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Washington will meet Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1. 2 seed Washington (13-0) won the Pac-12 championship with a 34-31 win over Oregon in the conference championship game on Friday. 3 seed Texas (12-1) jumped four spots from No. This will be the sixth all-time meeting between Washington and Texas, and fourth straight in a bowl. The semifinal will be a bowl rematch of quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. of Washington and Quinn Ewers of Texas.

Persons: Michael Penix Jr, Quinn Ewers, ___ Organizations: Texas, College Football, Washington, Oregon, Big, Oklahoma State, Longhorns, Southeastern Conference, Quinn Ewers of Texas ., Alamo Bowl, Huskies, Peach, Alabama, Michigan, AP Locations: Washington, New Orleans, Washington and Texas, Quinn Ewers of Texas, Quinn Ewers of Texas . Washington, Alabama, Atlanta . Texas, Oklahoma, Houston

☆ NFL roundup: Jordan Love's 3 TDs help Packers upset Lions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Christian Watson caught five passes for 94 yards and a touchdown for Green Bay (5-6). Detroit's Jared Goff passed for 332 yards and two touchdowns but also lost three fumbles. David Montgomery rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown, while Amon-Ra St. Brown caught nine passes for 95 yards (8-3). 49ers 31, Seahawks 13Christian McCaffrey rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns as San Francisco defeated host Seattle. Seattle's Geno Smith was 18 of 27 for 180 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

Persons: Jordan Love, Jack Campbell, Alex Anzalone, Lon Horwedel, Christian Watson, AJ Dillon, Jonathan Owens, Detroit's Jared Goff, David Montgomery, Amon, Ra St, Brown, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Samuel, Brock Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk, Seattle's Geno Smith, Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, Dak Prescott, DaRon Bland, Prescott, Sam Howell, Howell Organizations: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Ford Field, NFC North, Detroit, Green, 49ers, Seahawks, San Francisco, Seattle, NFC West, Cowboys, Dallas, Washington, Thomson Locations: Detroit , Michigan, USA, Detroit, Arlington , Texas, Dallas

☆ Opinion: When Biden meets Xi, there’s one obstacle he can’t overcome
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Biden may want Xi to help bring down the temperature on the world’s ongoing wars and help prevent new ones from igniting. Although China occasionally tries to keep a façade of neutrality, there’s little question that it is aligned with Russia. White House officials have said Biden will provide “clarity” to Xi, on the US positions regarding Taiwan and Russia’s war against Ukraine. Still, there’s a limit to how much Xi can downplay the need for growth. Even so, Biden and Xi are likely to make some progress in an important and necessary meeting.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Xi, Xi –, Vladimir Putin –, Barack Obama, ”, “, Nancy Pelosi’s, Saul Loeb, Biden, Mao Zedong Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, Biden, Central Military Commission, Israel, Kremlin, Hamas, US, Beijing, Getty, Ukraine, Communist Party, China Locations: California, Bali , Indonesia, China, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Washington, Beijing, Iran, Tehran, Moscow, Taiwan, Indonesia, South China, White, Gaza

☆ 3 Charged With Running Prostitution Service Used by Politicians and Others
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Aishvarya Kavi | More About Aishvarya Kavi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

They are accused of using “coercive tactics” to draw the women into providing sexual services, for which clients were charged about $350 to $600 per hour. Some of the properties were leased in Mr. Han’s and Mr. Junmyung’s names, according to the affidavit from the homeland security agent. He added that the women were often flown across state lines to engage in prostitution. The women were showcased on the websites according to their height, weight and bust size along with seminude photos, according to the affidavit. The clients would then receive a “menu” of services and women.

Persons: Han’s, Zachary Mitlitsky, Junmyung Locations: Washington, Boston, Fairfax, Virginia, Cambridge, Watertown, Massachusetts

Cheetahs are usually daytime hunters, but the speedy big cats will shift their activity toward dawn and dusk hours during warmer weather, a new study finds. While cheetahs only eat fresh meat, lions and leopards will sometimes opportunistically scavenge from smaller predators. But the new study found that on the hottest days, when maximum daily temperatures soared to nearly 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), cheetahs became more nocturnal — increasing their overlapping hunting hours with rival big cats by 16%. In addition to competition with lions and leopards, cheetahs already face severe pressure from habitat fragmentation and conflict with humans. The fastest land animal, cheetahs are the rarest big cat in Africa, with fewer than 7,000 left in the wild.

