Trump Flip-Flops on Strait of Hormuz, Creating New Risks for Global Economy

NY Times - mar, 07/14/2026 - 14:50
The president now wants Gulf nations to invest in the U.S. in exchange for safe passage. Shipping industry experts worry other nations will follow that lead.

OnePlus Is Reportedly Shutting Down In the US, Europe

SlashDot - mar, 07/14/2026 - 14:00
OnePlus will reportedly announce this week that it is shutting down its brand in the U.S. and Europe, following months of signs that parent company Oppo was winding down the brand's global presence. India and China are reportedly unaffected, but it's unclear whether Oppo will replace the brand directly in those markets. The move also raises questions about future support for existing OnePlus users. 9to5Google reports: WinFuture reports that OnePlus is gearing up for an official withdrawal from the U.S. and European markets, with the announcement due in the "coming days" this week. Closed-door press conferences have apparently happened, with no details shared on the exact reason OnePlus as a brand is shutting down in these markets. India and China are, as far as this report claims, not affected. The report, citing "well-informed sources," notes that this OnePlus announcement will come amid "fundamental changes" to Oppo's strategy, but the big point here is the global death of OnePlus.

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Tornadoes in Maine? A Rare Forecast for Parts of U.S. and Canada

NY Times - mar, 07/14/2026 - 13:47
Storms on Tuesday could produce damaging winds, large hail and even tornadoes in areas where they are not common.

IBM Stock Collapses After a Grave Warning About AI

SlashDot - mar, 07/14/2026 - 13:00
IBM shares plunged after the company warned that Q2 revenue and earnings would miss expectations, blaming customers' sudden shift in spending toward AI hardware instead of software services. However, CEO Arvind Krishna did not place all the blame on IBM's customers. The CEO also said it "faltered" by failing to "anticipate the magnitude of the capex reprioritization." "These conditions require our teams to execute perfectly, and this quarter we faltered. We did not adapt and move quickly enough, and numerous large deals failed to close on the timelines we expected, driving the majority of our shortfall." Fast Company reports: In the preliminary report, IBM said that for its second quarter of fiscal 2026, it expects revenue of $17.2 billion, which is up 1%. It also said it expects a Non-GAAP Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) of $2.93, up 5%. However, as noted by CNBC, these preliminary results are below what analysts were expecting, which was $17.86 billion in revenue, and an EPS of $3.01, according to FactSet data.

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New York Becomes First State To Impose Data Center Moratorium

SlashDot - mar, 07/14/2026 - 12:00
New York has become the first U.S. state to impose a moratorium on large new data centers, pausing construction for one year over concerns that AI-driven data center growth is raising utility bills, straining water supplies, and burdening communities. "As data center development threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources, and create uncertainty for New Yorkers, it's my responsibility to take action and lead," said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. She will also pursue legislation to repeal sales tax exemptions for large data centers, Hochul added. Reuters reports: The construction ban will apply to data centers that use 50 megawatts or more of power, officials in the governor's office said. During the moratorium, the state's Department of Environmental Conservation will not issue any discretionary permits not already deemed complete, the governor's office said. Instead, Hochul directed state officials to develop a Generic Environmental Impact Statement to ensure that new data centers coming online are held to "consistent standards," as well as examine the potential environmental impacts of the construction and operation of data centers in the state. The ban will be lifted once the state finalizes those standards, according to Hochul's office.

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StubHub, CEO Hit With 'Deceptive Practices' Class Action Over Mass Scalping

