Terrorist Attack in Gulshan Dhaka Bangladesh, 01.07.2016
The overnight standoff and hostage situation in Dhaka, Bangladesh, has ended, leaving more than a dozen dead. Video provided by Newsy Newslook
Indian social activists light candles during a protest in Kolkata on July 2 against a fatal attack on a restaurant in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.(Photo: DIBYANGSHU SARKAR, AFP/Getty Images)
Three students at a pair of U.S. universitiesEmory and theUniversity of California-Berkeley were killed in the horrificattackon a popular Bangladeshi restaurantthat left six gunmen and 20 hostages dead before commandosended the10-hour standoff.
Abinta Kabir and Faraaz Hossain, both students at Emory"sOxford College campus,were among the deadat the Holey Artisan Bakery siege in the capital of Dhaka.
India"s minister of external affairs said 19-year-old Tarushi Jain, an Indian citizen studyingat the University of California-Berkeley, was also killed.
White House spokesman Josh Earnestsaid a U.S. citizen was killed but did notrelease the victim"sname.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility forthe siege, which ended early Saturday at theeatery popular with foreignerswhen authorities moved in to halt the standoff.Two police officers were killed in the early stages of the takeover.
Kabir, from Miami, was in the area visiting family and friends when she was taken hostage and killed, the universitysaid in a statement.Hossain, who completed his second year atOxford College and was planningto attend Emory"s Goizueta Business School in the fall,was also taken hostage and killed, the school said.
Emory University is offering support to members of itsOxford, Ga., community,through counseling services. Oxford Collegeis located about 35 miles east of the school"s main campus near downtown Atlanta.
University President James Wagner saidAbinta"s mother, whom he had reached, was in "unspeakable pain" upon receiving news of the death of her daughter.
DenikaHarlalkawas studying abroad in London when she found out aboutAbinta"sdeath through a group chat, 11Alive reports.The students were both part of the student activities committee on campus.Harlalka, who is a year older thanAbinta, called her the "sweetest and most helpful person ever."
"In such a short span of time, we had become so close and had so many inside jokes,"Harlalkatold11Alive. "This is just so so terrible. I still can"t digest that this has happened.I"ve been crying since the second I found out."
Navy SEAL Dies Behind The Wheel When Self-Driving Tesla Gets Into Accident But as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration"s investigation into a fatal self-driving car accident should remind us, the automobile"s centrality to the American way of life was an expensive and political battle with nearly uncountable human casualties.
The latest permutation on this theme occurred in May, when a self-driving Tesla-S failed to register the side of a white tractor-trailer truck against a pale sky. In its statement on the accident, Tesla is quick to remind us that the 40-year-old man killed in the crash was a technology consultant and autonomous vehicle enthusiast -- as if a martyr for the greater cause of civic transportation.
If anything, the cause of the crash can be chalked up to the incompatibility between humans and autonomous vehicles. Had the tractor-trailer also been driven by computer, it could have been on the same network as the Tesla. Like an air traffic control system, the network could have orchestrated the safe passage of both vehicles.
The problems emerge when computerized vehicles don"t have such networking at their disposal. Instead, we"re asking the poor Tesla to drive using the same senses mere humans use - which is why the car missed the fact that its entire field of vision was occupied not by sky, but by truck. As autonomous vehicle proponents like to point out, these problems would be solved if robotic cars weren"t required to share the road with humans. We people are the problem,
It"s an argument reminiscent of that made by early car manufacturers, who were being criticized for the high numbers of pedestrian injuries and fatalities on streets. The companies went on a massive public relations effort to shift the blame, and came up with the term "jay walker" to describe the country rube who didn"t know how to cross a street and was deserving of ridicule. Automobile clubs encouraged people to exterminate "the Jay Walker family" - and their little Walker children. Presumably, this was to be done through education, not running them over with cars.
We now assume automobiles have right of way - both on the roads, and as a social value - making it hard for us to imagine transportation solutions that don"t involve them. But it was actually hard to persuade people to purchase automobiles in the first place, and rightly so.
