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Ceramic stilettos and a matching handbag are two of the many artworks on show at Ceramic Art London, the largest high-end ceramics show in the UK. 116 artists were selected to exhibit from 20 countries around the world, and from as far as Guatemala, Japan, and South Korea.

2024 marks the 20th anniversary since the first Ceramic Arts London. And it is a place for potters to display and sell their works. Over 6,000 people attended across the three-day run, with ceramic works on sale from as little as £20, all the way up to £20,000.

Artists are selected to exhibit at Ceramic Art London. And this year, there were over 700 applications. It is an important show to get your name on the international scene, so Ana Silva came all the way from Guatemala to have her work seen in London.

Her cute pieces are inspired by the landscapes of her home country and also by sheep. She says: "My work, it's inspired in Guatemalan landscapes and I have different elements—the animals, the sheep, especially this one with the little feet. And also I am representing the plants and the mountains with these green pieces." 

Worm-like tentacles and gaping mouths form part of the collection by South Korean potter Shinhye You.

They are parasitic-like creatures from a magical realist fictional world she has imagined and written about. Shinhye You says, "So basically because these stones were inside the dead people's body, so they are like parasites. So they will kind of mimic these aspects of parasites because they will consume the body of the dead. So I think that's why you've got this mouthy aspect."

At the show were 1.5 tons of free clay for any beginners feeling inspired by what they see to have a go themselves.

Ceramic Art London ran from April 19-21 at London's Olympia exhibition hall.

This article was provided by The Associated Press. 

An artisan roastery based in the Finnish capital has introduced a coffee blend that has been developed by artificial intelligence in a trial in which it’s hoped that technology can ease the workload in a sector that traditionally prides itself on manual work.

It is only apt that the Helsinki-based Kaffa Roastery’s “AI-conic” blend was launched in Finland, a Nordic nation of 5.6 million that consumes the most coffee in the world at 12 kilograms per capita annually, according to the International Coffee Organization.

The blend—an AI-picked mixture with four types of beans dominated by Brazil’s velvety Fazenda Pinhal—is the end result of a joint project by Kaffa, Finland’s third-biggest coffee roastery, and local AI consultancy Elev.

“Leveraging models akin to ChatGPT and Copilot, the AI was tasked with crafting a blend that would ideally suit coffee enthusiasts’ tastes, pushing the boundaries of conventional flavor combinations,” Elev said.

Kaffa Roastery’s managing director and founder Svante Hampf told The Associated Press that the two partners wanted to trial how AI and its different tools could be of help in coffee roasting, a traditional artisan profession highly valued in Finland.

“We basically gave descriptions of all our coffee types and their flavors to AI and instructed it to create a new exciting blend,” said Hampf, while showcasing “AI-conic” at the Helsinki Coffee Festival that annually brings together roasteries and coffee aficionados.

In addition to coming up with its chosen mixture of beans from Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Guatemala, AI created the coffee package label and a detailed taste description saying “AI-conic” is “a well-balanced blend of sweetness and ripe fruit.”

Hampf acknowledged he was surprised that AI “somewhat weirdly” chose to make the blend out of four different types of coffee beans, rather than the usual two or three which allows distinction in taste between flavors from different origins.

After the first test roasting and blind testing, Kaffa’s coffee experts agreed, however, that the tech-assisted blend was perfect, and there was no need for human adjustments.

According to Elev’s spokesman Antti Merilehto, “AI-conic is a tangible example of how AI can introduce new perspectives to seasoned professionals” while offering coffee lovers new taste experiences.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

A group of Japanese doctors has filed a civil lawsuit against U.S. search giant Google, demanding damages for what they claim are unpoliced, derogatory and often false comments.

The lawsuit, filed on April 18 in Tokyo District Court, demands 1.4 million yen ($9,400) in damages for 63 medical professionals.

Google said in an emailed statement on April 19 that it is working “24 hours a day” to reduce misleading or false information on its platform, combining human and technological resources “to delete fraudulent reviews.”

The lawsuit claims groundless negative reviews have been posted on Google Maps, a very popular app in Japan that allows people to write ratings of various institutions and their personal reviews.

Some comments are irresponsible and appear to be written out of spite and the “word of mouth” remarks take on a life of their own and are nearly impossible to refute, according to the lawsuit. It said Google has done very little to fix the problem, despite complaints.

“The damage suffered is substantial, and the people have been powerless to fight back. We don’t agree that the platform shares no responsibility,” Yuichi Nakazawa, who leads the legal team for the plaintiffs, told reporters.

Some Japanese say they rely on what people say online about hospitals, including how long the wait was or what kind of care they got, rather than official sites. But those online comments may be inaccurate and even detrimental to health care, those behind the lawsuit say.

Japan boasts a relatively widespread and affordable healthcare system, making the medical sector a hot topic in one of the fastest-aging societies in the world. Class actions are relatively rare in Japan, though Google has been sued in the U.S. and various other nations, accused of misleading advertising, violations of privacy, and other problems.

