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Did the pandemic make us worse drivers?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:19:05 GMT

If you get the sense you’ve been seeing more bad accidents on the road lately, you probably have. Crashes claimed an estimated 42,795 lives on U.S. roadways in 2022, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a fairly dramatic increase over 2019 by more than 6,000 deaths.Though traffic on U.S. roadways plummeted in the first year of the pandemic, roadway deaths did the opposite. Traffic fatalities experienced double-digit growth four quarters in a row beginning in the second half of 2020.And death rates haven’t really improved since then. “Driving is back up almost to normal, but fatalities are continuing to go up,” says David Zuby, executive vice president and chief research officer at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).This is a paradox that spurred U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to call it a “national crisis of traffic deaths”.What’s to blame?A deadly cocktail of speed, carelessness and massThere isn’t one contributing...

Older Americans can get RSV vaccine this fall after consulting their doctor, CDC says

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:19:05 GMT

Americans 60 and older can get a new RSV vaccine but should discuss it with their doctor first, U.S. health officials recommended Thursday.The newly approved vaccines are expected to be ready in the fall, a time when flu shots and updated COVID-19 shots also will be available. Those eligible for the RSV vaccine should talk with their doctor to see if it is right for them, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.The CDC said adults with chronic heart or lung disease, weakened immune systems and those living in long-term care facilities are at higher risk for the respiratory infection.RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of cold-like symptoms but it can be dangerous for infants and the elderly. A surge last year filled hospitals with wheezing children. There’s no vaccine yet for kids, but one for pregnant women to prevent illness in infants may be coming too, pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration.On Thursday, Dr. Roch...

Google DeepMind calls for ‘responsible’ approach to AI amid ‘eureka moment’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:19:05 GMT

TORONTO — The chief business officer at Google’s artificial intelligence research lab says the world is having a eureka moment around artificial intelligence, but we have to be responsible with the technology.Colin Murdoch of Google’s DeepMind says the explosion of interest around AI has come from recent advances in the technology that have allowed everyone to use it in their native language.Before, he says programmers and other technology workers were the main people dabbling with AI because it was much less accessible.But Murdoch says that ubiquity must be met with a careful approach and thoughtful consideration about all of the risks that AI carries.He encourages companies using AI to adopt external review committees that can pressure test AI for any dangers or ethical issues it will encounter or create.He also says companies must think ahead about the biases that their technology might be built with or further entrench.This report by The Canadian Press was first publ...

Sweden rescues child who fell overboard from Baltic Sea ferry and mother who jumped in the water

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:19:05 GMT

Swedish maritime authorities said Thursday they have rescued a child who fell overboard from a passenger ferry in the Baltic Sea as well the child’s mother who jumped into the water in a desperate attempt to save the 7-year-old. Mother and child were separately transported by helicopter to a hospital in Karlskrona in southern Sweden, Swedish Maritime Adminstration spokesman Jonas Franzen said. Their condition were not immediately clear.The incident occurred on a passenger ferry heading from a port in northern Poland to Karlskrona.“A child fell into the water and the mother decided to jump in after,” Swedish Maritime Adminstration spokesman Jonas Franzen told the Associated Press. He said the child fell from a height of about 20 meters (65 feet).Ships and helicopters from Sweden and from NATO units that were in the area assisted in the rescue operation.Swedish news agency TT reported the child was 7-years-old. Polish TV station TVN reported both were Polish citizens.The Associa...

Buddhist monk and a child reported among almost a dozen civilians killed in Myanmar airstrikes

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:19:05 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Airstrikes by Myanmar’s military on two villages in the country’s north-central region this week killed nearly a dozen civilians, including a Buddhist monk and a child, according to villagers and the head of a local pro-democracy group on Thursday.Tuesday’s attacks on Nyaung Kone and Kyarsi villages in Pale township in Sagaing region, also wounded about a dozen people, they said.Sagaing is a stronghold of armed resistance to the ruling military, which seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021.The takeover was met with peaceful demonstrations that were later put down by the security forces with lethal force. Many opponents of military rule then took up arms, and large parts of the country are now struggling with armed conflict that some U.N. experts have called a civil war.The military-installed government has been conducting major offensives in the countryside, including Sagaing, to try to secure territory by burning villages and car...

