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Ticker: Google defends search dominance; Pharmacists start sick-out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:30 GMT

Testifying in the biggest U.S. antitrust case in a quarter century, Google CEO Sundar Pichai defended his company’s practice of paying Apple and other tech companies to make Google the default search engine on their devices, saying the intent was to make the user experience “seamless and easy.”The Department of Justice contends that Google — a company whose very name is synonymous with scouring the internet — pays off tech companies to lock out rival search engines to smother competition and innovation.According to court documents the government entered into the record last week, the payments came to more than $26 billion in 2021, a year in which operating expenses for Google’s parent company, Alphabet, were nearly $68 billion.Google contends that it dominates the market because its search engine is better than the competition’s. “We are working very, very hard for any given query we provide the best experience,” Pichai said. “ThatR...

3 tips for saving money on your next vacation, according to a frequent flyer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:30 GMT

Deanna Taylor | (TNS) The Charlotte ObserverAdmit it, you’re long overdue for a vacation. But saving money in the process makes the reward even sweeter.As a frequent flyer out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport myself, I’m proud to say I’ve mastered the art of finding deals on travel.From the best websites to catch flight-and-hotel-deals to taking advantage of mileage programs and more, here are three of my top tips for saving money on your next vacation.Take advantage of flight deal websitesI first learned of flight deals a decade ago. A few of my social media friends posted a link to a website advertising flights from New York City to Dubai for $189 round trip. Of course, I thought it was too good to be true initially, but after doing my research — and biting the bullet to purchase the deal — I found that there were several websites solely created to post similar travel deals.A few of my old faithfuls and most trusted websites for deals are:—The Flight Deal—Air Fare Spot—S...

FDA makes warning of infection risk from eyedrops

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:30 GMT

WASHINGTON — U.S. health regulators are warning consumers not to use more than two dozen varieties of over-the-counter eyedrops because of the risk of infections that could lead to blindness.The Food and Drug Administration advisory applies to lubricating drops sold by six companies, including CVS Health, Target, Rite Aid and Cardinal Health. Consumers should stop using the products immediately and avoid purchasing any that remain on pharmacy and store shelves, the FDA said in a statement Friday.The agency asked the companies to recall their products last week, because FDA inspectors found unsanitary conditions and bacteria at the facility producing the drops. The FDA did not disclose the location of the factory or when it was inspected.No injuries related to the products had been reported at the time of the announcement, but the FDA encouraged doctors and patients to submit cases through the agency’s online reporting system.Earlier this year, federal officials linked an outbr...

Mary Lou Retton says she’s ‘overwhelmed’ with love and support as she recovers from rare pneumonia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:30 GMT

By The Associated PressAmerican gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton says she is “overwhelmed with all the love and support” she has received and is slowly recovering with family after being hospitalized with a rare form of pneumonia earlier this month.Retton, 55, posted a statement Monday on Instagram in her first public comment since being in intensive care in a Texas hospital. Her daughter, McKenna Kelley, said then that the first American woman to win the Olympic all-around title in 1984 was “fighting for her life” and unable to breathe on her own.Retton said she was “beyond blessed for the opportunity to make this statement” and is staying positive through what she knows is a long and slow recovery process. She requested privacy and added that she will share more information about her health when the time is right and hopefully help others facing the same battle.Retton ended the post saying, “I love you all. – MLR.”Kelley start...

Biden fast-tracks AI safeguards 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:30 GMT

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an ambitious executive order on artificial intelligence that seeks to balance the needs of cutting-edge technology companies with national security and consumer rights, creating an early set of guardrails that could be fortified by legislation and global agreements.Before signing the order Monday, Biden said AI is driving change at “warp speed” and carries tremendous potential as well as perils.“AI is all around us,” Biden said. “To realize the promise of AI and avoid the risk, we need to govern this technology.”The order is an initial step that is meant to ensure that AI is trustworthy and helpful, rather than deceptive and destructive. The order — which will likely need to be augmented by congressional action — seeks to steer how AI is developed so that companies can profit without putting public safety in jeopardy.Using the Defense Production Act, the order requires leading AI developers to share safety t...

