Marine ecosystem: More than 48 pounds (21 kilograms) of plastic — including disposable dishes, shopping bags and a detergent packet with its bar code still visible — were found inside a dead pregnant sperm whale that washed ashore on the northern Italian island of Sardinia, the latest reminder of the marine toll of plastic waste.

Quebec: A proposed law in the Canadian province would bar public sector employees in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols, including the Muslim head scarf, the Jewish skullcap or the Sikh turban. The proposal has sparked widespread backlash.

Sweden: An off-duty, naked police officer who was at a sauna arrested a fugitive last week who was sitting next to him — also naked. The situation “was as stripped down as it gets,” said a deputy police chief in Stockholm.

The Arctic: The findings of the only test well ever drilled in Alaska’s Arctic refuge have been closely guarded for three decades. Was it dry or a gusher? Our reporters found answers in Cleveland, Ohio.

Mars: The planet periodically emits methane, a finding that has been perplexing scientists around the world because, on Earth, the gas is usually produced by living creatures.

Equal Pay Day: Women in the U.S. had to have worked until April 2 this year to earn what their male counterparts did in 2018, according to a pay equity group. The Times’s gender team breaks down some of the myths about unequal pay.