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To help 2024 voters, Meta says it will begin labeling political ads that use AI-generated imagery

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:58:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facebook and Instagram will require political ads running on their platforms to disclose if they were created using artificial intelligence, their parent company announced on Wednesday.Under the new policy by Meta, labels acknowledging the use of AI will appear on users’ screens when they click on ads. The rule takes effect Jan. 1 and will be applied worldwide.The development of new AI programs has made it easier than ever to quickly generate lifelike audio, images and video. In the wrong hands, the technology could be used to create fake videos of a candidate or frightening images of election fraud or polling place violence. When strapped to the powerful algorithms of social media, these fakes could mislead and confuse voters on a scale never seen.Meta Platforms Inc. and other tech platforms have been criticized for not doing more to address this risk. Wednesday’s announcement — which comes on the day House lawmakers hold a hearing on deepfakes — isn&#...

Nasty drought in Syria, Iraq and Iran wouldn’t have happened without climate change, study finds

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:58:52 GMT

A three-year drought that has left millions of people in Syria, Iraq and Iran with little water wouldn’t have happened without human-caused climate change, a new study found.The west Asian drought, which started in July 2020, is mostly because hotter-than-normal temperatures are evaporating the little rainfall that fell, according to a flash study Wednesday by a team of international climate scientists at World Weather Attribution.Without the world warming 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) since the mid-19th century, “it would not be a drought at all,” said lead author Friederike Otto, an Imperial College of London climate scientist.It’s a case of climate change unnaturally intensifying naturally dry conditions into a humanitarian crisis that has left people thirsty, hungry and displaced, concluded the research, which has not yet undergone peer review but follows scientifically valid techniques to look for the fingerprints of global warming.The team looked at temperatures...

Blazing hot October almost guarantees 2023 will be the hottest year ever recorded

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:58:52 GMT

This October was the hottest on record globally, 1.7 degrees Celsius (3.1 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the pre-industrial average for the month — and the fifth straight month with such a mark in what will now almost certainly be the warmest year ever recorded.October was a whopping 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the previous record for the month in 2019, surprising even Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European climate agency that routinely publishes monthly bulletins observing global surface air and sea temperatures, among other data.“The amount that we’re smashing records by is shocking,” Burgess said.A surfer rides a wave in the Atlantic Ocean in Biarritz, southwestern France, Oct. 7, 2023. October was the fifth straight month that Earth set a record for the hottest month in recorded history. (AP Photo/Bob Edme, File)After the cumulative warming of these past several months, it’s virtu...

Showers developing Wednesday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:58:52 GMT

Mild weather continues Wednesday. Cloudy skies with scattered showers developing late afternoon. A few thunderstorms are possible., NW 5-15 G20. High 58 Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Wednesday night will see a few lingering showers and decreasing clouds late, NW 10-15. 42Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog Thursday will be mostly sunny, windy, W 15-20 G35. High of 52

Manor voters pass $166.8 million bond package

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:58:52 GMT

MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — Manor voters decided on the Nov. 7 election on a three-part bond package coming in for a total of $166.8 million. All three propositions passed. ELECTION DAY BLOG: Texans vote on 14 state constitutional amendments, local propositions As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, Proposition A and Proposition B passed, according to KXAN projections.KXAN projected at 11:28 p.m. that Proposition C passed as well. The first proposal, Proposition A, costs $15 million. The City of Manor will use those funds to build infrastructure for the growing city, such as water and sewer lines. This, in part, to attract potential businesses to Manor.In an October interview, the economic development director for the City of Manor, Scott Jones, said multiple companies have approached the city about planting roots, many of them supporting industries to major tech companies in the area. Election Results Prop B comes in at $61,695,000. The project will allow the city to build a recreation center and up...

Police presence in Albany West Hill Neighborhood

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:58:52 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- There is currently a police presence on North Lake and Third in Albany. Details regarding the presence are limited at this time. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! NEWS10 is working to learn more and has a crew on the scene. Stick with NEWS10 as more information becomes available.

Ask Amy: Wedding drama leads to devastation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:58:52 GMT

Dear Amy: My husband’s niece is getting married. I’m so happy for her.There has been much talk about the wedding. We already received the save-the-date.Several wedding-related conversations have been held in front of my 12-year-old daughter.In front of the family, I told my daughter that we could get her a beautiful dress to wear to the wedding. We then bought a dress.Then the wedding invitation arrived in the mail: NO CHILDREN ALLOWED!I was completely devastated — to say the least.Then, I found out that there are children attending the wedding, but they have to be over the age of 15.My daughter was really upset when I told her that she wasn’t invited to the wedding.I feel that the family should have taken me aside in advance to let me know my daughter was excluded.I declined going to the wedding due to my daughter’s disappointment.My husband plans to attend the wedding without me.Related ArticlesAsk Amy | Ask Amy: Reconnected couple deals with sil...

Commission sends request for information to AliExpress under the Digital Services Act

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:58:52 GMT

The European Commission has formally sent AliExpress a request for information under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission is requesting AliExpress to provide more information on the measures it has taken to comply with obligations related to risk assessments and mitigation measures to protect consumers online, in particular with regard to the dissemination of illegal products online such as fake medicines.Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said: “The Digital Services Act is not just about hate speech, disinformation and cyberbullying. It is also there to ensure removal of illegal or unsafe products sold in the EU via e-commerce platforms, including the growing number of fake and potentially life-threatening medicines and pharmaceuticals sold online.”AliExpress must provide the requested information to the Commission by 27 November 2023. Based on the assessment of AliExpress' replies, the Commission will assess next steps. This could entail the formal opening of pr...

Detached house in Los Gatos sells for $3.6 million

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:58:52 GMT

120 Drysdale Drive – Google Street ViewA 3,276-square-foot house built in 1970 has changed hands. The spacious property located in the 100 block of Drysdale Drive in Los Gatos was sold on Oct. 20, 2023, for $3,550,000, or $1,084 per square foot. This two-story home presents a roomy floor plan, featuring five bedrooms and four bathrooms. Outside, the home presents roofing composed of wood shake roofing / shingles materials. Inside, a fireplace adds character to the home. The property is equipped with a heating system and central A/C. In addition, the house is equipped with a two-car garage, accommodating vehicles and storage needs efficiently.Additional houses that have recently been sold close by include:A 1,994-square-foot home on the 15700 block of Shady Lane in Los Gatos sold in July 2023, for $2,100,000, a price per square foot of $1,053. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.On Quail Hill Road, Los Gatos, in January 2023, a 5,107-square-foot home was sold for $6,922,000, a pr...

Denver weather: Cooler and cloudy with rain, snow

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:58:52 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Highs along the Front Range Wednesday will be about 30 degrees cooler than Tuesday in the Denver weather forecast. Snow will fall along Interstate 70 throughout the day, and Denver could see light snow overnight.Weather today: Cooler with snow moving inLight snow will stick around the I-70 corridor and along the foothills Wednesday. Cloudy skies linger over the metro with much cooler temperatures in the middle 40s. Say goodbye to plastic bags, they may start disappearing soon In the afternoon, the Palmer Divide could see some light snow, while rain could fall in the metro. There could be a switch to snow in the metro around 10 p.m.Pinpoint Weather: Daily forecast on Nov. 8 A winter weather advisory is along the foothills from 6 p.m. through midnight Wednesday night. Accumulation of 4-10 inches of snow will make for some slick roads.Pinpoint Weather: Winter weather advisories on Nov. 8 Weather tonight: Light metro snowLight snow is possible in the metro after 10 p....