Is Santa real? A version of Alexa skirts some kid questions

NEW YORK — A version of Alexa won’t tell kids where babies come from or spill the beans about Santa. It also won’t explain some things...

Facebook uncovers new global misinformation operations

Facebook has identified and banned hundreds of accounts, groups and pages engaged in misleading political behaviour, a far larger discovery than a “sophisticated” effort it reported...

Microsoft’s anti hacking efforts make it an internet cop

Intentionally or not, Microsoft has emerged as a kind of internet cop, thanks to its efforts to thwart Russian hackers. The company’s announcement Tuesday that it...

Renewable resort: Greek island to run on wind, solar power

TILOS, Greece — When the blades of its 800-kilowatt wind turbine start turning, the small Greek island of Tilos will become the first in the Mediterranean...

Birth control app highlights emerging health tech market

LONDON — The condom, the pill and now, the smartphone? Natural Cycles, a mobile fertility app, this month became the first ever digital contraceptive device to...

Kroger rolls out driverless cars for grocery deliveries

    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — At a time when big-box retailers are trying to offer the same conveniences as their online competitors, the biggest U.S. grocery...

‘Most ancient’ solid cheese found in dug up Egyptian jar

CAIRO — For thousands of years beneath Egypt’s desert sands a solidified whitish substance sat in a broken jar. Scientists now say it’s “probably the most ancient archaeological...

Woman caught in flood called 911, family: I’m going to drown

ALBANY, N.Y. — When her camper began filling with water from the pre-dawn flash flooding inundating a Finger Lakes campground where she was staying, Rene Halligan...

US regulators target Facebook on discriminatory housing ads

NEW YORK — Federal regulators are alleging that Facebook’s advertising tools allow landlords and real estate brokers to engage in housing discrimination. The U.S. Department of...

Google clarifies location tracking policy