CATEGORIES
US LONG-TERM MORTGAGE RATES FALL; 30-YEAR AT 2.86%
U.S. average rates on long-term mortgages fell this week amid signs that the halting economic recovery slowed over the summer. The key 30year mortgage again marked an all-time low.
FACEBOOK MAY HAVE TO STOP MOVING EU USER DATA TO US
Facebook may be forced to stop sending data about its European users to the U.S., in the first major fallout from a recent court ruling that found some trans-Atlantic data transfers don’t protect users from American government snooping.
DOES MY EMPLOYER HAVE TO SAY IF A COWORKER HAS THE VIRUS?
Does my employer have to say if a coworker has the virus?
CHINA'S EXPORT GROWTH QUICKENS IN AUGUST, IMPORTS EDGE LOWER
China’s export growth accelerated in August while imports edged lower as the world’s second-largest economy extended its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
US AGENCY POSTS ONLINE MAP TO TRACK AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE TESTS
If you’ve ever seen one of those self-driving vehicles with strange equipment on the roof and wondered where it’s going, then there’s a website for you.
U.S. PRODUCTIVITY RISES A RECORD 10.1% IN SECOND QUARTER
U.S. productivity rose at a 10.1% rate in the second quarter as the number of hours worked declined by the largest amount since the government started compiling the data more than 70 years ago.
SWISS REGION TO TAKE CRYPTOCURRENCY FOR TAX PAYMENTS IN 2021
A Swiss region that has billed itself as a hub for high-tech finance said that it plans to accept cryptocurrencies Bitcoin and Ether for tax payments starting next year.
STUDY: ELECTRONICS COULD STOP 40% OF BIG TRUCK REAR CRASHES
Safety features such as automatic emergency braking and forward collision warnings could prevent more than 40% of crashes in which semis rear-end other vehicles, a new study has found.
STILL TOO SOON TO TRY ALTERING HUMAN EMBRYO DNA, PANEL SAYS
It’s still too soon to try to make genetically edited babies because the science isn’t advanced enough to ensure safety, says an international panel of experts who also mapped a pathway for any countries that want to consider it.
IN ‘TENET,' A TIME-BENDING THRILLER FOR BENDED TIMES
I went in fresh to “Tenet.” I didn’t have any real sense of the plot, yes, but it’s more that it had been some five months since I was last in a movie theater. That’s a long hiatus — a dark ages for sitting in the dark — for someone, anyone, used to going to the movies more days than not. The last film I had seen in a cinema, back in March, was the Vin Diesel vehicle “Bloodshot,” so you can imagine my eagerness for a new aftertaste.
FED SURVEY FINDS WIDESPREAD PESSIMISM ABOUT ECONOMIC FUTURE
The latest Federal Reserve survey of U.S. economic activity found generally modest gains in August but also pessimism about the future given the threats posed by the coronavirus.
EU SHARE OF ELECTRIC CARS GREW DURING VIRUS LOCKDOWN MONTHS
The market share of electric cars in Europe increased during and immediately after the worst of the pandemic lockdowns, industry figures showed Thursday, even as overall sales of vehicles of all types plunged during the second quarter. The new figures come as automakers ramp up electric car production under pressure to meet tough new emissions limits next year.
DEPRESSION, ANXIETY SPIKE AMID OUTBREAK AND TURBULENT TIMES
Mental health therapists’ caseloads are bulging. Waiting lists for appointments are growing. And anxiety and depression are rising among Americans amid the coronavirus crisis, research suggests.
CHADWICK BOSEMAN'S DEATH LEAVES SADDENING MARK ON ROUGH 2020
Kobe Bryant. Rep. John Lewis. And now, Chadwick Boseman.
GOOGLE LOCATION-TRACKING TACTICS TROUBLED ITS OWN ENGINEERS
Google’s own engineers were troubled by the way the company secretly tracked the movements of people who didn’t want to be followed until a 2018 Associated Press investigation uncovered the shadowy surveillance, according to unsealed documents in a consumer fraud case.
SCIENCE FOUNDATION DISCUSSES FUNDING GIANT HAWAII TELESCOPE
The National Science Foundation has launched an informal outreach to Hawaii about possible funding efforts for the stalled Thirty Meter Telescope project.
TIKTOK CEO RESIGNS AMID US PRESSURE TO SELL VIDEO APP
TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer resigned Thursday amid U.S. pressure for its Chinese owner to sell the popular video app, which the White House says is a security risk.
SOMETIME SOON, YOUR CAR WILL PARK ITSELF IN URBAN GARAGES
So after the coronavirus threat has passed, you head downtown for a baseball game.
MORE THAN 1 MILLION AMERICANS FILE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT, AGAIN
Just over 1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that the coronavirus outbreak continues to threaten jobs even as the housing market, auto sales and other segments of the economy rebound from a springtime collapse.
MILITARY'S TOP CYBER OFFICIAL DEFENDS MORE AGGRESSIVE STANCE
The U.S. military’s top cyber official is defending the government’s shift toward a more aggressive strategy in cyberspace, saying the mission has evolved over the last decade to become more proactive and offensive in order to keep pace with sophisticated threats.
EUROPEAN FLIGHT SAFETY AGENCY TO START 737 MAX TEST FLIGHTS
Europe’s flight safety authority said it had scheduled the first flight tests for the Boeing 737 Max, which has been grounded worldwide after two deadly crashes revealed design issues with the jet.
HUAWEI, ZTE LOSE PATENT APPEAL CASES AT UK SUPREME COURT
Britain’s Supreme Court has dismissed two appeals by Chinese telecoms firms Huawei and ZTE over mobile data patent disputes.
FACEBOOK: APPLE PRIVACY CHANGES WILL MUCK UP ONLINE ADS
Facebook is pushing back on new Apple privacy rules for its mobile devices — and putting app developers in the middle.
DOES A FACE MASK PROTECT ME, OR JUST THE PEOPLE AROUND ME?
Does a face mask protect me, or just the people around me?
NOW PLAYING AT THE MALL PARKING LOT: MOVIES, DRAG SHOWS
Angel Dougherty went to the mall last month — not to shop, but to watch a drive-in drag show in the parking lot.
ZERO G: SOME GERMAN MOBILE USERS STILL WAITING FOR A SIGNAL
From his home on a former East German army base, Jens Raeder can power up a carefully restored Soviet shortwave transmitter and communicate with military radio enthusiasts around the world.
WEATHER CHANNEL APP TO CHANGE PRACTICES AFTER LA LAWSUIT
The operator of The Weather Channel mobile app has agreed to change how it informs users about its location-tracking practices and sale of personal data as part of a settlement with the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, officials.
STATES WRESTLE WITH PLAYING HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL AMID COVID
As heat waves rose from the crackling grass next to a cotton field that stretched far into the distance, Rick Porter watched his young football players struggle through a preseason practice.
RISE IN JOBLESS CLAIMS REFLECTS STILL-STRUGGLING US ECONOMY
The coronavirus recession struck swiftly and violently. Now, with the economy still in the grip of the pandemic five months later, the recovery looks fitful and uneven — and painfully slow.
PANDEMIC PUSHES EXPANSION OF ‘HOSPITAL AT-HOME' TREATMENT
As hospitals care for people with COVID-19 and try to keep others from catching the virus, more patients are opting to be treated where they feel safest: at home.