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After seeing promising results in Eastern Europe, Google will initiate a new campaign in Germany that aims to make people more resilient to the corrosive effects of online misinformation.The tech giant plans to release a series of short videos highlighting the techniques common to many misleading claims. The videos will appear as advertisements on …

A mental health crisis among children in Illinois will be fought by streamlining and easing access to necessary treatment and coordination between six separate state agencies, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced.In the works for nearly a year, the study examined the capacity and condition of Illinois’ response to behavioral health in young people. It sket…

Lithium-ion batteries used to power electric bicycles and scooters have already sparked 22 fires that caused 36 injuries and two deaths in New York City this year, four times the number of fires linked to the batteries by February last year, officials said.Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said Mayor Eric Adams' administration is “coming at this pro…

Advocacy group Global Citizen will convene political, philanthropic, business and cultural leaders for a thought leadership conference in New York to tackle extreme poverty more quickly.The group announced that Global Citizen NOW will be a two-day conference beginning April 27, co-chaired by Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commissio…

A small California city that was overrun by visitors four years ago when heavy winter rains produced a “super bloom” of wild poppies has a message for the public after this year's deluge: Do not come. You could be arrested.The poppies are beginning to bloom but so far on a small scale — and the canyon where they grow and parking areas are now compl…

Walmart is closing three tech hubs and asking hundreds of employees to relocate to keep their jobs.The closures will affect staff working at locations in Austin, Texas; Carlsbad, California; and Portland, Oregon, Walmart spokesperson Mischa Dunton said. Dunton declined to say how many employees will be affected.The company said in a prepared statem…

The number of people with medical debt on their credit reports fell by 8.2 million — or 17.9% — between 2020 and 2022, according to a report from the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.White House officials said in a separate draft report that the two-year drop likely stems from their policies. Among the programs they say contributed to less…

A Japanese startup announced plans to launch commercial space viewing balloon flights that it hopes will bring an otherwise astronomically expensive experience down to Earth.Company CEO Keisuke Iwaya said passengers do not need to be billionaires, go through intense training or have the language skills needed to fly in a rocket.“It’s safe, economic…

The ongoing bird flu outbreak has cost the government roughly $661 million and added to consumers' pain at the grocery store after more than 58 million birds were slaughtered to limit the spread of the virus.In addition to the cost of the government response that the USDA tallied up and rising prices for eggs, chicken and turkey, farmers who raise …

The dodo bird isn’t coming back anytime soon. Nor is the woolly mammoth. But a company working on technologies to bring back extinct species has attracted more investors, while other scientists are skeptical such feats are possible or a good idea.Colossal Biosciences first announced its ambitious plan to revive the woolly mammoth two years ago, and…

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, thousands of volunteer software developers have been using a crucial Twitter tool to comb the platform for calls for help — including from people trapped in collapsed buildings — and connect people with rescue organizations.They could soon lose access unless they pay Twitter a mont…

Besides some minor dustings, it hasn’t snowed significantly in the French resorts hosting the skiing world championships since mid-January.And there is no snow in the long-term forecast.Instead, the weather has been perfectly clear, sunny and, yes — cold. But a warm front was slated to move in over the posh towns of Courchevel and Meribel in early …

Scientists got their first up-close look at what’s eating away part of Antarctica’s Thwaites ice shelf, nicknamed the Doomsday Glacier because of its massive melt and sea rise potential, and it’s both good and bad news.Using a 13-foot pencil-shaped robot that swam under the grounding line where ice first juts over the sea, scientists saw a shimmery…

Hyundai and Kia are rolling out software updates to stem a raft of auto thefts related to a TikTok challenge that authorities believe has led to at least 14 reported crashes and eight fatalities.The updates are free for millions of vehicles that are missing a key anti-theft device, an issue that was exploited on social media and led to rampant thef…

A new, multimillion-euro international airport near Albania’s coastal city of Vlora will mean hundreds of jobs for area residents. But environmentalists warn it could cause irreparable damage to the fragile ecosystems of protected lagoons that host flamingos, pelicans and millions of other migratory birds.Albania’s new, 104 million-euro ($125 milli…

McDonald’s McNuggets are going fowl-free.The Chicago-based fast-food giant introduced plant-based McNuggets on Feb. 22. Germany was the first market to get them.McPlant Nuggets—made from peas, corn and wheat with a tempura batter—are the second product McDonald’s has co-developed with Beyond Meat, an El Segundo, California-based maker of plant-base…

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Canada’s health care system isn’t living up to its promise, and he plans to add billions more in funding.Trudeau said wait times in emergency departments have become dangerously long, people are waiting too long for essential surgeries and millions of Canadians are without a family doctor.“For genera…

