The case centers around a decision by the Montgomery County School Board to end opt-out requests and notice requirements for the reading and discussion of storybooks that feature LGBTQ characters.

The case sets up another clash involving LGBTQ rights and religious rights.

It's unclear whether the Supreme Court will hear arguments in its current term, which ends this summer , or its next term.

John Beck , chairman of Toronto -based Aecon Group , makes $ 100,000 donation to Windsor university .

Beck was impressed with Assumption University’s work in building bridges with various faith traditions.

Beck is the founder and chairman of construction and infrastructure development company.

Assumption was the first Catholic university in the world to affiliate with Canterbury College , an Anglican college.

Labor Department says QSI employed 54 children at 13 meatpacking plants in eight states on overnight shifts sanitizing industrial carving and slicing machines.

QSI disputes the way the Department describes the problem and points out that investigators weren't able to find any current juvenile workers.

Earlier this week , Perdue Farms agreed to pay $4 million after children were found working at one of its chicken processing plants in Virginia .

Perdue was employing children at a Virginia plant using dangerous knives and other tools to slaughter chicken.

The JBS agreement didn't include a finding that children were working directly for that company.

The Labor Department has more than 1,000 open child labor investigations it is pursuing.

Companies are also expected to set up hotlines where people can report any child labor concerns.

President Joe Biden pardons nearly 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders.

Biden is now the president with the highest number of pardons in history.

He did not provide additional details as to the exact number of people affected by the pardons.

In the 1980s , Biden supported several bills that increased penalties for drug users.

Bereaved parents have called for urgent review into maternity safety in Leeds .

BBC investigation found deaths of at least 56 babies and two mothers may have been prevented.

NHS Trust says vast majority of births at its two maternity units were safe.

But two whistleblowers have told the BBC they believe the units are unsafe.

The U.S. Space Force will participate in a presidential inauguration for the first time.

Representing the military branch will be 45 Guardians .

The Space Force was founded in 2019 , during President-elect Donald Trump's first term.

It's the first new branch of the military since the Air Force was established in 1947 .

IPCC's next report will be published in 202829 , the world will have possibly breached 1.5C warmer than the pre-industrial era for a few years .

Food systems are a major contributor to climate change, accounting for about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Agricultural losses from climate-related disasters totaled US$3.8 trillion in the past 30 years .

A 2C increase in temperatures will worsen already serious long-term food insecurity in many countries.

Attack happened Thursday when trucks carrying food, medicine and other relief supplies were heading to Kurram , a district hit by sectarian violence.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which has been the scene of violence between Shiite and Sunni tribes since July 2024 .

The area has a history of sectarian conflict, with militants previously targeting minority Shiites .

Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools.

Title IX requires schools to provide equal opportunity to all student-athletes.

Agency says it will take into account disparities brought by "nondiscriminatory" factors.

University of Oregon faces a lawsuit seeking class action certification and alleging Title IX violations.

China 's population fell for the third straight year in 2024 , falling by almost 1.4 million to 1.408 billion.

Japan 's population has been falling for 15 years , while South Korea's growth turned negative in 2021 .

In Italy , the number of births has fallen below 400,000 for the first time since the 19th century .

Globally, the population of 8.2 billion people is still growing, with the U.N. projecting it will reach 10.3 billion in roughly 60 years .

That was enough to boost the total population ever so slightly -- by 0.2% to 51.8 million people. Of those, 9.5 million are 65 or older. The demographic trends have sparked concern about labor shortages and strains on the government budget. ___ Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed..