6 mins read

Cut the number of choices you make each day. Your brain will thank you

Jeans that fit perfectly. The ideal Netflix show for a Tuesday night. Your one and only soulmate. Modern life promises that with enough options, you will happily find the best of everything. But behavioral scientists say the increasing flood of choices — whether it comes to shopping, social lives or relationships — is doing the […]

5 mins read

A centuries-old festival in Japan brings Shinto traditions and towering floats to the streets

KYOTO, Japan | There’s a special moment when Katsushi Horikawa feels closer to the gods. It comes as he rides atop one of the towering floats pulled through the streets in a centuries-old procession in Japan. This is the Gion Matsuri festival, born more than 1,000 years ago as a ritual to ward off epidemics […]

4 mins read

Japanese beetle advances through northern Italy’s vineyards and orchards, frustrating farmers

DONNAS, Italy | The iridescent green beetles native to Japan have become a growing menace in Italy, swarming through orchards and vineyards and leaving behind devastating lattice patterns in leaves that weaken the plants and reduce production. The Popillia japonica, or Japanese beetle, is a familiar pest in the United States, where it arrived more […]

7 mins read

DNA from bones on a Revolutionary War battlefield solves the case of ‘America’s oldest John Doe’

After 246 years, Pvt. John Pumphrey is unknown no more. Through DNA testing and old-fashioned sleuthing, the Maryland teenager who died in one of the last big battles of the American Revolution can now take his place in history, just in time for the 250th birthday of the nation he fought to create. “There was […]

5 mins read

Iranian official meets mediators in Pakistan as Iran and US keep up a 10th day of attacks

ISLAMABAD | An Iranian official began meetings Tuesday with mediators in Pakistan as diplomats sought to salvage the collapsed interim deal between Iran and the United States, even as both countries continued to launch attacks for a 10th day of renewed fighting. The visit by Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni comes as Pakistan has intensified […]

5 mins read

What to Stream: Charli xcx, ‘The Dink,’ ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ and ’72 Hours’

Charli xcx’s new album and a pickleball movie starring Jake Johnson are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: the “Big Bang Theory” spin-off “Stuart Fails to Save the […]

5 mins read

Not Greek to them. Scholars question Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’

NEW YORK | For Greek translator Emily Wilson, the release of director Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” has been gratifying in various ways. Her acclaimed 2017 edition of Homer’s epic has reached the top 5 on Amazon.com, leading a wave of similar books boosted by the movie. Nolan has even cited her translation, notably the opening […]

2 mins read

Toronto International Film Festival sets lineup with films by Chris Rock, Peter Farrelly

NEW YORK | The Toronto International Film Festival unveiled the bulk of the lineup to its 51st edition on Monday, setting world premieres for Chris Rock’s drama “Misty Green” and Peter Farrelly’s Sylvester Stallone film “I Play Rocky.” TIFF, North America’s largest film festival, annually hosts some of the fall’s most anticipated titles. On Monday, […]

4 mins read

How to keep babies safe when temperatures soar

Infants, toddlers and young children need outdoor activity to build strong bodies and minds, but they also require extra care in the heat. In the summer months, those twin imperatives can make parents anxious. How long should kids be out? How do I know they’re OK? What should I avoid? Human-caused climate change is making […]