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If 2023 was the year of AI chatbots for the tech sector, 2024 is proving to be the year of AI. It may not sound that exciting, but tens of billions of dollars are quickly being spent on behind-the-scenes technology for the industry's AI boom.Companies from Amazon to Meta are renovating their data centers to support artificial intelligence. They are investing in huge new facilities, while places like Saudi Arabia are also racing to build supercomputers capable of handling artificial intelligence. Nearly everyone with a foot in technology or huge amounts of money, it seems, is jumping into a spending frenzy that some believe could last for a long time. years.Microsoft, Meta and Google's parent company Alphabet revealed this week that they spent more than $32 billion combined on d...

Under intense international scrutiny, Israel has accelerated the flow of aid into Gaza this month, but aid groups say more is needed as severe hunger grips the enclave, particularly in the devastated north.Israel's efforts - which include opening new aid routes - have been recognized in the past week by the Biden administration and international aid officials. More aid trucks appear to be reaching Gaza, especially in the north, where experts have been warning for weeks that famine is imminent.The increase in aid levels is a good sign, but it is too early to say that the looming famine is no longer a risk, said Arif Husain, chief economist at the United Nations World Food Programme.“This can't happen just for a day or a week: it has to happen every single day for the foreseeable fu...

Federal regulators said Friday they had not yet discovered live avian influenza virus in the first batch of milk samples tested at retail, a reassuring indication that milk on store shelves remains safe despite an outbreak of the virus among dairy cows.In an online update, the Food and Drug Administration said that an initial series of tests looking for live viruses, not just genetic fragments, suggests that the pasteurization process was actually neutralizing the pathogen.“These findings reaffirm our assessment that the commercial supply of milk is safe,” the FDA wrote in the update, adding that testing efforts were ongoing.Officials also tested formula for infants and toddlers, which incorporates powdered dairy products, and did not find the virus, the agency wrote.The FDA launched a nat...

As Russian missiles streaked through the skies above Ukraine before dawn Saturday, once again targeting the nation's already battered energy grid in a broad and complex bombardment, Ukrainian drones flew in the opposite direction, targeting refineries of vital oil and gas and other objectives. within Russia.The Ukrainian Air Force said its air defense teams intercepted 21 of 34 Russian ballistic and cruise missiles launched from land, air and sea systems, but the attack caused extensive damage to four thermoelectric power plants and other critical parts of the electricity grid. in three regions.The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down 66 Ukrainian drones over the Krasnodar region, which lies just across the Kerch Strait in southern Russia, east of the occupied Crimean peninsula...

One afternoon last month, Chad Nedohin, a part-time pastor and staunch supporter of Donald J. Trump, donned a pirate costume, set up his microphone and said a prayer.Nedohin was opening his latest live stream on the right-wing video site Rumble, where he has about 1,400 followers who share devotion to Trump Media & Technology Group, the former president's social media company.“Faith comes from listening, that is, hearing the good news about Christ,” said Mr. Nedohin, 40, his face framed by fake dreadlocks under a pirate-style hat.Nedohin and his viewers were awaiting the results of a merger vote that would determine whether Trump's company could start selling shares on Wall Street. Soon the news on Trump Media arrived via an audio feed: it would be made public.Mr. Nedohin raised h...

Seven rabbis and peace activists were arrested Friday near the Gaza border after attempting to bring food supplies into the territory, according to two participants and the group that organized the operation.The detainees were part of a group of about 30 Israeli and US rabbis and activists who were stopped by police officers as they tried to reach the Erez crossing, a major transit point between Israel and northern Gaza.Organized by Rabbis for Ceasefire, a US-based peace movement, the effort was aimed at building support for a truce and highlighting growing reports of starvation in Gaza. A global authority on food security, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative, has predicted an imminent famine in northern Gaza, the area of ​​the territory closest to Erez.The protes...

The Biden administration said Friday it is delaying a decision on whether to ban menthol cigarettes as federal officials take more time to consider the move.The White House has faced strong opposition from big tobacco companies who could lose billions of dollars from this move. But the proposal also posed risks for President Biden in an election year because of its weakening support among Black voters, some of whom see it as heavy-handed.“This rule has garnered historic attention, and the public comment period has produced a tremendous amount of feedback, including from various elements of the civil rights and criminal justice movement,” Xavier Becerra, Secretary of State, said in a statement. health and human services.“It is clear that there are still many conversations to be had and thi...

The past week has seen a growing wave of protest encampments and other demonstrations on college campuses across the United States, many of which have been met by mass arrests and other violent police action, as well as intense scrutiny from part of the media. And the demonstrations continue to spread.But protests on campuses abroad have been sporadic and smaller, and none have sparked a broader student movement.In Britain, for example, small groups of students temporarily occupied university buildings on the campuses of the University of Manchester and the University of Glasgow. But they never produced national news or sparked a growing wave of demonstrations.The wave of protest could still spread to foreign universities. There were some early signs of that this week. Students set up ...

The federal government's top auto safety agency said Friday it was investigating Tesla's recall of its Autopilot driver-assist system because regulators were concerned the company hadn't done enough to ensure drivers remained alert while using technology.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in documents posted on its website that it is reviewing Tesla's December recall of two million vehicles, which covered nearly all of the cars the company had produced in the United States since 2012. The the safety agency said. had concerns about accidents that occurred after the recall and the results of preliminary tests of the recalled vehicles.The agency also released an analysis that found that from January 2018 to August 2023, there were at least 29 fatal crashe...

Before Israel's invasion of Gaza last year, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Reqeb worked at one of the largest hospitals in the Palestinian territory and ran a private clinic, caring for women during their pregnancies.He now lives in a plastic tent in Rafah, a Palestinian border city where about half of Gaza's population has sought refuge, and treats patients for free in another tent. Living under Israeli bombardment, with shortages of food and clean water, the pregnant women he serves struggle to find safety and basic nutrition, not to mention prenatal care.Since the Israeli army began bombing Gaza six months ago following the Hamas-led attack on October 7, its forces have destroyed entire hospitals, hit ambulances and killed or arrested hundreds of health workers. According to aid groups, Israe...