Most everyone who’s committed their career to solving the climate crisis comes to the field because they have

Neuralink, Elon Musk's brain-implant company, has won US approval to test on humans. Here is what to know about the multi-billionaire's dream project to enable the human...

The Biden administration is poised to issue a proposal as early as Friday ordering automakers to increase the

Google is working to fix false contact information for some major airlines on Google Maps after a Twitter user found a phone number actually connected callers to scammers.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 26, 2023--

A group of Florida students and the authors of an award-winning children’s picture book about the true story of a penguin family with two fathers have argued that a Florida school district unconstitutionally restricted access to the book under what opponents have called the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. A lawsuit filed in federal court on 20 June argues that the Lake County school district’s decision to pull And Tango Makes Three “cited no legitimate pedagogical reason for its decision” and was restricted only for “illegitimate, narrowly partisan and political reasons.” Last year, Lake County officials announced that the title was “administratively removed due to content regarding sexual orientation/gender identification” prohibited under the “Parental Rights in Education Act,” what critics have called the “Don’t Say Gay” law. That measure, signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis last year, broadly prohibits “classroom instruction” on issues related to “sexual orientation or gender identity” in kindergarten through third grade” or “in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards” in other grades. Mr DeSantis signed a measure this year that explicitly expands the law to cover all school grades. Opponents have warned its broad scope could effectively block discussion of LGBT+ people, history and events from state schools, and be weaponised against students, staff and their families under threat from potential lawsuits against school districts over perceived violations. The lawsuit from the book’s authors Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and the families of several young students argues that such restrictions violate First Amendment protections, including the authors’ right to freedom of expression and students’ rights to receive information. And Tango Makes Three “tells a true and heartwarming story, and it teaches students about animal behavior, adoption, diversity among family structures, and responsible family values,” the lawsuit states. “The authors wrote Tango to spread a message of tolerance and equal treatment. They have a sincere and strongly held desire to ensure that Tango is available to children learning about animal behavior, adoption, and family structures, whether similar to or different from their own – and the student plaintiffs wish to read Tango to learn about those very subjects,” the plaintiffs wrote. The book was listed among free expression group PEN America’s most-banned picture books of the last school year. Last year, a record high of more than 1,200 attempts to remove books from schools and libraries were reported to the American Library Association. There were at least 1,477 attempts to ban 874 individual book titles within the first half of the 2022-2023 school year, according to PEN America. The figures mark a nearly 30 per cent spike from book challenges over the previous year. Book ban attempts have largely targeted books by and about LGBT+ people, titles written by or involving people of colour, or materials featuring honest discussions of race and racism, according to PEN America. Mr DeSantis and his administration have repeatedly rejected characterising such restrictions as “book bans” and have accused media outlets of manufacturing a “hoax” and a “fake narrative” surrounding them. The state has been at the centre of book challenges and legal battles over school and library materials as the DeSantis administration implements a sweeping agenda targeting public education and lessons and speech he deems objectionable. PEN American and Penguin Random House, one of the largest book publishers in the world, and several prominent authors and families have also sued a separate school district and school board in Florida’s Escambia County. A lawsuit filed in US District Court last month argues that school officials have pursued an “ideologically driven campaign to push certain ideas out of schools” against the recommendation of experts. “This disregard for professional guidance underscores that the agendas underlying the removals are ideological and political, not pedagogical,” the lawsuit states. The Independent has requested comment from the state’s Department of Education. Read More A zoo, Black History event and university funding: Ron DeSantis under fire after vetoing local funding because lawmakers didn’t endorse him DeSantis wants to model America after Florida. Civil rights groups are sounding the alarm on his ‘hostile’ agenda The school librarian in the middle of Louisiana’s war on libraries ‘They were trying to erase us’: Inside a Texas town’s chilling effort to ban LGBT+ books Biden condemns ‘hysterical’ threats to LGBT+ Americans as White House pushes back on book bans Florida mom who tried to ban Amanda Gorman’s book has ties to far-right groups

Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, rolled out two new subscription plans on Friday,

