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The Pentagon will immediately begin moving as many as 1,000 openly identifying transgender service members out of the military and give others 30 days to self-identify under a new directive issued Thursday. Buoyed by Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision allowing the Trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender individuals in the military, the Defense Department will begin going through medical records to identify others who haven’t come forward. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who issued the latest memo, made his views clear after the court’s decision. “No More Trans @ DoD,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X. Earlier in the day, before the court acted, Hegseth said that his department is leaving wokeness and weakness behind. “No more pronouns,” he told a special operations forces conference in Tampa. “No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that s---.” Department officials have said it’s difficult to determine exactly how many transgender service members there are, but medical records will show those who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, who show symptoms or are being treated. Those troops would then be involuntarily forced out of the service. And no one with that diagnosis will be allowed to enlist. Gender dysphoria occurs when a person’s biological sex does not match up with their gender identity. Tagore's 164th birth anniv celebrated at DU Officials have said that as of Dec. 9, 2024, there were 4,240 troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the active duty, National Guard and Reserve. But they acknowledge the number may be higher. There are about 2.1 million total troops serving. The memo released Thursday mirrors one sent out in February, but any action was stalled at that point by several lawsuits. The Supreme Court ruled that the administration could enforce the ban on transgender people in the military, while other legal challenges proceed. The court’s three liberal justices said they would have kept the policy on hold. Neither the justices in the majority or dissent explained their votes, which is not uncommon in emergency appeals. When the initial Pentagon directive came out earlier this year, it gave service members 30 days to self-identify. Since then, about 1,000 have done so. In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the 1,000 troops who already self-identified “will begin the voluntary separation process” from the military. Under the new guidelines, active duty troops will have until June 6 to voluntarily identify themselves to the department, and troops in the National Guard and Reserve will have until July 7. While it may be difficult to see which troops have changed their gender identity in their military records, it will be easier to determine who has gotten a gender dysphoria diagnosis because that will be part of their medical record, as will any medication they are taking. Between 2015 and 2024, the total cost for psychotherapy, gender-affirming hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgery and other treatment for service members is about $52 million, according to a defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues. Pentagon officials in an earlier memo defended the ban, saying that “the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria are incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service.”  

Federal officials are investigating after a young seal was repeatedly stabbed on an Oregon beach in March. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the juvenile elephant seal survived the attack, which took place in a cove near the coastal town of Neskowin. NOAA’s marine response team later relocated the animal to a quieter beach in Washington, where it has been recovering well. It has since grown to around 300 pounds, and officials say the injuries aren’t expected to cause lasting harm. NOAA’s law enforcement division is leading the investigation and searching for a “person of interest” who was seen by a witness. They are also trying to identify the owner of a vehicle spotted in a nearby parking lot behind a condo complex around the time of the incident. Livestream of moose migration that captivated millions concludes Authorities are urging anyone with information about the individual, the vehicle, or the incident to contact NOAA’s enforcement hotline. According to Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute, juvenile elephant seals commonly haul out on Oregon beaches in spring and summer to molt. Adults are rarely seen in the area. The injured seal had likely just become independent from its mother and was beginning to learn how to survive on its own, said NOAA spokesperson Michael Milstein. In time, it would have likely traveled back to the Channel Islands off Southern California, a typical breeding ground. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, it is illegal to harass, injure, kill, or feed elephant seals and other marine mammals. Violators can face fines up to $100,000 and a year in prison. In the spring and summer, juvenile elephant seals will often drag themselves onto Oregon's beaches to spend weeks shedding their hair and skin, according to Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute. Adult elephant seals are rarely seen in the state. The seal that was stabbed likely left its mother very recently and was on its own to learn to hunt, Milstein said. Once it had grown a bit more, it would have likely made its way back to breeding areas around the Channel Islands off Southern California The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits harassing, harming, killing or feeding wild elephant seals and other marine mammals. Violators can face criminal penalties of up to $100,000 in fines and up to 1 year in jail.

