Kickstarter Tabletop Alert: The Return of ‘Whale Riders’
Whale Riders travel up and down the Ice Coast to trade, and with the coming winter, there’s time for one more trip before everything freezes over. Whale Riders is a resource-management game for 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, and takes about 45 minutes to play. It’s currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, with […]
Gear Review: The RIG M2 Pro HD STREAMSTAR
One such upgrade you’ll be looking for is in your audio gear. RIG Gaming recently released the M2 Pro HD STREAMSTAR microphone, geared towards streamers, content creators, and gamers. They sent me one so I could share my thoughts with our readers. The RIG M2 Pro HD STREAMSTAR is a USB Microphone with built-in Bluetooth, […]
What Is a Galaxy?
The UniverseFridays What Is a Galaxy? Galaxies come in many shapes and sizes, and trying to define them is difficult By Phil Plait edited by Lee Billings A view of the spiral galaxy NGC 3982, as seen by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Galaxies come in many different variations, but astronomers classify them into four main […]
The Strange and Surprising History of the Once-Rejected Zero
Zero Is Foundational to Modern Mathematics. But It Was Rejected for Centuries By Manon Bischoff edited by Daisy Yuhas I’m a zero at mental arithmetic. It’s true—I struggle with this skill—but I want to focus on the phrase itself. In our language, we often equate zero with something negative. But zero is the only real […]
Ukraine’s allies push for 30-day ceasefire starting Monday
Joanna Kakissis KYIV – Four European leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv today in pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept a 30-day unconditional ceasefire – or face more sanctions on Russia. “The ceasefire must be comprehensive: in the air, at sea and on land,” Zelenskyy told reporters. “It is quite possible to […]
Here’s the Celeb Who Inspired Name of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s 2nd Son
More than a year after Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s welcomed their son Riot, the “Diamonds” singer shared that a fellow celebrity inspired the child’s name. Rihanna and A$AP Rocky did not come up with their youngest son’s name all on their own. Pharrell Williams had suggested they name their second child Riot Rose Mayers, now…
Pope Francis in Critical Condition After ‘Respiratory Crisis,’ Vatican Says
The announcement on Saturday evening indicated that Francis’ medical condition had become more complicated since an update from his doctors on Friday. By Elisabetta Povoledo Reporting from Vatican City Pope Francis was in critical condition on Saturday night after having a long “asthmatic respiratory crisis” earlier in the day that required “high flows of oxygen”…
What’s on the Milky Way’s Far Side?
The UniverseFridays What’s on the Milky Way’s Far Side? With radio and infrared telescopes, astronomers can pierce the dusty veil of our galaxy and map its farthest reaches By Phil Plait edited by Lee Billings This infrared image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope shows the nebula nicknamed “the Dragonfish.” This turbulent region lies beyond the…
Pope Francis in Critical Condition After Suffering Health Crisis
Pope Francis, 88, in Critical Condition Pope Francis‘ health has taken a turn for the worse. The 88-year-old experienced an “asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity, which required the administration of high-flow oxygen,” and his condition “continues to be critical,” the Vatican said Feb. 22, more than a week after the pontiff of the Roman…
The Unabashedly Provocative Youth Driving Germany’s Far Right
Young activists are forming a new core of Germany’s nationalist, anti-immigrant party. They are building on the party’s base, which has traditionally been older, blue-collar men. These young people, who often revel in being called extremists, are helping to broaden the party’s appeal ahead of the election. And they are using social media and other…
Pope Francis is in critical condition, the Vatican says
By The Associated Press ROME — Pope Francis was in critical condition Saturday after he suffered a long asthmatic respiratory crisis that required high flows of oxygen, the Vatican said. The 88-year-old Francis, who has been hospitalized for a week with a complex lung infection, also received blood transfusions after tests showed a condition associated…
Pope remains in ‘critical’ condition after ‘respiratory crisis’
Pope Francis’s condition continues to be “critical” after suffering a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis” earlier on Saturday, the Vatican has said. The pontiff is “more unwell than yesterday” and had received blood transfusions, the statement said. The Vatican said the 88-year-old was alert and in his armchair, but required a “high flow” of oxygen and…
Trump fires top general in Pentagon shake-up
US President Donald Trump has fired the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CQ Brown, the highest-ranking officer in the country, as part of a major shake-up of top military leadership. “I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country,” Trump posted on social media.…
‘You dream about such things’: Brit who discovered missing pharaoh’s tomb may have unearthed another
His team found the pharaoh Thutmose II’s tomb underneath a waterfall in the Theban mountains in Luxor, about 3km west of the Valley of the Kings. It contained almost nothing but debris, and the team believe it was flooded and emptied within six years of the pharaoh’s death in 1479BC. Now Litherland has told the…
NIH funding freeze stalls applications on $1.5 billion in medical research funds
Rob Stein The National Institutes of Health has stopped considering new grant applications, delaying decisions about how to spend millions of dollars on research into diseases ranging from heart disease and cancer to Alzheimer’s and allergies. The freeze occurred because the Trump administration has blocked the NIH from posting any new notices in the Federal…
Why Is the Trump Administration Villainizing Mental Health Meds for Kids?
