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Whistleblower: The World Bank Helped Cover Up Child Sex Abuse at a Chain of For-Profit Schools It Funded

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:38 GMT

For Shannon May and her husband Jay Kimmelman, the conference call scheduled with the World Bank on September 12, 2020, was make or break. It had been just over 10 years since the Harvard graduates had launched Bridge International Academies, a chain of for-profit schools that had exploded in Africa and South Asia. With the backing of Silicon Valley’s elite and the support of international financial institutions like the World Bank, the founders were now in negotiations to raise fresh capital that would allow them to move into several new countries. Rapid expansion was essential to the company’s business model. Bridge had figured out a way to slash the biggest cost drivers of a school budget — teachers’ salaries and traditional school houses — but the business was a low-margin enterprise that couldn’t slow down. The company was aiming for 10 million pupils, and it wasn’t as unreachable as it sounded: Bridge had already taught more than 1 million kids, backed by the for-profit i...

Gaza Health Ministry says death toll in Gaza City hospital blast rises to at least 500

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:38 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip says at least 500 people have been killed in an explosion that it says was caused by an Israeli airstrike.If confirmed, the attack on the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City it would be by far the deadliest Israeli airstrike in five wars fought since 2008.The Israeli military says it is looking into the report.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Gaza Health Ministry says over 200 people have been killed in what it says was an Israeli airstrike on a Gaza City Hospital.Hundreds of people were seeking shelter at the al-Ahli Hospital at the time of the blast.Photos sent to The Associated Press showed fire engulfing the hospital halls, shattered glass and body parts scattered across the area.There was no immediate Israeli military comment.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel bombed areas ...

Lightning captain Steven Stamkos to miss his 2nd straight game with lower boy injury

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:38 GMT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos won’t play against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night due to a lower-body injury that will lead to him missing his second straight game.Coach Jon Cooper provided the update before the game in listing Stamkos as being day to day. Stamkos appeared to get hurt when blocking a shot in a 6-4 loss at Detroit on Saturday. He did not play in a 5-2 loss at Ottawa a day later.The Lightning (1-2) close out their three-game road trip at Buffalo (0-2) before returning to Tampa Bay to open a five-game homestand, beginning against Vancouver on Thursday.Tampa Bay is already without starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is expected to miss at least one more month after having back surgery. Center Tyler Motte will miss his third straight game due to an upper body injury.The losses to Atlantic Division rivals, coupled with the injuries led to Cooper expressing a sense of urgency.“To go on this trip this early in the year and get zero p...

University of Wisconsin leaders to close 2 more branch campuses due to declining enrollment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:38 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Two more Universities of Wisconsin two-year branch campuses will close by next year and more shutdowns might be on the way as students continue to opt for four-year colleges and online classes, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman announced Tuesday.Rothman told reporters during a conference call that he has decided to shutter UW-Milwaukee’s Washington County campus and UW-Oshkosh’s Fond du Lac campus. He said that in-person instruction at the two schools will end by June 2024. Enrollment at both schools as well as three other two-year campus has ticked upward this fall, but it’s not enough to offset more than a decade of decreasing enrollment. “The market is telling us the mission of the two-year-branch campuses is not as attractive as it once was,” Rothman said.Enrollment at UW-Milwaukee’s Washington County campus has plummeted from 1,054 students in the fall of 2020 to 285 students in the fall of 2022, according to Universiti...

Can New York’s mayor speak Mandarin? No, but with AI he’s making robocalls in different languages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:38 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been using artificial intelligence to make robocalls that contort his own voice into several languages he doesn’t actually speak, posing new ethical questions about the government’s use of the rapidly evolving technology. The mayor told reporters about the robocalls on Monday and said they’ve gone out in languages such as Mandarin and Yiddish to promote city hiring events. They haven’t included any disclosure that he only speaks English or that the calls were generated using AI.“People stop me on the street all the time and say, ‘I didn’t know you speak Mandarin, you know?’” said Adams, a Democrat. “The robocalls that we’re using, we’re using different languages to speak directly to the diversity of New Yorkers.”The calls come as regulators struggle to get a handle on how best to ethically and legally navigate the use of artificial intelligence, where deepfake videos or audio can make it appear that anyon...

