Saturday, February 29, 2020
Will AI take over the world?
From offices to living rooms, devices with human-like characteristics are creeping into our everyday lives.
Many of us interact every day with Siri, Apple's voice-activated digital personal assistant.
It can find information, give directions, send messages and is just one example of how artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a bigger part of everyday life.
Machines are getting smarter, but experts are divided as to when AI will move on from basic tasks to the scary stuff of science fiction, if it ever will.
But some risks are more immediate as technology increasingly threatens to replace workers in some sectors.
How Pathetic And Immature Is Donald Trump ?
Today whilst delivering his speech at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) he once again whined about Greta Thunberg being named Times Person of The Year. How pathetic is that? He actually believes he should be named person of year into infinity.
Greta Thunberg unlike Donald Trump understands the realities and consequences of climate change. She's fighting an entrenched lobby of fossil fuel corporations their lobbyists and political enablers so that her generation and those who follow will have a health environment in which to live.
Greta Thunberg unlike Donald Trump understands the realities and consequences of climate change. She's fighting an entrenched lobby of fossil fuel corporations their lobbyists and political enablers so that her generation and those who follow will have a health environment in which to live.
Though Trump brought up Thunberg during his speech at CPAC, he noted that he wouldn't dwell on the subject.
“I’m not going to get involved with that because last time I got into a little trouble,” Trump said at CPAC. “That doesn’t matter. I won it enough.”
New Rule: My Way or the Die Way | Real Time with Bill Maher
In his editorial New Rule, Bill calls on Americans to cool it with the death threats.
Coronavirus: US reports first death as outbreak spreads across country
Shortly before the first coronavirus death in the US was confirmed, Joe Biden condemned Donald Trump’s claim that the outbreak is a “new hoax” orchestrated by Democrats in order to beat him at the polls in November.
“For him to … start talking about being a hoax is absolutely dangerous,” Biden said in Greenville, South Carolina, on Saturday. “It’s just not a decent way to act.”
Not long after Biden spoke, Washington state’s governor, Jay Inslee, confirmed the death in his state.
“It is a sad day in our state as we learn a Washingtonian has died from Covid-19,” Inslee said in a statement. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus.”
Officials in Washington state say a person has died of coronavirus, the first death to be reported in the United States.
From: NBC News
The death is the first from coronavirus illness COVID-19 in the United States.
The U.S. so far has 66 cases of coronavirus, which includes 9 people who have recovered and four “presumptive” cases, which are those that tested positive in local tests with confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pending.
Six In The Morning Saturday 29 February 2020
‘To hell and back’: my three weeks suffering from coronavirus
Tiger Ye, 21, lives in Wuhan and started showing symptoms in mid-January. Here he tells the story of his illness and recovery
On 17 January my muscles became sore all over. I may have had a slight fever, but it wasn’t strong enough to notice. Looking back, it is a little scary, because my house and the language school where I study Japanese are within a 5km radius of the Wuhan seafood market (where the virus is believed to have originated).
To treat my muscle soreness, I took some cold tablets because I thought it was a normal cold. Now that I think of it, I might have missed the best time for treatment, failing to contain the virus with antiviral drugs in its early stages.
Iranian MP dies of 'flu-like' symptoms as coronavirus spreads through country
Death toll rises to 43 with 593 confirmed cases, according to health ministryPeter Stubley
An Iranian MP has died of flu-like symptoms, a state-run news agency has reported, amid a sharp rise in the number of novel coronavirus cases in the Islamic Republic.
Mohammad Ali Ramazani Dastak, who was elected as the representative for Astana Ashrafieh last week, was “hospitalised due to influenza and chemical injuries” dating back to the Iran-Iraq war, according to ISNA.
The agency report did not link his death on Saturday morning to coronavirus and it has not been confirmed whether he was one of five MPs who contracted the illness.
Idlib: 'I'd rather suffer bombs than Assad'
The battle for Idlib is likely to be the last, bloody conflict in the Syrian war. Refugees have fled the city in droves, but Huda Khayti is determined to stay and fight for her Syria — with peaceful means.
"I'll call you back later," says a hurried Huda Khayti as she cuts short our interview on the situation in Idlib. Then she hangs up. This is how our communication has been going for days, as bombs — dropped by Syrian government forces — rain down on Idlib. Khayti, the director of the Women Support and Empowerment Center Idlib, promises to find a new place to call from, one she hopes will be safer.
This happens repeatedly, several times a day. Finally, hours later, the phone rings again and she tells me she is fine.