Sotheby’s on Wednesday postponed an auction of jewels associated with Buddha’s remains after the Indian government opposed the sale and demanded it be halted. The gems for auction were found buried together in reliquaries with the corporeal relics of the historical Buddha and discovered in northern India in 1898, the auction house said. They dated back to around 240-200 BC, it said, AP reports. But India's Ministry of Culture said in a Facebook post on Tuesday it had issued a legal notice to Sotheby’s Hong Kong to demand the immediate halt of the sale, accusing the auction of violating “Indian laws, international norms and UN conventions.” In its letter to Sotheby's Hong Kong dated Monday, posted on Facebook, it said the auction involves sacred Buddhist relics that constitute the inalienable religious and cultural heritage of India and the global Buddhist community. It demanded the repatriation of the relics to the Indian government and a public apology from the auction house and Chris Peppé. Peppé is a great-grandson of British William Peppé, who excavated the relics. Livestream of moose migration that captivated millions concludes The Indian government warned in the letter that failure to comply would result in legal actions and public advocacy campaigns highlighting the auction house's role “in perpetuating colonial injustice and becoming a party to unethical sale of religious relics.” Sotheby's announced the postponement in a statement on Wednesday, acknowledging the matters raised by the Indian government and saying it was done with the agreement of the consignors. “This will allow for discussions between the parties, and we look forward to sharing any updates as appropriate,” it said. Some of Sotheby's webpages about the auction were no longer available on Wednesday. The Indian Ministry of Culture said on Facebook on Wednesday it was “pleased to inform” that the auction was postponed after its intervention.

Nearly 80 years after the end of World War II, Germany is still working to locate and lay to rest its fallen soldiers. In a forest near Berlin, the remains of 107 Wehrmacht soldiers were recently reburied with full honors. High school students placed flowers on small black coffins, and German soldiers conducted a formal ceremony as a military band played solemn music. Villagers and relatives, many tearful, observed as these men — who fought in one of the war’s final battles — were finally given a proper burial. This emotional ceremony reflects an ongoing, complex, and sometimes controversial mission to recover German war dead, a task still far from over. The work is carried out by the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (German War Graves Commission), a nonprofit organization that has been exhuming and reburying remains from across Europe for decades. Despite the passage of time, bones continue to be discovered in forests, fields, and beneath farmland. This week, as the world marks the 80th anniversary of World War II’s conclusion, the continued recovery efforts serve as a reminder that the war’s impact lingers not only in memory and history, but in physical remains still scattered across the continent. Martina Seiger, 57, whose grandfather Werner Novak was found and reburied a few years ago, regularly attends burial ceremonies like the one in Halbe. Novak was only 21 when he was killed in the war’s final weeks, with plans for marriage and a family tragically cut short. Many of the remains are hard to identify or locate, having been hastily buried in chaotic wartime conditions, often without markers or proper documentation. Some are buried under modern infrastructure or in inaccessible areas, including active war zones like parts of eastern Ukraine. Still, the Volksbund presses on, tracking clues from old maps, local accounts, and missing persons lists. When remains are recovered, they are transferred to cemeteries reserved for German soldiers who died abroad. The organization emphasizes its humanitarian aim — to ensure all who died, regardless of their role, receive dignified burials. It avoids glorifying the past, especially given the atrocities committed by the Nazi military. At the recent burial, 83-year-old Wolfgang Bartsch watched solemnly. He has never been able to bury his father, who was killed on the Russian front in 1942. Raised by his grandmother after his mother also died in an air raid, Bartsch continues to mourn the lack of closure. According to the Volksbund, over 2 million German soldiers remain missing. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, it has recovered over a million bodies. However, its work is not without criticism — some worry that honoring fallen Wehrmacht soldiers risks whitewashing the crimes of the Nazi regime. Yet leaders like Volksbund Secretary General Dirk Backen insist the organization’s goal is about human dignity. “Every person has a story,” he said. Standing before the grave of a young 18-year-old soldier, it’s impossible not to wonder what dreams that person had before the war took their life. In Poland, where deep wounds from the war remain, archaeologist Łukasz Karol helped exhume German soldiers’ remains with care. Despite initial hesitation due to Poland’s tragic wartime experience, he believes the work holds moral and scientific value: “They were also human beings. They deserve to be buried.” Today, few families actively search for missing relatives — time has dulled the emotional urgency. But for people like Bartsch, the need for closure hasn’t faded. “I still find no peace knowing so many are buried in unmarked graves,” he said. “If I could just bury my father, my heart would finally be at ease.”

