The federal government is forgiving the loans of Colorado students who enrolled in a now-defunct career school

Even though President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program was blocked by the Supreme Court earlier this year, his administration is moving forward with more targeted student debt cancellations allowed under existing programs.

A cyber attack which disrupted access to a council website and its systems is being investigated with the relevant authorities to establish the full impact of the crime, officials have said. On Tuesday, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) suffered a suspected ransomware attack. The website remains down and the local authority says it is currently uncertain of the extent of the damage caused by the attack. A ransomware attack is where hackers maliciously infiltrate an organisation’s website or systems, stealing sensitive data which they in turn use for monetary gain. While investigative work continues, the Comhairle’s priority in response to this incident remains to restore and secure services, ensuring their continued delivery to those in our communities who need them most Comhairle nan Eilean Siar spokesman The council says it is working alongside Police Scotland, the Scottish Government and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to establish the full impact of Tuesday’s incident. A council spokesperson said: “While investigative work continues, the Comhairle’s priority in response to this incident remains to restore and secure services, ensuring their continued delivery to those in our communities who need them most. “One key aspect of achieving this aim has been work on the processing of benefit and support payments. “While payments have been made to the public, restrictions to file access has affected other scheduled payments. “The impact to IT systems has also meant that invoices due to creditors cannot be paid at this time.” The spokesperson added: “The Comhairle appreciates the impact late payments can have and is working to resolve these issues as soon as possible. “The Comhairle will be in contact with the affected individuals to provide updates and support. “The Comhairle’s email system is now restored and work is ongoing to redirect numbers for key public services. “A temporary website is also in development which will allow members of the public to access key information.” Temporary phone numbers for social care and social work services can be found on Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s page on X, formerly known as Twitter. The council says its human resources, occupational health and ardseileach care home can be contacted on their usual telephone numbers. A spokesperson for NCSC said: “We are working with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to fully understand the impact of an incident.” Police Scotland and the Scottish Government were contacted for comment. Read More Setback for Ireland as EU legal adviser recommends revisit of Apple tax case Smartphones ‘may be able to detect how drunk a person is with 98% accuracy’ Ireland and Apple await major development in long-running EU tax dispute Guidance urges parents not to buy smartphones for primary school children William ‘blown away’ by futuristic technology from Singapore start-ups Return of original Fortnite map causes record traffic on Virgin Media O2 network

A new initiative will aim to find missing people faster by issuing urgent appeals directly onto people’s phones via the Trainline app. The app will display images of people who have gone missing nearby and has the potential to reach millions of train travellers across the country, the charity Missing People has said. The project has been supported by relatives who are still searching for missing family members. The father of Andrew Gosden, who vanished more than 16 years ago, said anything that can help raise awareness of his son or any missing person is vital. Andrew, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, was 14 when he disappeared on September 14 2007 and his case became one of the most high-profile missing person probes in the North. He emptied his bank account of about £200 and went to Doncaster station, where he bought a one-way ticket to London King’s Cross. His family and police believe he boarded a train at 9.35am, arriving at King’s Cross at 11.20am. CCTV images captured at the London station are the last known sighting of Andrew, with no further information about his movements corroborated by officers. In 2008 Andrew became the first person to feature in a new nationwide milk carton campaign aimed at tracing missing people. Two men were arrested in December 2021 by detectives investigating Andrew’s disappearance but they were eliminated from the police inquiry in September. Speaking about the Trainline project, Andrew’s father Kevin Gosden said: “If this had existed back in 2007, Andrew’s image could have been displayed to thousands of members of the public in the area where he went missing. “Anything that can help to raise awareness of Andrew, and the appeals for any missing person, is vital in keeping the search active and ensuring people are continuing to keep a look out for those who are missing”. Mr Godsen added: “It’s so important to have these appeals out there. You never know when someone might remember something, or may have seen a missing person. “It’s also important to know that there is help for anyone considering disappearing, including support that may help people take the step to return home, or think twice before leaving in the first place.” Paul Joseph, head of helplines at Missing People, said: “When someone vulnerable has disappeared, they can often use the transport network as a safe place. “Missing People is so proud to be working with Trainline to raise awareness of individual disappearances. “Together, we hope to raise awareness and potentially help find missing people. For the loved ones of those featured, knowing that action is being taken to find them, helps to keep hope alive.” A British Transport Police spokesperson added: “Rail passengers can play a vital role in alerting the authorities to people who are at risk. Your reports may help rescue someone from a dangerous situation or even save a life. “There are over 2,500 stations and 10,000 miles of track in Great Britain. These new alerts are so powerful because they can harness the eyes and ears of people who may be in the same train carriage as a missing person.” Read More Data protection watchdog offers tips on buying smart devices on Black Friday Meta to allow users to delete Threads accounts without losing Instagram AI among biggest threats to next UK election, cyber security agency warns AI can create Caucasian faces that look more real than actual humans – study AI among the biggest threats to the UK, cyber security agency warns Meta faces renewed criticism over end-to-end encryption amid child safety fears

