Author: Press Room

My son is applying to 17 colleges, and the application process is causing us both stress.My husband and I are proofreading his essays and filling out the FAFSA for him.My son is staying up late to get it all done, but I’m trying to make sure he stays healthy. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. download the app I knew this time would come; I just didn’t know I’d dread it so much.My only child is now a high-school senior. To say these past few…

The revelation that a Chinese company is funding several US patent lawsuits has put the $13bn litigation finance industry on the defence over claims that Beijing could exploit the American legal system and spy on corporations. Court filings in Delaware show that Shenzhen-based Purplevine IP is backing two related intellectual property suits brought against a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. The suits allege that JBL Bluetooth earbuds infringe on several voice detection and noise reduction innovations, as does an in-car sound system.Purplevine is reportedly backing three other cases in Texas, brought by the same Florida-based wearable tech company. Litigation finance companies…

Stones and seashells for people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks began appearing at a signpost at Guantánamo Bay a few years ago, not far from the courtroom for war crimes cases.“In memory of all those who died of post-9/11 illness,” says a message inscribed on a chunk of coral. “Yeneneh Betru — Jan. 21, 1966 to Sept. 11, 2001 — Life is too short,” says another honoring a physician from California.A rite of sorts, it has been going on so long that some of the messages have faded in the Caribbean sunshine.“Aunt Lorraine: We miss you. We love you,”…

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene defended herself against antisemitism allegations in her new book.She claimed that her controversial Jewish space laser comments were “sarcastic.”The Christian nationalist congresswoman noted that her “Savior,” Jesus, was a Jewish carpenter. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. download the app Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene addressed her controversial comments about Jewish space lasers and said that she is not antisemitic because her “Savior,” Jesus, was a Jewish carpenter.The Georgia congresswoman has dedicated a chapter of her upcoming memoir “MTG” to addressing the antisemitism allegations, per…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Artificial intelligence myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.Microsoft has tweaked its artificial intelligence image generator tool after concerns were raised over a viral social media trend where users created realistic Disney film posters of their dogs, highlighting broader copyright issues in the industry.Disney’s logo was visible in illustrations made by Microsoft’s Bing Image Creator, which were then posted to TikTok and Instagram. The pictures featured people’s pets in the style of posters made by Disney’s Pixar studio, leading influencers to encourage others to prompt the artificial intelligence tool to…

GOP lawmakers are renewing their call for the federal government to ban the Chinese-owned app TikTok after Usama bin Laden’s 2002 “Letter to America” went viral on social media and received sympathy from hundreds of young users. The letter, published by The Guardian but taken offline Wednesday, blamed U.S. policies for the Sept. 11 attacks. “We should ban it,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Sean Hannity Thursday. “It tracks everything you do on your phone. It tracks everywhere you go, every text message you send, every email you write, and it’s — all that information — all of it’s available to the…

Stability AI executive Ed Newton-Rex dramatically quit the buzzy AI startup this week.He opposed Stability’s argument that it should be able to train AI using copyrighted works for free. A huge fight is brewing over whether tech giants should pay for the data needed to build AI. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. download the app A fight is brewing over whether tech giants should pay for the copyrighted data needed to train their AI — and a dramatic resignation this week suggests that it is…

This article is an on-site version of our Swamp Notes newsletter. Sign up here to get the newsletter sent straight to your inbox every Monday and FridayFor all its claims to global tech leadership, San Francisco can feel like a provincial, out-of-the-way kind of place. It’s a city of less than 1mn perched on the edge of the Pacific, a long way from most of the world’s big population centres. Filoli, the country estate to the south of town where the US and Chinese presidents met this week, feels more like a slice of sleepy, rural England than northern California.Maybe…

Faced with growing American reluctance to send more military aid to Ukraine, European leaders are moving to fill the gap, vowing new support for Kyiv as it battles Russia in a war in Europe’s backyard.Several countries — including Germany, Britain and Norway — are increasing production of weapons, especially the artillery ammunition that Ukraine so badly needs. Germany, once a laggard in providing aid to Ukraine, announced a week ago that it planned to double its support to $8.5 billion in 2024 and would deliver more crucial air-defense systems by the end of this year. And European Union states are…

Our experts answer readers’ home-buying questions and write unbiased product reviews (here’s how we assess mortgages). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Average 30-year mortgage rates are currently more than half of a percentage point lower than they started the month. Rates have dropped dramatically across the board so far in November in response to data that shows the economy has slowed substantially since the Federal Reserve started hiking the federal funds rate last year.At its November meeting, the Fed kept rates steady and signaled that it’s closely watching the…