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A boy works in a coal mine north of Kabul. Afghanistan's state-run coal industry is going strong in an otherwise shattered economy. Many underage workers are the ones who are extracting the coal.

In Afghanistan, coal mining relies on the labor of children

Since the return of the Taliban, Afghanistan's coal exports have increased — and so has child labor. At a coal mine in Baghlan province, boys earn between $3 and $8 for a day's work.

This illustration shows the James Webb Space Telescope as it might appear as it orbits the sun, about a million miles away from Earth.

NASA once again declines to rename the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA says an extensive review of historical records found no evidence that Webb ever led or supported purges of government employees who were gay. But some astronomers think that's a pretty low bar.

People wearing protective face masks walk through the Itaewon district in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, April 24, 2020.

Here's why Seoul's Itaewon district was so packed ahead of the deadly crowd surge

Itaewon was the location of a deadly stampede in Seoul Saturday night. Some 100,000 people were estimated to have passed through the area.

The Jim Bridger coal plant in Point of Rocks, Wyo., powers more than a million homes across six Western states. It consumes more water than any other coal plant in the West, according to the federal government.

Drought threatens coal plant operations — and electricity — across the West

The Western drought and shrinking Colorado River basin threaten operations at the region's coal plants. With a looming risk of blackouts, it's unclear who is overseeing this threat on the ground.

A woman wears a face shield to protect against COVID-19 at a taxi stand in Soweto, South Africa, where an omicron variant is causing a COVID-19 surge.

If you've had omicron before, are you safe from infection by the new variants?

New versions of omicron are circulating in the United States and South Africa. Two new studies shed light on the potential for future surges — and the risk factor if you've already had omicron.

A copy of <em>The Birmingham News</em> rests on a rack at the downtown public library in Birmingham, Ala. The company that runs the newspaper and two sister papers says it will permanently stop print publication after Feb. 26, 2023.

For 3 big Alabama newspapers, the presses are grinding to a halt

The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times and Mobile's Press-Register will soon go all-digital. In Birmingham, where people have been reading the paper since the late 1800s, the news hasn't been easy.

LaDonna Speiser has been working four days a week since February. She says she's not ready to give it up.

More companies are trying out the 4-day workweek. But it might not be for everyone

For some workers, the four-day workweek has been a dream and helped restore their work/life balance. Others say it doesn't create as much flexibility as it might seem.

Lebanese activists gather outside a local bank in support of Abed Soubra, who stormed the branch demanding access to his own accounts, in Beirut on Sept 16. Lebanese police detained Soubra after he entered the bank and, armed with a gun, demanded access to his deposits. It was the third such incident in Lebanon that week alone.

People in Lebanon are robbing banks and staging sit-ins to access their own savings

Lebanon's banks froze accounts three years ago amid an economic collapse. Now, under increasingly desperate circumstances, people are resorting to extreme measures to access their savings accounts.

File photo of Justice Patricia Guerrero reacting after being confirmed to the Supreme Court of California by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, Tuesday, March 22, 2022, in San Francisco.

Newsom picks 1st Latina state Supreme Court chief justice

Patricia Guerrero's nomination must first be confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments and then by voters in the November general election.

Low's Mimi Parker (left) and Alan Sparhawk backstage at Merriweather Post Pavilion in 2007.

Low's Mimi Parker had a voice that let the light in

Parker's crystalline vocals and spare percussion gave Low's sound a grounding force and a leavening agent all at once. She died Saturday, but her voice is eternal.

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