3 mins read

Heat forces yodelers at annual Swiss festival to sing in fountains

BASEL, Switzerland | City fountains became impromptu rehearsal spaces this weekend as yodelers at a festival in Basel, Switzerland, squeezed in last-minute practice while cooling off during Europe’s June heat wave. At one fountain, a folk band dipped their toes in the water on Saturday, as festivalgoers clapped along or cooled their hands under the […]

9 mins read

How some in Palestinian diaspora find connection, identity and resilience in traditional embroidery

Decades later, Samar Kabouli still fondly recalls gathering with women in her family and sipping cardamom-spiced coffee as they embroidered fabric with colorful threads in traditional Palestinian patterns. Born in Lebanon to Palestinian refugees, Kabouli had never seen her parents’ homeland. But more than just making pretty designs, the threads in her needle were stitching […]

5 mins read

This Stars and Stripes Pie is designed to wow on the Fourth of July

For the Stars and Stripes Pie in my cookbook, “50 Pies, 50 States,” I wanted something that would be a showstopper at any Fourth of July barbecue. I got fancy, using foil as a divider when filling the pie to mimic the color blocking of the flag. I used two fillings — strawberry and blueberry […]

7 mins read

Gender-bending is now part of menswear. Paris runways show how mainstream it has become

PARIS | This was men’s fashion season. The women were everywhere. They walked the coed Paris runways at Amiri and Ami. At Vetements, women modeled many of the “menswear” looks, and Sharon Stone closed the show in thigh-high boots. Inside fashion, none of this was eyebrow-raising. The gender blur was not happening on the margins. […]

3 mins read

Get a load of this: Humans and great apes share similar giggles

NEW YORK | Humans and great apes have been giggling in similar ways since branching off the evolutionary tree, a new study suggests. How do we know this? Researchers tickled 13 captive apes — including gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees and bonobos — and recorded the results. The new research reexamined those decades-old recordings and compared them […]

6 mins read

Shiite Muslims mark holy day of Ashoura after months of war in Iran and Lebanon

BEIRUT | Shiite Muslims around the world on Thursday marked Ashoura, a holy day symbolizing sacrifice and martyrdom that holds special significance for many this year after months of war in Iran and Lebanon. Ashoura commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in A.D. 680 Imam […]

8 mins read

AI is an energy and water hog, here’s what you can do to counter that

WASHINGTON | As the world tries to curb human-caused climate change and not run dry of water, every online query is increasing our environmental footprint and exacerbating the problem. Artificial intelligence and the data centers they require use growing amounts of energy and are water hogs — and AI companies aren’t transparent about how much […]

4 mins read

When a rip current sucks you out to sea, try not to panic

SAN DIEGO | To someone who is getting sucked out to sea by a rip current, “Don’t panic!” may be difficult to heed, even if that’s exactly what you should do. But lifeguards say to not only relax but flip over and float out of the danger. Rip currents are one of the coast’s greatest […]

8 mins read

What is the 2026 song of the summer? AP offers some predictions

NEW YORK | What is 2026’s song of the summer? There’s no easy answer. Algorithmic division is certainly a factor in why there isn’t an obvious pick this year. Where have the songs like “Despacito” in 2017 or “Old Town Road” in 2019 gone? Last year, some even wondered if Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” — a […]

7 mins read

The world of extreme pogo is an eye-popping blend of artistry, courage and ‘mystical zest’

PITTSBURGH | The greatest day of Michael Mena’s life as a professional athlete ended with a pair of world championships that the 33-year-old had spent the better part of two decades chasing. Asked how becoming the best in his chosen sport — for a day anyway — was going to go over back at the […]