SlashDot - mar, 07/14/2026 - 11:00
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: StubHub and its CEO, Eric Baker, have been hit with a proposed $5-million class-action lawsuit in the United States over the company's ties to large-scale scalpers -- connections reported by CBC News last week. The suit, filed Monday by New York ticket buyer Louis Sanquini, alleges deceptive practices and fraudulent misrepresentation over StubHub's promoting itself as a "marketplace for fans to buy and sell tickets." The online ticket resale giant has faced a storm of customer complaints after cancelling thousands of World Cup tickets. The company has repeatedly said it is simply a technology platform that does not buy, sell or possess tickets. However, CBC reported last week that Baker disclosed in recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that he runs Andro Capital, a hedge fund that engages in large-scale resale of millions of dollars' worth of sports and concert tickets on the StubHub resale platform. Sanquini filed the proposed class action in the Southern District of New York, arguing consumers were kept in the dark and that he believed StubHub was a "neutral" marketplace. Lead counsel Kevin Steinberg told CBC News in an emailed statement that "consumers deserve honesty and transparency." A CBC investigation found that the CEO of online ticket reseller StubHub owns and manages a hedge fund that scalps millions of dollars of its own tickets. "While what StubHub is alleged to have engaged in and perpetrated upon millions of patrons is unfathomable, this case is about transparency and consumer trust. If companies make representations to the public, consumers are entitled to expect that those representations are complete and accurate," he said. The claim reads: "Defendants' failure to disclose this conflict of interest, while affirmatively marketing StubHub as a fan-to-fan marketplace, deceived Plaintiff and the Class and caused them to pay prices, and accept terms, they would not have accepted had the truth been known." Sanquini argues that had he known StubHub's CEO held a financial interest and that the company was helping finance professional resellers, he would never have used the resale site to buy tickets to see rock band Kiss in 2023 or to attend a New York Red Bulls-New York City FC Major League Soccer match in 2024.

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Indian Scientists Produce Most Detailed 3D Atlas of the Human Brainstem

SlashDot - mar, 07/14/2026 - 07:00
Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) have created what they describe as the world's most detailed 3D cellular atlas of the human brainstem, linking whole-brain MRI views to individual neurons across more than 500 tissue sections. The free online atlas, called Anchor, could help researchers better understand diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, stroke, and SIDS by showing how healthy and diseased brain tissue differs cell by cell. The BBC reports: Built from high-resolution microscope images rather than costlier molecular techniques, it creates a detailed three-dimensional map of the brainstem, identifying more than 200 clusters of brain cells and nerve pathways. Eight chemical markers help distinguish different cell types, producing one of the clearest pictures yet of this vital, but poorly, understood part of the brain. The brainstem occupies only a sliver of the brain, yet it keeps people alive. It links the brain to the spinal cord and controls breathing, heartbeat, sleep, wakefulness and movement. [...] Users can zoom from the whole brainstem seen on MRI down to individual neurons while maintaining their precise spatial relationships. The researchers have made the atlas freely available online, hoping it becomes a reference tool for neuroscientists, neurologists and neurosurgeons worldwide. Its applications could also extend well beyond anatomy. By comparing healthy brainstem maps with diseased tissue, scientists may better understand disorders ranging from Parkinson's disease and stroke to Alzheimer's disease and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). More precise maps could also help neurosurgeons navigate one of the brain's most delicate regions with greater confidence.

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Scientists Find Sugar Deep In Our Galaxy

SlashDot - mar, 07/14/2026 - 03:05
Astronomers have detected erythrulose, a sugar found in raspberries and self-tanners, in a gas cloud near the center of the Milky Way. While not essential for life itself, the molecule can convert into a form thought to be important for life's origins, adding evidence that key prebiotic ingredients may be widespread across the galaxy. The Associated Press reports: Using two dish-shaped radio telescopes in Spain, researchers collected data from a large gas cloud near the center of the Milky Way. They identified the sugar in gas form by comparing telescope signals to samples in the lab. It's the latest kind of sugar detected in space -- in a region crossed by NASA's twin Voyager, the farthest spacecraft to ever travel from Earth. Scientists have found interesting chemistry in our galaxy, including building blocks for genetic material and parts of the cell. They spotted a cousin to table sugar near the center of the Milky Way about 25 years ago, and black grains from asteroid Bennu retrieved by NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft yielded other sugars, including a key DNA ingredient. The latest sugar isn't essential for life, but can easily convert to a form that's thought to be crucial to kick-starting life on Earth. And it's one of the most complex sugars spotted so far, said astrophysicist Erika Hamden with the University of Arizona. The results were published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

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Ukraine’s War Is in the Sky Now

NY Times - mar, 07/14/2026 - 01:00
The ground war in Ukraine has stalemated and the crucial fight has shifted to the skies — missiles and interceptors.

