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Independent bookstores are multiplying, although many people still think they’re dying out
NEW YORK | Allison Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association, is used to strangers expressing sympathy when they learn what she does for a living. “It’s all so funny,” she says. “When I tell them I run the trade association for independent stores, they’ll say, ‘It’s just so sad that they’re disappearing.’ I don’t […]
When Sue Tilley met Lucian Freud, it changed her life. Now a painting of her could fetch $47 million
LONDON | Sue Tilley was working in an unemployment office when she met the artist Lucian Freud. The paintings he made of her in the 1990s are now among the most famous in modern art — and the most valuable. “Sleeping by the Lion Carpet,” regarded as one of Freud’s masterpieces, is going up for […]
As the United States turns 250, Americans still can’t get enough of French luxury
NEW YORK | At the pinnacle of the American cultural pyramid, one particular inspiration has echoed across the centuries through friendship and tension alike: France. The American love affair with French luxury goods and their cultural cachet and craftsmanship has spanned the younger country’s history, and a new exhibit explores the story of how these […]
Martina McBride, Morris Day among wave of cancellations at Trump-linked Freedom 250 concerts
NEW YORK | A day after the President Donald Trump -affiliated Freedom 250 announced the “first wave” of performers for “The Great American State Fair” shows on Washington’s National Mall in June and July, the lineup has been hit with a wave of cancellations. Young MC, Morris Day, the Commodores and Martina McBride are among […]
Clothing rental services promise a sustainable alternative to fast fashion. Experts say it depends
For weddings, vacations or other special occasions, more consumers are turning to clothing rental services instead of buying something new. These subscription-based services, often marketed as a sustainable alternative to fast fashion, ship straight to customers everything from everyday and workwear to dresses, handbags and formalwear. Then, the items are returned for someone else to […]
Questions dog tentative US-Iran deal as Iranian official says concessions come ‘through missiles’
WASHINGTON | Uncertainty swirled Friday around what the U.S. called a tentative deal to extend the ceasefire in its war with Iran. It wasn’t clear whether U.S. President Donald Trump supports it, and a top Iranian official said his country wins concessions “through missiles,” not talks. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Thursday the adversaries […]
Bus hits cars in Virginia, killing 5 people and injuring 34, state police say
STAFFORD, Va. | A bus struck six vehicles on Interstate 95 in Virginia as traffic slowed for a work zone, killing five people and sending 34 to hospitals, state police said Friday. The crash happened at about 2:35 a.m. on southbound I-95 in Stafford County. All five of the people who died were in vehicles […]
Rescuers unite in Laos to free 5 villagers trapped in a flooded cave and find 2 still missing
BANGKOK | Rescuers working at a flooded cave in the Southeast Asian nation of Laos face two daunting tasks: extricating five villagers who were located inside after being trapped for more than a week, and finding two more who are still missing. Rescue teams were pumping water out of the flooded cave’s passages on Friday, […]
Inside a taxpayer-funded treatment center for adoptees, tales of abuse, neglect and little oversight
LAKE OZARK, Mo. | A facility deep in rural Missouri promises relief for desperate parents whose adopted kids are struggling — a lakeside, summer camp-like academy where kids can heal by bonding with golden retrievers, and where caring employees “create joy.” The company that operates the place known as Calo Programs says it exists “to […]
With a stalemate in Ukraine and discontent at home, Putin seems ready to escalate his war
Facing a battlefield stalemate in Ukraine and growing war fatigue among Russians, President Vladimir Putin appears ready to try to change the narrative around the conflict. He looks likely to sharply escalate the Russian aerial attacks on the Ukrainian capital in the hope it will shore up his sagging domestic approval ratings and persuade an […]