Opinion Cross CurrentsFridays Why Is the Trump Administration Villainizing Mental Health Meds for Kids? A federal commission to examine U.S. chronic disease could undercut real treatment for kids with depression, ADHD and other mental health challenges By Megha Satyanarayana edited by Dan Vergano Keep in touch with Cross Current: Get email alerts for this weekly…
How Harry & Meghan Are Raising Daughter Lili Out of the Spotlight
“To have a boy and then a girl, you know, what more can you ask for?” So Prince Harry said a few months before Meghan Markle gave birth to their daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor on June 4, 2021, making their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor a big brother and seeing their plan to fruition. “We’ve got our family,” Harry told Oprah Winfrey in one…
Shocked by Trump, Europe Turns Its Hopes to Germany’s Election
Russia-Ukraine War Germany’s economy is stalled and its politics fractured. But it sees an opening for a new chancellor to lead Europe’s response to a changing America. By Jim Tankersley and Christopher F. Schuetze Reporting from Oberhausen and Dortmund, Germany In the final days of Germany’s abbreviated election campaign, the task facing its next chancellor…
Family of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas says new returned body is hers
The family of Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas says a body handed over by Hamas on Friday is hers. “Our Shiri was murdered in captivity and has now returned home,” the family said in a statement. Israel’s forensic officials who have been examining the body are yet to confirm the identification. Remains handed over by Hamas…
Inside Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard’s Subtly Epic Love Story
There are reasons why Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard—parents of two daughters, frequent costars and the picture of conscientious companionship—are one of Hollywood’s most enviable couples. Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard seem pretty cool, the type of famous people you would totally want to hang out with, should that opportunity somehow arise. But for more…
Emboldened Kremlin Steps Up Efforts to Seize Businesses in Russia
Russia-Ukraine War The legal onslaught on Moscow’s second-largest airport has been seen as part of the Kremlin’s wartime drive to seize control of key assets still in private hands. By Nataliya Vasilyeva Reporting from Istanbul After the fall of Communism, Russia ushered in capitalism by selling off billions of dollars in state assets. Now, 30…
China conducts second live-fire drill near New Zealand
Report from New Zealand navy personnel comes a day after similar drill forced multiple airlines to change flight paths between Australia and New Zealand China’s navy has reportedly conducted a second live-fire exercise in international waters, a day after a similar drill forced multiple airlines to change flight paths between Australia and New Zealand. New…
Feeling Overwhelmed by the News? Here’s How to Protect Your Mental Health
Why the News Feels Overwhelming—And How to Cope An explanation of the science behind news fatigue, plus expert advice to take control and protect your well-being while staying engaged By Meghan Bartels edited by Andrea Thompson It’s February 2025. The world feels like complete chaos, and it’s hard to step away from the news. Maybe…
Here’s what to know about Germany’s election this Sunday
Rob Schmitz BERLIN — An economic slump, an immigration crisis and the lifting of a security blanket provided for decades by its most powerful ally are on the minds of German voters as they head to the polls for Sunday’s national parliamentary election. The general election of the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, was…
“Diversity” Documents That Weren’t about DEI Were Purged from OSHA Websites
Health and Safety Agency Purged “Diversity” Documents, But They Weren’t about DEI OSHA webpages removed for containing the word “diversity” had no relation to gender or racial diversity By Ariel Wittenberg & E&E News Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an arm of the Labor Department, Washington D.C. Join Our Community of Science Lovers! CLIMATEWIRE…
Hong Kong’s oldest pro-democracy party says it will begin process of disbanding
Democratic party chair Lo Kin-hei would not comment on whether Beijing put pressure on members Hong Kong’s oldest pro-democracy party, which became an influential voice of opposition before Beijing cracked down on dissent, will start preparations to shut down, its leader has said. Lo Kin-hei, the chair of Hong Kong’s Democratic party, said on Thursday:…
Hamas Says It Has Returned Another Body It Believes Is Shiri Bibas
Middle East Tensions Less than 24 hours after Israel found that remains delivered by Hamas did not belong to Ms. Bibas, a slain Israeli hostage, the militant group said it had returned another body. By Talya Minsberg and Adam Rasgon Hamas on Friday said it had turned over to the Red Cross the body of…
Trump fires the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
