レアジョブ英会話 Daily News Article Podcast

Steam-powered vehicles, Victorian costumes, and remote-controlled teapots have taken over the New Zealand town of Ōamaru for its annual Steampunk Festival. The festival ran from 29 May to 1 June. The four-day event, now in its 17th year, draws thousands of visitors to one of the world's best-known celebrations of the Victorian-inspired science fiction genre. The town’s annual Steampunk Festival is built around a simple idea: what if steam technology had continued into the modern age? Steampunk imagines an alternative world in which the technology of the Victorian age never faded away, evolving instead into the modern era through steam-powered inventions, brass machinery, and elaborate mechanical design. This year’s theme is “Frontiers of Steam.” Graeme Clark, vice chair of the Ōamaru Whitestone Civic Trust, says, “The theme this year, Frontiers of Steam, is very appropriate considering the looming fuel shortage. Steam power will be the way to travel in the future. As we all know, SPVs, steam-powered vehicles, will be the ‘trump card’ and will dominate world travel and industry.” Rather than recreating the Victorian era exactly as it was, steampunk sets out to try and reimagine it. Participants use its fashions and technologies as a foundation for imagining how the world might look if steam power had continued into the modern age, with plenty of room for invention along the way. Many attendees spend months creating elaborate costumes and props, drawing on skills such as sewing, metalworking, and model-making. The festival attracts people from a wide range of professions, including engineers, artists, farmers, and bricklayers, who use steampunk as a chance to create fictional identities and showcase their work in public. Juliet Thorn, one of those attending the festival, says, “The first time you dress up and go out in public is really scary. And then people get such a buzz out of it. They love it, and they come up, and they go, ‘You look amazing.’ It’s so cool that you take on a different personality.” Steampunk enthusiasts pride themselves on building much of the world themselves. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The Obama Presidential Center opened to the general public on June 19 after a celebratory dedication in Chicago with dignitaries. But tens of thousands of people–friends and family of museum staff, students, and journalists–have already been offered a sneak peek as crews finish final art installations and landscaping. The roughly $850 million project covers both the political and personal realms of the nation’s first Black president. Campaign memorabilia and presidential artifacts are displayed in the admission-based museum tower, while public spaces of the sprawling campus feature other things important to Obama: a new library, basketball court, and picnic area with grills. “This is a safe space for people to come and, yes, reflect on the historic moments of this presidency and the campaigns, but also to come together as a community to think about what change you can bring to your own neighborhood,” Josh Harris, the Obama Foundation’s vice president of public engagement, said during a tour with The Associated Press. Unlike other presidential museums, Obama’s doesn’t contain reams of official papers. It’s the first fully digitized presidential museum where unclassified documents can be viewed through a website they are calling a “digital reading room.” Visitors to the museum will get to walk into a life-sized replica of the Oval Office. On a recent day, a stream of visitors, including school children, walked through the circular room, stopping to sit behind the desk and pose for pictures. One drawer holds a copy of a handwritten letter from predecessor former President George W. Bush and Obama’s beloved BlackBerry phone. “We want to make sure that people from all walks of life have the opportunity to sit behind the Resolute Desk,” said Harris. “You think about the possibilities that if a young organizer from the South Side of Chicago can be president, you can be president too.” Several of the ballgowns Michelle Obama wore as first lady are displayed on mannequins behind glass, including a black and red dress designed by Narciso Rodriguez that the former first lady wore on Election Night in Chicago. Visitors will also get a chance to touch swatches of the fabrics, including the rose gold chain-mail Atelier Versace evening gown she wore at her final state dinner in 2016. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Just a few years ago, America's public schools were rushing to get every child a laptop. Los Angeles middle school teacher Anna Soffer remembers it well: "The idea was that technology is the future, so we need to put tech in every child's hands." Now, the conversation has flipped. After pouring billions of dollars into laptops, tablets, and learning apps, many schools are facing a digital reckoning. Classrooms have become saturated with screens, and a growing number of parents, teachers, and school districts are saying it is time to scale back. "The Chromebook is just a world of distraction," says Soffer, who teaches sixth-grade English and history. She favors pen-and-paper assignments but is required to use laptops and online apps for certain activities. "Every day, I'm battling, 'Who would you rather listen to, Ms. Soffer or Minecraft?'" The Los Angeles Unified School District, where Soffer teaches, recently became the first major school district to say it will stop giving devices to its youngest students. It is part of a new screen time policy taking effect in the fall across the country's second-largest school system. A sweeping resolution passed last April by the Los Angeles school board requires the district to eliminate devices until second grade; set daily and weekly screen limits for all higher grades; block YouTube on school devices; and ban the use of devices at lunch and recess in elementary and middle school. The district will also audit its education technology contracts, which the teachers' union says amount to $1.6 billion. The Los Angeles crackdown is adding momentum to calls for reform emerging around the country. In many cases, parents lobbied a few years ago for school cellphone bans, which have now become the norm. Realizing phones weren't the only classroom distraction, they pivoted to a new target: school-issued devices. The campaign for change is becoming a public policy issue. At least 14 states have proposed laws to limit screen time in schools, according to Ballotpedia. The federal government issued an advisory warning that excessive screen use among youth is becoming a growing public health concern. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Google must allow news sites to opt out of having their online content scraped to feed AI overviews and other artificial intelligence services and features for British users, regulators said in June. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was ordering Google to give online publishers the option, in what it called a “world first.” The watchdog is seeking to loosen the U.S. tech giant’s stranglehold on the U.K.’s online search market by using new digital powers to force changes to the company’s business practices. Under the decision, Google will have to give publishers “effective tools” to prevent their content from being used to power the company's generative artificial intelligence services and its AI search features like AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google will also have to properly cite publisher content in AI-generated search results by using clear links. In addition, it will have to let publishers opt out of having their content used to fine-tune AI models. The watchdog said the decision will give publishers a stronger hand when negotiating content deals with Google. Publishers are defined as anyone who puts content on the web that's available to people in Britain. The CMA's ruling was expected because it had released draft proposals at the start of the year after using its new digital powers to label Google a “strategic” player in online search advertising. The CMA previously found that news publishers had suffered a drop in traffic since Google rolled out its AI Overviews—summaries that appear at the top of some search queries—because fewer users are clicking through to the original articles. The watchdog said its requirements will also apply to big changes that Google unveiled in May, which further embed AI in the company's search services. Google is “engaging with regulators like the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority to ensure website owners have the right tools as user preferences evolve,” the company's general manager of search ecosystem, Mrinalini Loew, said in a blog post. “Today, we’re beginning to test a new control that lets website owners manage how their links and content appear in generative AI search features.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The environmental footprint of data centers already rivals some of the world's largest countries, according to a United Nations University report, which also predicts their water use, energy use, and pollution will double in just four years as the use of artificial intelligence grows. Last year, global data centers used 448 trillion watt-hours of electricity, more than all but 10 countries in the world, said the report recently issued. That electricity use produced about 208 million tons (189 million metric tons) of carbon dioxide, about the same amount as Argentina, and producing that much energy consumed about 1.2 trillion gallons (4.5 trillion liters) of water, according to the report on the environmental consequences of AI's energy use. By 2030, data centers will account for nearly 3% of the world's projected electricity use, with 935 trillion watt-hours. If data centers were a country, the country would be projected to rank sixth-highest in power use in 2030. That would produce nearly 440 million tons (399 million metric tons) of carbon dioxide, the report said. The study focused on energy use and didn’t examine the massive amount of water used to cool data centers. “If you look at these numbers, we're seeing scales comparable to nations,” said study co-author Kaveh Madani, a water scientist and director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health in Canada. “The demand is enormous.” Much of the growth of data centers is being driven by AI. About 20% of data centers’ energy is currently due to AI, but that should grow to 40% by 2030, the report said. The report is significant because of the credibility and authority of the U.N., not just because of any one set of eye-popping numbers, said Fengqi You, a Cornell University energy engineering professor who directs the college’s AI sustainability issues. “Its value is that a U.N. institution is putting carbon, water, land, life-cycle impacts, and environmental justice into one frame” for an issue that is often shrouded in secrecy and partial disclosures, said You, who was not part of the report. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Life tasks like paying bills, canceling subscriptions, and answering overdue emails are becoming a reason to socialize for friends, couples, roommates, and other people who get together for what's known as “admin dates.” The low-pressure gatherings taking place in coffee shops, accommodating bars, and private homes are intended to turn tedious and procrastination-inducing adult responsibilities into productive time with a twist. Tackling a personal to-do list alongside others is a double-duty activity that combines the satisfaction of tending to necessary chores with the no less vital work of nurturing relationships. “You can have both—getting things done and connecting with people,” Thema Bryant, a Pepperdine University psychology professor and past president of the American Psychological Association, said. “At the gym, if I'm taking a group exercise class, I'm less likely to stop in the middle of other people. ... In the same way, admin dates can help with accountability, motivation, and connection." Romantic or business partners looking to get on the same page, and club members or volunteers collaborating on a big project, may also find admin dates helpful. Experts generally advise against meeting up in this way with regular work colleagues, especially supervisors, because it might add unnecessary pressure or create self-consciousness that's counterproductive to confronting inbox gremlins. Dealing with too many uncompleted tasks can feel overwhelming to some people, but whittling away at them in the company of trusted friends or even strangers engrossed in their own screens can clear some of the mental fog and foster a sense of community, said Bryant, the author of a book titled Matters of the Heart: Healing Your Relationship with Yourself and Those You Love. One reason admin dates can help with productivity is because of modeling, a theory from behavioral psychology about learning by observing and imitating others, she said. Seeing other people check off items on their agendas can motivate us to do the same, Bryant said. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

