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Google DeepMind calls for ‘responsible’ approach to AI amid ‘eureka moment’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:57 GMT

TORONTO — The chief business officer at Google’s artificial intelligence research lab says the world is having a eureka moment around artificial intelligence, but we have to be responsible with the technology.Colin Murdoch of Google’s DeepMind says the explosion of interest around AI has come from recent advances in the technology that have allowed everyone to use it in their native language.Before, he says programmers and other technology workers were the main people dabbling with AI because it was much less accessible.But Murdoch says that ubiquity must be met with a careful approach and thoughtful consideration about all of the risks that AI carries.He encourages companies using AI to adopt external review committees that can pressure test AI for any dangers or ethical issues it will encounter or create.He also says companies must think ahead about the biases that their technology might be built with or further entrench.This report by The Canadian Press was first publ...

Sweden rescues child who fell overboard from Baltic Sea ferry and mother who jumped in the water

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:57 GMT

Swedish maritime authorities said Thursday they have rescued a child who fell overboard from a passenger ferry in the Baltic Sea as well the child’s mother who jumped into the water in a desperate attempt to save the 7-year-old. Mother and child were separately transported by helicopter to a hospital in Karlskrona in southern Sweden, Swedish Maritime Adminstration spokesman Jonas Franzen said. Their condition were not immediately clear.The incident occurred on a passenger ferry heading from a port in northern Poland to Karlskrona.“A child fell into the water and the mother decided to jump in after,” Swedish Maritime Adminstration spokesman Jonas Franzen told the Associated Press. He said the child fell from a height of about 20 meters (65 feet).Ships and helicopters from Sweden and from NATO units that were in the area assisted in the rescue operation.Swedish news agency TT reported the child was 7-years-old. Polish TV station TVN reported both were Polish citizens.The Associa...

Buddhist monk and a child reported among almost a dozen civilians killed in Myanmar airstrikes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:57 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Airstrikes by Myanmar’s military on two villages in the country’s north-central region this week killed nearly a dozen civilians, including a Buddhist monk and a child, according to villagers and the head of a local pro-democracy group on Thursday.Tuesday’s attacks on Nyaung Kone and Kyarsi villages in Pale township in Sagaing region, also wounded about a dozen people, they said.Sagaing is a stronghold of armed resistance to the ruling military, which seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021.The takeover was met with peaceful demonstrations that were later put down by the security forces with lethal force. Many opponents of military rule then took up arms, and large parts of the country are now struggling with armed conflict that some U.N. experts have called a civil war.The military-installed government has been conducting major offensives in the countryside, including Sagaing, to try to secure territory by burning villages and car...

Toronto air quality improves but wildfire smoke could return Thursday night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:57 GMT

The air quality in Toronto improved on Thursday after ranking the worst in the world the day before, but wildfire smoke could return to the city and surrounding GTA tonight.Most parts of the city reached the highest level possible on the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) on Wednesday, according to Environment Canada’s website. The northern, eastern and western parts of the city were at a 10+ level out of 10 at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, while downtown was at a 9.According to the World Air Quality Index, Toronto was number one on Wednesday afternoon with an AQI of 184, just ahead of Dubai.A special air quality statement was in effect for Toronto and the GTA as wildfire smoke covered the region, but it was lifted on Thursday morning.As of 11 a.m. the AQHI in Toronto sat at a 3, which is low risk.While the air quality statement has been lifted for the GTA, it remains in place for other areas of the province, including Ottawa and most of eastern Ontario along with London and several areas...

NFL suspends 3 players indefinitely, fourth gets 6 games for violating gambling policy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:57 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The NFL suspended three players indefinitely Thursday for violating the league’s gambling policy and a fourth was sidelined for six games. Isaiah Rodgers and Rashod Berry of the Indianapolis Colts along with free agent Demetrius Taylor received indefinite suspensions through at least this season for betting on NFL games in 2022. They won’t be able to seek reinstatement until the 2023 season ends.Tennessee Titans right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere was suspended for the first six games of the 2023 season for betting on non-NFL sports at the team’s facility. He is eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason activities, including preseason games.“We believe in Nick and know that he has deep respect for the integrity of the game and our organization,” the Titans said in a statement. “We will continue to emphasize to our players the importance of understanding and adhering to league rules and policies.”___AP NFL: https://apnews.com...

