The United Nations has begun an effort to help the world manage the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday launched a 39-member advisory body of tech company executives, government officials and academics from countries spanning six continents. The panel aims to issue preliminary recommendations …
your ad hereSurvey: 2% of Kids, 7% of Adults Have Received New COVID Shots
A month after federal officials recommended new versions of COVID-19 vaccines, 7% of U.S. adults and 2% of children have gotten shots. The numbers, presented Thursday at a meeting held by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, come from a national survey of thousands of Americans conducted two weeks …
your ad hereDivergent States Working to Safeguard America’s Most Important River
Political leaders in the Mississippi River area are looking to form a multistate compact to manage threats from climate change, water pollution and drought-affected regions elsewhere. “Twenty million people drink from the Mississippi River and its tributaries every day, including me and my family,” said Colin Wellenkamp, executive director of …
your ad hereChina Sends Youngest-Ever Crew to Space as It Seeks to Put Astronauts on Moo
China launched its youngest-ever crew for its orbiting space station on Thursday as it seeks to put astronauts on the moon before 2030. The Shenzhou 17 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China atop a Long March 2-F …
your ad hereCholera Cases Rising in Malawi After Health Emergency Lifted
Malawi is seeing a spike in cholera cases. This, just two months after the government lifted a public health emergency declaration that had been in place since early 2022. Chimwemwe Padatha has this story from Lilongwe, Malawi …
your ad hereInside a Drone Factory: How It Helps Ukraine’s Defense Efforts
Brinc Drones is one of the U.S. companies shipping hundreds of drones to Ukraine. These drones are designed to help first responders survey the impacted areas of Russian shelling and find survivors. Adriy Borys visited the Brink manufacturing facility. Anna Rice narrates his story. Camera — Dmitriy Savchuk. …
your ad hereZara Owner Inditex to Buy Recycled Polyester From US Start-Up
Zara-owner Inditex, the world’s biggest clothing retailer, has agreed to buy recycled polyester from a U.S. start-up as it aims for 25% of its fibers to come from “next-generation” materials by 2030. As fast-fashion retailers face pressure to reduce waste and use recycled fabrics, Inditex is spending more than $74 …
your ad hereJapan’s Top Court Strikes Down Required Sterilization Surgery to Officially Change Gender
Japan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that a law requiring transgender people to undergo sterilization surgery in order to officially change their gender is unconstitutional. The decision by the top court’s 15-judge Grand Bench was its first on the constitutionality of Japan’s 2003 law requiring the removal of sex organs …
your ad hereUK Plans Space Mission After Striking Deal with US Firm
The UK Space Agency and a U.S. spaceflight services company have signed an initial agreement as they bid to send British astronauts into orbit for two weeks, the agency said Wednesday. The memorandum of understanding with Houston-based Axiom Space sets out plans for a flight that would see British astronauts …
your ad here33 US States Sue Meta, Accusing Platform of Harming Children
Thirty-three U.S. states are suing Meta Platforms Inc., accusing it of damaging young people’s mental health through the addictive nature of their social media platforms. The suit filed Tuesday in federal court in Oakland, California, alleges Meta knowingly installed addictive features on its social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook, and …
your ad hereTaiwan Computer Chip Workers Adjust to Life in American Desert
Phoenix, Arizona, in America’s Southwest, is the site of a Taiwanese semiconductor chip making facility. One part of President Joe Biden’s cornerstone agenda is to rely less on manufacturing from overseas and boost domestic production of chips that run everything from phones to cars. Many Taiwanese workers who moved to …
your ad hereBird Flu Detected in Antarctica Region for First Time
Bird flu has been detected in the Antarctica region for the first time, according to British experts, raising concerns the deadly virus could pose a threat to penguins and other local species. Scientists had been fearing that the worst outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in history would reach …
your ad hereGovernments, Firms Should Spend More on AI Safety, Top Researchers Say
