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TikTok is hit with $368 million fine under Europe's strict data privacy rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:14 GMT

LONDON (AP) — European regulators slapped TikTok with a $368 million fine on Friday for failing to protect children's privacy, the first time that the popular short video-sharing app has been punished for breaching Europe's strict data privacy rules.Ireland's Data Protection Commission, the lead privacy regulator for Big Tech companies whose European headquarters are largely in Dublin, said it was fining TikTok 345 million euros and reprimanding the platform for the violations dating to the second half of 2020. The investigation found that the sign-up process for teen users resulted in settings that made their accounts public by default, allowing anyone to view and comment on their videos. Those default settings also posed a risk to children under 13 who gained access to the platform even though they're not allowed. Also, a “family pairing" feature designed for parents to manage settings wasn't strict enough, allowing adults to turn on direct messaging for users aged 16 and 17 witho...

California adds jobs in August, statewide unemployent rate is unchanged

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:14 GMT

California added jobs during August and the statewide unemployment rate remained unchanged compared with the prior month, state labor officials reported Friday.The Golden State gained 23,100 jobs in August, the state Employment Development Department reported.The jobless rate in California was 4.6% in August, the same level as July.California’s unemployment rate has remained unchanged for three months in a row.Seven of California’s 11 industry sectors gained jobs in August, the EDD reported.Private education and health services was the industry category that gained the most jobs in California, adding 14,000 jobs in August.Significant California job losses occurred in the information industry, which suffered a decline of 9,000 positions.Motion picture and sound recording categories caused most of the information industry losses as the strikes by unionized actors and writers continued last month.Losses also occurred in an array of tech industry categories.

What Cal must fix vs. Idaho in final game before Pac-12 play

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:14 GMT

BERKELEY — Cal, whose fortunes swung wildly over the first two weeks of the football season, closes its non-conference schedule Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium against an Idaho team hoping to knock off a second straight FBS opponent.The Bears, 1-1 after a 14-10 loss to Auburn, are one week away from opening their final Pac-12 season on the road against No. 8 Washington. Cal’s conference slate includes six games against teams currently ranked in the Top 25.“We have a gauntlet of a schedule,” quarterback Sam Jackson V said. “Everything is week by week because we won’t play any run-over teams at all.”That includes Idaho, an FCS-level team that has beaten its first two opponents— including Nevada last week — by a combined margin of 75-23.“They are a confident team.” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. “They know what they’re doing. They have our full attention, no doubt about that.”The Bears opened two weeks ago with a rousing 58-21 win at North Texas, showing off new offensive coordin...

Skipped bill payments in California hit record low

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:14 GMT

”Survey says” looks at various rankings and scorecards judging geographic locations while noting these grades are best seen as a mix of artful interpretation and data.Buzz: Californians are paying their bills on time at a record-setting pace.Source: My trusty spreadsheet reviewed the bill-paying habits of consumers as compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The report, using Equifax credit report data, tracks nationwide trends as well as 11 big states, including California, for borrowers with credit histories – or roughly 90% of the nation.ToplineDespite lots of talk about economic anxieties across the Golden State, only 0.95% of California debts were tardy in the second quarter. That delinquency rate is down a smidge from 0.96% in the first quarter and sharply below the 1.87% average of pre-pandemic 2018-19.Plus, California’s delinquency rate is the best of the 11 big states and well below the nation’s 1.48% pace. And as for California’s economic rivals, Texas had the wor...

1 dead in stabbing near San Jose State, person of interest in custody

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:14 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- One man is dead after being stabbed near San Jose State University early Friday morning. A person of interest is now in custody, San Jose Police Department said.Police are currently at the scene of the stabbing that occurred around 4:17 a.m. in the area of South 4th and San Carlos streets, police said."No one affiliated with San José State University, including students, was involved in the stabbing on 4th and San Carlos Streets this morning," the university told KRON4.Road closures are currently in effect for South 4th and South 3rd streets between East San Fernando and San Carlos streets. The public is advised to avoid the area while officers investigate the incident. Traffic in the area is expected to be impacted. This is a developing story. Stick with us for updates.

