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The Cloud Has Sound: The Unrelenting and Unseen Cost of A.I. Data Centers

17 June 2026 at 15:59
As tech giants rush to build infrastructure, some residents who live near data centers say a constant low-frequency vibration is ruining their health and homes.

© Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe, via Getty Images

A 350,000-square-foot data center in Lowell, Mass., is abutted by homes. The site was once the Lowell Bleachery and Dye Works, and then for six decades the Prince Spaghetti factory.

China’s Spending Slowdown Deepens as Households Tighten Their Belts

16 June 2026 at 05:19
The unexpected decline in retail sales underscored China’s growing reliance on exports to sustain economic growth as domestic demand continues to falter.

© Qilai Shen for The New York Times

Retail sales dropped 0.6 percent in May from the same month a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday.
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