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Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain implant startup, set to begin human trials

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

New York (CNN) — Elon Musk’s controversial biotechnology startup Neuralink opened up recruitment for its first human clinical trial Tuesday, according to a company blog.After receiving approval from an independent review board, Neuralink is set to begin offering brain implants to paralysis patients as part of the PRIME Study, the company said. PRIME, short for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface, is being carried out to evaluate both the safety and functionality of the implant.Trial patients will have a chip surgically placed in the part of the brain that controls the intention to move. The chip, installed by a robot, will then record and send brain signals to an app, with the initial goal being “to grant people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone,” the company wrote.Those with quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may qualify for the six-year-long study – 18 months of at-...

Nadia Calviño overcomes another hurdle in bid for EIB top job

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

Nadia Calviño’s ambition to become the president of the EU’s bank received a major boost on Wednesday when the European Parliament removed a significant obstacle to her appointment.Spain’s deputy prime minister is vying with Denmark’s Margrethe Vestager, currently on leave as EU digital and antitrust chief, to become president of the European Investment Bank, in a decision that is pitting the bloc’s governments against each other.While they had hoped to reach a decision earlier this month, officials say uncertainty in Paris about who to back and divisions in Berlin’s coalition government have added greater complications than usual to what could have been a straightforward choice.But in typical EU fashion, Calviño’s chances have been increased because of how the European Parliament moved to fill a completely different job. Lawmakers voted to support Germany’s Claudia Buch’s nomination for the next head of the EU’s banking supervisor.Two SpaniardsBuch, v...

King Charles draws crowds in Paris amid pomp, ceremony

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

PARIS — Ardent fans, tourists and curious Parisians waved and cheered as King Charles III and French President Emmanuel Macron descended the Champs-Elysées on Wednesday, in the opening act of the British monarch’s three-day state visit to France.Hundreds of well-wishers lined the pavements of Paris’s most famous avenue, hoping to catch a glimpse of Charles and his wife Queen Camilla. Some had been waiting for several hours, while others extended their lunch break to watch the parade.After landing in France, the king and his wife were welcomed by Macron and his wife Brigitte at the Arc de Triomphe monument in central Paris, where they laid wreaths to the countries’ war dead. Escorted by horses of the French Republican Guard, the heads of state descended the Champs-Elysées, briefly standing out of the roof of their car to wave to the crowd, before holding talks at the Elysée Palace.Among the Parisians present, there was interest and enthusiasm for the British ro...

UK’s Rishi Sunak confirms loosening of key green pledges

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak confirmed a major roll-back of several key U.K. green policies — despite a fierce backlash from business groups, climate activists and some members of his own Conservative Party. In a hastily-arranged speech Wednesday — brought forward after details of his plan leaked — the U.K. prime minister said there was “nothing ambitious about simply asserting a goal for a short term headline without being honest with the public about the tough choices and sacrifices involved, and without any meaningful democratic debate about how we get there.”And he argued: “No one in Westminster politics has the courage to look people in the eye and explain what’s really involved. That’s wrong, and it changes now.” The U.K.’s Conservative government passed a law in 2019 vowing to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Even though that headline target remains in place, Sunak — whose party is trailing in the polls ahead of an expected election next year — has sought...

‘Back to where it all started,’ says Simone Biles as she looks forward to full-circle moment at upcoming world championships

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

(CNN) — Simone Biles topped the standings at the US Women’s World Championships Selection Event on Tuesday as her return to competitive gymnastics passed another landmark.Biles, 26, finished with an all-around total of 55.700, ahead of Shilese Jones’ 55.300 in second at the event in Katy, Texas.The victory books Biles’ spot on the US team for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, which start in Antwerp, Belgium, on September 30.Biles is now the only US woman to qualify for six world championships, her first coming back in 2013 – that event was also held in Antwerp.“Back to where it all started. See you soon Belgium,” Biles wrote on Instagram.In her world championships debut in Antwerp 10 years ago, Biles won all-around and floor exercise golds, as well as vault silver and beam bronze.She has gone onto earn plenty more accolades, accumulating 25 world championship medals – 19 golds, three silver and three bronze – in total.Biles is already the most decorated gymnast ...

