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A foldable phone, new tablet and lots of AI: What Google unveiled at its big developer event

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:39:22 GMT

(CNN) — Google on Wednesday unveiled its latest lineup of hardware products, including its first foldable phone and a new tablet, as well as plans to roll out new AI features to its search engine and productivity tools.The updates, announced at its annual Google I/O developer conference, come as the company is simultaneously trying to push beyond its core advertising business with new devices while also racing to defend its search engine from the threat posed by a wave of new AI-powered tools.In a sign of where Google’s focus currently lies, the company spent more than 90 minutes teasing a long list of new AI features before mentioning hardware updates.Here’s what Google announced at the event.The Pixel FoldGoogle became the latest tech company to unveil a foldable smartphone. Like other foldables, the $1799 Pixel Fold features a vertical hinge that can be opened to reveal a tablet-like display. But Google calls the Fold the thinnest foldable on the market.“I...

Skin patch shows promise in toddlers with peanut allergies

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:39:22 GMT

(CNN) — A “peanut patch” showed promising results in a late-phase clinical trial in toddlers with peanut allergies, according to a new study.Researchers from the French biopharmaceutical firm DBV Technologies and institutions around the world conducted randomized double-blind trial of the Viaskin Peanut patch in children ages 1 through 3 years old who had been diagnosed with a peanut allergy, they reported Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.The trial involved 362 toddlers from eight countries; 244 were randomly assigned to receive the Viaskin patch — which features 250 micrograms of peanut protein, the equivalent of about 1/1000th of one peanut — and 118 got a placebo patch. They wore the patches between their shoulder blades daily for a year before undergoing screening for peanut challenges.After 12 months, two-thirds of the children who used the Viaskin patch and one-third of the placebo group had met the trial’s primary endpoint. ...

Playful urbanism: How Copenhagen is reinventing public spaces

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:39:22 GMT

This article is part of POLITICO’s Global Policy Lab: Living Cities, a collaborative journalism project exploring the future of cities. Sign up here.What does public space look like? Parks, benches, duck ponds? Perhaps. But in Copenhagen, the options are far more plentiful.In the Danish capital, people can ski down the side of a waste incinerator, climb atop a multi-story car park and swim in a series of clean water pools in the main harbor.This concentration of fanciful public spaces isn’t a coincidence. It’s the result of city planning that dates back to 2009.As part of its Metropolis for People policy, the city set itself the goal of creating “a varied urban life” where everyone “irrespective of age, social status, ethnic background, finances or handicap” is able to participate. That included allowing “eccentric” ideas to flourish.Nowhere is that more apparent than on CopenHill, where skiiers young and old descen...

Eversource investigating incident that damaged manhole, roadway in Somerville

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:39:22 GMT

Eversource crews are responding to an incident involving a manhole in Somerville that forced the closure of a section of roadway. The incident is unfolding at the intersection of McGrath Highway and Cross Street.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

National Police Dog Association to honor memory of fallen Mass. state police K9, Frankie

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:39:22 GMT

The National Police Dog Association will be honoring the memory of fallen State Police K9 Frankie, who was fatally shot last summer during an armed standoff in Fitchburg.Frankie was a highly decorated member of the police force, receiving the Medal of Valor in 2017, among other accolades.A wreath-laying at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Thursday will honor Frankie and all the other police dogs who were killed in the line of duty.

Animal Rescue League of Boston takes in dozens of cats from ‘overcrowding’ situation

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:39:22 GMT

The Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) recently took in more than 60 cats from caretakers in Norfolk County who urgently needed to downsize the number of animals in their care. This marks the fourth large-scale intake of cats from overcrowding situations in 2023 and ARL has cared for nearly 200 overcrowding cats so far this year.The cats in the home were not spayed or neutered, and because cats can start breeding as young as four months of age and can have about three litters a year, a few cats turned into many in a very short period of time.The majority of the cats from this situation are social and friendly, and have received thorough veterinary exams, vaccinations, microchip and spay/neuter surgeries. A large number have been adopted already, but some remain in the care of ARL and are available at both ARL’s Boston and Dedham Animal Care and Adoption Centers.ARL has cared for nearly 200 cats from overcrowding so far in 2023, and the organization regularly receives requests for ...

