WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday welcomed nearly 130 deep-pocketed donors, allies and representatives of major companies for a dinner at the White House to reward them for their pledged contributions to a massive new ballroom. The ballroom, whose price tag is now estimated at $250 million, is the most significant renovation that Trump,…
MILAN — Fendi on Tuesday named Maria Grazia Chiuri as its new creative director, replacing Silvia Venturini Fendi, who stepped aside last month to become honorary president of the fashion house founded by her grandparents and now owned by the French luxury conglomerate LVMH. Chiuri’s first collection for the Rome-based fashion house will be previewed…
ANKARA, Turkey — Several high-profile Turkish celebrities were summoned on Wednesday for questioning and blood tests as part of a drugs-related investigation, reports and officials said. The investigation, led by Istanbul’s chief prosecutor, was launched into individuals suspected of “using narcotic or stimulant substances,” the prosecutor’s office said. Those summoned include 12 singers, actors in…
LONDON — British police said Tuesday they have disrupted a criminal network suspected of smuggling up to 40,000 stolen mobile phones from the U.K. to China in the past year. Police said the operation, the largest it has ever staged to tackle phone theft, was launched last year after a box containing about 1,000 iPhones…
BEIJING — China’s Premier Li Qiang will go to North Korea this week in the highest-level visit by a Chinese leader since 2019. Li will lead a government delegation from Thursday to Saturday to attend events marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of North Korea’s ruling party, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. China…
BEIJING — Rescue workers were helping hundreds of hikers trapped by heavy snow at tourist campsites on a slope of Mount Everest in Tibet, Chinese state media said late Sunday. About 350 hikers had reached a meeting point in Tingri country and rescuers were in contact with another 200, state broadcaster CCTV said. There was…
More online platforms are giving secondhand shopping a digital upgrade, rolling out features like livestream shopping and AI-powered search to make thrifting faster and more exciting. Although choosing secondhand over new is often the more sustainable option, experts say it’s not a license to overconsume. They warn that resale has its limits, since buying more…
BEIJING — A 5.6-magnitude earthquake scattered roof tiles and knocked over houses Saturday in northwest China’s Gansu province, state media said. Seven people were reported injured, the official Xinhua News Agency said. None of the injuries appeared to be serious. The earthquake struck at 5:49 a.m. in Longxi county at a relatively shallow depth of…
NEW YORK — A Harvard Business School graduate was arrested Thursday on fraud charges alleging he swindled fellow alumni of the prestigious school out of over $4 million in a Ponzi scheme, even assuring one investor they would soon “brag” about their “crazy gains” at the school’s reunion. Vladimir Artamonov, 46, was taken into custody…
FRANKFURT, Germany — The head of Russia’s state-owned gas company Gazprom says it has a deal to build a pipeline to China, but there are many unanswered questions about the details of the agreement. On paper, the project — known as the Power of Siberia 2 — would give Russia a way to replace some…