Bourbon tourism reached new heights last year in Kentucky, where visitors flocked to large and small distilleries as the whiskey-making attractions shook off any pandemic-era hangover.Attendance at distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail surpassed 2 million in 2022 for the first time ever, the Kentucky Distillers' Association announced. Vener…

Automakers Renault and Nissan formalized their reboot of a relationship that had grown rocky, culminating in the spectacular fall of top executive Carlos Ghosn, who had led successful turnarounds at both companies before his arrest and daring escape.The boards of both companies approved equalizing the stake each automaker holds in the other to 15%,…

Britcoin is moving closer to reality.U.K. authorities said British businesses and consumers are likely to need a digital version of the pound, formally asking for public comment on the idea of introducing a central bank digital currency.More than 80% of the world’s central banks are considering launching digital currencies or have already done so, …

Hello and welcome to Talking Back, the companion podcast of English study app, StudyNow. I'm your host Scott, and once a month I sit down with a guest and we select a few of the articles that appeared on StudyNow and have a lighthearted discussion about them. Today's topics include a little girl tracking down Santa with a sample of his DNA, and the…

A Michigan man says he was left with a $1,000 bill after his 6-year-old son ordered a virtual smorgasbord of food from several restaurants, leading to a string of unexpected deliveries — and maybe a starring role in an ad campaign.Keith Stonehouse said the food piled up quickly at his Detroit-area home after he let his son, Mason, use his cellphone…

The Biden administration is taking aim at Apple and Google for operating mobile app stores that it says stifle competition.The finding is contained in a Commerce Department report released by the administration as President Joe Biden convened his competition council for an update on efforts to promote competition and lower prices.The report from th…

The population of western monarch butterflies wintering along the California coast has rebounded for a second year in a row after a precipitous drop in 2020, but the population of orange-and-black insects is still well below what it used to be, researchers announced.Volunteers who visited sites in California and Arizona around Thanksgiving tallied …

Jill Biden says her Inauguration Day outfits, now featured in a Smithsonian museum exhibit about first ladies, were a “voice for me on one of the most important days of my life.”The dresses — one blue, one white — with matching coats and face masks “spoke to the American people then, and now they will continue speaking to generations to come,” she …

Amazon is axing free grocery delivery for Prime members on orders less than $150.Customers who get their groceries delivered from Amazon Fresh -- and pay less than $150 — will be charged between $3.95 and $9.95, depending on the order size, the company said in an email to Prime members.The new policy starts February 28.“We will continue to offer co…

German development minister Svenja Schulze announced that her government will make 204 million euros ($222 million) available for environmental policies in Brazil.Of this total, $38 million is a donation to the Amazon Fund, Schulze told reporters in capital Brasilia. It is the most important international cooperation effort to preserve the Amazon r…

When U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss decided to deliver a speech on a bill that would create a U.S.-Israel artificial intelligence center, he opted to let the AI do the talking.The brief two-paragraph speech read by the Massachusetts Democrat on the floor of the U.S. House was generated by the online AI chatbot ChatGPT. His staff said they believe it’s …

After taking its first dip into sports streaming last year, Apple is now immersing itself.The tech giant kicked off a 10-year partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS) with the launch of Season Pass on Apple TV+.“This is very important for us. It is one of the key things we are doing this year and for the next 10 years. We’re now part of a family …

Johnson & Johnson beat earnings expectations in the final quarter of 2022 even as a strong dollar and sinking COVID-19 vaccine sales hurt revenue.The healthcare giant also debuted a better-than-expected 2023 earnings forecast.J&J said fourth-quarter earnings slipped 26% to $3.52 billion and revenue declined 4.4% to $23.71 billion.Sales were hurt la…

Authorities in Western Australia recovered a tiny but dangerous radioactive capsule that fell off a truck while being transported along a 1,400-kilometer (870-mile) Outback highway last month in what an official said was like finding a needle in a haystack.Officials said the capsule the size of a pea was found south of the mining town of Newman on …

Microsoft reported a 12% drop in profit for the October-December quarter, reflecting the economic uncertainty it said led to its decision to cut 10,000 workers.The company reported quarterly profit of $16.43 billion, or $2.20 per share.Excluding one-time items such as $800 million to pay severance to laid-off employees, the company based in Redmond…

Amazon is adding a prescription drug discount program to its growing health care business.The retail giant said that it will launch RxPass, a subscription service for customers who have Prime memberships. Amazon said people will pay $5 a month to fill as many prescriptions as they need from a list of about 50 generic medications, which are generall…

