Tests - Shore News Network

Wisconsin primary tests ‘uncommitted’ vote on Biden’s Israel stance

ReutersApril 1, 20240

By Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Opposition to President Joe Biden’s strong support of Israel’s war against Hamas faces a fresh test on Tuesday in Wisconsin where pop-up groups on a shoestring budget are urging voters to mark themselves uncommitted in the state’s Democratic primary. For two weeks, 60 grassroots groups and organizers have advanced their cause with phone banks, mailers, banners, knocks on doors and “friend banks” where volunteers contact friends who then contact their friends. Their goal is to get 20,682 voters to mark their ballots “uninstructed,” Wisconsin’s version of “uncommitted.” The number is significant. Biden, a Democrat,

New AI benchmark tests speed of responses to user queries

ReutersMarch 27, 20240

By Max A. Cherney SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Artificial intelligence benchmarking group MLCommons on Wednesday released a fresh set of tests and results that rate the speed at which top-of-the-line hardware can run AI applications and respond to users. The two new benchmarks added by MLCommons measure the speed at which the AI chips and systems can generate responses from the powerful AI models packed with data. The results roughly demonstrate to how quickly an AI application such as ChatGPT can deliver a response to a user query. One of the new benchmarks added the capability to measure the speediness

Analysis-China’s harsh sentence for Australian writer tests limits of rebound in ties

ReutersFebruary 5, 20240

By Laurie Chen BEIJING (Reuters) – The suspended death sentence handed to Australian writer Yang Hengjun in Beijing on Monday is unlikely to derail Australia-China ties but will test the limits of Canberra’s push to put relations back on track after years of tensions, analysts say. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was “appalled”, while observers expressed shock at the severity of the sentence for Yang, an Australian citizen born in China, three years after a closed-door trial on espionage charges. Yang was detained as ties worsened in 2019. But hopes of his release had been fuelled by a

Safran tests radical jet engine design in historic wind tunnel

ReutersJanuary 19, 20240

AVRIEUX, France (Reuters) – French engine maker Safran said on Friday it had begun wind-tunnel tests for its “RISE” technology project, a radical jet engine design for the next generation of medium-haul jets. Safran and its partner GE Aerospace are testing the building blocks for an open-bladed jet engine able to reduce fuel use and emissions by 20% from the middle of next decade. Positioned as a possible successor to the “LEAP” model used on the Boeing 737 MAX and about half of competing Airbus A320neo jets, “RISE” features visible fan blades and would be twice the diameter of today’s

North Korea says tests underwater nuclear drone, criticises US-led joint drills

ReutersJanuary 19, 20240

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea has conducted a test of its underwater nuclear weapons system in a protest against this week’s joint military drills by South Korea, the United States and Japan, state media KCNA said on Friday. The test of the “Haeil-5-23” system, a name North Korea has given to its nuclear-capable underwater attack drones, was carried out by the defence ministry’s think tank in the waters off its east coast, the report said, without specifying a date. The ministry’s unnamed spokesman accused the United States, South Korea and Japan of “getting frantic” with military exercises, warning

Boeing performs pressure tests but does not normally adjust Max 9 panels -source

ReutersJanuary 12, 20240

By Valerie Insinna and Tim Hepher (Reuters) – Boeing does not typically make adjustments to the type of panel involved in last week’s 737 MAX 9 blowout unless factory tests reveal a problem, a source familiar with Boeing’s industrial process said on Friday. Sources told Reuters last week Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems sends semi-completed fuselages from its factory to Boeing with the special panel, which replaces an optional emergency exit, fitted but not completed. Those sources said Boeing workers usually remove the panel, and use the gap to install pieces of cabin equipment, before replacing the panel and finishing the

Marketmind: Inflation tests market thesis, bitcoin gets ETF nod

ReutersJanuary 11, 20240

A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan If the aggressive interest rate easing markets have priced for 2024 is to ring true – against what Federal Reserve officials are currently signaling – then days like today will have to come good. Despite excitement around 34-year highs for outperforming Japanese stocks and U.S. regulators finally approving exchange traded funds to track bitcoin, the release of the critical U.S. consumer price inflation report for last month dominates the rest of Thursday. In advance of the report, Wall St has recovered its zest after a ropey

Modern DNA Tests Could Help Investigators Solve JonBenet Ramsey Murder Case

Jessica WoodsJanuary 2, 20240

BOULDER, Colo. – In a renewed effort to solve the 1996 homicide of JonBenet Ramsey, the Boulder Police Department (BPD) has engaged an external panel of experts to review the case. The Colorado Cold Case Review Team, consisting of professionals from various fields, including the FBI and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, is re-examining the case with updated forensic technologies. This intensive review, spanning a year, involved digitizing all evidence into a searchable database. This database encompasses over 21,000 tips, more than 1,000 interviews across 17 states and two countries, and samples from over 200 individuals. The case file, containing

