Новости за 21.02.2024

Harvard University has condemned what it called a “flagrantly antisemitic cartoon” posted on social media by student and faculty groups that advocate for Palestinian liberation. Harvard's Undergraduate Palestinian Solidarity Committee took responsibility, apologizing for what it acknowledged is an antisemitic trope and blaming it on ignorance and a lack of oversight. The Harvard Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine also apologized, saying it's contrary to their values. The image was removed... Читать дальше...

Gay rights advocates are pushing back against a measure to broaden Kentucky’s religious freedom law. They say the bill would undermine community-level “fairness ordinances” meant to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination. The measure won approval from a House committee Wednesday. But some supporters signaled a willingness to make changes to the bill as it advances to the House. Rep. Steve Rawlings says his bill would give people a “fair day in court” if their rights to exercise their religious beliefs are infringed by any government action. Читать дальше...

A large Alabama hospital has paused in vitro fertilization treatments as health care providers weigh the impact of a state court ruling that frozen embryos are the legal equivalent of children. The University of Alabama Birmingham said in a statement Wednesday that its UAB Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility has paused the treatments “as it evaluates the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision." The ruling by the all-Republican Alabama Supreme Court prompted a wave of concern about the future of IVF treatments in the state.

Major Alabama hospital pauses in vitro fertilization treatments after court ruling.

A pier on the Central Coast is teetering over the ocean after a massive winter storm.

Officials say an illegally operated open-pit gold mine has collapsed in central Venezuela while dozens of people were working there, leaving an undetermined number of people dead or trapped. The accident took place in the Angostura municipality on Tuesday at a mine known as Bulla Loca, which can only be reached by an hours-long boat ride. Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication and Information says officials do not yet have a full tally of the victims, and no details of rescue efforts were released. Читать дальше...

President Joe Biden says his administration is automatically canceling federal student loans for nearly 153,000 borrowers. He's putting the spotlight on his debt cancellation efforts as he ramps up his reelection campaign. The announcement Wednesday during a three-day campaign swing through California is part of a new repayment plan that offers a faster path to forgiveness. The administration began sending email notifications on Wednesday to some of the borrowers who will benefit. The cancellations were originally scheduled to start in July... Читать дальше...

The Alabama Supreme Court recently ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law. This is raising concerns about how the decision could affect in vitro fertilization, commonly known as IVF. The fertility treatment involves retrieving a woman's eggs and combining them with a man's sperm in a lab dish. A few days after fertilization, one or more embryos are placed in the uterus and healthy embryos that are not transferred may be frozen and stored. Frozen embryos can be used for future pregnancies... Читать дальше...

Thousands have rallied in dozens of cities and towns across Slovakia to mark the sixth anniversary of the slayings of an investigative journalist and his fiancee amid a wave of anti-government protests. Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova were shot dead at their home in a town east of Bratislava on Feb. 21, 2018. Both were 27 years old. The killings prompted major street protests and led to the collapse of a government headed then by populist Prime Minister Robert Fico who returned to power after last year's elections. Читать дальше...

An online dump of Chinese hacking documents reveals how Beijing watches both Chinese and foreigners.

Police say a skier who was reported missing at Stowe Mountain Resort was found dead in steep, wooded out-of-bounds terrain late Tuesday night. Brooks Ralph, 27, of Cold Springs, New York, was reported missing around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said. Search crews found his body at around 11:45 p.m. His body was taken to the office of the state’s chief medical examiner to determine the cause of death. But police say the preliminary investigation indicates that his death was an accident.

A Tennessee woman who posted photos on Instagram that appear to show her 5-year-old daughter helping her apply wax to adult clients for hair removal has been charged with child neglect. The Commercial Appeal, citing an arrest affidavit, reports that the Memphis Police Department received multiple complaints on Feb. 15 about a post that had images of a young girl appearing to apply hot wax to the pubic area of adults. The affidavit states the woman said in the post that her daughter had participated... Читать дальше...

A 3-year-old boy was shot and killed at a Santa Clara residence, officials said. 

ATTN: Financial editors

21 February 2024

(Bloomberg) -- US mortgage rates jumped above 7% for the first time since early December, dealing a blow to the housing market’s nascent recovery.

The contract rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage increased 19 basis points in the week ended Feb. 16 to 7.06%, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released Wednesday. It was the largest weekly increase since October.

The MBA’s index of applications for home-purchase mortgages... Читать дальше...

A family friend of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham is being held in jail on a capital murder charge after her body was found in a river near her rural Texas home. Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons says divers recovered her body Tuesday from the Trinity River north of Houston. The girl's family in nearby Livingston reported her missing last Thursday. Family friend Don Steven McDougal, was named as a person of interest as authorities were searching for Audrii and he was arrested Friday on an unrelated assault charge. Читать дальше...

European diplomats in Belarus have condemned the trial of a Catholic activist in Minsk as “unfair” and “politically motivated.” The trial of Uladzislau Beladzed began behind closed doors at Minsk City Court on Wednesday. The 33-year-old activist stands accused under four articles of Belarus’ criminal code including “insulting the president” and “inciting social discord.” He faces up to five years in prison if found guilty.

Stocks that are trading heavily or have substantial price changes on Wednesday: Palo Alto Networks, Keysight fall; Garmin, Toll Brothers rise.

A woman accused of shoplifting at SF stores was arrested in Hawaii, police said. 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Winmark Corp. (WINA) on Wednesday reported net income of $9.7 million in its fourth quarter.

A curious criminal case involving handwritten lyrics to the classic rock megahit “Hotel California” and other Eagles favorites is going to trial in a New York courtroom.

CHICAGO (AP) — Grain futures were mostly lower Wednesday in early trading on the Chicago Board of Trade. Wheat for Mar. rose 6.25 cents at $5.7825 a bushel; Mar. corn was off 3.25 cents at $4.1450 a bushel; Mar. oats fell 7.50 cents at $3.7450 a bushel; while Mar. soybeans lost 11.25 cents at $11.67 a bushel.

A new entry in the “Avatar” franchise is about to soar and James Cameron has no part in it. “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is a completely different fictional world from Cameron’s blue moon Pandora, but the two similarly named dueling sci-fi fantasy properties keep throwing out new entries over the decades. On Thursday, two years after the debut of “Avatar: The Way of Water,” Netflix offers “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” It's a multi-part, lush live-action adaptation that mixes adventure and friendship... Читать дальше...

A private U.S. lunar lander is in orbit around the moon, a day before it will attempt to land on the surface. Intuitive Machines' spacecraft reached the moon Wednesday. It launched last week under a NASA program to kickstart the lunar economy. On Thursday, flight controllers in Houston will lower the spacecraft's orbit and attempt a landing near the moon's south pole. It’s a dicey place to land with craters and cliffs. Another U.S. company tried to send a lander to the moon last month, but it never got there because of a fuel leak.

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Lithuania has decided to seal off another two of its six checkpoints with Belarus amid growing tensions with its eastern neighbor, an ally of Russia. This brings the total of closed border crossings into the Baltic country to four. The Lavoriskes and Raigardas checkpoints will stop functioning on March 1, as all the traffic will be diverted to the remaining two at the villages of Medininkai and Salcininkai. Tensions on NATO’s and the European Union’s borders spiked after Belarus took in thousands of Russia’s military mercenaries. Читать дальше...