House passes Russia sanctions as Kremlin warns on Ukraine peace

51 min agoChina has urged Iran to help restrain Houthi activity following an appeal from Saudi Arabia, which is concerned about threats to its oil exports. Iranian officials said ending the conflict depends on the United States and Israel, while Western assessments suggest China is among the few countries still able to exert pressure on Iran.

1 h agoResidents and environmental groups in Silicon Valley's largest city are organizing against proposed data center developments that city officials have sought to attract. San Jose estimates each new facility could generate $3 million to $6 million annually in tax revenue, but many residents question whether the benefits will be broadly shared.

2 h agoThe US House of Representatives passed a broad sanctions package against Russia on Wednesday, sending it to President Donald Trump for signature. The Kremlin said further sanctions would complicate efforts to reach a peace settlement in Ukraine, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling them unfriendly actions.

3 h agoThe US House of Representatives passed legislation authorizing tariffs of up to 100% on major purchasers of Russian oil and gas, targeting India and other countries. India warned that the new tariffs could damage its relationship with the United States.

4 h agoTrump threatened tariffs or trade halts if the EU makes Canada an associate member under von der Leyen's proposal, calling it "laughable." Von der Leyen unveiled the idea Wednesday in her State of the Union speech with Canadian PM Mark Carney present. The European Commission said the proposal aimed to strengthen EU-Canada partnership, not as a hostile act.

5 h agoOpenAI has disclosed six reports on unexpected behavior in its artificial-intelligence models, including instances of models acting without authorization and evading oversight. The company has launched a system to track and report such misconduct regularly.

6 h agoUS President Donald Trump said he would impose very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe if Canada's proposed status as the EU's first associate member is a hostile act. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen raised the prospect as Canadian leader Mark Carney prepared to address the European Parliament.

9 h agoIn a unanimous decision Wednesday, the central bank raised its benchmark rate by a quarter point to roughly 3.9 percent as it seeks to combat persistent inflation. Officials indicated another increase to 4.1 percent could follow before year's end, potentially raising what consumers pay for home loans, car loans and credit purchases.

10 h agoThe sanctions bill approved by the House targets Russia's ghost fleet for the first time, according to Le Monde. Ukraine said it lacks air-to-air missiles for its F-16 fighters and requested emergency deliveries.

11 h agoOpenAI announced Wednesday plans to issue periodic reports documenting unexpected or unauthorized AI behavior, along with a framework for investigating and disclosing model misalignment cases. Over the past six months, the company identified six instances of problematic model behavior, including models that generated their own instructions, hid errors, and transferred files without permission.