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Meta quarterly profit jumps but it sees volatility in ad market
Meta on Wednesday reported that its quarterly profit more than doubled from last year's figure as it looks ahead at a volatile ad market and lawsuits accusing it of profiting from "children's pain." "Meta earnings looked pretty good," said independent tech analyst Rob Enderle. "They have clearly cut back on the bleeding surrounding their metaverse efforts and the company appears to be on a more even keel right now." The tech giant said it made a profit of $11.6 billion as ad revenue climbed 23 percent to $34 billion when compared to the same period a year earlier. "We had a good quarter for our community and business," said Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. The number of people using Facebook monthly rose slightly to 3.05 billion in a year-over-year comparison while monthly active users of Meta's "family" of apps was 3.96 billion a 7 percent increase from the same quarter in 2022, the company reported. Meta said it had trimmed costs, with layoffs and other belt-tightening measures started last year providing "greater efficiency." Meta had suffered a rough 2022 amid a souring economic climate and Apple's data privacy changes, which allowed users to block ad targeting, the pillar of Meta's business. Meta's vow of austerity on spending brought an unprecedented round of cost-cutting that saw the company lay off tens of thousands of workers since last November. Meta shares, which closed the formal trading day down, fell more than three percent further in after-hours trades to $289.50. Chief financial officer Susan Li said during an earnings call that Meta is seeing "volatility" in an ad market that started to soften when the conflict between Israel and Hamas began. "It's hard for us to attribute demand softness directly to any specific geopolitical event," Li said. "We have seen broader demand softness follow other regional conflicts in the past, such as in the Ukraine war, so this is something that we're continuing to monitor." Lawsuit peril Analyst Enderle maintained that Meta is at risk from lawsuits poised to damage its image and its wallet. Dozens of US states this week accused Meta of profiting "from children's pain," damaging their mental health and misleading people about the safety of its platforms. "In seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its Social Media Platforms," argued a joint lawsuit filed in federal court in California. The states accused Meta of exploiting young users by creating a business model designed to maximize time they spend on the platform despite harm to their health. In total more than 40 states are suing Meta, though some opted to file in local courts rather than join in the federal case. Meta said the states were singling it out unfairly instead of working with social media companies to develop universal standards for the whole industry. "This landmark lawsuit could herald a seismic shift in how social media platforms approach product features and user engagement," said Insider Intelligence principal analyst Jeremy Goldman. "That said, even as tech stocks face uncertainty, Meta's consistent performance cements its leadership in the digital realm." Meanwhile, the European Union is seeking details on measures Meta has taken to stop the spread of "illegal content and disinformation" in light of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The AI race The tech giant is putting artificial intelligence into digital assistants and smart glasses as it seeks to gain lost ground in the AI race. "I'm proud of the work our teams have done to advance AI and mixed reality with the launch of Quest 3, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, and our AI studio," Zuckerberg said in the earnings release. The second-generation Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses made in a partnership with EssilorLuxottica have a starting price of $299. "Smart glasses are the ideal form factor for you to let AI assistants see what you're seeing and hear what you're hearing," Zuckerberg said. Meta has taken a more cautious approach than its rivals Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google to push out AI products, prioritizing small steps and making its in-house models available to developers and researchers. "The majority of the world's population will have their first experience of generative artificial intelligence with us," Meta chief technology officer Andrew "Boz" Bosworth told AFP in a recent interview. Meta recently unveiled AI-infused chatbots with personalities, along with tools for creating images or written content using spoken prompts. The post Meta quarterly profit jumps but it sees volatility in ad market appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden says Xi meeting in November ‘a possibility’
