All posts tagged: grows

Swiss Privacy Goes Global: Proton VPN Grows Coverage to 145 Countries

Swiss Privacy Goes Global: Proton VPN Grows Coverage to 145 Countries

Published by skeptic

Privacy in the digital age is more important than ever, and using a strong VPN can help keep your internet behavior safe from prying eyes. We write a lot about VPNs, and one provider has been making moves over the past two weeks to expand its global coverage.  Proton VPN is the privacy tool in question, and the Swiss-based company’s network, which has the best free VPN option on the market, now spans roughly 20,000 servers across 145 countries — with new server locations in Lebanon, Nicaragua, Gabon, Papua New Guinea, Kyrgyzstan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — making it the top provider on our best VPN list for worldwide coverage.  VPNs, or virtual private networks, operate by masking your actual IP address with one from a remote server, allowing you to disguise your location and keep your internet activity secure. There are a multitude of ways a VPN can enhance your experience, whether you’re looking to access streaming titles from another country or get around oppressive government firewalls that can block important …

Minnesota advances controversial felony ban on prediction markets as scrutiny grows

Minnesota advances controversial felony ban on prediction markets as scrutiny grows

Published by skeptic

Minnesota lawmakers are moving ahead with a proposal that would outlaw most prediction markets, pushing the issue further into the spotlight as similar debates unfold in other states. A key Senate panel this week signed off on Senate File 4511, sending it along to another committee for continued review. The measure, brought forward by Sen. John Marty, DFL–Roseville, cleared the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee without opposition and now heads to the Senate Finance Committee. The Minnesota Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection unanimously give a vote of approval to Sen. John Marty's (DFL-40) bill, SF 4511, to prohibit prediction market contracts centered around sports, war, politics, weather, and other controversial markets. — RLinnehanSR (@RLinnehanSR) April 14, 2026 The bill would make it a felony to run, support or promote platforms where people place wagers on how future events will play out, which includes not just operators but also those handling payments, setting odds or advertising the services. What happens next for the Minnesota prediction markets felony bill Earlier committees recommended the Minnesota …

Liverpool knocked out of Champions League as pressure grows on Arne Slot

Liverpool knocked out of Champions League as pressure grows on Arne Slot

Published by Sam Flores

I think we got a lot more than we deserved last week by only losing 2-0 and that was the same as last season. And what was also the same as last season is that we got much less than we deserved at home. Today we should have won as well. But it is also the quality of them in that they don’t concede from all the chances we had and then the quality of Dembélé‘s finish tells you why he won the Ballon d’Or and why they won the Champions League last season and has a good opportunity to win it again this season. [Hugo Ekitike] is not too good I’m afraid. We could all see it didn’t look good but let’s wait and see what it could be [rather than speculating what it could be]. He went home in the second half so I haven’t seen him yet. Losing a game the way we lost it is very hard but again as it seems to be, losing a player has happened to us …

Online sports betting grows rapidly as concerns about risks rise across the US, survey shows

Online sports betting grows rapidly as concerns about risks rise across the US, survey shows

Published by skeptic

Online sports betting is becoming a routine part of daily life across the United States, with participation continuing to climb even as unease about its effects grows. A new national survey released April 13 shows both trends moving in tandem. Researchers from the Siena Research Institute and St. Bonaventure University’s Jandoli School of Communication report that 27% of Americans now hold an active online sportsbook account with platforms like DraftKings, Caesars, FanDuel, or BetMGM. This has steadily increased from 22% in 2025 and 19% the year before. Another 6% say they used to have an account, meaning roughly one in three Americans has tried online sports betting at some point. New Siena/@BonasJSchool Annual Sports Fanship Survey: Part 2 – Online Sports Betting More Than a Quarter of Americans, 27% Have An Active Online Sports Betting Account; A Third Have Opened an Account At Least Once Sports Betting Continues to Grow as 60% of Online Sports Bettors… pic.twitter.com/wzFvGrdE8r — SienaResearch (@SienaResearch) April 13, 2026 Younger men remain the most active participants. Among men ages 18 to …

Swalwell scandal grows as Democrats call for exit

Swalwell scandal grows as Democrats call for exit

Published by Sam Flores

A sexual assault allegation involving Rep. Eric Swalwell has expanded into a broader political crisis, as additional accusations surface and prominent Democrats begin calling for him to withdraw from California’s governor’s race. The initial claim, made by a former staffer in an interview with CNN, alleges that Swalwell engaged in nonconsensual sexual activity during an encounter in 2019, with a second incident reported in 2024. Swalwell has denied the allegation, calling it “flat false” and rejecting any suggestion of wrongdoing. In the days since the accusation became public, other women have come forward with allegations of misconduct, including claims of unwanted touching and inappropriate behavior, according to CNN and other outlets. The expanding number of accusations has intensified scrutiny of the California Democrat, who had previously secured high-profile endorsements. Hear it directly from me. These allegations are flat false. And I will fight them. pic.twitter.com/bQSlCquD1U — Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) April 11, 2026 Swalwell has addressed the situation publicly, including in a video statement, where he denied the allegations but acknowledged what he described as …