Back before automobiles, factory workers would clock out for the day, buy a newspaper, and sit on a trolley with a beer and a cigar. It took a lot of social engineering to get that worker to give up his relaxed drink and paper and submit, instead, to another hour of operating a heavy and dangerous machine - at his own expense.
It was such a tough sell, that a significant portion of the American way of life had to be retrofitted to the automobile in order for car ownership to make any sort of sense. The suburbs - the result of heavy automobile industry lobbying - can best be understood as the reconfiguration of the American landscape in such a fashion as to necessitate the use of private automobiles. GM famously bought out and closed rail and bus lines in order to force the issue.
Now that we live in an automobile culture, it"s only natural that our leading technologists seek transportation solutions that build on the automobile. After all, they are more expensive (and thus profitable) to manufacture than any sort of mass transit, and their costs are externalized to individual consumers, who see them as high-tech status symbols rather than financial obligations. For all their programming wizardry, they are nonetheless incapable of re-imagining transportation beyond a computer steering the wheel of a traditional motorcar.
If Google, Tesla, and the other tech behemoths looking to remake transportation had even a fraction of the chutzpah and innovative capacity of General Motors, Ford, and their automobile counterparts did in the early 20th century, they would be looking toward reprogramming transportation from the ground up. Imagine solar-powered light rail, public hovercrafts, or buses with pods that detached for the final blocks of traveI. Instead, they seem capable only of adopting the car industry"s PR strategy of casting humans as the enemy of technological progress.
But it is not we humans who are the jaywalkers in this case. It is the technology firms, whose outmoded vision of transportation will keep us trapped in a war with machines that we would do better to leave behind
Douglas Rushkoff writes a regular column for CNN.com. He is a media theorist, the author of the book "Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus" and professor of media studies at CUNY/Queens. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.
I know, I knowthis is probably played out for you. But we do it for documentarian purposes as well. And we have to document that Drake and Rihanna are now a couple, or at least dating. Both of these two have had a lot of mates in the industry. G*d Bless.
But, they are dating.
I guess Drake is the big winner here since he immediately gets to deflect that pesky Joe Budden rap battle thats gotta be d*****g him on the low. Then again, after watching this video, maybe not.
Rihanna is a bad mamba jamba! Drake is Drake.
NAH, Drake is cool. I just dont like the thought of his hands all over my womans body parts.
The Milwaukee Bucks headed into free agency desperately needing to add some shooting to an athletic young core that plays hard-nosed defense and gets to the rim.
And when backup point guard was added to the list of needs with Jerryd Bayless"s departure to Philadelphia, Bucks GM John Hammond moved quickly to address that issue as well.
The Bucks agreed to terms with free agent shooter Mirza Teletovic on a three-year deal worth $30 million, Teletovic"s agent announced on Friday.
The team also agreed to terms on a four-year, $38.4 million offer sheet with restricted free agent Matthew Dellavedova, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the move.
And with an eye toward a much splashier acquisition, the Bucks are in talks with free agent guard Dwyane Wade, ESPN and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Wade, who played college basketball at Marquette, is in discussions with the Bucks and Knicks, according to ESPN. The Journal Sentinel said the 34-year-old Chicago native, a perennial All-Star who has played his entire 13-year career in Miami, has set up a meeting with Bucks officials next week.
No contracts can be signed until Thursday, after next seasons salary cap is set and a league-imposed moratorium is lifted.
The Cavaliers will have three days to match the offer sheet for Dellavedova. But with so much money already devoted to Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert while needing to re-sign LeBron James, J.R. Smith and possibly Richard Jefferson, it appears that they will be content to let the backup point guard leave for big money elsewhere.
"Congrats to my brother! @matthewdelly on his deal!" James tweeted on Friday. "Good luck in Milwaukee! Very deserving to you and your family."
The Cavaliers extended a qualifying offer to Dellavedova earlier this week to make him a restricted free agent. But the Bucks will make it very difficult for them to match that offer to retain him.