Walkouts at 'French Oscars' as Roman Polanski wins best director
Roman Polanski won best director for "An Officer and a Spy" at a fractious ceremony for the French Oscars, the Cesars, that ended in walkouts and recrimination in Paris early Saturday.
The entire French academy had been forced to resign earlier this month amid fury that the veteran -- wanted in the US for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977 -- had topped the list of nominations.
Protesters chanting "Lock up Polanski!" tried to storm the theatre where the ceremony was being held before being pushed back by police firing tear gas.
Protesters chanting "Lock up Polanski!" tried to storm the theatre where the ceremony was being held before being pushed back by police firing tear gas.
US, Taliban to sign deal aimed at bringing peace to Afghanistan
Signing ceremony in Qatar hoped to set stage for US troop withdrawal and intra-Afghan talks to decide country's future.by Shereena Qazi
The US and Taliban are set to sign a peace deal that could signal the end of the US's longest war after nearly two years of protracted negotiations in the Qatari capital, Doha.
Diplomats from Afghanistan, the US, India, Pakistan and other UN member states started gathering on Saturday morning along with Taliban representatives at the Sheraton Hotel in Doha, a five-star resort overlooking the Gulf where the peace deal is expected to be signed.
Trump Supporters Flip Out After Completely Misreading Garth Brooks' Shirt
Country music icon Garth Brooks is hearing something other than cheers from supporters of President Donald Trump who completely misunderstood the meaning of a jersey he wore to a concert in Detroit over the weekend.
Brooks’s SANDERS 20 shirt was meant to honor Detroit Lions great Barry Sanders. But Trump fans believed the name referred to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, and the number of this year’s election.
Friday, February 28, 2020
Donald Trump Calls The Coronavirus Outbreak A Democratic Hoax
Given Donald Trump's ability to deny that which is directly in front of him and can be proven as fact. One might believe for a fleeting moment that he might, just might come back to reality and have a more proactive attitude towards the coronavirus outbreak. You'd be completely and utterly wrong. At one of his wannabe Nurnberg rallies in North Carolina he proclaimed the coronavirus outbreak to be a Democratic hoax. Like every other situation in which his fragile ego is damaged by those pointing out the various illegalities, rash decisions, inappropriate language and insults and complete incompetence he reverts to his tried and true language of denial by calling it a hoax. Thereby assuaging his and his sycophantic supporters egos.
This his administrations first true global crisis and, they haven't acquitted themselves by showing any type of actual leadership or concern for the citizens as they are constitutionally required to do by their oath of course. Which doesn't include I will do anything to protect may own self interests and chances for reelection. Yet, they are doing just that. Showing actual governing competence and leadership would be nice. Don't hold your breath.
This his administrations first true global crisis and, they haven't acquitted themselves by showing any type of actual leadership or concern for the citizens as they are constitutionally required to do by their oath of course. Which doesn't include I will do anything to protect may own self interests and chances for reelection. Yet, they are doing just that. Showing actual governing competence and leadership would be nice. Don't hold your breath.
Idlib: Has the world stopped caring about Syria?
We challenge a UN official on the international response to the Idlib crisis and discuss evangelical support for Trump.
Idlib: 'A crisis on a monumental scale'
In the past three months, nearly one million people have fled advancing Syrian government forces in Idlib province near the border with Turkey. With Ankara refusing to open border crossings and millions of civilians trapped, the United Nations has warned of an impending bloodbath and a "massacre on a scale that has never been seen during this entire war".
Mark Cutts, the UN's deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria, called it a "crisis on a monumental scale".
Fmr. Ebola Czar: U.S 'So Far Behind' On Coronavirus Response
The former White House Ebola Coordinator Ron Klain joins Hallie Jackson to speak about the Trump administration's response to the Coronavirus crisis. Klain argues that now is not the time to hear from those "playing politics," and instead the response effort should be led by someone who "knows the facts."
Whistleblower shares concerns over US workers' potential exposure to coronavirus
Six In The Morning Friday 28 February 2020
World Bank's $500m pandemic scheme accused of 'waiting for people to die'
Bonds designed to provide fast funding for poor countries branded ‘obscene’ because of complex payout criteria
A flagship $500m World Bank scheme to help the poorest countries deal with a health emergency is “too little too late” for the coronavirus outbreak, say health experts.
The first pandemic emergency financing (PEF) bonds were launched in 2017 by Jim Yong Kim, the bank’s president at the time, after the Ebola outbreak in west Africa. Designed to potentially “save millions of lives and entire economies” by speedily funnelling money to nations facing pandemics.