European Union leaders, worried about the continent relying too heavily on American companies for AI and cloud computing services and Asia for microchips, are pushing back. The 27-nation bloc unveiled a "tech sovereignty" package with measures to promote homegrown European alternatives to Big Tech services and hardware. The efforts by Brussels have gained urgency as leaders worry about dependence on technologies from foreign providers, which they say could be "weaponized" against Europeans. Those fears crystallized after the International Criminal Court's top prosecutor was sanctioned by the Trump administration, which led to Microsoft canceling his email account, sparking fears of a "kill switch" hidden in U.S. tech services. "Europe wants to be in the position to make its own choices, avoiding risky dependencies on single dominant suppliers, one company or one third country," European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, who oversees tech sovereignty, told reporters in Brussels. "Because we live in a world where geopolitics and technology go hand in hand. Those who champion technological innovation will shape the future, and we must ensure that Europe plays a leading role in this." A cornerstone of the package is a sequel to the EU's 2023 Chips Act to further boost local production of semiconductors by cutting red tape for chip fabs and fostering a European chipmaking ecosystem. Europe's vulnerability to the global chip supply chain centered in East Asia was highlighted last year in a power struggle at the Chinese-owned, Netherlands-based chipmaker Nexperia. Another key part of the package is supporting local cloud and AI development, with plans to triple Europe's data center capacity over the next five to seven years. The EU is pushing to expand data centers to keep up with the AI boom, which is driving demand for cloud computing services. The proposals from the EU's executive arm still need to be debated by the EU's two other main institutions, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Imagine taking part in a job interview not conducted by a human, but by an AI avatar. What might seem dystopian in concept is an increasing reality for some applicants. As employers face surging application numbers and a flood of AI-written CVs, companies are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to screen candidates. And as workers flood into offices across the capital, the process of getting a job is increasingly being handed over to artificial intelligence. Bracing for the changes AI is driving in the job market, schools are incorporating it into their teaching. At London Enterprise Academy in East London, students are being taught about the opportunities and risks linked to AI tools as they prepare applications for sixth form (the two final years of secondary school in Britain) places and work experience opportunities. Teacher Mohammed Islam asks students whether they would trust a robot interviewer. Some students say AI can help candidates improve applications but still believe human interaction remains essential. “It does help people to get jobs, and it does help companies to hire people, but we also need humans to interview other people as well because robots don’t have actual feelings, and sometimes, they might not understand what they have to do, and it’s not as reliable as humans,” student Zara says. For growing numbers of applicants for jobs, the first interview may no longer be with a person. Instead, candidates are increasingly facing artificial intelligence-powered hiring systems designed to screen applications, verify identities, and assess answers before any human recruiter becomes involved. In a demonstration showing technology developed by Amsterdam-based hiring platform TestGorilla, an AI-generated avatar interviews an Associated Press reporter through a laptop screen. The system asks spoken questions, records verbal responses, and combines them with timed assessments, behavioral prompts, and identity verification checks. Candidates are asked to complete multiple-choice questions, answer spoken interview prompts, and verify their identity through facial biometric checks comparing their face against identification documents. TestGorilla says its AI interview systems are designed to replace some traditional screening calls, which recruiters say can consume large amounts of time when employers receive hundreds or thousands of applications for a single role. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Whether they’re rummaging through grass in a park or scuttling along pavements on the hunt for crumbs, pigeons seem to fit right in busy London. But the same bird that often blends in as part of the urban background has helped scientists investigate one of the hardest questions in biology. How can a pigeon be taken many kilometers from home and still find its way back? After all, unlike their human counterparts, they don't have the luxury of satellite GPS navigation. Animals use several techniques to navigate. Some follow the stars. Others remember landmarks, smells, or the position of the sun. Birds, fish, and sea turtles are also known to orient themselves using Earth’s magnetic field, effectively giving them a natural compass. That ability is known as magnetoreception. It means an animal can detect information from Earth’s magnetic field and use it for direction, position, and orientation. Since the 1960s, studies by researchers, including Cornell University ornithologist William Keeton, have shown that pigeons use several navigation cues at once. They can use the sun, familiar landmarks, smell, vision, and the Earth’s magnetic field. But scientists still haven’t fully understood how birds physically detect magnetism inside the body. Previous theories focused mainly on the eyes, the beak, and the inner ear. One idea suggested birds might “see” magnetic fields through light-sensitive molecules in the eye called cryptochromes. Now, a new study published in the journal Science points to the liver. Researchers from the University of Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, the University of Duisburg Essen, and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior found that special immune cells in pigeon livers may respond to magnetic fields. Those cells are macrophages. In the pigeon liver, the researchers found macrophages packed with iron oxide nanoparticles. Those particles appear to make the cells superparamagnetic. In simple terms, superparamagnetic particles don’t stay permanently magnetic like a fridge magnet, but they react strongly when exposed to an outside magnetic field. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

A novel pill helped people with advanced pancreatic cancer live longer, researchers reported, raising hopes of long-needed better treatments for one of the deadliest types of cancer. “While not curing the cancer, it is a very large step forward,” said Dr. Zev Wainberg, of the University of California, Los Angeles, who helped lead the study. The drug is called Daraxonrasib, and it blocks a mutated protein that fuels tumor growth in more than 90% of pancreatic cancer cases—a target that had eluded treatment for decades. The daily pills nearly doubled survival time, with fewer severe side effects, in a study that randomly assigned the experimental drug or more chemotherapy to 500 patients whose metastatic, or spreading, cancer had stopped responding to prior treatment. The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago. Those taking Daraxonrasib lived for a median of 13.2 months compared with 6.7 months for chemotherapy recipients. While that may seem like a small improvement, Wainberg said it marked the first drug to show a substantial advantage over chemotherapy. “Having treated pancreatic cancer for 16 years, I actually started crying” when first seeing the study results, Dr. Rachna Shroff of the University of Arizona Cancer Center, who wasn't involved with the research, said from the ASCO meeting. She was struck by how “patients stayed on this treatment because it was providing durable and meaningful benefit to them.” The pills’ effects eventually wane, but recipients used them for significantly longer than the comparison group stayed on chemotherapy, reporting less pain and a better quality of life as their tumors shrank. Many still were using the drug after the data were analyzed, which Wainberg said means the survival gap may widen as researchers continue tracking them. Dr. Brian Wolpin, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, presented the findings. He said the drug should become “a new standard of care” for previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer, adding that researchers also will explore its use earlier in the disease, including to see if tumor shrinkage might let more patients qualify for surgery. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Your favorite pair of jeans may have traveled around the world through cotton farms, dye houses, wash facilities, and factories before ending up in your closet. The denim may have never been worn, but it is stonewashed, sanded, chemically faded, or laser-treated to look like it. Those processes can require significant amounts of water, energy, and chemicals—part of the reason denim has become a growing target for sustainability efforts across the fashion industry, which is among the world’s biggest producers of greenhouse gas emissions. Brands are responding to wider awareness by marketing their jeans as “sustainable,” touting regenerative cotton, recycled fibers, and low-water manufacturing techniques. But figuring out if that's true is far more complicated. For one, sustainability is difficult to define—and there isn't a universal set of standards. Recently, Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein acquired Everlane, a brand known for transparency and sustainability efforts, highlighting broader tensions over scale and affordability. Improvements in sustainable processes typically cost more, making it difficult for companies with fast production cycles and low prices to adopt them widely. Consumers are left to navigate a complicated web of tradeoffs involving farming practices, chemical processes, labor ethics, and a wide range of prices. Experts say consumers should be wary of vague sustainability claims and instead look for brands that provide detailed information about their sourcing and manufacturing processes. Dana Davis, a strategic fashion adviser who led sustainability efforts for the label Mara Hoffman, encouraged shoppers to look beyond a single product page and examine whether brands discuss labor rights, textiles, and manufacturing sites across their entire business—not just in a capsule collection. But one of the simplest ways to reduce denim’s environmental footprint is also the least glamorous: to buy fewer jeans, wear them longer, wash them less, and shop secondhand. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Ohio, one of the nation's data center destination hot spots, is suspending a tax break that has been critical to its competition with other states to attract the massive new facilities that power and train artificial intelligence chatbots. The move by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine comes as tax breaks for energy-hungry AI data centers are increasingly playing a role in state budgets, and the industry is under pressure to pay the full costs of the vast network of its computing warehouses needed to power AI. The size of Ohio's tax break skyrocketed, dwarfing previous projections, as opposition to data centers is sweeping through cities, suburbs, and towns there and prompting lawmakers to form a committee to study the impact. In the meantime, residents are trying to bypass the GOP-controlled Legislature and get a referendum on November's midterm election ballot that's designed to permanently ban hyperscale data centers, likely the strictest such statewide ban under consideration in the U.S. DeWine's office cited the rising utilization of the tax break and the state Legislature's new research undertaking to declare a "pause" in granting it to new applicants. "The governor felt it was the right time to let the citizens know, let businesses know that we're going to pause on new offers of this tax incentive while that process plays out," DeWine's spokesperson, Dan Tierney, said. DeWine stressed that he supports data centers—calling them a critical component in today's economy—and that the roughly $37 billion in data center-related investment in 2024 and 2025 in Ohio has been worthwhile. Meanwhile, business groups—including the state Chamber of Commerce—and labor unions warned that pausing the tax break put Ohio at risk of losing tech-sector investments to other states. The state, in 2024, had used previous history in projecting that the exemption would total $136 million in fiscal 2025 and $142 million in fiscal 2026. It was $554 million in 2024 and nearly $1.6 billion in 2025, the state reported. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

