World

Representative Image of the historic Hampden Smelter and railway, highlighting their role in Kuridala’s mining prosperity (AI-generated image) Kuridala, about 65–70 km south of Cloncurry in Queensland, grew into an important copper-mining settlement before and during World War I. Its development was closely tied to the Hampden Smelter and a railway connection that helped transport…

Billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg is giving $155 million to Boston’s Museum of Science, an institution he visited as a child and credits with sparking his lifelong love of learning. Announced in August 2026 through Bloomberg Philanthropies, the gift is the largest in the museum’s history and supports a new 10,000-square-foot public science venue named the…

Two male king cobras meeting during the breeding season may engage in a prolonged contest, using their bodies to wrestle for control rather than relying on the venomous strikes associated with these snakes. The behaviour has long been recognised in accounts of king cobras, yet detailed scientific descriptions have been scarce. In Thailand, observations made…

Clooney foundation provides free legal aid to 9,000 women and children, expands mobile clinics (Image Credit: Clooney Foundation for Justice) For women and girls facing child marriage, domestic abuse or discrimination, getting legal help can be difficult when lawyers are expensive or courts are far away. The Clooney Foundation for Justice is working to address…

Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo sold their Montecito mansion for $60 million in October 2025, after purchasing the property for $52 million in 2022. The 11,500-square-foot estate in California was originally built in 2009 for actor Rob Lowe. The couple listed the nine-bedroom residence for $65 million in July 2025 before agreeing to the reported…

A US federal judge has approved a $47.75 million settlement in a securities lawsuit against Hawaiian Electric Industries, while significantly reducing the legal fees requested by the investors’ lawyers. The October 23 ruling by the US District Court for the Northern District of California, reported by Bloomberg Law and Law360, brings the investor class action…

Image Credit: Jeremy Norwood/Smithsonian The Smithsonian Institution has raised $2.5 billion through its Campaign for Our Shared Future, reaching its fundraising target a full year ahead of schedule. Announced on 5 February 2026, the achievement marks the largest fundraising campaign in the history of a cultural organisation. Launched in 2018, the initiative brought together donors…

PC: National Park Service Greenwater, California, grew into a settlement of 2,000 people following a copper discovery in 1905, but its mining boom had collapsed by 1909 without ever making a profit. Located south of Dante’s View in the Death Valley region, the town attracted people hoping to benefit from copper mining. According to the…

By 2026, Robin Rinearson’s two Fairfax County businesses have become more than neighbourhood food shops, they have become workplaces where people with disabilities can build skills, confidence and independence. When retired optometrist Robin Rinearson opened Jake’s Ice Cream in Virginia in 2021, her goal was not simply to sell scoops of ice cream. She wanted…

When American naturalist and conservationist Paul Rosolie first travelled to the Peruvian Amazon at 18, he was drawn to one of the world’s most extraordinary wildernesses. Two decades later, his work has evolved from exploring remote forests and studying wildlife into a long-term effort to protect the rainforest from illegal logging, road expansion and other…