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The Indian government has announced that it would impose a heavy 28 per cent tax on the funds collected by online gaming firms from its customers, dealing a blow to the country’s fast-growing industry valued close to $2bn. India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, consisting of federal and state ministers, said on Tuesday that it has agreed to levy a 28 per cent indirect tax on online gaming, casinos, and horse racing, adding there should be no distinction between “game of skill” and “game of chance.” Industry experts have voiced concerns that the increased tax burden on the companies may lead to extra charges levied from customers. Companies have so far only paid a small tax on the fee charged from customers for playing games involving real money, but Tuesday’s new rule would impose a 28 per cent tax on the amount these firms collect from players in every game, dealing a hefty blow to their operations. “The implementation of a 28 per cent tax rate will bring significant challenges to the gaming industry. This higher tax burden will impact companies’ cash flows,” Aaditya Shah, an executive at the gaming app IndiaPlays, told Reuters. The new move also comes amid a number of reports across the country of gaming addiction and financial losses among fantasy cricket players and online card games. Commenting on the GST Council’s decision, Roland Landers, chief of the trade body All India Gaming Federation which represents firms like Mobile Premier League, Gameskraft, and Paytm First Games, said it is “unconstitutional, irrational, and egregious”. “This decision will wipe out the entire Indian gaming industry and lead to lakhs of job losses and the only people benefitting from this will be anti-national illegal offshore platforms,” Mr Landers said in a statement, TechCrunch reported. Ashneer Grover, co-founder of the Indian fintech company BharatPe and a former Shark Tank India judge, tweeted that the move may pose risks “not only for online games – but across sectors. Across startups.” “You got billions in from foreign investors as FDI (foreign direct investment). Celebrated FDI inflow! Now the same investors will apply regulatory risk discount to India and funds will dry up,” he said. “RIP – Real money gaming industry in India....It was good fun being part of the fantasy gaming industry - which stands murdered now,” Mr Grover tweeted. Read More A look at sports gambling rules among Big 4 pro leagues Seventh Indian cheetah died of ‘traumatic shock’ after fight with female, post mortem shows Record monsoon rains have killed more than 100 people in northern India this week £10 phone with e-wallet and streaming can bridge India ‘digital divide’, experts say Elon Musk reveals plan to use AI to reveal mysteries of the universe xAI: Everything we know about Elon Musk’s new AI company

Will.i.am has hailed artificial intelligence (AI) as a “new renaissance” in music. The 48-year-old musician and member of the Black Eyed Peas expressed an optimistic view of new music software, which can be used to produce and create songs. He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “People have to decide what types of songs they want to write because, although I wrote songs like Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling and Where Is the Love?, the machine is going to write amazing versions or original Boom Boom Pows.” He added that people “desire” songs which can be a “social commentary” on the news, something AI is “going to be able to do”. “It’s a very, very, very unique world that we’re entering into. It’s a new renaissance.” He said new technology does not just “mimic” what he does but creates something new. “It was a brand new song and it wrote it the way I would have written it.” He went on: “The concern is what we do as people and the regulation and guidelines that we put on folks that are building the models. “The fact that AI mimics, but at the same time we haven’t put in clauses for where people own their likeness in their essence… well, that’s one thing. AI’s not deciding that, people are.” However, other famous faces such as Dolly Parton and Charlie Brooker have raised concerns about AI. Black Mirror creator Brooker told Empire Magazine that using the ChatGPT tool had produced something which read plausibly “at first glance” but did not contain “any real original thought”. He also told the PA news agency that the AI advances explored in the latest episode of the Netflix series could be used in a “frankly terrifying way”. Brooker was referring to an episode of the dystopian anthology show in which a woman finds her life replicated by streaming platform Streamberry. Parton was asked at a press event last week about living on in an artificial form in the future. She said: “I think I’ve left a great body of work behind. “I have to decide how much of that high-tech stuff I want to be involved because I don’t want to leave my soul here on this Earth.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Heart transplant woman’s daughter twice saved her life using Alexa Dolly Parton on AI and not wanting to leave her soul ‘here on earth’ Glastonbury festival-goers use data equivalent to 400 HD film downloads an hour

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has the lowest review score in franchise history with a 53 on Metacritic, 20 points below Call of Duty: Vanguard.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. has joined the list of investors in startup Element Energy, which says its technology