For weddings, vacations, or other special occasions, more consumers are turning to clothing rental services instead of buying something new. These subscription-based services, often marketed as a sustainable alternative to fast fashion, ship straight to customers everything from everyday and workwear to dresses, handbags, and formalwear. Then, the items are returned for someone else to use. “I haven’t bought anything for a big occasion since 2019,” said Sasha Eck, a user of clothing rental services. Along with giving her continuous and affordable access to newer, trendier clothes, she said renting formalwear made more sense than spending the equivalent of a month's rent on a dress she would only wear once. A recent survey from ThredUp suggests others face the same predicament, with the resale platform finding 87% of wedding guests said they had purchased at least one outfit they wore only once. Clothing rental services appear to be an environmentally ethical alternative: One garment can be worn by multiple people instead of being tethered to a single closet. But fashion and logistics experts say the reality of rental subscriptions is more complicated, especially once shipping, returns, and consumer habits are factored in. Kate Fletcher, a professor of sustainability, design, and fashion systems at Manchester Metropolitan University, said rental services can sometimes encourage the same mindset that drives fast fashion. “In theory, the embodied resources within that garment get a chance to be worked harder by having that many more people wear it. And so that’s the sort of compelling argument of it,” she said. But Fletcher said many of those environmental benefits can be undermined by repeated shipping, returns, and cleaning. Aja Barber, a sustainability consultant and writer, said people often overlook the footprint of those processes. “When you think about rental, you don’t think about the packaging that comes every time you get something from rental. You don’t think about the carbon footprint of shipping the item to you. And you certainly don’t think about the carbon footprint of dry cleaning,” said Barber. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Oreo is teaming up with K-pop supergroup BTS for a bit of marketing dynamite that capitalizes on consumers' growing interest in global flavors. Mondelez, Oreo's parent company, said that BTS-themed Oreos would go on sale June 1 online and June 8 in stores. The cookies, which feature purple wafers in a nod to the band's signature color, would be sold in more than 80 markets around the world, making the partnership the brand's biggest to date. The band also designed 13 embossments for the wafers, including the names of the seven members and an outline of the light stick that fans hold at BTS concerts. The white-and-tan creme center of the sandwich cookies was formulated to taste like hotteok, a warm, brown sugar-stuffed pancake that's a popular Korean street food. "For Oreo to be the first snacking brand we've collaborated with globally is a huge honor. We ate them as kids, we eat them in the studio, and now Oreo is helping us share a taste of home with the world," BTS said in a statement. BTS Oreos will be sold for a limited time. Chicago-based Mondelez wouldn't say how many packages it's making. Martin Renaud, Mondelez's chief marketing and sales officer, said the BTS cookies strike a balance of staying true to Korean culture and food while remaining consistent with Oreo's brand and flavoring. "You want to be authentic, you want to be differentiated, and live an experience. But when you are Oreo, you need to be pleasing a large group of people," Renaud told The Associated Press. "You cannot come up with something that will be liked only by 20% of the population because it would alienate some of our customers." Renaud said Oreo spent around two years developing the BTS cookie, eventually narrowing the possible flavors to three before settling on hotteok. In recent years, Oreo has partnered with Coca-Cola, singer and actress Selena Gomez, and the K-pop girl band Blackpink, among others. The brand also offers limited-time flavors in specific markets, like cherry sakura in Japan and red bean paste in China. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

America has been called the “breadbasket of the world” due to its export of food products across the globe. Now, with the U.S. agriculture industry grappling with a shrinking labor force and aging farmers, many operations are pivoting to automation. The manufacturer, Carbon Robotics, is making the machines that use lasers and artificial intelligence in the U.S. and selling them to farms across the country and in Europe. It can recognize weeds and distinguish them from plants the farmer wants to keep. “So in our large plant model, we have over 150 million plants already labeled so that when those cameras and the NVIDIA GPUs see a crop or a weed, it pulls from that database to decide if it has to shoot it or not,” says Brian Ballard from Carbon Robotics. The laser weeding robots cost anywhere from $500,000 to $1.4 million, depending on size, and kill weeds that emerge shortly after crops are planted. The robots work with any food crops. Rutgers University is working with Carbon Robotics on developing the tech. So far, their data suggests this could be an improvement on other methods. “We realized that this kind of equipment is as effective as traditional herbicides. And in addition, we realized that some of these traditional herbicides are still hurting the crop. You can still have crop stunting, less biomass production for this crop when you use an herbicide. And it's something that you don't see when you use a LaserWeeder. We did experimentation in spinach and peas, and we have up to 30% yield increase where we use a LaserWeeder. Why? Because we didn't have any herbicides that could potentially be damaging to the crop,” says Thierry Besançon, an Extension Weed Science Specialist at Rutgers University. The shift toward technology comes as the labor pool tightens. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

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 Pizzeria, the 39-year-old began tweaking the original recipe handed down by his parents—with unexpected results. "Cost-wise, yes, it is a little more expensive, but the quality is there. So it's like anything else. You pay a little bit more for better quality. So if you want to give a better product, you should pay a bit more," said Lo Duca, who runs the shop with his five brothers. A looming ban on the additive, potassium bromate, may soon force thousands of pizzerias and bagel shops across New York into a similar transition. The bill, passed by state lawmakers and awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature, has divided dough-makers, triggering fears that even a minor change to long-established baking practices could have dramatic implications for the city’s most iconic foods. “This is an earth-shaking event for New York pizza,” said Scott Wiener, a pizza historian who leads tours of notable slice shops. Employees at several stores that use bromated flour declined to comment for this story. But Wiener estimated that around 80 percent of pizza and bagel shops rely on a flour that contains the oxidizing agent, which reduces rest time for dough and helps ensure a stronger, chewier product. To some, the quintessential qualities of the New York bagel—its height and structure, external crispiness and springy bite—would not be possible, or at least as ubiquitous, without the chemical shortcut. "It's a little alarming. In the sense that you might see a little bit of a price increase on your local neighborhood spot. You might pay a little more for your morning breakfast or your afternoon slice of pizza," lamented Jesse Spellman, the second-generation owner of Utopia Bagels. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The Trump administration loosened federal rules requiring grocery stores and air-conditioning companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cooling equipment, a step that President Donald Trump said would help lower grocery costs. Trump said at a White House ceremony that the action by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would "substantially lower costs for consumers" by delaying costly restrictions that limit the type of refrigerants U.S. businesses and families can use. The move to relax the Biden-era rules on harmful pollutants known as hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, emitted by refrigerators and other appliances, was the latest attempt by the Republican administration before pivotal elections in November to try to address rising voter concerns over the cost of living. It is not clear how much or how quickly grocery prices could be impacted. Industry groups said it could even raise prices because manufacturers have already redesigned products, retooled factories, and trained workers to build and service next-generation refrigerant equipment. Inflation in the United States increased to 3.8% annually in April, amid price spikes caused by the Iran war and Trump's sweeping tariffs. Inflation is now outpacing wage gains as the war has kept oil and gasoline prices high. The regulation from the Democratic Biden administration was "unnecessary and costly and actually makes the machinery worse," Trump said at a ceremony joined by top executives from Kroger, Piggly Wiggly, and other grocery chains. He said the EPA action would protect hundreds of thousands of jobs and save Americans more than $2 billion a year. The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, which represents more than 330 HVAC manufacturers and commercial refrigeration companies, said the change in approach would "inject uncertainty across the market" and could even raise prices. "This rule works against basic supply and demand," said Stephen Yurek, the group's president and CEO. "By extending the compliance deadline" for phasing out HFCs, the administration "is maintaining and even increasing demand in the market for existing refrigerants while supply continues to fall." The net result will be "higher service costs and higher costs for consumers," he said. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Roads and markets have emptied during afternoons, and some farmers have switched to nighttime work to avoid scorching temperatures as a heat wave grips large parts of India. In May, the India Meteorological Department forecasted maximum temperatures of around 45 °C (113 °F) in the capital, New Delhi, where authorities have opened temporary “cooling zones” to help people cope. The weather department has warned that conditions are expected to persist across several northern regions, with temperatures staying well above seasonal averages. Authorities urged people to stay indoors during the hottest hours and take precautions against heat-related illnesses. India declares a heat wave whenever temperatures are above 40 °C (104 °F) in the plains and 30 °C (86 °F) or more in its hilly regions. The extreme heat has disrupted daily life across several northern states. In some parts of Uttar Pradesh state, India's most populous, roads and markets have closed in the afternoons as people stayed indoors, while some traders shifted work to early mornings. Farmers began working at night because daytime conditions became unbearable. The heat also disrupted schools, with authorities in several areas announcing early summer vacations and suspending classes as the maximum temperature shot up to 48.2 °C (118.8 °F) in the city of Banda last May. Health authorities urged people to avoid going outdoors during peak afternoon hours, stay hydrated, and seek medical help if they experience symptoms such as dizziness or high fever. In New Delhi, residents and tourists sought relief from the heat inside cooling shelters set up across the capital. The shaded space provides air coolers, fans, drinking water, and oral rehydration solutions to help people deal with the extreme heat. Inside one tent, people rested beside air coolers as officials distributed cups of water mixed with rehydration salts. “We had come here for outing. But it is too hot here. The cooling system here is good for us,” said Basharat Ahmad Malla, a 25-year-old tourist. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

