Google will soon require that political ads using artificial intelligence be accompanied by a prominent disclosure if imagery or sounds have been synthetically altered. AI-generated election ads on YouTube and other Google platforms that alter people or events must include a clear disclaimer located somewhere that users are likely to notice, the company said in an update this week to its political content policy. The…

WASHINGTON — Online gig work is growing globally, particularly in the developing world, creating an important source of employment for women and young people in poorer countries where jobs are scarce, according to a World Bank report released Thursday. The report estimates the number of global online gig workers at as many as 435 million people and says demand for gig work increased 41% between…

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week fell to the lowest level in seven months with the labor market seemingly resistant to the higher interest rates put in to place to cool hiring. U.S. applications for jobless claims fell by 13,000 to 216,000 for the week ending Sept. 2, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the lowest level since February. Jobless claim…

BISMARCK, N.D. — Federal officials on Friday released a draft environmental review of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, but said they’re waiting for more input before deciding the future of the line’s controversial river crossing in North Dakota. The draft was released more than three years after a federal judge ordered the environmental review and revoked the permit for the Missouri River crossing, upstream of…

DBRS Morningstar ratings agency has upgraded Greece’s credit rating to investment grade ByThe Associated Press September 8, 2023, 6:16 PM ATHENS, Greece — A major international agency on Friday upgraded Greece’s credit rating to investment grade, a move that is expected to boost investor confidence in the formerly bailout-dependent country. Despite a series of previous upgrades, Greece had until now failed to regain the investment…

A Utah mother of six who gave parenting advice via a once-popular YouTube channel called “8 Passengers” made her initial court appearance Friday on charges that she and the owner of a relationship counseling business abused and starved her two young children. The proceedings were delayed by about 45 minutes due to technical difficulties after more than 1,300 people sought to log in to watch…

A former operations manager at a Las Vegas Strip resort is jailed after being accused of siphoning more than $773,000 in hotel refunds into a personal account that he used for luxury shopping, expensive dinners, spa treatments and private jet flights ByThe Associated Press September 8, 2023, 6:06 PM FILE – A tram travels by the front of the Aria Resort & Casino, Thursday, Aug….

ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan is the world’s fastest-growing maker of methamphetamine, a report from the United Nations drug agency said Sunday. The country is also a major opium producer and heroin source, even though the Taliban declared a war on narcotics after they returned to power in August 2021. The United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crimes, which published the report, said meth in Afghanistan is…

HOUSTON — Texas’ power grid has been under tremendous stress during this summer’s sweltering heat, with the state setting 10 new records for electricity demand. The grid’s reliability has been questioned by residents and lawmakers since a deadly winter blackout in 2021 knocked out power to millions of customers for days and resulted in hundreds of deaths. Concerns were renewed this week after Texas’ power…

NEW DELHI — G20 leaders paid their respects to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi as their summit came to a close Sunday, a day after the group added a new member and reached agreement on a range of issues but softened language on Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Group of 20 rich and developing nations welcomed the African Union as a member — part of…