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FILE PHOTO: Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard's games characters in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Business & FinanceEntertainment & LifestyleTechnology

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Reuters exclusively reported[1] that EU antitrust regulators are asking Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) rivals and customers whether they are affected by the U.S. tech giant’s proposals to gain UK approval for

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Neflix, Tollywood
Entertainment & Lifestyle

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Reuters reported[1] that Netflix, a streaming laggard in India, is now eager to tap into the South Indian market. Netflix has a range of Indian films across various regions to showcase, but for TV series — key to keeping

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Shanghai
Business & FinanceEntertainment & LifestyleHuman InterestTechnology

Reuters revealed[1] Shanghai authorities helped Tesla transport over 6,000 workers and carry out necessary disinfection work to reopen its factory last month amid the city’s lockdown. A

...

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NASA’s Europa Clipper[1] spacecraft, headed to Jupiter’s ice-covered moon[2] Europa in October 2024, will carry a laser-etched message[3] that celebrates humanity’s connection to water. The message pays homage to past NASA missions that carried similar

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a car sits at an angle on a bridge roadway at the edge of a collapsed section with a cargo ship in the background

The MV Dali, a 984-foot, 100,000-ton cargo ship, rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge[1] when leaving Baltimore harbor on March 26, 2024, causing a portion of the bridge to collapse.

In an interview, University of Michigan civil engineer Sherif El-Tawil

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Flash_032024 - Raffeisen

Business & FinanceDeals

Reuters exclusively reported[1] that the United States is pressing Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International, the biggest Western bank in Russia, to drop plans to buy a 1.5 billion euro industrial stake of a Russian tycoon.

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Weekly_032124 - Meta

Technology

Reuters exclusively reported[1] on EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager warning that new fees for Apple and Meta Platforms services could hinder users from enjoying the benefits of the Digital Markets Act.

Market Impact

Apple announced a slew of

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Flash_031924 - Nordstrom

Deals

Reuters exclusively reported[1] that the founding family behind Nordstrom Inc is seeking to take the U.S. department store operator private, six years after a similar attempt proved unsuccessful.

Market Impact

Nordstrom shares rose 12% to $19.22 on the

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Abortion rights demonstrators rally outside the Supreme Court

A year-old Pentagon policy of paying for travel for service members who need reproductive health care that is not offered by the military -- including abortions -- was used 12 times from June through December, the Pentagon confirmed Tuesday.

Paying for transportation, lodging and meals for those 12 round trips from a service member's home station to the location of their health care cost the department $44,791, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said during a public briefing to reporters. It was unclear how many of those trips involved abortion services, the area of the policy that has generated the most controversy.

Still, the numbers indicate that the travel policy, which was created in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade and was the impetus for an Alabama Republican senator blocking hundreds of military promotions[1] last year, has had minimal effect on a force of more than 2 million troops and a budget of more than $800 billion.

Read Next: Coast Guard Boats, Aircraft Search for Victims of Massive Bridge Collapse in Baltimore[2]

"These policies ensure that service members and their families are afforded the time and flexibility to make private health care decisions, as well as supporting access to non-covered reproductive health care regardless of where they are stationed," Singh said.

She noted that the newly released data had several limitations, including that the department did not start tracking usage until months after the policy was implemented.

The Pentagon first announced in October 2022 that it would soon start providing travel allowances and offer administrative leave for service members who need reproductive health care that is not covered by the military and not offered by civilian doctors in the state they are based in.

The announcement came months after the Supreme Court issued the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in June 2022 that allowed states to start banning abortion. In February 2023, the Pentagon filled in more details about the policy and said it would take effect the following month.

While most attention on the policy has been related to abortion, it is also intended for service members who need to travel for fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization, which has also recently come under threat by court rulings[3].

Days after the Pentagon's February 2023 announcement, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., announced he would block quick confirmations for all nominees to be general and flag officers until the Pentagon reversed the policy.

