National Lifestyle

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Feb. 25-March 2: Feb. 25: Actor Ann McCrea (“The Donna Reed Show”) is 93. Actor Tom Courtenay (“Dr. Zhivago”) is 87. CBS newsman Bob Schieffer is 87. Actor Diane Baker is 86.

It’s a common misconception that the best soups require long ingredient lists and hours of simmering. In fact, just a handful of high-flavor items can be transformed into an umami-bomb of a soup in just 45 minutes.

The passage of time feels like it creeps, then pounces: Suddenly, party conversation focuses on real estate, how we’re going to bed earlier and our realization that we have no idea what type of jeans to wear.

PARIS (AP) — A strike at the Eiffel Tower over poor financial management turned away visitors on Tuesday for the second consecutive day.

TOKYO (AP) — Hirotake Yano, who founded the retail chain Daiso known for its 100-yen shops, Japan’s equivalent of the dollar store, has died. He was 80. Yano died Feb. 12 of heart failure, Daiso Industries Co. said in a statement Monday.

TORONTO — Eight-year-old Giselle Alnaser wants the Elmo stuffed toy sitting on a stool across the room, and she's going to use her brain waves to get it.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Once banned by rulers dispatched from Moscow, Poland's stately polonaise dance that nurtured the country's spirit even through the dark years of its partition is now honored by UNESCO.

NEW YORK (AP) — In the mid-1970s, the Eagles were working on a spooky, cryptic new song.

LONDON (AP) — For Londoners, rain is simply a fact of life. But for Burberry, it’s the inspiration for seemingly endless variations of luxurious outerwear, from the heritage brand’s best-selling trench coat to oversized duffels and fur-lined bombers.

Drug company Apotex is recalling two lots of a prescription nasal spray due to possible bacterial contamination.