February, 2025 - The Global Update

Trump admin directs federal agencies to end DEI considerations in govt contracts as DOGE’s impact spreads

12 months ago05 mins

The Trump administration revised federal acquisition rules this week requiring the government to stop considering diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) when awarding contracts. This change aligns with the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) broader efforts to fundamentally transform federal operations. The General Services Administration (GSA) on Tuesday announced changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)…

Verge staffers react to the iPhone 16E: what we love and don’t love

12 months ago015 mins

Apple has launched its new iPhone 16E with an updated design, additional features — and no home button or MagSafe charging. This revamped version of the company’s budget phone will be going for $599 and will include a USB-C port, a notch, a customizable Action Button, a fast A18 chip, and lots of extras. So…

Hope you weren’t planning to play PhysX games on Nvidia’s new 50-series GPUs

12 months ago05 mins

Remember PhysX, the GPU-accelerated technology that let games realistically simulate destructible cloth, shattering glass, moving liquids, smoke, fog, and other particle effects? It only ever got deployed in a few dozen games — but with PhysX turned on, those games reportedly now run faster on Nvidia’s last-gen cards than they do on a new RTX…

A popular Japanese distraction-free writing device is coming to the US

12 months ago04 mins

Japan’s King Jim is bringing its Pomera D250 digital typewriter to the US through an Indiegogo campaign. | Image: King Jim For the first time since 2018, King Jim, a Japanese stationery company, is making one of its distraction-free writing tools available in the US. The Pomera D250 launched in Japan in 2022 and while…

GOP senators back Trump’s demand for Ukraine elections, but won’t call Zelenskyy ‘dictator’

12 months ago09 mins

Republican lawmakers are backing President Donald Trump’s insistence that Ukraine hold elections, even if they don’t share his belief that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a “dictator.” “I think you have to give them some space… There is a negotiation going on,” said Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Trump on Tuesday night said Ukraine “never…

Cooper Flagg’s popularity in men’s basketball could compare to Caitlin Clark’s in women’s, college coach says

12 months ago05 mins

Cooper Flagg recently admitted that he may actually stay at Duke, despite being the projected No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Well, if he were to do that, he could put men’s college basketball back on the map, one college coach believes. The 2024 March Madness tournament was the first time the women…

Here’s when and where you can preorder the new iPhone 16E

12 months ago04 mins

Following months of rumors, Apple has finally announced the iPhone 16E, a spiritual successor to the last-gen iPhone SE that’s set to launch on February 28th. Preorders for Apple’s forthcoming handset start at $599 with 128GB of storage and open at Apple’s online store on Friday, February 21st, with other retailers and carriers likely to follow….

SCOOP: Top GOP Sen. Cotton to meet with embattled Trump defense nominee as doubts swirl

12 months ago06 mins

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republican conference Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is set to meet with an embattled Trump nominee for a key position in the Department of Defense (DOD) after Cotton faced backlash from some MAGA-aligned figures over the weekend. Cotton will meet with President Donald Trump’s nominee for Under Secretary of Defense for Policy,…

Meghan Markle slammed for using small business’ name for her lifestyle brand

12 months ago08 mins

After announcing the renaming of her lifestyle brand, Meghan Markle has been accused of trying to “snatch” the same name of a small business that has been established for nearly eight years. On Tuesday, the Duchess of Sussex revealed that she changed the name of her brand from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever. The…

This 1.9-pound smartphone’s massive battery offers six months of standby

12 months ago04 mins

The Oukitel includes a 1,200-lumen flashlight on the back that can run for 150 hours. | Image: Oukitel What if a smartphone maker decided to cram as many features into a device as possible and not worry about maintaining a pocket-friendly design? That’s the approach that Oukitel has taken with its new WP100 Titan smartphone….