NEW YORK / AP Toys that teach aren’t a new thing, but a growing number are calling for kids to build with blocks, circuits or everyday items before reaching for a tablet screen. Play is how kids learn about the world around them, whether it’s a toddler throwing a ball or teens playing video games. It’s about seeing how …

  TOKYO / AP Toyota Motor Corp. has developed a new way of observing the movements of tiny particles in batteries used to power electric vehicles — an advance it says will help boost their cruise range by 10 percent to 15 percent. Toyota engineer Hisao Yamashige explained to reporters on Thursday at the Japanese automaker’s Tokyo office the complex …

    BEIJING / AP China’s biggest online travel service Ctrip.com is buying Skyscanner i n a deal that values the British travel search site at 1.4 billion pounds ($1.7 billion). The deal announced Thursday adds to a string of global acquisitions by Chinese companies in search of technology, brands and access to foreign markets. Ctrip.com International Ltd. said the …