Bishopdale’s elephant slide inspires children’s book
The iconic 50-year-old elephant slide in Christchurch’s Bishopdale Park has been immortalised in a new children’s book.
AP Technology SummaryBrief at 3:34 p.m. EST
Man pleads guilty in failed ransom plot that may have been linked to $240M crypto heistHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Florida man has pleaded guilty in connection with the carjacking and kidnapping of a Connecticut couple, in what authorities call a failed ransom plot that may have been linked to a $240 million cryptocurrency heist. Michael Rivas was one of six men arrested after the series of events in Danbury on Aug. 25. He has plead guilty Thursday to kidnapping and conspiracy in federal court in Hartford and is set to be sentenced in May. The couple were assaulted but survived the ordeal. Danbury police say the FBI was investigating whether the couple’s son was involved in a Bitcoin theft a week before the kidnapping.One Tech Tip: Start the new year with a clean inboxLONDON (AP) — For Jan. 9Farming tech is on display at CES as companies showcase their green innovations and initiativesLAS VEGAS (AP) — Sustainability is a key theme this year at the annual CES tech trade show in Las Vegas. Agriculture tech is on full display on the show floor while companies big and small also showcase their green innovations and initiatives. That includes Volvo CEO Martin Lundstedt’s vow to reach net-zero emissions by 2040 and Wisconsin-based OshKosh Corporation’s electric fire engines and garbage trucks. John Deere also unveiled a fleet of fully autonomous equipment like tractors that are already in use on some farms and orchards. Some experts say AI is key to the industry’s future as climate change makes farming more unpredictable.The ‘Worst in Show’ CES products put your data at risk and cause waste, privacy advocates sayLAS VEGAS (AP) — So much of the technology showcased at CES includes gadgets made to improve consumers’ lives — whether by leveraging AI to make devices that help people become more efficient, by creating companions to cure loneliness or by providing tools that help people with mental and physical health. But not all innovation is good, according to a panel of self-described dystopia experts that has judged some products as “Worst in Show.” The award that no company wants to win calls out the “least repairable, least private, and least sustainable products on display.”TikTok’s fate arrives at Supreme Court in collision of free speech and national securityWASHINGTON (AP) — In a collision between free speech and national security, the Supreme Court will hear arguments over the fate of TikTok, a digital age cultural phenomenon that roughly half the U.S. population uses for entertainment and information. The case is being heard Friday. TikTok says it plans to shut down the social media platform in the U.S. by Jan. 19 unless the Supreme Court strikes down or otherwise delays the effective date of a law aimed at forcing TikTok’s sale by its Chinese parent company. Enforcement of the law would be left to the incoming Trump administration. President-elect Donald Trump has dropped his support for a TikTok ban. The court’s decision could come within days.Musk uses X livestream to amplify German far-right leader’s views ahead of an electionWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Elon Musk livestreamed his chat with a leader of Germany’s far-right party, using the power of his social media platform, X, to amplify the party’s message ahead of an upcoming national election. More than 200,000 accounts tuned into Thursday’s livestream, which raised concerns across Europe about the world’s richest man trying to influence foreign politics. The Tesla chief executive, who helped reelect Donald Trump in the United States, spoke with Alice Weidel, a co-leader of the Alternative for Germany party and its candidate for chancellor. They agreed that Germany’s taxes are too high and that there is too much immigration. Musk said he was “strongly recommending” that Germans vote for Weidel’s party in next month’s election.Meta rolls back hate speech rules as Zuckerberg cites ‘recent elections’ as a catalystIt wasn’t just fact-checking that Meta scrapped from its platforms as it prepares for the second Trump administration. The social media giant has also loosened its rules around hate speech and abuse, specifically when it comes to sexual orientation and gender identity as well as immigration status. The changes are worrying advocates for vulnerable groups, who say Meta’s decision to scale back content moderation could lead to real-word harms. