792 suspects in a single operation in the affluent Victoria Island area of Nigeria's commercial hub of Lagos. At least 192 of the suspects were foreign nationals, 148 of them Chinese, the agency said. EFCC spokesman Oyewale said in a statement the foreign gangs recruited Nigerian accomplices to find victims online through phishing, targeting mostly Americans, Canadians, Mexicans and others in European countries. The anti-graft agency has busted several hideouts where young criminals learn their trade and also arrested 25 people at a "cybercrime training centre" in southern Edo state on January 16.Those arrests followed a slew of others last year© Agence France-Presse

CNN's Jim Acosta wondered aloud whether Donald Trump's threats to take the Panama Canal, by force if necessary, sent a dangerous message to U.S. adversaries like China.China has long threatened to invade the disputed territory of Taiwan, just as Russia did with Crimea and is trying to do with Ukraine.During his inaugural speech Monday, Trump claimed, "We have been treated very badly from this foolish gift that should have never been made, and Panama’s promise to us has been broken. The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated. American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape, or form. And that includes the United States Navy. And above all, China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back."Acosta pondered on Tuesday's morning show, "If the president can say, 'We're going to go take the Panama Canal,' I mean, couldn't China say, 'Okay, well, then, I guess that means we can take Taiwan?'"ALSO READ: Inside the parade of right-wing world leaders flocking to D.C. for Trump's inaugurationRep. Jim Hines (D-CT) responded, "Look, I think China is sophisticated enough to see exactly what President Trump is doing, which is a game of distraction, away from the issues that really matter to the American people."Hines continued, "I look at polling every once in a while and I can tell you that Panama or the name of Mount Denali, is not on the top 50 list of American concerns. So, the Chinese understand that this is a distraction mechanism. And, I think they're probably happy that now Panama, which is a critical ally — we've got military in Panama, the Canal is really pretty important to us — now they've been subjected to, as you pointed out, a series of lies — that we've been treated badly, that the Chinese run — absolute lies. and the Chinese are saying, 'You know what? The president Trump is gratuitously, for no apparent reason, damaging American relationships with critical allies. Pop the champagne, folks in Beijing!' That's what they're thinking."CNN.com estimated that it would take around 90,000 U.S. troops to take the Panama Canal by force, and such an operation would require a congressional resolution in order to proceed. It would also disrupt global trade, since "around 6% of global trade passes through the canal."

by Joe JACKSONPrince Harry's hotly anticipated lawsuit trial against a British tabloid publisher alleging it carried out unlawful information gathering will start Tuesday, after years of legal wrangling during which dozens of other claimants settled.Harry, King Charles III's youngest son, claims private investigators working for two tabloids owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers (NGN) repeatedly targeted him unlawfully more than a decade ago.It is one of several lawsuits the 40-year-old has pursued against UK newspaper publishers, with the California-based royal winning a phone hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) just over a year ago.The High Court claim against NGN does not encompass phone hacking allegations, after judge Timothy Fancourt previously ruled the prince had run out of legal time to pursue that claim.The only other remaining claimant in the case is Tom Watson, a former deputy leader of the ruling Labour party who now sits in the House of Lords.The pair accuse The Sun and now-shuttered News of the World of using unlawful newsgathering techniques to generate stories about them more than a decade ago, and that NGN executives deliberately covered up their practices by deleting emails.Watson also alleges his phone was hacked between 2009 and 2011, when he was investigating Murdoch's tabloids as an MP on a watchdog committee.- Cover-up claims -NGN denies all the allegations, calling the cover-up claim "wrong" and "unsustainable".During the trial -- expected to last up to 10 weeks -- NGN will call "a number of witnesses including technologists, lawyers and senior staff to defeat the claim," a spokesperson said.Harry, who quit being a working royal in 2020 and settled in the United States with his wife Meghan, has long blamed the paparazzi for the 1997 death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a car chase in Paris.He is due to give evidence at the trial, to back up claims against the two tabloids covering a 15-year period from 1996.The prince, whose formal title is the Duke of Sussex, became the first senior British royal to give evidence in a witness box in 2023, when he testified against MGN.Fancourt, who also presided over that case, eventually ruled in the prince's favor, concluding phone hacking had been "widespread and habitual" at MGN titles in the late 1990s and the duke's phone had been tapped to a "modest extent".Widespread phone hacking allegations against a number of British tabloids emerged in the late 2000s, prompting the launch of a public inquiry into UK press culture.NGN apologized at the time for unlawful practices at the News of the World and closed it in 2011, while denying similar claims against The Sun and suggestions of a corporate cover-up.It has since settled cases brought by some 1,300 claimants.The publisher has paid out around £1 billion ($1.2 billion) including legal costs, according to British media, and never seen a case go to trial.- 'Accountability' -That has prompted criticism that England's civil litigation system favours deep-pocketed defendants who leave claimants with little choice but to settle.Various high-profile figures who made claims against NGN, including Harry's brother and heir-to-the-throne Prince William and actor Hugh Grant, have settled in recent years.Grant, a long-time critic of Britain's tabloids, revealed last year he had opted against a trial because it could land him with costs approaching £10 million even if he won.Under litigation rules, if a claimant refuses a settlement and a judge awards a lower sum after a trial, the claimant must pay both sides' legal costs. Harry has shown no sign of wanting to settle in a legal battle Fancourt said in an October ruling "at times resembles more an entrenched front in a campaign between two obdurate but well resourced armies".The British royal told a New York Times event last month that his goal is "accountability".His battle with an arm of Murdoch's media empire appears highly personal, with Harry describing the 93-year-old mogul as "evil" in his 2023 memoir "Spare"."I couldn't think of a single human being in the 300,000-year history of the species who'd done more damage to our collective sense of reality," he wrote.© Agence France-Presse