Bruins notebook: Danton Heinen finally in the fold

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:30 GMT

Danton Heinen was forced to wait a while, but the Bruins finally rewarded his patience with a one-year deal worth $775,000 on Monday.The deal was announced at 5 p.m., but there were some obvious signs a deal was in the works at the morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena. Heinen took the first shift as the fourth line left wing in the morning skate with John Beecher and Oskar Steen and, at the end of the skate, he was awarded with the center stretch to stick taps all around.Heinen had been with the B’s on a tryout agreement since the start of training camp but, because of some salary cap constraints, the club had not been able to sign him. That appears to be changing, and a Heinen addition should give coach Jim Montgomery a player he could plug in throughout the lineup.“His versatility is really important, he can play both wings adeptly as well and he understands whatever line he’s put on, what the expectation is of the role he’s going to play,” said Montgomery, who coa...

Two killed in El Cajon shooting; suspect remains on the loose

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:30 GMT

EL CAJON, Calif. -- Two teenagers were killed in an overnight shooting in El Cajon, authorities confirmed. According to the El Cajon Police Department, a series of calls came in around 11:57 p.m. Saturday reporting a loud house party and multiple gunshots in the 700 block of Mahogany Drive.Responding officers witnessed numerous people fleeing from the area. After further investigation, ECPD said a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old, both males, were found critically wounded. Three wounded in shooting at Chula Vista mall One of the victims was found in the street and the other was found in the front yard of a residence. Despite medical attention, police said both victims succumbed to their injuries after being transported to local hospitals.Detectives conducting the investigation discovered that the incident occurred during a large house party hosted at a short-term rental property on Mahogany Drive. According to ECPD, preliminary findings indicate that both victims were tar...

Spooky harvest: Droughts, heavy rain create challenge for Canada’s pumpkin season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:30 GMT

Extreme weather caused by climate change — droughts followed by heavy rains — wreaked havoc with the pumpkin harvest across Canada this year.Nova Scotia pumpkin farmer Danny Dill said the spring planting season was extremely dry. A spell of hot weather and then nearly two weeks of historic wildfires in late May and early June left behind more than 235 square kilometres of scorched ground.“It was just like a dust bowl there,” said Dill, owner of Howard Dill Enterprises in Windsor, N.S.But starting in June heavy rains poured in, which made his farm resemble a waterbed and kept the bees away. When the pumpkin flowers bloomed across his patch, he said, there were fewer bees than usual to pollinate them. “It’s been a spooky, really spooky season for a lot of us.”This year’s pumpkin harvest in Canada and the United States is a stark reminder of the fact farmers are at the mercy of the weather gods. Climate change led to parts of the continent bakin...

The UAW says its strike ‘won things no one thought possible’ from automakers. Here’s how it fared

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:30 GMT

The United Auto Workers won at least partial victories on many of the key demands that led to the six-week strike against Ford, General Motors and Jeep maker Stellantis.The union has given some details of the deals, including a detailed explanation of the agreement it reached with Ford. The agreement is expected to become the model for later settlements with GM and Stellantis. Rank-and-file UAW members must ratify each contract before it takes effect.“We won things no one thought possible,” UAW President Shawn Fain said when he announced the tentative agreement last week.The union represents 57,000 workers at the company, and about 16,600 of them were on strike. Here are the key terms of the agreements, as detailed by the union:PAY The tentative agreements call for 25% increases in pay by April 2028, raising top pay to about $42 an hour, according to the union. That starts with an 11% boost upon ratification, three annual raises of 3% each, and a final increase of 5%. The UAW ...

California’s Newsom plays hardball in China, collides with student during schoolyard basketball game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:30 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Politicians have long sought to project vitality, youth and a common touch by staging photo shoots spotlighting their athletic prowess. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is the latest to find out that plans for a confident jump shot can turn into a torrent of online potshots. On a trip to China, the two-term Democrat took a detour from his official meetings on climate change to join a group of Beijing schoolkids for a game of basketball. Before long, he was on his backside after accidentally steamrolling a grade-school defender.No one was injured, but Newsom joins a long line of political figures whose attempts at a sporty glamour shot didn’t work out as planned. In a similar scene, British politician Boris Johnson, then mayor of London, knocked down a 10-year-old boy while playing a friendly game of rugby on a trip to Japan.Bill Clinton and Al Gore were needled for photos of them jogging in snug short-shorts while in office. In the 2004 presidential election, shots of...