Author: Reporter

Phantom traffic jams: Cars equipped with AI could help local drivers ease rush hour congestion

As millions of people travel the interstates over the holiday season, many will encounter patches of traffic at a standstill for no apparent reason, no construction or accident. Researchers say the problem is you. Human drivers just do not do a good job of navigating dense traffic conditions, but an experiment using artificial intelligence in Nashville recently means help could be on the way. In the experiment, specially equipped cars were able to ease rush hour congestion on Interstate-24, researcher Daniel Work said in late November. In addition to lessening driver frustration, Work said less stop-and-go driving means fuel...

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Oil price cap: The struggle to limit Russia’s profit while its crude flows to the global economy

Western governments are aiming to cap the price of Russia’s oil exports in an attempt to limit the fossil fuel earnings that support Moscow’s budget, its military and the invasion of Ukraine. The cap is set to take effect on December 5, the same day the European Union will impose a boycott on most Russian oil — its crude that is shipped by sea. The EU was still negotiating what the price ceiling should be. The twin measures could have an uncertain effect on the price of oil as worries over lost supply through the boycott compete with fears...

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Enshrined in federal law: Landmark same-sex marriage legislation wins bipartisan passage in U.S. Senate

The Senate passed bipartisan legislation on November 29 to protect same-sex marriages, an extraordinary sign of shifting national politics on the issue and a measure of relief for the hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples who have married since the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision that legalized gay marriage nationwide. The bill, which would ensure that same-sex and interracial marriages are enshrined in federal law, was approved 61-36 on November 29, including support from 12 Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the legislation was “a long time coming” and part of America’s “difficult but inexorable march towards greater equality.”...

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Looming rail strike would have vast impact on economy if freight trains grind to a halt

American consumers and nearly every industry will be affected if freight trains grind to a halt in December. One of the biggest rail unions rejected its deal on November 21, joining three others that have failed to approve contracts over concerns about demanding schedules and the lack of paid sick time. That raises the risk of a strike, which could start as soon as December 5. It would not take long for the effects of a rail strike to trickle through the economy. Many businesses only have a few days’ worth of raw materials and space for finished goods....

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Angry crowds across China protest Xi Jinping’s “zero COVID” lockdown policy in unprecedented rebuke

Protesters angered by strict anti-virus measures called for China’s powerful leader to resign, an unprecedented rebuke as authorities in at least eight cities struggled to suppress demonstrations November 27 that represent a rare direct challenge to the ruling Communist Party. Police using pepper spray drove away demonstrators in Shanghai who called for Xi Jinping to step down and an end to one-party rule, but hours later people rallied again in the same spot. Police again broke up the demonstration, and a reporter saw protesters under arrest being driven away in a bus. The protests — which began on November...

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Widespread abuses in Ukraine: Reports of Russian torture site in Kherson at police detention center

For 10 days, Alesha Babenko was locked in a basement and regularly beaten by Russian soldiers. Bound, blindfolded and threatened with electric shocks, the 27-year-old pleaded for them to stop. “I thought I was going to die,” said Babenko. In September, Babenko and his 14-year-old nephew, Vitaliy Mysharskiy, were arrested by Russian soldiers who occupied his village of Kyselivka in Ukraine’s southern region of Kherson. They had been taking photos of destroyed tanks and sending them to the Ukrainian army. Seated this week on a bench outside his home, Babenko was visibly shaken as he recounted the trauma of...

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