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☆ Swiss central bank cuts rates by a quarter point in third trim this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A view of the headquarters of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), before a press conference in Zurich, Switzerland, March 21, 2024. It was the first major Western central bank to reduce interest rates back in March. Domestically, Swiss inflation remains subdued, with the latest headline print pointing to a 1.1% annual increase in August. Further cuts in the SNB policy rate may become necessary in the coming quarters to ensure price stability over the medium term," it added. He added that the central bank may nevertheless have to reduce rates again to retain inflation in the 0-2% target range.

Persons: exacerbation, Swissmem, SNB, Kyle Chapman, Chapman, Thomas Jordan, Jordan, Adrian Prettejohn, Prettejohn Organizations: Swiss National Bank, European Central Bank, U.S . Federal Reserve, Swiss, U.S ., ING, Ballinger Group, Reuters, Capital Economics Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Swiss, Europe

☆ New study links early childhood tablet use to anger outbursts
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Katia Hetter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

One paper published just this year sheds some light as to why tablet use could be related to anger outbursts. This is in the context of near-universal use of social media, with up to 95% of kids ages 13 to 17 reporting using social media. American teens report spending a shocking amount of time — nearly five hours each day—on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and other social media apps. There are a number of problems with this level of social media use, one of which is what this time is replacing. Third, for those whose kids already have smartphones and use social media apps, speak with them about the impact of social media on them.

Persons: Leana Wen, Wen, It’s, I’ve, Vivek Murthy, Murthy, I’d Organizations: CNN, George Washington University, Getty, Pediatrics, YouTube Locations: Nova Scotia, Canada, South Africa

☆ Sinead O’Connor Died of Pulmonary Disease and Asthma, Death Report Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Amelia Nierenberg | More About Amelia Nierenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Sinead O’Connor, the Irish singer who shot to fame in the 1990s and was known for her activism, died at age 56 last July of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma, according to her death certificate. In January, a coroner in London said that Ms. O’Connor had died of “natural causes” but did not provide details. The police said at the time of Ms. O’Connor’s death that it was “not being treated as suspicious.”Ms. O’Connor’s death certificate, which was registered last week, filled in some gaps. The singer died of “exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma together with low-grade lower respiratory-tract infection,” the report said. It was submitted by John Reynolds, Ms. O’Connor’s first husband.

Persons: Sinead O’Connor, O’Connor, Ms, O’Connor’s, “, John Reynolds Locations: Irish, London

☆ Don’t drink before your nap on the plane. It could hurt you now and later
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The “fasten seat belt” sign is off, and the time for a nap on your flight is on. On the nights with alcohol, researchers saw a lowered amount of oxygen and an increased heart rate, the study showed. Alcohol gets you sleep — but not good sleepThe study authors didn’t just collect data on heart strain. Alcohol may help you get to sleep, but the quality isn’t as good as sleep while sober, he said. “Many people have witnessed when people drink heavily, their snoring and the sleep apnea is much more severe,” Freeman said.

Persons: ”, Eva, Maria Elmenhorst, Andrew Freeman, didn’t, —, Freeman, ” Freeman, Shalini Paruthi, Paruthi, “ I’ve, “, Shalini Organizations: CNN, DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Jewish Health, Alcohol, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, American Academy of Sleep, Foods Locations: Cologne, Germany, Denver

☆ Israel mulls response to unprecedented Iranian attack as West urges Netanyahu to avert all-out war
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Together we shall win.”Israel will respond to Iran’s attack, but the scope of that attack has yet to be decided, an Israeli official told CNN on Sunday. The official said Israel is yet to determine whether to try and “break all the dishes” or do something more measured. Israel and Iran have long been rivals, but tensions escalated in the wake of Hamas’ attacks on Israel, which left about 1,200 people dead. Iranian ballistic missiles that reached Israel fell on the airbase located in southern Israel, and caused only light structural damage, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said. Iran had vowed to retaliate after accusing Israel of bombing its diplomatic complex in Syria earlier this month.

