It’s official: The gap between the Bay Area’s haves and have-nots is wider than anywhere else in the state. Top income earners in the Bay Area make 12.2 times as much as those at the bottom of the economic ladder, according to new research from the Public Policy Institute of...
Leaked Report Shows United Nations Suffered Hack
GENEVA — Sophisticated hackers infiltrated U.N. offices in Geneva and Vienna last year in an apparent espionage operation, and their identity and the extent of the data they obtained is unknown. An internal confidential document from the United Nations, leaked to The New Humanitarian and seen by T he Associated Press, says...
In Snub to US, Britain Will Allow Huawei in 5G Networks
LONDON — Britain decided Tuesday to allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to supply new high-speed network equipment, ignoring the U.S. government's warnings that it would sever intelligence cooperation if the company was not banned. Britain's decision is the first by a major U.S. ally in Europe, and follows intense lobbying...
AP FACT CHECK: Trump Distorts Data, Dems Cut Some Corners
WASHINGTON — Rallying in swing-state Wisconsin, President Donald Trump used misleading economic data to claim he’s created a “blue collar boom" while Democrats vying to replace him cut some corners on the facts in their latest presidential debate. Here’s a look at some statements from both stages, in Milwaukee and Des...
Report: Popular Chat App a Spy Tool for Mideast Government
NEW YORK — A chat app that quickly became popular in the United Arab Emirates for communicating with friends and family is actually a spying tool used by the government to track its users, according to a newspaper report. The government uses ToTok to track conversations, locations, images and other...
Walters: California’s High-Tech FI$Cal Debacle
In 1966, as the United States was wallowing in the quagmire of the Vietnam War, U.S. Sen. George Aiken of Vermont famously suggested that the United States simply “declare victory and get out.” For more than a decade, California’s politicians and bureaucrats have been promising a high-technology system that would...
China's Economic Slowdown Deepens, Weighing on Global Growth
BEIJING — China's economic growth sank to a new multi-decade low in the latest quarter as a trade war with the U.S. deepened a slump that is weighing on the global economy. Growth in the world's second-largest economy slipped to 6% in the three months ending in September, down from...
In 'SIM Swap,' Criminals Really Have Your Number
If you're not familiar with SIM swap fraud, prepare to be terrified. This scam, also known as port-out or SIM splitting fraud, allows criminals to hijack your cell phone number. Once they have your number, the bad guys can clean out your financial accounts, confiscate your email, delete your data...
Census Bureau Seeks State Data, Including Citizenship Info
The U.S. Census Bureau is asking states for drivers' license records that typically include citizenship data and has made a new request for information on recipients of government assistance, alarming some civil rights advocates. The two approaches, documented by The Associated Press, come amid President Donald Trump's efforts to make...
Where Have the Wild Birds Gone? 3 Billion Fewer Than 1970
WASHINGTON — North America's skies are lonelier and quieter as nearly 3 billion fewer wild birds soar in the air than in 1970, a comprehensive study shows. The new study focuses on the drop in sheer numbers of birds, not extinctions. The bird population in the United States and Canada...