Taylor Swift fans flood German museum to see painting echoing her hit video 'The Fate of Ophelia'
BERLIN (AP) — A German museum has been unexpectedly overrun by Taylor Swift fans. The Hessische Landesmuseum in central Germany reports that hundreds of additional visitors came over the weekend. The fans are drawn to a painting that resembles the opening scene of Swift’s hit video, “The Fate of Ophelia.” The Art Nouveau painting by Friedrich Heyser features Ophelia, a character from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Museum spokesperson Susanne Hirschmann says the resemblance was noticed earlier this month. The museum plans a special tour for fans. The museum has tried to contact Swift but has not succeeded yet.
2 green comets shine bright. How to spot them in the night sky
NEW YORK (AP) — Two bright green comets are streaming through the skies and are visible to skygazers in the Northern Hemisphere. Both hail from the outer edges of our solar system. Comet Lemmon will have its closest brush with Earth on or around Tuesday. To spot the pair, go outside just after sunset and look north for Comet Lemmon close to the horizon. Comet SWAN is traveling away from the sun and will also be near the horizon, but to the southwest. The comets appear green because of gases streaming off their surfaces. From Earth, they’ll look like gray, fuzzy patches.
Carter Hart agrees to join the Golden Knights after being acquitted of sexual assault
Goaltender Carter Hart has agreed to sign with the Vegas Golden Knights, becoming the first of the five 2018 Canada world junior hockey players to land an NHL contract since they were acquitted of sexual assault in a high-profile case. Vegas announced an agreement for Hart on Thursday, the second day after the window opened for the players to sign. Hart and the others are not eligible to play in games until Dec. 1 as part of the league’s reinstatement process for him, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton.
Nestlé cuts 16,000 jobs as part of an intensifying cost-cutting campaign
Nestlé is cutting 16,000 globally as the Swiss food giant looks to trim costs and continue with its turnaround efforts. Nestlé, which makes Nescafé drinks, Purina pet food and other products, said Thursday that the job cuts will take place over the next two years. It is raising its savings target to 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.76 billion) by the end of 2027, up from a previous target of 2.5 billion Swiss francs ($3.13 billion).
Kanchha Sherpa, last surviving member of pioneering Mount Everest expedition, dies at 92
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the first Mount Everest expedition team, has died at 92. He was part of the 1953 team that helped New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reach the summit. The Nepal Mountaineering Association says Kanchha Sherpa died at his home in the Kathmandu district of Nepal on Thursday. Born in 1933, he began his mountaineering career at 19 and was active until age 50. He was one of three Sherpas to reach the final camp before the summit with Hillary and Tenzing. In 2024 he expressed concerns about overcrowding on Everest and urged respect for the mountain.
Federal government to withhold $40M from California for not enforcing trucker English requirements
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says he will withhold $40 million from California because it is the only state that is failing to enforce English language requirements for truckers. The move was announced Wednesday. It comes after an investigation of a deadly Florida crash involving a foreign truck driver who made an illegal U-turn on Aug. 12. California had issued the driver a commercial license. The investigation pf the crash found what Duffy called significant failures in the way California is enforcing rules that took effect in June after one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Duffy says truckers are supposed to be disqualified if they can’t demonstrate English proficiency.
Malcolm Brogdon, former Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man Award winner, retires from the NBA
NEW YORK (AP) — Malcolm Brogdon has retired after a nine-year NBA career during which he won awards for being the league’s top rookie and best reserve. The veteran point guard had spent the preseason with the New York Knicks, where he could have been the backup to All-Star Jalen Brunson. Instead, he decided Wednesday that he would no longer play. Brogdon, 32, was a second-round pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2016. He won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award in 2017 and later played for Indiana, Boston, Portland and Washington. Brogdon won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2022-23 while playing for the Celtics. He averaged 15.3 points in 463 games.
Smucker sues Trader Joe's, saying its new PB&J sandwiches are too similar to Uncrustables
J.M. Smucker is suing Trader Joe’s, saying its new frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are too similar to Smucker’s Uncrustables in their design and packaging. In the lawsuit, which was filed Monday in federal court in Ohio, Smucker said Trader Joe’s round, crustless sandwiches have the same pie-like crimp markings on their edges that Uncrustables do. Smucker also alleged that the boxes Trader Joe’s sandwiches come in are the same blue color that Smucker uses for its “Uncrustables” lettering. A message seeking comment was left Tuesday with Trader Joe's.
Hegseth's plane diverted to UK due to cracked windshield on flight from Brussels to US
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plane made an unscheduled landing in the United Kingdom because a windshield cracked on a flight back to the U.S. from a NATO meeting and all aboard are safe. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a post on X that the plane landed “based on standard procedures." After Hegseth left Brussels, open source flight trackers spotted his plane lose altitude and begin broadcasting an emergency signal. In February, an Air Force plane carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was similarly forced to return to Washington after an issue with the cockpit windshield.
LeBron James, Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry enter season as the NBA's largest 20-year club
LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Kyle Lowry are making history as they enter their 20th NBA seasons or more. This marks the first time the league has three players in the 20-season club simultaneously. James will soon become the first to play 23 seasons. Despite their age, they continue to contribute significantly, thanks to rigorous personal training programs. Paul recently re-joined the Los Angeles Clippers, while Lowry is balancing his playing career in Philadelphia with a new analyst role at Amazon Prime. Other players say their dedication and longevity is inspiring.
