With jumpsuits, wigs and dance moves, these young boys and teens keep Elvis' legacy alive
TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — A group of young Elvis Presley tribute artists, ranging in age from seven to 17, competed in the king’s hometown last week as part of the Tupelo Elvis Festival. Together, they donned jeweled jumpsuits and wigs, sang songs and found camaraderie among a group of peers who share their passion for Elvis’ music. The competitors credited the 2022 “Elvis” movie and Elvis' faith and charity as part of what inspired them to become Elvis tribute artists. They said they hoped to bring Elvis' music to a new generation of fans who hadn't had a chance to see Elvis perform in real life.
Australian cockroach kingpin caught with 100,000 illegal insects in record bug bust
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Australian officials say they confiscated more than 100,000 illegal live cockroaches from a breeder in May in the country's largest-ever seizure of exotic invertebrates. The haul, worth over $140,000, included Madagascar hissing and dubia cockroaches. Both species are illegal to import, keep or sell in Australia due to potential environmental risks. The cockroaches were being sold online as reptile food. Officials urged pet owners to use crickets or wood roaches instead. The seized cockroaches will be euthanized, and authorities warned of prosecutions for those caught with such invertebrates. But a spokesperson said charges weren’t laid against the breeder.
Wrestling matches provide an action-packed story time at US libraries, in photos
BENICIA, Calif. (AP) — “Lucha Libro,” a high-energy, action-packed story time is bringing live wrestling matches to libraries across the U.S. to promote literacy. Founded in 2024, “Lucha Libro” plays off the name of the popular Mexican-inspired sport of Lucha Libre. Libro means book in Spanish. Over 40 events are planned this year at libraries from California to New Jersey.
Wonderkid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, gets maiden India call-up
MUMBAI, India (AP) — Wonderkid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been called up by India for the first time as he was named in the T20 squad for the tours of Ireland and England plus the Asian Games. The 15-year-old opening batter is the youngest cricketer to get an India call-up. If he plays against Ireland on June 26 in Belfast he will overtake Sachin Tendulkar, who was 16 when he made his test debut against Pakistan in November 1989. Sooryavanshi set the Indian Premier League alight this season. He finished as the highest run-getter with 776 in 16 innings. He scored at a remarkable strike-rate of 237.31 and hit 72 sixes.
FIFA cancels World Cup tickets to about 60 fans who got them for free due to error
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — FIFA has canceled World Cup tickets issued to about 60 fans who mistakenly got them for free because of a website error. FIFA says the tickets were “allocated at no charge due to a prior payment issue during the checkout process.” The tickets are now reserved for the fans affected to buy at the agreed price. It's the latest glitch in an often controversial World Cup ticketing program. The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey are investigating FIFA for possible violations of consumer protection laws. The 104-game World Cup starts next Thursday in Mexico City.
What it's like to go inside New York City's dank, dangerous, bug-filled sewers
NEW YORK (AP) — A former urban explorer says the most unpleasant part of exploring New York City’s sewer system was the cockroaches, not the rats, smells or ever-present dangers. Steven Duncan reflected this week on his years documenting the subterranean networks running under New York and other world cities after groups of people were captured on surveillance videos popping in and out of sewers in Brooklyn and Queens in recent days. Duncan believes the groups were likely traversing the large, 19th century sewer mains that run underneath parts of the city. Officials stress it’s not just illegal to enter the sewers but also extremely dangerous.
Buffalo named Donald Trump for his golden locks is a sensation at a Bangladesh zoo
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A rare albino buffalo named after U.S. President Donald Trump for his distinctive blond tuft is drawing crowds at a Bangladesh zoo. Previously the animal raised in a farm was saved from being slaughtered in a ritual of sacrifice during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha last week. Authorities ordered that the buffalo be spared over security concerns after a surge of public interest stemmed from social media hype before the festival. The animal had already been sold, but the authorities refunded the buyer and sent the buffalo to the national zoo, where it is now the main attraction.
Radio scans find no alien tech from the latest interstellar comet
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The group leading the charge in the search for extraterrestrial life has given the all clear. The SETI Institute said Wednesday that extensive radio scans by its telescope in Northern California have found no signs of alien tech from our solar system's latest interstellar visitor. The object labeled 3I/Atlas was discovered last summer sweeping through our neck of the cosmic woods. Scientists identified it as a comet that migrated from another star. SETI says it conducted more than seven hours of observations, searching through a wide range of radio signals. But no evidence of extraterrestrial technology was found.
Videos showing groups of people entering NYC sewers at night baffle residents and investigators
NEW YORK (AP) — A series of bizarre sightings of people popping in and out of New York’s vast, subterranean sewer system in recent days has the whole city wondering what exactly is going on. Videos being widely shared on social media show at least three instances where groups of people have been spotted in the night entering and exiting the sewers in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. Police said they don’t believe there’s any threat to public safety after conducting a thorough sweep. The city Department of Environmental Protection stressed that entering the sewers is illegal and extremely dangerous.
Steampunk festival creates an unlikely capital for Victorian style and sci-fi oddity in New Zealand
ŌAMARU, New Zealand (AP) — Thousands of people in New Zealand have attended one of the world’s best-known steampunk festivals. The four-day event in rural Ōamaru is a celebration of Victorian aesthetics mixed with science fiction. Attendees are often shy in daily life but embrace creativity and eccentricity at the annual festival. Unique competitions include teapot racing and parasol dueling. Steampunk fuses Victorian aesthetics and mechanics with a science fiction twist. The parallel universe presents what the age of steam might have produced if it had continued to the present day. The genre is limited only by imagination, and the weirder the better.
