World

Photo courtesy: franksinatraschoolofthearts.org In 2001, late singer and painter Tony Bennett and his wife, Susan Benedetto, helped open a public high school in New York for students who wanted to pursue the arts alongside their academic studies. It began in temporary quarters with space for 250 students. Twenty-five years later, the Frank Sinatra School of…

Photo credit: The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) A six-year-old black Labrador from the Scottish Highlands in the UK has found an unusual new role in conservation. Sgiath, who was originally trained as a mountain rescue search dog, can now detect an invasive marine organism known as “sea vomit” by smell. Her work has…

Iran says Hormuz reopening proposal stands as Tehran and Washington remain at odds Iran’s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days remains on the table, foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday, as Tehran and Washington remain at odds over the conditions for ending their eight-month war.Speaking to Iranian media outlets in…

The Texas Supreme Court has agreed to hear a dispute over whether a local government can take private property through eminent domain to build a golf facility that will be leased to a private operator. The case involves a 3.548-acre plot of land in Westworth Village owned by local resident Jim Burgess. In 2021, city…

A rare uncirculated banknote featuring a young Queen Elizabeth II, issued in Malaya and British Borneo. Photo: Noonans A collection of rare banknotes that arrived anonymously at a charity shop in Edinburgh has raised £85,860 at an auction held on Wednesday. The British Heart Foundation (BHF), which received the donation, will use the money to…

Neither side could have foreseen how dramatically Alaska’s economic and military importance would grow. Look at a map of the world and Alaska seems out of place. It belongs to the United States, yet sits apart from the rest of the country, separated by Canada and facing Russia across the narrow Bering Strait.How did this…

File photo: US Vice President JD Vance (Picture credit: AP) TOI correspondent from Washington: US Vice President JD Vance has conceded that his rhetoric on H-1B visas was “imperfect,” but his attempt to distinguish his criticism of corporate hiring practices from hostility towards immigrants has exposed a deeper contradiction in the Trump administration’s immigration politics,…

Smither Park transforms discarded materials into public art, reflecting Houston’s diverse communities, creative spirit and ever-evolving identity through colour and imagination. What began as an abandoned patch of land in southeast Houston has slowly transformed into something far more magical: a public park assembled from the fragments of everyday life. Broken crockery, discarded tiles, shells,…

In 2015, Taylor Swift gave $50,000 to Seattle Symphony; 11 years later, its school programme lives on (Image Credit: Instagram/ @taylorswift) In December 2015, Taylor Swift donated $50,000 to the Seattle Symphony after being moved by its recording of Become Ocean, a contemporary orchestral composition by John Luther Adams. According to an announcement published by…

Pic credit: Sotheby’s International Realty A unique Fort Worth estate in Texas, designed by I.M. Pei, has hit the market for $22 million. This is the first time the landmark property in Westover Hills has been offered for sale since it was constructed in 1969, according to Realtor.com. The property is listed by Madeline Jobst,…