by Akio WANGA 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, injuring 27 people, triggering landslides and causing ceilings of homes to cave in according to local authorities.An AFP journalist in the capital Taipei felt tremors for nearly a minute as the shallow quake struck shortly after midnight.The epicentre was recorded 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) north of Yujing, a mango-growing district in southern Taiwan, the USGS said.Firefighters rescued three people including a child who were trapped in a collapsed house in nearby Nanxi district, video posted on Facebook and verified by AFP showed.Elsewhere, authorities said a person was injured by falling debris while two people were rescued from elevators.More than 50 aftershocks have been recorded, said Taiwan's Central Weather Administration which reported the initial quake at magnitude 6.4. The ceilings of several homes collapsed, while roads were blocked by falling rocks and landslides, the National Fire Agency said.But the agency reported "no major damage" from the quake, which injured 27 people according to the health ministry.The aftermath saw classes and office work cancelled in Nanxi district as well as Dapu Township in mountainous Chiayi County, north of the epicenter. Some roads in Dapu were "damaged and impassable", and water and electricity supplies affected, Chiayi County chief Weng Chang-liang said.Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC said it evacuated workers from some of its central and southern factories when the quake struck.- Taiwan's enhanced warning system -Taiwan is frequently hit by earthquakes due to its location on the edges of two tectonic plates near the Pacific Ring of Fire, which USGS says is the most seismically active zone in the world.The last major earthquake occurred in April 2024 when the island was hit by a deadly 7.4-magnitude tremor that officials said was the strongest in 25 years.At least 17 people were killed in that quake, which triggered landslides and severely damaged buildings around Hualien.April's earthquake was the most serious in Taiwan since it was struck by a 7.6-magnitude tremor in 1999.Some 2,400 people died in that quake, making it the deadliest natural disaster in the island's history.Since then, Taiwan has updated and enhanced its building code to incorporate quake-resistant construction methods, such as steel bars that allow a building to sway more easily when the ground moves.Famous for its cutting-edge tech firms, Taiwan has built up an advanced early warning system that can alert the public to potentially serious ground shaking within seconds.The system has been enhanced over the years to incorporate new tools such as smartphones and high-speed data connectivity, even in some of the most remote parts of the island.© Agence France-Presse

