Multiple news sources report that UK Prime Minister Starmer condemned Russia's recent attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure as "barbaric," which occurred despite a week-long pause requested by US President Trump, who is leading efforts to broker peace negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian envoys amidst extensive damage and freezing temperatures. While Trump claimed Putin honored the agreement, renewed attacks have left many without power and heating, forcing residents to seek shelter in communal centers and metro stations.

Multiple news sources report that UK Prime Minister Starmer condemned Russia's recent attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure as "barbaric," which occurred despite a week-long pause requested by US President Trump, who is leading efforts to broker peace negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian envoys amidst extensive damage and freezing temperatures. While Trump claimed Putin honored the agreement, renewed attacks have left many without power and heating, forcing residents to seek shelter in communal centers and metro stations.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is facing criticism from late-night hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel after the FCC announced it is providing guidance to ABC, CBS, and NBC to adhere to the "statutory equal opportunities requirement," citing the Communications Act of 1934, "including their airing of late-night and daytime talk shows." The FCC's effort aims to address potential bias in broadcast networks' programming, particularly regarding political candidates, as reported across multiple news outlets.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is facing criticism from late-night hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel after the FCC announced it is providing guidance to ABC, CBS, and NBC to adhere to the "statutory equal opportunities requirement," citing the Communications Act of 1934, "including their airing of late-night and daytime talk shows." The FCC's effort aims to address potential bias in broadcast networks' programming, particularly regarding political candidates, as reported across multiple news outlets.

Drawing from multiple news sources, the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics will host approximately 2,900 athletes, including around 230 from Team USA, who have historically been a strong contender with 330 medals. Among the American athletes to watch are freestyle skiers Alex Ferreira, a two-time Olympic medalist, and Alex Hall, who is approaching the games with more confidence than in previous years.

Drawing from multiple news sources, the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics will host approximately 2,900 athletes, including around 230 from Team USA, who have historically been a strong contender with 330 medals. Among the American athletes to watch are freestyle skiers Alex Ferreira, a two-time Olympic medalist, and Alex Hall, who is approaching the games with more confidence than in previous years.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren is challenging Google's new Gemini AI checkout feature, raising concerns about potential privacy violations and data exploitation through the Universal Commerce Protocol, a system developed with major retailers. The inquiry highlights growing global scrutiny over data privacy and the ethical implications of AI-driven commerce, as international regulatory bodies grapple with similar issues of consumer protection in the digital marketplace.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren is challenging Google's new Gemini AI checkout feature, raising concerns about potential privacy violations and data exploitation through the Universal Commerce Protocol, a system developed with major retailers. The inquiry highlights growing global scrutiny over data privacy and the ethical implications of AI-driven commerce, as international regulatory bodies grapple with similar issues of consumer protection in the digital marketplace.

Snooker world mourns the loss of John Virgo, dead at 79, a former UK Champion and beloved BBC commentator known for his iconic "where's the cue ball going?" catchphrase. Tributes pour in from legends like Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Selby as the sport remembers Virgo's 18-year playing career and his influential role in popularizing snooker through shows like "Big Break," leaving a legacy comparable to Ted Lowe's impact on the game. A minute's silence was held at the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong to honor the snooker icon.

Snooker world mourns the loss of John Virgo, dead at 79, a former UK Champion and beloved BBC commentator known for his iconic "where's the cue ball going?" catchphrase. Tributes pour in from legends like Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Selby as the sport remembers Virgo's 18-year playing career and his influential role in popularizing snooker through shows like "Big Break," leaving a legacy comparable to Ted Lowe's impact on the game. A minute's silence was held at the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong to honor the snooker icon.

Databricks, building on the success of its data lakehouse concept, has launched Lakebase, a serverless operational database service aimed at enabling rapid application development and autonomous AI agent management of databases. Developed through acquisitions like Neon and Mooncake, Lakebase treats databases as ephemeral compute on data lake storage, offering a scalable and self-service infrastructure that contrasts with traditional, DBA-managed systems, according to VentureBeat.

Databricks, building on the success of its data lakehouse concept, has launched Lakebase, a serverless operational database service aimed at enabling rapid application development and autonomous AI agent management of databases. Developed through acquisitions like Neon and Mooncake, Lakebase treats databases as ephemeral compute on data lake storage, offering a scalable and self-service infrastructure that contrasts with traditional, DBA-managed systems, according to VentureBeat.