Persons: CNN —, Yoav Gallant –, ” Gallant, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, ”, Netanyahu, Hossein, Bagheri, Daniel Hagari, Israel “, Joe Biden, Biden, Yoav Gallant, Getty Images Biden, Israel, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, Donald Trump, IRGC, Qassem Soleimani Organizations: CNN, –, Sunday, Hamas, Islamic, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, TV, of Iran’s Armed Forces, Israel Defense Forces, Israel, White, Israeli, Ministry of Defense, Getty Images, United, Emirates, Revolutionary Guards Locations: Iran, ” Israel, Israel, Gaza, Syria, France, Islamic Republic, Damascus, Iranian, Western, Anadolu, East, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Baghdad

☆ Millions of people have long Covid, including children and pregnant people, studies show
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Millions of people deal with Covid-19 symptoms long after their initial infections. Estimates of adults who develop long Covid range from 2.5% to 25%, although different studies have different definitions of how “long” Covid is defined. But many studies have found that vaccination lowers the risk of severe disease, which can make long Covid more likely. Long Covid symptoms in children included breathing problems like a cough, shortness of breath and chest tightness, along with fatigue. Studies haven’t fully explained what factors kids with long Covid have in common.

Persons: –, Dr, Torri Metz, ” Metz, ”, Metz, Amy Edwards, Edwards, Sanjay Gupta, haven’t Organizations: CNN, Covid, Society for, National Institutes of Health’s, University of Utah Health, UH Rainbow, Children’s Hospital, Pediatrics, Get CNN, CNN Health Locations: National Harbor , Maryland

☆ Media executives urge Congress to enact legislation to prevent AI models from training on ‘stolen goods’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Liam Reilly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Roger Lynch, Condé Nast’s chief executive, told senators that current AI models were built using “stolen goods,” with chatbots scraping and displaying news articles from publishers without their permission or compensation. News organizations, Lynch said, seldom have a say in whether their content is used to train AI or is output by the models. To avoid the pilfering of news publishers’ content and, thereby, their coffers, Lynch proposed AI companies use licensed content and compensate publishers for content being used for training and output. Coffey also noted AI models have introduced inaccuracies and produced so-called hallucinations after scraping content from less-than-reputable sources — which runs the risk of misinforming the public or ruining a publication’s reputation. “The risk of low-quality [generative] AI content dominating the internet is amplified by the drastic economic decline of news publications over the past two decades,” Coffey said.

Persons: ChatGPT, Roger Lynch, Condé, Lynch, ”, they’ve, Sarah Silverman, Margaret Atwood, Dan Brown, Michael Chabon, Jonathan Franzen, George R, Martin, ” Lynch, Danielle Coffey, Coffey, ” Coffey, ” Curtis LeGeyt, ” LeGeyt Organizations: CNN, The New York Times, News Media Alliance, National Association of Broadcasters

☆ A woman suing the Chop't salad chain says she 'was chewing on a portion of a human finger' mixed into her arugula
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A woman is suing the Chop't salad chain says she chewed on a severed human finger in her salad. An employee chopped a portion of her left pointer finger into arugula, according to the suit. AdvertisementA Greenwich, Connecticut woman is suing the fast-casual salad chain, Chop't, after she says she discovered a portion of an employee's severed finger mixed into her meal. Kisco, New York, on April 7 and as she ate her salad she realized she was "chewing on a portion of a human finger" that was mixed into her salad, her complaint alleges. Kisco Chop't location was not immediately returned.

Persons: Allison Cozzi, —, Marc Reibman Organizations: Service, Westchester County Department of Health, Business Locations: Kisco, NY, Greenwich , Connecticut, Mt, Kisco , New York, Westchester County

☆ News Group Says A.I. Chatbots Heavily Rely on News Content
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

News publishers have argued for the past year that A.I. chatbots like ChatGPT rely on copyrighted articles to power the technology. Now the publishers say developers of these tools disproportionately use news content. The group argued that the findings show that the A.I. Representatives for Google and OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: “, ”, Danielle Coffey Organizations: News Media Alliance, The New York Times, Google

☆ UAE Condemns Israeli Ground Operations in Gaza Strip -State News Agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday condemned the Israeli ground operations in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, the state news agency WAM reported, citing the country's foreign ministry. UAE, which became the first Gulf country to normalise relations with Israel in 2020, also "expressed its deep concern over the Israeli military escalation and exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis that threatens more loss of civilian lives."

