Author: Editor-In-Chief

listen to this article | 4 minutesinformationU.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has downplayed his relationship with child molester Jeffrey Epstein after newly released emails shared details of their interactions.In the face of calls for his resignation, Mr. Lutnick told a Senate committee on Tuesday that he “barely knew” Mr. Epstein, but the emails appear to contradict Mr. Epstein’s previous accounts of their relationship.Recommended stories list of 3 itemsend of list”I had nothing to do with him, almost nothing to do with that person,” Lutnick said.The Commerce Secretary is the latest member of the political and economic elite to come under…

Facebook on Tuesday announced new AI-powered features designed to help users express themselves in more playful ways across the platform. Updates include animated profile pictures, photo restyle tools for Stories and Memories, and the ability to add animated backgrounds to text posts. Meta is working to keep Facebook relevant among younger users with its flagship app, and may be betting that these new features will provide a more personalized experience that will appeal to Gen Z. The new Animated Profile Photo feature applies motion effects to still photos, making it appear as if your subject is waving, forming a heart…

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R.S., on Tuesday crushed pressure from President Donald Trump and his allies to change Senate filibuster rules to speed passage of a controversial voter identification bill.The SAVE America Act, introduced in January, would require voters to prove their citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and require them to submit a specific form of photo identification to vote. The bill is scheduled to be voted on in the House this week, but faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where Democrats have vowed to use the filibuster to block it, saying it could disenfranchise…

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves Downing Street in London, England, on February 2, 2026.Alicia Abodunde | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer has ignored calls to resign, but an analyst has warned that a “Sword of Damocles” hangs over the influential bond market until a successor is clear.Pressure on Starmer has increased amid criticism of his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States in 2024, despite Mandelson’s links to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The release of millions of new emails and files related to Epstein has shed new light…

Paramount Skydance is beefing up its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery by offering additional cash in every quarter that doesn’t close after this year.CBS’ parent company also said it would pay a $2.8 billion termination fee if Warner Bros. Discovery breaks its $82.7 billion deal with Netflix for its studio and streaming properties.Recommended stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe move is Paramount’s latest effort to loosen its contract with HBO’s parent company, after Warner Bros. has rejected multiple hostile takeover attempts.Paramount Skydance offered a “ticking fee” of 25 cents per share, which would ultimately amount to $650 million in…

England Test captain Ben Stokes has undergone successful surgery on an eye injury he sustained when he was hit by a cricket ball earlier this month.The 34-year-old all-rounder posted on his Instagram Story an image of his bruised and swollen right eye and cheek, with the message: “It may not look like it… but the surgery was a success.” Stokes revealed earlier this month that he was hit in the face by a ball, leaving his eye severely swollen and bruised, his cheek and lip bruised and his nose stuffed with bandages. He captioned the photo: “Look at the condition…

On Monday night, xAI co-founder Yuhuai (Tony) Wu announced that he is leaving the company. “It’s time for the next chapter,” Wu wrote in a post on the late-night X show. “This is a time of possibilities. Small teams armed with AI can move mountains and redefine what is possible.” That in itself is a fairly standard retirement announcement for an engineer, but it’s part of a troubling pattern for the lab. Five of the company’s 12 founding team members have now left the company, four of whom joined the company just last year. Infrastructure lead Kyle Kosick left for…

liftThe company’s stock fell 15% in extended trading Tuesday after the ride-hailing company reported disappointing fourth-quarter results.Here’s how the company performed against LSEG’s estimates:Earnings per share: Non-comparable earnings: $1.59 billion vs. $1.76 billionSales increased 3% year over year. Bookings rose 19% year over year to $5.07 billion, in line with Wall Street expectations. Net income was approximately $2.76 billion, or $6.72 per share. The company said it expects earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, a measure of profitability, to be in the range of $120 million to $140 million for the current quarter. Analysts had expected sales of $139.8…

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) speaks with reporters as the House votes to end the partial government shutdown at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 3, 2026.Kylie Cooper | ReutersHouse Republican leaders are at risk of an embarrassing defeat in Tuesday’s procedural vote, as Republican lawmakers balk at a vote to block challenges to President Donald Trump’s tariffs by the summer. A potential Republican insurrection over the vote highlights divisions within House Republicans, a dynamic that could make it more difficult for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to advance his and Mr. Trump’s policies in the narrow chamber. Dissatisfied…

As Donald Trump continues to wreak havoc on allies and trading partners, countries are scrambling to forge new alliances and repair broken ones to protect themselves from the mercurial American president.The past few months have seen a flurry of diplomatic moves by governments, including those with longstanding mutual resentment, to reduce their dependence on the United States.Recommended stories list of 4 itemsend of list”Countries are looking to diversify their economic and security partnerships,” Bina Najibullah, deputy director of the Canada Asia-Pacific Foundation, told Al Jazeera.”Many of America’s allies, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, do not want to dissociate from the…