Live updates | Intense Israeli bombardments strike Gaza as the war rages on

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:38 GMT

Palestinians wait to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing in the Gaza Strip, on Monday, Oct.16, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)(AP/Fatima Shbair) Palestinians wait to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing in the Gaza Strip, on Monday, Oct.16, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)(AP/Fatima Shbair) Palestinians described intense bombardments early Tuesday near two towns in southern Gaza, where Israel had ordered civilians to seek refuge. Hamas’ military wing said a separate attack on a refugee camp in central Gaza killed a top Hamas commander. Thousands of people trying to escape Gaza are gathered in Rafah, which has the territory’s only border crossing to Egypt. Mediators are pressing for an agreeme...

Gaza Health Ministry says over 200 Palestinians killed in hospital explosion it claims was caused by Israeli airstrike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:38 GMT

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza Health Ministry says over 200 Palestinians killed in hospital explosion it claims was caused by Israeli airstrike.Source

Cowboys win while finally playing a close game, but status as contenders still murky

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:38 GMT

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys were in the victory formation after a pair of game-sealing plays from the defense.The quarterback took that moment to remind teammates of a rarity in a strange start to their season. They finally played something that usually happens long before Week 6 in the NFL: a one-score game.What the 20-17 victory at the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night means for the Cowboys as contenders remains to be seen.Regardless, it was the answer they sought after the worst loss of Prescott’s eight seasons, 42-10 at San Francisco in a rematch with the team that knocked Dallas out of the playoffs the past two years.A game that was tied three times before Brandon Aubrey’s go-ahead field goal with 2:19 remaining came after the Cowboys enjoyed a 95-point differential combined in their first three wins. The other loss for Dallas (4-2), which is headed into its open week, was 28-16 at Arizona.“That’s actually what I told the offense when...

Wyndham rejects $8 billion unsolicited buyout offer after Choice Hotels goes public with its bid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:38 GMT

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts rejected an unsolicited $8 billion buyout offer from Choice Hotels, a smaller chain that went public Tuesday with its bid after negotiations broke down. Wyndham, which runs Days Inn, La Quinta, Ramada and a host of other brands, on Tuesday called the proposal “opportunistic” and said that it undervalues its growth potential. The offer was rejected unanimously by its board, the company said. “Choice’s offer is underwhelming, highly conditional and subject to significant business, regulatory and execution risk,” Wyndham Chairman Stephen Holmes said in a prepared statement. “Choice has been unwilling or unable to address our concerns.” Wyndham has engaged Choice and its advisors multiple times to explore the risks of a potential deal, Holmes said, but decided it would likely take more than a year to determine what would be required to clear antitrust review. Choice Hotels International said it went public with its bid after six months of n...

Stretch of I-25 to remain closed for days as debris from train derailment is cleared

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:38 GMT

The main north-south highway in Colorado is expected to remain closed for several more days as crews clear piles of coal and other debris after a weekend train derailment and bridge collapse, authorities said Tuesday.Federal investigators approved cleanup work after largely completing their evidence collection where the BNSF coal train derailed onto Interstate 25 north of Pueblo, Colorado, killing a truck driver.There is no reason believe the derailment was sabotage, said Sarah Taylor Sulick, of the National Transportation Safety Board.The bridge, built in 1958, collapsed when 30 cars from the train derailed Sunday afternoon, the NTSB said. The 60-year-old driver of a semitrailer truck that was passing beneath the bridge was killed.Officials said the derailment caused the bridge collapse but have not said what caused the derailment.A preliminary report from investigators is due in several weeks.“They will be pulling maintenance records. They’ll be interviewing people involved. They’...