US President Joe Biden said Friday he may meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November as Washington and Beijing push to reset ties, but added that nothing is scheduled yet. The leaders of the rival powers have not met in person or spoken for nearly a year, and tensions have mounted as an increasingly assertive China and the United States vie for global influence. "There has been no such meeting set up, but it is a possibility," Biden told journalists after reports that they were set to meet during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco. Biden is set to host leaders from across the region on November 16 and 17 in the California city, and speculation has mounted that it could be the venue for a rapprochement. The White House had begun making plans for a meeting on the sidelines of the summit in a bid to stabilize relations, The Washington Post reported, quoting one official as saying it "it's pretty firm." Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to visit Washington at some point ahead of the APEC summit. Beijing however has not confirmed whether Xi will attend the summit or meet with his US counterpart. The White House has also declined to elaborate on a potential meeting with Xi. 'Disappointed' The last time Biden and Xi met was in November 2022 on the sidelines of a summit in Bali. Their talks were surprisingly cordial but relations then froze over again, and there has not even been a phone call since. Biden had said last month he was "disappointed" that Xi was not attending a G20 summit in New Delhi. He added that he was "going to get to see him," although he did not elaborate. Tensions between the United States and an increasingly assertive China have mounted as the world's two largest economies push for diplomatic, military and economic influence. Bilateral ties face a long list of problems, from trade disputes to Taiwan's future to the expansive Chinese presence in the South China Sea. But the United States has been working to restore a more effective working relationship, sending a series of senior officials to China in recent months despite continuing friction. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and China's Wang met in the Mediterranean island nation of Malta in mid-September in the latest attempt to reach out. The APEC forum will be a key test of whether their efforts are working, as the Asia-Pacific region is one of the main theaters where Beijing and Washington are going head-to-head. Biden has also been pushing to show that international groupings like the G20 and APEC can still deliver on problems including the economy and climate -- even when China is not involved. The post Biden says Xi meeting in November ‘a possibility’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Fighting gun violence, Kamala’s new task
“We know true freedom is not possible if people are not safe,” United States Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday in announcing her new role to combat gun violence. The 58-year-old Democrat will lead the new White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which will coordinate on the issue but lacks significant enforcement authority to combat the epidemic in a nation with more firearms than people. “We do not have a moment to spare nor a life to spare” while the United States is “torn apart” by gun violence, she said at the White House on Friday. “After every mass shooting, we hear a simple message, the same message all over the country,” she added, saying Americans are begging for their leaders to “‘do something, please do something.’” Despite the new push, the White House does not have unilateral power to meaningfully limit gun use in the United States, such as by banning assault weapons. Any substantial moves would have to come from Congress, where fiercely anti-gun regulation Republicans control the House of Representatives. Biden has tried to work around legislative requirements and imposed certain regulatory and administrative restrictions, which have only a limited scope. The new role adds a significant job to Harris’s portfolio just a little over a year ahead of the 2024 race, in which she and the 80-year-old president are facing re-election. The vice president has already been tasked with handling other politically sensitive issues such as immigration. Tackling gun violence gives the former California prosecutor the chance to work on a visible issue that often garners more widespread consensus from the American public. According to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-governmental organization, 44,374 people were killed by guns across the United States last year. Gun deaths have slowed slightly this year, at 28,793 for the first eight months, according to the archive. Harris — the first woman to become vice president as well as the first Black person and person of South Asian descent to hold the job — also recently embarked on the so-called Fight for Our Freedoms College Tour, in which she visited several US universities. She was generally received with enthusiasm, in contrast to her often-flagging favorability poll numbers. with AFP The post Fighting gun violence, Kamala’s new task appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UN chief convenes ‘no nonsense’ climate summit, without China or US
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set Wednesday to host a climate meeting marred at its outset by the absence of speakers from the world's top two emitters, China and the United States. Despite increasing extreme weather events and record-shattering global temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and fossil fuel companies reap handsome profits. Guterres has thus billed the "Climate Ambition Summit" as a "no nonsense" forum where leaders or cabinet ministers will announce specific actions that deliver on their commitments under the Paris Agreement. The bar for making the podium was set high, with the UN chief making clear that only leaders who had made concrete plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse emissions would be allowed to speak. After receiving more than 100 applications to take part, the UN finally released a list on Tuesday night of 41 speakers which did not include China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan or India. "Tomorrow, I will welcome credible first movers and doers to our Climate Ambition Summit," Guterres said Tuesday. Several major leaders didn't bother making the trip to New York for this year's UN General Assembly, including President Xi Jinping of