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☆ Alleging ‘Russian special operation,’ Georgian president calls for protests over disputed election
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-27 | by ( Jill Dougherty | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Ivanishvili had vowed to ban the opposition if his party won the election, and his opponents are taking him at his word. On Saturday, as Georgians cast their ballots, thousands of Georgian and international election observers fanned out to voting precincts across the country, from urban centers to poor, remote villages in the Caucasus mountains, trying to evaluate whether the vote was free and fair. Throughout election day, video of violations, some of them egregious, like a man boldly jamming ballots into a ballot box, spread quickly. “She is on the right side of history,” said opposition politician Nika Gvaramia. The illiberal leader has found common cause with Georgia’s ruling party and was the first international leader to congratulate them after the election – even before the votes were officially tallied.

Persons: Georgia CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, “, Georgia …, ”, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, Ivanishvili, ISFED, John Shimkus, Margareta Cederfelt, Zourabichvili, Nika Gvaramia, Elene Khoshtaria, isn’t, Viktor Orban Organizations: Georgia CNN, Georgian, International Republican Institute, National Democratic Institute, International Society for Fair Elections, Democracy, “ Coalition Locations: Tbilisi, Georgia, Georgian, Russian, “, Gvaramia, Russia, ” Moscow, Hungarian

The court ruled 4-3 that the Superior-based Catholic Charities Bureau and its subentities' motivation to help older, disabled and low-income people stems from Catholic teachings but that its actual work is secular. Every Catholic diocese in Wisconsin has a Catholic Charities entity that serves as that diocese's social ministry arm. The Catholic Charities Bureau is the Superior diocese's entity. “The majority’s misinterpretation also excessively entangles the government in spiritual affairs, requiring courts to determine what religious practices are sufficiently religious under the majority’s unconstitutional test,” Rebecca Bradley wrote. “The majority says secular entities provide charitable services, so such activities aren’t religious at all, even when performed by Catholic Charities.”

Persons: Ann Walsh Bradley, of Jesus Christ, Eric Rassbach, Becket, Judge Lisa Stark, isn't, Stark, Rebecca Bradley, ” Rebecca Bradley, “, ” Organizations: Catholic Charities Bureau, American Islamic Congress, of Jesus, International Society, Krishna, Sikh Coalition, Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty, for Religious Liberty, Catholic Charities Locations: MADISON, Wis, Illinois , Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin

LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Leading scientists urged caution over fears of another pandemic on Thursday after the World Health Organization requested more information from China on a rise of respiratory illnesses and pneumonia clusters among children. It called for more information about "undiagnosed pneumonia - China (Beijing, Liaoning)". The standard wording of the alert echoed the first-ever notice about what would become COVID-19, sent on Dec. 30 2019: "Undiagnosed pneumonia - China (Hubei)." Both the WHO and China have faced questions over transparency during the early days of COVID. In China itself, there has been a lot of recent coverage of a rise in respiratory illnesses, including among children.

Persons: Marion Koopmans, COVID lockdowns, Brian McCloskey, Virologist Tom Peacock, Jennifer Rigby, Jo Mason, Christina Fincher Organizations: World Health Organization, WHO, COVID, International Society for Infectious, FTV News, Reuters, Imperial College London, Thomson Locations: China, Dutch, Beijing, Liaoning, Hubei, Taiwan

☆ China says seasonal germs, rather than ‘unusual or novel pathogens,’ behind spike in pediatric respiratory illness, WHO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Some of those increases are a little earlier than usual, but WHO said they were “not unexpected.”Similar early surges in respiratory illnesses were seen in other countries after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. At Thursday’s teleconference, WHO said, the Chinese officials reported enhanced surveillance of respiratory illnesses that may be contributing to increases in reported cases of disease. Even with the spike in cases, China also said that its hospitals are not overwhelmed with patients. WHO has been monitoring data from Chinese surveillance systems since mid-October, when it initially noted an increase in respiratory illnesses in children in northern China. WHO said it will continue to closely monitor the situation, stay in close contact with national authorities in China and provide updates when appropriate.

