Hungary's MOL to buy Serbia's Russia-owned NIS oil company if US approves

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) – Hungary’s MOL Group energy company said on Monday they have signed a preliminary agreement to buy a 56.15% stake in Serbia’s Russia-owned main oil supplier that has been sanctioned by the United States.

Fed Chair Powell to attend Supreme Court argument on Cook case

WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will attend the Supreme Court’s oral argument Wednesday in a case involving the attempted firing of Fed governor Lisa Cook, an unusual show of support by the central bank chair. The high court is considering whether President Donald Trump can fire Cook, as he said he would do in late August.

Valentino, fashion designer to the jet set, dies aged 93

ROME (AP) – Valentino Garavani, the jet-set Italian designer whose high-glamour gowns – often in his trademark shade of “Valentino red” – were fashion show staples for nearly half a century, has died at home in Rome, his foundation announced Monday. He was 93.

Editorials from The Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and others

Jan. 19 – The Washington Post says Congress has dropped the ball regarding oversight of ICE, DHS. Geraldo Lunas Campos died at a Texas detention center on Jan. 3 while pleading for air as guards choked him, according to a fellow detainee. The local medical examiner’s office is considering classifying his death as a homicide, The Post reports.

ChatGPT's free ride is ending: Here's what OpenAI plans for advertising

OpenAI says it will soon start showing advertisements to ChatGPT users who aren’t paying for a premium version of the chatbot.  The artificial intelligence company said Friday it hasn’t yet rolled out ads but will start testing them in the coming weeks. It’s the latest effort by the San Francisco-based company to make money from ChatGPT.

China's Population Falls Again as Births Drop to Lowest Rate Since 1949

BANGKOK (AP) – How do you persuade a population to have more babies after generations of limiting families to just one? A decade after ending China’s longtime one-child policy, the country’s authorities are pushing a range of ideas and policies to try to encourage more births – tactics that range from cash subsidies to taxing condoms to eliminating a tax on matchmakers and day care centers.

As Trump's deadline for cap on credit cards looms, banks have questions

NEW YORK (AP) – President Donald Trump a week ago told the credit card industry it had until Jan. 20 to comply with his demand for a 10% cap on interest rates. With just days to go, consumer groups, politicians, and bankers alike remain unclear on what the White House has planned and whether Trump even remains serious about the idea.

Chinese EVs are making inroads in North America. That worries industry experts

DETROIT (AP) – Chinese automakers have been making inroads around the world with growing sales of their high-tech, stylish and affordable electric vehicles. That has had competitors concerned even before Canada this week agreed to cut its tariffs on Chinese EVs in exchange for concessions on Canadian farm products.

White House and governors pressure grid operator to boost power supply

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration and a bipartisan group of governors on Friday tried to step up pressure on the operator of the nation’s largest electric grid to take urgent steps to boost power supplies and keep electricity bills from rising even higher.