controversy

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Woman's Controversial Death Wish Is Finally Granted

Netherlands' Zoraya ter Beek, 29, gets the OK for an assisted death due to mental health struggles

(Newser) - For nearly four years, Zoraya ter Beek has been patiently biding her time, going through the laborious process in the Netherlands to get the green light for an assisted suicide due to what she describes as overwhelming mental suffering. Last week, ter Beek finally saw her request granted, clearing the...

Bumble Tries to Appeal to 'Frustrated' Customers, Has to Apologize

Dating app says sorry for billboards slamming celibacy

(Newser) - Dating app Bumble got stung after running billboard ads that appeared to sneer at celibacy as an alternative to meeting people online. On Monday, the company backtracked and apologized for billboards that bore the message "You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer," juxtaposed...

Eurovision Contestant Booted Right Before Finale

Joost Klein of the Netherlands was removed over a backstage incident now being investigation

(Newser) - A Dutch public broadcaster reacted angrily after the Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from the competition hours before Saturday's final over a backstage incident that's being investigated by police. The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision, said Swedish police were investigating "a...

Target Makes a Change on Its Pride Month Merch

Retailer will offer smaller selection only in 'select' stores and online after last year's backlash

(Newser) - The backlash last June against Target's offerings for Pride month, featuring various LGBTQ+-themed products, took a toll on the its bottom line , leading to its first quarterly drop in sales in six years. Now, with this year's Pride month right around the corner, the retail giant says it...

This Mother's Day Suggestion 'May Ruffle Feathers'

Emily Wehner says young moms should prioritize themselves, not their own moms or mothers-in-law

(Newser) - If you're still debating what to do Sunday for Mother's Day and you're a mom with young kids, Emily Wehner is giving you the OK to do whatever the heck you want—even if that means shirking a visit to your own mom. The Indiana mom's...

Apple: Sorry About That Ad Where We Crushed All Creativity

Company offers apology for iPad Pro commercial showing the crushing of creative items from past

(Newser) - Apple's newest ad, showing the destruction of all things creative to create an iPad Pro, "struck a nerve online," with one critic noting, per the AP : "This ... commercial says, 'No, we're going to take all the creativity in the world and use a hydraulic...

Noem's Speech Leads to Cancellation of GOP Fundraiser

Colorado group nixes event for 'safety' reasons amid hubbub over S. Dakota governor's memoir

(Newser) - Kristi Noem is getting slammed for details revealed in her new memoir, on everything from killing her own dog to claims on meeting Kim Jong Un and being threatened by Nikki Haley . Now, a Republican fundraiser featuring the South Dakota governor as keynote speaker has been canceled, after a Colorado...

Radcliffe: JK Rowling's Stance 'Makes Me Really Sad'

Actor talks the rift, why he felt compelled to speak out in defense of transgender people

(Newser) - Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe hasn't spoken with author JK Rowling since she expressed her view that transgender women are not women, the actor reveals in a new interview with the Atlantic , while disputing the idea of him as an "ungrateful brat." "Obviously Harry Potter would...

'Father Justin' Gets Demoted After Mighty Strange Claims

AI chatbot was taking confessions, offering sacrament while claiming it was a real priest

(Newser) - Wouldn't it be comforting to have a priest accessible online, a man of the cloth who could offer you solace and advice right from the computer screen? A group called Catholic Answers apparently saw that potential in "Father Justin," an artificial intelligence-driven chatbot launched last week for...

Good News for Chipotle Workers: Let Them Eat Chicken Again

Fast-food chain rescinds directive that staff not order chicken in meals due to customer demand

(Newser) - Excellent news if you love chicken and you happen to work at Chipotle: You're allowed to order the pollo version of your meals again. After a strong suggestion was sent last week to staffers in the US and Canada asking them not to add chicken to any of their...

Hitler's Birthplace Gets Some Unwelcome Visitors

On late Nazi dictator's birthday, 4 Germans showed up to lay roses, salute him

(Newser) - The house in Austria where Adolf Hitler was born is being turned into a police station to prevent admirers of the late Nazi dictator from gathering there. But that didn't stop four young Germans from showing up Saturday to the building in Braunau am Inn, on the occasion of...