Tuberville's blockade lasted until December and eventually entangled more than 430 general and admiral nominees. As his Republican colleagues grew increasingly publicly frustrated that his actions were endangering national security, Tuberville dropped his hold in December with no concessions[4] from the Pentagon and the reproductive health care policy still in place.

Among Tuberville's at-times shifting reasons for his protest were claims that the Pentagon policy could facilitate thousands of abortions a year. His claim was based on an estimate from a 2022 Rand Corp. report that between 2,573 and 4,136 active-duty service women have abortions annually. But the authors of the report had said it was likely fewer women[5] would take advantage of the Pentagon policy.

Democrats, meanwhile, argued that Tuberville was risking the military chain of command over a policy that would have negligible effect compared to the overall size of the force and Pentagon budget.

Some of Tuberville's GOP supporters also pointed to the small number of troops expected to use the policy -- to argue the Pentagon was digging in its heels over a policy they contended there was little evidence was needed.

"My Republican colleagues and I asked you for evidence to support the Department of Defense's claim in a June 28, 2022, memorandum that the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization would have 'significant implications' for the 'readiness of the Force.' To date, we have yet to receive any substantive data to support these assertions," Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., wrote in a September letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Wicker's letter also said he had "received information" that "approximately 12" women had used the travel and leave policy.

The data released by the Pentagon on Tuesday tracks how many round trips were taken, not how many service members used the policy. Some treatments such as IVF could require multiple trips to the doctor, and service members are allowed to use the policy more than once, meaning potentially fewer than 12 service members used the policy between June and December.

The Pentagon has also not tracked[6] what type of reproductive health care service members were traveling for, meaning it's impossible to know whether anyone received an abortion.

And while travel and leave were available as early as March 2023, the Pentagon did not start tracking the policy's usage[7] until August, Military.com reported. While the Pentagon was able to collect data from as early as June, that still leaves usage in March, April and May unaccounted for.

Singh described the numbers released Tuesday as a "snapshot."

Also still unknown is whether any service members took leave without applying for travel reimbursement. The Pentagon did not release data Tuesday on the number of administrative absences taken under the policy.

Related: Six Months After New Abortion Leave Policy, Pentagon Doesn't Know How Many Troops Have Used It[8]

© Copyright 2024 Military.com. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request here[9].

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Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin

WASHINGTON — U.S. defense leaders met with Israel's minister of defense on Tuesday as the United States warns against a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, but rising tensions between the two allies put any progress in question.

In remarks at the start of the Pentagon meeting, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said they would discuss alternative ways to target Hamas in Rafah, and he described civilian casualties in Gaza as “far too high” and aid deliveries as “far too low.” But he also repeated the belief that Israel has the right to defend itself and the U.S. would always be there to help.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, meanwhile, emphasized the ongoing threats to Israel, and said the meeting would address ways to destroy Hamas and get the Israeli hostages released, as well as plans to return displaced residents to their homes.

Austin made no mention of threats to limit or condition future military aid to Israel on humanitarian gains, a growing sentiment among members of Congress and others. And Gallant only said that the meeting would include discussions about the important cooperation between the two countries to “ensure Israel's military edge and capabilities.”

The meeting, which also included Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, comes as tensions have spiked between the U.S. and Israel, stemming from the widespread global frustration over the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and political discord surrounding efforts to achieve a cease-fire.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly canceled a high-level visit to Washington this week in protest over the U.N. Security Council decision[1] to call for an immediate cease-fire. The U.S. abstained, deciding not to use its veto power, and the resolution passed 14-0.

Israel says it cannot defeat Hamas without going into Rafah[2], where it says the group has four battalions composed of thousands of fighters. But U.S. officials are pressing Israel to forego a ground invasion and consider other ways to defeat Hamas.

“There are ways to go about addressing the threat of Hamas, while also taking into account civilian safety. A lot of those are from lessons, our own lessons, conducting operations in urban environments,” Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said on Monday. “I would expect the conversations to cover those kinds of things.”

Israel’s offensive has killed over 32,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and driven a third of Gaza’s population to the brink of starvation. It was launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which killed some 1,200 people.