By Jason Breslow President Trump has fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., and announced he will nominate a retired three-star general to succeed him as the nation’s top military officer. Trump announced Brown’s dismissal in a post Friday on TruthSocial, in which he thanked Brown “for…
Denise Richards Reveals One Rule for Daughter Sami Sheen’s OnlyFans
After Denise Richards’ 20-year-old daughter Sami, who she shares with ex Charlie Sheen, started an OnlyFans account, the Denise Richards & Her Wild Things star made one boundary. Denise Richards is blocking this out. Although the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum—who shares daughters Sami, 20, and Lola, 19, with ex Charlie Sheen, as well…
19 things Trump and his team did this week
Donald Trump has been back in the White House for a month. His fifth week in office saw more dramatic moves as the president continued on his plan to remake the federal government, implement sweeping cuts and reshape American foreign policy. This week he called Ukraine’s war-time president a “dictator”, pledged to make IVF more…
Trump says Starmer and Macron ‘haven’t done anything’ to end Ukraine war
US President Donald Trump has said that French President Emmanuel Macron and UK PM Keir Starmer “haven’t done anything” to end the war in Ukraine, ahead of visits from both leaders to the White House next week. Speaking to Fox News, Trump also said that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has “no cards” in peace negotiations,…
AP sues Trump White House for denying access over ‘Gulf of Mexico’ row
David Folkenflik The Associated Press has sued the Trump administration for barring it from major presidential events over its refusal to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. President Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office renaming the Gulfwhich directly affects usage by the federal government but holds…
Blake Lively’s Rep Asks to be Dropped From Justin Baldoni’s Lawsuit
Weeks after It Ends With Us’ Justin Baldoni filed a defamation countersuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds and their publicist Leslie Sloane, the rep took legal action. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds‘ publicist would very much like to be excluded from Justin Baldoni‘s narrative. Weeks after the director filed a defamation complaint against his…
Mexico will not stand US ‘invasion’ in fight against cartels, president says
Claudia Sheinbaum’s warning follows Washington designating Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations Mexico will never tolerate an “invasion” of its national sovereignty by the United States, Claudia Sheinbaum has warned after Washington designated Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations. “This cannot be an opportunity for the US to invade our sovereignty,” the Mexican president said. “With Mexico,…
The Amazon is on fire: 5 things you need to know
Editor’s Note: Analysis by Conservation International experts is revealing where the Amazon fires are and why that matters. Track the Amazon fires in real time here. Smoke from fires in the Amazon darkened the skies of Sao Paulo, Brazil, this week, as the world’s largest tropical forest found itself in the midst of an ecological…
Key to protecting the ocean? Money and manpower, study finds
Editor’s note: You can draw lines on a map to “protect” an area of ocean, but does that mean that local communities and wildlife will be better off? According to new research, the answer is “not necessarily.” A new paper published in the journal Nature offers data to back up something conservationists have argued for…
Texas Measles Outbreak Nears 100 Cases, Raising Concerns About Undetected Spread
Texas Measles Outbreak Nears 100 Cases, Raising Concerns About Undetected Spread Low vaccination rates and undetected infections are driving the measles outbreak in West Texas By Amy Maxmen & KFF Health News Most unvaccinated people will contract measles if they’re exposed to the airborne virus, which can linger for up to two hours indoors. Those…
Fate of Bibas Family Renews Fears for Israel-Gaza Cease-Fire
Middle East Tensions News Analysis Hamas said it had returned the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two sons. The Israeli military announced that the boys were murdered in Gaza and that Ms. Bibas’s body was that of someone else. By Patrick Kingsley Reporting from Jerusalem For 16 months, the smiling faces of Shiri Bibas…
US flies 177 deportees from Guantánamo to Honduras en route to Venezuela
Move apparently empties military facility on Cuban base of migrant detainees and comes in wake of ACLU lawsuit The US government has flown 177 deportees from Guantánamo Bay to Honduras, from where they are set to be transferred on to Venezuela, apparently emptying the military facility of migrant detainees. The move on Thursday came days…
RHONJ’s Rachel Fuda Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby With Husband John Fuda
Six months after announcing their pregnancy, Real Housewives of New Jersey star Rachel Fuda gave birth to her first baby boy Lorenzo with her husband of seven years John Fuda. Rachel Fuda and John Fuda are growing their dream family. Six months after announcing that she and her husband of seven years were expecting…