Beyond Paradise’s Humphrey stunned as dilemma grows more complicated

Beyond Paradise’s Humphrey stunned as dilemma grows more complicated

Published by Daniella Wilson

Humphrey’s relationship with his mother-in-law Anne mostly consists of her chiding him for getting under her feet as they navigate living under the same roof in Beyond Paradise. After the detective and Martha moved back onto the boat, having paused their fostering journey, the small matter of them drifting out to sea while they were tucked up in bed in the season 4 premiere saw them swiftly move back into Anne’s house. But as close as Martha and her mum are – and there is also love between Humphrey and Anne, given how important each of them are to Martha – it has become increasingly clear that the newly married couple need their own space, regardless of whether it’s just the two of them, or if they welcome another child into their lives. So, they committed to house hunting and after a fairly breezy search and some gentle deliberation, they’ve landed themselves a fixer-upper. But as they were toasting the next chapter of their lives in their new backyard – which looks out onto a …

Politics Home | Labour MP Says “Harmful” Jury Trial Reforms Are A “Distraction” As Rebellion Grows

Politics Home | Labour MP Says “Harmful” Jury Trial Reforms Are A “Distraction” As Rebellion Grows

Published by Sam Flores

3 min read1 hr The plan to reduce the use of jury trials is a “distraction” from the real reasons for the court backlog, a Labour MP has said, as the government braces for the prospect of a major backbench rebellion over the reforms. Writing in The House on Friday, Labour MP Cat Eccles said that the proposal is “not only misguided but harmful”, and that the focus should be on addressing “chronic underinvestment, poor coordination, and systemic inefficiencies” in the justice system. The MP for Stourbridge said she had recently visited Birmingham Crown Court, the second-largest court in the country, where one barrister told her: “You won’t find a single person in this building who thinks juries are an issue.”  Justice Secretary David Lammy has said that the reforms are a bold but necessary way to help tackle the national court backlog in England and Wales. Under the changes, announced by the Labour government in December, juries would no longer be used for crimes with sentences of less than three years. More extreme offences, such as rape and murder, will still be …

Consumer Credit Grows Less Than Expected On Subdued Credit Card Usage

Consumer Credit Grows Less Than Expected On Subdued Credit Card Usage

Published by Jenni Sidey

While the monthly jobs report has become a veritable economic random number generator, with every monthly print coming either well below or above the forecast stack, the weekly initial claims report has become its foil – a study in boring reporting, with numbers barely budging week to week, and usually falling right on top of Wall Street estimates. A similar dynamic is emerging for the monthly consumer credit report: following a volatile 2025, when revolving credit swung around wildly in unexpected ways dragging the broader print with it, the last few months have been surprisingly steady, printing right around the consensus expectations with barely any volatility. The latest, February, report published minutes ago by the Fed was no surprise: with expectations for a modest increase from last month’s $8.05 billion to $10.25 billion, the reported number was just shy of the estimate, printing $9.484 billion, up from a downward revised $7.665 billion. Revolving credit rose a modest $709 million – the weakest monthly increase since November – to $1.328 trillion, the highest since November 2024.  …

Kanye West’s permission to enter UK ‘under review by ministers’ as Wireless backlash grows | Ents & Arts News

Kanye West’s permission to enter UK ‘under review by ministers’ as Wireless backlash grows | Ents & Arts News

Published by Daniella Wilson

Permission for Kanye West to enter the UK is currently being reviewed by ministers, Sky News understands, following mounting pressure over his booking as the headline act for Wireless Festival. It comes as another commercial partner distanced itself from the festival on Monday amid strong criticism over the US rapper’s previous antisemitic comments, including from the prime minister. Calls have been growing for Wireless organisers to cancel the booking and for the government to ban the rapper from entering the country, after it was announced last week that he would headline all three nights of the event in London in July. While the government has not been made aware of immediate plans for West to travel to the UK, his permission to enter is currently being reviewed by ministers. Sky News also understands trhat Rockstar Energy has withdrawn its sponsorship, after Pepsi and Diageo pulled out at the weekend. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it was “deeply concerning” that West had been booked “despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism”. The Conservative Party …

Scientists Gene Hacked a Plant So It Grows Five Types of Psychoactive Drugs at Once

Scientists Gene Hacked a Plant So It Grows Five Types of Psychoactive Drugs at Once

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech From the psilocybin in magic mushrooms to dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in toads to the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana, a wide variety of organisms can produce psychoactive substances, despite belonging to entirely different kingdoms. But what if a plant were to be able to bridge those gaps and produce several different psychedelic compounds at once? In a trippy experiment, detailed in a study published this week in the journal Science Advances, a team led by researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, have genetically engineered super tobacco plants that can produce five natural psychedelics — psilocin and psilocybin found in magic mushrooms, DMT from the ayahuasca plant, and bufotenin and 5-methoxy-DMT, which is secreted by the Sonoran Desert toad — at once. Besides possibly making for one hell of a trip if ingested — as far as we can tell, nobody has tried to eat the leaves of one of these plants yet — the achievement could lay …