Strauss' 'Blue Danube' waltz is launching into space to mark his 200th birthday

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Strauss' “Blue Danube” waltz is heading into space this month to mark the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth. The European Space Agency's big dish antenna in Spain will beam the waltz into the cosmos as it's performed by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. The celestial send-off on May 31 will also celebrate the space agency's founding 50 years ago. The radio signals will hurtle away at the speed of light. Within 23 hours, the signals will be as far from Earth as NASA's Voyager 1, the world's most distant spacecraft some 15 billion miles away.

Publix recalls baby food pouches after testing finds elevated levels of lead

The Publix supermarket chain is recalling fruit and vegetable baby food because testing found elevated levels of lead. Publix recalled Greenwise Pear, Kiwi, Spinach & Pea Baby Food, sold in 4-ounce plastic pouches. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted the recall notice late Thursday. The pouches were sold in more than 1,400 stores. The contamination was flagged by officials in North Carolina, the state that first identified an outbreak of lead in baby food that sickened more than 500 U.S. children in 2023.

As more Argentines go childless, pampered dogs become part of the family

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's capital of Buenos Aires has among the most pet owners per capita in the world. The country's rising passion for dogs has coincided with falling human fertility. In Buenos Aires, statistics show residents increasingly prefer pups to kids: The city is home to almost 33,000 more tail-wagging tenants than children under the age of 14 as a growing number of residents opt to stay childless in a country notorious for its economic instability. Even libertarian President Javier Milei moved into the government house not with a spouse and children, but with the English mastiffs that he calls his “four-legged children.” A growing tendency to treat dogs like kids is changing Buenos Aires.

Hot diggity dog! Wienermobiles put on riveting race in Wienie 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The top dog in a race among the six iconic Wienermobiles from Oscar Mayer proved to be the one representing the Southeast. The hot dog-on-wheels known as Slaw Dog passed the Wienermobile representing Chicago at the finish line to win the inaugural Wienie 500 on Carb Day, the final day of practice ahead of Sunday's running of the Indianapolis 500. It was one of the rare times in which all six Wienermobiles in the Oscar Mayer fleet were in one place at one time.

Billion dollar pizza? Bitcoin soars on key anniversary of crypto's growth

It’s not an official holiday – yet – but for many cryptocurrency enthusiasts “Bitcoin Pizza Day” is still special. Thursday marks the 15th anniversary of the first known use of cryptocurrency to buy real-world goods. The 10,000 bitcoin that software developer Laszlo Hanyecz paid for two Papa John’s pizzas delivered to his Florida home on May 22, 2010, were worth about $41 at the time. Today they’re worth $1.1 billion, as bitcoin hits record high prices. Several cryptocurrency companies are announcing promotions and other celebrations to mark Bitcoin Pizza Day..

Bored with manicured lawns, some homeowners adopt No Mow May all year long

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Whether it's No Mow May or Let It Bloom June or Leave The Leaves, homeowners are finding more ways to adopt a low mow lifestyle instead of keeping up with short, manicured lawns. Supporters say the taller grass and flowers provide a habitat for pollinators and insects during crucial spring months, while also improving water retention in the soil. The No Mow May trend also has its detractors who say it's a temporary help if done only once a year and invasive weeds are likely to take over if not pruned back. In Nashville, homeowner Brandon Griffith said he was just tired of mowing when he stopped and waited to see what came up in his yard. Now his wild yard is full of insects, lizards, birds and butterflies, along with flowers and grasses.

Tennessee man is executed for killing his wife and her 2 sons, 3 years after last-minute reprieve

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee has executed Oscar Smith for the 1989 murder of his estranged wife, Judith Smith, and her sons, Jason and Chad Burnett. Smith was executed by lethal injection on Thursday morning three years after the 75-year-old was spared by a last-minute reprieve in 2022. It turned out that the lethal drugs had not been properly tested. An investigation found that testing was just one of numerous problems plaguing Tennessee’s executions. The state unveiled a new execution protocol in December. Smith was one of several inmates who sued over the new protocol. A trial in that case is set for next January.

Record floodwaters in eastern Australia leave 3 dead and 1 missing

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian officials say record floodwaters on the country's east coast have left three people dead and one missing, as more heavy rain is forecast in the area. More than 500 people have been rescued in the flooding emergency in New South Wales state north of Sydney. The area has been hit with heavy rain since Tuesday. The flooding exceeds local records set in 1929. News South Wales Premier Christopher Minns said some areas were forecast to receive as much as 1 foot of rain in the next 24 hours. He said 50,000 people were warned to prepare to evacuate or be isolated by floodwaters, telling reporters: “We are bracing for more bad news.”

NASA's Mars Perseverance snaps a selfie as a Martian dust devil blows by

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The latest selfie by NASA's Perseverance rover at Mars has captured an unexpected guest: a Martian dust devil. The twirling dust devil popped up a few miles behind the rover during this month's photo shoot. The selfie was released Wednesday. It's a composite of 59 images taken by the camera on the end of the rover's arm. Perseverance is covered with red dust in the picture, the result of drilling into dozens of rocks over the past four years. It's collecting samples at an ancient lakebed and river delta for eventual return to Earth.

Microsoft fires employee who interrupted CEO's speech to protest AI tech for Israeli military

SEATTLE (AP) — Microsoft has fired an employee who interrupted a speech by CEO Satya Nadella to protest the company’s work supplying the Israeli military with technology used for the war in Gaza. Software engineer Joe Lopez could be heard shouting at Nadella in the opening minutes Monday of the tech giant’s annual Build developer conference in Seattle before getting escorted out of the room. Lopez’s outburst was the first of several pro-Palestinian disruptions at the event that has drawn thousands of software developers to the Seattle Convention Center this week. At least three talks by executives were disrupted.