Google’s holiday ad boost can’t ease AI letdown fears

Google’s digital ad sales continued to grow at a healthy clip during the holiday season, but that wasn’t enough to offset investors’ worries about whether its big bet on artificial intelligence will be as lucrative as once envisioned

Topics

UK family share nightmare of bloodstained, sex toy-filled holiday rental

The family, which included four small children, were initially told by Vrbo that the property’s issues were ‘minor’. A family who arrived at their rented holiday house to find bloodstained ...
The Guardian - 1h
Google officially updates name of 'Gulf of America'

Google Maps users in the U.S. will now see “Gulf of America” displayed over the body of water that was once labeled the “Gulf of Mexico.” Users in Mexico will still see the name “Gulf of Mexico,” ...
The Hill - 6h
WATCH: All eyes on the ads

ABC News' Will Ganss takes a look at how much companies are paying to be a part of the Super Bowl.
ABC News - 2d
Irving to replace injured teammate AD as All-Star

Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has been added to the All-Star roster as an injury replacement for his new teammate Ant.
ESPN - 5h
Trump administration orders list of new FBI recruits, deepening fears of cuts

The Trump administration has asked the FBI for a list of probationary employees and individual justifications for keeping anyone who has been at the bureau for less than two years.
NBC News - 6h
McDonald’s reports sales growth in fourth quarter as Gaza boycott eases

US fast-food chain records like-for-like improvement in revenue, with business improving in Middle East
Financial Times - 10h
Revelations of Israeli spyware abuse raise fears over possible use by Trump

After WhatsApp claimed 90 users were targeted last year, experts concerned over how US could use cyberweapons. Even as WhatsApp celebrated a major legal victory in December against NSO Group, the ...
The Guardian - 11h
Ye's website is selling swastika shirts after boosting its profile with Super Bowl ad

The website of rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, used a Super Bowl commercial to send people to his website which is selling T-shirts emblazoned with a swastika.
NBC News - 13h
Iceland bid to join EU should not be driven by Trump fears, says PM

Kristrún Frostadóttir favours restarting talks for economic reasons and not in reaction to US president’s Arctic sabre-rattling
Financial Times - 15h
DeepSeek’s AI model is ‘the best work’ out of China but the hype is 'exaggerated,' Google DeepMind CEO says

DeepSeek's AI model "is probably the best work" out of China, Demis Hassabis said on Sunday, but added it was not a scientific advancement.
CNBC - 16h
Reform Isas to boost UK economic growth

It is high time the tax system encouraged more economically productive behaviour than parking funds in a cash account
Financial Times - 1d
Russia’s fears over ex-Soviet nations laid bare in leaked paper

Report offers rare insight into how Moscow sees invasion of Ukraine harming ties with close allies
Financial Times - 1d
Super Bowl 2025 commercials: Budweiser, Google and more ads released so far

A barrage of new, glitzy, celebrity-filled ads debuted during Super Bowl 59 on Sunday.
NBC News - 1d
Secret Service unveils Super Bowl ad

The Secret Service has unveiled a Super Bowl advertisement titled “A History of Protection.” “If you weren't able to attend tonight's big game, you missed a jumbotron highlight!” reads a post on ...
The Hill - 1d
Kurdish officials fear Islamic State revival as US aid cuts loom

Humanitarian groups worried north-east Syrian camps holding suspected IS members will lose basic facilities. Kurdish officials have warned of an Islamic State resurgence if US foreign aid cuts take ...
The Guardian - 1d
China inflation picks up after Lunar New Year spending boost

Yahoo News - 2d
‘At risk of extinction’: South Korea’s second city fears demographic disaster

Busan is shrinking faster than any other metropolitan area in a country with the world’s lowest fertility rate
Financial Times - 2d
Man's pop-up urinal death may never be explained, family fears

The family of Kevin Holding fear they may never find out why a pop-up urinal dropped on him.
BBC News - 2d
These 2 seasonal stock-market patterns could give your portfolio a boost

Investors take notice of the presidential cycle and years ending in ‘5.’
MarketWatch - 2d
Canada’s trade minister visits Brussels in bid to boost mutual commerce

Move comes after Donald Trump threatened both with tariffs
Financial Times - 2d
USAID employee describes "atmosphere of fear" amid foreign aid freeze

"Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" host Margaret Brennan speaks with a USAID staffer about the Trump administration's pause on foreign assistance and the impact it has had on the industry. ...
CBS News - 2d
Guardiola denies City spend due to embargo fear

Pep Guardiola has denied that Manchester City's January recruitment drive was motivated by concern within the club that they could be hit with a transfer embargo.
ESPN - 2d
Bayern ease past Werder for 7th straight BL win

Bayern Munich eased past Werder Bremen 3-0 on Friday with two goals from Harry Kane for their seventh league win in a row, to move nine points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
ESPN - 2d
Canada and Philippines are in final negotiations for defense pact to boost joint military exercises

The Canadian ambassador says his country and the Philippines are in the final stages of negotiating a key defense pact that will allow their forces to hold larger military drills
ABC News - 2d
Church of England scandals stoke fears of mutiny as synod talks loom

Demoralised clergy speak of church in freefall and crisis of trust in run-up to governing body meeting. Mutiny may be in the air when the Church of England’s normally staid ruling body, the General ...
The Guardian - 2d
Doctor fears "vaccine hesitancy" is contributing to worst flu season in 15 years

This year is shaping up as the worst flu season in more than 15 years. Flu cases are in every state, but the virus is most active in 43, including Indiana and Kentucky. Janet Shamlian reports from ...
CBS News - 3d
Documentarian Alex Gibney Teams Up With a Google Billionaire

The Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney has sold a majority stake in his Jigsaw Productions to the philanthropist Wendy Schmidt.
The New York Times - 3d
2025: The Year of the AI App

The real competition in AI isn’t about foundation models. It’s about apps built on top of those models.
Wired - 3d
Take-Two reports $1.37B bookings for holiday quarter; no update for GTA VI launch

Take-Two didn't offer an update on the coming launch date of Grand Theft Auto VI, but it did report $1.37 billion net bookings.
VentureBeat - 4d
Google Rolls Back AI Promises and DEI Measures as Staff Ask, ‘Are We the Bad Guys Now?’

Google’s unofficial motto used to be ‘Don’t be evil,’ but that sentiment sits in sharp contrast to recent leadership decisions that have angered some employees.
Inc. - 4d
Google Unwinds Diversity Goals, Citing Trump’s DEI Orders

The Silicon Valley giant also said it was reviewing other diversity programs and initiatives and would update them if they seemed risky or ineffective.
The New York Times - 5d