Google Infotech Blog

The ruling Liberal National coalition was firmly opposed to the legislation, which it said would endanger national security, but it passed Australia’s lower house by a vote of 75 to 74. The opposition Labor Party and a group of independent MPs supported the legislation. At that time, the sitting Australian leader called an election. Despite his historic loss, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused to do the same. Under the legislation, asylum seekers detained on Australia’s controversial offshore detention centers can more easily be evacuated to the mainland for medical assistance if they become critically ill. The government has faced criticism in the past year for allowing seriously unwell detainees to linger, including a 12-year-old boy who had refused to eat for weeks. The new law would provide a clearer path for asylum seekers on the Australian offshore camps on the small island nation of Nauru or Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island to fly to Australia for treatment. T...

Let’s put my own biases on the table. I was spanked growing up, and yes, I think I turned out fine. Not only was I spanked, everybody around me was, too: my siblings, my cousins, the neighbors. All of us kids came to know and fear the menacing look on our parents’ faces that meant we would spanked when we got home. It was part of our lives as kids. I even went to medical school and entered my training in pediatrics thinking that spanking was no big deal, just another part of my upbringing. Then I read the data and learned a thing or two about the functioning of a child’s brain when it comes to punishment. As it turns out, my loving parents took a gamble when they chose to use corporal punishment in my upbringing. I turned out fine, but I also could have not. To be clear, they didn’t see it as a gamble. Raising a strong-willed child in Latin America in the 1980s and early ’90s, my parents did not have the wisdom of the past 20 years of medical research. This research has linked ...

A “risk-managed return to racing” will start Wednesday with four scheduled meetings, according to British racing’s governing body, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). The entire sport went into shutdown after six vaccinated horses from the same yard tested positive for the virus last week. An additional four horses developed flu at a separate location. “After analysis of thousands of samples, and no further positive tests on Monday, we still only have two confirmed sites of infection. We have put robust containment measures in place around both,” read a statement from the BHA’s chief regulatory officer, Brant Dunshea. The outbreak put at risk the Cheltenham Festival, the pinnacle of jump racing, which is set to start on March 12. READ: Equine flu outbreak stops British horse racing What is equine flu? Equine influenza is a highly infectious disease that can affect horses, mules and donkeys across the world. The disease — which can cause respiratory problems — usual...

The original comment, made by Gabriel during the third Test between West Indies and England in Saint Lucia, was not audible on the microphone on the stump, and Root was coy afterward when asked by reporters what had been said. “It’s Test cricket and (Gabriel) is an emotional guy trying to do everything he can to win a Test match,” Root told reporters Monday. “Sometimes people say things on the field that they might regret, but they should stay on the field.” The England captain added that the bowler is “a good guy who plays hard cricket and is proud to be in the position he is. The battle was a good contest. He’s had a wonderful series and he should be proud.” When asked if Gabriel’s comment had crossed a line, Root added: “I think it should stay on the field. I don’t want anything said in the middle to ruin what’s been a good Test series for him and his team.” According to the UK’s Press Association news agency, Gabriel was spoken to by at least one of the on-field umpires...

The Japanese star’s rapid rise would, on the surface at least, suggest a player-coach relationship in fine working order. Yet 16 days after securing Australian Open glory against Petra Kvitova in Melbourne, the 21-year-old and her coach Sascha Bajin have announced a shock split. Few details have been released other than a short tweet apiece from the pair. Osaka tweeted simply: “Hey everyone, I will no longer be working together with Sascha. I thank him for his work and wish him all the best in the future.” Bajin responded in similar style, saying: “Thank you Naomi. I wish you nothing but the best as well. What a ride that was. Thank you for letting me be part of this.” The decision comes just months after Bajin spoke of his desire for his partnership with Osaka to continue in the long-term. In an August interview with the WTA’s official website, he said: “I believe in longevity and that if you work with someone for a longer period of time you can work more efficiently.” Visit C...

The 18-year-old, who was named Japanese Swimmer of the Year last month, won six gold medals at last year’s Asian Games and had been expected to challenge for honors at her home Olympics. “I was feeling ill and urgently came home from Australia, underwent testing and the diagnosis was leukemia,” Ikee wrote on Twitter. “I can’t believe it, it’s a confusing situation. But with treatment this is a disease that can be cured.” Ikee, the world junior champion in 50 meter freestyle, 50m butterfly and 100m butterfly, will miss the opportunity to compete at the senior Swimming World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, in July. The teenager, who swam the fastest 100m butterfly and second fastest 50m butterfly in the world last year, says she will now focus on her recovery. “I am going to take some time off and focus on treatment and as soon as possible I want to show an even stronger Rikako Ikee,” she added. Visit cnn.com/sport for more news and videos Ikee’s six gold medal hau...

A coalition of environmental groups in the Netherlands said Tuesday that they will hand over a court summons on April 5 if Shell does not change its business model to comply with the Paris climate accord. The groups have accused Shell of “deliberately obstructing” efforts to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius, the key goal of the Paris agreement. Pressure on companies has been building since the UN warned last year that the world has only 12 years to avert a climate disaster . The oil giant was first threatened with a lawsuit last year by the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth. Greenpeace and ActionAid joined the initiative on Tuesday, along with four other groups. Shell ( RDSA ) , which is headquartered in the Netherlands, has said it “strongly supports” the Paris agreement. It has committed to halving the carbon footprint of the energy it sells by 2050. But the climate activists argue that its fossil fuel activities are inconsistent with the document signed by ...