Persons: WAM Organizations: United Arab Emirates, UAE Locations: CAIRO, UAE, Palestinian, Israel

Russia has issued carefully calibrated criticism of both sides in the war between Israel and Hamas. It also expects the Israel-Hamas war to distract attention from the fighting in Ukraine and erode support for Kyiv. Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on towns in southern Israel. Unlike Putin, who carefully balanced his statements, other Russian officials were more blunt in their criticism of Israeli strikes on Gaza. But this position also threatens Russia's friendly ties with Israel, which hasn’t joined Western sanctions against Moscow or given weapons to Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Israel, ”, Putin, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Konstantin Kosachev, Ramzan Kadyrov, assailing, hasn’t, Andrei Kortunov, Amir Weitmann, “, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Solovyov, Yevgeny Satanovsky, Mikhail Bogdanov, Maria Zakharova detests, ” Alexander Baunov, ” Izabella Tabarovsky Organizations: Kyiv, Washington, Security, U.S, British, Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Moscow, Russian International Affairs Council, The, Likud, Kremlin, RT, Ukraine, Foreign, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Kennan Institute Locations: Russia, Israel, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Gaza, Nazi, Leningrad, Palestinian, China, Beijing, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Chechnya, assailing Israel, Maria Zakharova detests Israel, israel, russia, ukraine

☆ Arab States Say Palestinians Must Stay on Their Land as War Escalates
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

It reflects deep-rooted Arab fears that Israel's latest war with Hamas in Gaza could spark a new wave of permanent displacement from land where Palestinians want to build a future state. Some 700,000 Palestinians, half the Arab population of what was British-ruled Palestine, fled or were driven from their homes, many spilling into neighbouring Arab states where they or many of their descendants remain. Israel contests the assertion it drove Palestinians out, pointing out it was attacked by five Arab states the day after its creation. Palestinians and Arab states say a deal should include the right of those refugees and their descendants to return, something Israel has always rejected. After an emergency Arab League meeting on Wednesday, Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said all Arab states agreed to confront any attempt to displace Palestinians from their homeland.

Persons: Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Maya Gebeily, Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Jordan's King Abdullah, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, Gilad Erdan, Israel, Erdan, U.N, Khan Younis, Mariam al, Ayman Safadi, Aidan Lewis, Tom Perry, Aiden Nulty, Michelle Nichols Organizations: Hamas, West Bank, Israel, Arab League, United, United Nations, Muslim, Royal United Services Institute, Jordan's Locations: Maya Gebeily AMMAN, BEIRUT, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Egypt, Jordan, British, Palestine, Gaza City, United States, Farra, Sinai, Israeli, Rafah, Cairo, Khalidi, Amman

Persons: Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Vladimir Putin, Alexei Danichev, Jordan, Israel, Gazans, Jordan's King Abdullah, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, Gilad Erdan, Erdan, U.N, Khan Younis, Mariam al, Ayman Safadi, Maya Gebeily, Suleiman Al, Aidan Lewis, Tom Perry, Aiden Nulty, Michelle Nichols Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Hamas, West Bank, Israel, Arab League, United, United Nations, Muslim, Royal United Services Institute, Jordan's, Thomson Locations: Russia, Africa, Saint Petersburg, Egypt, AMMAN, BEIRUT, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Jordan, British, Palestine, Gaza City, United States, Farra, Sinai, Israeli, Rafah, Cairo, Khalidi, Amman

☆ Notable remarks on Ukraine at UN Security Council
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has his address to the United Nations Security Council laid out on the desk in front of him as he attends a ministerial level meeting of the Security Council on the crisis in Ukraine at U.N. headquarters in New York, September 20, 2023. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN:"It's hard to imagine a country demonstrating more contempt for the United Nations and all that it stands for - this from a country with a permanent seat on this council. "The war is having an increasingly devastating toll on the people in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world. "The only pathway for a comprehensive peace ... is one that must be just and based on the charter of the United Nations, and international law." SWISS PRESIDENT ALAIN BERSET:"With Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, the (U.N.) Charter has been violated on a massive scale.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Brendan McDermid, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, BLINKEN, Putin, SERGEI LAVROV, GUILLERMO LASSO, NANA AKUFO, ALAIN BERSET, FUMIO, Gabriela Baczynska, Humeyra Pamuk, Don Durfee Organizations: United Nations Security Council, Security, REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, Wednesday, Security Council, Russia, OF STATE, United Nations, UN, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, U.N, New York, Russia, Soviet Union, .

