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Photos show a major fire at a key UAE oil port, a day after the US struck a major Iranian depot

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Debris from an intercepted drone caused a fire near the Port of Fujairah in the UAE on Saturday. AP Photo/Altaf Qadri A fire broke out near a key oil port in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday. Officials said debris from an intercepted drone caused the fire and that operations were suspended. The US attacked Kharg Island, a major oil depot in Iran, on Friday. Fire erupted at a critical oil hub in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday amid the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East. Plumes of dark black smoke billowed around the Port of Fujairah, the only multipurpose maritime facility on the UAE's east coast. The Fujairah government's media office said debris from an intercepted drone caused the fire. No injuries were reported. The fire comes after Iran said it would retaliate against the US for attacking Kharg Island on Friday. Kharg Island, located about 300 miles from the Strait of Hormuz, is key to Iran's oil industry and has refineries that process ...

Why Travis Kalanick believes humans are on the verge of a 'golden age'

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Travis Kalanick is back — with a plan to take AI into the physical world. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Uber cofounder Travis Kalanick thinks we're on the precipice of a golden age. Kalanick unveiled Atoms , his new robotics company, on Friday. He said automation of the physical world will lead to autonomy and abundance for humans. The Uber-famous founder, Travis Kalanick , says a new golden age is coming — and it's robots that are ushering it in. Kalanick announced a new venture called Atoms on Friday in a 1,600-word screed in which he said the automation of the physical world is the next phase of the AI era. "Software has automated tasks of language and math, but the complete automation of the physical world — autonomy — remains largely untouched territory, the principal unlock to the next era of progress and abundance," he wrote. "History refers to this kind of moment of radical progress as a Golden Age." Kalanick said this "golden age...

I wasn't sure if my daughter was ready to sleep over at a friend's on her own. I decided to join her.

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The author joined her daughter at a sleepover. Courtesy of the author My daughter was invited to sleep over at her close friend's house. Her friend's mom and I talked, and we agreed that I would sleep over, too. It was a huge success, and later her friend and mom slept over at our place. I was excited when my daughter Aria was invited to spend the night at a friend's house. While I realize not everyone experiences this rite of passage or even needs to, I view it as a nice milestone . Cozy sleeping bags , tasty snacks, movie marathons, and laughing with friends way past bedtime can make for fun, fond memories. I was not allowed to sleep over anywhere until middle school, and even then, it was a tough sell to my mom. Despite my enthusiasm, I still had some trepidation about letting Aria sleep over. I had known her friend's parents for a while, and I trusted them fully, so that part wasn't an issue. Rather, I was unsure how Aria would do on her own: would sh...

The biggest AI stories of the year (so far)

The AI industry is constantly churning out news, like major acquisitions, indie developer successes, public outcry, and existentially dangerous contract negotiations. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/p9hXfry via IFTTT

Travis Kalanick reportedly starting a new self-driving company backed by Uber

Kalanick reportedly wants to be more aggressive in pursuing the technology than industry-leader Waymo. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/fCYo2rh via IFTTT

Charts show how the Iran war has pushed ticket prices sharply higher on 3 major US airline routes

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Delta Air Lines' service from New York's JFK Airport (pictured) to London Heathrow is up from $285 to $553 over a month. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images War in the Middle East has pushed fuel costs, and therefore airfares, sharply higher. Business Insider charted the increase in ticket prices for three major flight paths in recent weeks. Fares from New York to LA, New York to London, and from the US mainland to the Caribbean have jumped. Your next flight could be twice as expensive because the Iran war is causing volatility in oil prices . Brent crude is up more than 50% over the past month, to around $101 a barrel. Jet fuel costs are rising faster. The Argus US Jet Fuel Index is up 72% over the same period. That spells difficulty for airlines because jet fuel is typically their biggest expense after labor. While many airlines around the world hedge against fuel costs, most American ones do not. Using data from Deutsche Bank, Business Insider charted rising a...

Tips to catch your flight as TSA lines stretched for hours at some US airports

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Flying this month? Budget extra time at the airport and consider investing in expedited security lanes. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images Mass TSA callouts at certain US airports have left travelers standing in three-hour security lines. Some airports have been hit worse than others, but it's good to prepare for long waits. Industry analysts recommend travelers arrive early and look into the TSA's fast lane options. Flying during a partial government shutdown is like playing a game of TSA line roulette. A shortage of security agents at Houston's Hobby Airport and New Orleans' Louis Armstrong International Airport led to extraordinary security queues that stretched up to three hours on Sunday. The general line in Houston snaked into the parking garage. Airports in San Juan, Atlanta, and Charlotte have similarly told travelers to budget extra time for staffing-related security delays after many TSA agents — deemed "essential" and requ...