by Montira RUNGJIRAJITTRANON and Watsamon TRI-YASAKDAHundreds of LGBTQ couples are set to marry in Thailand on Thursday, as the kingdom becomes the biggest nation in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage. Only two other places in Asia recognise marriage equality -- Nepal and Taiwan. Thai society has long been seen as accepting of gender-fluid identities and relationships, but matching legal structures were absent.The new law coming into effect Thursday grants same-sex couples the same legal rights as heterosexual couples.Three couples in Bangkok told AFP about their hopes for the future.- Legal guardianship -Transgender woman Ariya "Jin" Milintanapa gazed at a family portrait photo, filled with excitement that her dream was finally coming true."I've been waiting for this moment for more than 10 years," she told AFP.The 41-year-old met her American partner, Lee Ronald Battiata, two decades ago on a dating website.The couple and their two sons share a home in a Bangkok suburb, filled with family photos, chickens, and two parrots.After school, they take the children to swimming lessons, a passion reflected in more than 20 medals proudly on display.Chene, 10, is Battiata's son from a previous marriage, and Charlie, eight, was adopted -- though Jin had to adopt him as an individual. But the new legislation replaces all references to men and women with "partner", clearing the way for any two people to wed -- as long as at least one is a Thai citizen."The marriage licence will allow us to share legal guardianship of our kids, as a family," Jin said.Battiata, 65, a restaurant consultant, was married twice before and said his relationship with Jin "feels better and stronger"."We still do everything we did from the start," he said.They will tie the knot Thursday at a Bangkok luxury mall, joining an estimated 300 other couples, according to event organisers.Despite Thailand's reputation for tolerance, housewife Jin said she has faced discrimination in everyday situations."If I go the market, some people will ask 'Whose kids are they?'" she said."But the boys know I am their mother, and it's someone else's business if they don't understand."- Property rights -For Karisa "Fah" Loywisut, 31, and her partner Niramon "New" Kvunkaew, 30, marriage is not just about love, but also equal rights.The lesbian couple -- both office workers -- have been together for four years and have a modern, two-storey townhouse in Bangkok's suburbs. Both contribute to the mortgage payments, but the deed is solely in Fah's name as unmarried couples face more hurdles buying property under Thai law. Marrying under the new law means the pair will be able to re-register their ownership of the property and access joint mortgages."Love is important, but rights and legality are just as important," Fah said.New, who grew up in a conservative family, said she spent years questioning her identity and was plagued with meeting social expectations.Her father doubted LGBTQ couples could have successful marriages."We always argue," New told AFP. "I tell him love isn't tied to gender."But their relationship has improved since the government passed the same-sex marriage bill, she said.Smiling as she shows off a picture of her proposing to New after the bill passed, she said: "It is nice that finally our love will be recognised by the state."- 'Just the beginning' -Actors Apiwat "Porsch" Apiwatsayree, 49, and Sappanyoo "Arm" Panatkool, 38, are one of Thailand's highest-profile gay couples, shooting to fame when their proposal video went viral 11 years ago.They have starred in several "Boys' Love" series -- a male romance genre aimed at straight women -- and are among the few openly gay actors in the Thai entertainment industry, which remains socially conservative.The couple are well-known for their LGBTQ advocacy and celebrated the anniversary of their engagement with an unofficial wedding ceremony in downtown Bangkok earlier this month.They see the legal change as a turning point for Thailand."This is the just beginning of our fight," said Porsch, calling for the introduction of an anti-discrimination law.He drew an analogy between same-sex couples' lack of rights and passengers on a bus not being allowed to wear seatbelts."The bus goes on as usual. But if there was an accident, we would be the only ones who were not protected by those seatbelts."When their proposal video went viral 11 years ago, an overwhelming majority of the comments were cyberbullying, said Arm."Society back then did not understand why two men would get down on their knees and propose to each other," he said."We are ready to have our rights recognized, even if it's late."© Agence France-Presse

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he was not confident a ceasefire deal in Gaza would hold, despite trumpeting his diplomacy to secure it ahead of his inauguration.Asked by a reporter as he returned to the White House whether the two sides would maintain the truce and move on in the agreement, Trump said, "I'm not confident.""That's not our war; it's their war. But I'm not confident," Trump said.Trump, however, said that he believed Hamas had been "weakened" in the war that began with its unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel."I looked at a picture of Gaza. Gaza is like a massive demolition site," Trump said.The property tycoon turned populist politician said that Gaza could see a "fantastic" reconstruction if the plan moves ahead."It's a phenomenal location on the sea -- best weather. You know, everything's good. It's like, some beautiful things could be done with it," he said.Israel and Hamas on Sunday began implementing a ceasefire deal that included the exchange of hostages and prisoners.The plan was originally outlined by then president Joe Biden in May and was pushed through after unusual joint diplomacy by Biden and Trump envoys.Trump, while pushing for the deal, has also made clear he will steadfastly support Israel.In one of his first acts, he revoked sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank imposed by the Biden administration over attacks against Palestinians.Trump's airing of doubt marks a shift in tone from Biden, who had attempted for months to put the deal together. "I'm confident," Biden told reporters on Sunday about the prospects for the accord after implementation began. Biden also downplayed prospects that Hamas would regroup.Trump in his inaugural address on Monday pointed to the ceasefire as he described himself as a "peacemaker." At a rally afterward in an indoor stadium, Trump invited family members of hostages still in Gaza.© Agence France-Presse