Persons: ”, Briana Abrahms, Bettina Wachter, Wachter, Kasim Rafiq, Rafiq —, it's Organizations: Cheetahs, Royal Society, University of Washington, “, Cheetah Research, Leibniz Institute for Zoo, Wildlife Research, Botswana Predator Conservation, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: “ Lions, Namibia, Botswana, Africa, Zambia

Tens of thousands of demonstrators were expected to fill the streets of Washington and other cities across America on Saturday to protest the scope and scale of Israel’s retaliation in Gaza for last month’s terrorist assault by Hamas. Most Americans say that they sympathize with Israel, even as they dread the war’s fallout for their own country. But as Israel escalates attacks on Gaza and fatalities reported by Gazan authorities rise, U.S. support for Palestinian civilians has surged as well. Nonetheless, a 51 percent majority supported sending more military aid to Israel for their campaign against Hamas, and 71 percent supported humanitarian assistance for Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Washington was expected to be a hub of protest.

Persons: Saturday’s, Washington Organizations: Quinnipiac University, Hamas, White, Museum of, Palestinian People, Freedom Locations: Washington, America, Gaza, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Orono , Maine, Israel, U.S, United States, Pennsylvania

☆ Sam Altman warns AI could kill us all. But he still wants the world to use it
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Samantha Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

New York CNN —Sam Altman thinks the technology underpinning his company’s most famous product could bring about the end of human civilization. As many as 300 million full-time jobs around the world could eventually be automated in some way by generative AI, according to Goldman Sachs estimates. Challenges aheadWhen starting OpenAI, Altman told CNN in 2015 he wanted to steer the path of AI, rather than worrying about the potential harms and doing nothing. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addresses a speech during a meeting at Station F in Paris on May 26. Sam embodies that for AI right now.”The world is counting on Altman to act in the best interest of humanity with a technology by his own admission could be a weapon of mass destruction.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Altman, ChatGPT, Goldman Sachs, ”, Patrick Semansky, ‘ Kevin Bacon, Mairo, ” Altman, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, OpenAI, Elon Musk, Kyunghyun Cho, JP Lee, Greg Brockman, SeongJoon Cho, Kevin Bacon, Aaron Levie, “ I’ve, he’s, ” Levie, Bern Elliot, “, Rowan Curan, Forrester, –, Biden, Joel Saget, Emily Bender, Margaret O’Mara, O’Mara, Gates, Jobs Organizations: New, New York CNN, World Economic, Privacy, Technology, Capitol, Silicon, White House, New York University, Softbank Ventures, Bloomberg, Getty, CNN, Gartner Research, Israeli Defense Force, University of Washington, Laboratory Locations: New York, Washington ,, Washington, Valley, Silicon, Silicon Valley, Milan, Italy, Softbank Ventures Asia, Seoul, South Korea, Big Sur, Paris, AFP, Manhattan

☆ Washington judge, Georgia DA both got violent threats on heels of Trump vow to 'go after' foes, court docs allege
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A lead prosecutor and a judge involved in separate criminal cases against Donald Trump received violent threats within two days of the former president warning that he was "coming after" his foes, court documents allege. Prosecutors allege Arthur Hanson, 59, of Huntsville, Alabama, delivered the threats in voicemails left for Willis and Labat on Aug. 6. Smith cited the same post in a September court filing seeking a gag order against Trump. Later in August, Trump was booked and had his mugshot taken at Fulton County jail, which was run by Labat. Trump was already facing dozens of felony counts in three other criminal cases by the time he was charged in Georgia.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Sheriff Patrick Labat, Arthur Hanson, voicemails, Willis, Labat, Tanya Chutkan, Trump, Abigail Jo Shry, Jack Smith, Chutkan, Smith, Sheila Jackson Lee, Hanson, Joe Biden Organizations: Trump, Prosecutors, Labat Locations: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, Huntsville , Alabama, Texas, U.S, Washington ,, Houston, Washington, Alvin , Texas

☆ An Industry Insider Drives an Open Alternative to Big Tech’s A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Steve Lohr | More About Steve Lohr | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ali Farhadi is no tech rebel. The Allen Institute has begun an ambitious initiative to build a freely available A.I. In an industry process called open source, other researchers will be allowed to scrutinize and use this new system and the data fed into it. The stance adopted by the Allen Institute, an influential nonprofit research center in Seattle, puts it squarely on one side of a fierce debate over how open or closed new A.I. Would opening up so-called generative A.I., which powers chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, lead to more innovation and opportunity?

