Russia’s central bank laid out a proposed framework that would legalize and regulate cryptocurrency trading for both individuals and institutions, continuing its softening stance toward cryptocurrencies. However, it continues to caution that investing in crypto carries risks, including potential losses. “They are not issued or guaranteed by any jurisdiction and are subject to increased volatility…
Developers and companies are increasingly deploying AI agents and chatbots within their apps, but so far they’ve mostly been restricted to text. Digital avatar generation company Lemon Slice is working to add a video layer to those chats with a new diffusion model that can create digital avatars from a single image. Called Lemon Slice-2,…
Dec 23, 2025, 08:00 AM ET As the calendar approaches 2026, uncertainty reigns over when a new collective bargaining agreement will get done between the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association. The players union has continued to publicly express displeasure with the state of negotiations, with the player body last week authorizing the…
Khalil Joseph’s “BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions” is a singular film that required its own unique process. Loosely adapted from an ongoing museum installation about a fictional news channel documenting the Black experience in America, the acclaimed video essay encompasses the work of multiple artists and a massive amount of archival footage from every corner of…
The UK pushed hard to secure the release of Jimmy Lai, the newspaper publisher and British citizen who was a leading light in Hong Kong’s brutally suppressed pro-democracy movement. So, too, did press freedom and human rights campaigners. But the Beijing-appointed high court judges in the former colony convicted him anyway, finding Lai guilty last…
DeFi lending and borrowing protocol Aave’s governance fight is starting to cost investors wildly. The AAVE token is down about 18% over the past seven days, making it the worst performer among the top 100 cryptocurrencies, even as bitcoin, ether and other large tokens trade flat to slightly higher. The selloff stands out in a…
The team at Retro, a photo-sharing app for close friends and family, is experimenting with how generative AI can be put to more creative uses. To try out the latest, cutting-edge AI technologies, the team built a new app called Splat, which lets you turn any photo into a coloring book page for kids. As…
André SnellingsDec 22, 2025, 01:35 PM ET Close Dr. André Snellings is a senior writer for men’s and women’s fantasy basketball and sports betting at ESPN. André has a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Michigan. He joined ESPN in 2017 after a 16-year career as a neural engineer, during which time he was also a…
The “Avatar” franchise is beloved for several reasons, from its incredible action to its pioneering use of 3D special effects. But if there’s a main appeal to James Cameron’s mega blockbuster series, it’s stepping into the world of Pandora and the culture of the Na’vi, which is brought to life in part by production design….