The seventh season of Sweden’s popular slow TV series The Great Moose Migration wrapped up Sunday night after 20 days of continuous live broadcasting. Known in Swedish as Den stora älgvandringen, the show launched in 2019 and quickly gained a strong following, initially drawing nearly a million viewers. By 2024, viewership surged to 9 million on SVT Play, the streaming platform of Sweden’s national broadcaster SVT. The livestream concluded at 10 p.m. local time (2000GMT) on Sunday, having documented 70 moose crossing the Ångerman River during their annual journey to summer grazing lands, about 300 kilometers (187 miles) northwest of Stockholm. This year’s broadcast began on April 15—earlier than planned—due to unseasonably warm temperatures prompting earlier movement of the moose. Johan Erhag, the SVT project manager for the series, noted that this season generated 478 hours of footage, expressing satisfaction with the outcome in an email to the Associated Press on Saturday. Although detailed viewership statistics for 2025 were not yet available, Erhag estimated that around 30% of the audience came from outside Sweden. The show gained significant international media attention following an AP report published April 15, with coverage from outlets including The New York Times, CNN, Sky News, and France 24. “AP definitely played a crucial role in the show’s global success this year,” Erhag commented shortly before the final segment aired Sunday night. The series is set to return in spring 2026 for its eighth season. The Great Moose Migration is part of a broader "slow TV" movement that began in 2009, when Norway’s public broadcaster NRK aired a seven-hour real-time train journey across the country’s southern region. Since then, the genre has spread internationally. In one example, the Dutch city of Utrecht installed a livestream-enabled “fish doorbell” at a river lock, allowing viewers to notify officials when migrating fish are delayed.

The tallest and tiniest living dogs, according to Guinness World Records, recently had a playdate — and despite their extreme size difference, it played out like a typical dog park hangout, full of sniffing, tail wags, and playful running around. Reginald, a 7-year-old Great Dane from Idaho, and Pearl, a 4-year-old chihuahua from Florida, hold official records as the world’s tallest and shortest dogs. While Reginald, also known as Reggie, stands over 3 feet tall (3 feet 3 inches or 1 meter), Pearl is just 3.59 inches (9.14 cm) tall — about the size of an apple. Despite the staggering contrast in stature, the two bonded with ease. Pearl comes from a line of record-holding chihuahuas. Her late aunt, Millie, also held the title of the world’s shortest dog before passing away in 2020. Both Pearl and Millie weighed just one ounce at birth. “I never imagined I’d have another dog break the same record,” said Vanesa Semler, Pearl’s owner from Orlando, Florida. Guinness organized the two-day meet-up in Idaho Falls, where Reggie lives. Although Pearl has a fondness for dogs of all sizes, Semler admitted she was nervous due to Reginald’s towering presence. “To my surprise, Reggie was just like Pearl — but in giant form,” she said. “He’s incredibly gentle and friendly.” Reginald seemed more intrigued by the film crew than Pearl herself, according to his owner, Sam Johnson Reiss. “He’s a people dog more than a dog’s dog,” Reiss said. Reggie approached Pearl with caution, showing an awareness of her tiny frame. “He was careful not to step on her. He was alert and a little unsure.” Reggie’s remarkable height was evident from a young age — even at 9 months, he was taller than adult Great Danes at the dog park. Although the two dogs had minor disagreements over toys and beds, they eventually enjoyed exploring the Idaho farm together. “I think Pearl made a great new friend,” Semler said. Pearl, a true diva at heart, even chooses her outfits each day by placing a paw on her preferred clothes — something Semler says helps when media outlets request interviews. “She’s always been our diva. Now, she’s everyone’s diva.” But Pearl isn’t the only one with a flair for drama. Reiss admits that Reggie can be just as fussy. “He’s got diva tendencies too,” Reiss said. “Reggie’s cheeky, mischievous, and he definitely knows how to get what he wants.”