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday that the company will remove restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that he said are out of touch with mainstream discourse. He cited recent elections as a catalyst.Flying taxis are on the horizon as aviation soars into a new frontierSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — When he was still a boy making the long, tedious trips between his school and his woodsy home in the mountains during the 1980s, JoeBen Bevirt began fantasizing about flying cars that could whisk him to his destination in a matter of minutes. As CEO of Joby Aviation, Bevirt is getting closer to turning his boyhood flights of fancy into a dream come true as he and latter-day versions of the Wright Brothers building launch a new class of electric-powered aircraft vying to become taxis in the sky. They lift off the ground like a helicopter and then fly like airplanes capable of traveling at speeds of 200 miles per hour.ALS sidelined this Israeli TV journalist. AI is helping him make a comeback.JERUSALEM (AP) — A renowned Israeli TV journalist who lost his ability to speak clearly because of ALS is returning to the air using artificial-intelligence software that recreates his widely recognized gravelly voice. Moshe Nussbaum has been connecting with audiences for more than 40 years. But after being diagnosed two years ago with a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells, he had to greatly scale back his on-air work. Nussbaum will be making a comeback soon using an AI program that has been trained to speak with his voice. He will be filmed as if he were presenting and his lips will be technologically adjusted to match the words. He calls the technology a magic trick that has incredible meaning for everyone with disabilities.Meloni says Italy is exploring deals on telecoms security, but denies private talks with MuskROME (AP) — Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni says her government is in talks with private companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, over the country’s telecoms security system, but denied having discussed the issue privately with Musk. Responding to questions from reporters at her new year’s press conference, Meloni said: “I never talked about this with Musk. It’s not my habit to use my public role to do favors to friends.” She stressed that national interest was “the only lens” through which she judged such potential contracts with SpaceX, which owns the Starlink satellite system.COPYRIGHT 2025 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
‘Worst in Show’ CES products put data at risk and cause waste, privacy advocates say
LAS VEGAS — So much of the technology showcased at CES includes gadgets made to improve consumers’ lives — whether by leveraging AI to make devices that help people become more efficient, by creating companions to cure loneliness, or by providing tools that help people with mental and physical health. But not all innovation is…
20 Essential Elements Of A Robust Business Continuity Plan
When disaster strikes, a well-crafted business continuity plan can mean the difference between seamless recovery and prolonged disruption. Yet, many businesses unintentionally overlook critical elements that could significantly impact their resilience.
From untested assumptions about supply chains to gaps in employee communication protocols, oversights in continuity plans often reveal themselves only when it’s too late. Below, members of Forbes Technology Council highlight often-missed essentials of a robust continuity strategy and explain why they’re indispensable for safeguarding your operations.
1. Preventive And Predictive Maintenance Of Digital Infrastructure
Preventive and predictive maintenance of critical IT digital infrastructure is increasing in importance as data resilience and data center resilience become increasingly necessary for business continuity. Predictive maintenance allows businesses to schedule maintenance only when necessary and before operational issues occur instead of at fixed intervals, resulting in fewer equipment outages and greater system efficiency. – Giordano Albertazzi, Vertiv
2. A Cyber Resilience Strategy
Cyber resilience is essential—and that doesn’t just refer to cybersecurity issues. In today’s era of dynamic computing, business leaders prioritize innovation over risk. A cyber resilience strategy is critical for a business’s ability to recover from and continue operating through unexpected interruptions, whether caused by a cyber incident, natural disaster or human-caused event. – Theresa Lanowitz, LevelBlue
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3. Defined Minimum Viable Business Operations
Define what minimum viable business operations look like for your company. In the event of a catastrophic outage (think ransomware), what systems, workloads, data and other elements would you bring back up first, and in what order? Having all parties (business and technical) in agreement on what constitutes minimum viable business operations will help you avoid turf wars and increase efficiency during recovery. – Dale Zabriskie, Cohesity
