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Anthropic promises its datacenters totally won't drive up your utility bill

Compute it leases from Amazon, MIcrosoft, and Google... that's another story

Model-maker and SaaS-y AI outfit Anthropic has committed to covering any increases in energy prices paid by consumers caused by its power-hungry datacenters.…

The Guardian

Latest news, sport, business, comment, analysis and reviews from the Guardian, the world's leading liberal voice

Ukraine war briefing: Elections will be held only after ceasefire, says Zelenskyy

Ukrainian president says security guarantees must first be in place as he pushes back at suggestions he plans to hold poll under US pressure. What we know on day 1,450

Ukraine will hold elections only once it has security guarantees in place and a ceasefire with Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, pushing back at suggestions he is planning to stage fresh ballots under US pressure. “We will move to elections when all the necessary security guarantees are in place,” the Ukrainian president told reporters on Wednesday in a voice note. “I have said it’s very simple to do: establish a ceasefire, and there will be elections.” He also said that if Russia agreed, it might be possible to “end hostilities by summer”. Elections in Ukraine have been effectively suspended since Russia invaded in 2022 due to martial law.

Senior Ukrainian officials agreed on Wednesday to boost air defence capabilities around the capital to counter possible further Russian air attacks on energy infrastructure, the energy minister said. “We also identified and prioritised other critical infrastructure facilities that require protection,” Denys Shmyhal said on Telegram on Wednesday after a meeting of the military staff. The fresh preparations follow attacks on Kyiv that have left officials scrambling to repair damage that has left thousands in the cold and darkness.

Russian strikes killed four civilians on Wednesday in different localities in Ukraine’s south-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, the regional governor said. The attacks occurred in three small localities near the town of Synelnykove, east of the regional centre of Dnipro, Oleksandr Ganzha said on Telegram. In one attack, a man was killed and his wife wounded. In a different locality, a couple and their 45-year-old son was killed and a man wounded. A woman was hurt in a third village.

Zelenskyy said the US needed to put more pressure on Russia if it wanted the war to end by summer, adding it is unclear whether Moscow would attend US-brokered peace talks next week. “It depends not only on Ukraine, but also on America, which must exert pressure – excuse me for saying so, but there is no other way: it must exert pressure on Russia,” he said on Wednesday, after previously saying Washington wants to end the war by June. Zelenskyy said Russia was still deliberating over whether to participate in the proposed next round of trilateral peace talks in Miami but that Ukraine was ready to attend.

The Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych says he is ready to be disqualified on Thursday because he does not want to betray his country’s dead athletes, reports Sean Ingle. Heraskevych has vowed to wear his “helmet of memory” in the skeleton, even though the International Olympic Committee has told him it will kick him out if he does. “I will not betray these athletes,” he said after finishing first on the final day of practice.

British defence minister John Healey says the UK has committed £150m ($205m) to the so-called prioritised Ukraine requirements list (Purl) initiative to supply Ukraine with US weapons. Purl was set up last summer to keep US weapons flowing to Ukraine at a time when new US military assistance had stalled. “Together we must provide Ukraine with the critical air defence it needs in response to Putin’s brutal onslaught,” Healey said in a statement on Wednesday. Allies have already put forward more than $4.5bn through the programme, the US ambassador to Nato, Matthew Whitaker, said on Tuesday.

A Russian crackdown on the Telegram social media app risks damaging its own army, pro-war bloggers have warned, as the platform’s founder refused to bend to pressure from Moscow, reports Pjotr Sauer. Russia’s communications watchdog said on Wednesday that the app – used by more than 60 million Russians each day – would begin slowing nationwide, accusing it of failing to address earlier regulatory violations.

Europe’s largest nuclear power plant can be restarted safely only if it is returned to Ukrainian control, the head of Ukraine’s nuclear power operator said on Tuesday. The six reactors at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have been shut down since Russian forces captured the area, and Moscow announced last year it was aiming to restart at least one reactor. But Pavlo Kovtoniuk, boss of Ukrainian state nuclear firm Energoatom, said Russia lacked some equipment and spare parts to operate it, and risked a nuclear accident if it tries.