Nike's Track Outfits for the Olympics Aren't Going Over Well
Nike's Track Outfits for Female
Olympians Are ... Interesting
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Apr 20, 2024 4:15 PM CDT

Nike's Track Outfits for Female Olympians Are ... Interesting

'This is a costume born of patriarchal forces'

(Newser) - The Nike outfits set to be worn by Team USA track and field athletes during this summer's Paris Olympics were unveiled last week, but one version isn't going over too well. The New York Times reports that the big reveal on Thursday by the sportswear giant showed off...

Suspended Editor Uri Berliner Resigns From NPR

He says he's being 'disparaged' by CEO Katherine Maher

(Newser) - NPR senior business editor Uri Berliner has resigned a day after NPR announced it had suspended him as a formal punishment for the scathing critique he penned about his employer . NPR had said Berliner received the formal rebuke because he had not received the required approval to write for another...

McDonald's Scoops Up All of Its Restaurants in Israel

Fast-food giant buys 225 eateries from franchisee Alonyal after costly boycotts amid war

(Newser) - McDonald's is buying its restaurants in Israel from a longtime franchisee, hoping to reset sales that have slumped due to boycotts in the region. The Chicago-based burger giant said Friday it will buy Alonyal Limited, which owns and operates 225 restaurants in Israel. Financial terms weren't disclosed. The...

Muslim Leaders Aren't Having White House's Ramadan Invite

Reps from Muslim community turn iftar dinner down, choose policy talk over Israel's war in Gaza

(Newser) - Muslim leaders met Tuesday evening with President Biden and Vice President Harris, but it wasn't the event that the White House had originally planned. The Washington Post reports that a half-dozen or so representatives from the Muslim community were originally invited for an iftar dinner, the meal that Muslims...

JK Rowling to Scotland: Go On, Arrest Me
Police Say They
Won't Arrest
JK Rowling
UPDATED
Apr 2, 2024 4:38 PM CDT

Police Say They Won't Arrest JK Rowling

Comments on trans women 'are not assessed to be criminal and no further action will be taken'

(Newser) - Police in Scotland said Tuesday that they have received complaints about a tweet from JK Rowling but her "comments are not assessed to be criminal and no further action will be taken." In the post, the author described several transgender women as men and dared police to arrest...

NYC's Biggest Girl Scout Troop Faces Backlash Over Migrants

Troop 6000 has embraced the city's newest residents, but not everyone is happy about it

(Newser) - Once a week in a midtown Manhattan hotel, dozens of Girl Scouts gather in a spare room made homey by string lights and children's drawings. They earn badges, go on field trips to the Statue of Liberty, and learn how to navigate the subway in a city most have...

Oprah's Got a Big Special on Weight Loss Coming Up

Winfrey will host ABC/Hulu program on using meds to drop pounds, to the chagrin of some

(Newser) - As WeightWatchers deals with the aftermath of Oprah Winfrey's exit , the TV icon is making her next big move on the weight-loss scene. CNN reports that Winfrey will host An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution, set to be released later this month on ABC and...

Famous WWII Pic Once More a 'Political Lightning Rod'

Memo said Eisenstaedt's V-J Day pic 'The Kiss' would be pulled from VA venues; VA chief says no

(Newser) - The Veterans Affairs secretary has reversed a department memo that aimed to ban VA displays of the iconic "V-J Day in Times Square" photograph of a Navy sailor kissing a woman he didn't know on the streets of New York at the end of World War II. Secretary...

Elon Musk Has to Settle Brouhaha Over Pie

Tesla backed out of a big bakery order that went viral, and CEO ponies up

(Newser) - Elon Musk had to eat something decidedly less delicious than pie—namely crow—after the Tesla CEO's company stiffed a small San Jose bakery on a big order. As NBC Bay Area reports, Tesla had ordered 4,000 mini-pies from the Giving Pies bakery to honor Black History Month,...

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