New US Ethics Czar Starts Vetting Incoming Trump Officials
Jan. 5 By Heather Timmons and Gabriella Borter The top U.S. ethics official charged with preventing government workers’ conflicts of interest is about to take the hot seat in Washington, as President-elect Donald Trump’s new cabinet and other appointees declare their financial assets and prepare…
DOJ Urges Supreme Court to Reject Trump Request to Delay TikTok Ban Law
Jan. 3 By David Shepardson The U.S. Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court late on Friday to reject President-elect Donald Trump’s request to delay implementation of a law that would ban popular social media app TikTok or force its sale by Jan. 19. Last…
More legroom, no middle seat: Even budget airlines are going premium
Dec. 31 By Edward Russell Moritz Winkler began flying regularly for work about a decade ago. Nearly once a month he would make a 10-hour trek from Los Angeles to Germany – in coach. It was about a year after he began flying frequently that…
10 ways to celebrate New Year’s in Anchorage and beyond
Dec. 29 By Anchorage Daily News Noon Year’s Eve 11 a.m. Tuesday; Anchorage Public Library, 3600 Denali St. Plenty of craft activities will be available at this family-friendly event. Or, join DJ Spencer Lee on the dance floor, with the big balloon drop and countdown…
Factbox-Corporate America Pledges Donations for Trump’s Inauguration
Dec. 27 By Jaspreet Singh Big companies from Wall Street to Silicon Valley are pledging donations to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund before his Jan. 20 return to the White House, hoping to establish a positive rapport with his new administration. The companies include: ADOBE Adobe…
Rivals Criticise Google’s Search Result Changes, Call for EU Antitrust Charges
Drc. 26 By Foo Yun Chee More than 20 price comparison websites across Europe on Wednesday criticised Google’s proposed changes to its search results, saying they still fail to comply with EU tech rules and urged regulators to impose charges against the Alphabet unit. Google…
Packers WR Christian Watson avoids serious injury
Dec. 24 By Francois Murphy December 24 – Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson avoided a serious knee injury in Monday night’s playoff-clinching win against the New Orleans Saints. Watson was injured in the second quarter of the 34-0 victory at Lambeau Field after…
Austria says it is reviewing the status of Syrian refugees
Dec. 21 By Francois Murphy VIENNA, Dec 19 (Reuters) – Austria is reviewing the status of Syrian refugees who arrived less than five years ago, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Thursday after media reports that some had been notified by letter that they “no longer…
Rwanda declares that Marburg virus outbreak is over
Dec. 20 By Leika Kihara KIGALI, Dec 20 (Reuters) – Rwanda has declared an end to the country’s Marburg virus outbreak following the recovery of the last patient 42 days ago, Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana told a news conference on Friday. The East African country…
Bank of Japan keeps rates unchanged with few clues on next move
Dec. 19 By Leika Kihara TOKYO, Dec 19 (Reuters) – The Bank of Japan kept interest rates unchanged on Thursday and its governor offered few clues on how soon it could push up borrowing costs, sending the yen and bond yields tumbling on fresh doubts…
Report on deepfakes: what the Copyright Office found and what comes next in AI regulation
Dec. 18 By Paven Malhotra December 18, 2024 – On July 31, 2024, the Copyright Office released part one of its Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, specifically addressing the topic of digital replicas, or “deepfakes” — i.e., AI-generated video, image, or audio recordings that…
Gaza ceasefire talks gain momentum as officials push for deal
Dec. 17 By Erin Banco WASHINGTON/CAIRO, Dec 17 (Reuters) – An agreement to halt the 14-month-old war in Gaza and free hostages held in the Palestinian enclave could be signed in the coming days with talks in Cairo making progress, sources briefed on the meeting…