Author: Reporter

The Associated Press said it was setting up a sister organization that will seek to raise money in support of state and local news reporting, as the crisis in that sector shows little sign of abating. The organization, which will have a board of directors independent of the AP, will solicit philanthropic spending to boost this news coverage, both within the AP and through outside organizations, the news outlet said in June. “We feel we have to lean in at this point, not pull back,” said Daisy Veerasingham, the AP’s president and CEO. “But the supporting mechanism — the...

It is not just a book. Back in the 1450s, when the Bible became the first major work printed in Europe with moveable metal type, Johannes Gutenberg was a man with a plan. The German inventor decided to make the most of his new technology, the movable-type printing press, by producing an unprecedented version of the Scripture for wealthy customers who could interpret Latin: leaders of the Catholic Church. Though he planned on printing 150 Bibles, increasing demand motivated him to produce 30 extra copies, which led to a total of 180. Currently known as the “Gutenberg Bibles,” around...

U.N. agencies have warned that waste from electronics is piling up worldwide while recycling rates remain low and are likely to fall even further. The agencies were referring to “e-waste,” which is defined as discarded devices with a plug or battery, including cellphones, electronic toys, TVs, microwave ovens, e-cigarettes, laptop computers and solar panels. It does not include waste from electronic vehicles, which fall into a separate category. In a report released in April, the U.N.’s International Telecommunications Union and research arm UNITAR said some 62 million tons of “e-waste” was generated in 2022, enough to fill tractor-trailers that...

Shi Mei and her husband earn a decent enough living by growing corn and millet on their small farm in eastern China’s Shandong province. In 2021, they diversified by investing in solar energy, signing a contract to mount some 40 panels on their roof to feed energy to the grid. Now, the couple get paid for every watt of electricity they generate, harvesting the equivalent of $10,000 per year that Shi can track through an app on her phone. “When the sun comes out, you make money,” Shi said. The Shi family is on the leading edge of a...