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Canada seeks to ban social media accounts for children under 16, joining growing global effort
TORONTO | Canada introduced legislation on Wednesday that could bar children younger than 16 from having social media accounts unless the companies show they can make their platforms safe. Canada is joining a growing global effort to tighten safety protections. Canadian government officials said social media platforms can obtain an exemption if they have put […]
Visa plugs its payment network into ChatGPT, letting AI agents shop and pay for users
SAN FRANCISCO | Betting that people will soon grow more comfortable having artificial intelligence agents shop for groceries, plane tickets or diapers on their behalf, payments giant Visa said Wednesday that it has embedded its payment network inside of ChatGPT, empowering the chatbot to independently shop and complete transactions. It means AI agents can not […]
House vote to extend FISA spy tool fails and it could lapse as Friday deadline looms
WASHINGTON | A rare lapse in a law that allows the United States to gather intelligence abroad appears likely after the House failed on Thursday to temporarily extend the program, in a protest of President Donald Trump ‘s refusal to name a permanent head of the nation’s intelligence agencies. Trump has doubled down on his […]
Movie Review: This train’s going fast, but the jokes fly even faster in “Stop! That! Train!’
Presidential candidates take note: If you ever want an effectively simple campaign slogan, you could do worse than this: “SHE FUN!” That’s the slogan that got President Judy Gagwell — aka RuPaul — elected, and if it puts a smile on your face, it’s a good sign that lots of other, er, gags from Gagwell […]
Glenn Close will get an Oscar at last — honorarily. So will Ridley Scott and animator Floyd Norman
Glenn Close will finally get her hands on an Oscar. Long considered among the best actors to never win one, the eight-time nominee will get an honorary Academy Award along with director Ridley Scott and animator Floyd Norman at the annual Governors Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday. “Throughout her […]
OB-GYN group makes vaccine recommendations for the first time
A prominent OB-GYN group announced vaccine recommendations on Wednesday that differ from what the U.S. government advises. The immunization schedule is specifically for pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women. It aligns with prior recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, before changes were made under the Trump administration and Health Secretary Robert F. […]
UK defense secretary resigns, saying the government is not willing to spend enough on the military
LONDON | U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey unexpectedly quit on Thursday, saying the government is unwilling to spend enough on the military at a time of “rising threats.” The resignation dealt another blow to embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is already facing demands from Labour colleagues to step down. Healey told Starmer in a […]
Opening of Canada-US bridge that Trump threatened to block is delayed over unresolved ‘issues’
WASHINGTON | The opening of a Canadian-U.S. bridge across the Detroit River that President Donald Trump previously threatened to block was delayed on Thursday due to “outstanding issues.” In a statement released before a Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony at the bridge, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said that “Canada and the United States have agreed to delay […]
Police blast water cannons at Belfast protesters as unrest flares again after stabbing
BELFAST, Northern Ireland | Police blasted water cannons Wednesday at protesters in Northern Ireland who set small fires and hurled bricks, rocks and bottles at them during a second night of violence over a brutal stabbing on a Belfast street. Demonstrators wearing masks tore bricks from the walls outside homes and smashed sidewalks with sledgehammers […]
Judge considers arguments in challenge to New Mexico’s universal childcare program
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. | A New Mexico judge is scheduled Thursday to consider arguments in a challenge to the state’s fledgling universal childcare program, an ambitious and closely watched effort to eliminate daycare costs for all working families. A lawsuit brought by former Republican gubernatorial candidate Duke Rodriguez and other plaintiffs challenges the process used by […]