The interest rate hike you may already be paying for

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

By Elizabeth Renter | NerdWalletThe Federal Reserve has been on an inflation reduction campaign for about 19 months, influencing higher interest rates across the economy. The interest rate that could be affecting the greatest share of households is costly, and one they might have overlooked.Ask someone what their mortgage rate is and they’ll probably be able to tell you. Ask them for the interest rate on one of their credit cards and prepare for a blank stare. But as of the second quarter, we collectively carry more than $1 trillion in credit card debt across some 578 million credit card accounts, according to data from the New York Fed. And the share of American households carrying a credit card balance — about 47%, according to an early 2023 NerdWallet analysis — surpasses that of mortgages (40%) and auto loans (41%).Average interest rates charged on credit card accounts have risen from just over 16% in February 2022, before the Fed began raising rates, to just over 22% as of May ...

Callahan: The Patriots’ game plan for the Jets comes down to 3 words

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

FOXBORO — You want a sneak peek of the Patriots’ game plan against the Jets?Here it is.Here are all of their chosen schemes, film findings, scribbled Xs and Os condensed into three words that apply to all three phases: play cleaner football.That’s it.If the Patriots can wait out them again, they will watch Jets puke on themselves, slip in their own mess and fall flat on their backs. Then, all the Pats will need to do Sunday is tip-toe around that mess to leave MetLife Stadium with a win.Because that is exactly how this series has played out ever since Mac Jones and Zach Wilson were drafted in 2021. And with Wilson back under center, it will be the same script moving forward.To review: Jones eked out a 25-6 Patriots win in his second career start, one best remembered for four equally hilarious and terrible Wilson interceptions. Next, the Pats bludgeoned the Jets by 41 in a rebound win to right their season. Last year, Wilson fired three more picks in a 22-17 Pats win, bef...

Mac Jones taking simplistic approach in attempt to turn Patriots around

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

FOXBORO — If Mac Jones’ statements Wednesday are to be taken at face value, the team captain is going back to the fundamentals of playing quarterback as he tries to turn around the Patriots’ season after an 0-2 start.The theme of Jones’ news conference Wednesday was back to basics, focusing on not just each down but what makes up each play.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Callahan: The Patriots’ game plan for the Jets comes down to 3 words New England Patriots | Patriots, Matt Corral saga takes another strange turn with QB back off squad New England Patriots | Patriots, OT Trent Brown reportedly agree to added contract incentives New England Patriots | Patriots fan who witnessed fatal fight calls on NFL to tackle brawling New England Patriots | How Patriots OC Bill O’Brien assessed the offense after 2 weeks Monday on WEEI, Jones clarified a statement he made Sunday night after the Patri...

Fancy mocktails are here to stay, as Gen Z embraces nonalcoholic living

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

By John Metcalfe, Bay Area News GroupSons & Daughters is a one-starred Michelin restaurant in San Francisco that offers, in addition to its $225 tasting menu, a $95 beverage pairing. Sounds reasonable? Well, consider the nine beverages are all nonalcoholic.Cured Mount Lassen trout might come with a coriander shrub with white and purple currants. Maine lobster is paired with lactic-fermented green strawberries, raw carrots and strawberry vinegar, and Umpqua Valley lamb has beetroot juice with blackberries smoked over applewood.The spirits-free pairing is actually one of the less expensive options in the Bay Area. San Francisco’s Kiln offers pairings designed by a former lead sommelier at Atelier Crenn for $125, and Healdsburg’s SingleThread mixes another for $150 to accompany 10 courses of Michelin-starred cuisine.Sprouted and toasted buckwheat with chanterelles and summer stems and a nonalcoholic drink made of roasted stone fruits from K&J Orchards with kombu and housemade p...

Trial of police officers to begin in Elijah McClain’s 2019 death from sedative and neck hold

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:54:25 GMT

BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) — The trial of two suburban Denver police officers was set to begin Wednesday in the killing of Elijah McClain, a Black man put in a neck hold and injected with a powerful sedative whose 2019 death later became a rallying cry for nationwide protests and spurred police reform in Colorado.In the first of several trials stemming from the death of McClain, lawyers for the two sides are expected to paint contrasting pictures of the deadly struggle between the officers and the 23-year-old, who was stopped by police while walking home from a convenience store listening to music on his headphones while carrying only a plastic bag and his phone. One question jurors could be asked to decide is whether it was lawful for officers Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt to detain and use force against McClain, who a 911 caller had reported as being suspicious. If prosecutors can convince jurors the stop was unjustified, that would undermine any argument that McClain’s injuries we...