Drawing from multiple sources, the U.S. and its allies are increasing humanitarian aid to Sudan amidst a deepening crisis, though diplomatic and logistical obstacles are slowing delivery. Separately, the Syrian government is taking steps to return property to Jewish citizens who left decades ago, with a Syrian-American organization now managing Jewish sites.

Drawing from multiple sources, the U.S. and its allies are increasing humanitarian aid to Sudan amidst a deepening crisis, though diplomatic and logistical obstacles are slowing delivery. Separately, the Syrian government is taking steps to return property to Jewish citizens who left decades ago, with a Syrian-American organization now managing Jewish sites.

Semiconductor startup Positron has secured $230 million in Series B funding, led by Qatar Investment Authority, to accelerate the deployment of its high-speed memory chips for AI workloads, as reported by multiple sources. This investment reflects a broader trend of hyperscalers and countries like Qatar seeking alternatives to Nvidia and building sovereign AI infrastructure, with Positron claiming its chips can match Nvidia's performance with significantly less power.

Semiconductor startup Positron has secured $230 million in Series B funding, led by Qatar Investment Authority, to accelerate the deployment of its high-speed memory chips for AI workloads, as reported by multiple sources. This investment reflects a broader trend of hyperscalers and countries like Qatar seeking alternatives to Nvidia and building sovereign AI infrastructure, with Positron claiming its chips can match Nvidia's performance with significantly less power.

Multiple news sources report that the Trump administration is exploring measures to address housing affordability concerns, including allowing Americans to use 401(k) funds for home down payments, despite the president's reservations. These proposals come amid growing economic anxieties, with a significant portion of Americans describing current conditions as poor and anticipating further deterioration, despite relatively low unemployment and moderate inflation.

Multiple news sources report that the Trump administration is exploring measures to address housing affordability concerns, including allowing Americans to use 401(k) funds for home down payments, despite the president's reservations. These proposals come amid growing economic anxieties, with a significant portion of Americans describing current conditions as poor and anticipating further deterioration, despite relatively low unemployment and moderate inflation.

Multiple news sources report that Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos testified before a Senate subcommittee regarding the company's attempt to buy a large part of Warner Bros. Discovery, facing concerns about potential consumer cost increases and accusations from Republican senators of producing overly "woke" content, particularly as Netflix faces a competing bid from Paramount Skydance.

Multiple news sources report that Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos testified before a Senate subcommittee regarding the company's attempt to buy a large part of Warner Bros. Discovery, facing concerns about potential consumer cost increases and accusations from Republican senators of producing overly "woke" content, particularly as Netflix faces a competing bid from Paramount Skydance.

J.K. Rowling has denied inviting Jeffrey Epstein to the 2018 Broadway opening of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," clarifying that while Epstein received an invitation, it was sent by the show's producers at the request of an associate, Peggy Siegal, without Rowling's knowledge or involvement, according to Variety and DOJ documents. This denial comes in response to online speculation fueled by the release of Epstein files.

J.K. Rowling has denied inviting Jeffrey Epstein to the 2018 Broadway opening of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," clarifying that while Epstein received an invitation, it was sent by the show's producers at the request of an associate, Peggy Siegal, without Rowling's knowledge or involvement, according to Variety and DOJ documents. This denial comes in response to online speculation fueled by the release of Epstein files.

Multiple news sources report that Elon Musk's SpaceX is acquiring his AI startup xAI, known for its Grok chatbot, in a deal valuing the combined entity at over $1 trillion, making it the most valuable private company ever. This merger aims to integrate AI, space exploration, internet, and media under one umbrella, though it faces scrutiny regarding Grok's AI image generation capabilities and regulatory investigations into X (formerly Twitter).

Multiple news sources report that Elon Musk's SpaceX is acquiring his AI startup xAI, known for its Grok chatbot, in a deal valuing the combined entity at over $1 trillion, making it the most valuable private company ever. This merger aims to integrate AI, space exploration, internet, and media under one umbrella, though it faces scrutiny regarding Grok's AI image generation capabilities and regulatory investigations into X (formerly Twitter).