February 16, 2024 - Friday

[WORLD] Greece becomes the first Christian Orthodox-majority country to legalize same-sex marriage, allowing same-sex couples to adopt children.

Greece has made history by becoming the first Christian Orthodox-majority country to legalize same-sex marriage. Following a parliamentary vote of 176-76, same-sex couples in Greece will now be able to legally marry and adopt children. The new law, supported by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, aims to address inequality and bring Greece in line with other countries that have already legalized same-sex marriage. However, the decision has been met with resistance from opponents, including the powerful Orthodox Church, leading to protests in Athens.

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[NATION] The mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl celebration was a result of a dispute between several individuals.

Police have revealed that the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl celebration, which left one person dead and almost two dozen injured, was believed to have stemmed from a dispute between multiple individuals. The victims ranged in age from 8 to 47 years old, with half of them being under 16. Three juveniles were initially detained, but one was later released as they were not involved in the shooting. Two juveniles currently remain in custody, and authorities are searching for others who may have been involved.

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[BUSINESS] Japan has slipped into a recession, allowing Germany to overtake it as the world's third-largest economy.

Japan's economy contracted unexpectedly due to weak domestic consumption, resulting in a recession. The country's GDP shrank by 0.4% in the last three months of 2023, following a 3.3% contraction in the previous quarter. This decline was below market forecasts, causing Japan to lose its position as the world's third-largest economy to Germany. The weak domestic demand has been a significant factor in Japan's economic struggles, along with low wage growth, low capital expenditure, and a weak yen.

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[TECHNOLOGY] OpenAI has unveiled Sora, a text-to-video AI model, capable of generating videos up to a minute long based on user prompts.

OpenAI has introduced Sora, its new text-to-video model, capable of creating minute-long videos based on user input. Although not yet accessible to the public, OpenAI encourages early feedback from the AI community. Some have raised concerns over potential job displacement and the spread of disinformation. The model can generate highly detailed scenes with complex camera motion and multiple characters. OpenAI plans to share Sora with safety testers, as well as video makers and artists, to enhance its usefulness to creative professionals.

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[SPORTS] Caitlin Clark breaks NCAA women's scoring record with 35-foot 3-pointer, finishing with 49 points in Iowa's victory over Michigan.

Iowa's Caitlin Clark broke the NCAA women's career scoring record with a 35-foot 3-pointer in less than three minutes into the game against Michigan. She finished with a career-high 49 points, tying her career best with nine 3-pointers and recording 13 assists. Clark's total point count now stands at 3,569, and she is on track to potentially break the men's scoring record as well. Her next targets include surpassing Lynette Woodard and Pete Maravich's records.

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[SCIENCE] Houston-based Intuitive Machines is one of several billionaire-backed companies working with NASA to land on the moon and grow the space economy.

Houston-based company, Intuitive Machines, is aiming to become the first private company to land on the lunar surface this month. They are one of several billionaire-backed companies that NASA is working with to unlock the moon, lower costs, and grow the space economy. NASA is collaborating with 14 American companies as part of its Artemis program to send humans back to the moon and deliver scientific instruments and technology to the lunar surface. Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander has launched as the first step towards achieving these goals.

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[HEALTH] An Oregon man has been diagnosed with the bubonic plague, likely contracted from their infected pet cat.

State health officials in Oregon have confirmed the first case of the bubonic plague in nearly eight years. The infected resident is believed to have contracted the disease from their sick pet cat. The resident and close contacts have been provided with medication, and the community is not considered at risk. While not common, cases of the bubonic plague do occur in the western United States each year.

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[ENTERTAINMENT] 'Fantastic Four' cast Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach in Marvel's upcoming film.

The recently announced cast for Marvel's "Fantastic Four" includes Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, all of whom have previous experience with big-budget productions. Similar to the impact Robert Downey Jr. had as Iron Man, these new cast members could play pivotal roles in the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Additionally, fans have speculated that the film may be set in the 1960s, potentially making it the earliest film on the MCU's chronological timeline.

No sources available.