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China’s Baidu makes AI chatbot Ernie Bot publicly available

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:26 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese search engine and artificial intelligence firm Baidu made its ChatGPT-equivalent language model fully available to the public Thursday, raising the company’s stock price by over 3% following the announcement.Beijing sees artificial intelligence as a key industry to rival the United States and aims to become a global leader by 2030. Chinese technology firms have also raced to unveil their generative AI models — in which algorithms allow the technology to produce and create new content — after U.S. firm OpenAI launched the widely popular ChatGPT.Baidu said Thursday that Ernie Bot would be fully open to the general public via an app or an official website.By releasing the model publicly, Baidu will be able to collect massive real-world human feedback, according to Baidu CEO Robin Li, who said this would in turn help improve Ernie and Baidu’s foundation models.Like Europe, China has made efforts in recent months to regulate the generative AI industry. China issu...

Japan’s defense ministry requests nearly 12% budget increase to bolster military’s strike capability

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:26 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s defense ministry is requesting a nearly 12% budget increase that includes two warships with advanced radar and long-range cruise missiles as it further fortifies the nation’s military in the face of North Korean threats and Chinese military advancement.The record 7.7 trillion yen ($52.5 billion) request for the 2024 fiscal year marks the second year of a rapid five-year military buildup under a new security strategy Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government adopted in December. It focuses on reinforcing strike capability in a break from Japan’s postwar principle of having a military only for self-defense.Under the five-year plan, Japan plans to spend 43 trillion yen ($315 billion) through 2027 to nearly double its annual spending to around 10 trillion yen ($68 billion), making Japan the world’s third-biggest spender after the United States and China. How to finance and justify the growing military spending is uncertain in a country with steeply decli...

A fire kills 15 in a Philippine factory, where rains and a wrong address delayed firefighters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:26 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A fire killed 15 people Thursday in a small apparel factory in a Philippine residential area, where firefighters were delayed by flooding, traffic and a wrong address, a fire protection official.Most of the victims appeared to be factory workers and carpenters who were sleeping in rooms when the fire broke out Thursday morning. Some were found dead on an aisle outside the rooms and the factory owner and his child were among the dead, Nahum Tarroza of the Bureau of Fire Protection said. Three people survived with injuries by jumping off the second floor of the two-story factory in panic, Tarroza said. The three were taken to a hospital. The firefighters arrived in about 14 minutes after rain and wind cause flooding and traffic jams and a wrong address was given to firefighters, Tarroza said. The fire in the Pleasant View residential enclave in Tandang Sora village in suburban Quezon city was extinguished in two hours. An investigation was looking into the c...

Wildfires: Biggest rescEU aerial firefighting operation in Greece

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:26 GMT

To tackle the biggest wildfires ever recorded in the EU, the Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Centre has mobilised 11 firefighting planes and 1 helicopter from the rescEU reserve, stationed in six member states. In addition, six European countries have contributed with six ground forest fire fighting teams via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. So far, over 81,000 hectares have been burnt in Greece's Alexandroupolis region. This wildfire is the largest in the EU since 2000, when the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) began recording data.Since Greece activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, for the second time this summer, on 20 August, the EU has deployed 11 rescEU firefighting airplanes stationed in Croatia, Cyprus, France Germany, Spain and Sweden, 1 Blackhawk helicopter from Czechia, 407 fire fighters and 62 vehicles from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, France Romania, Serbia and Slovakia. In addition, the EU's Copernicus satellite mapping serviced as iss...

Boy dies after collapsing during P.E. class in Lake Elsinore

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:26 GMT

A community is mourning after a young boy collapsed and died during a P.E. class in Lake Elsinore on Tuesday.That tragic day started out as a typical school day for 12-year-old Yahshua Robinson.He was participating in P.E. activities at Canyon Lake Middle School when he suddenly collapsed and became unresponsive.Yahshua’s family said despite the response from medical professionals, the boy died from cardiac arrest at the hospital. They believe his sudden death was caused by the sweltering heatwave that covered Southern California this week.The boy’s parents and his three siblings are trying to process his death while accepting their new reality — a life without Yahshua.A community is mourning after 12-year-old Yahshua Robinson collapsed and died during P.E. class at Canyon Lake Middle School in Lake Elsinore on August 29, 2023. (Robinson Family)A statement from Yahshua’s family said:“We know that Yahshua was loved by many, and we appreciate everyone who is helping us to grieve his l...