Automaker CEO Elon Musk Strips UAW Twitter Verification as Union Strikes Against Big Three

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:14 GMT

After members of the United Auto Workers walked off the job at midnight, Twitter stripped the union of its account verification without notice, according to a UAW official. The account, as of publication time, lacked verification. The move by Elon Musk, owner of the microblogging platform he is attempting to rechristen from Twitter to X, followed the union’s decision to strike the Big Three automakers on Thursday night after the car companies refused to ink a new contract with their unionized workers. Class solidarity among the nation’s elite has long been a feature of the American political economy, and the move by Musk, the richest man on the planet, is in line with that sense of allegiance, even as he promotes himself as a populist friend of the working man. Musk is also the owner of a non-union automaker, Tesla. Wage increases won by union workers often trickle down, so to speak, to non-union workers, requiring even bosses like Musk to pay workers more from his share of pro...

Stock market today: Wall Street slips, but is still on track for weekly gains

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks slipped in morning trading on Wall Street Friday but not enough to erase the market’s gains for the week.The S&P 500 fell 0.7%. The benchmark index is on track for weekly gains that would help trim some of last week’s losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 103 points, or 0.3%, to 34,802 as of 10:49 a.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq fell 1.1%,Technology stocks were the biggest drag on the market. Microsoft fell 1.5% and chipmaker Nvidia fell 2.2%. U.S. automaker stocks were proving to be resilient after members of the United Auto Workers union walked off the job at several plants overnight. Ford fell 0.2%, General Motors rose 0.8% and Stellantis gained 1%.Bond yields gained ground. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.32% from 4.29% late Thursday. The yield on the 2-year Treasury rose to 5.03% from 5.02% late Thursday.Investors spent much of the week reviewing mostly healthy updates on the U.S. economy. The reports came ahead of next week’s...

Mississippi player sues coach Lane Kiffin, school for lack of support during mental health crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:14 GMT

A Mississippi football player is suing coach Lane Kiffin and the school for racial and sexual discrimination and negligence, saying he was kicked off the team during a mental health crisis.DeSanto Rollins, a defensive tackle from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, filed the lawsuit Thursday in federal court in Oxford, Mississippi, where the school is located.Rollins, who is Black, is seeking $10 million in compensatory damages and $30 million in punitive damages. He claims he was not supported through his depression the way white and female athletes have been at Ole Miss.“We have not received a lawsuit,” the school said Friday through spokesman Kyle Campbell. “DeSanto was never removed from the football team and remains on scholarship. In addition, he continues to have the opportunity to receive all of the resources and advantages that are afforded a student-athlete at the university.”Rollins was still listed on the Rebels’ roster as of Friday.A letter dated May 3 from the office of Rollins...

New Astro Beer Hall in Shirlington will feature big outdoor patio

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:14 GMT

D.C.’s Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken will open its second Astro Beer Hall on Tuesday in Arlington, Virginia’s Shirlington neighborhood.The new location, at 4001 Campbell Avenue, was previously occupied by Capital City Brewing Company, which closed in 2018. The new Astro Beer Hall is a follow-up to the original Astro Beer Hall that opened by Metro Center at 1306 G Street NW in 2019.Like the original, the Shirlington location is a collaboration between Astro Doughnuts owners Elliott Spaisman and Jeff Halpern, and Tin Shop, a bar and restaurant development group founded by Geoff Dawson and Peter Bayne. Their businesses include the Franklin Hall beer hall in D.C.’s Manhattan Laundry Building at 1348 Florida Avenue and restaurant and bar Tall Boy in D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood.The 14,000-square-foot, two-story Astro Beer Hall in Shirlington includes a 140-seat patio, the largest in the neighborhood, and vintage video games, like Pacman, Asteroids, Pop-A-Shot ba...

Kosovo receives $34.7 million US grant to fight corruption and strengthen democracy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:14 GMT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The U.S. Agency for International Development has given Kosovo another grant to help the country’s integration into the European Union and Euro-Atlantic institutions, promote its growth and to support the development of democratic institutions, the U.S. Embassy in Pristina said Friday.The U.S. has invested $2 billion (1.86 billion euros) in Kosovo since 1999, including investments of over $1 billion (934 million euros) from USAID. The $34.7 million (32.4 million euros) is the last Congress-approved installment of agency funds for Kosovo.“Our USAID programs in Kosovo are all intended to ensure that all Kosovans can access effective and accountable services from their institutions, are empowered to demand accountability for these services, and can thrive through strong economic and democratic opportunities,” U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey M. Hovenier said.Kosovo’s president, Vjosa Osmani, said the government’s agreement with USAID “will contribut...