Russia and the United States, by far the biggest nuclear powers, have both expressed regret about the disintegration of the tangle of arms control treaties which sought to slow the Cold War arms race and reduce the risk of nuclear war. Russia's point man for arms control, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, said Washington had informed Moscow about the move ahead of going public with it so it was no surprise. But Ryabkov said the pillars of arms control were collapsing and were in a "semi-lethal" condition due to what he cast as the hostile policies of the United States. "Through the fault of the United States, many elements of the former architecture in this area have either been completely destroyed or moved in a semi-lethal state." The New START Treaty, struck in 2011, obliged the United States and Russia to limit deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles, deployed submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and deployed heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Ryabkov, Washington, Ryabkov, Russia's, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan's, Guy Faulconbridge, David Holmes Organizations: U.S, ultimatums, Washington, United, Russian Federation, Cuban Missile, Soviet Union, TASS, 1998, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, ultimatums Russia, U.S, MOSCOW, United States, Moscow, Ukraine, ultimatums, States, Washington, Soviet, unshakable

☆ The healthcare system is racing to unleash breakthrough AI models despite profound unanswered questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Blake Dodge | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The behemoth health-records company Epic, which touches all corners of the healthcare ecosystem, is embracing generative AI as a necessary priority. For eight months, he and a team at Microsoft have been working with OpenAI to explore how generative AI could work in healthcare. Scientific, ethical, and legal mysteries behind ChatGPTLee's panel drew top leaders from tech and healthcare, and their questions on generative AI were sweeping. OConnor edited the note to fix a mistake and clicked a button to transfer it directly into the patient's health record. Generative AI is far from a slam dunk, HIMSS's Bogdan said, citing adoption and privacy concerns.

CNN —A transgender woman has sued Maryland’s corrections department in federal court, alleging she was improperly housed with male inmates while jailed for three months in 2021 and 2022 – and was sexually assaulted and denied hormone treatment during that time. “I’m filing this lawsuit today because I don’t want what happened to me to happen to any other trans woman in the state of Maryland,” Gilliam said in a news conference Wednesday. She received hormone treatments for her gender dysphoria for 18 years before she was jailed, the suit says. After the assault, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services took no action, the lawsuit alleges. It also required her to sign a waiver saying she wouldn’t hold the public safety department liable if anything happened to her in the men’s prison, it says.

☆ Fact Check-Antineoplastons not a proven ‘cancer cure’ and not an approved treatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Online claims that the drugs are a cancer “cure” and that any of them has been FDA-approved are misleading, a cancer expert and an FDA official told Reuters. A video viewed more than 135,000 times on Facebook begins with: “THIS CURE FOR CANCER WAS DISCOVERED 42 YEARS AGO…” (here). A search of the database also shows no reported Phase 3 or randomized controlled studies on any antineoplastons as a cancer treatment. To approve a drug, FDA requires phase 3 studies to demonstrate “whether or not a product offers a treatment benefit to a specific population” (here). Cancer Research UK and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center also caution about the lack of evidence for antineoplastons in treating cancer (here), (here).

☆ OpenAI makes a ChatGPT-like tool called Codex that can write software. Here's why Codex won't replace developers and will instead create more demand for their skills.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Thomas Maxwell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The same company is also behind Codex, a tool that automates the writing of software code. Codex is similar, except that instead of writing English sentences, it writes software code. Tell Codex what type of software problem you're trying to solve, and Codex will suggest a solution with a string of code. Similarly, Codex further simplifies certain software engineering tasks. "Then we'll have more engineers, and more software engineering.

☆ I was scared to lose my 6-figure tech job after long COVID put me in excruciating pain. Instead, I built a schedule and salary around my illness.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Fiona Lowenstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But other than that, I felt OK, and even those symptoms started to improve in June of 2020. It took me about three months to figure out that it was long COVID. In December 2020, I was improving, so I went back to work part-time, receiving a percentage of my full-time salary. I'm now on long-term disability through my company, which makes up a percentage of the rest of my salary I don't receive for my part-time work. I joined a patient-led long COVID support group that was really helpful.

Tampa has been undergoing major infrastructure upgrades to protect the vulnerable city from flooding, but as Hurricane Ian barrels toward Florida’s west coast, the project is still years from completion. Construction is only about 30% done, said Sean Sullivan, executive director of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. “The potential area of inundation for the same intensity storm would be greater in the Tampa Bay area,” he said. The region has not borne the brunt of a major hurricane since 1921. “The Tampa Bay area hasn’t seen this type of storm in decades, if not 100 years,” said Rick Davis, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Tampa office.

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