Author: Press Room

An 11th-grader at one of New York City’s top non-specialized public schools claims she was sexually assaulted in a bathroom by a classmate who videotaped the incident and sent the recording around to other students, according to a new lawsuit. The teen girl, identified as “Jane Doe,” was grilled about the video by the assistant principal at the NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies — who didn’t bother to notify her parents, a school counselor or the police before questioning her, the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit alleges. “Without regard to the status of [Doe] as an underaged victim of sexual…

Republican state attorneys-general in the US have taken aim at corporate proxy advisers, challenging Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis over their recommendations tied to climate and social goals.The two companies, which dominate the business of guiding investors on board votes and shareholder resolutions, are the latest financial groups to receive pressure from Republican state officials on the attack over sustainable investing principles.“Evidence regarding climate change advocacy and goals suggests potential violations of your contractual obligations and legal duties,” the 21 attorneys-general warned ISS and Glass Lewis in a letter on Tuesday. The officials said both advisers have pledged to…

West Australians are encouraged to donate their empty drink containers to the Lord Mayor’s Distress Relief Fund, supporting flood-affected victims in the Kimberley.More than $10 million has already been raised to help those impacted by the worst floods in the state’s history. Source: Sky News

LeBron James torched the Rockets for 48 points on Monday night — and he still felt “old as crap” after the game. Despite being 38 years old, James is averaging almost 30 points per game this season. However, his 20th season in the league continues to put things into perspective. During a timeout on Monday night, Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. gave James a not-so-so-subtle reminder of his his age. Smith, the 19-year-old rookie, mentioned with glee that James played his father – Jabari Smith Sr. – in his NBA debut for the Cavaliers on Oct. 30, 2003 against…

Wintershall Dea, one of the main European investors in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, has said it will exit Russia following criticism over its continued exploration and production of gas and oil in the country following the invasion of Ukraine.In a statement on Tuesday evening, Wintershall’s chief executive Mario Mehren said that operations in Russia, where Wintershall derived roughly a fifth of its pre-tax profit in the past financial year, were no longer “tenable” nearly a year into the conflict.He said that “Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine” had destroyed the possibilities for co-operation between Moscow and Europe, adding…

Dutch authorities arrested a Syrian man on Tuesday who is suspected of having been a security chief for the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra extremist groups during Syria’s grinding civil war, prosecutors said.”It is suspected that from his position at IS he also contributed to the war crimes that the organization committed in Syria,” the National Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.The 37-year-old man, whose name wasn’t released, was detained in the small village of Arkel, about 30 miles east of the port city of Rotterdam, prosecutors said in a statement.COCAINE CONTINUES TO SPREAD THROUGH EUROPE AT AN ALARMING…

China’s daily coal output in December fell from November’s record as the country’s rapidly expanding COVID-19 outbreak has sickened miners and slowed demand from industrial users.China produced 402.69 million tonnes of coal last month, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Tuesday, equivalent to 12.99 million tonnes per day.That compares with 13.04 million tonnes per day in November, and 12.41 million tonnes in December 2021.CHINA REOPENING BORDERS AFTER THREE YEARS OF ‘ZERO-COVID’Total production for 2022 rose to a record 4.496 billion tonnes, 9% higher than output in 2021, data from the NBS showed.Beijing’s sudden decision to abandon…

European Union regulators should not define greenwashing in law, fund industry groups have told the bloc’s markets watchdog, citing concerns this would complicate a sector in “constant flux”.Trillions of dollars have flowed into investments claiming to be climate-friendly, but there have been few sanctions for greenwashing, or exaggerated green credentials.Regulators say sanctioning greenwashing could be easier with a legal definition, though the term is often used more broadly to describe deliberate or negligent practices regarding other environmental, social and governance (ESG)-related issues.BIDEN ADMIN WEIGHS COMPLETE BLOCK ON OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING AS GAS PRICES KEEP RISINGThe European Securities and Markets Authority…

A group of scientists said they were able to guide lightning bolts using laser technology for the first time.In new work published in the journal Nature Photonics, international researchers said Monday that laster-induced filaments, formed in the sky using short and intense laser pulses, can guide lightning discharges across “considerable distances.” The authors said that they believe their experiment would lead to progress in lightning protection and lightning physics.The demonstration was conducted on Säntis mountain in Switzerland during the summer of 2021. NASA’S HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE RECORDS BLACK HOLE CONTORTING STAR INTO DONUT SHAPEUsing a high-repetition-rate terawatt laser, the equipment was set up…

Calvaria: Duels of Eternity is an upcoming digital battle card game that is set to make waves in the GameFi space. The developers of Calvaria are hopeful that their new NFT-based battle card game will help spur crypto adoption rates. The play-to-earn mechanics allows players to earn rewards as they play, and by offering a free version of the game, players will be able to see how cryptocurrencies could improve their gameplay experience without spending a dime.Players will compete in tournaments using cards that represent different characters, each having their own unique sets of abilities. The goal of the game…