Year-end rally in US stocks faces twin tests as Fed, inflation data loom

ReutersDecember 8, 20230

By Lewis Krauskopf NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Federal Reserve’s last monetary policy meeting of 2023 and a U.S. inflation report in coming days should test a stock market rally that some view as stretched following weeks of gains. Bets the Fed will begin cutting interest rates sooner than expected have fueled a surge in U.S. equities, which received a tailwind from a rapid decline in Treasury yields. The S&P 500 up nearly 20% in 2023 after a monthly gain in November that was its biggest of the year. Yet some investors believe the rise in stocks has left markets

China launches probe into surrogacy, fake paternity tests in Wuhan

ReutersNovember 28, 20230

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Chinese authorities have suspended a hospital and a judicial institute in the city of Wuhan from conducting some services after they were accused of surrogacy and issuing fake paternity results. The suspension comes amid several investigations related to the issuance of fake birth certificates as China, where surrogacy is illegal, tries to boost its birth rate. Wuhan Puren Hospital has been suspended from releasing birth certificates and Wuhan Ruiboxiang Judicial Appraisal Institute has been suspended from providing judicial appraisal services, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said on Tuesday. A task force has been set up to

Factbox-German budget crisis tests limits of its ‘debt brake’

ReutersNovember 20, 20230

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s constitutional court ruled last week that the coalition government’s decision to re-allocate 60 billion euros ($65 billion) of unused debt from the pandemic era to climate and industry projects was unconstitutional. The ruling has sent budget talks into disarray and sparked calls within Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition to suspend a constitutionally enshrined “debt brake” that sets legal limits on borrowing. The government’s use of off-budget funds had been a way to comply with these limits as Germany sees itself as Europe’s strongest defender of fiscal discipline. WHAT IS THE DEBT BRAKE AND WHY WAS IT INTRODUCED?

Blood tests needed for widespread Alzheimer’s diagnosis on the way

ReutersOctober 11, 20230

By Deena Beasley (Reuters) – Blood tests for Alzheimer’s are needed to more widely diagnose the brain-wasting disease and understand its prevalence, but it will be another couple of years before they become an everyday tool, medical experts and company executives say. Blood testing is initially likely to be used to rule out Alzheimer’s, with positive results signaling the need for more advanced diagnostics. Several Alzheimer’s blood tests are in the works – and one is already being sold to consumers – but none have been established as accurate, formally approved by regulators or reimbursed by insurers. Some are being

Bank of England to review how it stress tests banks

ReutersOctober 10, 20230

By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s banking system is well capitalised to withstand shocks the Bank of England said on Tuesday, adding that next year’s annual health check of major lenders will dispense with bank-by-bank results while a “stocktake” of stress testing takes place. The BoE has been testing the resilience of banks such as Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC and NatWest to theoretical shocks annually for about a decade, typically publishing bank-by-bank results that analysts and markets scrutinise for vulnerabilities. “The UK banking system is well capitalised, supported by strong recent profitability, and has high levels of liquidity,” the BoE’s

Analysis-Evergrande crisis tests Beijing’s fallout management as creditor jitters mount

ReutersOctober 5, 20230

By Xie Yu and Clare Jim HONG KONG (Reuters) – As developer China Evergrande Group lurched from one crisis to another over the past two years, Beijing avoided directly intervening to rescue what was not too long ago considered one of the country’s “too big to fail” enterprises. With the world’s most indebted developer now standing at the precipice after authorities launched a criminal investigation into its billionaire founder, some creditors, investors and analysts are now betting on authorities stepping in to manage the fallout. A messy collapse of the property giant could rip through the already-sputtering economy, with hundreds

Spotify tests voice translation feature for podcasts

ReutersSeptember 25, 20230

(Reuters) – Spotify Technology is testing an AI-powered feature that will translate podcasts from the likes of Dax Shepard and Lex Fridman to other languages, the audio-streaming company said on Monday. The feature marks the latest attempt by the Swedish company to capitalize on generative artificial intelligence, the technology that has taken the world by storm after the rise of ChatGPT, to tap new users and boost revenue. The translated versions, powered by Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s newly released voice generation technology, would mimic the original speaker’s style and will be more natural than traditional dubbing, Spotify said. The company had also

For Libya’s Haftar, flood aftermath tests strongman image

ReutersSeptember 21, 20230

(Reuters) – After Derna’s catastrophic floods, eastern Libyan military leader Khalifa Haftar flew in by helicopter and received salutes from his troops as he toured the city where thousands of people were killed when whole districts were swept away. Three days later, residents vented their anger on the mud-caked streets, torching the mayor’s house as they accused the authorities of failing to maintain the dams that protected the city, and failing to evacuate residents before a powerful storm. While the protesters did not take aim at Haftar – much of their anger was focused on the mayor – their demands

