Social media giant Telegram, a platform long regarded for its hands-off approach to content moderation, announced on 30 December that it is blocking access within the EU to a number of Russian state-owned media, citing a need to comply with EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Once a powerful Russian oligarch, Vladimir Gusinsky has been tangled in legal disputes, mounting debts, and a bitter divorce. He's also drawn FBI scrutiny for ties to a former FBI agent and an ex-Russian diplomat, both of whom have been charged with criminal felonies related to another oligarch.

The Biden administration announced Monday new restrictions on the export of the most advanced artificial intelligence chips and proprietary parameters used to govern the interactions of users with AI systems.

The Eaton Fire northeast of downtown Los Angeles and the Palisades Fire to the west on the Pacific Coast Highway have destroyed 12,000 homes and other structures, with 11 deaths now attributed to the conflagrations.

As fires rage through southern California, the costs of extreme weather events linked to climate change are forecast to keep climbing – adding fuel to growing efforts by some US states to make the oil and gas industry liable for helping foot the bill despite looming legal challenges.

The year 2024 was the hottest ever recorded and the first full year in which global temperatures surpassed 1.5C above pre-industrial times, scientists said on Friday.