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Fundraiser for widow and children of James Van Der Beek surpasses $500,000 goal within hours

The Dawson’s Creek star, who died on Tuesday aged 48, had been open about struggling to meet the high expenses of his cancer treatment

A GoFundMe set up to support the widow and children of actor James Van Der Beek has passed its initial goal of $500,000 within hours of being created – and has now been updated to a goal of $1m.

Van Der Beek, best known for his role as sensitive teen Dawson Leery on the TV series Dawson’s Creek, died on Tuesday aged 48 after a battle with bowel cancer.

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House passes Save America Act, Trump-backed bill to impose new voting rules

Bill that requires proof of citizenship and would limit mail-in voting passes 218-213 but faces uphill battle in Senate

The House on Wednesday passed the Save America Act, which would dramatically change voting regulations by requiring proof of citizenship at voter registration and significantly curtail mail-in voting.

The legislation, which passed 218 to 213, faces an uphill battle in the Senate, close observers say.

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One in 14 children who die in England have closely related parents, study finds

Exclusive: Calls for ‘urgent action’ as study also finds stark ethnic and socio-economic disparities in child mortality and consanguinity

One in 14 children who died in England in a four-year period had parents who were close relatives, according to “stark” figures revealed by the first study of its kind.

The figures, published by the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD), based at the University of Bristol, analysed all 13,045 child deaths in England between 2019 and 2023. Of these, 926 (7%) were found to be of children born to consanguineous parents, meaning the mother and father are close blood relatives, such as first cousins.

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S.F. looks to repeal law requiring stores to accept cash

The impetus for the rule was accessibility:

The "very poor," as well immigrant communities and the very young and old, the amendment read, "fall outside the non-cash financial system." [...]

Nationwide, those levels are decreasing, but remain significant. A survey conducted by the FDIC found that in 2023, Black and Latino households were overrepresented in the unbanked population, with 10.6 percent of Black and 9.5 percent of Latino households in the U.S. were unbanked, down from 17 and 14 percent in 2017.

Today, approximately 4 percent of San Francisco households are "unbanked," or do not have a checking or savings account, and nearly 14 percent are "underbanked" -- have bank accounts but primarily use cash or use check cashers or money orders. [...] "These residents are often the most financially vulnerable and can face higher costs and barriers in everyday transactions," Manke said.

The destruction of cash is part of the advertising panopticon agenda. Paper money doesn't have a utm_source on it so it is useless.

Let us also keep in mind that this "vocal contingent of local business owners" are the same business geniuses who are always, always certain that a bike lane will ruin them.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.

Rotterdam - FediMeteo (@rotterdam@nl.fedimeteo.com)

Weer voor de stad Rotterdam Deze bot wordt beheerd door het FediMeteo-project. Voor informatie en contact kunt u de pagina https://fedimeteo.com raadplegen.

Weer voor Rotterdam ☁️...

Weer voor Rotterdam ☁️

Waarschuwingen:
• 🌧️ 04:00 · 88% · 0.1 mm

In één oogopslag:
• 8.4°C · Bewolkt ☁️ | Min 5.8°C / Max 8.6°C | Kans op neerslag 54%

Verwachting voor vandaag:
• Min 5.8°C, Max 8.6°C (Zware motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 3.4 mm, Kans op neerslag 54%, 🧭 979.8 hPa ↗️ +3.9 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 25.6 km/u (7.1 m/s), richting: → 280°

Uurlijkse voorspelling voor de komende 12 uur:

02:00: 8.4°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.1 mm, Kans op neerslag 62%, 🧭 975.9 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 12.2 km/u (3.4 m/s), richting: ↖ 157°
03:00: 8.0°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 77%, 🧭 975.1 hPa ↘️ -0.8 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 9.7 km/u (2.7 m/s), richting: ← 100°
04:00: 7.8°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.1 mm, Kans op neerslag 88%, 🧭 974.2 hPa ↘️ -0.9 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.8 km/u (3.0 m/s), richting: ← 92°
05:00: 7.2°C (Matige motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.5 mm, Kans op neerslag 94%, 🧭 974.0 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 11.2 km/u (3.1 m/s), richting: ↙ 32°
06:00: 7.2°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.3 mm, Kans op neerslag 96%, 🧭 974.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.4 km/u (2.9 m/s), richting: ↓ 2°
07:00: 7.7°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.2 mm, Kans op neerslag 96%, 🧭 975.1 hPa ↗️ +0.7 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.4 km/u (2.9 m/s), richting: ↓ 346°
08:00: 7.8°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.2 mm, Kans op neerslag 94%, 🧭 975.7 hPa ↗️ +0.6 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 12.2 km/u (3.4 m/s), richting: ↘ 324°
09:00: 7.8°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.2 mm, Kans op neerslag 89%, 🧭 977.0 hPa ↗️ +1.3 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 11.2 km/u (3.1 m/s), richting: ↘ 314°
10:00: 8.2°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.1 mm, Kans op neerslag 84%, 🧭 977.8 hPa ↗️ +0.8 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 9.7 km/u (2.7 m/s), richting: → 277°
11:00: 8.6°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 78%, 🧭 978.8 hPa ↗️ +1.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.7 km/u (3.8 m/s), richting: → 283°
12:00: 7.5°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.3 mm, Kans op neerslag 70%, 🧭 979.7 hPa ↗️ +0.9 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.3 km/u (3.7 m/s), richting: → 283°
13:00: 7.9°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.1 mm, Kans op neerslag 63%, 🧭 980.3 hPa ↗️ +0.6 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 12.6 km/u (3.5 m/s), richting: → 268°

Voorspelling voor de komende dagen:

vrijdag 13 februari: Min 0.2°C, Max 5.4°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.1 mm, Kans op neerslag 10%, 🧭 992.6 hPa ↗️ +12.8 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 25.2 km/u (7.0 m/s), richting: ↓ 7°
zaterdag 14 februari: Min -0.9°C, Max 3.0°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 5%, 🧭 1010.6 hPa ↗️ +18.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 15.4 km/u (4.3 m/s), richting: ↓ 6°
zondag 15 februari: Min -1.0°C, Max 2.0°C (Matige sneeuw) ❄️, Neerslag 2.4 mm, Kans op neerslag 34%, 🧭 1008.8 hPa ↘️ -1.8 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 21.7 km/u (6.0 m/s), richting: ↑ 170°
maandag 16 februari: Min 1.1°C, Max 5.4°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 2.1 mm, Kans op neerslag 52%, 🧭 996.9 hPa ↘️ -11.9 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 12.4 km/u (3.4 m/s), richting: ↗ 213°
dinsdag 17 februari: Min 0.9°C, Max 6.6°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 2.0 mm, Kans op neerslag 32%, 🧭 1009.2 hPa ↗️ +12.3 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 18.9 km/u (5.2 m/s), richting: → 291°
woensdag 18 februari: Min 2.3°C, Max 10.1°C (Zware motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 7.8 mm, Kans op neerslag 51%, 🧭 998.1 hPa ↘️ -11.1 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 21.7 km/u (6.0 m/s), richting: ↗ 212°

Details:
• 🌡️ Huidige temperatuur (om 01:15): 8.4°C (Bewolkt)
• 🤚 Gevoelstemperatuur: 5.8°C (-2.6°C)
• 💨 Windsnelheid: 13.7 km/u (3.8 m/s), richting: ↖ 151°
• 🌬️ Windstoten: 25.9 km/h (7.2 m/s)
• 💧 Luchtvochtigheid: 90%
• 🧭 Luchtdruk: 975.9 hPa ↘️ -1.7 hPa/3h
• 👁️ Zichtbaarheid: 8.9 km
• ☀️ UV-index: 0.0
• 🌅 Zonsopgang: 08:02 · 🌇 Zonsondergang: 17:50

Luchtkwaliteit:
• AQI: 36 🟢 (Goed)
• PM2.5: 11.4 μg/m³
• PM10: 15.7 μg/m³

Gegevens geleverd door Open-Meteo



14643 20260211_180709 The orange rose towards the window

iain.davidson100 has added a photo to the pool:

14643 20260211_180709 The orange rose towards the window

14644 DSC_0002 The roses in the vase

iain.davidson100 has added a photo to the pool:

14644 DSC_0002 The roses in the vase

14642 20260211_091653 Reflections at NERAM

iain.davidson100 has added a photo to the pool:

14642 20260211_091653 Reflections at NERAM