Meta ends contract for journalism fellowship program as Bill C-18 fallout continues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:57 GMT

TORONTO — Digital giant Meta is terminating the contract for a fellowship program that supports the hiring of a limited number of emerging journalists at newswire service The Canadian PressThe move comes amid fallout from the federal government’s Online News Act, formerly known as Bill C-18, which became law last week.The law requires tech companies such as Facebook parent Meta and Google to negotiate deals compensating media outlets for news content they share or otherwise repurpose on their platforms.Meta has threatened to block access to Canadian news on their sites in retaliation.Canadian Press president Malcolm Kirk says Meta told the newswire agency that the Online News Act has a negative affect on Meta’s position in Canada to operate some products.The Liberal government’s Online News Act is intended to help preserve Canadian journalism at a time when newsrooms are struggling to compete for online advertising dollars.This report by The Canadian Press was first publ...

Indiana state trooper struck and killed by fleeing vehicle, officials say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:57 GMT

PLAINFIELD, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana state trooper was struck and killed by a stolen vehicle being chased by police in suburban Indianapolis, officials said.Trooper Aaron Smith was hit about 8:40 p.m. Wednesday while trying to place stop sticks on Ronald Reagan Parkway, north of Interstate 70 in Plainfield, state police said. Smith, 33, of Franklin, died after being taken to an Indianapolis hospital.Three people from the vehicle were treated at Indianapolis hospitals for injuries. Two young men were jailed — an 18-year-old suspected of driving the car on a preliminary murder charge and a 19-year-old on a preliminary auto theft charge, state police said. A 15-year-old girl with them in the car was listed as a missing person from Missouri and will be turned over to authorities there.State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter said investigators would be reviewing dashcam and body camera video of the crash. The Hendricks County prosecutor will decide on criminal charges from the chase and...

Stock market today: Stocks rise and bond yields jump after the latest signs of resilient economy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is ticking higher Thursday as investors consider both the upsides and downsides of the latest signals that the U.S. economy remains stronger than feared.The S&P 500 was 0.4% higher in midday trading after wobbling between small gains and losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 246 points, or 0.7%, at 34,098 as of 12:19 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up by less than 0.1%.Yields were jumping in the bond market after data showed the U.S. economy grew at a 2% annual rate in the first three months of the year, much stronger than the 1.3% rate earlier estimated. Another report said fewer workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than expected, a sign that the job market remains remarkably solid despite much higher interest rates meant to slow the overall economy.“The US economy is currently displaying genuine signs of resilience,” said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY. “This is leading many to rightly question whether t...

Mexico acknowledges 112 heat-related deaths so far this year, almost triple the figures in 2022

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:57 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican health authorities say there have been at least 112 heat-related deaths so far this year, acknowledging for the first time the deadliness of a recent heatwave that the president previously dismissed as an invention of alarmist journalists.The report, released late Wednesday, also shows a significant spike in heat-related fatalities in the last two weeks. So far this year, the overall heat-related deaths are almost triple the figures in 2022.The Health Department normally issues a report on heat-related fatalities each week, but in June — at the height of the heat wave — it skipped a week, for reasons that remain unclear.The deaths reached a peak in the week of June 18-24, with 69 deaths in one week nationwide, an unprecedented number. Temperatures in some parts of Mexico have risen to over 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in recent weeks.The week of June 11-17 was also unusually bad, with 31 deaths across the country. So far this year, the large...

Do your math before using credit card loyalty points toward mortgages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:10:57 GMT

TORONTO — Canadians looking for a little extra help on mortgage payments may be surprised to learn about one possibility: loyalty points.Some banks, including Royal Bank of Canada and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, allow customers to use credit card points toward paying down their mortgage.While it would take a massive number of points to cover off an entire mortgage, experts say the option is likely more attractive to borrowers at a time when interest rates have risen sharply and homeowners are on the hook for higher payments.“People are trying to get creative in how to make ends meet,” said Natasha Macmillan, business director of everyday banking at Ratehub.ca, a mortgage, banking and insurance comparison website.She foresees people looking more closely at how they can use their points to offset all kinds of bills. Travel rewards, she said, could fall by the wayside as people seek cashback opportunities to support everyday expenses.Macmillan said she doesn’t...