8 mins read

Trump keeps embracing data centers even as they become toxic in midterm races

WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump, speaking alongside cryptocurrency leaders at the White House this week, made a statement that Republican and Democratic candidates alike wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole. “If I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a chance to get a big plant in, […]

5 mins read

Prince Harry and 6 others must pay initial $13 million over failed invasion of privacy case

LONDON | Prince Harry and six others, including Elton John, have been ordered to pay an initial 9.5 million pounds ($13 million) to the publisher of Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper following their failed invasion of privacy case. In a judgment Friday, Justice Matthew Nicklin said in a written statement that the payment to Associated Newspapers […]

7 mins read

How to help your kids make friends at a new school

For students starting at a new school, the first day holds many questions: Will they see any familiar faces? Who will they sit with at lunch? Who will they play with at recess? “I’m this much nervous,” said Iman Fair-Seldon, 5, holding her hands about 4 inches (10 centimeters) apart. Iman will start first grade […]

8 mins read

Schools are starting to teach AI literacy. For many, that means helping kids see chatbots’ flaws

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. | Artificial intelligence chatbots have become the bane of teachers everywhere, but to prepare for the new school year, a group of educators in Charleston, South Carolina, packed into a high school auditorium and talked about inviting AI into the classroom. The teachers and principals watched as an instructor prompted an AI […]

6 mins read

One lesbian couple’s winding path to marriage leads to a historic first in Bolivia

SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia | Like many newlyweds, Fabiana Justiniano and Scarlett Rocha grow misty-eyed when they reminisce about their wedding day: racing from the civil registry to get their hair and makeup done, dancing in their white dresses late into the night with more than a hundred friends and relatives. “We didn’t expect it to […]

5 mins read

Inside one of the world’s few crash courses in conserving and caring for ancient papyrus manuscripts

ANN ARBOR, Mich. | Shijin Jiang pulled the precision binocular headband magnifier over her eyes and hunched down within a few inches of the ancient text resting on a light board. Using a pair of hand tools, Shijin carefully inspected the sheet made from the papyrus plant, proceeding with the utmost care. After all, it […]

2 mins read

Togo detains French filmmakers over alleged immigration violations, advocacy group says

LOMÉ, Togo | Two French documentary filmmakers and their Togolese fixer have been jailed in Togo after more than three weeks in custody in the West African nation, an advocacy group said Thursday, amid strained relations between the government and French media. Reporters Without Borders said that filmmakers Gaël Mocaër and Sebastian Perez Pezzani and […]

2 mins read

Swiss tourist sentenced to a year in jail for insulting Bali’s sacred Day of Silence

DENPASAR, Indonesia | A court on the Indonesian resort island of Bali sentenced a Swiss tourist on Thursday to one year in prison for insulting a sacred Balinese Hindu observance. Luzian Andrin Zgraggen, 26, was found guilty of violating Indonesia’s new criminal code by posting social media messages about the Day of Silence, when people […]

3 mins read

Read our big scoop: Ice-cream cones, the ingenious invention of American immigrants

DETROIT | Read this quickly, before it melts. Ice cream was a rare and expensive treat for centuries because of the difficulty of storing ice. In the summer of 1790, President George Washington spent $200 on ice cream, the equivalent of $7,259 today, according to the International Dairy Foods Association. By the 1800s, inventions like […]

5 mins read

Chinese Valentine’s Day is rooted in legend and tradition, not just romance

BEIJING | Chinese Valentine’s Day is not all about flowers and chocolates. Beyond the romance embraced by some contemporary couples, Qixi is an ancient tradition rooted in legend, prayer and cultural activities that survive to this day. The festival is observed on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar, which fell […]