Any Iowa student who wants to attend a private school could use public money to pay for tuition or other expenses. This is under a plan passed by the Legislature and quickly signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds, making the state the third to pass a measure that allows such spending with few restrictions.Republicans approved the bill despite objecti…

Countless artists have taken inspiration from “The Starry Night” since Vincent Van Gogh painted the swirling scene in 1889.Now artificial intelligence systems are doing the same, training themselves on a vast collection of digitized artworks to produce new images you can conjure in seconds from a smartphone app.The images generated by tools such as…

Every year, the night sky grows brighter, and the stars look dimmer.A new study that analyzes data from more than 50,000 amateur stargazers finds that artificial lighting is making the night sky about 10% brighter each year.That’s a much faster rate of change than scientists had previously estimated looking at satellite data. The research, which in…

Google is laying off 12,000 workers, or about 6% of its workforce, becoming the latest tech company to trim staff as the economic boom that the industry rode during the COVID-19 pandemic ebbs.Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who also leads its parent company Alphabet, informed staff at the Silicon Valley giant about the cuts in an email that was also post…

Supporters of taxes on the very rich contend that people are emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic with a bigger appetite for what they’re calling “tax justice.”Bills announced in California, New York, Illinois, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington and Connecticut vary in their approaches to hiking taxes, but all revolve around the idea that the r…

Some are fighting local efforts to censor books, while others are focused on cultural programs, education about Ukraine or helping people buy groceries: These are this year's winners of the I Love My Librarian Award.Based everywhere from New York City to Carencro, Louisiana, the winners share a common desire to work closely with their patrons.“Even…

To accelerate the global move toward sustainable vehicles, Toyota is suggesting simply replacing the inner workings of vehicles already on the roads with cleaner technology like fuel cells and electric motors.“I don’t want to leave any car lover behind,” Chief Executive Akio Toyoda said, appearing on the stage at the Tokyo Auto Salon, an industry e…

Archaeologists in Norway said that they have found a runestone that they claim is the world’s oldest, saying the inscriptions are up to 2,000 years old and date back to the earliest days of the enigmatic history of runic writing.The flat, square block of brownish sandstone has carved scribbles, which may be the earliest example of words recorded in…

ExxonMobil’s scientists were remarkably accurate in their predictions about global warming, even as the company made public statements that contradicted its own scientists’ conclusions, a new study says.The study in the journal Science looked at research that Exxon funded that didn’t just confirm what climate scientists were saying, but used more t…

A grocery store featuring thousands of faux food items made entirely from discarded plastic bags opened to the public, an artist’s non-edible creation calling attention to the dangers of plastic waste.The Plastic Bag Store is a custom-built public art installation and film experience designed to encourage visitors to think more about the enduring i…

Taylor Swift’s acoustic guitar, Eminem’s signed tennis shoes, and an ensemble worn by a BTS member were among the items auctioned for charity on Feb. 5.Julien’s Auctions said the memorabilia from some of the most popular music performers were auctioned at the MusiCares Charity Relief Auction.All proceeds from the event following the Grammy Awards c…

Climate change is the global economy's biggest long-term challenge but one the world is least prepared to tackle because of short-term problems led by a cost-of-living crisis, the World Economic Forum said in a report.The group's Global Risks Report, released ahead of its annual gathering of government leaders and business elites last month in the …

The famed Danish restaurant Noma which has claimed the title of world’s top restaurant several times said it will shut down to transform itself into “a pioneering test kitchen” dedicated to “food innovation and the development of new flavors.”Chef Rene Redzepi’s house of Nordic gastronomy will close by the winter 2024 and re-emerge as Noma 3.0, the…

British officials and space scientists said they were disappointed but not deterred after the first attempt to launch satellites into orbit from the U.K. ended in failure.U.S.-based Virgin Orbit attempted its first international launch late January 9, using a modified jumbo jet to carry one of its rockets from Cornwall in southwestern England over …

Southwest Airlines announced a number of executive promotions on January 9, days after announcing that their service meltdown last December will cost the company up to $825 million, but none of the changes involved the highest-ranking officers.The airline said the changes “will strengthen our operational execution” while also saying they were long-…

In homes and schools around Bosnia, youngsters prepared gift boxes they hoped would put a smile on the faces of their peers living through the war in Ukraine — just as such gifts did for many of their parents a generation ago.Responding to an appeal launched by a small Sarajevo museum, hundreds of Bosnian children filled small boxes with warm cloth…

Hello, and welcome to Talking Back the companion podcast of English study app StudyNow. I’m your host Scott and once a month I sit down with a guest and we select a few of the articles that appeared on StudyNow and have a lighthearted discussion about them. Today’s topics include the growing problem of drunk people sleeping in the street and then w…