Canada beat the U.S. 3-2 in overtime to win the contentious 4 Nations Face-Off
By The Associated Press BOSTON — When they played “O Canada” for the second time, there were no American fans left in the arena to boo. Instead, the Canadian team stood at the blue line, arm in arm, player and coach, wearing their championship hats while the maple leaf flag was lowered behind the 4…
Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row
Apple is taking the unprecedented step of removing its highest level data security tool from customers in the UK, after the government demanded access to user data. Advanced Data Protection (ADP) means only account holders can view items such as photos or documents they have stored online through a process known as end-to-end encryption. But…
Caribbean leaders vow to maintain pursuit of slavery reparations
Caribbean leaders have defended the region’s pursuit of slavery reparations, describing the compensation for centuries of enslavement and oppression as a matter of simple justice. Between the 15th and the 19th century, more than 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly transported to the Americas and sold into slavery. The issue of transatlantic slavery reparations dominated…
National Science Foundation Mass Firings Go Beyond Trump’s Orders, Sparking Outrage
National Science Foundation Mass Firings Go Beyond Trump’s Orders, Sparking Outrage At an emotional meeting, NSF officials announced layoffs for about 10 percent of their workforce and warned of more firings to come By Corbin Hiar & E&E News National Science Foundation headquarters shown outside Washington. CLIMATEWIRE | The National Science Foundation went beyond the…
Bucha, Site of Massacre, Feels Sting of Trump Shift on Ukraine
Russia-Ukraine War Residents of a Ukrainian suburb that was the site of notorious attacks on civilians after Russia invaded are alarmed by President Trump’s warm words for Moscow. By Kim Barker Reporting from Bucha, Ukraine Andrii Pobihai wore his army uniform to the funeral in Bucha, even though he’s retired. He was one of about…
In case you missed it: Here’s what happened with Trump this week, from Ukraine to DOGE
Domenico Montanaro We’ll be recapping what you need to know every Friday morning for the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Get more updates and analysis in the It’s now been a month since President Trump was sworn in, and the firehose of information coming from the administration continued this week, including: Trump reshaping…
Ex-Army head says UK and Europe must step up over Ukraine
The UK and Europe may need to offer security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia, regardless of US support, the former head of the British armed forces has said on a BBC One Question Time special. Retired General Sir Nick Carter said he believed it was for Ukraine to…
Trump’s picks to oversee Medicare and biomedical research will divest stock
By Sydney Lupkin , Rob Stein If Dr. Mehmet Oz is confirmed to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, he said in an ethics letter dated Feb. 16 that he will sell health care stock and leave his role as an advisor to iHerb, LLC, a nutritional supplement company that he has promoted…
Thanks to Trump, Saudi Arabia Gets a Big Week in Diplomacy
Russia-Ukraine War Riyadh is hosting U.S., Russian and Arab officials for high-stakes talks on Ukraine and Gaza, more proof of its regional clout and warm relations with President Trump. By Vivian Yee and Ismaeel Naar Vivian Yee reported from Cairo, and Ismaeel Naar from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Only a few years ago, Washington was calling…
Trump Administration’s Attacks on Science in First 30 Days
Science under Siege during Trump’s First 30 Days The Trump administration has acted fast to attack science with a range of funding and policy tactics By Jeff Tollefson, Max Kozlov, Alexandra Witze, Dan Garisto & Nature magazine U.S. President Donald Trump looks at an executive order on halting federal funds for schools and universities that…
Argentina court drops charges against three people over Liam Payne death
Charges of criminal negligence dropped against three key defendants over death of British singer in October A court in Argentina has dropped charges of criminal negligence against three of the five people indicted in connection with the death of Liam Payne, the former One Direction singer who fell from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos…
Justin Bieber Shares Cryptic Message on Maturing and Letting Go
Justin Bieber—who, along with his wife Hailey Bieber, has pushed back against divorce rumors in recent months—shared a lengthy Instagram message about his spirituality and finding love Feb. 20. Justin Bieber will never say never to changing. The “Peaches” singer—who has been facing rumors of a rocky relationship with wife Hailey Bieber since December—recently shared…
Kenya’s wildlife tourism, a casualty of COVID, gets a lifeline
