The Crisis in Scale Five million people is roughly equal to the population of Norway. If nearly a quarter of the United States’ population left the country, it would be as if the combined populations of California, New York and Ohio had disappeared. In addition, 6.3 million Syrians have been internally displaced by the war. Altogether, about half of all Syrians have been forced from their homes […]
By Julie Steenhuysen | CHICAGO CHICAGO Prior infection with West Nile or dengue – two viruses closely related to Zika – can make Zika symptoms worse, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. The findings in mice, published in the journal Science, confirm studies in cells suggesting that prior infection with dengue could worsen the effects of Zika. That could explain higher rates of severe Zika side effects, such […]
An automated face detection method developed at Carnegie Mellon University enables computers to recognize faces in images at a variety of scales, including tiny faces composed of just a handful of pixels. Credit: Carnegie Mellon University Spotting a face in a crowd, or recognizing any small or distant object within a large image, is a major challenge for computer vision systems. The trick to finding tiny objects, […]
ZURICH The “political temperature” in the Balkans has risen significantly, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama told a Swiss newspaper, citing tensions in Macedonia over the country’s ethnic Albanian minority. Balkan states Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Montenegro all hope to join the European Union, but political feuds, ethnic strife and lingering misgivings over the wars of the 1990s complicate this process. [nL5N1GY69H] Rama, the Socialist Party […]
“We recognized the nature of the fight was going to change and that we had to ensure that authorities were down to the right level and that we empowered the on-scene commander,” General Votel said. He was speaking specifically about discussions that he said began in November about how the fights in Syria and Iraq against the Islamic State were reaching critical phases in Mosul and Raqqa. […]
In this Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, file photo, Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s executive vice president of the Windows and Devices Group, discusses a Windows 10 update at a Microsoft media event in New York. The major update to Microsoft’s Windows 10 system will start reaching consumers and businesses on April 11, 2017. New features in the “Creators Update” include 3-D drawing tools, game-broadcasting capabilities and the ability to […]
In this Friday, March 24, 2017, photo, new Samsung Galaxy S8, left, and Galaxy S8 Plus mobile phones are displayed in New York. The Galaxy S8 features a larger display than its predecessor, the Galaxy S7, and sports a voice assistant intended to rival Siri and Google Assistant. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Samsung seems to be playing it safe with its first major smartphone since the embarrassing recall […]
Chinese social media company Tencent has purchased a 5 percent stake in Tesla for $1.78 billion, providing a boost to the company as it prepares for the launch of the Model 3 mass-market electric vehicle. The shares of Tesla increased by 2.7 percent to $277.45 upon the announcement of Tencent’s investment, with the company now close to overthrowing Ford as the second most valuable automobile company in the […]
Photo The bodies of several people killed during fighting between Iraqi security forces and Islamic State militants on the western side of Mosul, Iraq, on Friday. Credit Felipe Dana/Associated Press GENEVA — Airstrikes against Islamic State fighters are killing so many civilians that Iraq and its American-led coalition of allies should reconsider their tactics, the top human rights official at the United Nations said on Tuesday. Zeid […]
The United States Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security has removed Chinese telecommunications technology solutions provider ZTE from its trading blacklist following the company pleading guilty to illegally exporting products to Iran. “Upon recommendation by BIS, the company and ZTE Kangxun Telecommunications Ltd will be removed from the Entity List on 29 March 2017 (United States time),” ZTE said in a statement [PDF] to the […]
Even 10 minutes of daily high-intensity physical activity could help some children reduce the risk of developing heart issues and metabolic diseases such as diabetes, according to a new study. The research found that by replacing low-intensity activity with short periods of vigorous exercise could be beneficial for young overweight people who report a higher insulin level in the blood. The international study was carried out by a […]
WASHINGTON — The F.B.I. on Tuesday arrested two Iraqi refugees living in Northern Virginia after they failed to disclose that one of their brothers had been involved in the 2004 kidnapping of an American contractor in Iraq. The refugees, Yousif Al Mashhandani, 35, of Vienna, Va., and Adil Hasan, 38, of Burke, Va., admitted to the F.B.I. that they did not tell the authorities about their brother […]