ICE Agent Kills Person in Vehicle in Biddeford, Maine, State Officials Say

NY Times - mar, 07/14/2026 - 00:32
The fatal shooting in Biddeford, Maine, was the second in a week involving an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent firing into a vehicle.

‘Lettuce or Salad Greens’ Identified as Potential Source of Cyclospora Outbreak

NY Times - mar, 07/14/2026 - 00:30
Michigan health officials announced the preliminary findings, but they cautioned that other foods could not be ruled out. The illness has sickened thousands across the United States.

Agitation in Dementia Can Be Helped by Medical Cannabis, Study Suggests

NY Times - mar, 07/14/2026 - 00:01
A combination of THC and CBD eased symptoms in an especially frail population: patients with advanced dementia near the end of their lives.

Deportations by India Cause Tension Along Border with Bangladesh

NY Times - mar, 07/14/2026 - 00:00
India is driving out Bangladeshi immigrants it says are in the country illegally. Bangladesh is pushing back, leaving people stranded along the border amid increasing tensions between the countries.

Pat Oliphant, Cartoonist Who Skewered the Powerful, Dies at 90

NY Times - lun, 07/13/2026 - 23:31
The winner of countless awards, including a Pulitzer Prize, he was described in 1990 as “the most influential political cartoonist now working.”

Over 200 Economists Say 'We Must Act Now' On AI's Economic Impact

SlashDot - lun, 07/13/2026 - 23:30
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Associated Press: Hundreds of economists say in an open letter that institutions "must act now" to address how artificial intelligence could transform the economy and could put many people out of work. The statement released Monday was signed by top economists, along with computer scientists and some executives at tech companies including Anthropic, Google and OpenAI. "AI may become radically more powerful over the next 10 years," says the letter organized by Stanford University's digital economy lab. "This could drive an unprecedented transformation of our economy, larger than the Industrial Revolution, but unfolding over a vastly shorter time frame. It could bring risks, including large-scale job displacement, as well as opportunities such as major gains in living standards." The letter, which has only four sentences, says leaders must "build the incentives, guardrails, and institutions needed to steer AI in a direction that complements humans and benefits society." The Stanford lab says the letter has so far been signed by more than 200 economists and AI researchers, including 16 winners of a Nobel Prize. "We must be intentional and make collective, democratic choices, rather than letting market forces play out and risking leaving most citizens behind," wrote computer scientist and AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio, who was also among the signatories. He said it "it is highly plausible that AI will drastically transform our economies." Other signatories include Google CEO Eric Schmidt, LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, and Nobel laureates Joseph Stiglitz, Daron Acemonglu, and Simon Johnson.

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Tension Emerges Among Democratic Socialists Over 2028 Endorsement

NY Times - lun, 07/13/2026 - 21:30
A meeting to decide on a plan to back a presidential candidate, most likely Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, turned acrimonious, and a proposal to poll members was rejected.

Graham’s Death Complicates G.O.P. Agenda in Congress

NY Times - lun, 07/13/2026 - 21:02
Senators returned to the Capitol mourning their colleague, who played pivotal roles on multiple issues confronting lawmakers.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Chased the American Dream for 35 Years Before Fatal ICE Shooting

NY Times - lun, 07/13/2026 - 21:02
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo hoped to obtain legal status, his family said. He was killed last week by an immigration agent who was looking for a different man.

Trump Says Fighting With Iran Has Resumed as He Orders Blockade and Tolls

NY Times - lun, 07/13/2026 - 20:38
After several days of strikes, the president notified Congress that fighting had begun again and announced shipping fees that his administration previously deemed illegal.

The Ridiculous Rise of Victor Marx

NY Times - lun, 07/13/2026 - 19:41
Once started, the process of voter radicalization isn’t easy to modulate.

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