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The threat of wildfires is rising. So are new artificial intelligence solutions to fight them

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Wildfires fueled by climate change have ravaged communities from Maui to the Mediterranean this summer, killing many people, exhausting firefighters and fueling demand for new solutions. Enter artificial intelligence.Firefighters and startups are using AI-enabled cameras to scan the horizon for signs of smoke. A German company is building a constellation of satellites to detect fires from space. And Microsoft is using AI models to predict where the next blaze could be sparked.With wildfires becoming larger and more intense as the world warms, firefighters, utilities and governments are scrambling to get ahead of the flames by tapping into the latest AI technology — which has stirred both fear and excitement for its potential to transform life. While increasingly stretched first responders hope AI offers them a leg up, humans are still needed to check that the tech is accurate.California’s main firefighting agency this summer started testing an AI system that look...

Filipinas acusa a China de instalar barrera flotante en el disputado mar de China Meridional

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

(CNN) — Filipinas condenó este domingo a la guardia costera china por instalar lo que llamó una “barrera flotante” en una zona en disputa del mar de China Meridional, diciendo que impedía que los barcos filipinos entraran y pescaran en la zona.En una declaración en X, anteriormente conocido como Twitter, el portavoz de la guardia costera de Filipinas, Jay Tarriela, dijo que la barrera flotante fue descubierta por barcos filipinos durante una patrulla marítima de rutina el viernes y medía alrededor de 300 metros.“La guardia costera filipina y la Oficina de Pesca y Recursos Acuáticos condenan enérgicamente la instalación por parte de la guardia costera china de una barrera flotante en la parte sureste del bajo de Masinloc, que impide que los barcos pesqueros filipinos entren en el banco de arena y los priven de sus actividades pesqueras y de sustento”, decía el comunicado.Tarriela compartió fotografías de la supuesta barrera flotante y afirmó que tres barcos de la guardia coster...

Pizza Rolls / Belkys

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

Ingredients: Flour Tortillas- 9 inchSliced pepperoniSliced mozzarella cheese2 tsp. marinara sauceoregano to tasteMethod of Preparation:Place the pepperoni slices in a pan set to medium in a round shape the circumference of the tortilla you’re going to use. Cover with 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese. Place the tortilla on top and press down lightly.Let everything melt onto the tortilla and then loosen it up and flip it in the pan or carefully using some tongs. Add 2 tsp. of marinara down the middle and some oregano on top.Lift the bottom of the tortilla crisp up then slide it off the pan onto a cutting board. Let it cool for a moment and then roll it up slowly and slice it down the middle. Serve right away while still warm.Enjoy!

Marlboro police searching for dangerous suspect who escaped custody while at hospital

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

Marlboro police are searching for a suspect who escaped custody while undergoing a medical procedure at UMass Memorial Health Marlboro hospital, police said Sunday morning.24-year-old Isaac Rivera was under arrest on multiple assault and weapon charges, including domestic assault, strangulation, and assault and battery on a police officer. He is considered dangerous, officials announced on Facebook.Rivera is described as about 5 foot, 7 inches, 150 pounds with black hair, brown eyes and a goatee. He also has a tattoo on his right arm that reads “Jackie.” He was last seen wearing a hospital gown and yellow socks.Police said Rivera has ties to Ashland, Natick, Lowell and Milford.Anyone with information about his location is asked to call Marlboro police at 508-485-1212.

Masked gunmen attack Kosovo police and kill 1 officer in an escalation of tensions with Serbia

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s prime minister on Sunday said one police officer was killed and another wounded in an attack he blamed on support from neighboring Serbia, increasing tensions between the two former war foes at a delicate moment in their European Union-facilitated dialogue to normalize ties.Prime Minister Albin Kurti said “masked professionals armed with heavy weapons” opened fire on a police patrol in the village of Banjska, in Leposavic municipality, 55 kilometers (35 miles) north of the capital Pristina at 3 a.m. (01:00 GMT). Kosovo police said two trucks without license plates blocked a bridge at the entrance to the village. Three police units were sent to unblock it but came under fire from different positions with various weapons, including hand grenades and bombs.Police managed to push back the attack and take two injured police officers to the hospital in southern Mitrovica.One of them was dead on arrival, doctors said. The condition of the other is not life-...

First refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh arrive in Armenia following Azerbaijan’s military offensive

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — The first refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh have arrived in Armenia, local officials reported Sunday, and more were expected to come after a 10-month blockade and a lightning military offensive this month that resulted in Azerbaijan reclaiming full control of the breakaway region. Thousands of people were evacuated from cities and villages affected by the latest fighting and taken to a Russian peacekeepers’ camp in Nagorno-Karabakh. The first group of about 30 people has arrived from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia’s Syunik region, Karen Balyan, advisor to the Syunik governor, told Armenian media Sunday. Ethnic Armenian separatist authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh also announced that the Russian peacekeepers would accompany anyone who wanted to leave the region and go to Armenia. At the same time, two dozen ambulances carried 23 people who sustained severe wounds during the two days of fighting that killed and injured scores of people out of Nagorno-Karaba...

Israeli military raid kills 2 Palestinians in the West Bank. Israel says its troops came under fire

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

NOUR SHAMS REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) — Two Palestinians were killed during an Israeli military raid Sunday in the northern West Bank, Palestinian health officials said, the latest bloodshed in a surge of violence during a sensitive Jewish holiday period.The Israeli military said it moved into the Nour Shams refugee camp, near the town of Tulkarem, to destroy what it described as a militant command center and bomb-storage facility in a building. It said that engineering units detonated a number of bombs planted under roads and that militants opened fire and hurled explosives, as troops responded with live fire.The Palestinian Health Ministry said two men — Asid Abu Ali, 21, and Abdulrahman Abu Daghash, 32 — were killed by Israeli fire. The raid caused heavy damage to the camp’s main road, severing water pipes and flooding parts of the street. The ground floor of the targeted building was heavily damaged, while part of the exterior wall of the second floor collapsed.The Hamas...

MPPs set to return to Queen’s Park following chaotic summer break

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

Politicians are set to return to Queen’s Park on Monday after a chaotic 15-week summer break that saw two cabinet ministers’ resign, a cabinet shuffle, and a major policy reversal. There was also the release of two damning reports from the auditor general and integrity commissioner about the process to remove lands from the Greenbelt for housing development.The return of the legislature will see Premier Doug Ford set about backtracking on a decision to remove 7,400 acres of land from the Greenbelt to build 50,000 homes following almost a year of public outcry. The surprise announcement came following a caucus retreat in Niagara Falls, Ont., where party members shared with Ford what they have been hearing about the Greenbelt from people in their communities. The RCMP is reviewing information to determine whether it should investigate the Greenbelt land swap. Ford has said he is confident nothing criminal took place.A review of the Greenbelt announced earlier this month wi...

Archaeologists unearth the largest cemetery ever discovered in Gaza and find rare lead sarcophogi

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian workers in the Gaza Strip have found dozens of ancient graves, including two sarcophagi made of lead, in a Roman-era cemetery — a site dating back some 2,000 years that archaeologists describe as the largest cemetery to be discovered in Gaza. Workers came upon the site l ast year during the construction of an Egyptian-funded housing project near Jabaliya, in the northern Gaza Strip. Since then, crews have worked to excavate the 2,700-square-meter (2/3 acre) site with the support of French experts.Now, what was once an inconspicuous construction lot — surrounded by a grove of nondescript apartment buildings — has become a gold mine for archeologists looking to understand more about the Gaza Strip. Gaza, a coastal enclave home to some 2.3 million people, has a rich history stemming from its location on ancient trade routes between Egypt and the Levant. But a number of factors — Israeli occupation, Hamas’ 16-year takeover of the territory and ra...

Residents prepare to return to sites of homes demolished in Lahaina wildfire 7 weeks ago

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

From just outside the burn zone in Lahaina, Jes Claydon can see the ruins of the rental home where she lived for 13 years and raised three children. Little remains recognizable beyond the jars of sea glass that stood outside the front door.On Monday, officials will begin lifting restrictions on entry to the area, and Claydon hopes to collect those jars and any other mementos she might find.“I want the freedom to just be there and absorb what happened,” Claydon said. “Whatever I might find, even if it’s just those jars of sea glass, I’m looking forward to taking it. … It’s a piece of home.”Authorities will begin allowing the first residents and property owners to return to their properties in the burn zone, many for the first time since it was demolished nearly seven weeks ago, on Aug. 8, by the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.The prospect of returning has stirred strong emotions in residents who fled in vehicles or on foot as the wind-whipped flames raced ...