Новости за 04.12.2023

Philadelphia police say a man who had tried to steal merchandise from a department store returned 15 minutes later and stabbed two security guards, killing one and injuring the other. The attack at the Macy’s store occurred shortly after 11 a.m. Monday. Police say store security guards saw the man attempting to steal some hats and took back the merchandise. Police say when the man returned he stabbed a 30-year-old male guard in the neck and a 23-year-old guard in the face and arm when he tried to help his colleague. Читать дальше...

A prominent disinformation scholar is accusing Harvard University in a whistleblower disclosure of muzzling her speech and stifling — then dismantling — her research team as it launched a deep dive into a damning trove of Facebook files. The 2021 actions impacting Joan Donovan’s work coincided with a $500 million donation by a foundation run by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan. Made public Monday, the disclosure seeks federal and state investigations into “inappropriate... Читать дальше...

Ohio’s former top utility regulator has pleaded not guilty in connection with a $60 million bribery scheme. Former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chair Sam Randazzo entered his plea Monday in federal court in Cincinnati. The 74-year-old Randazzo, of Columbus, faces 11 counts centered on allegations he accepted bribes from Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. in exchange for regulatory favors. The indictment marks the latest turn in a sweeping corruption scandal related to a legislative bailout of two nuclear power plants. Читать дальше...

The English Premier League has sold its domestic TV rights for 6.7 billion pounds for the next four-year cycle. The competition says it is the largest sports media rights deal ever concluded in Britain. The new contract covers the period from 2025-26 to 2028-29 and confirms the league’s status as the richest in soccer. The annual figure of 1.675 billion pounds is around double the value of domestic rights in each of Germany, Spain and Italy. Sky Sports will screen a minimum of 215 matches per season while TNT Sports will get 52 games. Читать дальше...

Bitcoin is once again having a moment. On Monday, the world’s largest cryptocurrency soared past $41,000 for the first time in over a year and a half — and marking a 150% rise so far this year. The recent rally for volatile bitcoin coincides with the prospect of exchange-traded funds being launched based on spot bitcoin. Industry advocates say that could make entering the cryptoverse easier, while lowering some of the well-documented risks associated with investing in cryptocurrencies. A green light from federal regulators hasn’t arrived yet. Читать дальше...

The initial study was launched in response to reports that many who served are now ill. 

Warren Buffett's company decided not to move forward with an expedited trial on its bribery allegations against the billionaire Haslam family in January under the strict conditions a judge set. But it will still be able to raise those concerns as part of its defense to the Haslams' rival claim that Berkshire Hathaway tried to depress the Pilot truck stop chain's earnings. Both the Haslams and Berkshire have accused each other of trying to manipulate the profits at the nation's largest truck stop... Читать дальше...

Georgia Republicans are advancing a proposed congressional map that maintains their party's 9-5 majority in the state's congressional delegation. A Senate committee voted 7-4 along party lines on Monday to send the map to the state Senate for more debate. A key question is whether Republicans can take apart a district with a majority nonwhite population currently represented by Democrat Lucy McBath. Republicans are arguing that federal law protects only districts where one group, such as Black people, are a majority. Читать дальше...

A Spanish association representing more than 80 newspapers has filed a lawsuit against Facebook parent Meta accusing it of unfair competition in online advertising by allegedly ignoring European Union rules on data protection.The Information Media Association says it is demanding 550 million euros ($600 million) from the social media giant. The association accuses Meta of “systematic and massive non-compliance” with EU data protection regulations. It says Meta has repeatedly ignored the requirement... Читать дальше...

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments over a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would shield members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids. The agreement hammered out with state and local governments and victims would provide billions of dollars to combat the opioid epidemic. The Sacklers would contribute up to $6 billion and give up ownership. The Stamford, Connecticut-based company would emerge from bankruptcy as a different entity... Читать дальше...

The U.S. Air Force says divers have discovered wreckage and remains of five crew members from a U.S. Air Force Osprey aircraft that crashed last week off southwestern Japan. The CV-22 Osprey carrying eight American personnel crashed last Wednesday off Yakushima island during a training mission. The body of one victim was recovered and identified earlier. The Air Force Special Operations Command says the five newly located remains are being recovered and their identities have yet to be determined. Читать дальше...

Spotify says it’s axing 17% of its global workforce in the music streaming service’s third round of layoffs this year. It's trying to slash costs while focusing on becoming profitable. In a message to employees posted on the company’s blog Monday, CEO Daniel Ek said the jobs are being cut as part of a “strategic reorientation.” The post didn’t specify how many employees would lose their jobs, but a spokesperson confirmed that it amounts to about 1,500 people. Spotify had used cheap financing to expand... Читать дальше...

