レアジョブ英会話 Daily News Article Podcast

Smoke from wildfires—which are burning more of the Northern Hemisphere as Earth warms—attacks nearly every system in the human body, killing tens of thousands of people a year, numerous medical studies show. It attacks the body immediately, spiking asthma cases with increased ambulance runs within hours, swamps emergency rooms in a day or so with people suffering from heart attacks and other cardiovascular and lung issues, as well as mental health issues, doctors and scientists told The Associated Press. Smoke also harms pregnant women, increasing the risk of premature births and low-weight babies who could have breathing problems the rest of their lives, doctors and studies said. And then there are long-term risks connecting prolonged smoke and other air pollution exposure to some cancers and dementia. After huge global fires in 2018 and 2019, the medical and science communities started looking at the health effects from the burning trees with "more and more studies coming out finding that there’s all types of impacts that may not have been so obvious before,” said Harvard School of Public Health environmental health scientist Dr. Mary Johnson. Smoke causes inflammation by triggering the body's immune system to go into overtime to fight the irritant. Scientists have found it can harm the brain and skin, with almost no system of the body spared, Johnson said. People over 60 become more prone to stroke in wildfire smoke, she said. “Wildfire smoke is the toxic product of combustion of whatever burned,” which could include houses and cars, said Dr. Courtney Howard, an emergency room physician, chair of the Global Climate and Health Alliance and president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association. “So really it's a big giant toxic soup of particles and gases.” Scientists have counted at least 1,000 toxins in wildfire smoke, said Colorado State University environmental toxicologist Luke Montrose. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Drops for computer chipmakers and other winners of the artificial-intelligence boom dragged down stock markets worldwide. The S&P 500 fell 0.5%, even though more stocks rose within the index than fell. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 105 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite sank 1.5%. Nearly three out of every four stocks rose within the S&P 500 after more of the country's biggest companies reported better earnings for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Abbott jumped 10.7% after the healthcare company delivered a fatter profit than expected and raised its forecast for earnings over the full year. J.B. Hunt Transport Services climbed 8% after the freight company likewise topped analysts' expectations for the latest quarter. But a 1% move for Nvidia's stock packs more of a punch on the S&P 500 than a 1% move for any other company because it's the largest on Wall Street by value. And Nvidia fell 2.4%, making it the heaviest weight on the index. Other AI winners also sank, giving back some of their stellar gains. Micron Technology fell 5.6% to shave its gain for the year so far below 199%. SanDisk fell 12.6% but is nevertheless up 494% for the year so far. Western Digital sank 9.2% but is still up 171% for the year so far. Such stocks have been under pressure for weeks because of worries that their prices shot too high and that voracious demand for computer memory and processors may not be sustainable if AI ends up not producing as much profit and productivity as promised. The losses came even though Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., a bellwether of the chip industry, reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Its stock in Taiwan rose 1.2%, but its stock that trades in the United States fell 2.3%. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The European Union (EU) issued two new rules for Google to force it to share search data and open up its Android operating system to rival AI companies. In the latest attempt to rein in the tech behemoths’ deep control of the digital economy, the EU said it will support innovation and diversity in the field by enabling fair access to AI features on Android devices and search engines. “Thanks to these measures, we hope to see emerging alternatives to Google Search and Google’s AI services, such as Gemini, and that users in the EU can enjoy greater choice of services,” Henna Virkkunen, an executive vice president at the European Commission overseeing tech, said. The measure is the latest advancement of Brussels’ growing rules and regulations that have given the 27-nation bloc a global leadership position in checking the power of tech juggernauts or “gatekeepers” like TikTok, which are largely based in China and the U.S. Recently, Brussels has pushed through efforts to ensure Google gives access to Gemini AI services to rival AI companies and search engines; forced Apple to add interoperability features to its devices to connect to non-Apple products; and demanded that Meta dismantle “key addictive features” like infinite scrolling. Kent Walker, president of global affairs for both Google and its parent company Alphabet, said the new rules could backfire by removing safeguards that the company had built to protect user privacy, like the vetting of third-party AI assistants. “Europeans’ private searches would be exposed to unfamiliar companies, without adequate anonymization of the data and without user knowledge or consent. This would weaken citizens’ privacy, risk business trade secrets, and endanger national security,” he said in a statement. U.S. President Donald Trump has lashed out at EU tech regulation in the past. In issuing the two new rules, the commission said it found that AI agents not made by Google were unable to function on Android phones at the same level as Google's Gemini. Google must now allow voice activation of these alternative AI agents and enable them to run background tasks like booking restaurants via third-party apps. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

It might seem like a minor inconvenience, but swooping seagulls are a familiar frustration for anyone trying to enjoy a meal by Sydney Harbour. Now, working farm dogs best known for herding sheep are being trained to use those same instincts to keep hungry seagulls at bay. At the request of Sydney's Opera Bar, dog trainer James Webb developed a specialized program that teaches working dogs to deter seagulls. “It's really become like a science, how we do it,” says Webb of the Seagull Patrol. The program is harnessing the dogs’ natural herding instincts. “The reward is getting to chase the seagulls, so we get dogs that just love doing it, and then we work backwards with training from there,” explains Webb. The dogs are trained to anticipate the birds' movements, making them an effective and humane way to discourage unwanted visitors. “If we keep doing the same thing, the seagulls will just watch us walk up and down and they'll help themselves to food when the dogs not there, so we have to be a bit sneaky, so we get the dogs to creep up, we might get them to bark at them or appear when they're not expecting it and just keep the seagulls on their toes,” says Webb. The program has expanded to as many as five locations, including Melbourne's Federation Square, and the dogs have also been brought in at the new Sydney Fish Market. “There was skepticism about whether they would be successful or a gimmick. Since we've had the dogs, the feedback from everybody is tremendous,” says Tanya Lambert of the Sydney Fish Market. There are now 35 dogs trained for the role, with each working no more than a single four-hour shift each week. Known collectively as the "Seagull Patrol," they're working dogs on duty but ordinary family pets once they head home with their owners. Customers have welcomed the initiative, praising the seagull-free dining experience. “Fantastic job, I haven't got any sign of seagull on me, haven't seen one since I've been here,” says Peter, a restaurant patron. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

A group of 26 Meta employees has sued the company, claiming it used artificial intelligence systems to select people for layoffs, disproportionately targeting those on medical, parental, or family leave. They are among the 8,000 employees, or about 10% of its workforce, Meta said it would lay off in May. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Oakland, California, claims the company used internal AI systems, keystroke and activity-monitoring data, AI token-usage dashboards, and algorithmically assisted performance rankings, among other methods, to determine who would be laid off. Many of these scores and ratings “by design, cannot be accumulated by an employee who is on protected medical or family leave, or whose output is reduced by a disability,” the lawsuit says. Meta, according to the lawsuit, did not account for protected leave when taking employees' scores into account and “did not pause the system for the individualized, leave- and accommodation-neutral review that the law requires.” As a result, people on protected medical or family leave were disproportionately selected for layoffs, the lawsuit says. Each of the 26 anonymous employees in the lawsuit took protected leave, or requested or received a reasonable accommodation for disability. Though they have been notified of their layoffs, all 26 remain employed by Meta, with separations that began on July 22. Many of the employees in the lawsuit took pregnancy or parental leave, during which time they wouldn't have worked and thus had their measured output reduced. Others took medical leave—one disclosed a “serious health condition and disability” that was approved by Meta's own provider. But according to the lawsuit, he was “discouraged and deterred from taking that leave by a manager” who warned that doing so would result in his selection for the anticipated layoffs. Meta offered no accommodation for his disability, the lawsuit says. Meta said in a statement that the claims "lack merit and are not based on facts. Workforce management and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Japanese communications company Fujitsu is leading a major push in artificial intelligence using Nvidia's technology, bringing together what it said was the best in Japan's manufacturing prowess in robotics with AI. The technology area known as "physical AI" refers to smart, futuristic robots that can think on their own, not just follow programmed directions, to work safely alongside people in factories, homes, and hospitals. The initiative was announced in Tokyo by Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Jensen Huang and Fujitsu Chief Executive Takahito Tokita, along with the CEOs of Japan's top makers of industrial robots, Fanuc Corp., Yaskawa Electric Corp., and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The latest announcement comes on top of a deal announced by Nvidia and Fujitsu last year. The executives expressed hopes that the robots can address the nation's acute labor shortage. Japan is among the most rapidly aging societies in the developed world, and the smart robots could help take care of the elderly living alone, they said. Huang said physical AI was a good fit for Japan because of the country's reputation for manufacturing quality, as robots that move independently could potentially be dangerous. "Japan's excellence is a philosophy, a way of life. 'Made in Japan' means the highest quality, the highest precision. Japan sets the standard for the state of the art in modern manufacturing," he said. Huang listed Japan's prized concepts in fine manufacturing such as "kaizen," which means "continuous improvement." The companies did not give a specific time frame for the arrival of such robots in daily life. They stressed efforts were underway, with what they called the first phase of the collaboration coming later this year. There has been no decision on setting up a joint venture, although that could come later, they said. Japan has acknowledged it has fallen behind some nations, including China and the U.S., in AI, and has been eager to play catch-up. The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently announced a plan to drum up more than 370 trillion yen ($2.3 trillion) in public and private investment in various technology fields by 2040, including physical AI, semiconductors, and data centers. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Dawn and Cassius Spears would like to expand their southwest Rhode Island farm’s reach beyond their farm stand, but it’s challenging. Like many small food producers, the Spears have sought financial assistance through federal programs. Some of these programs have been cut or significantly scaled back under the Trump Administration, including U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs that helped Indigenous farmers like the Spears. Tribes have used these programs to distribute culturally significant foods produced locally. Some legislators are working to reinstate programs as part of the Farm Bill that would help state and tribal governments purchase local food. The Biden administration started two programs during the pandemic to help states and tribes purchase local food from nearby farmers for food banks and schools: the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS). These programs offered farmers, including tribal farmers, reliable markets for their products. Tribal governments received assistance to purchase food from local producers to distribute to tribal members. In March 2025, under the Trump administration, the Agriculture Department ended the two programs that provided more than $1 billion for schools and food banks, saying that they no longer aligned with the agency's goals. U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, and Sen. Jim Justice, a West Virginia Republican, introduced a bill they say takes the best from the two programs and creates a permanent grant program. It would allow state and tribal governments to buy local foods from local and regional producers to distribute to nearby hunger relief programs and schools. Reed said he feared that when the USDA programs were cut, families across the country would have a more difficult time getting access to food. And, he said, the access wouldn't be to nutritious, freshly grown produce. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

AI has been dominating news headlines in recent years as people digest what the developments of large language models will mean for our future. A summit in Geneva is considering how the power of AI can be harnessed for good. The “AI for Good” summit follows a meeting of 193 nations to discuss the first UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance. Fred Werner, Head of Strategic Engagement at the International Telecommunication Union, has watched as AI tech progressed at breakneck speed. “We created AI for Good in 2017, and if you think about it, that's an eternity in terms of AI years, right, because AI is moving so fast,” he explains. “Back then, it was all about the fear, the hype, and the promise of AI. The use cases were there, but the technology wasn't really there. But what we see now... is the rise of AI agents. I think we're now entering what I would call a zero-click world, where AI agents are not waiting for our prompts, but they're actually acting on our behalf, autonomously. And then looking at the more physical manifestation of AI, in the form of advanced robotics, autonomous mobility, brain-computer interfaces, and even space computing.” Ability Neurotech has been developing its brain-computer interface for over eight years. Its implant sits on the brain, reading neural signals still intact in patients who've lost the ability to speak or move. It then sends that data, through the skin, to a processor decoding it in real time. Rotem Kopel, the company's CEO, explains what the device is built to do. She says, “We give back people capacities and functionality that they've lost. So, for patients like ALS, stroke, spinal cord injuries, they lose the capacity to communicate, to speak, or to move,” she details. "With the brain implants, we implant it in the brain, we record brain functions that are completely intact. We extract this information out, and with really unique AI capacities we can reconstruct what they were intending to do.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

South Korea began enforcing a law that allows steep punitive damages against news outlets and social media influencers for spreading false information, as journalist groups warned it could chill public discourse and invite censorship. Journalists and civil liberties groups say the vaguely worded law fails to clearly define what information it prohibits and lacks adequate safeguards for the media, warning it could potentially discourage critical reporting about government officials, politicians, and large businesses. The law allows courts to award damages of up to five times the proven losses against news organizations and large social media channels, including YouTube creators, that circulate illegal, false, or manipulated information to cause harm or generate profit. In addition, those who distribute information more than twice after a court has confirmed it to be false or manipulated could be fined up to 1 billion won ($656,000) by the country’s media regulator. Internet companies operating large social media platforms with more than 1 million daily users are required to take measures such as removing content or suspending user accounts when they receive reports of false or fabricated information. The law was backed by President Lee Jae Myung’s liberal Democratic Party and passed by the National Assembly in December over a boycott by the conservative opposition. The liberals, who unsuccessfully sought to pass similar legislation under previous governments, say the law is necessary to combat fake news and disinformation, which they argue is posing a growing threat to democracy by fueling division and hate speech. The Journalists Association of Korea said the mere prospect of news organizations repeatedly facing massive damage claims or legal disputes could have an “unavoidable chilling effect.” “Even if a law’s objective is legitimate, it could erode the foundations of democracy if it’s enforced in a way that discourages the media and ordinary citizens from freely criticizing and scrutinizing those in power,” the group said in a statement. The Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club also expressed concern about the potential impact on the work of the media and the free flow of information. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The European Union accused Meta of breaching its social media law by designing Facebook and Instagram to get users hooked and demanded it disable “key addictive features” like infinite scrolling. The E.U.'s executive arm issued a fresh set of charges against Meta Platforms as part of its investigation under the 27-nation bloc's strict digital rule book known as the Digital Services Act. The sweeping set of regulations from Brussels requires tech platforms to protect internet users under threat of hefty fines. The European Commission said Meta failed to properly assess the risks its design features pose to the physical and mental health of users, including minors. And while the company has tools and controls to help manage Facebook and Instagram use, it said they were easily overridden, dismissed, or technically challenging to use. Meta “needs to implement design changes” to Instagram and Facebook, such as disabling “key addictive features” like autoplay of videos and infinite scroll so they’re not turned on by default, the commission said in its preliminary findings. Meta now has the chance to respond and defend itself before the commission issues its final decision, which could result in a fine worth up to 6% of the company’s global annual revenue. Meta said that the preliminary findings do not recognize the steps that the company has already taken to protect teens. “Since this investigation began, we rolled out Teen Accounts that automatically protect teens and put parents in control—allowing them to block access to Instagram at night and cap daily screen time at just 15 minutes,” Meta said in a prepared statement. "We share the European Commission’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive online experiences and will continue to engage constructively with them.” Europe is committed to enforcing its legislation that holds platforms accountable for addictive design features, said Henna Virkkunen, an executive vice-president at the commission overseeing tech. “Protecting the physical and mental health of Europeans must be a priority for social media platforms,” Virkkunen said in a written statement. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Communities along the coastline of Nigeria are struggling to cope with heavy rainfall and unstable, sandy soils, according to the UN's Office for Project Services. It says rising sea levels, climate change, and land reclamation projects are all contributing to coastal erosion. The coastline along Orimedu in Nigeria is facing land degradation. The people there are seeing the destruction of their homes as well as the loss of livelihoods. A cursory glance along the beach shows just how close the creeping shoreline and the boats are to people's homes. The fishermen from the coastline have gathered for a traveling "booxhibition"—an exhibition designed to complement conventional research reports—which uses photographs and landscape designs to highlight the growing threat of sea-level rise and coastal erosion across the Gulf of Guinea. The display features recent photographs of coastal communities in Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire alongside landscape architecture designs developed through a three-year research project examining how communities can adapt to climate change. The exhibition was curated by Gareth Doherty, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore, and the project as a whole is funded and run by the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University. “It is essential that we bring the research back to the communities… which we've been studying over the last three years. And so, we spent a lot of time in communities like this, along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, documenting what people have told us about the lived realities of coastal erosion. And what we have here in the booxhibition is a summary of that research presented in a way that is accessible to a general audience. Our hope with the booxhibition is that it starts conversations about the future,” Doherty says. According to Doherty, the exhibition explores how landscape architecture can help communities along the Gulf of Guinea respond to sea-level rise, urban flooding, and coastal erosion through strategies informed by climate science, public participation, and design. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Apple accused OpenAI of stealing trade secrets as it seeks to build its own hardware for ChatGPT, a major rupture in a partnership between the iPhone maker and the artificial intelligence company. Apple said in the lawsuit filed in a California federal court that OpenAI encouraged Apple employees it was recruiting to share confidential information, even guiding how to avoid scrutiny when taking jobs at the other company. “This case is about Apple’s former employees stealing Apple’s trade secrets for the benefit of OpenAI,” the filing says. “Apple brings this suit to put a stop to it.” Two former Apple employees who now work for OpenAI are also named as defendants. One is Tang Tan, who helped design the iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPod and is now OpenAI’s chief hardware officer. The other is Chang Liu, a former electrical engineer, whom Apple says it entrusted with some of its most sensitive product development efforts before Liu left Apple to join OpenAI earlier this year. OpenAI said it is still reviewing the filing, but spokesperson Drew Pusateri said in a statement that OpenAI has “no interest in other companies’ trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere.” OpenAI has never said exactly what type of device it is building, but has described it as an effort to find a new way to interact with AI that goes beyond “traditional products and interfaces.” It’s part of a broader push to create a physical embodiment of the latest AI advances, a decade after Amazon and Google introduced screen-free talking speakers into homes. The lawsuit claims the effort was built partly on knowledge stolen from Apple. Apple said it began investigating whether some of its confidential information was compromised and “uncovered a pattern of theft” of Apple’s trade secrets by former employees who moved on to positions at OpenAI. An Apple spokesperson said in a statement that the company will “always defend our teams’ hard work and innovations, and we are taking all appropriate steps to do so.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Akiko Sugaya wheels a cart through the alley-like streets of eastern Tokyo, selling tofu, the protein-rich staple favored in much of Asia. But delivering soybean curd in all shapes and textures is only a small slice of her mission. And it's just that. A mission. More than simply a vendor of healthy food, she's also a social conduit who checks on elderly customers as she guides her pink cart, wearing a straw hat and tooting a small brass bugle to signal her arrival. She knows the habits of many of her customers like family, and they know hers. She's lost some elderly customers over the years who've died alone, which is becoming more common in Japan, which has one of the world's oldest populations. Sugaya is a savior for many, and the job—she's been at it for 23 years—has also strengthened her own self-worth. She feels that the job saved her. She says she was bullied in school and fired from several jobs until she found that delivering high-quality, healthy food also nourished her own mental health and offered value to others. "Selling tofu on a cart made me think I am OK to be myself," Sugaya explained. "I used to be repeatedly put down, but through cart-selling I built up my self-esteem." Sugaya makes her rounds three days per week, a three-hour walk in the afternoon. Her route twists through maze-like streets, and there are sporadic sales—and frequent conversations. A woman walks from her house to buy tofu, chats about her unruly cat, and shows off a strand of wild vine growing in her garden. Another woman reminds Sugaya that cart-selling is a disappearing craft. "Even when I'm in need of tofu, I tell myself I'd better wait for Ako-chan," said customer Toshi Niiyama, using Sugaya's nickname. "We used to have someone coming to sell vegetables, but he stopped coming." Sugaya has no such plans to stop. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

It may be a cold, rainy Sydney winter evening, but for football coach Gabriel Knowles, training under floodlights rather than the intense Australian sun is a welcome relief. The well-being of his team is always a priority for Knowles, especially when it comes to heat management during matches and training sessions, a major concern in Australia. “We've taken to having fans and misting fans in change rooms and on the benches, wet towels for the players as well. The drinks break is obviously a contentious new issue in the World Cup, but something that's been quite normal here for us in the warmer months when we start and finish seasons,” explains the NWS National Premier League football coach. Grant Lynch plays semiprofessional football on Knowles’ team. He says that heat is a constant preoccupation for players. “We have had to cancel a number of games because of the heat. Here in Australia, the competition is played over summer, or there's a big part of the competition that's played over summer. So, we have multiple games that have been cancelled because of the heat,” he says. But when it comes to playing in the best possible conditions, Lynch has a secret weapon. He works as a researcher at the University of Sydney, and the team he is a part of has created a free app called Sports Heat Tool. It could literally be a game changer for ordinary people who play recreational sport and don’t have access to the state-of-the-art tools that elite sport has. “It helps in a few ways. I think the first way is that we take into account more than just temperature. So, we care about things like humidity and airflow and wind speed and the amount of solar radiation from the sun. These things are all important to be able to understand what the risk is for a football player. And then secondly, it gives some recommendations. So, some strategies that you can put in place to be able to help keep yourself cool,” says Lynch. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Rwanda’s renowned Inyambo cows symbolize the nation’s rich cultural heritage. Historically associated with royalty, they are now pampered with poetry and music at a museum in Nyanza. With their long and crescent-shaped horns, the Inyambo cows graze at the King’s Palace Museum in Nyanza and at the homes of some of Rwanda's richest people, including President Paul Kagame. The breed is descended from the distinctive Ankole cattle of East Africa and is also found in neighboring Uganda and Burundi. The Inyambo have long been associated with nobility, as they were raised in royal courts where they symbolized wealth, prestige, and power. Bigira Junior, a curator at the King's Palace Museum, says they are “sacred symbols.” “They’re not for milk, they’re not for meat. They would just be used as decor around the palaces. They would parade them around, use them in ceremonies, basically around the King's Court. The kings would basically present them to the other kings that have visited the palaces, for people to admire, see and say ‘yeah they are looking good,’” he explains. Even though the monarchy no longer exists in Rwanda, so revered are the cows that the traditional gifting and exchange among kingdoms has been embraced by Kagame. The president's practice of giving cattle to heads of state has even been called in local newspaper reports “Inyambo diplomacy.” As Rwanda seeks more tourists, it is investing heavily in places like the King’s Palace Museum, where the Inyambo cows are the main attraction. The cows are pampered with melodious poetry describing their beauty and calling them by their names. This is believed to calm the cows ahead of major events where they are presented to visitors or during traditional ceremonies. “You have beautiful horns. Move your head so that we can see your beautiful neck and body. You are the most beautiful cow among others,” the caretaker sings. The cows are also brushed by caretakers, another way of calming them. “Remember, they are to be loved and cherished, and you can’t love something from afar. You have to get close to it,” Junior says. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

A skyscraper-scaling daredevil told police that he and his girlfriend climbed the Empire State Building’s antenna and unfurled a banner about love and peace because he wanted to “do something special” for their engagement, prosecutors said at the couple's arraignment on felony reckless endangerment, burglary, and other charges. The couple, who go by Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, said little as they left court, though Beerkus responded to a journalist's question about the stunt by saying, “We believe in love.” Authorities said the two—who were the subject of the 2024 Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story about their “rooftopping” exploits and budding romance— created not only a spectacle but a danger by ascending the famed skyscraper's broadcast antenna. After reaching the top, 1,454 feet (443 meters) above midtown Manhattan, the climbers displayed a black banner reading: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace,” a news helicopter video showed. Then they collected the banner and descended to a slightly lower ledge, where an apparently successful marriage proposal unfolded. Nikolau posted images of the escapade on her social media accounts, including a photo that modeled an engagement-style ring above a bird’s-eye view of Manhattan. Police waited about half an hour for the antenna to be powered down before Emergency Services Unit officers started ascending and eventually intercepted the climbers on their way down, according to the complaint, which noted the danger to officers who climbed about 1,250 feet (381 meters) above the ground. The court document identified the two by their formal names, Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov. Skywalkers: A Love Story follows Beerkus and Nikolau as they often make unauthorized ascents of tall structures, sometimes posing as construction workers to sneak in. The court complaint said police found a broken lock on a security door on the Empire State Building's restricted-access 104th floor, which provides access to the antenna. The highest public floor is the 102nd, where there’s an observation deck. Going higher requires a key card, according to the court complaint. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Green means go. Red means stop. Trophies or confetti come with good performance, and people who fall behind get nudged to do better. Those brightly colored engagement tactics long ago jumped from smartphone games to everything from online shopping to sports betting and classrooms. So, it should come as no surprise that many nutrition-tracking apps like MyFitnessPal and Noom also use gaming features to keep users coming back. But as nutrition apps proliferate, some researchers are raising alarms that gamification features may do more harm than good for some people. Isabella Anderberg, a psychologist researching digital dieting behavior at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, said calorie tracking can reinforce behaviors associated with body dysmorphia and disordered eating. “We do know that not everyone’s going to experience harm from using the apps, but there are certainly factors that might increase risk,” Anderberg said. “Approach with caution.” Anderberg said there is certainly a place for the apps. Health professionals she interviewed during her research reported that apps can be especially helpful as meal-planning tools for people managing chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. And physical activity apps remind people to move their bodies. Many users report enjoying them, finding tactics like streak notifications to be motivating. Courtney Simpson, a behavioral psychologist and director of eating disorders at the Evidence-Based Treatment Centers of Seattle, said some apps encourage people to set calorie goals that are far too low for any adult. That's not only unhealthy but can set people up for failure. The gaming features keep people coming back to unrealistic goals, creating shame that may contribute to binge eating or other behaviors people are trying to change, Simpson said. “It’s not that gamification itself is bad. It’s about what it is promoting,” she said. “Is that actually going to be beneficial?” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The U.S. Justice Department and 17 states reached settlement agreements with three major egg producers to resolve allegations that the companies illegally colluded for years to raise prices, including when the cost soared to record highs last year. The states and federal government accused Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch of a behind-the-scenes arrangement to “artificially inflate the daily price quotations for eggs” between June 2022 and March 2025. In particular, their investigation found that the companies coordinated on what bids they would submit to Urner Barry Publications, a company that runs an index key to determining how much grocery stores, restaurants, and others pay for billions of eggs each year. In turn, that meant “higher prices for eggs sold to consumers,” alleged the complaint, which was filed in Iowa the day the settlement terms were announced. “When powerful corporations collude behind the scenes to raise prices, working families suffer the costs,” New York Attorney General Letitia James, who helped lead the investigation, said in a statement. “These egg producers manipulated the market to squeeze even more profit out of consumers and businesses.” None of the companies admitted wrongdoing under the settlements. But to settle the states' claims, Cal-Maine, Versova, and Hickman's will collectively be on the hook for $3.3 million and 53 million eggs, James and others said. Those eggs would be donated by the companies and make their way to food banks and nonprofits. The money will be distributed to the states. The Justice Department and the states also outlined actions the companies will need to take, including adopting antitrust compliance programs and banning communicating with competitors on pricing and bidding strategies. The settlements would still need court approval. The Justice Department's Omeed A. Assefi said that the proposed settlements “resolve years of conduct that dragged on Americans’ finances and their everyday lives.” Average U.S. egg prices soared to a record high of about $6.23 per dozen in March 2025, amid a bird flu epidemic that forced farmers to slaughter millions of egg-laying chickens. Egg producers blamed the price spike on the outbreak, but critics accused big companies of taking advantage of their market dominance, and the government began its investigation. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

