Damian Lewis herds sheep over a London bridge in homage to a medieval tradition

Damian Lewis herds sheep over a London bridge in homage to a medieval tradition

LONDON — Actor Damian Lewis drove a flock of sheep across the River Thames on Sunday in homage to a centuries-old tradition. Lewis is among thousands of people granted the honorary title of Freeman of the City of London, which in medieval times came with the right to bring livestock across the river to market … Read more

This Brazilian dog is a footvolley star. He teaches beachgoers how to play their own game

This Brazilian dog is a footvolley star. He teaches beachgoers how to play their own game

RIO DE JANEIRO — Rio de Janeiro’s main beaches bustle with commotion on sunny weekends. But activity ground to a near standstill on one stretch of sand. People held up their phones to record athletic feats they’d never before witnessed, or even imagined. The game? Footvolley, a combination of soccer and beach volleyball. The athlete? … Read more

El Comandante Hernández leads ‘Tree Army’ in defense of Mexico City’s trees

El Comandante Hernández leads ‘Tree Army’ in defense of Mexico City’s trees

MEXICO CITY — Scooting on his electric skateboard through a southern Mexico City neighborhood, Arturo Hernández spots a likely target for his next action and uploads a photo to social media calling his followers to help. A couple of days later, he and several of them are swinging sledgehammers at a thick layer of concrete … Read more

Late French film star Alain Delon wanted his dog buried with him. The dog gets to live

Late French film star Alain Delon wanted his dog buried with him. The dog gets to live

PARIS — Before he died this week, French film icon Alain Delon once suggested he wanted his beloved sheepdog Loubo buried with him. To the relief of animal lovers around France, Loubo will be allowed to survive. Delon, an internationally acclaimed and prolific actor and producer, died Sunday, aged 88, and will be buried on … Read more

Pin-demonium hits Paris: Inside the pin-trading market at the Olympics

Pin-demonium hits Paris: Inside the pin-trading market at the Olympics

PARIS — On the other side of the Atlantic from Wall Street, a market — more wholesome than cutthroat — has sprung up at the Paris Olympics. The commodity at the center of it all? Pins. The city has seen an influx of collectors from all over the world, each eager to begin or expand … Read more

Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago wins his first men’s title at annual Nathan’s hot dog eating contest.

Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago wins his first men’s title at annual Nathan’s hot dog eating contest.

NEW YORK — Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago has won his first men’s title at the annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest. Bertoletti won by consuming 58 hot dogs in a tight, 10-minute race where the leader bounced back and forth. He surpassed his personal best of 55 hot dogs. Bertoletti, 39, … Read more

An Arizona museum tells the stories of ancient animals through their fossilized poop

An Arizona museum tells the stories of ancient animals through their fossilized poop

WILLIAMS, Ariz. — One way to help tell how a Tyrannosaurus rex digested food is to look at its poop. Bone fragments in a piece of fossilized excrement at a new museum in northern Arizona — aptly called the Poozeum — are among the tinier bits of evidence that indicate T. rex wasn’t much of … Read more

A street in The Hague gets an all-encompassing orange facelift for Euro 2024

A street in The Hague gets an all-encompassing orange facelift for Euro 2024

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The fluttering of 64 kilometers (40 miles) of orange bunting and a hammer driving a nail into a wall to hold up orange tarps are the sounds of a Dutch summer of soccer in a normally drab suburban street in The Hague. The Marktweg is one of several streets in the … Read more

This NYC vet makes house calls. In ‘Pets and the City,’ she’s penned a memoir full of tails

This NYC vet makes house calls. In ‘Pets and the City,’ she’s penned a memoir full of tails

NEW YORK — As a city kid, Amy Attas had big dreams of roaming the countryside, healing animals a la James Herriot’s classic “All Creatures Great and Small.” How did it go? Well, the veterinarian made it from Queens to Manhattan, spending the last 32 years traversing the streets of her hometown as a full-time … Read more

This NYC vet makes house calls. In ‘Pets and the City,’ she’s penned a memoir full of tails

This NYC vet makes house calls. In ‘Pets and the City,’ she’s penned a memoir full of tails

NEW YORK — As a city kid, Amy Attas had big dreams of roaming the countryside, healing animals a la James Herriot’s classic “All Creatures Great and Small.” How did it go? Well, the veterinarian made it from Queens to Manhattan, spending the last 32 years traversing the streets of her hometown as a full-time … Read more