From July to October each year, millions of wildebeests, zebras and other wildlife travel from Tanzania to Kenya’s Maasai Mara region — a phenomenon known as “The Great Migration.” But the animals are not usually the only ones that flood the region during this time: Typically, thousands of tourists flock to the Maasai Mara to…
IPCC report: Climate change could soon outpace humanity’s ability to adapt
The catastrophic impacts of climate breakdown may soon outpace humanity’s ability to adapt to it, according to a new report. Co-authored by 270 researchers from 67 countries, the latest report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) describes “an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership,” according to…
Leighton Meester Joins Nobody Wants This With Husband Adam Brody
Leighton Meester is set to act alongside husband Adam Brody once again in a guest role on his romantic comedy series Nobody Wants This, Netflix announced Feb. 20. Nobody will want to miss Leighton Meester’s onscreen reunion with husband Adam Brody. The Gossip Girl alum is set to appear in the upcoming second season of…
Anglo American writes down value of diamond firm De Beers by $2.9bn
Sale of the miner, which is now valued at $4bn, may be delayed following ‘really, really difficult’ market The world’s biggest diamond miner, De Beers, cost its parent company almost $3bn last year as the growth in lab-grown stones continues to take the shine off the industry. Anglo American was forced to write down the…
Israeli family mourns ‘man of peace’ as body returned from Gaza
From her house in East London, British-Israeli Sharone Lifschitz never gave up hope that her 84-year-old father Oded would return from the horror of Hamas captivity, after more than 500 days. He was a man of peace, a campaigner for, and a friend of, Palestinians. He was dragged from his home by Palestinian gunmen on…
Reversing U.S. policy, Trump attacks Zelenskyy, blames Ukraine for war with Russia
By Greg Myre , Joanna Kakissis WASHINGTON and KYIV — For the past three years, the U.S. has been Ukraine’s leading supporter in its war with Russia. Yet with a series of blunt comments, President Trump is now sounding more aligned with Russia than Ukraine. Trump, writing on social media, used his strongest language to…
Jessica Simpson Shares Rare Insight Into Nick Lachey Divorce Aftermath
Nearly 20 years after Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey divorced, the “Irresistible” singer detailed the aftermath in a conversation with sister Ashlee Simpson Ross. Jessica Simpson is reflecting on the last time she started over. Nearly 20 years after the “Irresistible” singer, now 44, filed for divorce from Nick Lachey, she shared insight into turning…
Police search for woman who escaped Panama hotel where US deportees are being held
Zheng Lijuan fled Panama City hotel as 170 of deported migrants were transported to dense, lawless region Police are searching for a Chinese woman who escaped from a downtown Panama City hotel where she was being held following her deportation from the US under Donald Trump’s intensified campaign against immigrants. Zheng Lijuan was one of…
Funding cuts leave a forest at risk
One of the world’s most important places for nature is a small strip of mountainous forest no more than about 40 miles wide. And for want of a relatively small amount of money, its long-term health is in doubt. Not many people have heard of Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains, home to one of the last large…
Greenland’s Big Moment
North Pole Svalbard (NOR.) Arctic Ocean Future shipping routes Ice cap Baffin Bay GREENLAND Rare-earth mining project linked to business leaders CANADA Ilulissat ICELAND Nuuk Known deposits of critical minerals 300 Miles Atlantic Ocean North Pole Future shipping routes Ice cap GREENLAND Baffin Bay Known deposits of critical minerals CANADA Rare-earth mining project linked to…
Republican proposals to cut Medicaid could be politically fraught
From By Phil Galewitz Medicaid is under threat — again. Republicans, who narrowly control Congress, are pushing proposals that could sharply cut funding to the government health insurance program for poor and disabled Americans, as a way to finance President Trump’s agenda for tax cuts and border security. Democrats, hoping to block the GOP’s plans…
Surprising Chimpanzee Signal Reveals Secrets of Ape Communication
Surprising Chimpanzee Signal Reveals Secrets of Ape Communication A rare and deliberate signal between a mother chimpanzee and her daughter raises new questions about ape communication, culture and the meaning of sharing a language By Avery Schuyler Nunn edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier A mother chimpanzee, Beryl, sits by her infant, Lindsay, in a remote…
Israel’s ‘hearts lie in tatters’ as Hamas hands over first dead hostages
“The hearts of an entire nation lie in tatters,” Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has said, as the bodies of four hostages taken alive by Hamas in its attack on 7 October 2023 were returned to Tel Aviv. Hamas says the bodies are those of a mother and two children from the Bibas family, whose unknown…