Source: Arab News
Security & Justice
Southern Lebanon Endures Massive Damage: 40,000 Homes Leveled Across 37 Towns
Israeli forces have systematically destroyed entire neighborhoods in southern Lebanon, leveling more than 37 towns and wiping out over 40,000 residential units, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Gaps in Coastal Radar Enabled Israeli Raid in Batroun, Army Commander Says
Lebanon’s army chief, General Joseph Aoun, detailed to Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati how Israeli forces likely exploited gaps in the country's coastal radar system during the recent raid carried out in Batroun. The briefing comes as Lebanese officials seek answers on how Israel’s elite Shayetet 13 unit carried out the landing undetected.
Monday, November 4, 2024
Opinion
The Emptying of Baalbek Is a Moment to Take Stock
“Large numbers of people continue to flee their homes every day, as Israel’s military operations in Lebanon have been going on unabated.” These disturbing words could be from almost any news report about Israel’s invasion of its northern neighbour over the past month. However, they can be found in a report by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre issued on July 27, 2006.
Saturday, November 2, 2024
A Future Without Hezbollah
At the end of September, when Israel’s campaign to destroy Hezbollah was reaching its height, I met one of the group’s supporters in a seaside café in western Beirut. He was a middle-aged man with a thin white beard and the spent look of someone who had not slept for days. He was an academic of sorts, not a fighter, but his ties to Hezbollah were deep and long-standing.
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Sports
Tottenham Forward Son Heung-min Crowned Asia’s International Player of the Year
Tottenham forward Son Heung-min was crowned as Asia’s International Player of the Year for the fourth time by the Asian Football Confederation at its annual awards ceremony Tuesday.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Real Madrid Launch Investigation into Racist Insults After El Clasico Defeat
Real Madrid has launched an investigation into racist insults directed at players during Saturday’s 4-0 home loss to Barcelona in LaLiga, it said on Sunday.
Monday, October 28, 2024
Friday 21 October 2022 14:58:27
TikTok to Ban Children Under 18 from Live Streaming
Syrian children from refugee camps have taken to TikTok in droves to ask for donations, according to a BBC investigation. Some were even receiving up to $1,000 an hour, but when they withdrew the cash, it turned out TikTok had taken 70 percent of it.
TikTok said that it would take prompt action against “exploitative begging,” adding that this type of content was not allowed on its platform, and its commission from digital gifts was significantly less than 70 percent.
More than 30 accounts using children for begging were reported to TikTok. The company removed the videos but said that “no violation” had taken place.
“This type of content is not allowed on our platform. We have been working to strengthen our global policies around exploitative begging, to ensure no vulnerable person is used as a means to increase gifts while on LIVE. We have removed the accounts that have violated our Community Guidelines,” a TikTok spokesperson told Arab News.
A BBC crew, which visited a refugee camp and spent five months monitoring the activities, spoke to a middleman named Hamid Al-Alwa who provided phones and helped to manage accounts of families who begged.
Al-Alwa confirmed that the value of the gifts they received was “significantly reduced” from the amount actually pledged.
Now, TikTok has raised the age limit for livestreams from 16 to 18 years, starting Nov. 23.
In the coming weeks, it also plans to introduce adult-only live streams.
“For instance, perhaps a comedy routine is better suited for people over age 18. Or, a host may plan to talk about a difficult life experience and they would feel more comfortable knowing the conversation is limited to adults,” the company said in a blog post.
TikTok is also updating its keyword filtering tool, which enables creators to limit comments they find inappropriate.
“In the coming weeks, we’re rolling out an updated version of this feature that will send a reminder to people and suggest new keywords they may want to consider adding to their filter list,” TikTok said.
However, it is unclear how TikTok will enforce these age restrictions.