WhatsApp users will soon get the option of going by usernames instead of phone numbers, the company said, announcing plans to address a privacy blind spot. The app said it has started allowing users to reserve unique usernames, which can be used to contact WhatsApp users when the feature is launched later this year. WhatsApp, which says it has more than 3 billion users globally, has until now allowed users to be contacted by anyone who has their phone number. The app, owned by Meta Platforms, said in a blog post that over the "coming months," users will get the option to be found and contacted only by their username, and not their number. It wasn't more specific about the timeline. "We have designed this as a core privacy feature," Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp's vice president of product, told reporters. There won't be a directory of usernames on the app, and the app won't suggest names as you type. "People will need to know your exact username to contact you for the first time," she said. WhatsApp's current privacy settings are limited to blocking individual users and silencing unknown callers. The app also allows users to add a profile name, but that's only displayed in chat groups for other people who don't have the user's contact info saved. While Americans still prefer text messaging to WhatsApp, the app is widely used in Europe, Asia, and much of the rest of the world. Catchy online handles are highly coveted, and users will likely scramble to claim a desirable one. "I think a lot of people will go and get usernames, and that's why we decided to open reservations early," Newton-Rex said. Companies, organizations, and creators with existing accounts on Meta's social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook, will get the chance to claim their usernames on WhatsApp. Usernames need to be between three and 35 characters. To prevent impersonation, WhatsApp will hold back usernames for high-profile people or groups such as celebrities, public figures, and government entities. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his government coalition partners presented a comprehensive reform package with the goal of getting the country’s sluggish economy back on track. The 34 measures include cuts to income tax for low- and middle-income families, an overhaul of the creaking pension system, tougher rules for employees’ sick leave, and a reduction of the country’s stifling bureaucracy. “These reforms all have one goal: We’re setting out into the future,” Merz said. “We’re strengthening ourselves so that we can live well in these new times.” Merz is trying to cut his government coalition free from that negative reputation. Germany's economy returned to modest growth last year after shrinking for two years in a row. The government expects underwhelming growth of 0.5% this year, a figure that has been pushed down by the fallout from the war in Iran. The government coalition leaders said that the tax cuts, once fully implemented in 2028, would give an annual tax break of about 600 euros ($686.40) for a family with two working parents, two children, and a total taxable income of 60,000 euros ($68,640). The total tax relief provided by the reform amounts to approximately 10 billion euros ($11.4 billion) per year. The pension system reform would include gradually raising the retirement age, currently between 65 and 67 years, depending on the number of years worked, in line with life expectancy. The tougher rules for sick leave would no longer allow employees to call in sick to work for up to three days without seeing a doctor, or call up the doctor and ask for a sick leave letter for one week without actually seeing the doctor. Instead, employers would be able to ask for a doctor's certificate from the first day a person is on sick leave. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Other great apes laugh in a similar way to humans, a new study has found. Just like us, they chuckle in a rhythmic pattern, suggesting they had a common ancestor around 15 million years ago that also laughed. A team led by a researcher from the University of Warwick analyzed recordings of laughter from gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, chimpanzees, and humans. They were aged between six months and seven years old. The ape giggles were collected from tickling and playtime and were recorded for a study in the early 2000s. Humans’ and great apes’ chuckles followed similar rhythms with regular timing between their laughs. “We say that all the species have an isochronous rhythm, meaning that if you think of a metronome, the tick, tick, tick—the regularity is there. So, it's always the same interval going between laughter bursts,” explains Chiara de Gregorio, the study author and a researcher at the University of Warwick. The scientists think that because a rhythmic pattern was observed across all the apes they studied, it's likely they had a common ancestor 15 million years ago that would have also laughed in a similar pattern. Laughter has gotten faster and more complex over time, so human giggles have some aspects that set them apart. For one, our laughs sound different based on context—from a polite chuckle among colleagues to a full-bodied guffaw with close friends. Other apes do not show this variability. “So, in a way we are very similar to other great apes because we've been laughing in a similar way for 15 million years. But at the same time we realize that our laughter holds more information than that is simple ‘I'm playing and having fun.’ And it's something that maybe we don't think about in everyday life: how we could communicate so many things without words,” says de Gregorio. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026, the largest international maritime exercise in the world, has been ongoing in Hawaii from June 24 to July 31, 2026. Hosted by the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet, the exercise aims to improve interoperability and warfighting skills among participating nations while promoting a free Indo-Pacific region. The exercise involves 30 nations, over 30 surface ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 206 aircraft, and 30,000 personnel who train and operate in and around the Hawaiian Islands during the exercise. RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants that are critical to ensuring the security of sea lanes and stability across the region. The U.S. Navy states that the Rim of the Pacific exercise remains the premier multinational maritime training event, bringing together allies and partners committed to strengthening security and stability across the region. This year's theme is "Partners, Integrated and Prepared." The opening ceremony and press conference marked the start of RIMPAC 2026, the 30th iteration of the international maritime exercise, which is highlighted by the 250th anniversary of the United States. At Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Jeffrey T. Jablon, who serves as the Commander of Combined Task Forces and the Deputy Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, stated, "The purpose of RIMPAC is to strengthen relationships, improve interoperability, and enhance the readiness of participating forces to promote maritime security and regional stability in a free and open Indo-Pacific." "Since its inception in 1971, RIMPAC has grown into the world's largest international maritime exercise," Jablon said. "For 250 years, our nation has built enduring relationships with allies and partners based on trust, mutual respect, and shared interests," Jablon added. RIMPAC 2026 builds on the success of previous exercises that unite allies to showcase the maritime forces' flexibility and capability. The exercise includes a variety of training events, including amphibious operations, gunnery and missile exercises, anti-submarine warfare, air defense, military medicine, humanitarian assistance, counter-piracy, mine countermeasures, explosive ordnance disposal, diving, and salvage operations. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Australia plans to double potential fines for social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, that fail to prevent Australian children from holding accounts, as critics argue the world-first ban on under-16s was failing. Communications Minister Anika Wells blamed the platforms’ resistance to the age restrictions for the need to toughen the laws that came into force on December 10. “We can all agree we would like the scheme to work better than it is currently, but that is on Big Tech taking the Mickey,” Wells told the Australian Broadcasting Corp., using an Australian slang term for deceiving, teasing, or mocking. The government announced it would introduce draft legislation into Parliament that would double the maximum fine to 99 million Australian dollars ($68 million) for platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to prevent Australian children from holding accounts. The amendments would also increase the powers of eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s online safety watchdog, to demand information and documents to ensure platforms were complying with Australian law, a government statement said. The new powers would also include information from third parties, such as age assurance technology providers, to test claims made by the platforms about how those under 16 continued to circumvent the ban, the statement said. Senior opposition lawmaker Jane Hume said her party would consider voting for the reforms, saying the “social media ban wasn’t working” because of deficient laws. “The legislation was clearly undercooked in the first place. The eSafety Commissioner wasn’t given the powers to be able to pursue these Big Tech companies,” Hume said. Parliament passed the initial legislation with overwhelming support in 2024. The targeted platforms were given more than 12 months to plan and implement the ban. Many countries that have implemented or are planning similar restrictions have been closely watching the progress of Australia’s ban. The government initially reported that more than 5 million children had accounts removed, deactivated, or restricted after the ban became law. But eSafety reported in March that seven in 10 children who held accounts on restricted platforms on December 10 remained on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Apple announced an increase in prices for Macs and iPads, citing a memory chip shortage brought on by the artificial intelligence boom. The Cupertino, California-based company called the spike in demand an “unprecedented challenge” for the consumer electronics industry. “The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage. We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly,” the company said in a written statement. The new entry-level MacBook Neo will now cost $699, up from $599. The 512-gigabyte MacBook Air now costs $1,299, up from $1,099. The one-terabyte MacBook Pro is $1,999, up from $1,699. The 128-gigabyte iPad Air is now $749, up from $599, while the 256-gigabyte iPad Pro Wi-Fi is now $1,199, up from $999. Analysts expect iPhone prices to rise later this year. International Data Corporation (IDC) analyst Nabila Popal said the latest price hikes were higher than she had expected, which suggests the iPhone price hikes may also be higher than expected, perhaps as much as $200 for the iPhone Pro and Pro Max models. “I think the days of $50 price increases are over,” she said. Apple said that while it has shielded customers from the component price surges so far, “we have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices on a number of products, including today's increases for iPad and Mac. We know this is not welcome news, and we are working tirelessly to find solutions.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

California voters will consider a controversial proposal in November to temporarily raise taxes on billionaires after the labor union backing the measure announced it would forge ahead despite pressure from critics to withdraw it. The proposal, backed by the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Workers West, would impose a one-time 5% tax on individuals whose net worth exceeds $1 billion and who were living in the state as of January 1, 2026. The goal is to generate $100 billion in revenue, mainly to fund the state's Medicaid system after federal cuts. "I am all in on this," union President Dave Regan said on a Zoom call, adding that opponents of the proposal are "totally out of touch." Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and many traditional allies of the union oppose the measure. They argue it is a temporary fix for an ongoing problem and that it would push the ultrawealthy to leave the state, taking the money they would contribute in income taxes with them. Newsom, who is considering a presidential run as he prepares to leave office in January, has generally opposed tax increases during his time as governor. A coalition of healthcare, education, and housing groups—including the California Medical Association and California School Boards Association—banded together to fight the tax. "The dangerous wealth tax directly threatens vital funding for education and schools, healthcare and clinics, public safety, and infrastructure projects by making California's revenue even more volatile," the coalition said in a statement. "Driving away the state's sustainable tax base for a one-time grab is bad policy and an even worse deal for 40 million Californians who will be left holding the bag," he said in a statement. Under the proposal, the state would spend the money generated from the tax over multiple years. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office estimates that the proposal would generate tens of billions of dollars in the first few years, but that income tax revenues would subsequently decline by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

