Jul 22, 2023 By Ap 7 min read

Solar panels on water canals seem like a no-brainer. So why aren’t they widespread?

The idea of putting solar panels on top of the world’s thousands of miles of irrigation canals has long seemed like a good one. In arid locations, besides the clean electricity, there is the added benefit of reducing evaporation. But the technology has been slow to take off. Pilot projects in India were never broadened. A study measuring the potential of covering canals in California has given the idea new legs. Now a startup company is trying to learn from India’s challenges and will install panels on canals in California’s Central Valley. And environmental groups are pressing for even greater adoption.

Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and other tech firms agree to AI safeguards set by the White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is praising new commitments by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and other companies to meet a set of artificial intelligence safeguards brokered by his White House as an important step toward managing the “enormous” promise and risks posed by the technology. Biden on Friday announced that his administration has secured voluntary commitments from seven U.S. companies meant to ensure that their AI products are safe before they release them. The commitments include third-party oversight of the workings of commercial AI systems, though they don’t detail who will audit the technology or hold the companies accountable.

Comedians energize the picket lines as Hollywood actors and writers strikes enter second week

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The combined strike by Hollywood actors and screenwriters is entering its second week with no sign of a swift ending. Actor, writer and comedian Marc Maron was on the picket lines outside Netflix on Friday, saying he had gathered a bunch of his comedian buddies to come out and support their fellow strikers. Other comics on picket lines included “Saturday Night Live” alum Fred Armisen and “Hacks” star Hannah Einbinder. In London on Friday, British actors held a solidarity event. They chanted “One struggle, one fight” and “The luvvies, united, will never be defeated,” using a British slang term for actors.

Awash in pink, everyone wants a piece of the ‘Barbie’ movie marketing mania

NEW YORK (AP) — Pink sauce on that Burger King burger? What about “Barbie-fying” your pet with sweaters and beds with Barbie motifs? If that’s too low-brow, perhaps you’d be interested in hot pink Barbie monogrammed knit leggings by luxury designer Balmain instead, selling at Neiman Marcus for a cool $2,150. Welcome to the wonderful and weird world of “Barbie” movie marketing. Ahead of Friday’s U.S. release of the “Barbie” movie, parent company Mattel has created a product marketing blitz with more than 100 brands plastering pink everywhere. Experts say all this marketing is only good for the brand. But it’s going to be hard to stand out when the world is awash in pink.

Migrants face misery in Tunisia. Rights activists fear that the EU deal will make things even worse

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Migrants in Tunisia’s port city of Sfax who are aiming to make Europe their new home are now sharing the burden and the blame for escalating tensions deeply tinged with racism amid the fears of European leaders who are trying to stanch the numbers of people arriving at their shores. The antagonism that exploded this month in Sfax between Tunisians and mainly Black sub-Saharan migrants are widely seen as a turning point in how this North African nation deals with the issue of migration and an opportunity to be seized by Europe. A meeting Thursday in Tunis of human rights activists denounced a summit on migration this Sunday in Rome saying its goal is to pursue an anti-migrant vision.

From Barbie to millennial pink, the cultural phenomenon behind the color that sells

The release of “Barbie” is upon us, and the color pink is nearly inescapable. It’s a color that has commanded fascination for generations, each shade and hue with its own connotation. Throughout history, designers, artists, and brands have played with the emotions the color evokes, shaping meanings that are ever-evolving. From gender to class, those associations have constantly been challenged, flipped and subverted. While the definition of pink is always in flux, its cultural staying power is one constant. Brands love it, but one artist is pushing back against “Big Color” to try to make “the Barbiest pink” accessible to all. Unless you’re a Mattel employee.

A UPS strike could be just around the corner. Here’s what you need to know

NEW YORK (AP) — As the deadline to reach a new contract nears, a potential UPS strike feels closer than ever. The Teamsters — which represent some 340,000 UPS workers — are calling for better pay, particularly for part-time workers, and safety improvements. Following a negotiation stalement that started earlier this month and rallies held across the country, the union and UPS say they will resume talks next week. But if an agreement isn’t met before the current contract expires on July 31, the unionized workers have authorized a strike. Such an impasse hasn’t been seen since 1997, in a very different landscape for delivery services, when a walkout by 185,000 workers crippled UPS. Here’s what you need to know.

A wildfire is raging out of control on the Greek island of Rhodes, forcing tourist evacuations

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A large blaze burning on the island of Rhodes for the fifth day has forced authorities to order an evacuation of four locations, including two seaside resorts. In previous days, the wildfire was confined to the island’s mountainous center, but aided by winds, very high temperatures and dry conditions, it spread Saturday towards the coast on the island’s central-eastern side. Local media report the fires had reached three hotels, whose clients had already been evacuated. The fire department says more than 200 firefighters and 40 fire engines are operating on the ground, assisted by five planes and three helicopters. The force includes 31 firefighters from Slovakia. The blaze in Rhodes was just one, the most dangerous, of several active across Greece.

Low levels of radioactive tritium may be near the Mississippi River after an energy company’s leak

MONTICELLO, Minn. (AP) — Groundwater containing low levels of radioactive material may have reached the edge of the Mississippi River. That’s according to the energy company responsible for the leak from its nuclear power plant in Monticello, Minnesota. Xcel Energy said tritium — a radioactive isotope of hydrogen — hasn’t been detected in the river water itself. But it has been detected about 30 feet from the river at levels that are still safe to drink. State health officials also said these levels of tritium do not threaten public health. The issue has still prompted concerns among residents and raised questions about aging pipelines.

The Trump Organization and former fixer Michael Cohen settle his lawsuit over unpaid legal bills

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s company and his former longtime lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen have settled a lawsuit over Cohen’s claims he was unfairly stuck with big legal bills after getting entangled in investigations into the former president. Lawyers for the two sides disclosed the settlement during a video conference with the judge in New York on Friday, days before Cohen’s 2019 lawsuit was slated to go to trial in a Manhattan state court. Details of the agreement haven’t been made public. Cohen says the matter “has been resolved in a manner satisfactory to all parties.” Lawyers for the Trump Organization haven’t commented.