4. Distributed Infrastructure
A key element of a BCP is ensuring resilient network connectivity through georedundancy and a multiprovider approach. Distributing infrastructure across multiple locations and providers reduces the risk of localized outages. Provider diversity and carrier-neutral interconnection offer flexibility, preventing vendor lock-in. In today’s digital world, resilience isn’t optional—it’s essential. – Ivo Ivanov, DE-CIX AG
5. A Comprehensive Communication Strategy
One essential component is a robust communication strategy. Clear, timely communication ensures employee safety, maintains trust with customers and prevents misinformation. It’s vital for coordinating roles during crises, managing public perception and complying with regulations. Without it, even a well-prepared plan can fail due to confusion or mistrust. – Akila Selvaraj, AdaptiveFunnels.ai
6. Prioritization Of Critical Business Functions
An important element of a business continuity plan is the identification and prioritization of critical business functions. This process involves determining which operations are vital to the organization’s survival and establishing the sequence in which they should be restored following a disruption. Neglecting this step can lead to inefficient recovery efforts, potentially exacerbating operational downtime and financial losses. – Rajdeep Biswas, Neudesic, an IBM Company
7. Regular Testing And Updating
An often-overlooked element of a BCP is regular testing and updating. It ensures the plan remains relevant amid changing technologies and processes, validates its effectiveness, prepares employees for real crises, ensures compliance, and helps companies adapt to emerging threats like cyberattacks. Without testing, businesses risk gaps in readiness and an ineffective response during disruptions. – Piyush Ranjan, Barclays Inc. USA
8. Flexibility
Flexibility is a vital element of business continuity. In a rapidly changing, tech-driven world, we must adapt to customer needs, market shifts and external factors. Incorporating forward thinking, feedback loops and awareness of the risks associated with various scenarios builds resilience. As they say, “Change is the only constant.” Flexibility enables businesses not just to survive in the face of change, but to thrive. – Parya Lotfi, DuckDuckGoose
9. Communication And Change Management Protocols
Among the essential yet often overlooked elements of a business continuity plan are comprehensive communication and change management protocols. Businesses often focus on operational recovery and infrastructure, assuming communication during a crisis will happen “on the fly.” There’s a tendency to underestimate how chaotic a crisis can become without clear, predefined change management protocols. – Shreesha Hegde, Fractal Analytics
10. Documented SOPs
Having well-documented standard operating procedures is essential when onboarding or replacing employees and when you decide to sell your business. Without SOPs, the execution of tasks becomes nonstandardized, and it becomes impossible to identify issues in performance. – Ori Eldarov, OffDeal
11. Employee Cross-Training
Cross-training is a crucial leadership strategy for business continuity. It ensures employees can step into multiple roles, keeping operations running during a crisis. This reduces reliance on key individuals, prevents bottlenecks and builds a more adaptable workforce. It’s also a way to develop future leaders, making the organization more resilient and prepared for unexpected challenges. – Sandeep Jha, LinkedIn
12. Reliable Employee-Facing Systems
A commonly overlooked aspect of BCP is having reliable employee-facing tools and internal systems. If systems like communication platforms, HR tools or inventory management go down, employees can’t work efficiently, even if customer-facing apps are fine. Including these tools in BCP ensures productivity is maintained, minimizing disruptions to both internal operations and customer service. – Akshay Prabhu, Capital One
13. Failure Mode And Effects Analysis
It’s essential to perform detailed failure mode and effects analysis to identify vulnerabilities and address them using the latest technologies, with routine check-ups every six months. In terms of an organization’s supply chain, it is essential to validate the vulnerabilities of extended suppliers rather than focusing solely on immediate suppliers—a step that is often overlooked. – Joydeb Mandal, Accenture
14. Regular Drills
A business continuity plan that has never been followed or tested is not worth much. Make sure to have regular drills and walk through your BCP with different groups, strictly following the steps in your BCP. A drill isn’t “done” until you’ve achieved business continuity, so your BCP needs to work. Anything that’s broken needs a root cause analysis and should be fixed before your next drill. – Deepak Bhaskaran, Cisco Systems Inc.
