Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

HA LEJONE, Lesotho (AP) — In the wake of massive U.S. cuts to foreign aid, the small country of Lesotho, in southern Africa faces deep uncertainty and worry over its HIV-positive residents.Lesotho long had the world’s second-highest HIV infection rate. Over years, with nearly $1 billion in U.S. aid, Lesotho patched together a health network efficient enough to slow the epidemic’s spread. But when U.S. President Donald Trump froze foreign assistance and dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, chaos and confusion followed in Lesotho. Clinics shut down, workers were let go, and patients stopped treatment.Much of Lesotho’s system to…

The markets may be fretting about an AI bubble, but Goldman Sachs says the boom is still in its opening act.That’s because the scale of current investment remains small compared with the potential economic payoff, analysts at the Wall Street giant argue.”The enormous economic value promised by generative AI justifies the current investment in AI infrastructure and overall levels of AI investment appear sustainable as long as companies expect that investment today will generate outsized returns over the long run,” wrote analysts at Goldman Sachs in a Wednesday note.The bank’s analysts pointed to two main reasons for their call: AI…

MacKenzie Scott took some heat from Elon Musk last year for the causes to which she donates. But Scott, who was once married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, hasn’t backed down on her diversity-related donations this year.On Wednesday, Morgan State University, a historically Black university, announced that it had received a $63 million gift from Scott. This was Scott’s second major donation to the university in five years. She donated $40 million to the Maryland-based university in 2020.When approached for comment, a representative for Morgan State University referred Business Insider to a statement it had published on Scott’s donation on…

WASHINGTON (AP) — For a generation of young Americans, choosing where to go to college — or whether to go at all — has become a complex calculation of costs and benefits that often revolves around a single question: Is the degree worth its price?Public confidence in higher education has plummeted in recent years amid high tuition prices, skyrocketing student loans and a dismal job market — plus ideological concerns from conservatives. Now, colleges are scrambling to prove their value to students.Borrowed from the business world, the term “return on investment” has been plastered on college advertisements across the U.S.…

Some protein powders and shakes contain unsafe levels of lead, according to a Consumer Reports investigation.In the report, published Tuesday, Consumer Reports analyzed 23 protein powders and shakes — a range of dairy, beef and plant-based protein supplements — and found that more than two-thirds of the products contained more lead in a single serving than what experts say is safe to consume, about 0.5 micrograms per day.”Protein powders and shakes have become immensely popular and are part of a daily routine for many people who are focused on consuming more protein in their diet,” Brian Ronholm, director of food…

(Reuters) -Adtalem Global Education said on Wednesday it will partner with Alphabet’s Google Cloud to launch an artificial intelligence credential program aimed at students and healthcare professionals to use AI tools in clinical practice.The program, set to debut in 2026, will provide students and practicing clinicians across Adtalem’s network, including Chamberlain University and Walden University, with hands-on experience using Google Cloud’s AI tools, such as Gemini models and Vertex AI services.Adtalem said participants will complete coursework covering AI applications in clinical practice, ethical considerations, patient safety protocols, and hands-on experience with healthcare-specific AI tools commonly used across hospital systems and…

There’s a big question hanging over TikTok’s pending sale: What the heck is going to happen to the algo?Transferring the algorithmic magic of TikTok’s content-recommendation system is a key challenge facing Oracle’s Larry Ellison and a group of investors who the White House said are involved in a bid to buy TikTok’s US business as part of a $14 billion deal.”The algo is what makes TikTok great,” one current TikTok staffer said. “Will a retrain be as good?”The spin-off plan laid out by the Trump administration is simple on its surface. TikTok’s current owner, ByteDance, will hand over the keys…

Two months after she was born, Eliana Nachem got a cough that wouldn’t go away. Three weeks later, she also started having runny stool, prompting a visit to her pediatrician.Eliana didn’t have allergies or a gastrointestinal condition; instead, tests pointed to a problem with her immune system. At 4 months old, Eliana received her diagnosis: severe combined immunodeficiency, or SCID.Babies born with the extremely rare disease do not develop the cells required for a functioning immune system. Every germ becomes a potentially fatal threat and to stay healthy, children with the condition must live in a completely sterile environment. Without…

Federal regulators have granted preliminary approval to Erebor Bank, the crypto- and tech-focused financial outfit cofounded by Palmer Luckey and backed by Peter Thiel and Joe Lonsdale.”I am committed to a dynamic and diverse federal banking system, and our decision today is a first but important step in living up to that commitment,” Jonathan Gould, the Comptroller of the Currency, said on Wednesday.The green light is a necessary step toward opening. Erebor is the first bank to receive such approval since Gould was sworn in in July.Luckey, who also co-founded autonomous weapons manufacturer Anduril Industries, helped start Erebor earlier this…

America’s population of seniors is expected to surge by 40% over the next 25 years — a shift that could spark a crisis of aging, as most people remain unprepared for longer lives, according to new research from the MIT AgeLab and insurance company John Hancock.Americans are lagging in readiness to handle the demands of greater longevity, ranging from managing the cost of a longer retirement to maintaining their health in old age, according to the inaugural Longevity Preparedness Index, or LPI, from the MIT AgeLab, a research institute focusing on improving the quality of life for older people, and…