A lawsuit filed by a pair of Massachusetts families is adding to the backlash against an approach to reading instruction that some schools still use despite evidence that it’s not the most effective.States around the country have been overhauling reading curricula in favor of research-based strategies known as the “science of reading,” including an…

The sale of The Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper and a bastion of liberal values in Britain’s media landscape, was approved despite two days of strike action from journalists.The Scott Trust, the owner of the Guardian Media Group, which includes The Observer and its sister paper The Guardian, said the sale to Tortoise Media was expecte…

Much of Earth's land is drying out and damaging the ability of plant and animal life to survive, according to a United Nations report released at talks where countries are working to address the problem.The report was released at the U.N. summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on combating desertification—once-fertile lands turning into deserts because of …

California, home to some of the largest technology companies in the world, would be the first U.S. state to require mental health warning labels on social media sites if lawmakers pass a bill introduced in December.The legislation sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta is necessary to bolster safety for children online, supporters say, but i…

Thousands of giant panda sculptures greeted residents and tourists in December 2024 in Hong Kong, where enthusiasm for the bears has grown since two cubs were born in a local theme park.The 2,500 exhibits were showcased in a launch ceremony of PANDA GO! FEST HK, the city's largest panda-themed exhibition, at Hong Kong's airport in December. They we…

Rocky Balboa fans went the distance—by bus, on ice skates, by 72 steps—to honor Philly’s favorite fictional fighter almost 50 years after the first movie launched the enduring series of an underdog boxer persevering despite the odds.The city Rocky called home at last has a week dedicated to the box office heavyweight champion of the world, more tha…

Sumo wrestling will return to London for the first time in 34 years in 2025 as the historic Royal Albert Hall hosts a Grand Sumo Tournament next October—just the second official event to be hosted outside of Japan in the sport’s 1500-year history.The Victorian concert venue was built in 1871 and has witnessed performances from the likes of Muhammad…

An elaborate parody appears to be behind an effort to resurrect Enron, the Houston-based energy company that exemplified the worst in American corporate fraud and greed after it went bankrupt in 2001.If its return is comedic, some former employees who lost everything in Enron’s collapse aren’t laughing.Once the nation’s seventh-largest company, Enr…

It’s the end of an era for the largest model railway in southeastern Europe. The Backo Mini Express—a 1.5-kilometer model railway with 150 mini locomotives—has its own museum in Zagreb, Croatia. But despite surviving the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, and two earthquakes that shook the city in 2020, the railway’s aging creator is shutting down the mu…

Nearly three out of 10 U.S. drugstores that were open during the previous decade had closed by 2021, new research shows.Some neighborhoods were most vulnerable to the retail pharmacy closures, which can chip away at already-limited care options in those communities, researchers said in a study published in Health Affairs.The trend has potentially g…

America’s wealthiest people have urged each other to give away more of their money since at least 1889, the year Andrew Carnegie argued that the richest should give away their fortunes within their lifetimes, in part to lessen the sting of growing inequality.So, what stands in the way of the wealthiest people giving more and giving faster?Philanthr…

Tech giant Panasonic has converted its 50-year-old microwave production facility in Cardiff, Wales, to operate entirely on renewable energy.This project, the company’s first in Europe, integrates solar, hydrogen fuel cells, and battery storage to power the factory sustainably.Inside, workers continue assembling microwave ovens, and the hope is that…

Seafaring pioneers are spearheading a comeback for wind power in the shipping industry, to try to make a dent in its huge carbon footprint.The international merchant fleet of more than 100,000 ships that transports most of the world’s trade is responsible for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.Now the return of ocean-going cargo ships that…

The mobile clinic is one of several health programs offered by libraries across the U.S.—from tiny rural town libraries to large urban systems. They offer fitness classes, food pantries, cooking classes, conversations about loneliness and mental health, and even blood pressure monitors that can be checked out just like books.The public health progr…

Campbell’s is ditching the soup—at least in name. And the change has now received the shareholders’ green light.Campbell Soup Co. announced its intention to change its name several months ago, saying it wanted to instead be known as the (slightly shorter) Campbell’s Co. Shareholders overwhelmingly approved the change.In a statement, CEO Mark Clouse…

Disabled people who use rideshare apps Lyft and Uber say their experience is not a seamless task of pressing a few buttons and being whisked to their destination minutes later. Instead, people who use wheelchairs and guide dogs have watched drivers cancel rides, charge cleaning fees for guide dogs, or outright refuse to take them where they need to…

Many of us have felt it, and now it's official: "brain rot" is the Oxford Dictionary's word of the year.Oxford University Press said that the evocative phrase "gained new prominence in 2024," with its frequency of use increasing 230% from the year before.Oxford defines brain rot as "the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual st…