A neat stack of 79-cent bananas and rows of colorful fruit flanked the bilingual alternative pop band Luna Luna as they performed for a small audience at a Latino grocery store in northern Delaware. The show was part of the monthly Mercadito sessions put on by the Fiesta Fresh Market, a family-owned store in the Philadelphia metro-area city of New Castle, far away from the massive music industry hubs typically associated with artistic opportunity and exposure. But the excitement of new music, paired with the colorful, unassuming stage, has rapidly engaged an international following for the two-year-old store—with up-and-coming bands traveling from far away to perform, and tens of thousands tuning in online. Jose Luis Aguilar Garcia, one of the store's owners, hopes the series highlights the persistence of joy and creativity in Latino communities, he said. Jose Luis Aguilar Garcia has worked with both food and music for most of his life. Born in Mexico, Garcia grew up in an apartment adjacent to where he would eventually open Fiesta Fresh Market. Garcia has worked at farmers' markets and grocery stores since he was a teenager, and ran a photography and videography company that also produced regional Mexican music like mariachi, corridos tumbados, and banda. "We did a lot of quinceañeras, weddings, that sort of thing. Music was always like something I wanted to do as a passion project, but especially here in Delaware, there's really no industry for that," Garcia said. Garcia initially hoped the shows would attract business, but it was hard to sell local artists on performing in such a quirky context, Garcia said. But soon, the premise caught on. All of the acts in an April show had heard about the small store on social media before they were asked to perform. While the shows initially featured almost exclusively the Spanish-language music that Garcia produced with his label, the Mercadito sessions now showcase a broad range of artists and genres. "I found that super interesting that no matter who the artist was that was playing, people would gather to hear," Garcia said. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Beginning in the 1970s, just about every Filipino household in America was either hauling balikbayan boxes in person or mailing them to relatives back in the Philippines. These care packages that held goodies from the U.S. were seen as an expression of support during hard economic times, as well as one of pure love. "Balik" and "bayan," Tagalog for "return" and "homeland," respectively, were what President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. called the tourism initiatives he established in 1973. After declaring martial law a year earlier, he wanted to compel Filipino immigrants to come back and visit and further "legitimize his new dictatorial regime," says Adrian De Leon, an assistant professor of history at New York University and author of Balikbayan: A Revenant History of the Filipino Homeland. The balikbayan program proved "incredibly profitable" for the government as middle-class Filipino Americans came and spent capital. "The dollar stretches way more," De Leon says. "Bulk buying becomes a way through which overseas Filipinos are incentivized to maintain an economic connection to their homeland so that the government can take cuts from it and use it for like everything." The practice of shipping balikbayan boxes grew from there. Initially, canned meat like Spam was a staple of these boxes. Over time, small luxuries like skin-care products, clothes, and candy became sought after, too. Then American entertainment, like music cassettes and movies on Betamax, was tossed in. "What might have been letters being sent back home, now with the balikbayan box, you're sending back American pop culture," De Leon says. "Filipinos are doing the work of American soft power for Filipinos at home." Sending balikbayan boxes has thrived as its own industry. There are a handful of shipping companies in the U.S. that market door-to-door delivery to the Philippines. Filipino immigrants visiting the country get quicker entry at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport through a designated "balikbayan lane." Jamming as many gifts as possible into a balikbayan box remains culturally ingrained in the Filipino diaspora. Filipino American comedian Rex Navarrete has typically made it a stand-up bit, advising: "One thing you should never pack in a balikbayan box is air." This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The mental well-being of three elephants in a zoo in South Africa is the subject of an unusual court case, with animal welfare groups saying they are depressed and should be moved to a larger conservation park where they can be happy. The case will ask a South African court to decide if the state is meeting its legal obligations with regard to the welfare of the animals and the conditions in which they are kept, according to David Bilchitz, a board member at Animal Law Reform South Africa, one of the groups bringing the case. Experts would show in court that the elephants are unhappy, Bilchitz said. The animal welfare groups said a part of the South African Constitution puts an obligation on authorities to look after animals. The zoo in question in Johannesburg is publicly owned and has defended its management of the elephants, saying they are well cared for. Bilchitz said elephants have highly complex social structures and specific physical and mental needs, and generally live in herds of 20-50 animals that roam large areas in the wild. He said that the three elephants at the zoo—named Lammie, Ramadiba, and Mopane—live in an enclosure not much bigger than a soccer field with none of the typical stimulation that elephants need, like trees to forage from and mud pools to bathe in. "They are sad, depressed, and frustrated," Bilchitz told The Associated Press. "They are listless and stand around." He said the elephants had shown signs of psychological distress, like standing and rocking, and other "repetitive compulsive behavior." Johannesburg Zoo said in a statement that there had been a "media scourge" over the condition of the elephants and maintained they were healthy and also popular with zoo staff and visitors. It also said that relocating elephants from zoos to semiwild sanctuaries is not always successful. There is a kind of precedent for the case. In 2024, an old bull elephant called Charley was relocated from another South African zoo to a game reserve after he outlived his elephant companions at the zoo, and animal experts believed he was lonely. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

An adolescent owl that was found stuck in a concrete mixer in southwestern Utah is finally on the mend, flying free and maybe a bit wiser from the ordeal. The great horned owl somehow made his way into the truck-mounted mixer in late October and was discovered by workers pouring concrete at a resort construction site. Lucky for him, a series of people gave a hoot about his predicament. Workers hosed the bird down before it was wrapped in a towel. It took days for employees at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab to pick the concrete from the bird’s face, chest, and right wing, using forceps to carefully crack the dried debris and cleaning the feathers with toothbrushes and dish soap. The owl started its long recovery at an aviary run by the organization, and employees anxiously waited for it to grow new feathers. But the bird didn’t molt as predicted. In early May, he underwent a procedure called imping, which uses adhesive to graft donor feathers onto existing shafts. “The first few feathers were extremely nerve-wracking, but as we got into the groove, the imping became more comfortable, and everything went smoothly,” said Bart Richwalski, a supervisor at the sanctuary. Great horned owls typically have a downy coating that allows them to fly quietly as they hunt. But the concrete frayed the rescued owl’s feathers and caused it to make a whooshing sound while flying. To prepare for the imping procedure, sanctuary staff examined the owl’s feather patterns every few weeks and snipped damaged shafts in advance. The owl was anesthetized, and the donor feathers from a similarly sized owl that had died were laid out nearby to replicate each wing. The staff then cut the feathers to the necessary length, lined them up, and adhered them to the bird. By the end of the 90-minute procedure, the owl had 10 new primary feathers and a secondary feather on his right wing. But then came the real test: could he fly silently? The bird was placed in a large aviary to recover from the anesthesia and quickly took flight after awakening. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

