World

When actor Clint Eastwood bought a 134-acre former artichoke farm near California’s Carmel River in 1995, the property came with development potential, water rights and a history rooted in agriculture. Two years later, Eastwood and his then-wife Maggie announced plans to transfer the ranch to the Big Sur Land Trust. Nearly three decades on, part…

A hybrid artificial reef structure (Representational photo from a 2023 study- University of Miami) In 1998, researchers put 12 artificial reefs off Miami Beach to see how different materials would affect marine life. Over the next three years, divers recorded 97,826 fish from 146 species around the reefs. The study was published in the journal…

In the late 19th century, a young seminarian battling a life-threatening bout of pneumonia made a promise that would eventually transform a small Iowa town into the home of one of the world’s largest man-made grottos. If he survived, Father Paul Matthias Dobberstein vowed to build a shrine in honour of the Virgin Mary. He…

A New Mexico man shot his cousin dead after a drunken argument over the spiciness of green chile on their enchiladas escalated into a physical fight and then a fatal shooting at an Albuquerque apartment complex, according to police and court documents. Ervin Joaquin Gutierrez, 22, was arrested on an open count of murder following…

Arthur aged seven found the tooth, PC: National Trust In August 2025, 7-year-old Arthur was exploring Lizard Point in Cornwall, the most southerly point of mainland Britain, when he discovered a collection of teeth in the ground. He showed them to Ken Wallace, a Wildlife Watchpoint volunteer who happened to be a retired dentist, and…

In 1995, actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood sold roughly 280 acres of his California coastal property to Monterey County for $3.08 million, helping ensure that a large stretch of scenic land would remain undeveloped. The property, associated with Eastwood’s long-held Malpaso holdings near Carmel Highlands, was divided into five parcels and was acquired by the…

Mike Nithavrianakis worked as a British diplomat in Pakistan for three years from 2019 to 2022, working as Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi and Trade Director for Pakistan. During his time there, he clearly remembers his first visit to a school run by The Citizens Foundation (TCF) in Pakistan, The students in the classrooms were…

Representative Image (AI-generated) What looked like an ordinary overnight shipment turned into a scam intervention after a Minnesota shipping company worker became suspicious of a woman’s unusually urgent request. The woman had arrived at Graphic Mailbox in Northfield, Minnesota, last week hoping to send a package to Texas. She was prepared to pay $500 for…

Eucalyptus cladocalyx ‘nana’. Image Credit: ERA Nurseries Australia planted eucalyptus trees to fight rising soil salinity, hoping that thirsty, deep-rooted vegetation could help control the groundwater processes behind the problem. A long-running experiment in south-western Australia later showed that the effects of such plantations were more complicated than simply planting trees and waiting for the…

A fungus that infects house flies has evolved a remarkable way to send spores towards new hosts. Entomophthora muscae grows inside an infected fly and, after the insect dies, it produces microscopic stalks that emerge from its body. Each stalk forms a single spore at its tip. Instead of simply dropping away, the spore is…

Pro-democratic student activist Joshua Wong, on Sept. 2, 2015. (Photo: AP) Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong, 29, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a national security allegation of collusion with foreign entities, an offence that carries a potential life sentence. Several Western diplomats were present at the hearing.Wong rose to international prominence as a teenage…

In 1928, at the height of his reign as Chicago’s most notorious gangster, Al Capone purchased a sprawling estate on Miami Beach’s Palm Island, seeking a warm-weather retreat from the cold and his foes. He is reported to have spent some $200,000 bolstering the property with bulletproof walls, steel shutters and other security measures befitting…