Toronto air quality improves but wildfire smoke could return Thursday night

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:19:05 GMT

The air quality in Toronto improved on Thursday after ranking the worst in the world the day before, but wildfire smoke could return to the city and surrounding GTA tonight.Most parts of the city reached the highest level possible on the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) on Wednesday, according to Environment Canada’s website. The northern, eastern and western parts of the city were at a 10+ level out of 10 at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, while downtown was at a 9.According to the World Air Quality Index, Toronto was number one on Wednesday afternoon with an AQI of 184, just ahead of Dubai.A special air quality statement was in effect for Toronto and the GTA as wildfire smoke covered the region, but it was lifted on Thursday morning.As of 11 a.m. the AQHI in Toronto sat at a 3, which is low risk.While the air quality statement has been lifted for the GTA, it remains in place for other areas of the province, including Ottawa and most of eastern Ontario along with London and several areas...

NFL suspends 3 players indefinitely, fourth gets 6 games for violating gambling policy

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:19:05 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The NFL suspended three players indefinitely Thursday for violating the league’s gambling policy and a fourth was sidelined for six games. Isaiah Rodgers and Rashod Berry of the Indianapolis Colts along with free agent Demetrius Taylor received indefinite suspensions through at least this season for betting on NFL games in 2022. They won’t be able to seek reinstatement until the 2023 season ends.Tennessee Titans right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere was suspended for the first six games of the 2023 season for betting on non-NFL sports at the team’s facility. He is eligible to participate in all offseason and preseason activities, including preseason games.“We believe in Nick and know that he has deep respect for the integrity of the game and our organization,” the Titans said in a statement. “We will continue to emphasize to our players the importance of understanding and adhering to league rules and policies.”___AP NFL: https://apnews.com...

Meta ends contract for journalism fellowship program as Bill C-18 fallout continues

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:19:05 GMT

TORONTO — Digital giant Meta is terminating the contract for a fellowship program that supports the hiring of a limited number of emerging journalists at newswire service The Canadian PressThe move comes amid fallout from the federal government’s Online News Act, formerly known as Bill C-18, which became law last week.The law requires tech companies such as Facebook parent Meta and Google to negotiate deals compensating media outlets for news content they share or otherwise repurpose on their platforms.Meta has threatened to block access to Canadian news on their sites in retaliation.Canadian Press president Malcolm Kirk says Meta told the newswire agency that the Online News Act has a negative affect on Meta’s position in Canada to operate some products.The Liberal government’s Online News Act is intended to help preserve Canadian journalism at a time when newsrooms are struggling to compete for online advertising dollars.This report by The Canadian Press was first publ...

Indiana state trooper struck and killed by fleeing vehicle, officials say

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:19:05 GMT

PLAINFIELD, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana state trooper was struck and killed by a stolen vehicle being chased by police in suburban Indianapolis, officials said.Trooper Aaron Smith was hit about 8:40 p.m. Wednesday while trying to place stop sticks on Ronald Reagan Parkway, north of Interstate 70 in Plainfield, state police said. Smith, 33, of Franklin, died after being taken to an Indianapolis hospital.Three people from the vehicle were treated at Indianapolis hospitals for injuries. Two young men were jailed — an 18-year-old suspected of driving the car on a preliminary murder charge and a 19-year-old on a preliminary auto theft charge, state police said. A 15-year-old girl with them in the car was listed as a missing person from Missouri and will be turned over to authorities there.State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter said investigators would be reviewing dashcam and body camera video of the crash. The Hendricks County prosecutor will decide on criminal charges from the chase and...

Stock market today: Stocks rise and bond yields jump after the latest signs of resilient economy

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:19:05 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is ticking higher Thursday as investors consider both the upsides and downsides of the latest signals that the U.S. economy remains stronger than feared.The S&P 500 was 0.4% higher in midday trading after wobbling between small gains and losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 246 points, or 0.7%, at 34,098 as of 12:19 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up by less than 0.1%.Yields were jumping in the bond market after data showed the U.S. economy grew at a 2% annual rate in the first three months of the year, much stronger than the 1.3% rate earlier estimated. Another report said fewer workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than expected, a sign that the job market remains remarkably solid despite much higher interest rates meant to slow the overall economy.“The US economy is currently displaying genuine signs of resilience,” said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY. “This is leading many to rightly question whether t...