Latest news with #PaulGordon
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NYC's ‘historic' Chinese lunar new year parade lights up streets
The special Chinese year of the wood snake is about transformation and change — and those celebrating it in Manhattan's Chinatown on Sunday said even the downpour couldn't dampen their hopes for it. 'It's a new year. A new starting point. New energy. A new beginning. Every year you get a chance for a new beginning,' said Lena Tan, 60, who danced in the parade with East Culture Art Inc. to usher in the beginning of the lunar new year. Paul Gordon, 48, who turned out for the parade with his Filipino-Chinese wife and family as they do every year, added, 'The first year ever in 15 years that I have seen so much rain. 'I look forward to this parade,' he said. 'I look forward to the good food, to seeing the community coming together, everybody bonding over the same thing. It's nice to see everyone coming together.' 'Last year we had the biggest crowd. This year we still got a good crowd with the rain,' Gordon said. Even as the rain fell, the parade's marchers carried on beneath ponchos and umbrellas, while viewers lining the narrow sidewalks crowded under awnings to try to keep dry. The rain finally cleared by mid-afternoon, and the rest of the parade went off without a hitch. 'I am excited to be here, rain or shine,' said city Councilman Christopher Marte, whose district includes Chinatown. 'It's a historic event that happens every year here in Chinatown, and it's great to see so many people out here in the rain,' he said. Sunday's celebration kicked off the year of the snake — although more specifically, the wood snake, which hasn't come around since 1965. The regular year of the snake occurs every 12 years. The year of the wood snake is supposed to be a year of change and upheaval — but one that can be positive and bring about transformation.
Euronews
13-02-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Online platforms disinformation code going formal, but X is out
All major online platforms except Elon Musk's X will by July see voluntary commitments on disinformation formalised under the EU's platform rules, the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Commission announced on Thursday. The integration of the code of practice on disinformation into the DSA will 'make it a benchmark for determining platforms' compliance with the DSA', the Commission said. The code, dating back to 2022, was initiated and signed by 42 companies including Google, Meta, Microsoft and TikTok. It sets out a broad range of voluntary commitments and measures to counter online disinformation, such as transparency of political advertising and cooperation during elections. Making it more formal will mean that the Commission can more easily assess whether the companies comply with the DSA. However, signing it does not 'presume innocence', a senior EU official said. The Commission originally aimed to finalise the work by January, as reported. 'For platforms it should lead to more meaningful engagement, it should not be a tick the box exercise," Paul Gordon, the assistant director at the Irish digital services coordinator Coimisiúin na Meán – which oversees DSA compliance of a range of online platforms – said at the time. Fact checkers The DSA entered into force in August 2023, since then the Commission has launched several probes into online platforms including X, TikTok and Meta's Facebook and Instagram. Last month, Meta announced that it would drop its fact checkers in the US and replace them with a community notes system, similar to X, saying the company will get back to the 'roots of free expression'. Meta did sign up to the code and there is no change in its commitment to the code, the EU official said. However, the Commission 'cannot force them to stay in', in case any company wants to drop out. X left the code when billionaire Musk bought to company in 2022. Last month, the Commission already formalised efforts by Big Tech companies to counter illegal hate speech online by integrating their industry commitments into the DSA. The Code of Conduct on countering illegal hate speech online – which was first drafted in 2016 – was signed by platforms including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube.