An ever-changing, AI-powered portrait of British adults has been launched in the U.K. People can submit selfies, which are turned into digital pictures as part of one collective artwork. It’s called ‘A National Portrait,’ and it invites adults in the U.K. to take photographs that are transformed using Google’s AI technology. The finished sketches can be submitted to The National Portrait Gallery, which is turning them into one, ever-changing piece of art. The artist behind the idea is Es Devlin. "It is a continually redrawing self-portrait, so everybody who joins it will cause the drawing to redraw itself, and it is a reimagining of what national identity could feel like. It frames national identity as a continuous act of collective imagination, collective authorship. We are all present in this portrait together, and we merge from one to the next,” she says. The U.K. has become increasingly politically fragmented. Devlin wants British people to feel more united. "Patriotism is something that's, I think, been appropriated by the forces of division and separation. And actually, patriotism doesn't need to mean that. Patriotism could mean that we're all together in one place on the planet, whatever it says in our passport, what's indisputable is we are here, and we can all be together in portrait. And I think there are so many forces at work at the moment that fragment us, that distract us, separate us, that serve to remind us that we're separate and isolated and individual. But of course, technically we are all continuous with one another and with this planet,” she says. All adults in the U.K. are able to submit their digital portraits to the project. Each picture will appear for a matter of seconds before changing into the next. They can remove their finished picture from the initiative at any time. The technology behind the project is a collaboration between Devlin and Google Arts & Culture. The online platform has worked with Devlin to develop an AI model that replicates her style. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Shares of eBay are soaring before the opening bell as Ryan Cohen's GameStop pursues an approximately $56 billion takeover of the company, seeing it as a vehicle to compete with online retail giant Amazon. The national gaming retailer said that its approximately 1,600 U.S. stores could become drop-off and shipping locations. One proposal includes live sales broadcasts from GameStop locations featuring eBay products. “eBay has the second-largest commerce franchise, and there’s a big opportunity to do something much larger,” Cohen said in a CNBC interview. GameStop's bid is $125 per share in cash and stock. The equity value of the proposed deal is $55 billion on paper. eBay confirmed the huge bid and said that it had no talks with GameStop or received any outreach from the company before it received the proposal. The company's board, along with financial and legal advisors, will review the offer and determine what course of action to take, eBay said. GameStop said that it started accumulating shares in eBay beginning in February and currently has a 5% stake. The company is looking to lower costs at eBay, saying that the online seller spent $2.4 billion on sales and marketing in fiscal 2025 while only adding 1 million net active buyers. GameStop says it will achieve $2 billion in annualized cost cuts within a year of the proposed transaction's closing. Cohen, who owns about 9% of GameStop, would serve as CEO of the combined company. He would only be compensated based on the combined company's performance. Cohen became CEO of GameStop in 2023. At the time, the position had become a revolving door with the company trying to survive as streaming upended the gaming industry. GameStop became one of the most well-known meme stocks to create a frenzy among retail traders on Wall Street. The company’s shares took off in 2021 after a band of smaller-pocketed investors helped boost its stock by 1,000% in two weeks. GameStop shares have fallen since then, but are still up more than 30% this year. Shares of eBay jumped more than 7% in premarket trading, while GameStop's stock declined nearly 3%. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Greece is preparing major constitutional changes, including an amendment requiring that artificial intelligence serve human society. Conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis outlined the proposed revisions, casting them as necessary to safeguard future generations given global concerns about AI’s risks to democratic governance and humanity itself. “It’s very important that, in this process of constitutional revision, we take care of the world that will host our children,” Mitsotakis told lawmakers from his governing center-right party. The proposed changes would include a provision that says, “Artificial intelligence shall serve the freedom of the individual and the prosperity of society, ensuring that risks are mitigated and that the advantages it provides are fully realized.” Dozens of other changes would include expanding postal voting, increasing mandatory schooling from nine to 11 years, and banning retroactive taxation. “These challenges already dominate today: from the climate crisis and protection of water resources to renewable energy sources, but above all, the use of artificial intelligence,” the prime minister said. “This great revolution must also be constitutionally placed at the service of individual freedom and social well-being.” The lengthy revision process involves a series of votes by two successive parliaments and typically requires some cross-party support. Greece has been an eager adopter of AI and modern technology since emerging from a major financial crisis eight years ago, upgrading border surveillance and rebuilding its tax administration. A powerful government services platform now manages everything from obtaining a divorce to buying tickets for domestic soccer matches. In April, the government unveiled plans for a full social media ban for children younger than 16—a move it said was intended to pressure the European Union to adopt similar rules. Some constitutional experts in Greece argue that AI must be legally required to serve democracy because major private technology platforms now hold enough data and power to operate beyond effective public oversight. Evripidis Stylianidis, the government’s lead lawmaker on the constitutional revision, said the changes would serve as a long-term guardrail on AI use. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The packaging on some snacks in Japan is turning a somber black-and-white, as the war in Iran disrupts the supply of an ingredient used in colored ink. Tokyo-based Calbee Inc., which makes potato chips and cereal, said what's inside remains the same. Calbee's popular snacks are available in Japan's ubiquitous convenience stores and shipped to the United States, China, and Australia. "This measure is intended to help maintain a stable supply of products," it said in a statement. The change on 14 products in its lineup started May 25, limiting ink colors to just two, the company said, noting it was necessary to respond flexibly to changing geopolitical conditions. How long the change might last remains unclear, according to Calbee, founded in 1949. The Calbee group employs more than 5,000 people. The move is the latest as companies grapple with spiking prices and shortages of oil and other products caused by the war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Japan, which relies almost entirely on imports for its oil, has so far ridden out the worries relatively calmly, as the government has worked to allay such fears by noting the nation's oil reserves. But it's still facing a squeeze on naphtha, an oil-derived product that's used in items like plastics and ink. There's no mistaking the stark change in the chips' packaging. Calbee's lightly salted chips, known as usu shio, originally came in a bright-orange bag with an image of yellow chips and a potato-man mascot wearing a hat. The new packaging just has monochrome lettering. The company, which also makes shrimp chips, or kappa ebisen, had just announced an ambitious growth strategy in March. "Calbee will continue to respond flexibly and promptly to changes in its operating environment, including geopolitical risks, and remains committed to maintaining a stable supply of safe, high‑quality products," it said. "We ask for your understanding." This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Meta Platforms said it's rolling out an “incognito” mode for WhatsApp users to have private conversations with its AI chatbot, a move intended to ease privacy concerns about sensitive information that users share in chats. The social media company said in a blog post that incognito chat mode provides a way to have private, temporary conversations with Meta AI, its artificial intelligence assistant that's been available on WhatsApp for a few years. Messages will be processed in a “secure environment" that even Meta can't access, won't be saved by default, and will disappear when exiting a session, Meta said. Generative AI systems have been dogged by privacy concerns because the large language models that underpin these systems are trained on vast troves of data, sometimes including personal information provided by users themselves in their conversations with AI chatbots. Rival chatbot makers already have some privacy features. Google's Gemini chatbot has the option to disable chat history and opt out of allowing one's data to be used in training its AI models. ChatGPT has similar controls. Meta says it's rolling out incognito chats because users often ask chatbots sensitive questions or include private financial, personal, health, or work data in their questions. “We’re starting (to) ask a lot of meaningful questions about our lives with AI systems, and it doesn’t always feel like you should have to share the information behind those questions with the companies that run those AI systems,” Will Cathcart, Meta’s head of WhatsApp, told reporters. Incognito chat mode has safety features to prevent the chatbot from answering questions about harmful topics, Cathcart said. It will “steer the user towards helpful information if it can and then refuse (to answer) and eventually even just stop interacting with the user completely,” Cathcart said. Users will only be able to type in questions and get text responses; they won't be able to upload or generate images. They'll also have to confirm their age because Meta doesn't allow users under 13 on its platforms. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Senators unanimously approved a resolution to withhold their pay during government shutdowns, an attempt to make federal closures financially painful for lawmakers after a string of record-breaking impasses in the past year. The bipartisan support for the measure comes at a time when federal closures have become longer and more frequent, frustrating lawmakers who say there should be punishment when Congress fails at its most basic legislative duty. Under the resolution, senators' pay would be withheld by the Secretary of the Senate whenever a government shutdown affects one or more agencies, and then released once funding is restored. It will take effect the day after the November 3 general election and does not apply to the House. "Shutting down government should not be our default solution to our refusal to work out our issues and our differences," said Sen. John Kennedy, the bill's sponsor, in a floor speech. "This is about putting our money where our mouth is," said Kennedy. Two shutdowns in the past year created significant financial hardship for tens of thousands of federal workers, particularly at the Department of Homeland Security. The department reopened last month after a 76-day partial shutdown, the longest agency funding lapse in history. The Constitution stipulates that lawmakers must be paid, so they have received salaries during shutdowns even as federal workers went without paychecks. When the full government shutdown began in October amid a dispute over health care subsidies, Sen. Lindsey Graham proposed a constitutional amendment to require members to forfeit their paychecks when the government is closed. "If members of Congress had to forfeit their pay during government shutdowns, there would be fewer shutdowns, and they would end quicker," Graham said at the time. Graham said his legislation was the most "constitutionally sound" way to deal with the problem, but the process would have been much more laborious, as three-fourths of states must ratify an amendment. Lawmakers in previous shutdowns have often pledged to forgo their paychecks while federal workers went unpaid. Senators earn an annual salary of $174,000, but many are independently wealthy. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Britain’s traditional fish and chip supper is under pressure from rising fish prices and tighter catch limits, to the knock-on effects of global conflict and higher energy costs. The National Federation of Fish Friers says the number of shops selling fish and chips has fallen from more than 30,000 to around 9,000 in recent years, amid increasing financial strain. For over a decade, Brockley’s Rock in South East London has been serving customers from its Lewisham shopfront after opening in 2011, building on experience in the trade that dates back to 1989. But what cost £1.65 for haddock and chips when the founder first entered the trade in 1989 and £5.90 when this shop opened in 2011 now costs £15.55 for a typical portion of haddock and chips served with mushy peas. That increase reflects not just inflation but a sharp hike in costs over recent years, with prices in some cases more than doubling in a short period. Kyri Karoulla, founder of Brockley’s Rock, says the past few years have brought unprecedented cost pressures. “Since the Ukraine war, as we all know, prices have gone really high, and our gas and electricity have gone through the roof, about 300 percent more than we used to pay before. Obviously, that’s another huge challenge because at the time, everything’s gone up. Normally, we get one of the raw ingredients would go up a little bit, up and down, but on that particular year, everything’s gone up. We’ve never had anything like that before.” The fish itself has seen some of the steepest increases. The National Federation of Fish Friers says the total allowable catch for cod in the Barents Sea has fallen sharply, from around one million tonnes in 2019 to 285,000 tonnes this year. That quota system is designed to protect fish stocks, but with fewer fish available, prices have risen. The reduction follows scientific advice aimed at rebuilding depleted stocks, meaning supply is deliberately restricted to allow recovery, tightening availability across global markets. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Recess isn’t just a fun break for grade schoolers. It’s crucial to good health and good grades for kids of all ages. That's the message from a leading pediatricians’ group, which just released the first new guidance in 13 years about this unstructured time at school and how it needs to be protected. The updated policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics comes after years of shrinking recesses and worsening children’s health. The group "has always supported play–free play for kids–but it’s been increasingly threatened over time,” partly by the drive for higher test scores, said Dr. Robert Murray, a lead author. “It has a very powerful benefit if it’s used to the fullest.” The new guidance, published in the journal Pediatrics, is similar to the previous policy statement but cites the latest research on why these breaks are essential for kids’ academic success and mental, physical, social, and emotional growth. For example, new evidence shows that kids need pauses between concentrated bouts of learning so the brain can hold and store the information. Researchers also say recess gives kids a chance to navigate relationships and build confidence, which is just as important for older kids as younger ones. Murray and his colleagues also stressed the importance of physical activity in preventing obesity, a condition that now affects about 1 in 5 U.S. children and teens. Given these benefits, they recommend that recess be protected and never withheld for academic or punitive reasons, as sometimes happens in schools. “If the child is disruptive or rude and disrespectful, recess is one of the things that teachers use to punish kids,” Murray said, adding that students struggling with behavioral issues or grades are often the ones who need recess most. But those students aren’t the only ones losing out. Recess has been waning for all kids. Since the mid-2000s, up to 40% of school districts nationally have reduced or eliminated recess, according to data from the group Springboard to Active Schools in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