15. Prioritization Of Existing Customers
Existing customers are a critical yet often overlooked aspect of business continuity planning. During disruptions, retaining their trust ensures long-term stability. Clear communication and consistent service help preserve loyalty. A recovery plan that prioritizes customers strengthens resilience and fosters growth. – Vishal Pawar, CloudOMax Corp.
16. Quarterly Plan Validations
Regular and realistic testing is very important for a business continuity plan. Quarterly validation of the existing plan ensures employee readiness and uncovers vulnerabilities, which helps teams effectively update the plan. Testing also helps improve the resilience of the plan. Without testing, the plan might work in theory but be stale and fail during recovery efforts. – Sai Arava, Adobe
17. Periodic Business Impact Analyses
Business impact analysis is foundational to a BCP. It is important to periodically conduct a BIA to validate current risk management objectives that represent business-driven requirements for both risk avoidance and business recovery. The BIA identifies key internal and third-party dependencies, as well as the impact of disruptions on the business, including financial, operational, brand image and legal aspects. – Kim Bozzella, Protiviti
18. IT Threat Modeling
Investing in creating a threat model that can outline all the risks that your IT systems are exposed to enables your business to come up with comprehensive continuity plans. Threat modeling is often used in assessing security properties, but it can be applied to general continuity planning as well. – Atul Tulshibagwale, SGNL.ai
19. Backup Identity Authentication Methods
Identity is the most overlooked element in business continuity plans. If identity systems go down, employees and systems lose access to critical applications and data, halting operations. Ensuring identity resilience through strategies like backup authentication methods and failover systems is essential to maintain access and minimize disruption during outages or attacks. – Eric Olden, Strata Identity
20. Continuity Plans For Events That Impact AI-Powered Decision-Making
Businesses that rely on data science or AI for key decisions need continuity plans for real-world changes that can invalidate models or training data. For example, during COVID, shifting consumer preferences made existing models ineffective for online retailers, impacting revenue. Similar models in insurance, banking and pharmaceutical supply chains require scrutiny and planning from a BCP perspective. – Thomas Robinson, Domino Data Lab
Tamira Chapman and Crown Publishing Group Launch Storehouse Voices, New Book Imprint Dedicated to Black Authors
The Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, will launch new book imprint Storehouse Voices, created in partnership with Tamira Chapman, founder and CEO of Storehouse In A Box.The new imprint, announced on Jan. 9, was founded to address the lack of representation of authors of color within the publishing industry, according to a statement shared with PEOPLE. Storehouse Voices will publish books across fiction and nonfiction genres, with the goal of “promoting the richness of Black storytelling through intentional acquisitions and hiring efforts, strategic partnerships, and authentic, equity-minded community outreach.”Storehouse Voices was developed after the success of the Women & Words program, launched in collaboration with Storehouse In A Box and Penguin Random House. The program included a series of networking sessions and virtual workshops with aspiring authors and literary agents aimed to “demystify the publishing industry and its processes” for underrepresented authors.
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“Storehouse Voices is informed by a deep understanding of the unique cultural and historical contexts of the Black experience in America and committed to ensuring that literary works by underrepresented authors are presented authentically, respectfully and powerfully across the publishing and media landscape,” the statement continued.
Dr. Cheryl Polote-Williamson (left) and Marie Sutton are among the authors Storehouse Voices will publish.
Paras Griffin/Getty ; Marie Sutton/Facebook
The editorial team at Storehouse Voices will include Chapman as publisher, Porscha Burke as associate publisher, Jennifer Baker as editorial director and Chelcee Jones as executive editor. The imprint’s list of authors so far includes Cheryl Polote-Williamson (inspirational nonfiction), Nia Gilliam (memoir), Marie Sutton (biography/memoir), Temple Day Smith (historical fiction) and Michael A. Tinsley (young adult/fantasy.)“We’re creating a home for Black voices and celebrating the richness of diverse storytelling,” Chapman said in a statement. “I’m deeply grateful to the tens of thousands of Black women whose passion and dedication to excellence in literature made this moment possible, and to David Drake, Porscha Burke and Penguin Random House for their leadership and belief in the importance of amplifying Black voices.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“Diverse authors have a home here, and we call on the brightest talent in publishing to join us in reshaping the narrative. Together, we will tell bold, inclusive stories that honor our experiences, amplify our voices and redefine the future of storytelling for generations to come.”To learn more about Storehouse Voices, visit storehousevoices.com.