Even though e-commerce is now part and parcel of many people’s regular routines and the holiday shopping season, Cyber Monday—a term coined in 2005 by the National Retail Federation—has become the biggest online shopping day of the year, thanks to the deals and the hype the industry has created to fuel it.Adobe Analytics, which tracks online shoppi…

Being a lighthouse keeper is probably one of the loneliest jobs in the world.Yet, it’s been Leo op den Brouw’s work and life for the past 25 years on Gabo Island, off the coast of East Gippsland, Australia.But now, the time has come to pass on the responsibility to the next generation.Despite the isolation, he's loved every minute of it. He's espec…

Paintings by the world-famous Moomins creator Tove Jansson are on show in Finland.The exhibition at the Helsinki Art Museum marks the 80th anniversary of the publication of Jansson’s book The Moomins and the Great Flood, which introduced the creatures to the world.Prior to the success of the Moomins, Jansson first made a name for herself as a talen…

‘AI granny’ Daisy is the latest weapon in the fight against phone scammers.This AI-powered bot, developed by UK telecom company Virgin Media O2, is designed to outsmart fraudsters by keeping them tied up in conversation for hours. Daisy is the latest tool in the world of scam-baiting, a strategy where scammers are kept on the line to waste their ti…

A high-tech new subway whose construction uncovered Roman and Byzantine treasures has opened in Greece.As well as sparkling new trains and stations the new line showcases the archeological discoveries which caused decades of delays in building the metro.Construction began in 2003 and unearthed a treasure trove of antiquities in a vast excavation be…

The sight was a common one for Andrew Kolpacki. For many a Sunday, he would watch the National Football League (NFL) games on TV and see quarterbacks (QBs) putting their hands on their helmets, desperately trying to hear the play call from the sideline or booth as tens of thousands of fans screamed at the tops of their lungs.When the National Colle…

Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them.The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all but $25 to $50 of the monthly cost…

A Spanish court has upheld a ruling that a supermarket worker was unlawfully fired for having eaten a croquette that was going to be thrown away after not having been sold from the store’s deli section.The worker was fired in July 2023 after he had snarfed down the fried snack, which was destined for the trash after the store had closed for the day…

Electric grids have buckled more frequently and outages have become longer across the U.S. as the warming atmosphere carries more water and stirs up more destructive storms, according to an AP analysis of government data. In the Pacific Northwest, a “bomb cyclone” caused roughly half a million outages.People with disabilities and chronic health con…

Walmart, Target, Aldi and other grocers competed for a place on holiday tables with turkey dinner deals and other promotions to tempt Americans who haven’t recovered from recent food price inflation.Walmart, the nation’s largest food retailer, bundled the makings of a traditional turkey feast into a meal deal three years ago. This year, the 29-item…

Schools in Australia are being asked to open up their grounds after hours to give families more green space and areas for children to play.With the population of Australia’s south-eastern Victoria state growing rapidly, the demand for additional green spaces in cities and towns is also increasing.Asking to go back to school during the holidays isn’…

The ever-present TV drug ads showing patients hiking, biking or enjoying a day at the beach could soon have a different look: new rules require drugmakers to be clearer and more direct when explaining their medications’ risks and side effects.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spent more than 15 years crafting the guidelines, which are des…

The Vatican and Microsoft in November unveiled a digital twin of St. Peter’s Basilica that uses artificial intelligence to explore one of the world’s most important monuments while helping the Holy See manage visitor flows and identify conservation problems.Using 400,000 high-resolution digital photographs, taken with drones, cameras, and lasers ov…

When Massachusetts voters decided to ditch the state's standardized tests as a high school graduation requirement on Election Day, they joined a trend that has steadily chipped away at the use of high-stakes tests over the past two decades.The vote on the ballot question leaves only seven states with mandated graduation exams, a number that could s…

Deep in a dark warehouse, the sake sleeps, stored in rows of giant tanks, each holding more than 10,000 liters (2,640 gallons) of the Japanese rice wine that is the product of brewing techniques dating back more than 1,000 years.Junichiro Ozawa, the 18th-generation head of Ozawa Brewery, founded in 1702, hoped sake-brewing would win recognition as …

Health experts say walking is an easy way to improve physical and mental health, bolster fitness and prevent disease.Doctors say people should also add other activities to their fitness routines, including resistance exercises like lifting weights and activities that keep you flexible like yoga or stretching.“You don’t need equipment and you don’t …