Colleagues to honor memory of fallen trooper with ‘Burpees for Bucci’ along East Coast

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:39:22 GMT

State troopers who graduated with fallen Massachusetts State Police Trooper Tamar Bucci will be honoring her memory by embracing her love of fitness and doing ‘Burpees for Bucci’ along the East Coast.Bucci, 34, died in a traffic crash in Stoneham last year.when a tanker truck struck her cruiser as she pulled over to help a motorist in a disabled vehicle on Interstate 93 north. Now, classmates of her graduating state trooper class will be gathering at Gillette Stadium on Thursday to kick off ‘Burpees for Bucci,’ a multi-state journey to complete service projects on their way to Washington, D.C. They’ll be doing burpees in each state they pass through.Bucci is the 22nd trooper in the department’s history to die in the line of duty. She became a trooper during a graduation ceremony at Gillette Stadium in May 2020.She was also a graduate of Andover High School and Middlesex Community College. Before becoming a trooper, she worked security at ...

Battenfeld: Immigration disaster could spell doom for Biden re-election

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:39:22 GMT

An escalating immigration disaster is threatening to derail President Biden’s re-election bid and hand the White House back to Donald Trump next year.Related ArticlesOpinion Columnists | Thousands of illegal immigrants flood the border as Title 42 nears end With thousands of migrants pouring across the southern border every day, it’s about to get even worse as a pandemic-era rule allowing authorities to expel illegal migrants expires this Thursday at 11:59 p.m.Massachusetts and other states across the country are bracing for the storm to arrive on their streets and in their shelters, while Biden appears oblivious to the political peril.This is why Trump’s critics can find him liable for defamation but the court of public opinion will hold Biden liable for the pending immigration collapse.There is no system in place to assist these migrants, most of whom are without money, food or shelter. Even liberal states like Massachusetts cannot handle them. State agencies and n...

Polaris General XP is grand

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:39:22 GMT

As Polaris continues to be a leader in off-road utility, their fleet in 2023 looks stout with an array of off-road options. In Grasso’s Garage this week, it’s the 2-seater General XP 1000 Trailhead Edition. Wrapped in Blue and Orange exterior, the General, known for its off-road capability and extreme fun boats and array of new and exciting features. A 4,500 pound HD winch with a synthetic rope and sport bumper, RIDE Command GPS navigation, and Rockford Fosgate Stage 3 audio. Also, the LED 11” Pro Armor light bar was super useful for night trail riding.Our 2023 General XP 1000 Trailhead tester is not only grand, but its stature is really accommodating. Easy to get in and out, plenty of headroom for all types of users, comfortable seats, positioned right console and instrument cluster and easy to use center infotainment similar to our recently tested on-road Slingshot.As off-road and usage are at the top of Polaris’ mind for consumers, their brand has really had some great addi...

Israel kills another militant commander in Gaza as Cairo presses on with efforts to mediate truce

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:39:22 GMT

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip killed a fourth militant commander on Thursday, raising the Palestinian death toll from the latest burst of fighting to 25. Rocket fire toward southern Israel continued even as Egypt pressed on with attempts to broker a cease-fire. It has been the worst bout of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza in months, and among the dead were also women and children. The conflagration comes at a time of soaring tensions and spiking violence over the past year in the occupied West Bank. Early on Thursday, the Israeli military carried out strikes against the Islamic Jihad militant group and said a senior commander in charge of the group’s rocket launching force, Ali Ghali, was killed when his apartment was hit. The Health Ministry in Gaza said 25 people have been killed since the fighting erupted.Military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told Israeli Army Radio that two other militants were also killed in the...