When Ewa Lutka-Krawczyk was diagnosed with gallbladder cancer, her first thought was for Gaja, a shelter dog she had taken in three years ago. She asked her doctor to assure her she would live a few more years so the deeply attached Gaja “wouldn't be left behind.” But the prognosis was grim, and in June, the 70-year-old was admitted to the palliative ward of a Warsaw hospital. Left at home with Lutka-Krawczyk's husband, Gaja was barely eating. “She is waiting for me,” Lutka-Krawczyk said from her bed, where she rested with a draining tube attached to her abdomen. Under proposed new legislation in Poland, patients like Lutka-Krawczyk soon would have the right to be visited in hospices and palliative care wards by their pets. Visits are already allowed in many clinics, but there is no universal right under the law. Dr. Tomasz Dzierżanowski, director of the Palliative Medicine Clinic at the Medical University of Warsaw, where Lutka-Krawczyk is being treated, has led the proposal, which was introduced to parliament by a member of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's centrist party. Dzierżanowski said the presence of a beloved pet can ease the physical and spiritual pain of terminally ill patients at a time when society is experiencing “an epidemic of loneliness.” “We make sure that no patient dies alone,” Dzierżanowski said in an interview with The Associated Press. “When someone is suffering, it is important that someone is there for them. Ideally, that should be another human being,” he said. “Sometimes, however, there is no one." Dzierżanowski said he often sees older patients isolated because they have outlived their friends, as well as young patients feeling alone in palliative care clinics because in today's world of screens and virtual friends, they have not built the kind of friendships that earlier generations often had. Dzierżanowski said the catalyst for his mission was a seriously ill cancer patient named Waldemar who was not afraid for himself but for his two cats. Dzierżanowski arranged for the cats to be brought into the ward. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

America has been rushing into an artificial intelligence future without much of a plan to stop what could be catastrophic job losses. Critics warn of doomsday scenarios out of a sci-fi thriller, while backers say AI will generate so much new wealth that no one should worry too much about millions of layoffs. A new bipartisan nonprofit hopes to ensure that America can realize the economic gains promised by AI without its workers suffering. RAISE US is starting with more than $500 million to deploy on new forms of education and training, putting a focus on partnering with states and major employers rather than the federal government. Founded by former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, a Democrat, and former Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, the group aims to pilot programs and incentives to help American workers pivot to new careers in an economy that will increasingly be automated by artificial intelligence. "We're talking about a certain level of unemployment that could destabilize our country and our democracy," Raimondo said in an interview. "If you want to lead the world in AI, you have to take action to make sure our democracy doesn't crumble." The nonprofit is initially partnering with officials in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, and Utah, along with several of America's largest companies and charitable organizations. The group intends to develop policies that connect schools more closely to employers, so that layoffs can be replaced by the potential for new jobs with higher incomes. They are also exploring changes to corporate taxes and other incentives with the goal of keeping people working. "Good things tend to happen when you convert have-nots into haves," Holcomb said. Among the companies serving as anchor partners with RAISE US are Amazon, Microsoft, Anthropic, the OpenAI Foundation, and Bank of America. Other employers involved in the project include UPS, General Motors, Eli Lilly, Mastercard, chipmaker AMD, Cisco, and IBM. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Stockholm has opened its first public sauna with the aim of making the traditional experience more accessible. The new facility is part of a broader city strategy to improve public access to Stockholm's waterfronts. Hornstullsbastun (Hornstull’s sauna) can accommodate up to 16 people at a time and includes outdoor showers, sauna baskets, and a designated swimming area along the waterfront. Popular waterfront saunas often have waiting lists numbering in the thousands, while reservations at newly opened venues can be fully booked within minutes. The new public sauna can be booked online up to one month in advance and is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. A 90-minute session costs 150 Swedish kronor. It was officially opened by the city's vice mayor, Lars Strömgren. “Stockholm has a long tradition of being a harbor city. And because of that, we haven't really opened up the quays to swimming and to the public. Now, we want to do that more, and we also want to make sure that it's possible for everybody to get access to sauna,” he says. Among those who booked the first available sessions was Wendy Liu, a British traveler who said she learned about the opening at a sauna convention. “It's great to have water and a sauna together. I mean, if a sauna without water is not a real experience, these two need to go together. And this is such a beautiful place. And today we got beautiful weather, so it's a perfect combination,” she says. The sauna stands on the site of the former Liljeholmsbadet, a floating public bathhouse dating to the 1930s. The bathhouse was removed last year after falling into disrepair. Pia Karlsson, a project manager with Stockholm's transport office, says the city will monitor public interest in the facility and evaluate whether additional public saunas should be opened in the future. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

An extreme heat warning has been issued across parts of the U.K., with water safety experts urging people to take care when cooling off in rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) warned that while temperatures on land are soaring, open water can still be cold enough to trigger cold water shock. Regional Water Safety Lead Chris Cousens said the risk increases when there is a large gap between air and water temperatures, and urged people to "think carefully before they enter open water." He advised people who get into difficulty to "float to live" by remaining calm and floating on their backs until the effects of cold-water shock pass. Across Europe, several countries are also sweltering. About a third of France was under a heat red alert on June 21, and temperatures are expected to reach 40°C (104°F) in some areas, in a country where air conditioning isn't widespread. The forecast for June 22 was even hotter. Spain kicked off the summer with large parts of the country on alert due to temperatures expected to hover around 40°C (104°F)—even in the interior of the Basque Country, a northern region that typically experiences cooler temperatures. In Italy, authorities expanded heat warnings—referred to locally as “red flags”—to eight cities in northern and central parts of the country. Temperatures there are mostly in the upper 30s °C (high 90s to low 100s °F). More than 200,000 people across Europe died from heat-related causes over the last four years, and most of the fatalities were preventable, the World Health Organization’s Europe office said. More above-average temperatures are expected this summer, which can cause heat exhaustion and life-threatening heat stroke. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Officials in Kansas City, Missouri, are preparing to equip some public buses with cameras with facial recognition software capable of identifying passengers who appear on a list of banned riders or missing persons. Supporters and opponents alike view the effort as a major litmus test for tapping the AI-powered software on a U.S. public transportation system, positioning Kansas City as the latest epicenter of a fierce debate over whether the safety benefits of artificial intelligence are worth the privacy costs. "The idea of running face recognition on a camera that is pointed at live spaces in public is a line that until recently has never really been crossed in the last 25 years," said Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst for the Project on Speech, Privacy and Technology at the American Civil Liberties Union. The state of Missouri declined to help fund the project as expected due to concerns with the facial recognition component. Still, the city is pushing ahead with local and federal money, said Tyler Means, chief mobility and strategy officer at the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. "Privacy is always a tricky thing," Means said. "We've always had cameras on our buses. It's just new technology. I think in time it'll smooth over and people will realize, 'Well, it didn't really feel any different.'" SafeSpace Global, the Knoxville, Tennessee-based company partnering with Kansas City to run the cameras, started using live facial recognition years ago to alert nursing homes when residents left the building, then brought the technology to correctional institutions and schools. Kansas City's buses represent the company's inaugural venture in transportation. Images captured by cameras aboard the buses would immediately be checked against any active alerts generated when a missing person, banned rider, or someone on a law enforcement watch list designated by the transportation authority is identified. If no match or safety issue is detected, the facial data won't be retained. After the buses return to the depot, the transportation authority would archive the regular video footage on a local server for up to five years. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire after shares of his rocket company SpaceX soared in Wall Street’s biggest initial public offering of stock. Shares in SpaceX jumped more than 19% after opening for trading in June, a sign that investors are looking past the billions the company is losing and instead betting that its massive investments in satellites, orbital data centers, and artificial intelligence will pay off in the future. SpaceX opened around midday at $150 a share, then rose to around $168 before finishing the day just below $161. That price gave the company a market value of $2.1 trillion, making it the sixth-largest public U.S. company—larger even than its founder and CEO’s other big business, the electric vehicle maker Tesla. Between his holdings in SpaceX and Tesla, where he is also CEO, Musk is now worth an estimated $1.1 trillion, according to Forbes. Musk says SpaceX, founded in 2002, is going public now because it needs money to fund its ambitions of putting satellites and data centers in space and eventually establishing a colony of people on Mars. He marked the opening of trading on Nasdaq by joining a ceremonial bell ringing from Starbase, the South Texas home of SpaceX. He reiterated his lofty goals “to make life multiplanetary.” “Not just a few astronauts; I mean, literally, you,” Musk said. “Whoever you are watching this, SpaceX wants to be able to take you to the moon, take you to Mars, and ultimately beyond.” Known for his technological breakthroughs, as well as wild claims and missed deadlines, Musk was able to whip up enthusiasm for the Initial Public Offering (IPO). The typical company going public has seen a 7% jump in its first day of trading, from 1980 through 2025, according to Jay Ritter, a professor at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business. Institutional and retail investors alike jumped at the opportunity to buy a piece of the company at $135 per share before trading began. The $75 billion in proceeds SpaceX raised easily topped the previous record IPO from oil giant Saudi Aramco in 2019. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Billions of dollars have been pledged for Africa's clean energy transition, yet many renewable energy projects across the continent are still failing to get off the ground as countries struggle with soaring financing costs driven by a financial rule known as the "sovereign ceiling," experts say. Analysts and development finance specialists say the rule, which ties the creditworthiness of projects to the sovereign rating of the country where they operate, is making commercially viable renewable energy projects appear far riskier to international investors than they actually are. Of Africa's 54 countries, only Botswana and Mauritius currently hold investment-grade sovereign ratings. So, the rule is hindering governments' efforts to expand access to electricity and meet climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. Nearly 600 million people across Africa still lack access to electricity, according to the International Energy Agency. "The financing environment is the problem," said Dr. John Asafu-Adjaye, a senior fellow at the African Center for Economic Transformation. "A project with strong fundamentals, a long-term power purchase agreement, and predictable cash flow ends up being priced as if it were inherently dangerous. Not because it is, but because of where it sits on a map." The sovereign ceiling rule prevents companies or projects operating within a country from receiving a credit rating significantly higher than the country's sovereign rating. In practice, analysts say, that means renewable energy projects in African countries with weak sovereign ratings inherit the perception of sovereign risk even when projects themselves are commercially sound and backed by international guarantees. Kenya's Menengai Geothermal project, Zambia's IFC-led Scaling Solar program, and Nigeria's Solar IPP pipeline all struggled to get adequate funding as investors raised concerns over sovereign guarantees, creditworthiness, and concessional financing terms. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Robotic exoskeletons are finding new uses in hospitals and workplaces across Spain. The wearable devices are helping wheelchair users practice walking again and also reducing the physical demands of lifting heavy equipment. Strapping into a robotic exoskeleton is now a very normal treatment option in the country for patients recovering from conditions such as stroke, spinal cord injuries, and other neurological disorders. At Quirónsalud Bizkaia Hospital in northern Spain, rehabilitation specialists are using wearable robotic devices designed to help patients stand up and retrain walking patterns that may have been lost after injury or illness. What looks like a robotic suit is actually a powered lower-limb exoskeleton called HANK. Developed by Spanish robotics company GOGOA, the device attaches around the legs and waist and uses motorized joints at the hips, knees, and ankles to help movement. The exoskeleton weighs around 20 kilograms and contains electric motors that generate movement at each joint. Therapists can adjust walking speed, step length, and support levels depending on a patient's condition. In a demonstration, physician Sara Garcia helps a colleague into the device before activating it. As the exoskeleton powers up, the user rises from a wheelchair into a standing position before taking assisted steps across the room. Garcia says, “The exoskeleton we have behind us is a walking exoskeleton that assists the patient in the three main joints of the lower limb: hip, knee, and ankle. What it does for the patient is generate a natural walking pattern where the patient can walk. This is done along with a technical aid that can be provided to them, always supervised in a clinical environment.” The device is designed for rehabilitation rather than transport. Instead of carrying someone from place to place, it repeatedly guides the body through the mechanics of walking. Rehabilitation therapists say that repetition is important because it helps patients practice coordinated movement patterns following neurological injury. Garcia explains, “We can gradually recover their way of walking through the exoskeleton. The patient can move around the room knowing they are moving as they should and correcting those minor anomalies they might have due to their medical diagnosis.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Japan recorded a trade deficit in May, the first in four months, as imports of electrical machinery surged, helping to offset a jump in exports, the Finance Ministry reported. Preliminary data showed Japan’s exports rose 17% in May from the same month last year to 9.51 trillion yen ($59.4 billion), while imports rose 12.5% to 9.89 trillion yen ($61.8 billion). That left a deficit of 378.6 billion yen ($2.4 billion), down from a surplus of 301.9 billion yen ($1.9 billion) in April. Oil and gas imports fell 1.8% year-on-year due to the Iran war and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. A fifth of the world’s oil passed through the Strait until February 28, when the U.S. and Israel began attacking Iran. Japan has sought to diversify its suppliers. Imports of electrical machinery jumped 31.5% as the boom in artificial intelligence generated strong demand for computer chips and other components. Higher prices have also pushed the value of both exports and imports higher. Japan exported fewer vehicles in May, but the value of those shipments rose more than 13%. While imports of oil fell 28.5% in value, they plunged 57.3% in volume. The weak yen was also a factor in boosting imports. The U.S. dollar has been trading at about 160 Japanese yen lately. A year ago, it was at 140 yen levels. The Bank of Japan raised its benchmark interest rate to 1.0% on June 16, the first time since 1995 that the rate has been at that level. It cited inflation as a key concern. So far, the rate hike has not had a noticeable effect on the yen's value. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

