RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A new, reworked version of a bill that originally caught flak for removing a pandemic-era health exemption for wearing a mask in public was approved by North Carolina lawmakers on Tuesday. The amended bill still increases punishments for people wearing masks while committing a crime. It was brought forth in part […]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California bill that would require marketplaces like eBay and Nextdoor to start collecting bank accounts and tax identification numbers from high-volume sellers who advertise online but collect payments offline was fast-tracked by Democratic lawmakers with committees voting on it Tuesday.  The idea is that thieves will be less likely to […]

NEW YORK (AP) — United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain is under investigation by a court-appointed watchdog who has been working to stamp out corruption at the union in the wake of its stunning bribery and embezzlement scandal several years ago. The monitor, Neil Barofsky, disclosed that he was investigating Fain — as well as […]

This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. ___ Author: Mark Winfield, Professor, Environmental and Urban Change, York University, Canada Even with the Ontario legislature rising for an extended summer break, the province’s politics […]

Alberta’s energy “war room” – the oft-ridiculed agency famous for its feud with a children’s Bigfoot cartoon – is being retooled and brought in-house directly under Premier Danielle Smith’s office. “The Canadian Energy Centre is an important advocate for Canada and Alberta’s long-term position as a safe, clean and responsible energy supplier,” the province’s Energy […]

Rayna Dove kept careful notes about her attempts to move out of the shelter in downtown St. John’s, N.L., where her mother says she was “living in fear.”  On Dec. 27, 2021, Dove’s fears came true. She died there in the early morning hours, stabbed in the abdomen by another resident, David Quirke. Joan Dunphy, […]

Ontario will add more beds to its beleaguered jails, which are bursting with inmates, solicitor general Michael Kerzner said Monday. The province intends to add several hundred spots throughout the system as it grapples with a surge of inmates over the past 18 months. “We’re expanding and building facilities that will help front-line staff to […]

Canada’s privacy commissioner is teaming up with his U.K. counterpart to investigate a data breach discovered last year at 23andMe.  Philippe Dufresne’s office says the joint investigation with U.K. Information Commissioner John Edwards will aim to determine the scope of the October 2023 breach at the direct-to-consumer genetic testing company. They will also look into […]

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A prominent Iranian whistleblower was arrested and sent to prison to serve a 13-month sentence after he was convicted of “spreading lies to disturb the public mind,” Iranian media said Sunday.  State-run IRNA news agency reported that the Tehran prosecutor summoned Yashar Soltani and sent him to prison.  The […]

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A new Mississippi law requiring users of websites and other digital services to verify their age will unconstitutionally limit access to online speech for minors and adults, a tech industry group says in a lawsuit filed Friday. Legislators said the new law is designed to protect children from sexually explicit material. […]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A jury convicted five Minnesota residents and acquitted two others on Friday for their roles in a scheme to steal more than $40 million from a program that was supposed to feed children during the coronavirus pandemic. The case received widespread attention after someone tried to bribe a juror with a bag […]

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple has jumped into the race to bring generative artificial intelligence to the masses, spotlighting a slew of features Monday designed to soup up the iPhone, iPad and Mac. And in a move befitting a company known for its marketing prowess, the AI technology coming as part of free software updates […]