Persons: Ali Farhadi, Farhadi, Google’s Bard Organizations: University of Washington, Apple, Allen Institute, AI, Google Locations: Seattle

☆ Analysis: Putin banks on wavering support for Ukraine, amid a race against time
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Last week, President Joe Biden signed into law a stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown, but funding for Ukraine was a casualty of the brinksmanship on Capitol Hill. The Biden administration emphasizes that that the American public’s support for Ukraine remains strong. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky walks down the White House colonnade to the Oval Office with President Joe Biden during a visit to the White House in Washington, DC, on September 21. In his remarks at Valdai, he clearly implied that Russia intends to outlast the West over Ukraine. Paraphrasing Putin, Mylovanov said that the Kremlin believes that “Ukraine will have one week left to LIVE once Western supplies are over.

Persons: Donald Trump, he’d, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, “, Joe Biden, Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Volodymyr Zelensky, Kevin Lamarque, —, Robert Fico, Fico, Ukraine —, Wolfgang Schwan, Rob Bauer, brazenly, Tymofiy Mylovanov, Putin’s Valdai, Mylovanov, Wagner Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Ukraine, Capitol, White, Pentagon, of, Republican, Trump, European Union, NATO, Russia, Anadolu Agency, Warsaw Security, Royal Netherlands Navy, Committee, Kyiv School of Economics Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Washington, Washington ,, United States, Europe, Slovakia, EU, Russian, Bakhmut, Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Valdai, West, Brussels, Hroza, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s

☆ Clarence Thomas' recusal on 'frivolous' January 6 appeal is a 'low-stakes' opportunity for him to fight ethics allegations, Supreme Court expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Clarence Thomas recused himself for the first time from a January 6-related matter this week. A Supreme Court expert said media scrutiny into Thomas' ethics may have convinced him to recuse. AdvertisementAdvertisementAfter months of media scrutiny, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recused himself for the first time from a matter regarding the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. But the Eastman appeal from which Thomas recused himself was effectively settled before the court declined to review the appeal. Regardless of his reasons, Thomas ultimately did the right thing in recusing himself from the Eastman appeal, Lemieux said.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Thomas, —, Trump, John Eastman's, Eastman, Ginny, Trump's, Harlan Crow, Scott Lemieux, didn't, John Eastman, Rudy Giuliani, Jim Bourg, Lemieux, recusal, recusing Organizations: Service, Supreme, White, Trump, Bloomberg, University of Washington, Eastman Locations: Georgia, Virginia

☆ I worked in the White House as an unpaid intern. The job was intense and fascinating — here's what my day looked like.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Aria Yang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Julian Sarafian is a 29-year-old former White House intern from Sacramento, California. AdvertisementAdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Julian Sarafian, a 29-year-old former White House intern from Sacramento, California. It's a 10 to 15 minute walk to the White House grounds, and I even walked there on cold and snowy days. It's the side where visitors often gather to take photos of the White House, so it was neat walking in like a VIP. They were accompanied by the White House groundskeeper and were often spotted around the grounds.

Persons: Julian Sarafian, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, —, Barack Obama's, Obama, Jason Furman, I'd, It's, wasn't, Sarafian, interning, Sunny, Yang Organizations: White, Service, UC Berkeley, UC Washington Program, of Economic Advisors, FBI, of Economic, of Economic Advisers, DC, UC Washington, Secret, Harvard Law School Locations: Sacramento , California, Washington ,, Dupont, Washington

☆ The Biden administration bet big on industrial policies. Experts warn it may not pay off
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Juhohn Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

With the introduction of new laws, such as the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the Biden administration has been betting big on industrial policies to bring manufacturers back to the United States. This isn't the first time the U.S. government has spent tax dollars to guide industrial policy. If successful, industrial policies can potentially lead to big payoffs. "An example would be the development of mRNA vaccines for Covid," said Ed Gresser, vice president and director for trade and global markets at the Progressive Policy Institute. And that simply is a deterrent for investment and job creation here in the U.S."Watch the video to learn more about how industrial policies are affecting the manufacturing sector in the United States.

