Uber Starts Yearly Criminal Background Checks:  Officials at the headquarters of Uber have announced that the company will do annual criminal background checks of its drivers to assure that riders are safe.  Tom Krisher of the Associated Press reports that the move is in response to widespread reports of Uber drivers attacking passengers including sexual assaults.  Colorado fined the company $8.9 million last year for allowing people with criminal records to work as drivers.  The company is instituting other safety features including an app that allows riders to call 911 in an emergency. Uber does 15 million trips per day worldwide.