They were once among the world's most threatened ecosystems, but now mangrove forests are showing signs of recovery, according to a new study. Research from Tulane University released on June 4 found that huge losses of mangrove forests over the last 40 years have been almost balanced out by restoration efforts and natural resilience. Around the world, mangroves have been in decline for decades because of industries like aquaculture and agriculture. In Louisiana, natural erosion has weakened the living mangrove population. While human development still poses a threat, the study reports that global restoration efforts are seeing them grow back stronger and denser than before. “The great thing about mangroves is that there are these kind of unsung superheroes,” says Daniel Friess, Cochran Family Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Tulane University and director of The Mangrove Lab. “You think they're not that important or they're just there; they're in the way, but they are protecting our shorelines. They're creating fisheries, and they're a great place for recreation and education, and they're taking up our carbon emissions. And they're doing all of this for free. And hundreds of millions of people around the tropics rely on the benefits and the livelihoods provided by mangroves.” The mangroves that have rebounded are playing a crucial role in preventing erosion, stabilizing shorelines, and providing habitats for birds and marine species. They also help tackle climate change by soaking in carbon dioxide, acting as natural carbon sinks. The study drew its findings from four decades of satellite data. From the 1980s to 2010, mangrove forests shrank by nearly 2,900 square kilometers but have been bouncing back over the last 16 years. This has resulted in a net decline of only around 1% for that entire period, according to the study. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Berczy Park is home to a much-loved fountain that features canine sculptures that shoot water out of their mouths. Now, there’s a new dog in town at Berczy. Rather, a new Doug in town. Thousands have already flocked to the Toronto park to catch a glimpse of a beaver sculpture, nicknamed Doug, that is part of a new World Cup-themed contest. The Great Beaver Quest challenges participants to locate 51 beaver statues that have been strategically placed throughout the city’s Old Town Toronto neighborhood. “We expect that it's going to be something that people who are coming in from out of town and looking for something to do and keep their kids busy will love to do. It's easy to participate in,” said Robyn Posner, with the neighborhood’s Business Improvement Area. Old Town is about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from Toronto Stadium, which will host six World Cup matches, when the host nation takes on Bosnia and Herzegovina. With city officials estimating 300,000 visitors coming to Toronto during the three-week Cup run, Posner said the Beaver Hunt can provide both an enjoyable diversion and serve as a way to get to know the area and its businesses. “The goal was to draw people to this area, to come and experience what it's like being in Old Town and to meet up with some like-minded people,” she said. Forty-eight of the nearly 4-feet-high (1.2-meters) resin fiberglass beavers represent the nations competing in the World Cup, each hand-painted by a local artist. Doug represents Canada and sports a Canadian-influenced soccer uniform layered beneath a red flannel shirt. The other 50 beavers are situated throughout Old Town—in parks, along sidewalks, and even indoors, with the Norway beaver staring out the window from inside an office building lobby. The beavers are accompanied by a QR code that takes participants to a free digital scavenger hunt. Still, why exactly did Old Town Toronto BIA officials decide to center their contest around dam-building rodents? “Well, because it's Canada's national animal, and we thought they were super cute,” Posner said. “And they're small enough. And so, we went with the beaver.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Any advertisements in New York that feature artificial intelligence-generated people in place of actors will now be violating state law if they don't clearly label that they have used a "synthetic performer." The law, signed in December by Gov. Kathy Hochul, went into effect June 9. Her office is calling it a "first-in-the-nation law" that will boost transparency at a time when AI-generated performers are popping up across all forms of media, including on social platforms and in digital advertising. Synthetic performers are defined under state law as "digitally created media that appear as a real person." The law applies to ads in any medium. "In New York, we are setting the rules of the road instead of letting AI run the show," Hochul said in a statement. The "simple, honest disclosure" required by the law "protects consumers, respects our creative workforce, and keeps New York at the forefront of responsible innovation," she said. Ads that don't "conspicuously disclose" that they have used a synthetic performer will be subject to a penalty of $1,000 for a first violation and $5,000 for any further violations. There are specific carve-outs listed in the law to exempt ads for movies, television shows, streaming content, video games, and other works that feature synthetic performers in the entire work. It also doesn't apply to audio advertisements or ads where AI is solely used for language translation. When the law was making its way through the state legislature last year, the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) and several other advertising organizations issued statements in strong opposition to the law. The 4As said in one blog post that it would hurt advertisers by "injecting compliance uncertainty into the advertising process, burdening brands (and their agencies) who advertise in New York and undermining creative and technological innovation." The biggest supporter of the law was SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union that recently ratified a new contract with studios and streamers that they say provides further protections against synthetic performers. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

In June, Canada introduced legislation that could bar children younger than 16 from having social media accounts unless the companies show they can make their platforms safe. Canada is joining a growing global effort to tighten safety protections. Canadian government officials said social media platforms can obtain an exemption if they have put in place sufficient safeguards. “We are failing our children. Enough is enough,” Marc Miller, Canada’s culture minister, said. “We need basic protection in place.” The legislation covers seven types of harmful content, including content that induces children to harm themselves, content that incites violence and foments hatred, and non-consensual intimate images. A new regulator, the Digital Safety Commission of Canada, will be created. Criteria for what exemptions would look like will be announced at a later date. Miller said setting up the regulator could take up to 18 months. Miller said platforms will need to prove they are safe. Age verification will also be established. Countries including Australia, Brazil, and Indonesia have introduced or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children’s access to social media. Others, including Britain, France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand, and South Korea, are studying or developing similar approaches. The legislation would also regulate the companies behind artificial intelligence chatbots by imposing on them a duty to act responsibly through measures such as crisis intervention protocols. In Australia, social media companies have revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children since the country banned use of the platforms by those under 16, officials said. The law provoked intense debate in Australia about technology use, privacy, child safety, and mental health, and it has prompted other countries to consider similar measures. A Canadian government official, in a briefing with journalists, said authorities will try to learn lessons from Australia. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