Persons: teleconference, ”, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s Katherine Dillinger Organizations: CNN, World Health Organization, WHO, Chinese Center for Disease Control, Beijing Children’s, Media, International Society for Infectious Diseases, CNN Health Locations: China, Beijing, United States

☆ WHO asks China for more information on spike in pediatric respiratory illnesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Katherine Dillinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The World Health Organization says it has requested more information from Chinese officials on an increase in respiratory illnesses and pneumonia clusters among children there. Officials from China’s National Health Commission reported an increase in respiratory disease at a news conference last week, WHO said in a statement Wednesday. Get CNN Health's weekly newsletter Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team. Media reports suggest “a widespread outbreak of an undiagnosed respiratory illness in several areas in China,” according to the International Society for Infectious Diseases’ Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases, known as ProMED. The agency advises people in China to take precautionary measures to lower the risk of respiratory illness, including getting recommended vaccines, staying home when sick, wearing masks around others and washing hands regularly.

Persons: ”, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” ProMED, it’s Organizations: CNN, World Health Organization, China’s National Health Commission, WHO, ” WHO, CNN Health, Media, International Society for Infectious Diseases Locations: China

☆ Lab models of human embryos raise hopes and concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

From the moment sperm fuses with an egg, human embryo development involves a string of complex and little understood processes. What happens during human embryo development, particularly in the crucial first month, remains largely unknown. However, 14 days is an important milestone because it is when permitted lab research on cultured human embryos routinely ends. He said, in the future, it might be possible to go as far as 40 days with human embryo models. Some in the field envision a “tipping point” wherein human embryo models might be afforded some protection like those surrounding human embryos, as scientific advances diminish the differences between the embryo models and their real-life counterparts.

Persons: CNN — It’s, ”, Jacob Hanna, demystify, they’ve, Hanna, “ It’s, ” Hanna, “, Peter Rugg, Gunn, it’s, …, Robin Lovell, Francis Crick, Naomi Moris, Francis Crick Institute’s, Moris, we’ve, ” Moris, It’s, Bobbie Farsides, ” Farsides Organizations: CNN, Weizmann Institute of Science, Weizmann Institute, Israel, Weizmann, Babraham Institute, International Society for Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell, Francis, Francis Crick Institute, Genetics, Development, ”, Sussex Medical School Locations: Israel, London, Brighton

☆ Israeli Scientists Create Model of Human Embryo Without Eggs or Sperm
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

REHOVOT, Israel (Reuters) - Scientists in Israel have created a model of a human embryo from stem cells in the laboratory, without using sperm, eggs or a womb, offering a unique glimpse into the early stages of embryonic development. "The question is, when does an embryo model become considered an embryo? At the moment we are really, really far off from that point," said team leader Jacob Hanna. "None of these models fully recapitulate natural human development but each adds to ways in which many aspects of human development can now be studied experimentally," she said. The study raises some ethical questions over the possibility of potential future manipulation in human embryo development, Hanna and others noted.

Persons: Jacob Hanna, Hanna, Magdalena Żernicka, Goetz, Rami Amichay, Ari Rabinovitch, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science, International Society for Stem Cell Research, University of Cambridge Locations: REHOVOT, Israel, Boston

☆ Israeli scientists create model of human embryo without eggs or sperm
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Israeli team emphasised that they were a long way from being able to create an embryo from scratch. "The question is, when does an embryo model become considered an embryo? At the moment we are really, really far off from that point," said team leader Jacob Hanna. "None of these models fully recapitulate natural human development but each adds to ways in which many aspects of human development can now be studied experimentally," she said. The study raises some ethical questions over the possibility of potential future manipulation in human embryo development, Hanna and others noted.

Persons: Mehmet Yunus Comar, Jacob Hanna, Hanna, Magdalena Żernicka, Goetz, Rami Amichay, Ari Rabinovitch, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science, International Society for Stem Cell Research, University of Cambridge, Thomson Locations: Rehovot, Israel, Boston

☆ The Unending Indignities of ‘Vaginal Atrophy’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Rachel E. Gross | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Heather Corinna started a Facebook support group in 2019 for people going through menopause and perimenopause, one phrase came up again and again. Members of the group had read about it online, heard it from their doctors and seen it in their medical notes. Vaginal atrophy. Amid the many unfamiliar terms and bodily changes that people were facing, “vaginal atrophy” seemed to encapsulate a host of fears around sexuality and aging. “I mean, atrophy,” said Mx.

Persons: Heather Corinna, “, ”, Corinna Organizations: International Society for, Health

☆ Meet Khan Academy's AI tutor
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Nadia Bidarian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

More than 8,000 teachers and students will test education nonprofit Khan Academy’s artificial intelligence tutor in the classroom this upcoming school year, toying with its interactive features and funneling feedback to Khan Academy if the AI botches an answer. A conversation between CNN's Nadia Bidarian and Khanmigo, Khan Academy's AI chatbot tutor. Khan Lab School is a separate nonprofit founded by Khan Academy CEO Sal Khan. Khan Academy’s in-the-works AI learning course “AI 101 for Teachers,” created in partnership with Code.org, ETS and the International Society for Technology in Education, offers a path toward AI literacy among teachers. Imperfect, but improvingAn AI “tutor” like Khanmigo is not immune to the flubs all large language models face: so-called hallucinations.

