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China expected at UK AI summit despite pushback from allies

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:36:55 GMT

LONDON — Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.That seems to be the U.K.’s maxim ahead of an expected visit by its top diplomat James Cleverly to Beijing next week.Although the visit is shrouded in secrecy, it is likely the U.K.’s landmark artificial intelligence summit in November will be high on the agenda. According to three people familiar with the U.K.’s plans for the AI summit, the Rishi Sunak administration is determined to involve the Chinese government in some form — despite resistance from Japan, the United States and the European Union.“If you were a betting man I reckon you’d see China there in some capacity,” said a U.K. government official familiar with planning for the summit. They were granted anonymity to speak candidly.Officials in Westminster have been racking their brains for months on how to involve the Chinese without upsetting key allies. Any invite to Beijing also risks enraging the vocal tribe of Tory backbenchers who have been pushing the U....

SpaceX, NASA delay astronaut launch for ‘additional analysis’

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:36:55 GMT

(CNN) — A SpaceX and NASA mission that was set to launch four astronauts — representing four nations and space agencies across the globe — to the International Space Station was abruptly called off Thursday evening.The precise reason for the delay, announced late Thursday night, was not immediately clear. The astronauts’ SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft had been slated to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:50 a.m. ET Friday.In a social media post, SpaceX said only that it was delaying the liftoff time to Saturday, August 26 at 3:27 a.m. because it “provides teams additional time to complete and discuss analysis.”“The vehicles remain healthy and crew is ready to fly,” according to the post shared on X, the website formerly known as Twitter.During a livestream, NASA spokesperson Rob Navias said “mission mangers met and elected to postpone the launch of the Crew-7 crew for 24 hours to provide just a bit more time to close o...

Heineken sells Russian business for $1 as it completes exit

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:36:55 GMT

London (CNN) — Heineken has announced its departure from Russia following the sale of its business in the country for a symbolic €1 ($1).The Dutch beer maker said in a statement Friday that it had received the necessary approvals to sell its operations to Arnest Group, a Russian manufacturer, completing a withdrawal process it initiated in March 2022.Heineken CEO Dolf van den Brink said that “recent developments demonstrate the significant challenges faced by large manufacturing companies in exiting Russia.”“While it took much longer than we had hoped, this transaction secures the livelihoods of our employees and allows us to exit the country in a responsible manner,” he added.The brewer expects to incur a total loss of €300 million ($323 million) from the deal.When Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a slew of multinational companies left Russia, or announced plans to do so. But over the past 18 months, the Kremlin has made it increasingly...

Medford firefighters rescue cat stuck in wheel of car

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:36:55 GMT

Medford firefighters responded Thursday to rescue a cat stuck in the wheel of a car, the Medford Firefighters Local 1032 said in a social media post. The firefighters union said crews were called to the area of 3780 Mystic Valley Parkway where they were able to remove the car’s tire and get the cat to safety. The union said crews brought the cat to a nearby Petco animal hospital where the cat was evaluated and found to only have minor injuries. Animal control personnel from Everett had taken possession of the cat as of Thursday afternoon to care for the animal until its owner can be located, the Local 1032 union said.

Powell at Jackson Hole: Economy’s solid growth could require additional Fed hikes to fight inflation

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:36:55 GMT

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER (AP Economics Writer)JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming (AP) — The continued strength of the U.S. economy could require further interest rate increases, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday in a closely watched speech that also highlighted the uncertain nature of the economic outlook. Powell noted that the economy has been growing faster than expected and that consumers have kept spending briskly — trends that could keep inflation pressures high. He also reiterated the Fed’s determination to keep its key rate elevated until price increases are reduced to the central bank’s 2% target. “We are attentive to signs that the economy may not be cooling as expected,” the Fed chair said. “We are prepared to raise rates further if appropriate and intend to hold policy at a restrictive level until we are confident that inflation is moving sustainably down toward our objective.” His speech — at an annual conference of ce...

German minister says she hopes someone is indicted for the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:36:55 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s top security official says she hopes prosecutors will find sufficient evidence to indict whomever carried out an attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last year.Explosions on Sept, 26, 2022, damaged the pipelines, which were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany. Who was responsible for the sabotage, which added to tensions over the war in Ukraine as European countries moved to wean themselves off Russian energy sources, remains a mystery.Germany, Sweden and Denmark have investigated the attack though been tight-lipped about their findings. “I hope that the (German) federal prosecutor will find enough clues to indict the perpetrators,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine published Friday. “We must bring such crimes to court,” she said. “It also strengthens citizens’ confidence in the state of law when it succeeds in clearing up such complex cases.”In July, European diplom...

Infant dies after being left in a car on a scorching day in South Dakota, police say

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:36:55 GMT

YANKTON, S.D. (AP) — An infant died this week after being left in a car on a scorching day in South Dakota, police said. The baby was found inside a vehicle outside a church late Wednesday afternoon, the Yankton Police Department said in a news release Thursday. The discovery came as temperatures reached 100 degrees and the heat index broke 110 degrees in the region.Police said the infant had been in the vehicle “for an extended period of time.” Authorities have not provided the infant’s name and age, or said whether any arrests have been made. An autopsy has been requested, police said.“The Yankton Police Department will continue the investigation. As more details become available, we will issue another press release,” the release said.Yankton has a population of nearly 15,500 and is located in the southeastern corner of South Dakota, along the border with Nebraska.The Associated Press

Bahamas introduces bills to legalize marijuana for medical and religious purposes

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:36:55 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The government of the Bahamas has unveiled several bills aimed at legalizing marijuana for medical and religious purposes, joining other Caribbean nations that have taken similar steps.Officials said licenses for cultivation, retail, transport and religious use would only be granted to companies that are entirely Bahamian owned. Licenses for research, testing and manufacturing would be awarded to companies that are at least 30% Bahamian owned.Attorney General Ryan Pinder told reporters Thursday that marijuana for religious purposes could only be smoked on the premises of a licensed organization.The government envisions creating a Cannabis Authority to regulate the industry.Public hearings on the issue are scheduled for September, and legislation could be approved before next year.Other Caribbean nations have relaxed their marijuana laws. Antigua decriminalized marijuana use for the general public. Jamaica also decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, w...

Deaths of 5 people found inside an Ohio home being investigated as a domestic dispute turned bad

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:36:55 GMT

LAKE TOWNSHIP, Ohio (AP) — Police performing a welfare check at an Ohio home found five people dead inside the residence, including three children.The bodies were found around 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Lake Township, according to Uniontown police. The names of the victims have not been released, pending notification of relatives.Authorities said the deaths are being investigated as a domestic dispute that turned deadly, but they declined further comment Friday, citing the ongoing probe. They also declined comment on why the welfare check was requested and who made it.The Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation was at the home Thursday night to help collect and document evidence. A BCI spokesman referred all questions to Uniontown police, who cover a portion of Lake Township.Edmond Gadzacko, who lives next door to where the deaths occurred, told The Canton Repository that he and his wife always enjoyed their neighbors and never had any issues with them. He said the three...

Stock market today: Wall Street holds steady after Fed’s Powell says job not done on inflation

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:36:55 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are holding on to gains after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said more rate hikes could be on the way to continue the Fed’s fight against inflation. The S&P 500 was up 0.4% Friday morning, coming off its worst loss in three weeks. The Dow was up 101 points and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.7%. Powell said in a closely watched speech that the economy has been growing faster than expected this year, which keeps up pressure on inflation and could require still more interest rate increases to get inflation down to the Fed’s goal of 2%. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are rising in early trading Friday ahead of a speech by the head of the Federal Reserve.The S&P 500 was up 0.4%, coming off its worst loss in three weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 163 points, or 0.5%, at 34,362, as of 9:40 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.6% higher.The day’s headliner is Fed Chair Jero...