US

Muhammad Ali (Image: Wikipedia) Fame gave Muhammad Ali one of the largest platforms of the twentieth century, and he chose, deliberately, not to use most of it to talk about his own charity work. “I try not to speak about all the charities and people I help, because I believe we can only be truly…

An ordinary hillside in Oregon transforms into something extraordinary every autumn, revealing a giant smiling face that appears almost as if nature decided to create its own work of art. The seasonal spectacle is not the result of digital editing or a natural quirk but a carefully planned reforestation project carried out in 2011. Foresters…

Eight-year-old Wyatt Biggs from Florida has transformed an unusual fascination with robot vacuums into a thriving online brand. What began as a childhood obsession with a family Roomba at the age of three has grown into a collection of more than 50 robot vacuums, a YouTube channel, a children’s book and a merchandise business that…

Most people quietly fear failure more than almost anything else, enough that it stops them from ever actually trying. Michael Jordan drew a sharper line than that. “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying,” he wrote. It is one of his most quoted lines, and it carries weight…

Quote of the day by Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott Most people wait until they feel financially secure before giving anything away, telling themselves generosity is something for later. MacKenzie Scott decided against that logic almost immediately after her divorce made her one of the wealthiest women in the world. “My approach to philanthropy will…

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates Most people picture a philanthropist as someone signing enormous cheques, not someone volunteering an evening a week or simply speaking up for a cause they believe in. Melinda French Gates has spent years pushing back against that narrow picture. “Philanthropy to me means using your voice, your time, your…

The death of a South Carolina sheriff unexpectedly triggered a far-reaching investigation after colleagues clearing out his office reportedly discovered sealed evidence bags containing cash inside a locked desk drawer. Some of the bags were empty, while others had been cut open or contained only part of the money they were supposed to hold. The…

Every piece of land has a history that predates modern civilisation. While some was forest, another was inhabited by generations of tribes who had created their entire life around it. However, the forces of colonisation and development forced upon them the rules that never applied to them in the first place, like giving up their…

Once celebrated as a miracle plant that could save farmland from erosion, kudzu eventually became America’s most notorious invasive vine. Thick green curtains draped over trees, telephone poles and abandoned buildings across parts of the US South earned it the nickname “the vine that ate the South”. Stories claiming the plant grew at extraordinary speed…

Sometimes, being a good neighbour is making others feel like they don’t have one at all. Or so it seems with the recent lawsuit being faced by Microsoft’s much-touted $7.3 billion AI data centre in the US. In early 2026, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella proudly announced his company’s data centre in Fairwater, Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin…