Passion or politics? History or heritage? Choosing a World Cup Team to back can be fraught.

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• Frenchy’s, the beloved Eastern Canadian thrift shop, is now a musical
• Legally Blonde at 25: How Elle Woods inspired a generation of female lawyers
• How Charlie Watts helped define rock and roll
• Remembering Total Eclipse of The Heart singer Bonnie Tyler
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.

With many parts of Canada under extreme heat warnings this week, it’s hard not to think about what took place in B.C. five years ago when 619 people died from the heat. Those deaths included Melanie Cheng’s cousin, Beverley. Melanie is now calling for more action to better protect communities in the future.

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• Snail mail is back! Why people will pay to receive physical letters 
• An actor who sold his avatar to TikTok speaks out against "predatory" contracts
• A new musical about the Canadian women who were furniture factory workers by day and championship ball players by night
• Why Canada's loon is the hot new backup singer

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• Former U.S. soccer player charts a history of sportswashing, from Mussolini to Trump
• A Manitoba Pride group turned a vandalized billboard into a successful protest campaign
• Cory Doctorow's new book challenges us to think about AI before it's too late
• Palestinian architect curates an exhibit based on what his family lost in the Nakba
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.

How scientists overcame the challenge of 16 host cities spread across three climatic zones. 

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• Mechanical AI humanoids may bump human labourers off the line sooner than you think
• Reviewing Toy Story 5, the latest installment in a beloved 30-year-old franchise
• What a super-charged El Niño could mean for geopolitics
• Becky Toyne’s 2026 list of the best summer reads
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.

Also, Elon Musk is now the world's first trillionaire.

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• Why changing teens' relationship with social media requires a culture shift, not a ban
• How ugly, alienating office spaces became the star of the hit horror movie Backrooms
• Serena Williams’ return to tennis has sparked a conversation about the use of GLP-1 drugs in sports
• How unmanned drones could change wildfire season in Canada
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz

Emina Kapo is braced for an emotional and bittersweet match between her two countries on June 12, and promises the Bosnian diaspora will party whatever the result. 

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• What countries can learn from Ukraine's innovative combat style
• A new documentary explores IKEA's alleged ties to Romania's 'Timber Mafia' 
• Examining the unfolding drama at 60 Minutes 
• The new book from the author of Hamnet is another rich historical fiction, but should you read it?
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz

An economist says the price at the pumps has little to do with war or market forces

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• One Canadian's story of being captured and detained by Israeli forces on board a Gaza-bound flotilla
• Why ads for burgers, cars and vacations have disappeared from Amsterdam's streets
• How comedian Scarlet Chen turned cultural whiplash into comedy gold
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz

Ehab Lotayef was one of 12 Canadians aboard a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli forces on international waters. While detained, Lotayef says he was beaten, abused, and stabbed in the hand by a prison guard. Israel has denied the allegations, but the Canadian government is calling for an investigation.

Why local discussions about data centres are becoming more contentious.

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• How fungi thriving in scorched earth could help landscapes recover from wildfires
• Why strippers in Montreal are taking labour action on one of the busiest weekends of the year
• Inside the vast scam centres of Southeast Asia -- and the human trafficking schemes that help them run
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.

Meet the Muppet designer who created Montreal's beloved mascot, Youppi!

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• It’s been a huge week for the PWHL. So why are the games so hard to find on TV?
• Comedian Matt Lieb says Israel’s campaign to win Eurovision speaks volumes about state propaganda
• It’s not your imagination; stolen food really does taste better
• American military historian says hubris leads to failed campaigns, from Vietnam to Iran
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.