Jill Biden tests negative for COVID – White House

ReutersSeptember 7, 20230

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. first lady Jill Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Thursday, the White House said. The first lady, who tested positive for COVID on Monday, experienced mild symptoms and remained in Delaware when President Joe Biden returned to Washington on Monday evening, the White House has said. The president, who has tested negative several times since Monday, is due to travel to Group of 20 summit in India on Thursday. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; writing by Jasper Ward; Editing by Caitlin Webber)

Charles River Lab signs joint agreement for protection of crabs used in medical tests

ReutersAugust 25, 20230

(Reuters) – Charles River Laboratories has signed a joint agreement with four entities to enhance protections in South Carolina for horseshoe crabs and a bird that feeds on their eggs, they said on Thursday. The crabs, prized for their milky-blue blood that is used to detect bacterial contamination in intravenous drugs or implants, have been listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Wildlife advocates have for long criticized the use of blood of horseshoe crabs in safety tests for medical products, including those needed before a COVID-19 vaccine. Red knots, a bird federally listed as a

Analysis-Russian raid off Turkey’s coast tests Erdogan’s resolve

ReutersAugust 16, 20230

By Jonathan Spicer and Ece Toksabay ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Russia’s raid on a ship just off Turkey’s coast brings the fallout from the Ukraine war to another NATO frontier and raises the stakes as Ankara seeks to coax Moscow back to a grain-export deal that would restore some calm to the Black Sea. Armed marines raided the Turkish-based vessel via helicopter on Sunday some 60 km (37 miles) off Turkey’s northwest coast, in international waters but near Istanbul, in what Moscow called an inspection before it sailed on to Ukraine. Turkey, NATO’s second-largest military, has made no public comment on

Marketmind: Caution the watchword for inflation tests

ReutersAugust 7, 20230

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Wayne Cole. It’s been a slow start in Asia, with little in the way of market-moving news over the weekend. Shares are narrowly mixed, with Nasdaq futures faring best, while the dollar is a shade firmer and Treasury yields are up slightly. A roundup of comments from board members at the last Bank of Japan meeting suggests they saw raising the cap on bond yields as a way of extending the life of super-easy stimulus, rather than a step towards ending it anytime soon. Yields on 10-year Japanese

China keeps lending benchmarks unchanged; economic weakness tests policymakers

ReutersJuly 19, 20230

SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) -China left its lending benchmarks unchanged on Thursday, after the central bank stood pat on a key policy rate earlier this week even as signs of a faltering economic recovery called for more stimulus. China’s economy grew at a frail pace in the second quarter, raising investor hopes for more supportive measures to ensure Beijing’s growth target for the year remains on track. However, many market watchers said the stimulus could be targeted and limited in scale as any more rate cuts could widen the interest rate differentials with the United States further and pressure an already weak

Fed’s Kashkari: Inflation fight must be won, new stress tests could help

ReutersJuly 12, 20230

(Reuters) – U.S. financial regulators should take steps to ensure banks can withstand further interest-rate hikes should the Federal Reserve need to deliver them to fight entrenched inflation, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said on Wednesday. The failure of several large regional banks in the spring highlighted what can happen when banks are poorly positioned to handle securities losses, on paper or otherwise, triggered by rising interest rates as the Fed tightened monetary policy to battle decades-high inflation. If inflation proves persistent and the Fed needs to raise interest rates further, Kashkari said, stresses on some banks could reemerge, forcing

Marketmind: Russian turmoil tests safe-haven demand

ReutersJune 25, 20230

By Jamie McGeever (Reuters) – A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. Asian markets on Monday kick off what looks like a pretty light week for regional economic, policy and corporate drivers, with all eyes on how investors react to the extraordinary events in Russia over the weekend. It is unclear what the immediate impact of Russian mercenaries’ advance on Moscow, retreat and apparent deal with President Vladimir Putin will be on risk appetite and demand for traditional ‘safe haven’ assets like gold, Treasuries, the Japanese yen or the U.S. dollar. These

New inflation data tests Fed’s faith in housing slowdown thesis

ReutersJune 13, 20230

By Howard Schneider WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Federal Reserve officials for months have been counting on slower-rising U.S. housing prices to help in their efforts to control inflation, and there are good reasons to think that may happen soon. An oft-cited index of real-time leases prepared by real estate firm Zillow, for example, shows rental inflation peaked just over a year ago – and, mathematically, should start lowering inflation statistics that include rents as an annual average. Data showing the rental vacancy rate was the highest in two years in the first quarter of 2023 also supports the idea that rental

France confirms bird flu vaccination after favourable tests

ReutersMay 26, 20230

PARIS (Reuters) – France confirmed its aim to launch a vaccination programme against bird flu in the autumn after results from a series of tests on the vaccination of ducks showed “satisfactory effectiveness”, the farm ministry said. A severe strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has ravaged poultry production around the world, leading to the culling of over 200 million birds in the past 18 months. France has been the worst hit country in the European Union and is facing a strong resurgence of outbreaks since early this month in the southwestern part of the country,