The 25-year-old Australian was undrafted but has played three years in Cleveland and forged a reputation as a hard-nosed competitor who could occasionally rankle opponents with his play. He averaged 7.5 points and 4.4 assists in 24.6 minutes per game last season, but was not much of a factor in the playoffs as the Cavaliers captured the city"s first sports championship in 52 years.
But Dellavedova was vital for Cleveland during the finals a year ago when Kyrie Irving shattered his kneecap. The 6-foot-4 guard is a relentless defender, James joked during a rally last week that if Dellavedova was battling a bear for a loose ball that "Delly would tear that d**n bear up."
That mentality will fit nicely in Milwaukee, where the Bucks boast a roster that takes pride in the defensive end.
What the team needed as much as anything was a shooter to open up the offense and spread the opposing defense out. Teletovic should fit that bill after hitting 39 percent of his 3-pointers for Phoenix last season.
Teletovic is reuniting with Bucks coach Jason Kidd, who coached him in Brooklyn. He missed half of the season in 2014-15 because of a blood clot in his lungs, but was able to return to play in the playoffs for the Nets.
He then delivered a bounce-back year with the Suns, averaging a career-high 12.0 points in 79 games. His presence on the perimeter should give dynamic youngsters Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker more room to work and also draw some attention away from sharpshooter Khris Middleton.
O.J. Mayo banned for 2 years
O.J. Mayo, who spent the past three seasons with the Bucks,was dismissed and disqualified from the NBA on Friday for violating the terms of the league"s anti-drug program, the first player to receive that punishment in a decade.
The league said the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 draft out of USC is eligible to apply for reinstatement in two years.
Mayo, 28, averaged 7.8 points in 41 games last season, including 24 starts.
According to rules of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program, information regarding the testing or treatment of a player can"t be disclosed by the league, his team or the union. However, there are only a few violations that would lead to Mayo"s punishment.
A player can be dismissed or disqualified from the NBA for testing positive for a drug of abuse, or if he is convicted of or pleads guilty to the use, possession or distribution of a drug of abuse.
The list of drugs of abuse includes amphetamines, cocaine, LSD and opiates such as heroin, codeine and morphine.
A third positive test for a performance-enhancing drug also leads to a player being dismissed and disqualified, as does being convicted of or pleading guilty to a crime involving the use, possession or distribution of one.
The last player to receive the penalty was Chris "Birdman" Andersen in January 2006, when he was playing for the New Orleans Hornets. He was reinstated in March 2008, won a championship with Miami in 2013 and spent last season with the Heat and Memphis Grizzlies.
Mayo was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves but his rights were dealt to Memphis in exchange for Kevin Love"s. Mayo played four seasons for the Grizzlies and one for the Dallas Mavericks before joining the Bucks. He has averaged 13.8 points in 547 career games.
New York City"s Weather Forecast
Complete weather
Have you crossed everything off your winter bucket list?
The biting cold of the last two days will only last through Tuesday, forecasters said, and the rest of the week will bring warmer temperatures.
The National Weather Service was forecasting a high of 29 degrees at Central Park, said meteorologist Adrienne Leptich. But the wind chill could make it feel at least 10 degrees lower. The temperature at about 11:15 a.m. Tuesday was 9 degrees with a 10-degree wind chill. The city had already hit its low at 8:37 a.m. at Central Park when the temperature was 11 degrees.
Temperatures will be back in the 40s by Wednesday, Leptich said. They will stay that way through the weekend.
But she said it appears that the city may get some rain on Sunday, when thousands of New Yorkers celebrate "No Pants Subway Day" by riding the rails in their undies. Her advice to participants: "They should wear pants."
The immediate cause of the frigid temperatures since Monday is an Arctic airmass moving in from Canada.
The icy weather was a shockto New Yorkers at the start of the work week.
The city has been enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures for much of the winter so far. The high on Christmas Eve was a record-breaking 72 degrees.
