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1. Global debt hit a fresh record above $250 trillion in the first half of 2019, with China and the U.S. accounting for more than 60% of new borrowing, the Institute of International Finance said. Borrowing by governments, households and non-financial business now accounts for more than 240% of the world’s gross domestic product, and it’s growing faster than the global economy, the Washington-based IIF said in a report published Thursday. (via Bloomberg News)
2. Homelessness is now an all-consuming issue in Los Angeles County, with 95% of voters calling it a serious or very serious problem, according to a new poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Business Council Institute. The near-unanimous opinion that homelessness ranks as a top concern marks a sharp change from earlier surveys of Los Angeles voters over the past dozen years, said Fred Yang of Hart Research, the Washington, D.C., polling firm that conducted the survey. (via The Los Angeles Times)
3. Researchers have invented a Star Wars–like 3D display that simultaneously projects video, sound, and even the sensation of touch. The new displays can’t create holograms as complex as, say, Princess Leia’s famous distress call. But with further improvements, they could transform virtual reality, providing users a multi-sensory experience without headsets or other cumbersome gear. “They did an amazing job with this,” says Asier Marzo, a computer scientist at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, who was not involved with the work. Future versions, he says, could give doctors 3D views of tumors inside the body or provide soldiers with an accurate depiction of what lies ahead. “It has the potential to revolutionize the display ecosystem,” Marzo says. More here. (via sciencemag.org, nature.com)
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Quick Links: The amazing Nancy Moran. Video: A researcher created an algorithm that removes the water from underwater images. America’s public-sector pension schemes are trillions of dollars short. Economics, demography and social media only partly explain the protests roiling so many countries today. Poorly educated voters hold the keys to the White House. UK election poll tracker. North Korea calls Biden a 'rabid dog' nearing death.