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Australia launches record $1.4B lawsuit against 3M over ‘forever chemicals’ at defense bases
MELBOURNE, Australia | Australia is suing U.S. conglomerate 3M for more than 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.4 billion) over so-called “forever chemical” contamination from firefighting foam at defense bases, the government said on Thursday. The government’s largest-ever claim for compensation relates to contamination with per- and polyfluoroaklyl substances, known as PFAS, at 28 bases. Human-made […]
California Democrats shrug at their choices in packed race to replace Newsom
SACRAMENTO, Calif. | The packed race for California governor has left many Democrats in the state wrestling with who to vote for in the race’s closing days. Though voting began in early May ahead of the June 2 primary, Democrats have been returning their ballots at a slower pace than normal after a chaotic campaign […]
Movie Review: ‘Backrooms’ goes from internet meme to the big screen
What evil lurks in the drabbest of interiors? The meme-rooted “Backrooms” is the latest movie to pull its mounting horrors out of liminal spaces. “Exit 8,” released earlier this year, was set entirely in a subway corridor. In “Backrooms,” a struggling furniture salesperson discovers beneath his store an underground labyrinth, all lined with yellow wallpapered […]
Japanese woman who scaled the world’s 14 top peaks says she wants to share joy
TOKYO | The first woman to conquer the world’s second-highest peak, K2, three times has also summited all 14 of the world’s tallest mountains. But Naoko Watanabe, 44, says climbing is less about piling up records than enjoying an adventure, being happy and experiencing new people, food and culture. She’s planning to return in June […]
A proposed additive ban could change New York’s pizza and bagels, some say for the better
NEW YORK | After more than a decade of mixing and kneading dough in his family’s Brooklyn pizzeria, Salvatore Lo Duca recently made a distressing discovery: A key component of their thin-crust pies, bromated flour, contained a suspected carcinogen already banned in much of the world. So, in the back kitchen of Lo Duca Pizza, […]
Jim Henson’s Creature Shop opens for tours. Here’s what’s inside the once-hidden puppet studio
NEW YORK | Deep in a cavernous New York City warehouse, the artisans behind some of the world’s most beloved children’s characters have been fashioning costumes and puppets for years in relative anonymity. Now Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, the workshop founded by the legendary creator of the Muppets, is drawing back the curtain. This year, […]
The trolls come indoors as a Danish recycling artist stages his first museum exhibit
ISHØJ, Denmark | For more than a decade, Danish recycling artist Thomas Dambo has scattered wooden troll sculptures around the world. He has created almost 200 in 19 countries. Now the poet and former hip-hop artist is bringing a collection of fairy tale-inspired creations in from the cold for his first museum exhibit. “The Garbage […]
Scripps National Spelling Bee guide: How to watch, who the notable spellers are, rules and prizes
WASHINGTON | The best young spellers in the English language are competing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week, continuing a more than century-old tradition. The three-day competition began Tuesday and concludes Thursday night. The first bee was held in 1925, when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited other newspapers to host spelling bees and send […]
For one Ukrainian war amputee, rebuilding is painful after a Russian strike killed her husband
KRYVYI RIH, Ukraine | After Iryna Nakonechna lost her left leg last year in a Russian missile attack that also killed her husband, the Ukrainian woman decided everything tied to her former self had to go. She cut off her dark wavy hair and removed furniture, clothes, trinkets and photographs from her home. Just one […]
These are the five least expensive new cars you can buy in 2026, according to Edmunds
Buying a car is a major investment, especially when everyday costs keep rising. It can seem especially daunting given that the average price of a new vehicle is close to $50,000 in 2026. This is why the experts at Edmunds have compiled a list of the five least expensive vehicles on sale in 2026. While […]