Artificial intelligence companies and governments should allocate at least one third of their AI research and development funding to ensuring the safety and ethical use of the systems, top AI researchers said in a paper on Tuesday. The paper, issued a week before the international AI Safety Summit in London, …
your ad hereWHO: Sexual Misconduct and Exploitation by Staff Remains Problematic
The World Health Organization reported Monday that progress was being made in efforts to prevent and respond to cases of sexual misconduct but acknowledged that abuse by WHO staff remained problematic. “For the past two years, WHO has intensified our work to prevent and respond to any …
your ad hereWorld Far off Track on Pledges to End Deforestation by 2030 – Report
The world is moving too slowly to meet pledges to end deforestation by 2030, with the destruction worsening in 2022, according to a report by a coalition of environmental organizations released on Monday. More than 140 countries – representing the vast majority of the world’s woodlands – pledged at the …
your ad hereNigeria Rolls Out Game to Boost Environmental Awareness
Nigeria is ramping up its environmental education efforts as floods and soil erosion increase due to climate change. The latest education initiative is a card game called Play, Learn and Act Now, or PLAN. Gibson Emeka has this story from Abuja, Nigeria. …
your ad hereWHO Regional Election Sparks Nepotism Concerns in Bangladesh
The coming election to choose the World Health Organization’s next chief of the South-East Asia Regional Office, or SEARO, has become contentious as the person who takes up that post could influence the health of billions of people. The daughter of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is one of two …
your ad hereCountries Deadlocked on ‘Loss and Damage’ Fund as UN Climate Summit Nears
Countries are deadlocked over how to design a fund to help countries recover and rebuild from climate change-driven damage, with just over 30 days left before crucial United Nations climate negotiations kick off in Dubai. Two dozen countries involved in a committee tasked with designing a “loss and damage” …
your ad hereKenyan Developers Launch App to Prevent Phone Theft
Kenyan developers have designed a mobile phone application that police say is helping to safeguard smartphones from theft, recover stolen cell phones and prevent loss of data. Victoria Amunga reports from Nairobi. Camera: Jimmy Makhulo …
your ad hereChinese Sci-Fi Steps Into Spotlight
Once effectively banned, Chinese science fiction has exploded into the mainstream, embraced by the government and public alike — inviting scrutiny of a genre that has become known for its expanding diversity and relative freedom. Its new status was epitomized by this week’s Worldcon, the world’s oldest and most influential …
your ad hereHit Netflix Thriller Examining Justice in Nigeria, Boon for Nollywood
A Nigerian action thriller that tells a gripping story of corruption and police brutality in Africa’s most populous country has reached record viewership numbers on Netflix charts globally. It’s a reminder of the power and potential of Nigeria’s rapidly growing film industry. “The Black Book” has taken the streaming world …
your ad hereDo Manmade Noise, Light Harm Songbirds in New Mexico’s Oil Fields?
A California research team is conducting a five-year ecological study of six songbird species in northwestern New Mexico oil fields to see how sensory intrusions affect the birds’ survival, reproduction and general health. The Santa Fe New Mexican says the study by avian researchers from California Polytechnic State University will …
your ad hereSwift Bests Scorsese at Box Office, but ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Opens Strongly
In a movie match-up almost as unlikely as “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” Martin Scorsese took on Taylor Swift in cinemas over the weekend. And while the box office belonged for a second time to “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” got off to a strong start …
your ad hereCatholic Women Speak Up as ‘Patriarchal’ Church Debates Its Future
“Ordain women priests!” Not far from the Vatican, where hundreds of Catholics have gathered to debate the future of the Church, purple-clad activists make their voices heard against the “patriarchy”. The place of women in the Catholic Church — led for 2,000 years by a man, which outlaws abortion and …
your ad hereDrought in Brazil’s Amazon Reveals Ancient Engravings
An extreme drought in parts of the Amazon has led to a dramatic drop in water levels in the river, exposing dozens of usually submerged rock formations with carvings of human forms that may date back some 2,000 years. Livia Ribeiro, a longtime resident of the Amazon’s largest city, Manaus, …
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