Despite hardships caused by war, Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities are filled with flowers
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Flowers have always been linked to Ukrainian culture, but their importance has only grown since the 2022 Russian invasion. Flowers, especially sunflowers, have become symbols of both resistance and hope for the war-torn country. Ukrainians take every opportunity to cover Kiev and other cities with the flowers of the country’s vast rural areas. Flowers appear on Ukrainian banknotes, textile patterns and murals. Across the country, young men on dates and soldiers who sometimes lost limbs carry bouquets on their journeys home. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy famously carried a bouquet during a 2022 visit to a hospital for a teenage girl wounded while fleeing advancing Russian troops outside the capital, Kiev.
These oldest habitable termite mounds have been active for 34,000 years
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Scientists in South Africa were stunned to discover that a termite mound still standing in the country’s arid zone is 34,000 years old. It’s the oldest known active termite mound. The mound existed at a time when sabre-toothed tigers and mammoths roamed other parts of the globe and large swaths of Europe and Asia were covered in ice. It predates Europe’s oldest cave paintings. Evidence suggests termite colonies have always lived there. Researchers are urging more study of the mound because it offers lessons for climate change, maintaining ecosystems and even improving agricultural practices.
LeBron James has agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to the Associated Press.
LeBron James will return for his NBA record-tying 22nd season. The league’s all-time leading scorer will join his son, Bronny, on the court as a teammate with the Los Angeles Lakers. A person familiar with the negotiations said James agreed to a two-year contract to remain with the Lakers. The second year of the contract is James’ option, meaning he could become a free agent again next summer, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been made public. The Lakers announced that Bronny James has already signed his first NBA contract. The deal is for four years.
US ends legal battle over Titanic expedition, future dive disputes still possible
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The U.S. government has formally ended a legal battle against future dive expeditions to the Titanic wreck, as expeditions will no longer enter the ship or bring back artifacts from the site. The U.S. says doing so would violate federal law treating the wreck as a memorial. Georgia-based RMS Titanic owns the salvage rights to the Titanic. The company has exhibited artifacts recovered from previous expeditions. The company has significantly scaled back its dive plans this year. Unmanned submersibles will only take photographs of the wreck and the wreckage site. The expedition is scheduled for mid-July.
Police discover body of girl snatched by crocodile while swimming in northern Australia
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Police have found the body of a 12-year-old girl two days after she was carried off by a crocodile while swimming in a remote creek in northern Australia. Police said the body was found Thursday in a river system close to where the girl went missing in Palumpa, an Indigenous community southwest of the Northern Territory capital of Darwin. Injuries confirmed it was a crocodile attack. Efforts are ongoing to capture the killer crocodile. Saltwater crocodiles are highly territorial, and the killer crocodile is likely lingering in nearby waterways. The girl’s disappearance prompted an intensive 36-hour search on land, water and air.
Suspended NBA player Jontay Porter to be indicted on gambling charges, according to court documents
NEW YORK (AP) — Former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter will be indicted on federal felony charges related to the sports betting scandal that led to his lifetime ban from the NBA, according to court documents. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn filed what’s called a criminal information sheet on Tuesday. The document doesn’t specify a trial date or charges, but it does indicate the case is linked to an existing indictment of four gamblers who are accused of conspiring to make money by tipping off a player about a plan to leave two games early. The Associated Press sent voice messages and emails to Porter’s lawyers on Wednesday.
Discovery’s “Shark Week” features giant mako sharks, a queen boss and baby angel sharks, and puts women in the spotlight
NEW YORK (AP) — Imagine climbing into a life-sized replica of a dead whale and guiding it through the ocean depths. You search for — yes, search for — schools of hungry sharks clamoring for food. You fire off hundreds of gallons of artificial blood and food to lure them in. Then you watch them lose it. That’s what marine biologist Liv Dixon did for Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week.” It’s one of several eye-opening moments in this year’s 21-hour new series in which scientists risk everything to better understand apex predators. The week, hosted by John Cena, kicks off on Sunday with Dixon’s hour-long “Belly of the Beast: Bigger & Bloodier.”
Jessica Campbell will become the first woman to sit on an NHL bench as an assistant coach for the Seattle Kraken.
SEATTLE (AP) — Jessica Campbell was hired as an assistant coach by the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday, becoming the first woman to work on the bench for an NHL franchise. Campbell has worked the past two seasons as an assistant coach with Seattle’s AHL affiliate, Coachella Valley, alongside Dan Bylsma, who became the Kraken’s head coach in late May. Campbell has played in the NCAA, Canadian Women’s Hockey League and with the Canadian women’s national team, winning a silver medal at the 2015 World Championships.
Shohei Ohtani declares he will not participate in All-Star Home Run Derby
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani won’t take part in the Home Run Derby on July 15, despite hitting 27 home runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers, second in the majors. Ohtani has only played in the derby once before, losing in the first round in 2021 at Coors Field in Denver. This year’s tournament will be held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Ohtani said he is undergoing rehabilitation after undergoing surgery following an elbow ligament injury last fall that will prevent him from pitching this season. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it’s not just Ohtani’s responsibility to lead the sports world.
While rescued lion cub Freya is safe in South Africa, many other lions are kept in captivity to be shot.
PAARLE, South Africa (AP) — Freya, a 6-month-old lion cub rescued from the wildlife trade in Lebanon, has been relocated to a South African sanctuary. As she settles into life at the Drakenstein Lion Park, animal rights advocates are once again drawing attention to South Africa’s contradictory stance on lions. South Africa has a strong reputation for conservation, but it also has a thriving captive lion business, breeding big cats for “canned hunting” experiences or to kill for the lion bone trade. Freya will avoid that fate because she’s in one of the country’s ethical sanctuaries.
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