In the news
Stephen Hawking, the physicist, told the BBC that while “primitive forms” of artificial intelligence have proved useful, if the technology is developed to a level that can surpass humans, it “could spell the end of the human race.”
Peter Ivan McNeal, 48, a former drummer for the alternative rock band Cake, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison in California for molesting a 3-year-old girl during a Thanksgiving party five years ago.
Nancy-Snyderman, NBC News’ medical reporter who had been exposed to Ebola and violated her quarantine promise in New Jersey, made her first on-air appearance in weeks and apologized on the Today show, saying she failed to appreciate how frightened Americans were of the disease.
Andressa Urach, 27, a Brazilian reality TV star who was runner-up in a best-buttocks competition, was hospitalized with complications from a procedure to enlarge her thighs.
Martha Stewart is planning to open a coffee shop in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood.
Jim Webb, 68, a former Democratic senator from Virginia, said at an event in Richmond that he is considering running for president because his party has splintered into interest groups and has failed to address economic concerns of the middle class.
Jionni LaValle, 27, who wed former Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, pleaded guilty in New Jersey to driving under the influence and saw his driver’s license suspended for three months.
Charles Coonan Streit, a California urologist, was put on probation for three years by the state medical board for removing a patient’s healthy kidney and leaving in the diseased one.
Brent Taylor, a teacher in Othello, Wash., was reprimanded for ordering an 8-year-old student to unclog a toilet using his hands, something the superintendent, George Juarez, called “very poor professional judgment.”
Chaz Haggins, 20, and Ethan Turner, 19, both of Reisterstown, Md., were arrested on charges of rape and sexual assault, accused of raping a 16-year-old girl at a Johns Hopkins University fraternity party.
Nicos Anastasiades, 68, the Cypriot president, is in stable condition and will remain in intensive care at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York for several days after heart surgery.