China and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from the United Kingdom, who said he was too busy. US President Joe Biden, who addressed the General Assembly on Tuesday, sent his climate envoy John Kerry to the meeting -- though Kerry won't be permitted to speak. "There's no doubt that the absence of so many leaders from the world's biggest economies and emitters will clearly have an impact on the outcomes of the summit," Alden Meyer of climate think tank E3G said. He blamed competing issues -- from the Ukraine conflict to US-China tensions and rising economic uncertainty. "But I think it's also the opposition in many of these countries from the fossil fuel industry and other powerful interests to the kind of transformational changes that are needed," said Meyer. Catherine Abreu, executive director of nonprofit Destination Zero, said it was "perhaps a good-news story that we see Biden not being given a speaking slot at the summit" because the United States is continuing to expand fossil fuel projects even as it makes historic investments in renewables. "I think about this as being a correction from past summits, where leaders have been given the opportunity to take credit for climate leadership on the global stage, while they continue to pursue plans to develop fossil fuels, and continue driving the climate crisis back at home," she added. While the United States won't take the rostrum, California will be represented by Governor Gavin Newsom. From Britain, London Mayor Sadiq Khan will also attend. Growing anger The event is the biggest climate summit in New York since 2019, when Greta Thunberg stunned the world with her "How Dare You" speech before the UN. Anger is building among climate activists, particularly younger people, who turned out in thousands last weekend for the "March to End Fossil Fuels" in New York. Observers are eager however to see what Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen say both on their own goals and on financing commitments for the developing world. The failure of advanced economies, responsible for the majority of historic emissions, to honor their promises to the worst affected lower-income nations has long been a sore point in climate talks. There are some bright spots, including the announcement that Colombia and Panama are joining a grouping called the Powering Past Coal Alliance -- particularly notable as Colombia is the world's sixth biggest coal exporter. Wednesday's summit comes weeks ahead of the COP28 climate talks in the United Arab Emirates, where goals include tripling renewable energy by 2030, and ending by 2050 the generation of fossil fuel energy that isn't "abated" by carbon capture technology. The post UN chief convenes ‘no nonsense’ climate summit, without China or US appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Climate protesters throng New York, demand end to fossil fuels
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of New York on Sunday, calling for increased action against climate change ahead of the opening of the UN General Assembly. Taking up multiple city blocks, protesters from some 700 organizations and activist groups carried signs reading "Biden, end fossil fuels," "Fossil fuels are killing us" and "I didn't vote for fires and floods" in a demonstration that came on the heels of a summer marked by multiple climate change-linked disasters. US President Joe Biden is among the world leaders set to attend the UN General Assembly (UNGA), which is scheduled to formally open on Tuesday. "We are here to demand that the administration declare a climate emergency," said Analilia Mejia, director of the activist group Center for Popular Democracy. "We must wake up and take immediate action," she told AFP. A UN climate report released this month named 2025 as the deadline for global greenhouse gas emissions to peak -- followed by a sharp drop thereafter -- if humanity is to cap global warming in line with Paris Agreement targets. The 2015 Paris Treaty has successfully driven climate action, but "much more is needed now on all fronts," said the report, which will underpin a crucial climate summit in Dubai at the end of the year. Achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 -- another Paris goal -- will also require phasing out the burning of all fossil fuels whose emissions cannot be captured or compensated. Mejia, 46, pointed to recent extreme weather events -- from fires in Canada, Hawaii, and Greece to flooding in Libya -- as demonstrating the seriousness of the "existential crisis" posed by climate change. Another activist, Nalleli Cobo, 22, told AFP she'd like to see political leaders "come to my house" in the western US state of California and "spend the night living next to an oil and gas well." Cobo, who has worked with Sweden's Greta Thunberg on climate campaigns, blames the "toxic air" she has been exposed to at her home for the ovarian cancer she contracted at 19. "Our lives are on the line," she said. Biden has made a historic push for green manufacturing, offering billions of dollars for clean energy projects, but some young activists say he has not acted forcefully enough to lead the United States off dependence on fossil fuels. California filed a lawsuit Friday against five global oil majors, alleging the firms caused billions of dollars in damages and misled the public by minimizing the risks from fossil fuels. Top world scientists warn that the world is likely to experience new record heat in the next five years and that global temperatures are more likely than not to breach a crucial threshold of an average 1.5 degrees Celsius rise. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has organized a Climate Ambition summit for Wednesday, during the General Assembly, at which he hopes to accelerate the ongoing work to counter climate change by governments as well as private sector organizations and financial institutions. "History will remember their action, or inaction," said Mejia. "And if we're lucky, human beings will be around to remember what (world leaders) did in this summit." The post Climate protesters throng New York, demand end to fossil fuels appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Hawaii county sues power company over deadly wildfires
Maui County is suing Hawaii's electricity company over the deadly fire that leveled Lahaina, alleging the destruction could have been avoided if power lines had been shut off. The lawsuit is the latest step in a growing critical focus on the power provider in the wake of the blaze, which killed at least 115 people, with videos apparently showing downed cables setting light to vegetation in the hours before tragedy struck. The lawsuit says there was plenty of warning of strong winds from a nearby hurricane, but Hawaiian Electric and its subsidiaries negligently kept power lines live. "These power lines foreseeably ignited the fast-moving, deadly, and destructive Lahaina Fire, which completely destroyed residences, businesses, churches, schools, and historic cultural sites," the lawsuit, filed Thursday, says. "Defendants knew that the high winds the (National Weather Service) predicted would topple power poles, knock down power lines, and ignite vegetation. "Defendants also knew that if their overhead electrical equipment ignited a fire, it would spread at a critically rapid rate." The county -- which is itself under pressure over what critics say was a lack of preparation ahead of the fire and a lackluster response in its aftermath -- is demanding unspecified damages and compensation for the destruction. "Maui County stands alongside the people and communities of Lahaina and Kula to recover public resource damages and rebuild after these devastating utility-caused fires," the county said in a statement. Power companies in California routinely shut down large stretches of above-ground power lines in strong winds, a strategy credited with helping to avoid some blazes. On 14 August, Hawaiian Electric boss Shelee Kimura defended the decision to keep the network live, saying electricity was necessary to keep water pumping in Lahaina. The 8 August fire was the deadliest wildfire the United States has seen for more than a century. It burned through around 2,000 acres (800 hectares) and laid waste to the historic town of Lahaina, a former Hawaiian royal seat and a thriving tourist hub. Flames, fanned by powerful winds, moved so quickly that many residents were caught unaware, only learning there was a fire when they saw it for themselves. Some abandoned their cars as they tried to flee the town and sought refuge in the ocean, where they cowered for hours as their homes were incinerated. The official toll is expected to rise as a grim search of the ashen remains of Lahaina is completed. Thousands of people have been made homeless, with recovery expected to take years. Federal estimates suggest the fire caused $5.5 billion of damage. The lawsuit, which also includes a demand for a jury trial, comes a week after the head of Maui's emergency management agency resigned amid criticism for not sounding the island's network of warning sirens. Also on Thursday, Maui county officials released a list of 388 names of people who remain unaccounted for. Police said the aim was to encourage anyone who knew the whereabouts of people on the list to come forward, so they could be removed. The practice is common in the wake of a disaster, and the figure of 388 does not indicate that this number of people are likely to be dead, only that they have been reported to authorities as not having been seen. The post Hawaii county sues power company over deadly wildfires appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Record heatwaves sweep the world from US to Japan via Europe
Record heat is forecast around the world from the United States, where tens of millions are battling dangerously high temperatures, to Europe and Japan, in the latest example of the threat from global warming. Italy faces weekend predictions of historic highs with the health ministry issuing a red alert for 16 cities including Rome, Bologna, and Florence. The meteo center warned Italians to prepare for "the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time". The thermometer is likely to hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Rome by Monday and even 43C on Tuesday, smashing the record of 40.5C set in August 2007. The islands of Sicily and Sardinia could wilt under temperatures as high as 48C, the European Space Agency warned -- "potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe". Greece is also roasting. "Parts of the country could see highs as much as 44C on Saturday," according to the national weather service EMY. The central city of Thebes sweated under 44.2C on Friday. The Acropolis, Athens's top tourist attraction, will on Sunday close during the hottest hours for the third day running. In France, high temperatures and resulting drought are posing a threat to the farming industry, earning Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau criticism from climatologists on Saturday for having brushed aside conditions as "normal enough for summer". June was the second-hottest on record in France, according to the national weather agency, and several areas of the country have been under a heatwave alert since Tuesday. There is little reprieve ahead for Spain, as its meteorological agency warned Saturday that a new heatwave Monday