Hamas-led militants also took around 250 people hostage. They are still holding around 100 hostages, and the remains of around 30 others, after most of the rest were freed during a cease-fire last year in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The Security Council resolution calls for a cease-fire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan[3]. Netanyahu accused the U.S. of “retreating” from a “principled position” by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the cease-fire on the release of hostages.

The dispute signals an erosion in the U.S.-Israel relationship that has been under a microscope for months as the military assault on Hamas continues, escalating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. was disappointed in the decision to cancel the delegation's visit this week. He said the talks with Gallant would likely include some of what the U.S. had planned to discuss with the Israeli delegation on the possible Rafah invasion.

Gallant met Monday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Kirby said those meetings, however, had not been intended as a replacement for the delegation meetings.

Associated Press broadcast reporter Sagar Meghani contributed to this report.

© Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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A person sits in between cots holding injured people.In Arlington National Cemetery's Section 1, you'll find a diverse mix of grave markers, from basic white headstones to massive, ornate monuments commissioned by generals and other U.S. leaders. Among them, you'll also find the graves of 23 pioneering female

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Must-See Celeb Sightings: November 2023Bre Tiesi[1] made a shocking reveal following her admission that she hooked up with Michael B. Jordan[2]

During a season 7 episode of Selling Sunset, the real estate agent sat with her co-stars, Amanza Smith, Emma Hernan and Chrishell Stause, and implied

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Must-See Celeb Sightings: November 2023Dean McDermott[1] is shedding more light on his decision to take to Instagram and announce the end of his marriage[2] to Tori Spelling[3], and how the spur-of-the-moment decision was a cry for help.

"My worst memory with Tori is that last fight when I was

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Ronna McDaniel speaks at the committee's winter meeting in Dana Point, Calif.“Frankly,” he said, “I don’t think there’s any way in the world you can get a two-thirds vote to replace her.”

Lori Hinz, the North Dakota national committee woman who also opposed McDaniel’s reelection campaign, said she has been hearing from

...

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Federalist Society Executive Vice President Leonard Leo speaks.Leo presides over a multi-billion-dollar network of tax-exempt nonprofit groups and has used it, in part, to organize campaigns over the past decade to install the Supreme Court’s conservative majority.

American for Public Trust is a nonprofit group run by

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Kari Lake speaks.Her biggest attempted detente so far is with Karrin Taylor Robson, her 2022 primary opponent whom she once strongly insinuated was a gold digger using her husband’s money to try to buy Arizona’s governorship.

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Lake and Robson met in Phoenix in late

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Researchers report that mature oligodendrocytes -- the central nervous system cells critical for brain function -- cling to life following a fatal trauma for much, much longer than scientists knew. The findings suggest a new pathway for efforts to reverse or prevent the damage that aging and diseases such as multiple sclerosis cause to these important cells.
Read more …Reverse effects of trauma? Older brain cells linger unexpectedly before their death

There has been a redistribution in the risk of arterial disease in type 1 and 2 diabetes. The risks of heart attack and stroke have decreased significantly, while complications in more peripheral vessels have increased in relative importance, according to new studies.
Read more …Clear shift in arterial diseases in diabetes

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur signs a board in the lobby of the Scottish Parliament for other MSPs to record their support for his Member's Bill on assisted dying,MSPs will get the chance to make Scotland the first part of the UK to let people legally end their lives.

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The Kansas City Chiefs agreed to contract terms with European rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit, a source confirmed, giving the team another potential offensive threat.

The Chiefs will look at Rees-Zammit at running back and perhaps wide receiver. His biggest

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Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was placed on paid administrative leave through June 1 after an agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association was reached with his criminal case for having an alleged sexual relationship with a

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Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will not play again this season as he continues to rehab a right ankle injury, the team announced Wednesday.

Ball has been out since Jan. 27, when he did not play in the second game of a back-to-back. The 22-year-old

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Thousands of earthquakes in recent weeks have shaken the Icelandic fishing town of Grindavík, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southwest of the capital Reykjavik. They have triggered evacuations and warnings that a volcanic eruption may be imminent.

