NBA Ban Raptors' Jontay Porter for Gambling Scandal
The National Basketball Association (NBA) banned Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter for life on Wednesday after determining that he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and bet on games — going as far as to bet against his own team....
Politics
Biden Admin. Sued for Allegedly Destroying Federal Records
The advocacy group America First Legal (AFL) has filed a lawsuit against the US Dept. of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, US Archivist Colleen Shogan, and the National Archives and Records Admin. (NARA) for allegedly destroying federal records belonging to the Centers for Disea...
Science & technology
China: ChatGPT's Rival Ernie Bot Claims Over 200M Users
Baidu, a Beijing-based internet company, said Tuesday that its Ernie Bot artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot has over 200M users since its launch in 2023 and handles more than 50M daily queries....
Environment & Energy
Sunak Announces Major Initiative for Nuclear Energy, Submarines
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has declared a "national endeavour" for a £763M (US$964M) investment in nuclear energy by 2030, including over £200M ($252M) to secure Barrow as the site for the UK's nuclear submarine building.
Health
UK: NHS to Review All Transgender Treatment
Following the publication of a review by pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass on Wednesday, NHS England said it would suspend first appointments for under-18s at adult gender clinics and conduct a major review of its gender and hormone treatments....
Money
US Stock Market Falls as Inflation Rises
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed Wednesday that inflation jumped from 3.2% year-over-year in February to 3.5% in March. Meanwhile, 12-month core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, was 3.8%....
Crime & justice
Australia: Government Staffer Found Liable for Rape
In a civil case on the balance of probabilities, rather than the criminal requirement of beyond a reasonable doubt, Australian Judge Michael Lee ruled that former government staffer Bruce Lehrmann raped colleague Brittany Higgins in a minister's office in 2019....
Culture
Mattel Announces New, More 'Inclusive' Scrabble
Toy and game manufacturer Mattel announced it will launch a more 'inclusive' and 'collaborative' version of Scrabble, marking the biggest change in the 75-year history of the board game....
Sports
Japan: Diaper Maker Shifts From Babies to Adults
Japanese diaper maker Oji Holdings said Tuesday it will stop making infant diapers in the country and shift to adult products. This comes as the number of births fell to just under 759K in 2023, a 5.1% drop....