through Wednesday will bring temperatures above 40C to the Canary Islands and the southern Andalusia region. Killer rains Parts of eastern Japan are also expected to reach 38 to 39C on Sunday and Monday, with the meteorological agency warning temperatures could hit previous records. Meanwhile, the northern city of Akita saw more rain in half a day than is typical for the whole month of July, Japan's national broadcaster NHK reported. The downpours also triggered at least one landslide, forcing 9,000 people to evacuate their homes. Torrential rains described by the meteorological agency as the "heaviest rain ever experienced" have also hit southern Japan in recent weeks, leaving at least 11 people dead. Relentless monsoon rains have reportedly killed at least 90 people in northern India, after burning heat. The Yamuna River running through the capital New Delhi has reached a record high of 208.66 meters, more than a meter over the flood top set in 1978, threatening low-lying neighborhoods in the megacity of more than 20 million people. Major flooding and landslides are common during India's monsoons, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity. Americans are watching as a powerful heatwave grip stretches from California to Texas, with its peak expected this weekend. In Arizona, one of the hardest-hit states, residents face a daily endurance marathon against the sun. State capital Phoenix recorded 15 straight days above 109F (43C), with Saturday expected to reach well above that mark. Deadly danger Authorities have been sounding the alarm, advising people to avoid outdoor activities in the daytime and to be wary of dehydration. The Las Vegas weather service warned that assuming high temperatures naturally come with the area's desert climate was "a DANGEROUS mindset! This heatwave is NOT typical desert heat". "Now the most intense period is beginning," it added, as the weekend arrived with record highs threatening on Sunday. California's Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, is also likely to register new peaks Sunday, with the mercury possibly rising to 130F (54C). Southern California is fighting numerous wildfires, including one in Riverside County that has burned more than 3,000 acres (1,214 hectares) and prompted evacuation orders. Further north, the Canadian government reported that wildfires burned a record-breaking 10 million hectares this year, with more damage expected as the summer drags on. Morocco may be used to hot weather, but it was slated for above-average temperatures this weekend with highs of 47C in some provinces -- more typical of August than July -- sparking concerns for water shortages, the meteorological service said. River Tigris shrinking Water-scarce Jordan was forced to dump 214 tonnes of water on a wildfire that broke out in the Ajloun forest in the north amid a heatwave, the army said. In Iraq, where scorching summers are common, along with power cuts, Wissam Abed told AFP he cools off from Baghdad's brutal summer by swimming in the Tigris river. But as Iraqi rivers dry up, so does the age-old pastime. With temperatures near 50C and wind whipping through the city like a hair dryer, Abed stood in the middle of the river, but the water only comes up to his waist. "I live here... like my grandfather did before me. Year after year, the water situation gets worse," said the 37-year-old. While it can be difficult to attribute a particular weather event to climate change, scientists insist global warming -- linked to dependence on fossil fuels -- is behind the multiplication and intensification of heat waves in the world. The heatwaves come after the EU's climate monitoring service said the world saw its hottest June on record last month. The post Record heatwaves sweep the world from US to Japan via Europe appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Bad trip by Jerusalem
It’s been more than a week but Filipino promoter JC Mananquil was still hurting from Melvin Jerusalem’s heartbreaking loss of his world title. Speaking from Los Angeles where he has been staying since the third week of May, Mananquil thought Jerusalem was doing just fine until the roof began to cave in starting the fourth round of his clash with mandatory challenger Oscar Collazo of Puerto Rico in Indio, California. “It was really weird because of how he was doing (in the first three rounds) and it suddenly changed,” Mananquil said. Jerusalem was actually in the thick of the fight during the first nine minutes of action then began to slide starting the fourth frame until he was forced to quit on his stool going into the eighth round. “The change of culture could be one thing and the short time (he was in the US),” he added. Jerusalem set foot on American soil ten days before the 27 May showdown with the undefeated Collazo. The Bukidnon-born fighter set up a training camp in Cebu for a month and transferred to Japan where he stayed for four weeks before returning to Cebu. ‘The change of culture could be one thing and the short time (he was in the US).’ Originally, Jerusalem was planning to fly to Los Angeles in the first few days of May but his visa could only be delivered sometime mid-May. His trainer Michael Domingo said Jerusalem couldn’t sleep well and was still jet-lagged by the time he fought at the Fantasy Springs Casino and Resort. No wonder, there is ample reason why Manny Pacquiao travels to the US way, way ahead of a scheduled fight. Aside from the lack of time to get used to the new time zone, Jerusalem seemed to be super happy to be in the US that he lost focus. Well, there have been some fighters who came to the US on short notice but still performed and won their fights. But it doesn’t work that way often. Jerusalem’s one clear example. The post Bad trip by Jerusalem appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Meet the scientist (sort of) spending a year on Mars