But critics say the “insanely complicated” terms of the high-interest bonds are heavily skewed towards investors, while for the victims any payouts may come too late, if at all.
NATO condemns Syrian airstrikes that killed Turkish troops in Idlib
NATO has met for crisis talks after Syrian airstrikes killed dozens of Turkish troops, marking a major escalation in the brutal conflict. Follow DW for the latest updates on the fallout of the Idlib offensive.'Abandoned': Bosnia's forgotten disabled children and families
Children with hands bound together and tied to a radiator, some in tears -- harrowing photos from inside an institution for disabled youth have shocked Bosnia and shed light on the lack of support for special-needs kids and their families.
The photos from the public institution outside Sarajevo were first revealed by an opposition lawmaker in November, triggering street protests and outrage over the inhumane treatment.
A probe is under way and the director of the home has been dismissed.
'Blatant suppression': Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai arrested
Self-made tycoon behind the Apple Daily newspaper accused of illegal assembly alongside two activists.
Hong Kong publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai, an outspoken critic of Beijing, and two other pro-democracy activists have been arrested on charges of illegal assembly, local media reported.
Lai, a self-made multi-millionaire who has been a major financial patron of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, was picked up by police at his house on Friday, Cable TV and TVB News reported.
A neo-fascist party hopes for big gains in Slovakia's election
Updated 0949 GMT (1749 HKT) February 28, 2020
A neo-fascist party, whose leader is on trial for hate speech, has big hopes for the general election in Slovakia this weekend.
If things go as some opinion polls suggest, the party could even become a decisive factor in forming the Eastern European country's next government.
Political scientists here say People's Party Our Slovakia, known simply as Kotlebovci after its leader Marian Kotleba, is a textbook example of an extremist, far-right party. The group is openly, and vocally, anti-migrant, anti-Roma, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Israel, anti-European Union and anti-NATO.
Telescopes detect 'biggest explosion since Big Bang'
Scientists have detected evidence of a colossal explosion in space - five times bigger than anything observed before.
The huge release of energy is thought to have emanated from a supermassive black hole some 390 million light years from Earth.
The eruption is said to have left a giant dent in the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster.
Researchers reported their findings in The Astrophysical Journal.
"I've tried to put this explosion into human terms and it's really, really difficult," co-author Melanie Johnston-Hollitt told BBC News.
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Is the spread of coronavirus out of control?
Increasing numbers of cases are being reported around the world and governments are struggling to contain the disease.
From a wildlife market in China's Wuhan city, where the coronavirus is believed to have emerged, to the city of Qom in Iran.
The disease is sweeping around the globe and health experts are warning we could be on the brink of a pandemic.
More than 80,000 people in over 40 countries have been infected.
The number of new cases inside China, the country at the centre of the epidemic, has been overtaken for the first time by new infections outside.
Now, the focus of the outbreak is shifting to Europe, in particular, and the Middle East.
In that region, Iran appears to be the centre of the spread of the disease.
I won't Say anything, Just watch the video. Barack Obama
I won't Say anything, Just watch the video. pic.twitter.com/jwWt6teVPe
— Vic (@victorkhoshoob) February 27, 2020
Remember when the people and the world respected the American President!
'I thought they would kill me': Delhi mob victim describes attack
Mohammad Zubair, a Muslim, was brutally attacked as Delhi experienced some of its worst religious riots in decades. ‘My clothes were drenched in blood,’ he said of his ordeal. Muslims and Hindus across the region have been mourning their loved ones after dozens of people were killed in the latest wave of violence
Six In The Morning Thursday 27 February 2020
Saudi Arabia bans foreign pilgrims as Japan plans to close schools
Countries around world scramble to halt spread of virus that has so far killed 3,000 peopleCoronavirus – latest updates
Saudi Arabia has taken the unprecedented step of banning foreign pilgrims from entering the country five months before the annual hajj pilgrimages, while Japan will close its schools next week as countries around the world scramble to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
So far, the virus has killed nearly 3,000 people and infected more than 82,000, prompting warnings that the world is fast approaching a “tipping point”.
Saudi Arabia announced the ban on Thursday after 240 cases were confirmed around the Middle East, most of them in Iran. Authorities in Riyadh said the ban was temporary, but did not say how long it might last. The country has yet to report a case of the virus.‘Horrific’: Dancing Nazis and concentration camp prisoners feature in Spanish carnival parade
Israeli embassy in Spain says European countries should ‘actively combat antisemitism’Rory Sullivan
A carnival parade “commemorating” the Holocaust was condemned as “vile and disgusting” after performers dressed as Nazi officers danced through a Spanish town.