Persons: Biden, Scott Lincicome, Ed Gresser, Linicicome, Lincicome, Jay Timmons Organizations: Cato Institute, Progressive Policy Institute, National Association of Manufacturers, U.S . Locations: United States, Washington, U.S

☆ CDC advisors recommend updated Covid vaccines for all Americans ages 6 months and up
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An independent advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday recommended that all Americans ages 6 months and up receive updated Covid vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna , the next step toward the shots reaching Americans in the coming days. Thirteen advisors voted in favor of that "universal" recommendation for Americans, while one voted against it. It is a vaccine-preventable disease," said Dr. Beth Bell, clinical professor at the University of Washington and member of the panel, during the advisory meeting. "And so, for that reason, I favor the universal recommendation." The advisory panel's "universal" recommendation comes a day after the Food and Drug Administration approved the two mRNA jabs, which are designed to target the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5.

Persons: Mandy Cohen, Georgina Peacock, Beth Bell, Hospitalizations, hospitalizations, Megan Wallace Organizations: Moderna, Pharmacy, Centers for Disease Control, Pfizer, CDC, University of Washington, Food and Drug Administration, FDA Locations: Schwenksville , Pennsylvania, U.S

☆ Study finds direct link between greenhouse gas emissions and polar bear survival
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Polar bears live in 19 populations across the Arctic and are found in Canada, the United States, Russia, Greenland and Norway, according to conservation organization Polar Bears International. They found that the number of days polar bears were forced to go without food increased as greenhouse gas emissions accumulated. That allowed them to calculate the impact of cumulative emissions on the rate of polar bear survival. This would be about 60-plus gigatons over the 30-plus year life span of a polar bear in the southern Beaufort Sea. “They found that when we emit more carbon dioxide, it directly affects how many polar bear cubs can survive.

Persons: Steven Amstrup, Kt, Katharina M Miller, Amstrup, ”, Cecilia Bitz, Kirsten Zickfeld, Zickfeld, ” Amstrup Organizations: CNN —, Polar Bears, Kt Miller, Polar, University of Washington, University of Wyoming, ESA, US Department of Interior, Bears, CNN, Department, US Department of, Simon Fraser University Locations: Canada, United States, Russia, Greenland, Norway, Chukchi, Hudson Bay, Beaufort

☆ AI tools make things up a lot, and that’s a huge problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But as more people turn to this buzzy technology for things like homework help, workplace research, or health inquiries, one of its biggest pitfalls is becoming increasingly apparent: AI models often just make things up. Researchers have come to refer to this tendency of AI models to spew inaccurate information as “hallucinations,” or even “confabulations,” as Meta’s AI chief said in a tweet. A number of high-profile hallucinations from AI tools have already made headlines. Cracking down on AI hallucinations, however, could limit AI tools’ ability to help people with more creative endeavors — like users that are asking ChatGPT to write poetry or song lyrics. How to prevent or fix AI hallucinations is a “point of active research,” Venkatasubramanian said, but at present is very complicated.

Persons: Suresh Venkatasubramanian, Venkatasubramanian, ”, ” Venkatasubramanian, West, Bard, James Webb, ChatGPT, they’re, ” West, Google’s Bard, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Sundar Pichai, Pichai, “, Sam Altman, OpenAI Organizations: CNN, Brown University, ” Companies, University of Washington, Center, Google, James Webb Space Telescope, New, CNET, CBS, Indraprastha, of Information Technology Locations: United States, New York, Delhi

☆ North Korea denounces 'gang bosses' of US and allies amid drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Naval Command of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on the occasion of the Navy Day, in North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and obtained by Reuters on August 29, 2023. KCNA via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Aug 29 (Reuters) - The United States, South Korea and Japan staged joint naval missile defence drills off the Korean peninsula on Tuesday, as North Korea denounced the "gang bosses" of Washington and its allies for increasing the risk of nuclear war. The three nations staged exercises in international waters off South Korea's southern Jeju island to improve their ability to detect and track targets, and share information in the event of provocation by Pyongyang, South Korea's military said. The drills come as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for "radically" modernising the weapons and equipment of his country's naval forces, criticising an increased presence of U.S. strategic assets in the region. South Korea and the United States last week began the Ulchi Freedom Shield summer exercises, designed to enhance their joint responses to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong, Kim, KCNA, Soo, hyang Choi, Kantaro Komiya, Chang, Ran Kim, Grant McCool, Michael Perry, Nick Macfie Organizations: Naval Command, Korean People's Army, Navy, North, Korean Central News Agency, Reuters, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, South Korea, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Rights SEOUL, United States, South Korea, Japan, Washington, Jeju, Pyongyang, South, Camp David , Maryland, U.S, Republic of Korea, Korea, SEOUL, TOKYO