High oil and gasoline prices and energy supply problems won't be solved overnight, despite an agreement to end the Iran war and open the Strait of Hormuz announced on June 14. It will likely take months before energy companies can resume operations to the point of meeting the world’s demand, according to energy experts. The slow pace of the process of shipping and refining crude oil, and doubts about the security of traveling through the strait, mean the effect won't be seen immediately, they said. Ships loaded with crude oil have been stranded in the Persian Gulf for more than three months, unable to safely travel through the waterway, where about a fifth of the world’s oil and gasoline supplies typically traveled before the war began. “It’s going to take time for people to feel comfortable and for insurance to be in place... particularly to get people on the ground to restart some of these assets,” said Daniel Evans, global head of fuels and refining research at S&P Global. Still, oil prices slipped after the deal was announced. Brent crude, the international standard, was down $3.45 at $83.89 per barrel. U.S. benchmark crude oil lost $4.03 to $80.85 per barrel. Those prices are still well above the roughly $70 per barrel where oil was trading before the war started. As the higher prices unwind, ships that have been stranded will have to exit the strait, and then new tankers will have to come in to be loaded, Evans said. “To bring a ship in, you need to be confident that you’ve got a big enough window of safety to bring it in, load it, and move it out,” he added. Oil tankers also move slowly, he explained. It takes months to travel from the Strait to distant countries, deliver the crude oil to a refinery for processing, and then arrive at their final destination. In addition, some producers in the Middle East paused extracting oil from the ground, known as a shut-in, when they ran out of storage space. Restarting those operations can be a slow process. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

On a drizzly Saturday morning in May, the basement of the New Paltz United Methodist Church filled with old lamps, blunt knives, malfunctioning sound mixers, and balky zippers. About a dozen volunteers welcomed the broken goods and their owners to a worldwide movement that’s evangelizing new relationships between people and their things. Repair Cafés—free events where volunteers with technical know-how help neighbors fix myriad household items—are part of a new brand of anti-consumerism that’s trying to offer an alternative to the mass-produced disposable goods that have dominated the global economy for the last half-century. Helping fuel that move to repairing, not buying, are U.S. consumer prices, which climbed sharply again last month as the war with Iran delivered higher gasoline prices and more pain for Americans. After starting in the Netherlands with a single event in 2009, Repair Café has grown into a global nonprofit with more than 59,000 members, some 4,000 cafés, and close to 850,000 items fixed a year. “We need to change our mindset. We need to change the economy,” Repair Café founder Martine Postma said. “Even if Repair Cafés can’t solve the problem alone, then still they are a very clear sign that change is needed on a much higher level.” In New Paltz, a Hudson Valley college town about two hours from New York, 50 people brought about 85 items to the Repair Café: an antique fan that required rewiring, shirts, pants, jackets, stuffed animals. There were old family photos that needed restoring and jewelry awaiting work, like restringing beads or replacing clasps. Repair experts waited behind long cafeteria tables to teach alternatives, giving people chances to learn that flawed goods aren’t automatically junk. “Maybe their initial reason for coming is monetary or sentimental,” organizer Holly Shader said. More than that, she added, "it gives people a chance to work together and extend the life of something. People form relationships.” The experts on hand fixed 71 of the items, found that four needed more work, and deemed 10 beyond repair. They said they volunteer for the low-pressure joy of fixing things, with networking as a side benefit. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Betting that people will soon grow more comfortable having artificial intelligence agents shop for groceries, plane tickets, or diapers on their behalf, payments giant Visa said that it has embedded its payment network inside ChatGPT, empowering the chatbot to independently shop and complete transactions. It means AI agents cannot only recommend products but also complete the purchase on the user's behalf at potentially any merchant that accepts Visa. The payment network's previous attempts at this technological leap were confined to a single retailer or a small set of enrolled merchants. It is not OpenAI's first attempt at e-commerce. Late last year, the company announced Instant Checkout, which allowed ChatGPT to scour the internet for a specific item like a digital personal shopper. But the process was prone to errors and was not widely adopted by merchants due to the fee that OpenAI was charging merchants. The company retired Instant Checkout in March. Visa's collaboration is different from OpenAI's previous attempts, as it will allow users to link their Visa cards to ChatGPT to shop and make it easier for merchants to accept transactions initiated by agents. OpenAI will provide the technology to allow agents to interact, make decisions, and initiate purchases through ChatGPT. Visa, the world's largest payment network outside of China, will provide the payment authorization and fraud monitoring needed to do this at scale. "As AI agents become active participants in the economy, Visa's focus is to ensure transactions are trusted, secure, and seamless," said Jack Forestell, chief product and strategy officer at Visa. Visa and OpenAI did not disclose the financial terms of the collaboration and did not give details on the fees merchants or customers would have to pay. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Steam-powered vehicles, Victorian costumes, and remote-controlled teapots have taken over the New Zealand town of Ōamaru for its annual Steampunk Festival. The festival ran from 29 May to 1 June. The four-day event, now in its 17th year, draws thousands of visitors to one of the world's best-known celebrations of the Victorian-inspired science fiction genre. The town’s annual Steampunk Festival is built around a simple idea: what if steam technology had continued into the modern age? Steampunk imagines an alternative world in which the technology of the Victorian age never faded away, evolving instead into the modern era through steam-powered inventions, brass machinery, and elaborate mechanical design. This year’s theme is “Frontiers of Steam.” Graeme Clark, vice chair of the Ōamaru Whitestone Civic Trust, says, “The theme this year, Frontiers of Steam, is very appropriate considering the looming fuel shortage. Steam power will be the way to travel in the future. As we all know, SPVs, steam-powered vehicles, will be the ‘trump card’ and will dominate world travel and industry.” Rather than recreating the Victorian era exactly as it was, steampunk sets out to try and reimagine it. Participants use its fashions and technologies as a foundation for imagining how the world might look if steam power had continued into the modern age, with plenty of room for invention along the way. Many attendees spend months creating elaborate costumes and props, drawing on skills such as sewing, metalworking, and model-making. The festival attracts people from a wide range of professions, including engineers, artists, farmers, and bricklayers, who use steampunk as a chance to create fictional identities and showcase their work in public. Juliet Thorn, one of those attending the festival, says, “The first time you dress up and go out in public is really scary. And then people get such a buzz out of it. They love it, and they come up, and they go, ‘You look amazing.’ It’s so cool that you take on a different personality.” Steampunk enthusiasts pride themselves on building much of the world themselves. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The Obama Presidential Center opened to the general public on June 19 after a celebratory dedication in Chicago with dignitaries. But tens of thousands of people–friends and family of museum staff, students, and journalists–have already been offered a sneak peek as crews finish final art installations and landscaping. The roughly $850 million project covers both the political and personal realms of the nation’s first Black president. Campaign memorabilia and presidential artifacts are displayed in the admission-based museum tower, while public spaces of the sprawling campus feature other things important to Obama: a new library, basketball court, and picnic area with grills. “This is a safe space for people to come and, yes, reflect on the historic moments of this presidency and the campaigns, but also to come together as a community to think about what change you can bring to your own neighborhood,” Josh Harris, the Obama Foundation’s vice president of public engagement, said during a tour with The Associated Press. Unlike other presidential museums, Obama’s doesn’t contain reams of official papers. It’s the first fully digitized presidential museum where unclassified documents can be viewed through a website they are calling a “digital reading room.” Visitors to the museum will get to walk into a life-sized replica of the Oval Office. On a recent day, a stream of visitors, including school children, walked through the circular room, stopping to sit behind the desk and pose for pictures. One drawer holds a copy of a handwritten letter from predecessor former President George W. Bush and Obama’s beloved BlackBerry phone. “We want to make sure that people from all walks of life have the opportunity to sit behind the Resolute Desk,” said Harris. “You think about the possibilities that if a young organizer from the South Side of Chicago can be president, you can be president too.” Several of the ballgowns Michelle Obama wore as first lady are displayed on mannequins behind glass, including a black and red dress designed by Narciso Rodriguez that the former first lady wore on Election Night in Chicago. Visitors will also get a chance to touch swatches of the fabrics, including the rose gold chain-mail Atelier Versace evening gown she wore at her final state dinner in 2016. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Just a few years ago, America's public schools were rushing to get every child a laptop. Los Angeles middle school teacher Anna Soffer remembers it well: "The idea was that technology is the future, so we need to put tech in every child's hands." Now, the conversation has flipped. After pouring billions of dollars into laptops, tablets, and learning apps, many schools are facing a digital reckoning. Classrooms have become saturated with screens, and a growing number of parents, teachers, and school districts are saying it is time to scale back. "The Chromebook is just a world of distraction," says Soffer, who teaches sixth-grade English and history. She favors pen-and-paper assignments but is required to use laptops and online apps for certain activities. "Every day, I'm battling, 'Who would you rather listen to, Ms. Soffer or Minecraft?'" The Los Angeles Unified School District, where Soffer teaches, recently became the first major school district to say it will stop giving devices to its youngest students. It is part of a new screen time policy taking effect in the fall across the country's second-largest school system. A sweeping resolution passed last April by the Los Angeles school board requires the district to eliminate devices until second grade; set daily and weekly screen limits for all higher grades; block YouTube on school devices; and ban the use of devices at lunch and recess in elementary and middle school. The district will also audit its education technology contracts, which the teachers' union says amount to $1.6 billion. The Los Angeles crackdown is adding momentum to calls for reform emerging around the country. In many cases, parents lobbied a few years ago for school cellphone bans, which have now become the norm. Realizing phones weren't the only classroom distraction, they pivoted to a new target: school-issued devices. The campaign for change is becoming a public policy issue. At least 14 states have proposed laws to limit screen time in schools, according to Ballotpedia. The federal government issued an advisory warning that excessive screen use among youth is becoming a growing public health concern. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Google must allow news sites to opt out of having their online content scraped to feed AI overviews and other artificial intelligence services and features for British users, regulators said in June. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was ordering Google to give online publishers the option, in what it called a “world first.” The watchdog is seeking to loosen the U.S. tech giant’s stranglehold on the U.K.’s online search market by using new digital powers to force changes to the company’s business practices. Under the decision, Google will have to give publishers “effective tools” to prevent their content from being used to power the company's generative artificial intelligence services and its AI search features like AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google will also have to properly cite publisher content in AI-generated search results by using clear links. In addition, it will have to let publishers opt out of having their content used to fine-tune AI models. The watchdog said the decision will give publishers a stronger hand when negotiating content deals with Google. Publishers are defined as anyone who puts content on the web that's available to people in Britain. The CMA's ruling was expected because it had released draft proposals at the start of the year after using its new digital powers to label Google a “strategic” player in online search advertising. The CMA previously found that news publishers had suffered a drop in traffic since Google rolled out its AI Overviews—summaries that appear at the top of some search queries—because fewer users are clicking through to the original articles. The watchdog said its requirements will also apply to big changes that Google unveiled in May, which further embed AI in the company's search services. Google is “engaging with regulators like the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority to ensure website owners have the right tools as user preferences evolve,” the company's general manager of search ecosystem, Mrinalini Loew, said in a blog post. “Today, we’re beginning to test a new control that lets website owners manage how their links and content appear in generative AI search features.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The environmental footprint of data centers already rivals some of the world's largest countries, according to a United Nations University report, which also predicts their water use, energy use, and pollution will double in just four years as the use of artificial intelligence grows. Last year, global data centers used 448 trillion watt-hours of electricity, more than all but 10 countries in the world, said the report recently issued. That electricity use produced about 208 million tons (189 million metric tons) of carbon dioxide, about the same amount as Argentina, and producing that much energy consumed about 1.2 trillion gallons (4.5 trillion liters) of water, according to the report on the environmental consequences of AI's energy use. By 2030, data centers will account for nearly 3% of the world's projected electricity use, with 935 trillion watt-hours. If data centers were a country, the country would be projected to rank sixth-highest in power use in 2030. That would produce nearly 440 million tons (399 million metric tons) of carbon dioxide, the report said. The study focused on energy use and didn’t examine the massive amount of water used to cool data centers. “If you look at these numbers, we're seeing scales comparable to nations,” said study co-author Kaveh Madani, a water scientist and director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health in Canada. “The demand is enormous.” Much of the growth of data centers is being driven by AI. About 20% of data centers’ energy is currently due to AI, but that should grow to 40% by 2030, the report said. The report is significant because of the credibility and authority of the U.N., not just because of any one set of eye-popping numbers, said Fengqi You, a Cornell University energy engineering professor who directs the college’s AI sustainability issues. “Its value is that a U.N. institution is putting carbon, water, land, life-cycle impacts, and environmental justice into one frame” for an issue that is often shrouded in secrecy and partial disclosures, said You, who was not part of the report. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Life tasks like paying bills, canceling subscriptions, and answering overdue emails are becoming a reason to socialize for friends, couples, roommates, and other people who get together for what's known as “admin dates.” The low-pressure gatherings taking place in coffee shops, accommodating bars, and private homes are intended to turn tedious and procrastination-inducing adult responsibilities into productive time with a twist. Tackling a personal to-do list alongside others is a double-duty activity that combines the satisfaction of tending to necessary chores with the no less vital work of nurturing relationships. “You can have both—getting things done and connecting with people,” Thema Bryant, a Pepperdine University psychology professor and past president of the American Psychological Association, said. “At the gym, if I'm taking a group exercise class, I'm less likely to stop in the middle of other people. ... In the same way, admin dates can help with accountability, motivation, and connection." Romantic or business partners looking to get on the same page, and club members or volunteers collaborating on a big project, may also find admin dates helpful. Experts generally advise against meeting up in this way with regular work colleagues, especially supervisors, because it might add unnecessary pressure or create self-consciousness that's counterproductive to confronting inbox gremlins. Dealing with too many uncompleted tasks can feel overwhelming to some people, but whittling away at them in the company of trusted friends or even strangers engrossed in their own screens can clear some of the mental fog and foster a sense of community, said Bryant, the author of a book titled Matters of the Heart: Healing Your Relationship with Yourself and Those You Love. One reason admin dates can help with productivity is because of modeling, a theory from behavioral psychology about learning by observing and imitating others, she said. Seeing other people check off items on their agendas can motivate us to do the same, Bryant said. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

