IN CASE YOU MISSED IT–Schedule of Reuters features from this week

March 14 - Every week, Reuters journalists produce scores of multimedia features and human-interest stories from around the world.

Below are some stories from this week selected by our editors, as well as explanatory context and background to help you understand world headlines. For a full schedule of news and events, please go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect.

Study of polyglots offers insight on brain's language processing

WASHINGTON - While most people speak only one language or perhaps two, some are proficient in many. These people are called polyglots. And they are helping to provide insight into how the brain deals with language, the principal method of human communication. (SCIENCE-POLYGLOTS/ (PIX), 688 words)

Why did menopause evolve? New study of whales gives some clues

WASHINGTON - Menopause is a rare trait among Earth's species, known to exist in only a few. Humans are one. Killer whales and four other toothed whales are the others. New research examines menopause in these whales, with findings that may help explain why this phenomenon evolved, given that it is known in just six of the 6,000-plus mammal species living today. (SCIENCE-WHALES/ (PIX), 691 words)

Bored with standard chess? Go Freestyle

PARIS - Finding chess boring? Try shuffling your pieces on the back rank and you get Chess960, or Freestyle chess, a variant of the game that favours creativity over preparation, and is backed by chess great Magnus Carlsen. (CHESS-960/ (PIX), 624 words)

Therapy dogs comfort passengers at Istanbul Airport

ISTANBUL - Stressed before a big flight? Therapy dogs are now on hand at Istanbul Airport to help calm the nerves of tense travellers. (TURKEY-DOGS/AIRPORT (TV, PIX), 183 words)

Pakistanis feed predatory birds despite crackdown on practice

LAHORE, Pakistan - Shabnam, a young woman in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, sells small packets of scrap meat to a passersby to feed predatory birds, despite a recent crackdown on the practice which many people do as an offering to ward off adversity. (PAKISTAN-BIRDS/ (PIX), 537 words)

New costumes in revamped torch lighting ceremony for Paris 2024 Olympics

ATHENS - Next month's Paris 2024 Olympics flame-lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia will showcase a new high priestess, redesigned costumes and fresh music as Greece looks to revamp the traditional ceremony. (OLYMPICS-2024/FLAME (PIX, TV), 305 words)

Paris mayor makes plans for June pool party in the Seine

PARIS - Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has doubled down on plans for a dip in the Seine this summer, and nudged the aquatic adventure toward pool party territory as she invited President Emmanuel Macron to dig out his swimming trunks and join her. (OLYMPICS-2024/HIDALGO-SEINE (EXCLUSIVE, PIX, TV), 341 words)

Paris has a lot to gain from hosting Olympic Games, mayor says

PARIS - The 2024 Olympics have already allowed Paris and its region to speed up plans to extend their public transport network and other big projects such as cleaning up the Seine river, Mayor Anne Hidalgo said. (OLYMPICS-2024/HIDALGO-LEGACY (EXCLUSIVE, PIX, TV), 513 words)

EXPLANATORY CONTENT

FACTBOX-Fewer submarines, more police detectives: Highlights of Biden's budget

EXPLAINER-Can Ukraine supporters force a US House vote on foreign aid?

FACTBOX-Russia's nuclear arsenal: How big is it, and who controls it?

FACTBOX-What other health conditions are weight-loss drugs being tested for?

EXPLAINER-When the double brood of cicadas will come out - and what to expect

FACTBOX-Governments race to regulate AI tools

FACTBOX-How will Japan reach its ambitious goal in offshore wind energy?

EXPLAINER-What's next after Portugal's inconclusive election?

(Compiled by Mark Porter)