Новости за 10.05.2023

A lesser-known form of solar power that has several advantages over the traditional kind is gaining traction. The solar panels float on water, so they don't take up land; the water keeps the panels cooler, which makes them produce more electricity, plus the arrays prevent the loss of water through evaporation. Floating solar is already going strong in Asia, from India to China. Now developers are taking inspiration from that and the technology is starting to spread more quickly in the United States. Читать дальше...

President Joe Biden is blasting Republican demands for federal spending cuts as “devastating." He made his case in a campaign-style speech to voters in Valhalla, New York, on Wednesday. At the same time, lawmakers met in Washington to try to find a path forward to lifting the government’s borrowing limit and avoiding a potentially catastrophic default as soon as June 1. The president showed an increased willingness to discuss possible deficit savings, yet he said that any talks should occur without... Читать дальше...

The U.S. has approved more than $42 billion in federal student loan debt forgiveness for more than 615,000 borrowers over the past 18 months. It's part of a program aimed at getting more people to work in public service jobs. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is open to teachers, librarians, nurses, public interest lawyers, military members and other public workers. It cancels a borrower’s remaining student debt after 10 years of public interest work, or 120 monthly payments. Stringent rules meant that many applicants were rejected... Читать дальше...

Transgender minors won't have access to puberty blockers, hormones or surgery under legislation passed in Missouri. Lawmakers approved the ban Wednesday, sending it to Republican Gov. Mike Parson for his signature. Lawmakers also approved a ban on transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams at all levels of school. The ban on gender-affirming health care exempts minors already receiving gender-affirming care. But it also affects some adults. Medicaid will no longer cover gender-affirming care in Missouri... Читать дальше...

For two decades, scientists have been comparing every person's genetic blueprint they study to a template that relies mostly on just one man. But now, scientists are building a much more diverse set of reference genomes called a pangenome that combines genetic material from 47 people from various places around the world. It’s the subject of four papers published Wednesday in the journals Nature and Nature Biotechnology. Scientists say it’s already teaching them more about health and disease and should lead to better genetic testing... Читать дальше...

No sooner did ChatGPT get unleashed than hackers started “jailbreaking” the artificial intelligence chatbot – trying to override its safeguards so it could blurt out something unhinged or obscene. But now its maker, OpenAI, and other major AI providers such as Google and Microsoft, are coordinating with the Biden administration to let thousands of hackers take a shot at testing the limits of their technology. Some of the things they’ll be looking to find: How can chatbots be manipulated to cause harm? Читать дальше...

Before allies of Gov. Ron DeSantis took over, Disney World’s governing district reached an agreement in February with the company to prohibit a long list of businesses from ever being operated on its property. At the time, the board was controlled by Disney supporters. Forbidden establishments included tattoo parlors, liquor stores, adult entertainment, oil refineries and trailer parks, but they didn’t include prisons. The Florida GOP governor recently mused prisons could be built there, when talking... Читать дальше...

Southeast Asian leaders have agreed to tighten border controls and law enforcement to fight criminal syndicates that are trafficking workers to other nations where they are forced to participate in online scams, according to a draft statement to be issued at the end of a regional summit. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who are meeting in Indonesia, will express concern “about the increasing abuse of technology in facilitating trafficking in persons in Southeast Asia and... Читать дальше...

The opposition party of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for demonstrators to remain peaceful. Wednesday's appeal comes hours after mobs angered over their leader’s arrest in a graft case attacked the residence of a top army general in the eastern city of Lahore and torched it in the rare such violence. Khan’s supporters also attacked the military’s headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi near Islamabad, but they could not reach the main building housing the offices of the army chief Gen. Читать дальше...

It took four minutes for a neo-Nazi with an arsenal of firearms to kill eight people and wound seven others at a Dallas-area shopping center before a police officer ended the rampage, likely saving untold lives. The massacre Saturday sent hundreds of shoppers at the Allen Premium Outlets scrambling for cover. Those killed included two elementary school-age sisters, a couple and their 3-year-old son, and a security guard who had helped others escape. Allen, a multicultural suburb of 105,000, is left... Читать дальше...

Robert De Niro has welcomed another child. The 79-year-old is now the father of seven. A representative for De Niro confirmed the birth to The Associated Press but said no other details or were expected. The actor tells The Associated Press that becoming a parent is "always good and mysterious and you don’t know what the hell is going to happen.” The Oscar winner's other children range in ages from 11 to 51. De Niro is currently promoting the new comedy “About My Father,” which opens on May 26. He... Читать дальше...

A city council committee will hear public testimony on a proposal to designate Kansas City as a sanctuary city for transgender people seeking gender-affirming care. The Transportation, Infrastructure and Operations Committee will consider a resolution Wednesday that says the city will not criminally prosecute or fine any person or organization that seeks, provides, receives or helps a person receive gender-affirming care. The debate comes amid controversy over a rule proposed by Missouri Attorney... Читать дальше...

After steadily declining for nearly a year, consumer price data to be released Wednesday will likely show that U.S. inflation remained stubbornly high in April, a sign that it might be entering a newer, stickier phase. Consumer prices are forecast to have risen 0.4% from March to April, much faster than the 0.1% increase the previous month. Compared with a year earlier, prices are projected to have jumped 5% in April, the same year-over-year increase as in March. If that forecast proves accurate... Читать дальше...

Airbnb has reported a $117 million profit for the first quarter, but investors are disappointed by a weak forecast for the late spring and early summer. Airbnb said Tuesday that bookings in the current second quarter will be lower than a year ago. That outlook overshadowed the first-quarter profit and a 20% increase in revenue. Bookings rose, and average daily rates paid by customers held steady. Airbnb is still getting a boost from the ongoing recovery in travel, which took a hit during the pandemic. Читать дальше...

Japan, the United States and South Korea are negotiating an agreement on sharing real-time data on North Korean missile launches, as cooperation among the three nations becomes increasingly important amid growing nuclear and missile threats from the North. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno says there has been no agreement yet, but “I understand that defense authorities are vigorously proceeding to set up an arrangement.” Difficult ties between Japan and South Korea, both key U.S. allies... Читать дальше...

Irish airline Ryanair is making a big order for Boeing 737 Max jets. Ryanair said Tuesday that it has agreed to order 150 Max planes with an option for 150 more. That would be the biggest aircraft purchase in the airline’s history and a boost for Boeing. At Boeing’s list prices, the 150 planes would be valued at more than $20 billion, although airlines routinely get deep discounts. Financial terms of the of deal aren't being announced. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary says the planes will replace some... Читать дальше...

Fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson says he'll be resuming a version of his old show on Twitter. He made the announcement in a three-minute video posted on the social media site, calling Twitter one of the last remaining media platforms that allows free speech. He offered few details in a monologue that told viewers that “the news you consume is a lie.” Fox fired Carlson, its most popular prime-time host, on April 24 without offering a public explanation, and its ratings in his old time slot have tumbled. Читать дальше...

Authorities say the mass shooting at a suburban Dallas shopping mall lasted three to four minutes before a local police officer shot and killed the gunman. Hank Sibley, the regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at a news conference Tuesday that the Allen police officer who shot and killed 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia acted heroically and saved “countless lives” through his quick action. He says the officer is still processing what happened and isn't ready to have his name made public. Читать дальше...