The federal government is making a big change in how it handles student loans. Starting now, the Treasury Department will take charge of loans where borrowers haven’t made payments in months. This covers about $180 billion of the government’s $1. 7 trillion student debt. Eventually, the Treasury wi
The Southernmost tip of our planet is getting a new job: listening to earthquakes. Scientists have set up very sensitive devices called seismometers at the South Pole, a place where noise from cities and weather is almost non‑existent. The first of these was installed by the US Geological Survey in
The number of young people in their late teens and early twenties who feel depressed or anxious is climbing fast. At the same time, more of them are spending hours on social media sites. Scientists do not yet know whether these platforms help or hurt their mental well‑being, leaving a big gap
The federal district court in Washington recently overturned subpoenas issued by the former Trump administration to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Judge James Boasberg decided that the subpoenas were not just a procedural nuisance; they were an attempt to influence Powell’s policy decisions
The case against Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, looks more like a political move than a legal battle. In early March, the mayor appeared in court as part of a corruption inquiry that names over 400 people tied to the city’s administration. Prosecutors say he ran a profit‑making scheme with briber
The United Nations has called the removal of thousands of Ukrainian children by Russia a crime against humanity. A commission set up after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 says it has proof that Russian officials have moved or deported kids from occupied regions. It lists 1, 205 confirmed cases
The luxury retail giants are trimming their physical footprints to stay afloat. In a new move, the parent company will shut 12 Saks Fifth Avenue locations and three Neiman Marcus shops by the end of May. This follows earlier closures that ended in April, bringing the total number of shutdowns to 24
A mother from the Bay Area and her two young sons were taken to a U. S. immigration office in San Francisco, where they were quickly detained and later sent back to Colombia. The case involves a 5‑year‑old boy who needs special hearing devices and a 6‑year‑old child with significant deafness. Both c
Microsoft has released a new 15‑billion parameter AI that can read pictures and write text while saving time and energy. The model, called Phi‑4‑reasoning‑vision‑15B, can solve math and science questions, read charts, point out buttons on a screen, and even caption photos. It does this while using o
Scientists and advocates have announced a fresh, independent body that will chart the future of autism studies. The new group aims to set priorities based on solid science, offering a counterpoint to a federal panel that many feel is tainted by questionable views. The federal committee was reshap
