The U.S. Supreme Court is to include a black female justice for the first time in its 233-year history after the Senate confirmed Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the nine-member bench.
Three Republicans crossed the aisle to seal her appointment by a vote of 53 to 47.
Justice Jackson's appointment fulfils President Joe Biden's campaign promise to put a black woman on the court.
Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, called it a "joyous day" for the U.S.
The...
For a recent six-year period, the injury rate for riders of electric scooters in one section of Los Angeles was higher than the national rates for riders of motorcycles, bicycles, cars, and pedestrians, new UCLA research has found.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One, uses data from greater Los Angeles to highlight a risk that is likely to grow globally as e-scooters proliferate. According to a 2019 McKinsey report, around the world, shareable...
Burkina Faso's former president Blaise Compaoré has received a life sentence in absentia for his role in the assassination of his charismatic predecessor, Thomas Sankara.
Sankara, 37, was gunned down along with 12 others during the 1987 coup d'état that brought Compaoré to power. The pair had been close friends and had jointly seized power in 1983.
Sankara remains a hero for many across Africa because of his anti-imperialist stance and austere lifestyle. After seizing power at the...
Over the next five years, three heavy-lift rockets will put thousands of satellites into low Earth orbit as part of Amazon's Project Kuiper, the BBC reports.
The project aims to provide broadband connections using a constellation of 3,236 satellites. Rival Starlink is said to have more than 2,300 satellites in orbit already.
The rockets will be made by Arianespace, Blue Origin – which was founded by Amazon owner Jeff Bezos – and United Launch Alliance.
Amazon says Project Kuiper...
Past research on mental illness has focused mostly on chronic and recurring mood, anxiety, and substance-use disorders that keep people from thriving and enjoying life. New research published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science, however, reports that many people who have suffered from mental illness are able to thrive and lead a high-functioning life.
"Our research tells us how many people can recover from a mental illness and go on to experience a life with high levels of...
The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says Pyongyang would retaliate with nuclear strikes if South Korea launched a pre-emptive attack.
Kim Yo-jong, a senior official, has issued two statements responding to remarks from South Korean officials.
South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook had said the South was able to strike the North's missile launch points, the BBC reports.
North Korea has tested several missiles this year, heightening tensions. Today (Tuesday), Kim Yo-jong released a second statement in...
Older people who were shielding throughout the pandemic were nearly twice as likely to experience depressive symptoms compared to those who were not, even after accounting for loneliness and having fewer social contacts, according to researchers from the University of Manchester and UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care.
The study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, showed that staying at home throughout the pandemic as well as shielding were strongly associated with greater risks of depressive...
Elon Musk has taken a 9.2% stake in Twitter, according to a U.S. securities filing.
The news sent Twitter shares soaring about 25% in pre-market trading, the BBC reports.
The Tesla founder bought 73,486,938 Twitter shares on March 14, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The stake is worth $2.89 billion, based on Twitter's closing price on Friday.
The stake makes him one of the largest shareholders in the company and is more than four times the 2.25%...
Tesla says it delivered a record number of its cars in the first quarter, despite supply chain challenges.
The electric vehicle maker says it delivered more than 310,000 vehicles in the first three months of this year, the BBC reports. That was almost 70% higher than for the same time last year.
Chief executive Elon Musk says the improvement came despite an "extremely difficult quarter," including strict coronavirus policies in China, where Tesla has a so-called "giga factory".
Tesla...
Virginia Tech researchers, in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, have discovered that key parts of the global carbon cycle used to track movement of carbon dioxide in the environment are not correct, which could significantly alter conventional carbon cycle models.
The estimate of how much carbon dioxide plants pull from the atmosphere is critical to accurately monitor and predict the amount of climate-changing gases in the atmosphere. This finding has the potential to change predictions for climate change,...