The sexiest couple on earth is reportedly back together.
An anonymoussource dished to E! News that Drake and Rihanna are dating again, and that the "Views From the 6" rapper"s love for the Barbadian pop star never flamed out in the first place.
"He still loves her and never stopped. Rihanna is the one that"s been not wanting to settle down in the past," the source said. "They are having fun spending time with each other. Their music together got them close again."
Rumors began swirling again after the couple, whose on-again, off-again romance reportedly began in 2009, was spotted partying together in a London nightclub until the early hours of the morning.
Later that day, the pair took the stage together during Rihanna"s concert at Emirates Old Trafford, where they performed their songs "Work" and "One Dance".
Drake commemorated the moment by taking time to compliment his duet partner, seemingly confirming the romantic underpinnings of the pair"s long friendship.
"Shout out to the most beautiful, talented woman I"ve ever seen," he told the crowd. "She goes by the name of Rihanna ... I"m gettin" my heart broken."
Last April, Drake gushed about his musical relationship with Rihanna in an interview with Beats 1"s Zane Lowe.
"It wouldn"t be a record without Rihanna, would it?" he said. "We do well as a team. We"re not forcing some story on people. A lot of the music and energy we have is genuine. We have a genuine energy."
Read more:This Singer Took the Rhythm Out of Rihanna"s "Work." Now White People Actually Love ItDrake Just Passed Another Music Milestone That Even Beyonc Hasn"t ReachedRihanna Fan Steals the Show Singing "FourFiveSeconds" During "Anti" World Tour Concert
Was the man who died in an autonomously driving Tesla really watching Harry Potter?
A day after the disclosure of the first death in a crash involving a self-driving vehicle, BMW on Friday announced plans to release a fleet of fully autonomous vehicles by 2021.
In a partnership with Intel and Mobileye, the German automaker said its plannediNEXT model wontrequire a human in the drivers seat.
That marks a different course toward self-drivingvehiclesthan Tesla, which offers aself-drivingautopilot feature to those participating in apublic beta phase-- though drivers are supposed to stay engaged and keep their hands on the steering wheel.
Thatsystem was in use during a fatalcrash in Florida in May inwhich a Tesla Model S failed to detect a big-rig in its path and apply the brakes.
BMW Chief Executive Harold Krueger addressed the Tesla crashduring a news conference in Munich, Germany, on Friday, saying his company is not yet ready to roll outpartially or fully autonomous vehicles.
Thats why we announced we would take the step to autonomous driving in 2021, he said. We believe by today, the technologies are not ready for serious production.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is investigating the Tesla crash, ranks self-driving cars based on the level of control the driver cedes to the vehicle, with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest.
Teslas autopilot feature is classified as level 2, as it is capable of staying in the center of a lane, changing lanes and adjusting speed according to traffic.
BMW is focusing on levels 3, 4 and 5. At level 3, the car can drive itself without human intervention under certain traffic or environmental conditions. At level 4, the driver will input destination and navigation instructions, but is not expected to drive at any point during the trip. Level 5 autonomy does not involve a driver at all.
BMW and its partners say their level 5 fully autonomous vehicles could be used by ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft.
Intel Chief Executive Brian Krzanich said Friday hes fairly confident we can do this in the five-year time frame. He added his company intends to dedicate several hundred people and several hundred million dollars to the self-driving project.
Amnon Shashua, Mobileyes co-founder, chairman and chief technology officer, said his computer vision company will devote about 100 of its 700 employees to the undertaking.
Though Mobileye counts Tesla among its clients,Shashua suggested companiesmust do more to inform customers of potential dangers.
I think its very important given this accident that we hear about in the news that companies be very transparent about limitations of the system, Shashua said. Its not enough to tell the driver you need to be alert. Tell the driver why you need to be alert.
helen.zhao@latimes.com
Twitter: @zhaomeow
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UPDATES:
2:50 p.m.:This article was updated to include information about Mobileyes business relationship with Tesla.
This article was originally published at 10:36 a.m.
