President Biden signs $460 billion spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., March 7, 2024.  Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters President Joe Biden on Saturday signed a $460 billion spending bill into law, averting a partial government shutdown that would … Read more

The UK economic outlook is bleak, think tanks warn, with tough choices for the next government

LONDON — Leading British economic think tanks warned Thursday that whoever wins the general election expected this year will face some very tough choices on tax and spending if they want to make sure the public finances don’t deteriorate further. After number-crunching Wednesday’s budget statement from Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt, which reduced a tax paid … Read more

Senegal’s government sets March 24 as the new date for the delayed presidential election

DAKAR, Senegal — The Senegalese government has set March 24 as the new date for the country’s delayed presidential election, its spokesperson said Wednesday after a meeting of the Council of Ministers, also announcing the dissolution of the government and appointment of a new prime minister. President Macky Sall, who is prevented for running for … Read more

Mass. lawyer who crashed snowmobile into parked Black Hawk helicopter suing government for $9.5M

Jeff Smith was whizzing along on a snowmobile one evening a few years back when something dark appeared in front of him. He hit his brakes but he couldn’t avoid clipping the rear tail of a Black Hawk helicopter parked on the trail. The March 2019 crash almost cost Smith his life and is now … Read more

A man who crashed a snowmobile into a parked Black Hawk helicopter is suing the government for $9.5M

BOSTON (AP) — Jeff Smith was whizzing along on a snowmobile one evening a few years back when something dark appeared in front of him. He hit his brakes but he couldn’t avoid clipping the rear tail of a Black Hawk helicopter parked on the trail. The March 2019 crash almost cost Smith his life … Read more

India reverses AI stance, requires government approval for model launches

India has waded into global AI debate by issuing an advisory that requires tech firms to get government permission before launching new models. India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT issued the advisory to firms on Friday. The advisory, not published on public domain but a copy of which TechCrunch has reviewed, also asks tech firms … Read more

Cuban political dissident to receive 2024 International Women of Courage award by US government

HAVANA — Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello, a veteran Cuban dissident who never left the island despite being imprisoned twice and accused of being a United States agent, will be awarded the 2024 International Women of Courage Award, the U.S. Department of State said Friday. Roque, 78, who spent decades protesting against her country’s single-party model, … Read more

Will Your Federal Tax Refund Be Delayed if the Government Shuts Down This Month?

Congress on Thursday voted to give itself till mid March to approve a $1.66 trillion federal spending deal, deciding to push back two budget deadlines again before funding runs out.  This story is part of Taxes 2024, CNET’s coverage of the best tax software, tax tips and everything else you need to file your return … Read more

A government watchdog hacked a US federal agency to stress-test its cloud security

A U.S. government watchdog stole more than 1GB of seemingly sensitive personal data from the cloud systems of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The good news: The data was fake and part of a series of tests to check whether the Department’s cloud infrastructure was secure. The experiment is detailed in a new report … Read more

Venezuelan government, allies and other groups propose more than 20 dates for presidential election

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s government, its allies and other groups announced a proposal Wednesday on when to hold this year’s presidential election, suggesting more than 20 potential dates ranging from as soon as mid-April through early December. The proposal will be presented over the next few days to Venezuela’s governing party-loyal National Electoral Council, whose … Read more