A contemporary art fair has been held in the Ukrainian capital with an unusual premise: that art can help a society come to terms with what war has made normal. “Holding the event during wartime means not waiting for a better moment, but working with reality as it is,” said Anna Avetova, director of the Art Kyiv fair. “In this context, art does not stand apart from life—it helps make sense of the present, preserve cultural continuity, and lay the groundwork for the future.” Titled This is Normal, the fair has become a space where Ukrainians try to make sense through painting, sculpture, and conversation of a reality in which missile strikes, death, and loss have quietly become a part of ordinary life. Hundreds of works filled the space at the Lavra Gallery, from oddly shaped sculptures to paintings spanning from expressive abstraction to surreal portraiture and atmospheric landscapes. Notably, not a single booth is dedicated specifically to the war. That was a deliberate choice. “The war is always in the air; we just really didn’t want to make a point of mentioning it,” Avetova said. “Art is one of the things that keeps us human. It sustains us and warms our souls when things are very hard.” The organizers said the event was also intended to provide a boost to the domestic art market, which had already stagnated under COVID-19 before the Russian war made things worse. The market is gradually beginning to recover, and the fair is one example of how Ukrainian artists are ready not only to speak about the war, but to sell paintings. Art Kyiv describes itself as a cultural platform where artistic experience, public discourse, and contemporary Ukrainian reality meet. In a hall occasionally pierced by air-raid sirens warning of Russian strikes, the event has united Ukraine’s most prominent galleries, artists, collectors, and cultural institutions. It is being held for only the second time since the war began after launching in October. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Over a thousand beehives in Australia's capital, Canberra, have been wiped out by the Varroa mite, according to local biosecurity officers. The parasite has now spread across the territory and is predicted to cut the local bee population by half, but the experts are hopeful the bees will recover. It’s an alarming trend for local beekeepers. The Varroa mite was first detected in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) last April, and it’s believed to have affected about half of the area’s 6,000 beehives. “It reduces the health of the hive, so they can’t fight off wax moth or hive beetles,” says biosecurity officer Micah Wood. Around 1,000 hives have been completely destroyed. “We have Varroa across the whole territory. We have had it reported in every major suburb around ACT, in all the corners,” says Wood. Beekeepers can control the parasite once it enters their hives, but it requires constant attention. One method, known as a Varroa wash, uses methylated spirits to dislodge the mites so they can be counted. The ACT government’s biosecurity team is urging beekeepers to register so they can receive guidance on protecting their colonies. “If you’re not testing for Varroa, you will lose your hive,” says Wood. The decline in bee numbers is also expected to impact local crops. “So, your veggie garden and your fruit trees will be probably not be as productive, because there’s less pollinators around,” says Canberra Region Beekeepers’ Mark Paterson. The Varroa mite is predicted to reach every hive in the territory within 18 months and reduce the bee population by half, though it’s not expected to eliminate them entirely. Just know that in time the bees will emerge from this, stronger and better,” says Paterson. Experts say recovery will take time, but bees are likely to gradually develop resistance to the parasite. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The Taiwanese town of Fenglin has grown a reputation as a place where life moves slowly, and people can catch their breath. Rather than push against this rhythm, the town of around 10,000 has chosen to embrace it and make it part of its identity. Enter the snails. Fenglin has been putting on snail races as a way to celebrate its focus on a slower, sustainable lifestyle that values healthcare, longevity, and community connections while bringing in more tourists in the wake of a strong earthquake in 2024 that dampened travel in surrounding areas. Snails are one way to bring tourists back, even if slowly. Fenglin has associated itself with snails since 2014, when it joined the Cittaslow international network of small cities focused on quality of life and locally sourced foods. Cittaslow's symbol is a snail carrying an assortment of buildings on its back. The designation of a slow city seemed to fit Fenglin, whose population has shrunk threefold over the past few decades. Today, it is also an example of Taiwan's "super-aged" society, with more than 20% of its residents older than 65. To help reinvigorate local tourism, Fenglin residents decided to host a snail race the month following the earthquake, said organizer Cheng Jen-shou. "We thought that our event could attract people, and that would be a small help," he said. This year, the town held the third edition of the race over the May Day holiday. Several dozen enthusiastic residents and tourists attended the event, which featured six snail races spaced out over two days. The winners from each race competed in the final, but not before posing in front of their audiences while slowly being pulled on a piece of plywood across a green carpet as their fans cheered them on. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

When a heat wave hits, millions of air conditioners switch on at once, straining the electric grid and driving up the risk of outages—and residents' power bills. To ease that strain, power companies may ask customers to do something many probably won't: Set the air conditioner a few degrees higher. Now, a renter-friendly pilot program in New York City is testing a different approach: plug-in batteries that can power air conditioners offline during peak demand, helping take pressure off the grid at its most stressed moments while still keeping residents cool. "It's basically a souped-up version of the power bank that you would use to charge your phone when you go out," said Andrew Wang, the chief executive officer of Every Electric, the company behind the pilot, which has partnered with the city's energy company Con Edison. The devices, about the size of a microwave, charge when electricity demand is low and then run window AC units for a few hours when demand spikes. It's one of many partners participating in Con Edison's demand response programs, which pay customers to reduce or shift electricity use to support the grid. The pilot program is expanding to more than 1,000 homes this summer, and participants can get rewarded with cash rebates. Experts say this initiative reflects the broader shift toward so-called virtual power plants, in which many small, distributed energy resources are coordinated to reduce strain during peak demand. When scaled, solutions like this could have a significant impact on power reliability and affordability. When electricity demand spikes, utilities often turn to backup power plants that don't run as often, and are typically less efficient and more polluting, said Kevin Brehm, a manager at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), a nonprofit that researches energy systems and the transition to clean power. Over time, those spikes can push utilities to build more power plants, often fossil-fuel based, to meet demand, with the costs eventually passed down to consumers. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Japanese electronics and entertainment giant Sony Group Corp. reported a 3.4% drop in its annual profit but projected a comeback to record profits for the current fiscal year. Tokyo-based Sony’s net profit for the year through March totaled 1.03 trillion yen ($6.6 billion), down from 1.07 trillion yen in the previous fiscal year. Ending a plan to release an electric vehicle with Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. hurt its earnings. Rising costs of computer chips also bit into profit and remain a concern, according to Sony, which has film, music, and video game operations. Sony is forecasting a 1.16 trillion yen ($7.4 billion) profit for this fiscal year, which would be a record for the company and a 13% jump from the year that just ended. Annual sales at Sony for the fiscal year that just ended rose 3.7% from the previous year to nearly 12.5 trillion yen, boosted by hit films such as the latest in the Demon Slayer series and Kokuho, and by healthy demand for games and network services. On a quarterly basis, profit at Sony, which is behind the Bravia and PlayStation brands and the “Spider-Man” movies, fell 63% to 83 billion yen ($529 million) from 224 billion yen in the same period a year earlier. Quarterly sales edged up 8% to 3 trillion yen ($19 billion), said the company, whose musical artists include Bad Bunny and SZA. Sony is counting on healthy sales from its upcoming films, such as Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Jumanji: Open World, to boost its bottom line for the current fiscal year. Also, Sony said it would spend up to 500 billion yen ($3.2 billion) to buy back up to 230 million shares. Sony stock, which has been trading at about 3,000 yen ($19) lately, gained 1%. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