Human rights lawyers have gone to court in the Netherlands to call for a halt to the export of fighter jet parts to Israel that are being used in attacks on Gaza. The lawyers say that delivery of parts for F-35 jets makes the Netherlands complicit in possible war crimes being committed by Israel in its war with Hamas. The rights lawyers asked The Hague District Court on Monday to issue an injunction banning the exports of F-35 parts that are stored in a warehouse in the town of Woensdrecht. Some of the parts are made by Dutch companies. Читать дальше...

From a hot dog vendor to head of the formidable mercenary army Wagner Group, his rise through Russian society could easily be described as meteoric. But it all came to a sudden end when the plane carrying him and others mysteriously exploded. The Aug. 23 death of Yevgeny Prigozhin put an exclamation point on what had already been an eventful year for the brutal mercenary leader. But he was just one of many noteworthy people who died in 2023. The world also said goodbye to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who died Nov. Читать дальше...

Asian shares are mixed as investors await a slew of U.S. economic data set for release later in the week. Benchmarks slid in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai Monday, but rose in Sydney and Seoul. Among the economic updates upcoming this week are data on the job market, including the U.S. government’s closely watched monthly employment report for November. Caution has also set in lately over whether a U.S. rate cut may not be coming so soon after all. On Wall Street, stocks finished last week, gaining ground... Читать дальше...

Fewer airplanes and helicopters will be flying tourists over Mount Rushmore and other national monuments and parks as new regulations take effect that are intended to protect the serenity of some of the nation’s most beloved natural areas. The air tours have pitted tour operators against visitors frustrated with the noise for decades, but it has come to a head as new management plans are rolled out at nearly two dozen national parks and monuments. One of the strictest yet was recently announced at Mount Rushmore and Badlands National Park... Читать дальше...

At least 1,300 employees of organizations representing fossil fuel interests registered to attend this year’s United Nations climate talks in Dubai. That's more than three times the number found in an Associated Press analysis of last year's talks. The jump may be due to new rules that took effect requiring attendees to disclose their employment. The fossil fuel-connected people make up just a tiny share of the 90,000 people who registered to attend the climate summit. But environmentalists have... Читать дальше...

Eight climbers rescued Sunday were rushed to hospitals with burn wounds and one also had a broken limb. 

A former Mormon bishop whom a top church official said committed “sexual transgression” with his own daughter was excommunicated after making a religious confession. Recordings obtained by The Associated Press show that instead of helping prosecutors, the church used a legal playbook that keeps sex abuse secret. Within weeks, prosecutors dropped the charges, and the former bishop is now a free man. The recordings provide an unprecedented record of the steps the church normally takes behind closed... Читать дальше...

Teachers are voicing skepticism about a Maine proposal to update science education standards to incorporate teaching about genocide, eugenics and the Holocaust. They say they have concerns about adequate teacher training and the nuanced nature of the material. The Maine Department of Education is performing the update that is part of a review of standards required every five years. The proposal states that science has sometimes been used by those in power to oppress and abuse others and that science education in the state should reflect that.

Hailed as a world first, European Union artificial intelligence rules are facing a make-or-break moment. Negotiators will meet to hammer out the draft’s final details this week, but the talks have been complicated by the sudden rise of generative AI. First suggested in 2019, the AI Act was expected to be the world’s first such comprehensive regulations. But the process has been bogged down by a last-minute battle over how to govern systems that underpin general purpose AI services like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard chatbot. Читать дальше...

The Chinese military said that an American naval ship had “illegally intruded” on Monday into waters near the Second Thomas Shoal, the site of a hot territorial dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. A Chinese naval force was mobilized to track the USS Gabrielle Giffords during the operation, according to a statement from the People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater. China says the U.S. is meddling in waters far from its shores and renewed its accusation that America is the one raising regional tensions. Читать дальше...

Sen. Bernie Sanders and a robust group of Democratic senators say they're done “asking nicely" for Israel to do more to reduce civilian casualties in its war against Hamas in Gaza. The lawmakers are warning President Joe Biden’s national security team that planned U.S. aid to Israel must be met with assurances of concrete steps from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right government. It is all but inconceivable that Congress would vote down the wartime aid, and the Democratic senators are adamant that’s not their intent... Читать дальше...

This week’s new streaming entertainment releases include a Nicki Minaj album dropping on her birthday and the return of Tony Shalhoub's OCD private investigator Adrian Monk with a final case. Julia Roberts stars in the psychological thriller “Leave the World Behind” on Netflix. It’s been a while since we’ve gotten a chance to play in James Cameron’s “Avatar” universe but Ubisoft is about to bridge the gap with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. And there’s a new swoon-worthy teen romance about a love... Читать дальше...

The U.S. military says three commercial ships in the Red Sea were struck by ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen, and a U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defense during the hourslong assault. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility. The attacks marked an escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war as multiple vessels found themselves in the crosshairs of a single Houthi assault for the first time in the conflict. Читать дальше...