While the idea of magma rising was no doubt scary for tourists visiting the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, which was closed as a precaution, Iceland’s residents have learned over centuries to live with their island’s overactive geology.

So, why is Iceland so volcanically active?

Read more …Volcanic Iceland is rumbling again as magma rises − a geologist explains eruptions in the land of...

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A row of monopiles that will be the base for offshore wind turbines, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Mass. David L Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

As renewable energy production expands across the U.S., the environmental impacts of these new sources are receiving increased attention. In a recent report, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examined whether and how constructing offshore wind farms in the Nantucket Shoals region, southeast of Massachusetts, could affect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. The Conversation asked marine scientists Erin L. Meyer-Gutbrod, Douglas Nowacek, Eileen E. Hofmann and Josh Kohut, all of whom served on the study committee, to explain the report’s key findings.

Read more …As the US begins to build offshore wind farms, scientists say many questions remain about impacts...

PFAS, the “forever chemicals” that have been raising health concerns across the country, are not just a problem in drinking water. As these chemicals leach out of failing septic systems and landfills and wash off airport runways and farm fields, they can end up in streams that ultimately discharge into ocean ecosystems where fish, dolphins, manatees, sharks and other marine species live.

We study the risks from these persistent pollutants in coastal environments as environmental analytical chemists at Florida International University’s Institute of the Environment.

Read more …How PFAS 'forever chemicals' are getting into Miami's Biscayne Bay, where dolphins, fish and...

The primitive hate on display in the streets around the globe cries out for a Final Solution to the Jewish Problem.

It is time to end the Jewish Problem once and for all.

Both the problem and solution are simple, and this instruction can be short.   

The decision and responsibility for it are yours.

Read more …The Problem With Jews and The Final Solution

First one bank announced it will only accept digital currency.

Now the Reserve Bank of Australia has announced it is heading into digital currency.

As the moth is to the flame, so are the follies of man.

Artificial intelligence and the next level of quantum computing will render passwords and encryption efforts obsolete.

Read more …Digital Currency Follies

The point of having a nation of laws is twofold: (a) you know how to prosper, and (b) you know how to stay out of jail.

The persecution of President Trump has revealed a new threat of charlatan prosecutors and agency administrators cobbling together disparate statutes which the media kindly calls “innovative”, “artful” or “novel” interpretations or constructions.

But these recombinations are actually new laws because they are the nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and contexts in criminal statutes, strung together in new combinations to create newly criminalized conduct after a citizen has engaged in some conduct.

Read more …Fake Laws - The Threat of After-The-Fact Laws in America

On Wednesday, Oct. 25, Hurricane Otis made landfall near Acapulco, on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, at 1:25 a.m. CDT as a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 165 mph. The storm had rapidly intensified off the coast, and according to the National Hurricane Center, Otis was the strongest hurricane in the Eastern Pacific to make landfall in the satellite era

Read more …Hurricane Otis Causes Catastrophic Damage in Acapulco, Mexico

Mitch began as a tropical storm over the southwestern Caribbean Sea on October 22, 1998, and strengthened to a hurricane by the 24th. Mitch then rapidly strengthened, becoming a monster Category 5 hurricane with a central pressure of 905 mb on the 26th. To this day, Mitch still ranks as the second-strongest October hurricane on record and remains tied for the eighth-most intense of any Atlantic hurricane on record.

Mitch made landfall in Honduras as a much weaker Category 1 hurricane, but it battered the offshore islands with high winds, waves and storm surge. The greatest impact, however, was from the widespread heavy rain and severe flooding in Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador that left thousands dead or missing and caused tremendous property, infrastructure and crop damage in Central America.

Read more …25 Years Later: Looking Back at the October Monster Named Mitch

Scorching temperatures have put millions of Americans in danger this summer, with heat extremes stretching from coast to coast in the Southern U.S.

Read more …Extreme heat is particularly hard on older adults, and an aging population and climate change are...

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28 March 2024