Living on Mars wasn't exactly a childhood dream for Canadian biologist Kelly Haston, though she'll soon spend a year preparing for just that. "We are just going to pretend that we're there," the 52-year-old told AFP, summing up her participation in an exercise simulating a long stay on the Red Planet. At the end of June, she will be one of the four volunteers stepping into a Martian habitat in Houston, Texas that will be their home for the next 12 months. "It still sometimes seems a bit unreal to me," she laughs. For NASA, which has carefully selected the participants, these long-term experiments make it possible to evaluate the behavior of a crew in an isolated and confined environment, ahead of a real mission in the future. Participants will face equipment failures and water limitations, the space agency has warned -- as well as some "surprises," according to Haston. Their communications with the outside world will suffer from the delays that exist between Earth and Mars -- up to 20 minutes one-way, depending on the planets' positions -- and 40 minutes two ways. "I'm very excited about this, but I'm also realistic about what the challenge is," says the research scientist, whose status as a permanent resident of the United States made her eligible for the program. The habitat, dubbed Mars Dune Alpha, is a 3D printed 1,700 square-foot (160 square-meter) facility, complete with bedrooms, a gym, common areas, and a vertical farm to grow food. "It's actually surprisingly spacious feeling when you go inside it," said Haston, who visited last year before her participation was confirmed. "And we do have an outdoor area as well where we will mimic spacewalks or Mars walks." This area, which is separated by an airlock, is filled with red sand, though it is still covered rather than being open air. The crew will have to don their suits to do "spacewalks" -- "probably one of the things that I'm looking forward to the most," says Haston, a registered member of the Mohawk Nation. Haston wasted no time in filling out her application when her partner told her about the opportunity. "It's aligned with many of my goals in life to explore different avenues of research and science, and then also to be a test subject, and to give to a study that will hopefully further space exploration." The four members of the mission -- herself, an engineer, an emergency doctor, and a nurse -- did not know each other before the selection process but have since met. "We really are close-knit already," says Haston, who has been named commander of the group, adding she looks forward to seeing these relationships grow even stronger. They might be simulating an important exploratory mission for humanity, but how the housemates get along as they share mundane chores including cleaning and meal preparation will be crucial. A month of training is planned in Houston before entering the habitat. A teammate could leave in case of injury or medical emergency. But a whole series of procedures have been drawn up for situations that can be handled by the crew themselves -- including how to tell them about a family problem that has arisen outside. What worries the Canadian most is how she will manage to be away from family. She'll only be able to keep in regular touch through email, and only rarely via videos, but never live. She'll miss being outside and getting to see mountains and the sea, she says. To cope, she plans to draw on her past experiences, such as a research expedition in Africa where she studied the genetic characteristics of frogs around Lake Victoria. She spent several months sleeping in cars and tents, with four people, without reliable cell phone coverage. Feelings of isolation "are things that I think feel very familiar to me." A specialist in the field of developing stem cell treatments for certain diseases, she has worked in recent years for start-ups in California, where she also studied. This mission is the first of a series of three planned by NASA, grouped under the title CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog). A year-long mission simulating life on Mars took place in 2015-2016 in a habitat in Hawaii, but although NASA participated in it, it was not at the helm. Under its Artemis program, America plans to send humans back to the Moon in order to learn how to live there long-term to help prepare for a trip to Mars, sometime towards the end of the 2030s. The post Meet the scientist (sort of) spending a year on Mars appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
U.S. Fed ‘on track’ vs inflation — exec
The US Federal Reserve is “on track” in its fight against inflation, with the full impact of its interest-rate hikes likely yet to be felt, a top Fed official said. The US central bank has hiked its benchmark lending rate 10 times in quick succession since last year in a bid to tackle rising prices, which remain above its long-term target of two percent. “We are ‘doing what is necessary or expected’ of us,” Fed governor Philip Jefferson told a California conference in prepared remarks, referring to the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of being “on track.” “Furthermore, monetary policy affects the economy and inflation with long and varied lags, and the full effects of our rapid tightening are still likely ahead of us,” he said. Jefferson, who President Joe Biden nominated earlier Friday to become the next vice chair of the Fed, sounded a more optimistic note on inflation than two of his peers on the Federal Open Market Committee or FOMC. This suggests policymakers