European Union leaders, worried about the continent relying too heavily on American companies for AI and cloud computing services and Asia for microchips, are pushing back. The 27-nation bloc unveiled a "tech sovereignty" package with measures to promote homegrown European alternatives to Big Tech services and hardware. The efforts by Brussels have gained urgency as leaders worry about dependence on technologies from foreign providers, which they say could be "weaponized" against Europeans. Those fears crystallized after the International Criminal Court's top prosecutor was sanctioned by the Trump administration, which led to Microsoft canceling his email account, sparking fears of a "kill switch" hidden in U.S. tech services. "Europe wants to be in the position to make its own choices, avoiding risky dependencies on single dominant suppliers, one company or one third country," European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, who oversees tech sovereignty, told reporters in Brussels. "Because we live in a world where geopolitics and technology go hand in hand. Those who champion technological innovation will shape the future, and we must ensure that Europe plays a leading role in this." A cornerstone of the package is a sequel to the EU's 2023 Chips Act to further boost local production of semiconductors by cutting red tape for chip fabs and fostering a European chipmaking ecosystem. Europe's vulnerability to the global chip supply chain centered in East Asia was highlighted last year in a power struggle at the Chinese-owned, Netherlands-based chipmaker Nexperia. Another key part of the package is supporting local cloud and AI development, with plans to triple Europe's data center capacity over the next five to seven years. The EU is pushing to expand data centers to keep up with the AI boom, which is driving demand for cloud computing services. The proposals from the EU's executive arm still need to be debated by the EU's two other main institutions, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Imagine taking part in a job interview not conducted by a human, but by an AI avatar. What might seem dystopian in concept is an increasing reality for some applicants. As employers face surging application numbers and a flood of AI-written CVs, companies are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to screen candidates. And as workers flood into offices across the capital, the process of getting a job is increasingly being handed over to artificial intelligence. Bracing for the changes AI is driving in the job market, schools are incorporating it into their teaching. At London Enterprise Academy in East London, students are being taught about the opportunities and risks linked to AI tools as they prepare applications for sixth form (the two final years of secondary school in Britain) places and work experience opportunities. Teacher Mohammed Islam asks students whether they would trust a robot interviewer. Some students say AI can help candidates improve applications but still believe human interaction remains essential. “It does help people to get jobs, and it does help companies to hire people, but we also need humans to interview other people as well because robots don’t have actual feelings, and sometimes, they might not understand what they have to do, and it’s not as reliable as humans,” student Zara says. For growing numbers of applicants for jobs, the first interview may no longer be with a person. Instead, candidates are increasingly facing artificial intelligence-powered hiring systems designed to screen applications, verify identities, and assess answers before any human recruiter becomes involved. In a demonstration showing technology developed by Amsterdam-based hiring platform TestGorilla, an AI-generated avatar interviews an Associated Press reporter through a laptop screen. The system asks spoken questions, records verbal responses, and combines them with timed assessments, behavioral prompts, and identity verification checks. Candidates are asked to complete multiple-choice questions, answer spoken interview prompts, and verify their identity through facial biometric checks comparing their face against identification documents. TestGorilla says its AI interview systems are designed to replace some traditional screening calls, which recruiters say can consume large amounts of time when employers receive hundreds or thousands of applications for a single role. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Whether they’re rummaging through grass in a park or scuttling along pavements on the hunt for crumbs, pigeons seem to fit right in busy London. But the same bird that often blends in as part of the urban background has helped scientists investigate one of the hardest questions in biology. How can a pigeon be taken many kilometers from home and still find its way back? After all, unlike their human counterparts, they don't have the luxury of satellite GPS navigation. Animals use several techniques to navigate. Some follow the stars. Others remember landmarks, smells, or the position of the sun. Birds, fish, and sea turtles are also known to orient themselves using Earth’s magnetic field, effectively giving them a natural compass. That ability is known as magnetoreception. It means an animal can detect information from Earth’s magnetic field and use it for direction, position, and orientation. Since the 1960s, studies by researchers, including Cornell University ornithologist William Keeton, have shown that pigeons use several navigation cues at once. They can use the sun, familiar landmarks, smell, vision, and the Earth’s magnetic field. But scientists still haven’t fully understood how birds physically detect magnetism inside the body. Previous theories focused mainly on the eyes, the beak, and the inner ear. One idea suggested birds might “see” magnetic fields through light-sensitive molecules in the eye called cryptochromes. Now, a new study published in the journal Science points to the liver. Researchers from the University of Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, the University of Duisburg Essen, and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior found that special immune cells in pigeon livers may respond to magnetic fields. Those cells are macrophages. In the pigeon liver, the researchers found macrophages packed with iron oxide nanoparticles. Those particles appear to make the cells superparamagnetic. In simple terms, superparamagnetic particles don’t stay permanently magnetic like a fridge magnet, but they react strongly when exposed to an outside magnetic field. This article was provided by The Associated Press.