Money stored in Venmo, other payment apps could be vulnerable, financial watchdog warns.
Customers of Venmo, PayPal and CashApp should not store their money for the long term with these apps since their funds may not be covered by deposit insurance, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warned on Thursday.
Chinese exports surge as global demand recovers from virus
(AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING โ Chinaโs exports surged 60.6% over a year earlier in the first two months of 2021, after factories reopened and global demand started to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. AdForecasters say the Chinese export surge should decelerate as demand for masks and other medical supplies eases and overseas competitors return to global markets. Then, global exports tumbled 17.2% in 2020's first two months from the previous year. This year, Chinaโs global trade surplus for January and February was $103.3 billion, compared with a $7.1 billion deficit in the same period last year. Chinaโs trade surplus with the United States narrowed by 17.7% from the same time last year to $20.9 billion.
YouTube cancels Myanmar military-run channels, pulls videos
Protests continue in Myanmar against the Feb 1 military coup that ousted the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. (AP Photo)BANGKOK โ YouTube has removed five channels run by Myanmarโs military for violating its community guidelines and terms of service. The company said Friday that it terminated channels of broadcasters Myawaddy Media, MRTV, WD Online Broadcasting, MWD Variety and MWD Myanmar. โWe have terminated a number of channels and removed several videos from YouTube in accordance with our community guidelines and applicable laws,โ YouTube said in an emailed statement. The decision by YouTube followed Facebookโs earlier announcement that it had removed all Myanmar military-linked pages from its site and from Instagram, which it also owns.
Facebook lifts ban on US political, social issue ads
Facebook says it is lifting its ban on political and social-issue ads put in place after the 2020 U.S. presidential election. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)Facebook says it is lifting its ban on political and social-issue ads put in place after the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Political candidates, groups and others will be able to place ads on Facebook and Instagram beginning on Thursday. Facebook halted U.S. political ads when the polls closed on Nov. 3, an extension of an earlier restriction on new political ads in the week leading up to Election Day. โAs a result, we plan to use the coming months to take a closer look at how these ads work on our service to see where further changes may be merited.โAdTwitter has banned political ads permanently.
Google ends sale of ads using individual web tracking data
On Wednesday, the company said it won't replace those cookies with another way of tracking individuals. Instead, Google proposes grouping together web users with similar interests and keeping web histories private on user devices. That safeguard is a change from Apple's long-held practice of requiring iPhone users to go into settings to block apps from tracking them. AdAnalysts say Facebook stands to lose billions of dollars if most iPhone users donโt grant the social network permission to track them. AdโApple and Amazon and Google have more diversified business models, where tracking is important but not central,โ Sinnreich said.
'Reply All' podcast paused amid charges of toxic behavior
Former employees at Gimlet Media, the podcastโs publisher, charged that two people behind โReply Allโ had exhibited behavior similar to what they were investigating at Bon Appetit. The editor of Bon Appetit, Adam Rapoport, resigned last year after an old photo of him and his wife dressed in stereotypical Puerto Rican costumes surfaced on social media. The โReply Allโ series on Bon Appetit was reported over eight months. In the second episode of the podcast, Pinnamaneni confessed to regrets about her own past behavior and how she reacted to the union drive. Staffers want to tell what happened and the podcast is paused as they try to understand what went wrong, he said.
Chinese official calls for 'joint efforts' in China-US trade
(AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING โ Chinaโs commerce minister appealed to Washington for โjoint effortsโ to revive trade but gave no indication Wednesday when tariff war talks might resume or whether Beijing might offer concessions. Washington and Beijing have raised tariffs on billions of dollars of each other's goods, disrupting global trade. AdBeijing agreed to narrow its trade surplus with the United States by purchasing more American soybeans and other exports. It fell short of the targets set due to the coronavirus pandemic and bought about 55% of the promised goods. One focus will be markets in its โBelt and Road Initiativeโ to build ports, railways and other trade-related infrastructure.
Exhausted hospital chaplains bring solace to lonely, dying
"I have never seen this much of death and suffering," said Michealsen, who has been a chaplain for 13 years. "I often tell families that I'm holding their loved one's hand when they can't and that I am with them when they are dying when they can't be." Grieving families, unable to enter the hospital because of the deadly virus, watch through the iPad heโs carried into the room with him. Deegan and about a dozen other chaplains cover shifts that extend to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He was sure he'd eventually be infected as COVID-19 patients began pouring into the hospital every day.
YouTube suspends President Trumpโs channel
YouTube said it would be suspending U.S. President Donald Trumps channel for at least a week amid concerns around ongoing potential for violence, making it the latest platform to limit the presidents online activities. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)HONG KONG โ YouTube suspended U.S. President Donald Trumpโs channel for at least a week amid concerns over โongoing potential for violence,โ making it the latest platform to limit the presidentโs online activities. Under the suspension, Trump's channel is temporarily prevented from uploading new videos or live streams for at least seven days, although the channel remains live, YouTube said. Comments would be indefinitely disabled on the channel, YouTube said. ___ This story has been corrected to remove an incorrect assertion that Reddit banned President Donald Trump from its service and to fix the spelling of Jim Steyer's name.
Orange County schools want students to test computer or iPad before virtual learning starts
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. Orange County Schools wants students to test their computer or iPad before virtual learning starts on Monday. The first nine days of school will be virtual learning for students who are participating in the LaunchED@Home and students who are enrolled in face-to-face instruction. There is no penalty if a student cant participate during the first nine days. The district wants students to test their device they will be using before school on Monday. Students who are using an iPad from school will need to make sure they have downloaded all the correct apps.