As global temperatures rise, extreme heat could threaten athletes, fans, workers, and officials during this year’s World Cup games. Exposure to extreme heat can lead to nausea, dehydration, headaches, stroke, and, in extreme cases, death. Worries from some that millions of people could be exposed during the tournament were amplified in March, when record-breaking temperatures hit large swaths of the U.S. And with global temperatures rising because of pollution from burning oil, gas, and coal, scientists have warned that staging soccer tournaments in the summer is getting more dangerous. The 2022 World Cup tournament in Qatar was moved from summer to winter because of the threat of extreme heat. Last year's Club World Cup experienced a heat wave that sent temperatures soaring to 90 °F (32 °C) and above in many areas. Following the event, the soccer players’ global union warned that extreme heat would likely be an even bigger problem at the next two men’s World Cups. The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. This year, host cities, stadiums, and FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, are working to protect players and spectators by conducting heat risk assessments, enhancing shade, cooling zones, and water access, stationing medical teams during events, and more. Players will get 3-minute hydration breaks midway through each half, regardless of weather conditions, FIFA said. Other welfare plans include allowing teams the usual up to five substitutions, a minimum of three rest days between matches, and staff and substitutes will have access to climate-controlled benches at outdoor matches. Climate conditions are factored into the match schedule. “Outdoor matches during the hottest parts of the day have been strategically limited, kick-off times adjusted in certain markets, and matches expected in warmer windows prioritized for covered stadiums where possible,” FIFA said. The federation has also created a Heat Illness Mitigation and Management Task Force made up of medical and operational experts. Ahead of the games, they are finalizing heat-risk alert systems, coordinating stadium medical action plans, and other standardized guidance. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Visually impaired runners are using AI-powered smart glasses as they prepare for the London Marathon. The glasses are not designed specifically for sight loss, but their cameras, microphones, speakers, and AI features are being used to provide spoken information about surroundings during training and daily life. Running past Buckingham Palace, Tilly Dowler is preparing for a marathon she once thought was out of reach. She has Stargardt disease, which is a genetic condition that causes progressive loss of central vision, and says she now has around 10 percent useful vision remaining. Dowler only began running in 2025, starting with a couch-to-5K program, before building up distance over the past year. She is now set to run the London Marathon with her boyfriend Ryan, who will act as her guide runner for the race. For her, the goal is not focused on the finishing time. She says, “My main mission was not to run the marathon in a quick time, to get an amazing PB, to do it for them reasons. My mission was to inspire other people with sight loss, not only sight loss, people with other disabilities, or people going through something that they think is really really hard and really tough, and inspire them to believe in themselves, and you can do anything you put your mind to.” Dowler is training using Meta Oakley Vanguard smart glasses. The glasses are standard consumer AI glasses, developed by Meta and Oakley for sports use rather than as a specialist assistive device. They include a forward-facing camera positioned in the center of the frame, built-in microphones, a touchpad on the side arm, open ear speakers, and Meta AI voice control. Meta says its AI glasses can be used hands-free to take photos and videos, make calls, play audio, and ask questions about what the camera is seeing. For blind and partially sighted users, Meta says the glasses can describe surroundings, read text, and identify objects through spoken responses. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Two years ago, Josephine Timperman arrived at college with a plan. She declared a major in business analytics, figuring she'd learn niche skills that would stand out on a resume and help land a good job after college. But the rise of artificial intelligence has scrambled those calculations. The basic skills she was learning in things like statistical analysis and coding can now easily be automated. "Everyone has a fear that entry-level jobs will be taken by AI," said the 20-year-old at Miami University in Ohio. Several weeks ago, Timperman switched her major to marketing. Her new strategy is to use her undergraduate studies to build critical thinking and interpersonal skills—areas where humans still have an edge. "You don't just want to be able to code. You want to be able to have a conversation, form relationships, and be able to think critically, because at the end of the day, that's the thing that AI can't replace," said Timperman, who is keeping analytics as a minor and plans to dive deeper into the subject for a one-year master's program. Today's college students say that picking a major that's "AI-proof" feels like shooting at a moving target as they prepare for a job market that could be fundamentally different by the time they graduate. As a result, many are reconsidering their career paths. About 70% of college students see AI as a threat to their job prospects, according to a 2025 poll by the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, while recent polling by Gallup, a US-based research company, finds that American workers are increasingly concerned about being replaced by new technologies. The uncertainty appears most concentrated among those pursuing degrees in technology and vocational areas of study, where students feel a need to develop expertise in AI but also fear being replaced by it. Meanwhile, students studying healthcare and natural sciences may be less impacted by AI overhauls, Gallup found. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Australia has proposed taxing digital giants Meta, Google, and TikTok on a part of their revenue to pay for news reporters. In April, the government released the draft legislation it intends to introduce to Parliament by July 2 that would create a financial incentive for social media companies to strike deals with news organizations to pay for journalism. The social media platforms’ criticisms included that the proposal was a “digital services tax” that misunderstood the evolving advertising industry and would fail to deliver a sustainable news sector. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a monetary value needed to be attached to journalists’ work. “It shouldn't just be able to be taken by a large multinational corporation and used to generate profits for that organization with no compensation appropriate for the people who produce that creative content,” Albanese told reporters. “We think that investment in journalism is critical to a healthy democracy,” he added. It's Australia’s second legislative attempt to make the platforms pay for the Australian news text and images that their users view. Digital platforms had been pressured to strike deals with Australian news publishers to pay for journalism by legislation passed in 2021 that created the country's News Media Bargaining Code. The platforms chose to reach commercial deals with news creators rather than be forced into arbitration and have a judge set the price. But they have since avoided renewing those deals by removing news from their services. The proposed News Bargaining Incentive would charge a 2.25% tax on the Australian revenue of major platforms that choose not to strike commercial deals with news publishers. The platforms would be given offsets, and their overall costs would be lowered if they agree to pay publishers for journalism, the government said. The government expects the incentive would raise between 200 and 250 million Australian dollars ($144 and $179 million) a year. That was about as much as the platforms paid news outlets when the News Media Bargaining Code was working at its peak. The government would distribute that income among news organizations based on how many journalists each organization employed, Communication Minister Anika Wells said. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Andrea Bunar had been waiting for months for the arrival of spring and the day she could finally deliver the mail by barge again through the narrow waterways of the Spreewald Forest delta southeast of Berlin. Several weeks ago, the 55-year-old German postal worker stood at the back of her boat again, using one long oar to row, steer, and navigate her boat through the shallow waters. "The start of the season is always special for me," said Bunar, as she embarked on the yellow barge in her postal worker uniform. "After the long winter break, I enjoy being in the nature and back on the water." Bunar has been delivering mail and packages to the villagers of Lehde, which is located about 100 kilometers (around 60 miles) southeast of Berlin, for 14 years. During the winter, she brings the mail by car to farms and homes, but it's often cumbersome as roads are icy, and it takes much longer than in the summer. From April to October, she's back on her nine-meter-long (29-foot-long) barge and just drops off the mail Monday through Saturday in the mailboxes that the residents of Lehde have put up right on the banks of the river. She also sells stamps to the residents living along the remote route, and they can send their own mail with her. The Spreewald is famous for its network of 300 kilometers (about 185 miles) of waterways, many of them leading through lush forests and wetlands. As an inland delta, the Spree River, which also runs through Berlin, branches into hundreds of small canals in the forest. It was also designated a UNESCO biosphere to protect its ecosystem, including the region's diverse flora and fauna. Lehde is the only place in Germany where the mail is delivered by boat. In fact, the village has been getting its mail for 129 years by boat. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Uber is expanding into a different side of the travel business: hotels. The ride-hailing and delivery company said that users of its app can now book hotel rooms. Uber is using hotel listings provided by Expedia Group, a booking service that works with 700,000 hotels and other properties globally. More than 1 million vacation rentals from Vrbo–which is owned by Seattle-based Expedia–will be added to the app later this year, the company said. Sachin Kansal, Uber's chief product officer, said hotel booking is a big step toward San Francisco-based Uber's goal of becoming an "everything app" that serves many customer needs. Uber, which was founded in 2009, launched Uber Eats for restaurant deliveries in 2015 and expanded with grocery deliveries in 2020. “Consumers are spending too much time coordinating their life, using multiple apps. AI is in the air, and they're all trying to figure out, ‘How does AI help me or does it not help me?’” Kansal told The Associated Press. “Our goal with these announcements is to bring everything into one app, to help them save time, and to also help them save money.” Any Uber app user will be able to make hotel reservations. But Uber One members, who pay $9.99 per month for zero delivery fees and other perks, will get a 20% discount off a rolling list of 10,000 hotels plus 10% back in Uber credits they can use to book rides, Kansal said. Kansal said Uber evaluated multiple partners before partnering with Expedia. Uber then spent months integrating Expedia's technology into its own app. Kansal wouldn't share the financial terms behind the partnership. "They're very excited because Uber brings a certain user base that is very travel-friendly," Kansal said. "So I would say it's going to be mutually beneficial for both the parties." Travel is a big part of Uber users' lives, he said. More than 100 million people use Uber to get to or from an airport each year. And last year, more than 1.5 billion Uber trips took place outside of a rider's home city. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

It’s not every day—or even every decade—that voters are presented a decision like this: Should the state's individual income tax be eliminated? When that question appears on a Missouri ballot later this year, it will mark the first time since the modern income tax began over a century ago that a U.S. state legislature has asked voters whether to eliminate the tax. If they say "yes," they will also be authorizing a sales tax expansion. Missouri's unique proposal caps a five-year tax-cutting binge in states that flourished while governments were flush with cash during the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and only recently abated as some Democratic-led states embraced higher tax rates on millionaires. During that time, almost every state made either permanent or temporary reductions to some type of tax, whether on income, sales, property, or gas. And more than half the states that levy income taxes reduced their top tax rate. Those tax cuts were seldom offset by increasing other types of taxes. But Missouri's new measure implicitly acknowledges that it's hard to eliminate an income tax without raising other revenues to keep government running. Congress gained the power to tax income with the ratification of the 16th Amendment in 1913. Many states adopted their own income taxes over the ensuing years, including Missouri in 1917. But some states—Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming—never adopted an individual income tax, instead relying on sales taxes, oil taxes, or other sources. New Hampshire and Tennessee, which taxed income from interest and dividends but not wages, each ended those taxes within the past five years. Missouri's proposed constitutional amendment directs the General Assembly to eliminate the individual income tax through gradual reductions based on revenue growth. To spur that along, it gives lawmakers the authority to raise revenues by imposing the sales tax on "any goods and services"—sidestepping a constitutional ban on expanding the sales tax base that voters approved in 2016. The legislature would have five years to decide which additional sales to tax without needing another vote of the people. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Inside workshops, watchmakers assemble movements by hand, working with components often smaller than a millimeter, where tolerances are measured in microns. It's this level of skilled, painstaking craftsmanship that has defined Switzerland as a global hub for luxury watchmaking. Much of the value in high-end mechanical watches comes from what are known as complications, additional functions built into the movement beyond telling the time. These include chronographs, which measure elapsed time, perpetual calendars that automatically adjust for different month lengths and leap years, and tourbillons, which are a rotating mechanism designed to improve accuracy by counteracting the effects of gravity. The most complex watches can combine several of these functions into a single mechanism, sometimes made up of hundreds or even thousands of individual parts. The foundations of this industry date back several centuries, developing into a decentralized system across Switzerland. Watch journalist and collector Robert Jan Broer explains how that system evolved. “Switzerland is the heart of watchmaking basically, and what happened is that there were a lot of farmers in Switzerland, and during summer they were farmers, but in the winter they had to find different things, so they started making little parts of watches and clocks and become suppliers to watch brands that basically collected all these parts from different farmers or watchmakers or watch part makers in Switzerland and put them together and then sell them worldwide.” What Broer is describing began in Geneva in the mid-1500s, when strict religious rules limited the wearing of jewelry, pushing skilled metalworkers to focus on watches instead. Over time, watchmaking spread beyond the city into rural areas, where people began producing small parts at home during the winter months, when farming work slowed down. Those individual parts were then brought together by watchmakers, who assembled complete watches and sold them. By the 1700s, this system had grown into a structured industry, with different areas specializing in different parts of the process, some focused on making springs, others on cases, and others on assembling and finishing the final watch. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Record growth in solar, especially in China and India, was a driving factor for clean energy sources surpassing the world’s strong demand for electricity in 2025, according to a new global power analysis. Clean power generation grew 887 terawatt hours last year, exceeding overall global electricity demand growth of 849 terawatt hours, according to a report by energy think tank Ember. Ember analyzes electricity data from 215 countries, and studied 2025 data for 91 countries, which the firm says represents 93% of global demand. Overall, the share of renewables—including solar, wind, hydropower, and other clean energies—hit more than one-third of the world's electricity mix for the first time in modern history last year, growing 33.8% to 10,730 terawatt hours. It’s promising news for a world embattled by climate change that’s driven by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas to meet growing needs from economic growth, rising populations, and electrification. The analysis is also especially timely amid a global energy crisis exacerbated by the U.S. war in Iran. In another historical first, coal power saw its share fall below one-third of global generation, dropping 0.6% to 63 terawatt hours. “We’re coming from a period over the last few decades where new electricity demand growth meant growth in fossil generation,” said Nicolas Fulghum, Ember senior data analyst and lead author of the report. “We’re now moving into a world where that’s no longer the case.” Solar, which grew 30% in 2025, alone met three-quarters of last year's net rise in electricity demand—and combined with wind power generation, met 99% of it. Though solar overtook wind power globally for the first time last year, and gained on nuclear power, Ember expects the two to overtake nuclear this year. Meanwhile, fossil fuel generation essentially halted, and fell about 0.2% in 2025, or 38 terawatt hours—making last year one of only a handful of years without a rise this century. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

