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POLITICS  
Trump administration erases the government's power to fight climate change
- WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he was erasing the scientific finding that climate change endangers human health and the environment, ending the federal government's legal authority to control the pollution that is dangerously heating the planet. The action is a key step in removing limits on carbon dioxide, methane and four other greenhouse gases that scientists say are supercharging ...

Source: bostonglobe.com
US  
ABA, associations ask administration to retain AI risk management framework
- The American Bankers Association today joined the Business Software Alliance and seven associations in urging Commerce Department officials to retain the core structure of a risk management framework for artificial intelligence as the Trump administration seeks to spur AI adoption in the U.S. AI Risk Management Framework , or RMF, was released in 2023 in collaboration with the private and public sectors. The ...

Source: bankingjournal.aba.com
Russia fully blocks WhatsApp impacting 100 million users - TechBriefly
- The application has been erased from the national internet directory as part of a broader crackdown on unfriendly communication tools. Russian authorities have fully blocked WhatsApp, impacting up to 100 million users, according to the Financial Times. Officials removed the app from an online directory, erasing it from Russia's internet. The government previously urged users to switch to Max, an unencrypted app ...

Source: techbriefly.com
TECHNOLOGY  
Google fears massive attempt to clone Gemini AI through model extraction
- The company identified over 100,000 prompts it suspects were intended to extract proprietary reasoning capabilities. Google detected and blocked a campaign involving more than 100,000 prompts that it claimed were designed to copy the proprietary reasoning capabilities of its Gemini AI model, according to a quarterly threat report released by Google Threat Intelligence Group. The prompts looked like a coordinated ...

Source: csoonline.com
WORLD   POLITICS  
Bangladesh election results: Who won, who lost, what's next?
- Unofficial results show BNP ahead in Bangladesh election The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Tarique Rahman has won two-thirds majority in the South Asian country's historic elections – the first since the 2024 student-led uprising that ousted the previous Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina . The Election Commission (EC) on Friday released the latest results from the elections, showing that the BNP had ...

Source: aljazeera.com
US   POLITICS  
Goldman Sachs Lawyer Ruemmler to Leave Over Jeffrey Epstein Ties
- Kathy Ruemmler is leaving her position as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. 's top lawyer, ending the firm's monthslong attempt to defend her previous association with late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein . Ruemmler's name appeared in the millions of pages of documents that have been released by the US Department of Justice in recent weeks. Goldman Sachs hired Ruemmler as its legal chief in 2020, the year after Epstein's death. ...

Source: news.bloomberglaw.com
TECHNOLOGY  
Rocket Report: Say cheerio to Orbex; China is getting good at booster landings
- "You absolutely have to have a plan to compete with SpaceX on price." Welcome to Edition 8.29 of the Rocket Report! We have a stuffed report this week with news from across the launch spectrum. Long-term, probably the most significant development this week was a subscale version of the Long March 10 rocket successfully launching and then executing a picture-perfect ocean landing. China is catching up rapidly to the ...

Source: arstechnica.com
US  
FDA refuses to consider Moderna flu shot in move experts claim is part of 'anti-vaccine agenda'
- Agency says application rejected due to lack of 'adequate and well controlled' trial, but experts say 'they're just coming up with reasons' A senior US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official says Moderna's clinical trial on a new, potentially more effective flu vaccine was a "brazen failure" and that the FDA is now calling it into question. The FDA unexpectedly refused to consider Moderna's application for a ...

Source: theguardian.com
US   POLITICS  
As electricity costs rise, everyone wants data centers to pick up their tab. But how?
- HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — As outrage spreads over energy-hungry data centers, politicians from President Donald Trump to local lawmakers have found rare bipartisan agreement over insisting that tech companies — and not regular people — must foot the bill for the exorbitant amount of electricity required for artificial intelligence. But that might be where the agreement ends. The price of powering ...

Source: bostonglobe.com
SCIENCE  
On their way! 4 people on NASA Crew-12 mission launch to International Space Station
- Four people are headed to the International Space Station after a predawn Friday liftoff from Cape Canaveral in Florida. When the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off, it briefly turned the inky-black sky into daylight, as it roared to orbit on a nine-minute journey to space. The crew is expected to dock with the space station on Saturday afternoon, Eastern time. The space station has been operating with a reduced ...

Source: npr.org
BUSINESS  
Proofpoint acquires Acuvity to secure AI and agent-driven workflows
- Help Net Security newsletters : Daily and weekly news, cybersecurity jobs, open source projects, breaking news – subscribe here! Proofpoint has acquired Acuvity, strengthening its platform with AI-native visibility, governance, and runtime protection for AI and agent-driven workflows. As generative AI reshapes how work gets done, organisations are deploying AI copilots, autonomous agents, and model-connected ...

Source: helpnetsecurity.com
POLITICS  
UK decision to ban Palestine Action as 'terror group' unlawful, court says
- Palestine Action supporters celebrate UK legal victory The High Court in the United Kingdom has ruled that the government's ban on the pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action as a "terror group" was unlawful. In a statement responding to the landmark ruling on Friday, Palestine Action's cofounder Huda Ammori, who had challenged the government's ban, said the ruling was a huge win for the group. "This is a ...

Source: aljazeera.com
Shooting at a South Carolina State University residence complex kills 2 and wounds 1
- Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) — Two men are dead and another was wounded after a shooting in a room at a South Carolina State University residential complex, the university said, prompting a nearly eight-hour lockdown that was lifted early Friday. The Thursday night shooting happened a little over four months after two shootings during homecoming celebrations on Oct. 4. One, ...

Source: orlandosentinel.com
WORLD  
Japan seizes Chinese fishing boat and arrests skipper
- TOKYO — Japanese authorities have seized a Chinese fishing boat and arrested its captain for allegedly fleeing inspection in its exclusive economic zone, an incident that could further inflame tensions between Asia's top two economies. The captain, a 47-year-old Chinese national, is accused of ignoring orders to stop for an on-board inspection on Thursday in waters off southwest Nagasaki prefecture, Japan's ...

Source: nbcnews.com
MEDICINE  
Elephants Have a Secret Sensory Ability. Scientists Say It Could Inspire Design of Future Robots
- Dr. Katherine Kuchenbecker, a roboticist from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) , was walking down a hallway tapping the railings, walls, and columns with a "wand" her student, Dr. Andrew Schulz, had given her. While she tapped the wand on different surfaces, she realized she could feel the different vibrations of surfaces, without having to look at them. The vibrations felt soft and gentle ...

Source: greenmatters.com
US   POLITICS  
Members of Congress demand DOJ stop tracking lawmakers' Epstein files searches
- showed Bondi at a congressional hearing Wednesday holding a document labeled "Jayapal Pramila Search History." The document listed Epstein files that the Democratic representative from Washington confirmed she searched. this week to view unredacted Epstein files. The review process could take place in person at the Justice Department on DOJ computers. In a letter from the Justice Department to lawmakers obtained by ...

Source: news.yahoo.com
Canada police identify shooting suspect as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar
- The suspect in a school mass shooting in Canada that killed eight people was an 18-year-old with a history of contact with police over her mental health, police have said. Canadian police identified the suspect on Wednesday as Jesse Van Rootselaar, saying she had died from a self-inflicted wound after carrying out the attack in the remote mountain community of Tumbler Ridge in British Columbia province. It was ...

Source: aljazeera.com
US   POLITICS  
Frey, Mamdani meet in NYC
- Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey met with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday afternoon, telling reporters ahead of his sit-down that he expected to talk about making sure "that what happened in Minneapolis does not happen in other cities." "Mayors work together," Frey said. "We're all operating in the reality business, and the reality is, what just happened with 'Operation Metro Surge' is not ...

Source: news.yahoo.com
Ukrainian Olympian banned from Winter Games over helmet showing compatriots killed in Russia's war
- Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy — Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych is out of the Milan Cortina Games after refusing a last-minute plea from the International Olympic Committee to use a helmet other than the one that honors athletes killed in Russia's war on his country . IOC President Kirsty Coventry was waiting for Heraskevych at the top of the track when he arrived around 8:15 a.m. Thursday, about ...

Source: cbsnews.com
US   POLITICS  
Attorney of woman shot by ICE agent accuses officials of fabricating evidence
- News , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Attorney of woman shot by ICE agent accuses officials of fabricating evidence The attorney of Marimar Martinez, whom US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot multiple times in Chicago in October, argued Wednesday that released evidence shows that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has lied about information tied to investigations. Attorney ...

Source: jurist.org
WORLD   POLITICS  
Trump named 'undisputed champion of beautiful clean coal' by industry group
- Award was presented as president directed Pentagon to buy billions of dollars' worth of energy from coal plants Donald Trump was crowned the "undisputed champion of beautiful clean coal" during a White House ceremony on Wednesday, during which the president received a trophy after ordering the US defense department to purchase billions of dollars' worth of power from coal plants. The award was reportedly granted by ...

Source: theguardian.com
US   POLITICS  
Citizenship voting requirement in SAVE America Act has no basis in the Constitution – and ignores precedent that only states decide who gets to vote
- The Republican-led House of Representatives voted Feb. 11, 2026 to approve the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act – or SAVE America Act. The bill would require individuals to provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote and present photo identification when they do vote in federal elections. This marks the third year in a row that the House has passed similar legislation. Passage in the ...

Source: theconversation.com
US   POLITICS  
White House immediately fires U.S. attorney chosen by judges to replace Trump's pick
- The White House fired the top federal prosecutor for upstate New York just hours after he was sworn into office Wednesday. Donald Kinsella, who has worked for decades as a government attorney and in private practice, was appointed and sworn in as the U.S. attorney in the Northern District of New York in a private ceremony, the court said on its website . Later that day, he was fired in an email from the White ...

Source: nbcnews.com
US   POLITICS  
IRS official says agency improperly shared some taxpayer data with ICE
- The IRS shared taxpayer data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement that skirted federal privacy law and was outside the scope of the agencies' controversial data-sharing agreement, according to a court filing Wednesday. A sworn declaration from Dottie A. Romo, previously the IRS's chief operating officer and now its chief risk and control officer, detailed the tax agency's missteps regarding a request from ICE ...

Source: fedscoop.com
US   POLITICS  
Senate fails to advance DHS funding, teeing up partial shutdown as deal remains out of reach
- Washington — The Senate failed to advance a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday, likely paving the way for another partial government shutdown without a last-minute breakthrough.  In a 52 to 47 vote, all but one Democrat — Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania — opposed moving forward with the bill, which would fund DHS through September. The motion needed 60 votes ...

Source: cbsnews.com
MEDICINE  
James Van Der Beek, '90s Star of 'Dawson's Creek,' Dies at 48 From Colon Cancer
- 'Dawson's Creek' Star James Van Der Beek Dies at 48 After Colon Cancer Battle Colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Americans under 50. The actor was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer at age 46, he told People in an interview in November 2024. Colorectal cancer treatment can include a variety of approaches including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted drugs, surgery, and radiation. ...

Source: everydayhealth.com
US   POLITICS  
Judge temporarily blocks Pentagon action against Mark Kelly over illegal orders video
- A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has granted Sen. Mark Kelly's request for a preliminary injunction against Pete Hegseth, in a lawsuit filed by the Arizona Democrat accusing the defense secretary of trying to punish him for his political speech. Kelly, a former Navy Captain, sued Hegseth in January, one week after the defense secretary moved to formally censure him for participating in a video where he and ...

Source: npr.org
POLITICS  
Judge orders Trump administration to return illegally deported Venezuelans
- Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Swipe for next article Judge blasts 'flagrant' violation of due process rights for Venezuelans sent to CECOT in order for their return from third counties A federal judge ordered Donald Trump's administration to "facilitate" the return of illegally deported Venezuelan men who were sent to a notorious ...

Source: independent.co.uk
WORLD   POLITICS  
US readying another aircraft carrier for Middle East deployment: Trump
- Donald Trump has appeared to confirm that the United States is looking to further shore up military assets in the Middle East despite ongoing diplomacy to ease tensions with Iran. The US president shared on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, without comment, a Wall Street Journal article titled "Pentagon Prepares Second Aircraft Carrier to Deploy to the Middle East". The story cited US officials as saying that ...

Source: aljazeera.com
US   POLITICS  
US applications for jobless benefits fall to 227,000 last week, remaining at recent healthy levels
- WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week, remaining within the historically healthy range of the past few years. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending Feb. 7 fell by 5,000 to 227,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That's basically in line with the 226,000 new applications that analysts surveyed by the data firm ...

Source: apnews.com
DIGITAL   TECHNOLOGY  
The $3,500 Apple Vision Pro is finally getting an official YouTube app - and it's about time
- Whether it was Google's doing, Apple's, or both, you can now watch your usual YouTube content in visionOS, no strings attached. Follow ZDNET:  Add us as a preferred source  on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways I always wondered what would come first: smart cars that can communicate with each other via 5G, or the official YouTube app for VisionOS. The answer has finally arrived, with Apple today announcing the ...

Source: zdnet.com
WORLD  
How a party balloon led the government to shut down a Texas airport
- Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Swipe for next article The sudden and unprecedented Tuesday closure of El Paso's airspace stemmed from border officials firing a high-energy laser at what they believed to be a cartel drone , according to reports. But, it turned out to be something considerably more innocuous: a party balloon drifting ...

Source: independent.co.uk