See All of Jenna Bush Hager’s 2025 Read With Jenna Book Club Picks
Jenna Bush Hager has some great book recommendations for 2025.The Today Show co-host, 43, founded her Read with Jenna book club in 2019. As a passionate bookworm, Bush Hager chooses a new title to read every month, with her list of selected authors ranging from Toni Morrison to Dolly Alderton to Sandra Cisneros.“I think about the year as a whole,” Bush Hager told PEOPLE of her book club selection process. “I want to make sure that our readers are getting a selection of different genres. They’re getting fresh, new voices.”
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!“Our mission is to highlight debut and diverse writers. So younger writers, meaning not younger in age, but younger in their career,” she added. “Diverse stories, stories that haven’t always historically been published or listened to, I think is really important … We want to make sure that all of America is really represented in the stories that we’re sharing.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Already, 2025 has seen the launch of Hager’s new book imprint Thousand Voices Books, and there’s more in store for her book club too. See below for all of Read with Jenna’s 2025 selections.
January 2025: ‘The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus’ by Emma Knight
‘The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus’ by Emma Knight.
Pamela Dorman Books
Bush Hager’s first pick of the year follows Pen, a college freshman studying abroad in Scotland who befriends a writer and his intriguing family — and ends up learning more about her own parents in the process. It’s a story of female friendship, sexual awakening, family and new experiences.”This is a book about friendship, motherhood and finding ourselves with mystery and romance at its core,” Bush Hager said of the novel.
Stephen King had a three word response after discovering 50 of his books were banned by authorities
Stephen King wasn’t best pleased when a state in the USA banned more than 50 of his books in schools.Florida undertook the decision in a move that saw children restricted from dozens of books – both from King and other authors.It placed restrictions on school libraries across the state under landmark legislation signed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis way back in 2022.King is of course best known for producing content that isn’t exactly child friendly. Dubbed the King of Horror, he is the brain behind the likes of Carrie, The Shining, Misery, It, The Green Mile, and The Shawshank Redemption.The change to the law – which came in to effect in July 2023 – excluded dozens of books that included sexually explicit content.This was after complaints from a conservative political organisation known as Moms for Liberty which actively campaigned to ban books in schools that mention gender and sexuality.King himself found out about the ban second hand in September last year, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to vent his two cents at 23 of his own novels being included in the list.Stephen King didn’t take kindly to the ban (Manny Hernandez/Getty Images)He candidly wrote: “Florida has banned 23 of my books. What the f**k?”Following the social media blow up, with King’s tweet seen more than 15 million times before it was deleted, book publishers including Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins Publishers filed a lawsuit against the state of Florida saying the ban violated rights to free speech as protected under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.Books reported to have been banned include Carrie, Cujo, Doctor Sleep, Blaze, It, Pet Sematary, and Salem’s Lot. The Miami New Times has reported that more than 50 of his books have now been banned in Florida schools.WTF?, King tweeted (Marc Andrew Deley/Getty Images)Other books banned were Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.On top of that, even Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl made the banning list.In a statement shared with Newsweek, King said: “I have said it before, and will say it again.”When books are banned from school libraries, run to your public library, or the nearest bookstore, and read what it is your elders don’t want you to know.”Banned in schools (Stefano Guidi/Getty Images)Collier County Public Schools, which runs 47 schools in Florida attended by more than 47,000 children, said the authority is ‘putting fresh eyes on the list of books and overall review process to remain in alignment with Florida law’.Non-compliance with the book banning order could result in third degree felonies, the school body explained.The court case looking to overturn the ban remains active and unresolved, with the Florida state filing to throw the case out in December 2024. The case continues.