Financial markets are volatile. Consumer confidence is at its lowest level in five years. Economists say recession risks are rising. It all adds up to financial uncertainty for a lot of Americans. Roughly half of U.S. adults say that President Trump's trade policies will increase prices “a lot," according to a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center of Public Affairs Research. And about half of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the possibility of the U.S. economy going into a recession in the next few months. Matt Watson, CEO of Origin, a financial planning app, says it's a period of uncertainty for everyone, including experts. “No one has a crystal ball. No one, even the people that do this professionally and have done it very successfully for many years, know what’s going to happen,” he said. If you're worried about how economic uncertainty might affect you, here are some expert recommendations: Take stock of your finances The first step to preparing for uncertain financial times is knowing your starting point, Watson said. Look at your budget or your debit card expenses so you can understand how much you spend every month. “Take stock of where you are across a number of different categories,” Watson said. Looking at the state of your savings and investments can also provide you with an idea of your overall financial health. Find where you can cut back The more nonessential expenses you can pause, the more you can save for an emergency. “Your choice is really to cut now or cut later, so it's easier to cut now and have a cushion,” Watson said. If you're having difficulty finding where to cut back, Jim Weil, managing partner at Private Vista, a financial planning firm, recommends that you divide your expenses into three buckets: needs, wants and wishes. Wishes are larger expenses that can be postponed, such as a vacation to Europe. For the time being, cut back expenses from the wishes section until you feel like your finances are in a good place. Take care of your mental health Between news about tariffs and job losses, you might feel your anxiety rising. So, it's important that you protect your mental health while also caring about your finances, said Courtney Alev, consumer advocate at Credit Karma. Sometimes, reading too much news that can affect your finances can become overbearing and create more stress than you need. “It's good practice to stay informed but you don't want to let the news cycle consume you,” Alev said. If you find yourself feeling high levels of stress or anxiety when it comes to your finances, it's best to contact a professional who can assist you, such as a financial therapist. If looking for regular mental health services, most health insurance covers some type of mental health assistance. If you don't have health insurance, you can look for sliding-scale therapists around the country, including through FindTreatment.gov and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America directory. Focus on what you can control Rather than worrying too much on the economics of the entire country, Alev recommends that you focus on the aspects of your personal life that you can control in order to feel more confident in case there is a recession. “Identify any changes that you might need to make to have more of a safety net in place that could give you confidence,” Alev said. Things you can control include budgeting, creating an emergency fund and cutting unnecessary expenses. Create an emergency fund Whether you are worried about your job security or the high prices of goods, it's best that you sit down and reassess your budget to create an emergency fund. An emergency fund can feel unattainable if finances are already difficult, but having even a small amount of cash saved can make the difference, Alev said. Ideally, your emergency fund should amount to three to six months of expenses. Weil recommends you start thinking about any special commitments that you might have in the next year or two, such as college tuition or moving. If you are planning for a large financial commitment in the near future, Weil recommends that you plan to build a larger emergency fund. Do monthly finance check-ins Alev recommends regularly adjusting your budget to keep your financial goals on track. Monthly budget check-ins can help identify when you are overspending or if your needs change. “A budget is only as good as it is to help you actually make decisions, so don't be afraid to update and adapt your budget as the months go by,” Alev said. Choose which type of debt to tackle first Many Americans struggle with debt, whether it's credit card debt or student loan debt, which limits their ability to save. But, if you want to create an emergency fund while also tackling your debt, it will take some prioritization. “I would think about different kinds of debt differently," Weil said, adding that you can place debt in three buckets: short-, medium- and long-term debt. Weil recommends that you prioritize paying off high-interest debt such as your credit card. By making extra payments or paying over the minimum payment, you will be able to pay it off quicker. Student loan debt and long-term debt such as a mortgage can be tackled with more modest payments while you focus on creating an emergency fund. If you have credit card debt and you can't make too much progress in paying it down, Alev recommends you try to eliminate or reduce the amount of credit you use. Don't panic about your investments While the stock market has had some bad days, it's best that you are not reactive to the market. If you have investments, especially in retirement vehicles such as your 401(k), it's best not to make rushed decisions, Alev said. “You really want to try not to panic. It can be unnerving but most likely, you should have time to make that up,” she added. If you're closer to retirement, Alev recommends that you look into more conservative investments.

