Today: October 12, 2024
Today: October 12, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

World

AI chip race heats up as AMD introduces rival to Nvidia technology

Advanced Micro Devices has revealed a new artificial intelligence chip in its race to compete with rival chipmaker Nvidia in supplying the foundation for a boom in AI-fueled business tools. The semiconductor company, based in Santa Clara, California, described its new MI300X chip as “the world’s most advanced accelerator for generative AI.” It’s expected to attract interest from big cloud providers such as Amazon or Microsoft, but AMD hasn’t specified which cloud provider might use it. CFRA senior equity analyst Angelo Zino predicted this month that that AMD’s MI300 processor “will see significant interest from cloud

AI chip race heats up as AMD introduces rival to Nvidia technology
World

Southern Baptists refuse to let Saddleback Church back into the denomination for women pastors

The Southern Baptist Convention has refused to welcome Saddleback Church back into its fold, rejecting an appeal by the California megachurch over its February ouster for having women pastors. Southern Baptist church representatives at their annual meeting here also rejected a similar appeal by a smaller church, Fern Creek Baptist of Louisville, Kentucky, which is led by a woman pastor. The results of the Tuesday votes were announced Wednesday morning on the concluding day of the the two-day annual meeting here of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, whose statement of faith asserts that only qualified men

Southern Baptists refuse to let Saddleback Church back into the denomination for women pastors
World

German opposition party launches legal challenge to reform meant to shrink parliament

A German opposition party on Wednesday launched a legal challenge against an electoral reform designed to reduce the size of the country’s increasingly bloated parliament. The Barvarian center-right Christian Social Union is one of two opposition parties that have been vehemently critical of the legislation, which lawmakers approved in March, and see their future place in parliament at risk. They accuse Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition of cobbling together constitutionally dubious rules to favor itself. The party’s general secretary, Martin Huber, said it has filed a complaint to Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court against the “undemocratic, anti-federalist, manipulative

German opposition party launches legal challenge to reform meant to shrink parliament
World

Original Golden Knights key part of Vegas' Stanley Cup run

Bruce Cassidy has been the Golden Knights’ coach for only a year, but he knows full well the history of the Misfits. So in the game that would win the Stanley Cup for Vegas, Cassidy started five of the original Knights and sent the sixth one in for the second shift Tuesday night in a 9-3 victory over the Florida Panthers. “They’re the original guys, right?” Cassidy said. “They’re the foundation of this hockey team. The first building blocks started with them. They’ve been here since the beginning. They lost in a final like I did.

Original Golden Knights key part of Vegas' Stanley Cup run
World

What you should know as the Fed nears the peak of its rate-hiking cycle

The Federal Reserve’s likely decision Wednesday afternoon to leave interest rates alone for the first time in 11 meetings will raise hopes that it may be nearing the end of its rate-hiking campaign to cool inflation. That’s not to say the Fed is done raising rates. Most economists foresee another increase or two, starting as soon as next month. And even after the Fed has stopped hiking, it’s likely to keep borrowing rates at a peak for months to come. Consumers would still have to bear the weight of higher-cost auto loans, mortgages, credit cards and

What you should know as the Fed nears the peak of its rate-hiking cycle
World

Inflationary pressures continue to ease, producer prices drop 0.3%

Wholesale prices in the United States dropped 0.3% from April to May, another sign that inflationary pressures continue to ease in the face of repeated interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. The Labor Department’s producer price index — which measures inflation before it reaches consumers — rose 1.1% last month from May 2022, it said Wednesday, the smallest year-over-year gain since Dec. 2020. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core wholesale inflation was up 0.2% last from April and 2.8% from a year earlier. Unleashed by an unexpectedly strong economic recovery from 2020’s COVID-19 recession,

Inflationary pressures continue to ease, producer prices drop 0.3%
World

Indigenous community wins, then loses, path to reclaim ancestral rainforest land in Peru

A landmark ruling that an Indigenous community in the Peruvian Amazon could reclaim ancestral rainforests has been set aside by an appeals court in a move some legal experts called irregular. Kichwa tribes lived in the area of Cordillera Azul National Park for centuries before the park was founded in 2001 in what the Kichwa say was theft of their land. Major companies such as Shell and TotalEnergies have spent more than $80 million since then buying credits in the park to counter their carbon emissions. That money hasn’t helped the Puerto Franco community of Kichwa, who fell into food

Indigenous community wins, then loses, path to reclaim ancestral rainforest land in Peru
World

Google must break up digital ad business over competition concerns, European regulators say

European Union antitrust regulators took aim at Google’s lucrative digital advertising business in an unprecedented decision, saying Wednesday that the tech giant must sell off some of its ad business to address competition concerns. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch and top antitrust enforcer, said its preliminary view after an investigation is that “only the mandatory divestment by Google of part of its services” would satisfy the concerns. The 27-nation EU has led the global movement to crack down on Big Tech companies — including groundbreaking rules on artificial intelligence — but it has previously relied

Google must break up digital ad business over competition concerns, European regulators say
World

US beefs up campaign to ensure accurate animal welfare claims on meat, poultry packaging