When was the first time you smoked weed? For those who’ve never indulged (or perhaps never inhaled), the question might seem too personal for an interview. But, for the millions of Americans who smoke marijuana, it could be an entrée to a host of interesting questions: Where are you from? Who’d you hang out with when you were in high school? What was your relationship with your […]
Photo A man carried the bodies of people killed in fighting between Iraq security forces and the Islamic State in Mosul last week. Credit Felipe Dana/Associated Press WASHINGTON — The senior United States commander in Iraq said Tuesday that an American airstrike likely triggered the collapse of a building in Mosul that killed more than 100 civilians this month, but indicated that an investigation would also examine […]
Tencent Holdings has forked out US$1.78 billion for a 5 percent stake in Tesla, according to a document filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The announcement came days after the US electric car maker said it was looking to raise funds to scale its business and bring to market its US$35,000-priced Model 3. The company said it expected to secure more than US$1 billion […]
Photo One of Bahman Jalali’s photographs, part of “Iran-Iraq War” (1980-1988), which is among those that won’t be displayed at the Aipad Photography show. Credit Bahman Jalali, courtesy Ag Galerie Tehran When this year’s edition of the Aipad Photography Show opens on Thursday, one of its booths will be empty — a casualty of President Trump’s travel ban. Ag Galerie, which was to have its debut at […]
The assassination of Mr. Fuqaha could herald a new kind of shadow war between bitter foes — a message from Israel to Hamas’s new, hard-line leader, Yehya Sinwar. Or Mr. Fuqaha’s death could be an ominous sign of internecine rivalries among Palestinian factions and even within Hamas under Mr. Sinwar, who carries a reputation as a harsh enforcer of loyalty in the group. Continue reading the main […]
In this Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, photo, a group of self-driving Uber vehicles position themselves to take journalists on rides during a media preview at Uber’s Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh. On Monday, March 27, 2017, Uber said it is resuming its self-driving car program in Arizona and Pittsburgh after it was suspended following a crash over the weekend. The company had also grounded self-driving cars in […]
“The new tax rate will bring Saudi Aramco in line with international benchmarks,” Saudi Aramco’s chief executive officer, Amin H. Nasser, said in a statement. Continue reading the main story The tax cut was announced a couple of months after intensive discussions with international bankers in Riyadh about how the offering should be structured. Bankers and independent specialists said the cut would help increase the cash flow […]
The grant announcement continues a run of significant recognition for the Center’s work. In recent days, five separate Center investigations have been honored as part of three prestigious journalism competitions. The Center was a winner in three categories of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers “Best in Business” competition, while taking a first place and a second place prize in the Association of Health Care […]
The Australian Federal Court has handed down its decision in Telstra’s proceedings against the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)’s final access determination (FAD) on wholesale copper pricing, with the judgment reaffirming the regulator’s decision. The ACCC’s FAD, published in October last year, cut the prices that the telecommunications giant can charge wholesale customers for use of its legacy copper network during the transition to the NBN […]
New updates for Final Fantasy XV have added an alternate version of the much-maligned Chapter 13 of the popular RPG, in addition to inserting a bit of political color into the game. The updates, 1.06 and 1.07, introduce several other additions to Final Fantasy XV in advance of the arrival of the game’s first DLC, Episode Gladiolus. Changes To ‘Final Fantasy XV’ Chapter 13 In December of last year, […]
By Tom Westbrook and Benjamin Weir | SYDNEY SYDNEY Howling winds, heavy rain and huge seas pounded Australia’s northeast on Tuesday, damaging homes, wrecking jetties and cutting power to thousands of people as Tropical Cyclone Debbie tore through Queensland state’s far north. Wind gusts stronger than 260 km per hour (160 mph) were recorded at tourist resorts along the world-famous Great Barrier Reef as the powerful storm, […]
Livestock grazing could affect the sage grouse population across 11 states in the western region of the United States and two Canadian provinces in western North America, according to a study. Its effect, either positive or negative, is determined by the amount of grazing and when it occurs. The study said some grazing could still be beneficial to chicken-like grouse if grazing occurred during the later part of […]