It's always been challenging for Abbas Awad to find medicines in his village outside Sudan's capital. But since the war in Iran, it's become harder. Prices have spiked, and many pharmacies in the area are out of stock. The latest war in the Middle East has far-reaching effects, including on countries ravaged by conflicts of their own. After three years of war in Sudan, a public health clinic in Qoz Nafisa village in Khartoum state is struggling to support thousands of people like the 61-year-old Awad. He said he has been spacing out his medicine for glaucoma, worried he won't be able to find more or afford it when he does. Money was already an issue because of the war at home, he said. "Now we have the problem of the war in the Middle East. It's just made things worse," he said. Aid groups say the Iran war has cut off vital shipping routes, upending their ability to get food and medicine to millions of people around the world in need. The standoff between the United States and Iran has essentially shut down the Strait of Hormuz, and other routes from strategic hubs such as Dubai have also been impacted. Transport costs have spiked with higher fuel and insurance rates, further straining the ability to deliver supplies. The United Nations says there's been up to a 20% cost increase on shipments, along with delays, as goods are rerouted. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which supports the clinic where Awad gets some of his medicines, said about $130,000 worth of pharmaceuticals intended for Sudan were stranded in Dubai for weeks and are only now making their way there. The IRC says medicines and supplies such as antibiotics, painkillers, and stethoscopes that were supposed to be flown from the United Arab Emirates to Port Sudan were instead transported by road to neighboring Oman and then flown out. "There's still a real lag in the system. Shipments remain blocked or delayed, and that's deeply worrying," said Madiha Raza, associate director for global public affairs and communications for IRC. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

There’s a surprising amount of science in a bag of potato chips. Whether you call them chips, as in the U.S., or crisps, as in the UK, this fast food is a staple of grocery stores. Michigan is a leading producer. Around 70% of the state’s potato crop is destined for chip processing, according to the Michigan Ag Council, a trade group. It estimates that one of every four bags of potato chips produced in the U.S. contains Michigan potatoes. Researchers in the state have spent decades developing ideal potatoes for chip makers that can resist diseases, tolerate different climates, and sit in storage for months. They've also kept an eye on consumer trends; a shift to snack-size portions has raised demand for smaller chipping potatoes, for example. Phil Gusmano, Vice President at Better Made Snack Foods, says their collaboration with scientists from Michigan State University has proved profitable. “If you look at Michigan State University, they are willing to take the information that we give them on what makes a great variety and use it to help breed new varieties that meet those needs.” “We’ve been able to develop varieties that really are now stored longer, have a higher starch content, have the disease resistance that the farmers need,” says David Douches, Michigan State University's potato expert and leader of the school’s Potato Breeding and Genetics Program. There are around 50 unique potato varieties grown for chips in the U.S. right now. That’s according to the National Chip Program, a cooperative that brings together Michigan State and 11 other university breeding programs with government, growers, and chip producers. The close partnership between researchers, farmers, and chip makers is unusual in the food industry, says Gusmano. Douches has released five new potato varieties over the last 15 years. His latest breakthrough—which is not yet on the market—is a bioengineered potato that can maintain a proper sugar balance even if it's stored in colder temperatures. Douches is currently growing seeds for commercial testing of the potato, which is scheduled to begin next year. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Englishman Ollie Jenks remembers when his friend first pitched the idea to him. The proposal by his Canadian buddy Seth Scott, a fellow lover of cars and crazy adventures, was for them to drive a decades-old British-made Reliant Robin car from London to the southern tip of Africa—a 14,000-mile (22,500-kilometer) journey through 22 countries—to set a record for the longest trip in a three-wheeled vehicle. Reliant Robins have cultlike status in the U.K. as humble three-wheelers that, in Jenks' words, were designed to go to the shops and back in 1970s Britain. They went out of production in the early 2000s but remain loved in British culture, especially after a Reliant appeared as the Trotter brothers' trusty but battered yellow van in the hugely popular sitcom Only Fools and Horses. Yet you couldn't find a less suitable vehicle to take thousands of miles through tropical jungles, mountain ranges, and deserts down the west side of Africa. And that's precisely why Jenks went for the absurd plan. Sheila, the silver three-wheeler—one of the last Reliant Robins to be built—was acquired specifically for the adventure. Jenks and Scott set off in October with a can of fuel and a few essential supplies strapped to Sheila's small roof, and a large amount of blind hope that they would somehow make it to Cape Town, South Africa, near the bottom of the world. "No power steering, no air con, and it doesn't do well up hills or down them. It is the most unsuitable car for probably any journey," Jenks said in an unkind assessment of Sheila's abilities. "We made friends with the designer of this car, and he's scared to take it any more than 20 miles." Jenks and Scott ignored all the advice and took Sheila on the epic journey over four and a half months that cost in the region of $40,000 to $50,000, Jenks said. They had help from sponsors and crowdfunding, and documented the journey on an Instagram page that pulled in nearly 100,000 followers under the title: "14,000 miles, 3 wheels, 0 common sense." This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Opponents of smoking got a breath of fresh air as Parliament passed a bill that will put cigarettes out of reach for future generations. “The end of smoking, and the devastating harm it causes, is no longer uncertain—it’s inevitable,” Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said after a decades-long campaign in favor of approved legislation. Children born after December 31, 2008, will be banned from ever buying cigarettes under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The legislation that needs approval by King Charles III—a formality—before taking effect will also allow the government to regulate tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products, including flavors and packaging. It is currently illegal to sell cigarettes, tobacco products, or vapes to people younger than 18. But most youths today will continue to face a ban on their entire life as the minimum age to buy cigarettes rises each year. The passage gives the U.K. one of the toughest anti-smoking measures in the world. The law is similar to one New Zealand lawmakers passed in 2022, but that was repealed by a subsequent government. The number of people who smoke in Britain has declined by two-thirds since the 1970s, but some 6.4 million people—or about 13% of the population—still smoke, according to official figures. Authorities say smoking causes some 80,000 deaths a year in the U.K., and remains the number one preventable cause of death, disability, and poor health. “Children in the U.K. will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,” Health Secretary Wes Streeting said. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Alva Palosaari Sundman scoured the racks of secondhand clothes in Stockholm for hours in search of the right pair of pre-owned jeans. The 24-year-old art student was among hundreds of people attending an annual clothing swap at a community center in Sweden's capital. They exchanged their own clothes to "shop" for others. Similar events drew thousands across the country to reduce the environmental cost of clothing production. Palosaari Sundman said she enjoyed seeing others pick out the clothes she'd brought. "It's like, 'Oh, OK, it gets a new life with this person,'" she said. "It just feels a bit more humane." The U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) cites fast fashion as a major player in environmental damage, producing up to 10% of the world's carbon emissions. Discarded clothes gorge landfills that scar landscapes in developing countries, and the plastic fibers used to make cheap fabrics pollute oceans. To produce a pair of jeans, for example, roughly 2,000 gallons (7,571 liters) of water is required, UNEP has said. Sweden's clothing swap initiative began in 2010 and has grown. Last year, some 140,000 people participated in 140 swap events and took home more than 44,000 pre-owned items. Sweden is often seen as environmentally advanced, but the reality is more nuanced. Clothing consumption contributes to roughly 3% of a Swede's total emissions, according to Mistra Future Fashion, a research institute. Swedes last year were banned from throwing away clothes in the regular trash in a European Union bid to boost recycling. But the measure backfired when municipalities' collection sites were overwhelmed, leading to stockpiles of unused textiles, and the government reversed part of the rule in October. The swap events are organized by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. Its chair, Beatrice Rindevall, said each Swede throws away around 9-10 kilograms (20-22 pounds) of clothes. Swedes, on average, buy around 25 new items of clothing per year, according to the society, and 90% of items in wardrobes are never used. "We have to be more careful, and we have to think about our consumption," said Cecilia de Lacerda, one of the society's volunteers in Stockholm. This article was provided by The Associated Press.

It’s never been so expensive for Americans to buy a steak or hamburger, but cutting those costs requires ranchers like Stephanie Hatzenbuhler to raise more cattle—and that's not an easy ask. For a host of reasons, Hatzenbuhler and other ranchers across the country are reluctant to grow the national herd—now its smallest in more than 75 years—and until they do so, demand will outweigh supply, and beef prices will likely remain high. Adding cattle makes sense for some ranchers, but others are struggling to stay afloat with the cattle they have, Hatzenbuhler said. Hatzenbuhler will make her choices as cows give birth to about 700 calves this spring on her family's Diamond J Angus ranch on more than 2,000 wind-swept acres west of Bismarck, North Dakota. Does she opt to increase her herd, or does she offset the new arrivals by selling an equal number of cattle to meat processors? The national herd size isn't the only factor that determines what beef costs at the grocery store. Still, the dwindling number of cattle is a key reason the average price of all uncooked ground beef in the U.S. was $6.86 per pound in March, 3 cents off the record high set in February, according to federal statistics. That price in March is up nearly 48% from March 2021. The U.S. cattle herd reached a high of 132 million head in 1975, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and that figure has gradually fallen to 86 million this year. Thanks to changes in cattle genetics and feeding techniques, ranchers now produce far more meat from each head of cattle, so despite the much smaller herd, the country's beef production hit a record 28.4 billion pounds in 2022, said Tim Petry, a North Dakota State University livestock marketing specialist. About 26 billion pounds of beef are expected in 2026. About 2.5 billion pounds of beef were exported to other countries in 2025, and the tight remaining supply, along with the high demand, has caused record prices. Ranchers acknowledge the higher prices, but they face plenty of challenges weighing against growing herds, especially from drought. This article was provided by The Associated Press.