Persons: —, Khanmigo, George Washington, Cleopatra, Martin Luther King Jr, CNN's Nadia Bidarian, Khan, Kristen DiCerbo, she’s, DiCerbo, “, Oz, ” DiCerbo, “ We’re, Albert Einstein, Einstein, Socrates, Christopher Nolan’s “ Oppenheimer, ”, Thomas Jefferson, Khanmigo’s Thomas Jefferson, GPT, Leo Lin, Sal Khan, they’ve, Khan Academy’s, ” Ernest Davis, Davis, it’s, ” Davis, Rama Ramakrishnan, ChatGPT, ” Ramakrishnan, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Khan Academy, Khan, American, Khan Lab, . New York City Public Schools, Seattle Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified School District, EdWeek Research, Code.org, ETS, International Society for Technology, NYU, MIT Locations: Arizona, Independence, California, . New York, Education, United States

☆ Is lab-grown meat kosher or halal? Can religious vegetarians eat it? It’s complicated
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But first, the practical perspective: Neither company has yet had its US-approved cultivated chicken product certified as halal or kosher. Religious and ethical vegetariansBecause cell-cultured meat is developed from animal cells, it’s not considered vegetarian by Upside Foods or Good Meat. But people who don’t eat meat for animal welfare or environmental reasons may want to give cultivated meat a try. In this case, the question of whether cultivated meat is considered meat, from a religious perspective, is significant. For cultivated meat to be considered kosher, it “would require that it came from a kosher slaughtered animal.” Chicken that is grown from cells taken from a kosher, unfertilized egg would be considered kosher, he said.

Persons: it’s, Mat McDermott, ”, McDermott, Hare Krishnas, Lord Krishna, Anuttama Dasa, Mohammad Hussaini, Hussaini, kashrut, Menachem Genack, ” Genack, David Lau, Didier Toubia, Toubia, “, There’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, USDA, Inc, Foods, Hindu American Foundation, ISKCON, International Society, Krishna, American Halal Foundation, OU, CNN Locations: New York, United States, Israel, Persian Gulf, Southeast Asia

☆ Scientists report creation of first human synthetic model embryos
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The research raises critical legal and ethical questions, and many countries, including the US, don’t have laws governing the creation or treatment of synthetic embryos. “Unlike human embryos arising from in vitro fertilization (IVF), where there is an established legal framework, there are currently no clear regulations governing stem cell derived models of human embryos. “I just wish to stress that they are not human embryos,” Zernicka-Goetz said. Right now, the synthetic model human embryos are confined to test tubes. “There is much work to be done to determine the similarities and differences between synthetic embryos and embryos that form from the union of an egg and a sperm.”

Persons: CNN —, ” James Briscoe, Francis Crick, Dr, Magdalena Zernicka, Goetz, Zernicka, ”, ” Zernicka, “, haven’t, Sanjay Gupta, ” Roger Sturmey Organizations: CNN, Francis, Francis Crick Institute, International Society for, CalTech, University of Cambridge, The Guardian, CNN Health, University of Manchester Locations: United States, United Kingdom, Boston, Israel

☆ Generative AI is coming for the classroom, whether teachers like it or not. Here's why many in education think it should be embraced rather than shunned.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Fears of generative AI helping students cheat are rampant, and some school districts are banning it. Instead, educators should think about how generative AI can be used as a classroom learning tool. Insider spoke with multiple AI researchers and academics, startup founders, and education-nonprofit leaders to learn how they're approaching generative AI in the classroom. If used effectively, generative AI tools like ChatGPT can help students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, which are crucial learning outcomes for most teachers. That way, students are actively engaged and wouldn't be able to use generative AI to complete a full assignment, he said.

☆ When Does Life Begin?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Elizabeth Dias | Bethany Mollenkof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

“It is not black and white.”America’s fight over abortion has long circled a question, one that is broad and without consensus:When does life begin? The question of when life begins has been so politicized it can be hard to thoughtfully engage. Ancient Egypt gave the power to create new human life almost entirely to men. The scientific revolution, from Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to reproductive science, disrupted centuries of thought on human life. “When does the responsibility for a life begin and end?”

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