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Google rolls out AI chatbot Bard in EU

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

Google is rolling out its artificial intelligence chatbot Bard in European Union Thursday, it announced, after resolving concerns raised by the bloc’s key privacy regulator, the Irish Data Protection Commission.The U.S. technology giant in June delayed the release of its competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT after the Irish regulator said the company had given insufficient information about how its tool respected the EU’s privacy rules, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The Irish watchdog is Google’s main data regulator in the EU because the U.S. firm has its European headquarters there.“Google have made a number of changes in advance of [the] launch, in particular increased transparency and changes to controls for users,” the Irish regulator’s deputy commissioner and spokesperson Graham Doyle told POLITICO in a statement ahead of the announcement.Google’s Senior Product Director Jack Krawczyk told reporters ahead of the launch th...

Ukraine repels large Russian missile and drone attack that injures civilians in Kyiv

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine air defenses shot down 20 Iranian-made drones fired by Russia mostly at the Kyiv region Thursday night, but wreckage fell on four districts of the capital, wounding two people and destroying several homes, officials said.The latest barrage by the Kremlin’s forces began shortly after midnight, and explosions shook different parts of the city. Two people were hospitalized with shrapnel wounds, authorities said.In the capital, rescuers extinguished a fire in a 16-story building, as well as in a non-residential building, the Interior Ministry said. Debris also damaged the frontage of a 25-story apartment building, it said.Russian strikes have become a grim part of everyday life in Ukraine over the almost 17 months of the war. Volodymyr Motus, a 22-year-old resident of the 25-story building, carefully picked his way across the floor a destroyed apartment, his footsteps accompanied by the sound of shattered glass. The mangled furniture was coated in a th...

Climate activists protest at 2 German airports, causing numerous flight cancelations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Climate activists protested at two German airports early Thursday, causing numerous flights to be canceled during the peak holiday travel period.The group Last Generation said several of its members entered the grounds of Hamburg airport around 6 a.m. and glued themselves to the runway. Thursday is the first day of school vacation in the northern state.“It can’t yet be predicted when operations can resume,” the airport operators said. “According to current information about a dozen flights have had to be canceled. Further cancelations and diversions aren’t ruled out.”Members of the group also cut through a security fence at Duesseldorf airport, in the west of the country, and blocked an access route to the runway.Last Generation is known for its disruptive protests, blocking roads and airports to demand tougher government action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. German prosecutors raided the homes of several of the group’s members in May on su...

Cyprus urged to take proactive steps against ill-treatment of migrants during failed repatriations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Europe’s anti-torture monitor urged authorities in Cyprus on Thursday to act proactively to ensure there’s no ill-treatment of irregular migrants during failed repatriation attempts. The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture said in a report the persistence of allegations of ill-treatment when repatriation attempts go awry “should be a stimulus” for Cypriot authorities to take “a proactive approach to the detention and prevention of ill-treatment.”The committee said during a visit in Nov. 2022, it did observe migrants repatriated to the Democratic Republic of Congo who were treated with “dignity and respect.” But added that it had received allegations of ill-treatment during failed repatriations in the months preceding that visit.The committee said authorities should keep meticulous records of any incident and medical reports at detention facilities as well as conduct thorough physical examinations on all individuals admitted, prior to th...

Egypt, Ethiopian leaders discuss Blue Nile dam ahead of Cairo summit on deadly Sudan conflict

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s president and Ethiopia’s prime minister have met to discuss bilateral relations, including construction of a giant dam on the Blue Nile, ahead of a summit in Cairo to discuss potential resolutions to the deadly 12-week conflict in Sudan. Their rare meeting at Cairo’s Al-Ittihadiya Palace Wednesday preceded a summit that President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi is hosting on Sudan. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is set to attend Thursday’s high-stakes meeting, along with leaders from South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, Central African Republic and Libya. “The two leaders discussed on key bilateral & regional issues of interest to both parties in a spirit of cooperation,” said a tweet from the Ethiopian prime minister’s account. The office of Egypt’s presidency said that the two leaders spoke about the Renaissance Dam and the crisis in Sudan. No further details about the meeting were made public.Egypt has been at odds with Ethiopia over the construction of the hydro...