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday it hopes to weed out false or misleading animal-welfare claims on meat and poultry packaging with new guidance and testing. The claims __ such as “pasture-raised,” “humanely raised,” and “raised without antibiotics” __ are increasingly popular with consumers and allow producers to charge a premium. Perdue “free range” chicken breasts with no antibiotics sell for $5.78 per pound at Walmart, for example; store brand chicken breasts without those claims sell for $2.79 per pound. Both meat producers and animal welfare advocates say the USDA isn’t adequately substantiating the claims or ensuring they meet

US beefs up campaign to ensure accurate animal welfare claims on meat, poultry packaging
World

Philippine volcano's eruption, which has displaced thousands, can last for months

A gentle eruption of the Philippines’ most active volcano that has forced nearly 18,000 people to flee to emergency shelters could last for months and create a protracted crisis, officials said Wednesday. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. flew to northeastern Albay province to reassure villagers who were forced to evacuate from mostly poor farming communities within a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius of the Mayon volcano’s crater since volcanic activity spiked last week. Marcos distributed food packs and other aid to displaced villagers, and was expected to meet Albay town mayors later Wednesday to discuss the unfolding crisis. The

Philippine volcano's eruption, which has displaced thousands, can last for months
World

Abortion rights protests planned across Poland after death of pregnant woman

Women’s rights advocates have called for protests in dozens of Polish cities on Wednesday under the slogan “Stop killing us,” after a woman in her fifth month of pregnancy died of sepsis, the latest such death since a tightening of Poland’s abortion law. The protests demanding a liberalization of the abortion law are scheduled to take place in the capital and nearly 50 other cities in the afternoon and evening. The 33-year-old woman died last month in the John Paul II hospital in Nowy Targ in southern Poland. It is a hospital in a deeply conservative

Abortion rights protests planned across Poland after death of pregnant woman
World

Russian court sends an associate of Kremlin foe Navalny to prison for 7 1/2 years

A court in Russia on Wednesday convicted an associate of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny on extremism charges and sentenced her to 7 1/2 years in prison, the latest step in a yearslong crackdown by the Kremlin on opposition activists. Lilia Chanysheva, who used to head Navalny’s office in the Russian region of Bashkortostan, was found guilty of calling for extremism, forming an extremist group and founding an organization that violates rights. The charges against Chanysheva, who was arrested in November 2021, stem from a court ruling earlier that year that designated Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting

Russian court sends an associate of Kremlin foe Navalny to prison for 7 1/2 years
World

Silvio Berlusconi's polarizing force in Italy remains strong as his funeral is held in Milan

Silvio Berlusconi’s legacy — positive or negative — was being hotly debated among Italians as the nation prepared for a national day of mourning and a state funeral in Milan’s Gothic-era Duomo cathedral on Wednesday. Most Italians identify Berlusconi, a media mogul, soccer entrepreneur and three-time former premier, as the most influential figure in Italy over recent decades. But they remain sharply divided on whether his influence was for the better or worse. They are split over whether the three-time former premier merits all the fuss and ceremony. Berlusconi died at the age of 86 on Monday

Silvio Berlusconi's polarizing force in Italy remains strong as his funeral is held in Milan
World

UK police hunt motive in Nottingham attack as friends mourn student athlete victims

Police worked Wednesday to piece together details of a knife and van attack that killed two 19-year-old students and another man in the English city of Nottingham, as friends and family remembered the two younger victims as talented athletes with a passion for life. Nottingham University students Barnaby Webber and Grace Kumar were stabbed to death in a street near student housing before dawn on Tuesday. Police say a 31-year-old suspect also killed a man in his 50s more than a mile (1.6 kilometers) away, stole his van and ran down a group of pedestrians. Three people

UK police hunt motive in Nottingham attack as friends mourn student athlete victims
World

South Korea sues rival North Korea for blowing up joint liaison office in 2020

South Korea filed a 44.7 billion won ($35 million) damage suit against North Korea on Wednesday for blowing up a joint liaison office just north of their border in 2020, which highlighted a revival of tensions between the rivals following the collapse of larger nuclear talks between the U.S. and North Korea. The symbolic lawsuit filed with the Seoul Central District Court comes amid a prolonged freeze in diplomacy and growing concerns over North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs. South Korea had until this Friday to claim damages, when a three-year statute of limitations

South Korea sues rival North Korea for blowing up joint liaison office in 2020
World

How Europe is leading the world in the push to regulate AI

Authorities worldwide are racing to rein in artificial intelligence, including in the European Union, where groundbreaking legislation is set to pass a key hurdle Wednesday. European Parliament lawmakers are due to vote on the proposal — including controversial amendments on facial recognition — as it heads toward passage. A yearslong effort by Brussels to draw up guardrails for AI has taken on more urgency as rapid advances in chatbots like ChatGPT show the benefits the emerging technology can bring — and the new perils it poses. Here’s a look at the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act: HOW DO

How Europe is leading the world in the push to regulate AI
World

China's foreign minister airs concerns in phone call with Blinken ahead of planned visit

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang shared concerns on a phone call Wednesday ahead of a planned visit by the U.S. official to China meant to shore up relations. “Spoke tonight with PRC State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang by phone,” Blinken’s official Twitter account read. “Discussed ongoing efforts to maintain open channels of communication as well as bilateral and global issues.” The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on one of its social media pages that Qin urged the United States to respect “China’s core concerns”

China's foreign minister airs concerns in phone call with Blinken ahead of planned visit
World

Russian cruise missile strike on southern Ukrainian city of Odesa kills 3, injures 13

Russian forces fired cruise missiles at the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight, killing at least three people and injuring more than a dozen others in a strike that damaged homes, a warehouse, shops and cafes downtown, the regional state administration said. The attack launched from the Black Sea involved four sea-launched Kalibr cruise missiles, three of which were intercepted by air defenses, the regional administration said on Facebook. Three employees of a food warehouse were killed and seven others injured, and searchers were looking for possible survivors under the rubble, it said. Another six people

Russian cruise missile strike on southern Ukrainian city of Odesa kills 3, injures 13
World

Jack Eichel wins Stanley Cup with Vegas less than 2 years since neck surgery

Jack Eichel is a Stanley Cup champion with the Vegas Golden Knights less than two years removed from neck surgery that no NHL player had previously come back from. It’s a triumphant moment for a player whose career was derailed by the injury and became a trailblazer for the operation he credits for fixing it. The 26-year-old Eichel was the team’s best all-around player during the playoffs, the first-line center Vegas executives knew they needed to win the franchise’s first championship. He finished with a postseason-best 26 points in 22 games and drove a lot of the play offensively and

Jack Eichel wins Stanley Cup with Vegas less than 2 years since neck surgery
World

Stock market today: Asian stocks mixed after US inflation cools

Asian stock markets were mixed Wednesday after a cooler reading on U.S. inflation buoyed hopes the Federal Reserve will postpone a possible interest rate hike. Shanghai, Tokyo and Sydney rose while Hong Kong and Seoul declined. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index gained 0.7% to a 14-month high after government data Tuesday showed U.S. consumer inflation eased to 4% over a year earlier in May from the previous month’s 4.9%. It was less than half last June’s peak of 9.1% but still double the Fed’s 2% target. That reinforced hopes the Fed will avoid announcing another rate

Stock market today: Asian stocks mixed after US inflation cools
World

As conditions for Syrians worsen, aid organizations struggle to catch the world's attention again

Six months after she got the call informing her that her U.N. assistance would be cut, Najwa al-Jassem is struggling to feed her four children and pay rent for their tent in a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley. She once received food rations and cash that covered most of their modest monthly expenses. The family now only gets the equivalent of $20 a month, which just covers the rent for their cramped tent. Her husband gets only sporadic day labor and “my kids are too young for me to send them to

As conditions for Syrians worsen, aid organizations struggle to catch the world's attention again
World

Toyota shareholders reject proposal demanding better performance on climate change

Toyota executives fielded challenges and reaped praise from investors at an annual general meeting Wednesday where shareholders ultimately rejected demands the automaker do better on fighting climate change. The investor proposal was initiated by AkademikerPension, a $20 billion Danish investment fund. It accused Toyota Motor Corp. of lobbying to weaken efforts by governments around the world to phase out the internal combustion engine. Shareholders applauded in rejecting the proposal, as expected, at the meeting in Toyota city, central Japan. The majority of Toyota shares are held by the company and its group companies, retired employees and

Toyota shareholders reject proposal demanding better performance on climate change
World

An Amazon rainforest rite of passage in threatened territory

The Indigenous adolescents danced in a circle under the thatched-roof hut from nearly dawn to dusk while parents looked on from the perimeter. Some of the adults smoked tobacco mixed with the wood from a local tree in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. The seemingly endless loop of the procession, taking place over six long days this month, was leaving some Tembé Tenehara youngsters with swollen and bandaged feet. They were receiving little to eat and spending each night sleeping in hammocks slung in the hut. But in the Alto Rio Guama territory, it

An Amazon rainforest rite of passage in threatened territory
World

Bruce Cassidy coaches Vegas Golden Knights to Stanley Cup

Bruce Cassidy struggled so badly in his first NHL coaching job with Washington that it knocked him out of the league for more than a decade. Cassidy coached in the junior ranks and the minors before getting a second chance with Boston. When he was fired from that job, he was out of work a grand total of a week before the Vegas Golden Knights hired him. Less than a full calendar year since putting pen to paper with Vegas, Cassidy and the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup after beating the Florida Panthers in five

Bruce Cassidy coaches Vegas Golden Knights to Stanley Cup
World

Golden Knights blast Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 to capture first Stanley Cup title

The Golden Knights delivered their city a true Vegas-style party from dazzling passes to Mark Stone’s hat trick to all-out goal celebrations, capturing the young organization’s first Stanley Cup with a 9-3 romp over the beaten up and exhausted Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. Coach Bruce Cassidy, in a nod to the Knights’ brief history, started five of the original Vegas players known as the Misfits and put the sixth on the second shift. Cassidy sounded confident the day before the game that his team would play well, and it certainly did, blowing open a one-goal

Golden Knights blast Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 to capture first Stanley Cup title

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