The lawsuit in Japan is intended to highlight the potential dangers of Google's technology, the lawyers for the medical professionals say.

The damages they are seeking are symbolic, about 23,000 yen ($150) per plaintiff.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Forget about red hot. A new color-coded heat warning system relies on magenta to alert Americans to the most dangerous conditions they may see this summer.

The National Weather Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presented a new online heat risk system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors with a seven-day forecast that's simplified and color-coded for a warming world of worsening heat waves.

"For the first time, we'll be able to know how hot is too hot for health and not just for today but for coming weeks," Dr. Ari Bernstein, director of the National Center for Environmental Health, said at a joint news conference by government health and weather agencies.

Magenta is the worst and deadliest of the five heat threat categories, hitting everybody with what the agencies are calling "rare and/or long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief." It's a step higher than red, considered a major risk, which hurts anyone without adequate cooling and hydration and has impacts reverberating through the health care system and some industries. Red is used when a day falls within the top 5% hottest in a particular location for a particular date; when other factors come into play, the alert level may bump even higher to magenta, weather service officials said.

On the other hand, pale green is little to no risk. Yellow is minor risk, mostly to the very young, old, sick and pregnant. Orange is moderate risk, mostly hurting people who are sensitive to heat, especially those without cooling, such as the homeless.

"Heat is a threat to our health," CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said. She said last year more than 120,000 people were taken to the emergency room in the United States because of heat. Last year was one of the deadliest years in decades for heat, according to government records.

“Heat waves are getting hotter, longer, more frequent and you're getting less relief at night,” National Weather Service Director Ken Graham said, citing numerous studies in the past decade. “So it's becoming increasingly serious.”

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

California pet owners struggling to find a rental that accepts their furry, four-legged family members could have an easier time leasing new housing under proposed state legislation that would ban blanket no-pets policies and prohibit landlords from charging additional fees for pets.

Proponents of Assembly Bill 2216, which is awaiting a vote of the full Assembly, say the lack of pet-friendly housing is pushing renters to forgo secure housing or relinquish beloved pets to overcrowded shelters. They say the legislation would allow more tenants hiding pets to come out of the shadows.

But property owners and apartment associations are pushing back on the legislation, saying that they’re worried over the cost of repairs, liability over potential dog bites, and nuisance issues that might drive away other tenants.

Also, state lawmakers last year capped rental security deposits to one month’s rent, which some landlords say is not enough to scrub out urine and feces stains in carpets or repair damage to wood floors.

“If we continue to pass regulations that make it more difficult to provide housing, it’s going to drive up the cost of housing for both pet owners and non-pet owners. And that’s fundamentally unfair,” said Russell Lowery, executive director of the California Rental Housing Association.

The proposal authored by Assemblymember Matt Haney, a San Francisco Democrat and chair of the renters’ caucus, would not require all landlords to accept common household pets, such as cats and dogs. But landlords would have to provide reasonable justifications related to issues, such as public health or animal control for denying a tenant with a pet.

A landlord could not inquire about pets until after approving an applicant, and applicants would have to notify the landlord of pets at least three days prior to signing a lease.

The landlord also could not require additional rent or a security deposit for a pet. The landlord could also set “reasonable conditions,” such as leashing requirements and limits on the number of animals allowed in a unit based on the unit’s size.

Animal welfare groups are among those supporting the bill.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Special LP releases, live performances, and at least one giant block party were scheduled around the U.S. on April 21 as hundreds of shops celebrate Record Store Day during a surge of interest in vinyl and the day after the release of Taylor Swift’s latest album.

A wave of interest in physical records, especially LPs, has helped keep the independent stores going, said Chris Brown of employee-owned Bull Moose and a co-founder of Record Store Day. LPs have gotten a huge boost from Swift, who has been dubbed the “Vinyl Queen” for releases of her work in limited physical record offerings with specialized content and striking covers.

The Recording Industry Association of America said in its 2023 year-end report that revenues from vinyl records grew 10% to $1.4 billion last year. That was the 17th consecutive year of growth and it accounted for 71% of physical format revenues.

Record Store Day is a celebration of the estimated 1,400 independent record stores in the U.S. and thousands more worldwide that endure long after the demise of megastores like Tower Records.

While most people stream their music on services such as Spotify and Apple Music, old-school LPs remain popular for collectors who prefer the packaging and the listening experience of records.

“For me, records sound better than any CD,” said Michael Iffland, a 70-year-old retiree. “It’s just cool having a record in your hand, looking at the cover graphics, and listening to that wonderful sound.”

Owners and employees of the independent stores came up with the idea at a gathering in 2007 as a way to draw attention to their unique culture on the third Saturday of April. “For us, records have never gone out of style,” said Waric Cameron, co-owner of Josey Records in Dallas.

Record Store Day is typically marked by special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products and events featuring artists and labels.  There were 387 planned releases announced for this year’s Record Store Day.

Swift, who is credited by fans and record stores alike with igniting new interest in vinyl LPs, has not announced any special releases for this Record Store Day.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.