The town of Campo de Criptana, in the central region of Castilla-La Mancha, held the carnival on Monday.
Footage shows one group dressed as Nazi officers, dancing in front of a float containing a menorah placed between two crematorium chimneys.
WhatsApp security flaw: Over 60,000 groups still accessible online
A DW exclusive investigation shows thousands of links to private WhatsApp groups can still be easily found online, despite public outrage which led the company to change its stance and remove them from Google.
WhatsApp links that lead to closed groups can be found with a simple Google search — a major security flaw revealed by DW last week. Following social media outrage, the links were removed from Google’s search results.
Despite the removal, however, publicly-available internet archives are still storing the information, as security researcher Lav Kumar has found out. He gathered and organized over 60,000 unique links, which can still be found on multiple websites.
Greek islanders assail riot police in protests over migrant camps
Greece’s government hoped to defuse tensions after protests over plans for new migrant camps on two of its islands Wednesday turned into violent clashes between police and local residents, some armed with Molotov cocktails and shotguns.
Hundreds of residents attacked police officers guarding the sites of the future detention camps on the islands of Lesbos and Chios. A large crowd later laid siege for hours to a Lesbos army camp where riot-control squads were billeted.
Dozens of police officers were injured during the unrest, and the Greek government’s spokesman said many of the riot police deployed to the islands this week would be pulled out.
'We lost a brother': Hindu, Muslim families in Delhi share grief
Interfaith solidarity on display as people mourn the loss of their kin as death toll in Delhi violence rises to 34.
by Bilal Kuchay
Saddar-Ud-Din had been waiting for his son's body at the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital since Monday evening. His 32-year-old son Mohammad Furqan was killed by Hindu mob in the Kardam Puri area of northeast New Delhi.
He was among dozens of people who waited on Wednesday outside the mortuary at the GTB hospital to receive the bodies of their relatives.
Coronavirus: The ‘propaganda push’ in China
As China battles coronavirus, medics treating people on the front line are being hailed as heroes.
For the first country dealing with this new, potentially fatal, disease, it was always going to be tough.
Chinese doctors and nurses have been putting their lives as risk. And the BBC’s Stephen McDonell says they’re now also key to the government’s “propaganda push”.
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Tracking coronavirus: Map, data and timeline (click to view map)
Notes
- Japan: The total includes 4 asymptomatic cases, which are not included in the government’s official count. It also includes 14 people who were evacuated from China.
- Japan: The 691 people from the “Diamond Princess” cruise ship are listed separately and they’re not included in the Japanese government’s official count. 380 were asymptomatic. Fourteen of them are U.S. citizens whose test results weren’t known until they were taken off the ship.
- Diamond Princess: The total does not include 3 employees of Japan’s Health Ministry and 1 staff member of Japan’s Cabinet Secretariat, all of whom were infected while working on the ship. It does also not include people who tested positive upon their return home: 36 people in the U.S., 8 in Australia, 4 in the UK, 4 in Hong Kong, and 2 in Israel.
- North Korea: Unconfirmed reports about 1, 5, or 7 cases in North Korea have been denied by the government. If cases are confirmed by North Korean officials, they will be added to this list.
- Romania’s Interior Ministry has denied media reports about a confirmed case in the country. However, an Italian citizen tested positive for coronavirus after visiting Romania.
Is Gmail hiding Bernie’s emails to you? How inbox filtering may impact democracy
It’s known Facebook and Twitter customize news feeds – but a new report from The Markup reveals how Google’s email curation could have consequences in 2020
For the most part, Gmail did not place email from presidential candidates in the primary inbox during our experiment (Oct. 16 2019 to Feb. 12 2020), but some had better results than others. The pace of emails sent by each of them also varied. *Gabbard was added in November; Bloomberg and Steyer, in February. **We signed up to receive emails from Donaldjtrump.com but didn’t receive any. Photograph: The Markup
For the most part, Gmail did not place email from presidential candidates in the primary inbox during our experiment (Oct. 16 2019 to Feb. 12 2020), but some had better results than others. The pace of emails sent by each of them also varied. *Gabbard was added in November; Bloomberg and Steyer, in February. **We signed up to receive emails from Donaldjtrump.com but didn’t receive any. Photograph: The Markup
Some fear that, as a result, Gmail has the same conflict of interest that exists on social networks: if the platforms make it too easy to reach people for nothing, no one will buy ads.