Man City gets $4.6 million from FIFA to top list of club payments from World Cup player fund

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — For the second straight World Cup, Manchester City topped the list of FIFA payments to clubs whose players were selected for the 32 national teams in Qatar.From the $209 million fund allocated by FIFA, the Premier League and Champions League winner received almost $4.6 million — eclipsing the total sent to the entire continent of Africa, which had five national teams at the World Cup. The list published Thursday showed a total of 18 African clubs combined to earn $4.57 million.FIFA said 440 clubs in 51 countries were rewarded with payments funded by the governing body’s $7.5 billion income for the four-year commercial cycle mostly tied to the 2022 men’s tournament.The project that was launched for the 2010 World Cup again starkly showed how clubs in soccer’s wealthiest and dominant continent have nurtured, lured and retained much of the best talent.Clubs in UEFA member countries got $159 million, 76% of the total fund, and clubs in England accounted for $37.7 million, ...

Deadline for Hollywood actors negotiations with studio passes with no word on strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A deadline for Hollywood actors to reach a deal with studios and streaming services passed Thursday without word on whether a strike will be called.The Screen Actors Guild -American Federation of Television and Radio Artists had set a deadline for 11:59 p.m. Wednesday — mere hours after this year’s Emmy nominations were announced — for a deal to be reached. Just after midnight Thursday, no update had been announced.If the actors strike, they will formally join screenwriters on the picket lines outside studios and filming locations in a bid to get better terms from studios and streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon. It would be the first time since 1960 that the two guilds are on strike at the same time.Members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike since early May, slowing production on film and television series on both coasts and in productions centers like Atlanta. Issues in negotiations include the unregulated use of artificial intelligenc...

UN expert group calls for release of Cambodian-American human rights activist after investigation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A United Nations expert group is calling for the immediate release of a Cambodian-American human rights activist, saying an investigation it conducted has concluded she was being “arbitrarily detained in violation of international law.”The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said in a judgment late Wednesday that while attorney Theary Seng had been convicted of conspiracy to commit treason and other charges last year, she was in reality being punished for “making two posts on Facebook critical of Hun Sen,” Cambodia’s autocratic prime minister.The judgment comes a little more than a week before Cambodia’s general election, in which Hun Sen, who has been in power for 38 years, and his ruling Cambodian People’s Party are virtually guaranteed a landslide victory, since the Candlelight Party, the only other contender capable of mounting a credible challenge, was barred on a technicality from contesting the polls by the National Elec...

Astana City celebrates its 25th birthday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

The sixth of July marked the day when the Supreme Council of Kazakhstan adopted the decree on the transfer of the capital of Kazakhstan, which paved the way for Astana to officially become the capital of Kazakhstan in 1997. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the international presentation of Astana that took place in 1998. It is a milestone for the city, which is renowned for rapid growth, distinct architecture and for being a dialogue platform that put Astana on the global map. Walking through Astana’s streets today, it is as if its agricultural past barely existed. Yet those who have lived here for decades, went to schools and grew up in its neighborhoods remember the old days. Gulzi Nabi, a native of Tselinograd, the former name of the capital, has had a front-row seat of the rapid pace of change the city experienced through the decades.She shared her memories of the not-so-long-ago urban history of Astana and events that helped shape the capital into what it is today.Tselin...

Sale closed in Danville: $2.2 million for a four-bedroom home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:15:24 GMT

917 Ocho Rios Drive – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 900 block of Ocho Rios Drive in Danville was sold on June 22, 2023. The $2,155,000 purchase price works out to $851 per square foot. The house, built in 1958, has an interior space of 2,532 square feet. This single-story home provides a generous living space with its four bedrooms and three baths. Inside, there is a fireplace. The property is equipped with forced air heating and central A/C. In addition, the house features an attached two-car garage, providing ample room for vehicles and storage needs. The property encompasses a generous 0.3-acre of land, featuring abundant outdoor space and a pool.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:On Podva Place, Danville, in November 2022, a 3,768-square-foot home was sold for $3,625,000, a price per square foot of $962. The home has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.A 2,251-square-foot home on the first block of Ocho Rios Place in Danville sold in December 2022, ...