(BBC News) Nearly US$2 billion has been spent on virtual land in the past 12 months, as people and companies race to get a foothold in the metaverse, research shows.
But we are years away from the metaverse emerging as a single immersive space online where people can live, work, and play in virtual reality. So is the land grab one big gamble?
With her giant dark-red mohican and permanent cigarette, artist Angie Taylor's avatar does not look...
(BBC News) Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has appealed to truckers protesting against Sunday's election results to clear the roads and protest elsewhere.
Supporters of the far-right president have erected hundreds of roadblocks across Brazil since it was announced that Bolsonaro's left-wing rival Lula won the election.
Bolsonaro said blocking roads was not a part of "legitimate" protests.
He encouraged people to choose other ways of demonstrating.
Many hardcore Bolsonaro supporters have refused to accept the result of Sunday's...
(BBC News) Elon Musk has dissolved Twitter's board of directors, cementing his control over the social media platform.
The multi-billionaire will be its chief executive after buying the company last week, ending months of back and forth over the $44-billion deal.
He has moved quickly to put his mark on the firm, which is used by politicians and journalists around the world.
The reforms he is contemplating include changes for how Twitter verifies accounts, as well as...
(Reuters) - Leftist Luis Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday defeated President Jair Bolsonaro in an election runoff that marked a stunning comeback for Lula and the end of Brazil's most right-wing government in decades.
Lula won 50.9% of votes compared with 49.1% for Bolsonaro, the Supreme Electoral Court said, declaring former president Lula the winner. The 77-year-old Lula's inauguration is scheduled for Jan. 1.
The vote was a rebuke for the fiery far-right populism of...
At least 78 people have died after a pedestrian bridge collapsed in India's western state of Gujarat.
Hundreds of people plunged into River Macchu in Morbi town. Local footage shows survivors hanging off the partly submerged suspension bridge.
Reports say as many as 400 people were on the structure at the time. More than 80 people have been rescued, said Brijesh Merja, a state minister.
The incident comes just days after the bridge was reopened following repairs.
The...
(BBC NEWS) – Russia has announced it is suspending its involvement in the internationally brokered deal that allows Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports.
It comes after Russia accused Ukraine of a "massive" drone attack on the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea.
Ukraine has not admitted the attack, and President Volodymyr Zelensky called the Russian move "rather predictable."
Russia also accused British troops of being involved in Saturday's attack. It also accused the U.K....
(Reuters) - At least 149 people were killed in a crush when a huge crowd celebrating Halloween surged into an alley in a nightlife area of the South Korean capital Seoul on Saturday night, emergency officials said.
A further 150 people were injured in the melee in Seoul's Itaewon district, Choi Sung-beom, head of the Yongsan Fire Station, said in a briefing at the scene. Many of the injured were in serious condition and receiving emergency...
(The BBC) — The world's richest man, Elon Musk, has completed his $44-billion takeover of Twitter, according to U.S. media and an investor in the firm.
A number of top executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal, have reportedly been fired.
It brings to a close the saga that saw Twitter go to court to hold the billionaire to the terms of a takeover deal.
Musk tweeted that his interest in the firm was not about making money.
Twitter has...
(NASA) – The annual Antarctic ozone hole reached an average area of 23.2 million square kilometers between Sept. 7 and Oct. 13, 2022. This depleted area of the ozone layer over the South Pole was slightly smaller than last year and generally continued the overall shrinking trend of recent years.
"Over time, steady progress is being made, and the hole is getting smaller," said Paul Newman, chief scientist for Earth sciences at NASA's Goddard Space...
Long-term use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs), or vaping, can significantly impair the function of the body's blood vessels, increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease. Additionally, the use of both e-cigs and regular cigarettes may cause an even greater risk than the use of either of these products alone. These findings come from two new studies supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The findings,...
