Author: damazah@gmail.com

Limits of robot autonomy The fact that many events still permitted humans to directly control robotic motions shows that autonomous robot systems still have a long way to go, Patel said. Whereas humans can quickly learn many tasks on the fly, robots require much more training through repeated trial-and-error attempts either in simulation or in real-world scenarios. “You need to have all possible edge cases for a robot to learn from interaction, which is not really feasible,” Patel told Ars. “You can simulate something like 100,000 scenarios for hammering a nail, but that’s just one task from millions of tasks…

Burnham calls on businesses to offer work experience opportunities for young people as he announces plan for 10,000 placementsPA has reported some remarks by the prime minister on his visit to Sainsbury’s this morning, where he is announcing his work experience plan.Andy Burnham said the UK needs more employers to step up and offer work experience opportunities for young people.“This is a really positive development today,” he said.He continued: double quotation markOne of the biggest British brands out there, Sainsbury’s, coming forward and saying 10,000 placements for young people, work placements, apprenticeships. This is exactly what we need. We need…

A record-breaking number of choughs have made their nests around the Cornish coastline this summer, proving the breed is in “robust health”, a bird conservation charity has said.RSPB England said 161 choughs had been counted in Cornwall – 32 more than the 129 recorded in 2025. The charity said the new birds came from 56 successful breeding pairs, meaning the average productivity of a Cornish chough nest was three fledglings. It said choughs died out in Cornwall in the 1970s but returned in 2001 when three birds believed to be from Ireland landed at Lizard Point and began rebreeding. The…

Aug 25, 2026, 07:00 AM ETBy any reasonable measure, Julián Álvarez has been a successful signing for Atlético Madrid.Having joined from Manchester City for an initial €75 million in 2024, as he begins his third season in LaLiga, the Argentina striker needs to score just once to take his tally for his club to 50 goals. But after the 26-year-old went public with his desire to leave this summer, he has faced a backlash from Atlético fans.The club has repeatedly insisted that its star player will remain at the Estadio Metropolitano this season. Despite that, sources have told ESPN that…

Kesha honored Dolly Parton during her concert at the Pavilion at Star Lake in Pittsburgh last night, showcasing a cover of Parton’s 1980 hit “Old Flames (Can’t Hold a Candle to You.)” The singer shared her familial connection to the song, which was originally released by Joe Sun in 1978 and then popularized by Parton a few years later. Kesha noted that her mom, Pebe Sebert, was one of the writers on the tune. “I just want to say thank you for bringing me so much joy today, because earlier today, I’m sure many of y’all know that we lost…

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, on Tuesday, 25 August 25, commissioned the newly remodeled, digitally equipped 80-bed Obingwa General Hospital and renamed it in honour of an illustrious son of Obingwa LGA and renowned human rights activist, the late Chima Ubani. The commissioning took place at Mgboko, the headquarters of Obingwa LGA. This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by Governor Otti’s spokesman, Njoku Ukoha. Speaking at the event, Governor Otti said healthcare remains central to his administration’s development agenda. He noted that investments in the sector are aimed at restoring confidence in public health institutions and saving…

Michael Olugbode in Abuja Nigeria’s healthcare and emergency response capacity is set for a boost as Israel has donated a first batch of ambulances, medical equipment and wheelchairs to the country in what officials described as a demonstration of the growing humanitarian and health partnership between the two nations. The consignment was handed over at the Port of Ashdod, Israel, with Nigeria’s newly appointed Ambassador to Israel, Ambassador Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu, receiving the items on behalf of Nigeria. The development comes barely three weeks after Ufochukwu formally assumed her diplomatic assignment in Israel, following the presentation of her Letters of…

People dine in a Haidilao hot pot restaurant in a shopping mall complex in Beijing on March 13, 2025. One of China’s biggest restaurant chains has promised to refund thousands of customers after footage of a patron urinating into a simmering hotpot went viral online, triggering a public outcry. The clip, filmed last month, appeared to show a young man standing on a table at a Haidilao branch in Shanghai urinating into a vat of boiling broth. (Photo by JADE GAO / AFP) (Photo by JADE GAO/AFP via Getty Images) Jade Gao | Afp | Getty ImagesShares of Chinese hotpot…

The main drug that has been in use for decades to combat malaria in sub-Saharan Africa is running into a problem: In recent years, researchers have become increasingly concerned that parasites are becoming less sensitive to treatment. Identifying the underlying genetic factors has become an urgent priority.In an attempt to identify the reason for drug-resistant malaria, a team led by Brown University researchers conducted whole-genome analysis of 157 malaria parasite samples selected from specimens collected in Uganda between 2016 and 2024. The work, published in Nature Medicine this week, shows evidence that mutations in a gene that encodes a protein…

The Presidency has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council list for the 2027 election will be adjusted where necessary, but denied that the list has been withdrawn or subjected to a wholesale review. Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, made this known on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily. Dare was responding to reports that the APC had withdrawn the list following controversy over the inclusion and exclusion of some party leaders and other political figures. He said the list remained valid, stressing that the party was…