“The worry is that they want to basically turn Gmail into a Facebook-style news feed where you have to pay for placement in the inbox,” said Ryan Alexander, a Democratic digital consultant.
Wattie, the Google spokeswoman, replied: “What you describe is not on our roadmap for Gmail.”
Gmail isn’t the only email provider offering sophisticated inbox curation. The premium $30-a-month email provider Superhuman sorts messages into “important” and “other”, while Microsoft’s Outlook sorts messages for its “focused inbox”. Outlook and Yahoo also sell ads in their inboxes in free accounts.
Six In The Morning Wednesday February 26 2020
Pandemic: what does it mean and does it matter?
When does an epidemic become a pandemic? As the novel coronavirus continues its spread across the globe, what does the designation mean to world healthcare systems as they try to rein in the deadly disease?
The World Health Organization has yet to declare the current outbreak, which originated in central China last month, a pandemic.
It has indicated however that we should prepare ourselves for one.
The WHO defines a pandemic as a situation in which "the whole world's population would likely be exposed to this infection and potentially a proportion of them fall sick," said its emergencies director Michael Ryan.
Delhi protests: death toll climbs amid worst religious violence for decades
Calls for army to be deployed as clashes between Hindu and Muslim groups show no sign of abating
The death toll from the worst religious violence in Delhi in decades has risen to 21, as Muslims fled from their homes and several mosques in the capital smouldered after being attacked by Hindu mobs.
The deathly clashes between Hindu and Muslim groups that began on Sunday showed no sign of abating on the third consecutive day, with reports of early morning looting on some Muslim homes which had been abandoned out of fear.
More than 200 people were admitted to hospitals for injuries which ranged from gunshot wounds, to acid burns, stabbings and wounds from beatings and stone pelting. Several of those who died had jumped from high buildings to escape the attacking mobs.
Trump hires college student as top White House official
James Bacon is set to fill top role in department which oversees presidential appointments
A university student has been given a top role in the White House, according to three administration officials with knowledge of the matter.
James Bacon, a 23-year-old student at George Washington University, will reportedly become the director of operations for the White House’s Presidential Personnel Office (PPO), Politico reported.
The White House’s website says the PPO oversees “the selection process for presidential appointments”.
Germany’s top court backs legalizing assisted suicide
In a landmark ruling, Germany's highest court has overturned a section of the criminal code forbidding assisted suicide. Many terminally ill patients and medical professionals had fought to see the law scrapped.
"I want to end it if the pain gets unbearable," 63-year-old Melanie S. tells Lukas Radbruch, a doctor at University Hospital Bonn, who has also been serving as the president of the German Association for Palliative Medicine since 2014. She has end-stage lung cancer, and fears she could suddenly lose the ability to swallow and suffocate while fully conscious. This possibility has led Melanie S. to consider assisted suicide.
Paragraph 217 of Germany's criminal code had prohibited assisted suicide. The law was adopted in 2015 by Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, to prevent associations or individuals from turning suicide into a kind of business. Specifically, the law states that "anyone who, with the intention of assisting another person to commit suicide, provides, procures or arranges the opportunity for that person to do so and whose actions are intended as a recurring pursuit incurs a penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or a fine."
Hong Kong is giving 7 million people $1,200 in cash to boost its recession-hit economy
Updated 0917 GMT (1717 HKT) February 26, 2020
Hong Kong is handing most of its residents a pile of cash to spend as it tries to save its slumping economy from the aftermath of protests and the coronavirus outbreak.
The Asian financial hub said Wednesday that the measure — the cornerstone of a 120 billion Hong Kong dollar ($15.4 billion) stimulus package — will involve giving 10,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $1,280) to all permanent residents in the city who are at least 18. About seven million people will benefit from that program.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan also warned that the city will record its first budget deficit in 15 years due to the recession that began in the third quarter of 2019.
Mexico worried by US ruling over boy's border killing
The Mexican government says it regrets a ruling by the US Supreme Court that bars the family of a Mexican boy who was killed in 2010 from suing the US border patrol agent who shot him.
The boy, Sergio Hernández, was shot dead on Mexican soil by US border patrol agent Jesús Mesa, who was on the US side of the border.
The court ruled that the parents could not use US courts to sue Mr Mesa.
The Mexican government says it is concerned it could set a precedent.
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