CATEGORIES

'Kung Fu Panda 4' is a Sweet, Fun and Well Executed Passing of the Torch

“Kung Fu Panda 4” finds our trusty, rotund hero Po at a career crossroads and he’s nervous. “Change doesn’t have to be a bad thing,” he is told. “Kung Fu Panda 4” also finds the franchise at an inflection point, but there’s no reason for us to be nervous. DreamWorks knows what it’s doing.

UN SAYS E-WASTE FROM TRASHED ELECTRIC DEVICES IS PILING UP AND RECYCLING ISN'T KEEPING PACE

U.N. agencies have warned that electrical and electronic waste is piling up worldwide while recycling rates remain low and are likely to fall even further.

FRENCH REGULATORS FINE GOOGLE $272 MILLION IN DISPUTE WITH NEWS PUBLISHERS

France's competition watchdog hit Google on Wednesday with another big fine tied to a long-running dispute over payments to French publishers for their news.

TEXAS APPROVES LAND-SWAPPING DEAL WITH SPACEX AS COMPANY HOPES TO EXPAND ROCKET-LAUNCH OPERATIONS

SpaceX would acquire public land in Texas to expand its rocket-launch facilities under a tentative deal that is moving forward after months of opposition from nearby residents and officials near the U.S.-Mexico border.

SPACEX COMES CLOSE TO COMPLETING TEST FLIGHT OF MEGA ROCKET BUT LOSES SPACECRAFT NEAR END

SpaceX came close to completing an hourlong test flight of its mega rocket on its third try Thursday (14), but the spacecraft was lost as it descended back to Earth.

SPOTIFY PAID $9 BILLION IN ROYALTIES IN 2023. HERE'S WHAT FUELED THE GROWTH

Spotify paid out $9 billion in streaming royalties last year, the streaming giant said this week in its latest \"Loud and Clear\" report.

APPLE TO PAY $490 MILLION TO SETTLE ALLEGATIONS THAT IT MISLED INVESTORS ABOUT IPHONE SALES IN CHINA

Apple has agreed to pay $490 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging CEO Tim Cook misled investors about a steep downturn in iPhone's sales in China that culminated in a jarring revision to the company's revenue forecast.

PAIR ACCUSED OF STEALING BATTERY MANUFACTURING SECRETS FROM TESLA AND STARTING THEIR OWN COMPANY

Two men are accused of starting a business in China using battery manufacturing technology pilfered from Tesla and trying to sell the proprietary information, federal prosecutors in New York said.

AI IMAGE-GENERATOR MIDJOURNEY BLOCKS IMAGES OF BIDEN AND TRUMP AS ELECTION LOOMS

The popular artificial intelligence image-generator Midjourney has started blocking its users from creating fake images of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential election, according to tests of the AI tool.

AS ELECTRIC VEHICLE SALES SLOW, US 7 RELAXES PLANS FOR STRICTER AUTO EMISSIONS STANDARDS FOR A WHILE

The Biden administration this week is expected to announce new automobile emissions standards that relax proposed limits for three years but eventually reach the same strict standards proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

BIDEN TO TOUT GOVERNMENT INVESTING $8.5 BILLION IN INTEL'S COMPUTER CHIP PLANTS IN FOUR STATES

The Biden administration has reached an agreement to provide Intel with up to $8.5 billion in direct funding and $11 billion in loans for computer chip plants in Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico and Oregon.

AN AI ROBOT IS SPOTTING SICK TULIPS TO SLOW THE SPREAD OF DISEASE THROUGH DUTCH BULB FIELDS

Theo works weekdays, weekends and nights and never complains about a sore spine despite performing hour upon hour of what, for a regular farm hand, would be backbreaking labor checking Dutch tulip fields for sick flowers.

tv+ SHINES THROUGH A FOCUS ON QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

As the streaming wars intensify, Apple TV+ has emerged as a formidable contender. It distinguishes itself through a curated selection of content that prioritizes quality over quantity. Though Disney and Netflix are bigger, Apple's onto a winner with its catalog.

ELECTION MISINFORMATION IS A PROBLEM IN ANY LANGUAGE.BUT SOME GETS MORE ATTENTION THAN OTHERS

Warnings about deepfakes and disinformation fueled by artificial intelligence. Concerns about campaigns and candidates using social media to spread lies about elections. Fears that tech companies will fail to address these issues as their platforms are used to undermine democracy ahead of pivotal elections.

JUDGE DENIES APPLE'S ATTEMPT TO DISMISS A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT OVER AIRTAG STALKING

A judge has denied Apple ’s motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit claiming that stalkers are using its AirTag devices to track victims — and that the tech giant hasn’t done enough to prevent them.