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There's never a dull moment on Twitter as every day users dial up the microblogging site to find main characters and re-adjust their expectations of functionality. Today the giant Magic 8-Ball in the sky shook itself around and spit out a reality where many accounts logged in to discover that some of their account features have been temporarily limited because their accounts appear to be in violation of Twitter's spam policy.

In June, Andrew Tate along with his brother, Tristan, and two others were charged with rape, human trafficking, and creating an organized crime group

Europe’s next blast of heat is set to hit Spain early next week, with temperatures climbing back to

The creator of the hugely popular AI bot ChatGPT has launched a controversial project that offers users a free share of cryptocurrency in exchange for their biometric data. Nearly four years after founding Worldcoin, OpenAI boss Sam Altman announced on Monday that the crypto wallet and app is now available in countries where it is not banned for regulatory or legal reasons. More than 1.5 million people signed up to the venture prior to its official launch, each receiving a share of Worldcoin tokens in exchange for scanning their iris using a silver orb developed by the startup. The biometric data was used to verify each individual’s “unique personhood” and ensure that no one signed up more than once. Each person will now be able to use the Worldcoin token, which is currently valued at $2.59 (£2), according to CoinMarketCap, having begun trading on Monday just below $2. Worldcoin (WLD) is similar to other cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, in that it uses blockchain technology to enable digital transactions. According to its website, people can use it for “remittances, [to] tip artists, [and] buy and sell goods and services”. The main differentiator is the way that users sign up, with privacy advocates warning that it could lead to a black market of people’s iris scans. Worldcoin has defended its technology by claiming that its orb is only used to check that a person is unique and has not signed up before. The startup’s website states: “We don’t want to know who you are, just that you are unique”. Worldcoin co-founder Alex Blania wrote in a note published on Monday that he believed Worldcoin “could drastically increase economic opportunity, scale a reliable solution for distinguishing humans from AI online while preserving privacy, enable democratic processes, and eventually show a potential path to AI-funded universal basic income.” He added: “Worldcoin is an attempt at global scale alignment, the journey will be challenging and outcome is uncertain. But finding new ways to broadly share the coming technological prosperity is a critical challenge of our time.” Worldcoin does not list the countries in which it operates – The Independent has reached out for further information – though it is not yet available in Mr Altman’s native US. The startup founder was only able to sign up himself on a trip to Europe earlier this year. “Like any really ambitious project, maybe it works out and maybe it doesn’t, but trying stuff like this is how progress happens,” Mr Altman tweeted following Worldcoin’s launch. “In either case, we especially love our haters, it gives us energy, please keep it coming.” Read More What is superintelligence? How AI could wipe out humanity – and why the boss of ChatGPT is doomsday prepping How bad is bitcoin for the environment really? Crypto experts discuss bitcoin price predictions What is Solana? The crypto rising 200-times faster than bitcoin

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Some people browse TikTok and Instagram for recipes, memes and colorful takes on the news. Erin Coleman says her 14-year-old daughter uses these apps to search for videos about mental health diagnoses.

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Five TikTok users, who also create content posted on the short-video app, filed suit in