COVID-19

Can pets help prevent cognitive decline as we age? Researchers explored that question using data from the United Kingdom. For most people, cognitive abilities start to diminish as they grow older. But a new study suggests that animal companions may offer certain health benefits for older adults who live alone. … Read more

DELANO, Calif. – “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson has been sent to a California state prison to serve his sentence for two rape convictions. Authorities said Wednesday that the 47-year-old Masterson has been admitted to North Kern State Prison, and they released his first prison mug shot. The photo shows him wearing … Read more

Seoul, South Korea – In the age of open-source intelligence, one main way for Western experts to keep tabs on China’s military is by analyzing photos of new People’s Liberation Army equipment posted online by amateur enthusiasts. Posting photos of military ships or aircraft captured from outside PLA installations or from commercial flights … Read more

As demand for cleaner energy swells worldwide, Canada is searching for a place to store its stockpile of spent nuclear fuel. Its choice will affect generations to come as experts look to limit the long-term burden of managing the radioactive by-product, which experts say will remain hazardous “essentially indefinitely.” In late 2024, two … Read more

It was the most viewed event on U.K. television on Christmas Day – the second Christmas King’s Speech in the reign of King Charles III. It attracted a total of 7.48 million viewers and a lot of attention due to its content and staging. This year’s speech was pre-recorded at Buckingham Palace’s Centre … Read more

Social media companies collectively made over US$11 billion in U.S. advertising revenue from minors last year, according to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published on Wednesday. The researchers say the findings show a need for government regulation of social media since the companies that stand to make … Read more

The NBA Board of Governors approved Mark Cuban’s sale of the controlling interest in the Dallas Mavericks to casino mogul Miriam Adelson and her family. Patrick Dumont, Adelson’s son-in-law and the president and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., will serve as the Mavericks’ governor. The transaction is expected to close this … Read more

Tom Smothers, half of the Smothers Brothers and the co-host of one of the most socially conscious and groundbreaking television shows in the history of the medium, has died at 86. The National Comedy Center, on behalf of his family, said in a statement Wednesday that Smothers died Tuesday at home in Santa Rosa, California, … Read more

MEXICO CITY – A top U.S. delegation is meeting with Mexico’s president Wednesday in what many see as an attempt to have Mexico do more to limit a surge of migrants reaching the U.S. southwestern border. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has said he is willing to help, but he wants to … Read more

RIO DE JANEIRO – Heat exhaustion is the cause of death of a Brazilian fan who attended a concert of singer Taylor Swift in November, a forensics report obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday shows. 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides passed out during Swift’s second song in the Nov. 17 concert in Rio … Read more