78,000 MORE PUBLIC WORKERS ARE GETTING STUDENT LOANS CANCELED THROUGH BIDEN ADMINISTRATION CHANGES

Another 78,000 Americans are getting their federal student loans canceled through a program that helps teachers, nurses, firefighters and other public servants, the Biden administration announced Thursday.

FEDERAL OFFICIALS WANT TO KNOW HOW AIRLINES HANDLE, AND SHARE, PASSENGERS' PERSONAL INFORMATION

Federal officials said Thursday they will review how airlines protect personal information about their passengers and whether they are making money by sharing that information with other parties.

BOEING TELLS AIRLINES TO CHECK PILOT SEATS AFTER REPORT THAT AN ACCIDENTAL SHIFT LED PLANE TO PLUNGE

Boeing is telling airlines to inspect switches on pilots’ seats in its 787 Dreamliner jets after a published report said an accidental cockpit seat movement likely caused the sudden plunge of a LATAM Airlines plane flying to New Zealand.

APPLE HAS KEPT AN ILLEGAL MONOPOLY OVER SMARTPHONES IN US, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAYS IN ANTITRUST SUIT

The Justice Department on Thursday announced a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Apple, accusing the tech giant of engineering an illegal monopoly in smartphones that boxes out competitors, stifles innovation and keeps prices artificially high.

WANT TO FEEL SPECIAL? STORES AND RESTAURANTS WITH PAID MEMBERSHIPS ARE BETTING ON IT

How much does it cost to feel special?

MOST TEENS REPORT FEELING HAPPY OR PEACEFUL WHEN THEY GO WITHOUT SMARTPHONES, PEW SURVEY FINDS

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. teens say they feel happy or peaceful when they don’t have their phones with them, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.

WHY YOU SHOULD STOP TEXTING YOUR KIDS AT SCHOOL

Virginia high school teacher Joe Clement keeps track of the text messages parents have sent students sitting in his economics and government classes:

EUROPE'S WORLD-FIRST AI RULES GET FINAL APPROVAL FROM LAWMAKERS. HERE'S WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

European Union lawmakers gave final approval to the 27-nation bloc’s artificial intelligence law Wednesday, putting the world-leading rules on track to take effect later this year.

REDDIT IS PREPARING TO SELL SHARES TO THE PUBLIC. HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Reddit, that vast, lively and sometimes chaotic repository of internet discussion, projected a price for its initial public offering stock that values the 18-year-old social media platform at up to $6.4 billion.

STATE AGS SEND LETTER TO META ASKING IT TO TAKE 'IMMEDIATE ACTION' ON USER ACCOUNT TAKEOVERS

A group of 40 state attorneys general have sent a letter to Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta expressing “deep concern” over what they say is dramatic uptick of consumer complaints about account takeovers and lockouts.

US LAWMAKERS SAY TIKTOK WON'T BE BANNED IF IT FINDS A NEW OWNER. BUT THAT'S EASIER SAID THAN DONE

U.S. lawmakers are threatening to ban TikTok but also say they are giving its Chinese parent company a chance to keep it running.

COMPARING THREE-ROW EVS: THE KIA EV9 VS RIVIAN R1S

Shoppers thinking about buying a three-row SUV have plenty of options. Unless they want an electric SUV, that is. Fortunately, there are two models that hold a lot of promise: the Kia EV9 and the Rivian R1S. The EV9 is Kia’s latest and largest electric SUV. Think of it as a Kia Telluride that’s electric. As for the R1S, it hails from Rivian, an electric vehicle startup, and boasts massive power and impressive off-road performance. Both can haul lots of passengers and swallow loads of cargo. But which is the better buy? Car experts compare them to find out.

ELON MUSK VISITS A TESLA PLANT NEAR BERLIN AS PRODUCTION RESUMES AFTER A SUSPECTED ARSON ATTACK

Tesla CEO Elon Musk visited the electric car maker’s first European plant on Wednesday as production resumed at the factory just outside Berlin, about a week after a suspected arson attack cut its power supply.

US SPEARHEADS FIRST UN RESOLUTION ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AIMED AT ENSURING WORLD HAS ACCESS

The United States is spearheading the first United Nations resolution on artificial intelligence, aimed at ensuring the new technology is “safe, secure and trustworthy” and that all countries, especially those in the developing world, have equal access.

OPENAI HAS 'FULL CONFIDENCE' IN CEO SAM ALTMAN AFTER INVESTIGATION, REINSTATES HIM TO BOARD

OpenAI is reinstating CEO Sam Altman to its board of directors and said it has “full confidence” in his leadership after the conclusion of an outside investigation into the company’s turmoil.