Playing a quiet but important role in shaping the governor's remarks was the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, America's top conservative think tank, according to two people with knowledge of their interactions. The range and frequency of those discussions with DeSantis' campaign have not been previously reported. In addition to Carmack, the policy director, at least seven other Heritage staffers have taken positions in the DeSantis campaign. Whether DeSantis' connection to the think tank has been helpful for his campaign is an open question. Following the controversial March 13 statement, Heritage officials had a suggestion for the campaign, according to one person with knowledge of the discussions.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Kevin Roberts, Tucker Carlson, DeSantis, Donald Trump, Bryan Griffin, Heritage, Griffin, Generra Peck, Trump, Noah Weinrich, Weinrich, Roberts, Dustin Carmack, Carmack, Steve Bradbury, Bradbury, Joe Biden's, David Dewhirst, Gram Slattery, Ross Colvin, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Florida, The Heritage Foundation, Gaylord National Resort, Center, REUTERS, Sarah, Fox News, Heritage Foundation, Senior Heritage, Heritage, Republican, TALLAHASSEE, Mar, Trump, Justice Department, Department of Education, FBI, Department of Transportation, Democratic Party, Top Heritage, Economic, Reuters, Republican Party, Fox Nation, Thomson Locations: National Harbor, M.D, WASHINGTON, Florida, Ukraine, United States, Washington, U.S, Russia, China, Milwaukee, Tallahassee , Florida, Tallahassee

☆ Record-setting Canadian wildfires could persist for rest of 'marathon' summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jesse Winter/File PhotoOTTAWA, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Record-setting wildfires in Canada could potentially continue burning at an abnormally high rate for several more weeks, though the spread of blazes is likely to start diminishing in September, according to federal projections released on Friday. "This summer has turned into a challenging marathon," Canadian Forest Service official Michael Norton told a media briefing on Friday. "Our most recent projections indicate the potential for higher-than-normal fire activity remains across much of Canada in August and September," Norton said. The fires have also sent plumes of smoke across Canadian and U.S. skies, raising health alarms and concerning scientists about the impact on the atmosphere. The EU's Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service estimated last week that Canadian wildfires have released 290 million metric tons of carbon, over 25% of the global total for 2023 to date, and emissions are set to rise as hundreds of flames rage on.

Persons: Jesse Winter, Michael Norton, Norton, Ismail Shakil, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, OTTAWA, Forest Service, Atmospheric Monitoring Service, Thomson Locations: Canada, U.S, Washington, Osoyoos, British Columbia, Ottawa

☆ STIs are on the rise in the US. A pill taken after sex could help slow them down
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Yet recent research suggests that one pill of the drug can be effective in preventing such infections among men who have sex with men if taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex. He added that any guidance from the CDC will help “fill gaps,” provide direction to clinics and offer a framework for using doxyPEP for STI prevention. “Drug resistance when taking doxyPEP is currently being studied in people using this treatment for STI prevention. “There are still many STI prevention and treatment gaps left to fill. “In STI prevention, we’ve been relying on tools that are decades, sometimes centuries old.

Persons: Dr, Jonathan Mermin, ”, doxyPEP, Stephanie Cohen, “, “ We’re, ” Cohen, ” David C, Harvey, ” Harvey, DoxyPEP, someone’s, Annie Luetkemeyer, gonorrhea, ” Luetkemeyer, Connie Celum, Kenya Medical Research Institute —, Jenell Stewart, Stewart, ” Stewart, Suneer Chander, Wisp, ” Chander, Sanjay Gupta, Mermin, Deidre McPhillips Organizations: CNN, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC’s National Center, HIV, CDC, San Francisco Department of Public Health, California Department of Public Health, San Francisco Department of Public, National Coalition, STD, “, New England, of Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, UCSF, University of Washington, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Hennepin Healthcare, University of Minnesota, PEP, Food and Drug Administration, CNN Health Locations: United States, San Francisco, Seattle, King County, Washington, Kenya, Hennepin