Person shot to death at apartment complex in Orange County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:26 GMT

Police are investigating after a person was found shot to death Wednesday night in a Brea apartment complex, authorities announced.  Officers with the Brea Police Department responded to the Raintree Apartments, located at 650 N. Tamarack Avenue, near Brea Boulevard and Lambert Road, just before 8 p.m. on reports of multiple shots fired, officials said.  At the scene, responding officers located at least one deceased shooting victim.  Details are limited, but aerial footage from Sky5 captured officers with guns drawn, escorting paramedics into an apartment. A short time later, a man was wheeled out on a gurney. He was conscious and breathing. It is unclear if that person's injuries had anything to do with the shooting. A person being wheeled out by paramedics after a fatal shooting in Brea on Aug. 30, 2023. (KTLA)First responders on the scene of a fatal shooting in Brea on Aug. 30, 2023. (KTLA)First responders on the scene of a fatal shooting in Brea on Aug. 30, 2023....

Marin County child care center faces possible closure

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:26 GMT

MARIN COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) -- Parents, community members and even former students pleaded with the board to save the children's center they say it's a necessity for families that have nowhere else to send their kids. Man picking up trash around the Bay Area invites others to join The Ross Valley School District board started the meeting by explaining that this is a lease termination -- not an eviction at this time. They have not started the eviction process. The Fairfax-San Anselmo Childcare Center will still provide some services, but the Deer Park facility is no longer safe for daycare.Superintendent John Carroll says they tried to see if they could update the facility but found out two weeks ago that it isn't financially feasible. They have been trying to find an alternate site but haven't had any luck yet.Wednesday's meeting was to update the community, but many supporters of the facility used the public comment time to voice their concerns. KRON4 spoke to a woman that says s...

AP PHOTOS: Rare blue supermoon dazzles stargazers around the globe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:26 GMT

A rare blue supermoon — the closest full moon of the year — dazzled stargazers Wednesday night.Saturn joined the celestial spectacle, visible alongside the moon, at least where skies were clear.It was the second full moon of August, thus the blue label. And it was unusually close to Earth, therefore a supermoon. The moon appeared to be bigger and brighter than usual, given its close proximity to Earth: just 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) or so. The Aug. 1 supermoon was more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) farther away.If you missed it, it will be a long wait: The next blue supermoon isn’t until 2037. But another regular supermoon is on the horizon at the end of September, the last one of the year.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.Source

Moreno sparks Timbers to 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:26 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Santiago Moreno had a goal and an assist to propel the Portland Timbers to a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night.Moreno took a pass from defender Juan Mosquera in the 13th minute and scored his first goal of the season to give Portland (7-11-8) an early lead. David Bingham saved the only shot he faced to preserve the lead at halftime.Felipe Mora gave the Timbers a two-goal lead when he used an assist from Moreno in the 64th minute to score for a second time this season.Cristian Arango took a pass from defender Brayan Vera and scored in the 83rd minute to pull Real Salt Lake (10-9-7) within a goal. It was Arango’s second goal in his fourth start and fifth appearance since coming over from Los Angeles FC.Bingham finished with four saves for Portland. Zac MacMatch did not save a shot for Real Salt Lake.Portland’s victory ends a four-match losing streak in all competitons. Real Salt Lake has lost five in a row in all competititons.Real Sa...

Emergency services say at least 38 dead in a fire in a multi-story building in South Africa’s biggest city

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:55:26 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Emergency services say at least 38 dead in a fire in a multi-story building in South Africa’s biggest city.Source