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The Biden administration, under intense pressure from House lawmakers, moved on Wednesday to ban funding from a prominent virus-hunting nonprofit group whose work with Chinese scientists had put it at the center of theories that Covid would have leaked from a laboratory.The decision, announced in a letter from the Department of Health and Human Services, came on the heels of a fiery congressional hearing this month in which lawmakers attacked the group's president for allegedly misrepresenting its work with virologists in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic began. Republicans went further, demanding that Peter Daszak, the president of the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance, be criminally investigated.For EcoHealth, which relied on federal funding to study the threat of wild animal viruses, the...

The French government declared a state of emergency in New Caledonia on Wednesday as it struggled to quell deadly riots in the semi-autonomous French Pacific territory.French authorities have undertaken what they called a "massive" mobilization of security forces since violent protests erupted in New Caledonia this week against a proposed amendment to the French Constitution that would change local voting rules in the territory. The French parliament's vote approving the amendment on Tuesday sparked unrest overnight.“The priority is to restore order, calm and serenity,” Gabriel Attal, the French prime minister, told lawmakers on Wednesday.The French government said more than 1,800 security officers are already in the territory and that 500 reinforcements will arrive in the next 24 hou...

When it comes to choosing a commencement speaker, colleges and universities take different approaches. Some reach out locally, selecting well-known people in the area. Others take the high road, opting for a former or current politician. Actors or comedians are often asked to speak.But in a world where artificial intelligence is everywhere, a New York university opted for a robot that uses artificial intelligence to talk to graduates over the weekend.For its spring commencement on Saturday, D'Youville University, a private institution in Buffalo, asked an AI robot named Sophia to address a crowd of more than 2,000 students, faculty and their families in a bold decision that sparked mixed reactions.Dr. Lorrie Clemo, president of D'Youville University, said in an interview Wednesd...

Sameh Shoukry, Egypt's foreign minister, immediately objected, saying the crossing was still closed because of Israel's control over it and because its military operations were endangering truck drivers and aid workers. In a statement from Egypt's Foreign Ministry, Shoukry rejected what he described as "the policy of distorting facts."Israeli officials rarely publicly criticize Egypt, with which Israel maintains a decades-old peace treaty and sensitive security cooperation.Defying international pressure, Israel launched a limited invasion of Rafah on May 6, seizing areas to the east. Even if the trucks were allowed to pass through the Rafah crossing, it is unclear whether they could safely cross into eastern Rafah, where Israeli forces are fighting Hamas militants.Israel rece...

STDs are on the rise across the United States. More than 3,700 cases of congenital syphilis have been reported in 2022, about 11 times the number recorded ten years ago.Syphilis during pregnancy can lead to miscarriages and stillbirths, and children who survive may become blind or deaf or have severe developmental delays. But timely testing and treatment can prevent most of these outcomes.Sexually transmitted infections disproportionately affect communities of color. Socioeconomic status and education level can also influence prenatal care.I cover infectious diseases at the Times. I would love to hear firsthand from women who have had syphilis during pregnancy. Were you offered testing during pregnancy? If you tested positive were you treated? How has syphilis affected your child...

Slovakia's populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was injured in an attack on Wednesday, according to the country's president.Local media reported that Mr. Fico was shot and wounded in the town of Handlova, where he had been meeting with supporters.President Zuzana Caputova condemned what she called a "brutal and reckless attack."“I'm shocked,” she wrote in a Facebook message. “I wish Robert Fico a lot of strength in this critical moment to recover from the attack.”The extent of Mr. Fico's injuries was not immediately known. There was no immediate comment from the prime minister's office or police.Fico is a veteran politician who has aligned himself with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in opposing aid to Ukraine and challenging traditional views within the Europe...

For the past 10 months, Chelsea Prudencio, a student at Baruch College in Manhattan, has been taking a crash course in artificial intelligence through a new program for young, low-income, Latina and Black women majoring in computer science.As part of the program, called Break Through Tech AI, Ms. Prudencio completed an intensive course developed by Cornell Tech faculty with input from technology executives. She embarked on an artificial intelligence student project for Pfizer to create heart disease prediction models. She and she were mentored by a Citigroup cybersecurity executive on how to ace technical job interviews.These are the types of important learning and career opportunities that can help computer science majors find jobs in rapidly evolving fields like artificial intelligence...

With Israeli troops returning to clear Hamas for the second or third time from parts of northern Gaza, and also fighting further south in Rafah, the Israeli government has found itself facing more vocal discontent from a important constituency: its own military leaders.Current and former senior military officials have begun to argue more openly that because the government has failed to present a plan for what follows the fighting in Gaza, Israeli troops are forced – in the eighth month of the war – to fight again for areas of the territory where Hamas fighters have reappeared.Two Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid professional repercussions, said some generals and members of the war cabinet are particularly frustrated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for ...

Artificial intelligence is giving machines the power to generate videos, write computer code and even carry on a conversation.It is also accelerating efforts to understand the human body and fight disease.On Wednesday, Google DeepMind, the tech giant's core AI lab, and Isomorphic Labs, a sister company, unveiled a more powerful version of AlphaFold, an AI technology that helps scientists understand the behavior of the microscopic mechanisms that drive cells on the planet. Human Body.An early version of AlphaFold, released in 2020, solved a puzzle that had plagued scientists for more than 50 years. It was called “the protein folding problem”.Proteins are the microscopic molecules that guide the behavior of all living things. These molecules begin as strings of chemical compounds befo...

King Charles III on Tuesday unveiled the first official portrait of himself since his coronation just over a year ago: a striking oil painting in which he stares head-on at a background of dappled shades of red, pink and fuchsia.The painting, by famed portraitist Jonathan Yeo, was unveiled at Buckingham Palace, the royal family said means of social communication. video it showed the king pulling on a ribbon attached to the fabric covering the impressive work, which, as it fell, seemed to give him a little surprise.Mr Yeo, who has painted the likes of David Attenborough, Idris Elba and activist Malala Yousafzai, began the portrait in June 2021, when the king was still the Prince of Wales. He depicts him wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was colonel of the regiment, with ...