☆ Canadian wildfires could persist for rest of 'marathon' summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"This summer has turned into a challenging marathon," Canadian Forest Service official Michael Norton told a media briefing on Friday. "Our most recent projections indicate the potential for higher-than-normal fire activity remains across much of Canada in August and September," Norton said. The fires have also sent plumes of smoke across Canadian and U.S. skies, raising health alarms and concerning scientists about the impact on the atmosphere. The EU's Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service estimated last week that Canadian wildfires have released 290 million metric tons of carbon, over 25% of the global total for 2023 to date, and emissions are set to rise as hundreds of flames rage on. Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ HSBC senior official apologises for saying UK 'weak' over China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Iain Withers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - HSBC's head of public affairs has apologised after reportedly saying that Britain had been "weak" for going along with U.S. demands to curtail business dealings with China. HSBC (HSBA.L), , which makes the bulk of its profit in Asia, has faced criticism from Western lawmakers over its dealings with China. "I was speaking at a private event under Chatham House Rule and my personal comments don't reflect the views of HSBC or the China-Britain Business Council. I apologise for any offence caused," Cowper-Coles said in a statement provided by HSBC on Monday. The Chatham House Rule, named after a London-based foreign affairs think tank, means participants can use information received but cannot identify the speaker nor their affiliation, according to the Chatham House website.

Persons: Sherard Cowper, Cowper, Coles, Mike Pompeo, Iain Withers, Susan Fenton Organizations: Washington, Bloomberg, HSBC, Coles, China - Britain Business Council, Chatham House, Britain's, Chatham, Thomson Locations: Britain, China, Coles, West, Asia, British, London, Chatham, Hong Kong, Beijing

☆ Canadian wildfire emissions double previous record as flames rage on
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The estimated Canadian fires emissions account for over 25% of the global total for 2023 to date, and are well above the previous Canadian record of 138 million tonnes registered in 2014, Copernicus said on Thursday. This year's wildfire season is also the worst on record for area burned, with about 131,000 square kilometres (50,579 square miles) already scorched across eastern and western Canada. Wildfire smoke is linked to higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, and more visits to emergency rooms for respiratory conditions. It's estimated that Canada's northern boreal forest stores more than 200 billion tonnes of carbon — equivalent to several decades worth of global carbon emissions. The carbon released is roughly equivalent to Indonesia's annual carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.

Persons: Jesse Winter, Copernicus, Mark Parrington, Ismail Shakil, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, OTTAWA, Atmospheric Monitoring Service, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, New, Thomson Locations: Canada, U.S, Washington, Osoyoos, British Columbia, Greece, New York City, Toronto, Ottawa

☆ BC wildfires: Explosive Washington fire burns across Canadian border and forces evacuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —An out-of-control blaze burning in northern Washington state exploded in size, crossed the Canadian border and set off a cascade of evacuations over the weekend. Evacuations were ordered on Saturday for more than 700 properties in the Canadian town of Osoyoos, British Columbia, after the fire crossed the border. The fire remains completely uncontained in both countries, according to Washington and Canadian fire officials. The United States’ fire season has been pacing below average in terms of acres burned so far this year. The US wildfire season may pick up pace as August arrives.

Persons: ”, Jesse Winter, “, ” Bruce Ralston Organizations: CNN, National Interagency Fire, York, United, National Interagency, Center, Environment Canada, Forests, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Locations: Washington, Washington’s Okanogan County, Canadian, Osoyoos, British Columbia, Okanogan County , Washington, Canada, Southern, California, Nevada, United States, Pacific Northwest, Mississippi

☆ House Votes Resoundingly to Back Israel, Rebuking Democratic Critics
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Karoun Demirjian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Republican members raced to put the resolution on the floor this week after Representative Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington and the head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called Israel “a racist state,” prompting condemnations from leaders of both parties. Ms. Jayapal later walked back her comments, saying that she had not meant to condemn the idea of Israel but only the policies of its current government, but the G.O.P. pushed ahead with the vote anyway, in a move Democrats denounced as politically opportunistic even as most lined up to support it. Ten Democrats declined to back the resolution, which passed by a vote of 412 to 9, with one voting “present.” Ms. Jayapal supported it. Just one lawmaker stood up on the House floor to argue against the measure, underscoring both the broad support for Israel in Congress and a belief among many of its critics that there is no tolerance on Capitol Hill for airing their views.

Persons: Pramila Jayapal, Israel “, Jayapal, Ms Organizations: Israel, Republican, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Capitol Locations: Washington, Israel

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