Biden administration battles on against plea deal for accused 9/11 mastermind
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration doubled down Thursday on its unusual court battle to derail a plea deal that the government itself had reached with accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. It urged a federal appeals panel to block Mohammed’s guilty plea from going forward as scheduled Friday at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Defense lawyers described…
Australians love cheap books. Here’s why that’s a problem
We all love a bargain, but what is the real cost of buying cheap books online or at a discount in department stores?In the past decade, the number of bookstores in Australia has more than halved, going from 2,879 in 2013 to 1,457 to 2023, according to an independent research site.An equally sobering statistic from the 2022 National Survey of Australian Book Authors is that the average annual income of a practising author is $18,200. That’s well below the poverty line.Listen to the podcastThe best of talks, forums, debates and festivals, casting light on major social, cultural, scientific and political issues.And these figures are linked. A growing cohort of Australian writers and independent bookstore owners are putting the blame on online retailers and discount department stores that sell books at bargain basement prices.”This constant discounting devalues the work that goes into a book, the effort that goes into writing a book, the process that goes into publishing a book, and you grow a generation of readers that think a book is only worth a few bucks,” Michael Robotham, best-selling Australian crime writer tells ABC Radio National’s Big Ideas.Robotham says independent bookstores were critical in his literary success.”It was independent bookstores that launched me, particularly in Australia. My first novel had not done that well in Australia, and the second one was picked up and championed by independent bookstores everywhere.”Broken Hill has become a booklovers heaven with the recent opening of four bookshops.
This Week’s Top 5 Tech Stories We’re Following- January Week 1
Lots has happened this past week in the tech world! With Google donating to Trump’s inauguration fund, Microsoft cutting jobs across departments based on performance, and more, there’s much to catch up on. So, let’s get started!
Google Donates to Trump’s Inauguration Fund
Google has donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, joining other major tech companies in seeking to build goodwill with the incoming administration.
“Google is pleased to support the 2025 inauguration through a live stream on YouTube and a direct link on our homepage. We’re also making a contribution to the inaugural committee,” said Karan Bhatia, Google’s global head of government affairs and public policy, in a statement to CNBC.
The donation was made on Monday. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Meta both pledged $1 million to the inaugural fund late last year, and Amazon and Apple CEO Tim Cook have also reportedly made contributions.Trending“Africa” by Toto Plays on Repeat in the Namib Desert: Do You Need to Ask Why?
Microsoft Cuts Jobs Across Departments
Microsoft is reducing a small number of jobs across various departments due to performance issues, the company confirmed on Wednesday.
“At Microsoft, we prioritize high-performance talent,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in an email. “We are constantly focused on helping people learn and grow. When performance falls short, we take the necessary steps.”
The job cuts will impact fewer than 1% of tech employees, according to a source familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss confidential information.
Shares of eBay Soar 9%
eBay’s shares rose by 9% on Wednesday after Meta announced it would allow some listings to appear on Facebook Marketplace, its popular platform for connecting consumers for local item exchanges and more.
eBay’s stock reached its highest point since November 2021.
The initiative will begin with a test in Germany, France, and the United States, where buyers can view listings directly on Marketplace and finalize their transactions on eBay, Meta stated in a release.
Meta employees expressed their criticism on the company’s internal forum Tuesday regarding the decision to end third-party fact-checking on its platforms just two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The concerns were raised after Joel Kaplan, Meta’s new chief global affairs officer and former White House deputy chief of staff under President George W. Bush, announced the tech policy changes on Workplace, the company’s internal communications tool.
Nvidia Releases New Gaming Chips
Nvidia introduced new chips for desktop and laptop PCs on Monday, featuring the same Blackwell architecture that powers the company’s fastest artificial intelligence processors for servers and data centers.
The chips, named GeForce RTX 50-series, will be preinstalled in computers priced between $550 and $2,000, the company announced. Laptops equipped with these chips are set to begin shipping in March.
Nvidia showcased the tech processors at CES in Las Vegas, where CEO Jensen Huang delivered a keynote address on Monday.