As climate change warms our world, it has affected farmers and their growing practices, even threatening beloved beverages, like beer.Danish brewer Carlsberg, the world’s fourth largest, is breeding more climate-tolerant crops, hoping to future-proof its beer production.Human-caused climate change has made the world hotter and increased the likelih…

A new exhibition in western Germany is hoping to expand the public’s perception of Africa via art and cultural history.“The True Size of Africa” is at the Völklingen Ironworks and features works by artists from across the continent.Photographic portraits, paintings, video installations, and sculpture—26 works that organizers say explore Africa, add…

Australia's states and territories unanimously backed a national plan to require most forms of social media to bar children younger than 16.Leaders of the eight provinces held a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to discuss what he calls a world-first national approach that would make platforms including X, TikTok, Instagram and F…

Some people advocate humane deer management: the culling of deer to control their numbers and ensure they don’t overrun forests and farmland in a country where they no longer have natural predators. For these advocates, shooting deer is much more than a sport. It’s a necessity because England's deer population has gotten out of control.There are no…

A winged creature from Oregon was crowned this year's winner in an annual bat beauty contest put on by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).On Halloween, which was also the last day of International Bat Week, a hoary bat with a feisty personality named "Hoary Potter" defeated "Lestat," the western small-footed bat from Idaho, in the final round of t…

It’s no surprise that students are pushing back on cellphone bans in classrooms. But school administrators in one South Florida county working to pull students’ eyes away from their screens are facing some resistance from another group as well—parents.Since the beginning of the 2024 school year in August, students in Broward County Public Schools, …

The U.S. government's highway safety agency says Tesla is telling drivers in public statements that its vehicles can drive themselves, conflicting with the owner’s manual and briefings with the agency saying the electric vehicles need human supervision.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is asking the company to “revisit its communic…

Some Apple AirPod wireless headphones can be used as hearing aids with a new software update. It's a high-profile move that experts applaud, even if they only reach a small portion of the millions of Americans with hearing loss.An estimated 30 million people—1 in 8 Americans over the age of 12—have hearing loss in both ears. Millions would benefit …

From eco-friendly, modular Christmas trees handmade in the UK to wreaths, baubles, and tree decorations, this year’s Christmas trends are a mix of traditional and contemporary styling.Some British retailers are already seeing an increase in sales this Christmas.Over 600 retailers are at London's Spirit of Christmas fair, including Rachel Mitchell f…

Sobs of relief broke out in a federal courtroom in Kansas as dozens of people whose life savings had been embezzled by a bank CEO learned that federal law enforcement had recovered their money."I just can't describe the weight lifted off of us," said Bart Camilli, 70, who with his wife Cleo had just learned they'd recover close to $450,000—money Ba…

As the price of fuel soared in Ethiopia earlier this year, Awgachew Seleshi decided to buy an electric car. That aligned with the government’s new efforts to phase out gas-powered vehicles. But months later, he’s questioning whether it was the right decision.He faces a range of issues, from the erratic supply of electricity in Addis Ababa, the capi…

Japan is planning to build an automated cargo transport corridor between Tokyo and Osaka, dubbed a "conveyor belt road" by the government, to make up for a shortage of truck drivers. The amount of funding for the project is not yet set. But it's seen as one key way to help the country cope with soaring deliveries.A computer graphics video made by t…

Originally built to store crops from peasant farmers, the tithe barn on the edge of the English village of Abbots Langley was converted into homes that preserve its centuries of history. Now, its residents are fighting to stop a development next door that represents the future.A proposal to build a data center on a field across the road was rejecte…

Hello Kitty, one of the most loved Sanrio characters, is marking her 50th anniversary with a bang.A new exhibition marking the milestone opened in Tokyo's National Museum called 'As I change, so does she' on Nov. 1.The bubble-headed mouthless cat is going as strong as ever, popping up on everything from keychains and purses to McDonald’s Happy Meal…

The world’s first joint performance by a symphony orchestra and a robot playing a cello took place in Sweden.The joint performance piece entitled ‘Veer’ was created for the robot by Swedish composer Jacob Mühlrad who said the possibilities of the robotic performance inspired him to reconsider the cello as an instrument.The 33-year-old composer said…

McDonald’s worked on October 24 to reassure customers that its U.S. restaurants are safe as federal investigators tried to pinpoint the cause of a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to the fast food giant’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers.McDonald’s pulled Quarter Pounders from one-fifth of its U.S. stores on October 23 as a result of the outbreak, which th…

A jury in Nevada has delivered a $5.2 billion award in the latest large-sum lawsuit against a former Las Vegas-based bottled water company that was found responsible for causing liver damage in customers before it was recalled from store shelves in 2021.A 12-day trial ended with the verdict in the negligence and product liability case against Affin…