After spending six months aboard China’s space station, three Chinese astronauts safely returned to Earth on Wednesday. Their landing capsule made a gradual descent using a red-and-white parachute and touched down in Dongfeng, located in northern Inner Mongolia near the Gobi Desert. The return was postponed by a day due to poor weather conditions, including strong winds and limited visibility, which are common during the spring sandstorm season in the region. Astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze had been stationed at the Tiangong space station since their launch in October. On Tuesday, they officially handed over operations of the station to a newly arrived crew. Amazon launches its first internet satellites to compete against SpaceX's Starlinks The Shenzhou 20 spacecraft, which delivered the new crew, also brought scientific equipment for research in space life sciences, microgravity physics, and technological advancements for the space station. Tiangong, meaning “Heavenly Palace,” represents China’s growing role in global space exploration. Constructed entirely by China following its exclusion from the International Space Station over U.S. national security concerns, the station enables long-term scientific research in orbit. Operated by the People’s Liberation Army, the Chinese space program continues to expand. During their mission, the astronauts contributed to the station's development and research activities. Notably, Cai and Song completed a record-setting nine-hour spacewalk, according to China's space agency. China’s ambitions in space are rapidly advancing. The country has already deployed a rover on Mars and landed a probe on the moon's far side. It plans to send astronauts to the moon before 2030.  

Witje, a 4-month-old gray seal, glides effortlessly through his new habitat, occasionally stopping to look through a viewing window at onlookers. Orphaned and brought in with a swollen flipper and eye injury, he now lives at the newly opened World Heritage Center (WEC) in Lauwersoog, a seal rescue and rehabilitation facility in northern Netherlands. The WEC replaces the long-established Pieterburen Seal Center, which opened in 1971. The new facility, built at a cost of over €40 million (around $45 million), is better equipped and located closer to the Wadden Sea — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — which provides a more natural environment for the seals. Curator Sander van Dijk says the center treats around 200 seals each year, many of them orphaned pups or animals injured by human activity, such as entanglement in fishing nets or boat collisions. “We’ve seen a steady increase in seals caught in marine debris over the past 15 years,” he noted. Witje now swims in seawater, rather than tap water, to better mimic his natural habitat and aid healing, as saltwater helps wounds close more quickly. The WEC can care for about 70 seals at once and includes 12 intensive-care units for severely injured animals. These specialized enclosures limit swimming to help seals rest and reduce the risk of infection through frequent cleaning. The facility is not just a rescue center — it also serves as an educational hub. Visitors can learn about the Wadden Sea, the world’s largest uninterrupted tidal flat system, which spans the coastlines of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. Currently home to 10 seals, the WEC offers panoramic views of the sea. Staff hope Witje will soon be healthy enough to return to the wild.

In 2024, more Chinese adults turned to digital formats for reading, with a noticeable rise in the use of mobile phones and audio platforms, according to a national survey on reading habits. The survey, conducted by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication, was presented at the Fourth National Conference on Reading in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. Findings show that 78.7% of adults read digital content on their phones, and 38.5% listened to audiobooks — both figures representing year-on-year increases. In 2023, on average, adults in China read 4.79 physical books and 3.5 e-books, with both numbers rising compared to the previous year. Sun Shoushan, head of the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association, noted that advancements in digital technology and supportive policies have fueled growth in both the scale and reach of digital reading in the country. He added that digital reading has become a regular part of daily life in China, evolving from a niche activity into a widespread habit, with a diverse reading ecosystem now catering to all age groups and settings. Another report from the conference revealed that digital reading users in China reached 670 million in 2024, a 17.52% increase from the previous year. China's digital reading market also saw strong financial growth, with revenue reaching 66.14 billion yuan (approximately 9 billion USD), up 16.65% compared to 2023.