on the FOMC are divided over the likelihood of a further interest-rate hike when the committee next convenes 13 to 14 June. Tightening still an option “Should inflation remain high and the labor market remains tight, additional monetary policy tightening will likely be appropriate,” Fed governor Michelle Bowman told a conference in Germany earlier Friday. On Tuesday, New York Fed president John Williams also left the door open to a further interest rate hike to combat inflation. “We haven’t said we’re done raising rates,” he told the Economic Club of New York. “I think what we’re going to need to do -- as we always do -- is be data dependent,” he said. Futures traders see the probability of another rate hike on June 14 as slim, although the odds of further tightening have increased in recent days, according to data from CME Group. The post U.S. Fed ‘on track’ vs inflation — exec appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Peru ex-president Toledo surrenders for extradition
Peruvian ex-president Alejandro Toledo surrendered to US authorities Friday, ahead of his expected extradition to Lima where he is accused of corruption and money laundering. Toledo has lived in the United States for several years and gave himself up at a federal court building in San Jose, California, where he was handed over to the US Marshals Service. The 77-year-old, who served as Peru's president from 2001 until 2006, is wanted by Peruvian prosecutors investigating a sprawling scandal involving Brazilian construction conglomerate Odebrecht. Toledo, who holds a doctorate from Stanford University, is accused of taking millions of dollars from Odebrecht in exchange for favored treatment in bidding on public works. He denies all charges, which could see him jailed for up to 20 years if convicted in Peru. Friday's surrender appeared to be the start of the endgame for a man who was initially detained in California in 2019. He was put under house arrest in 2020 and ordered to wear an electronic ankle monitor in the swanky Menlo Park area near Stanford. Earlier this week, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected Toledo's most recent legal move to block the extradition Peru has sought since 2018, and a US judge ordered him to surrender. Peruvian prosecutors say they have testimony from two people who claim Toledo received bribes from Odebrecht. The firm acknowledged paying backhanders in Brazil and several other nations around Latin America in the so-called "Car Wash" scandal, which has so far seen dozens of politicians and business figures behind bars. Four other former Peruvian presidents currently face corruption investigations. They are Ollanta Humala (who ruled 2011-2016), Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016-2018), Martin Vizcarra (2018-2020), and Pedro Castillo (2021-2022). Former President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) was convicted of corruption charges and is in prison. Another ex-president, Alan Garcia, died by suicide in 2019 as police were preparing to arrest him in the Odebrecht case. The post Peru ex-president Toledo surrenders for extradition appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pacquiao amazes Roach in Day 1 of training for Spence fight
By CARLO ANOLIN Manny Pacquiao showed no signs of jetlag when he arrived at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles, California on Tuesday (July 6) Pacquiao’s training in the Philippines paid off well as the eight-division world boxing champion kicked off Day 1 of his training camp ahead of his mega-bout against […].....»»
The other Filipina in Miss Universe
Rabiya Mateo made her first public appearance in Lost Angeles, California ahead of the 69th Miss Universe beauty pageant in Hollywood, Florida on May 16 (May 17 in the Philippines)......»»
Marcial trains double time ahead of Tokyo Games
By CARLO ANOLIN Boxer Eumir Felix Marcial is determined to produce the country’s first Olympic gold medal that he’s now working double time ahead of the Tokyo Games in July. Marcial, who is currently based in Los Angeles, California, shared recent updates on social media regarding his training under the helm of renowned coach Freddie […].....»»
2020 PGA Championship to go ahead without fans
Los Angeles, United States -- The PGA Championship will be held in August but without fans, after California health officials on Monday gave the green light to the first major championship of 2020, the San Francisco Chronicle reported......»»
PGA meet in August to go ahead without fans
Los Angeles---The PGA Championship will be held in August but without fans, after California health officials on Monday gave the green light to the first major championship of 2020, the San Francisco Chronicle reported......»»
Phl at the crossroads
As we all take a break this Holy Week, some of us will pause and ponder on our own individual journeys and think about what lies ahead......»»
UAAP volleyball enters break amid wide-open semis race
It’s the calm before the storm as teams embark on a much-needed pause ahead of an expected all-out race to the UAAP Season 86 volleyball tournaments Final Four......»»
DSWD-Davao to aid disaster victims in recovery, rehab amid regionwide ECT payouts
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development-Davao Region (DSWD-Davao) reaffirmed its commitment to aid all victims of recent disasters in the Davao Region on their journey towards recovery and rehabilitation......»»
Malixi all geared up for Augusta Amateur debut
Rianne Malixi is channeling her excitement into thorough preparation ahead of her highly anticipated debut in the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur unfolding April 3 in Augusta, Georgia......»»