New York

New York authorities on Aug. 8 returned to Italy several dozen stolen antiquities worth nearly $3.5 million, as the American megapolis strives to shake off the reputation as a key global hub for illicit art trade.

Donald Trump's political operation entered the second half of the year in a strained financial position with its bank account drained by tens of millions of dollars that were directed toward defending the former president from mounting legal challenges as he seeks the White House again.

One of Italian contemporary artist Michelangelo Pistoletto's most famous works, "Venus of the Rags", has been burnt to cinders in a suspected arson attack in Naples, authorities said on July 12.

Floodwaters receded in Vermont cities and towns pummeled by a storm that delivered two months of rain in two days, allowing officials to focus on recovering from a disaster that trapped residents in homes, closed roadways and choked streets and businesses with mud and debris.

Heavy rain spawned extreme flooding in New York's Hudson Valley that killed at least one person, swamped roadways and forced road closures on Sunday night, as much of the rest of the Northeast U.S. began bracing for potentially punishing rains.

A sonic boom that echoed over Washington Sunday was caused by two fighter jets scrambling to intercept an unresponsive aircraft that later crashed in rural Virginia, officials told AFP.

Residents of the city and its suburbs reported hearing the thundering noise, which rattled windows and shook walls for miles and caused social media to light up with people asking what had happened.

Pianist Elke Robersscheuten performs in the National Garden of Athens on Friday as a part of the three-day Piano City Athens Festival which ends on Sunday.

"Some Like It Hot," a Broadway musical adaptation of the cross-dressing movie comedy that starred Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, waltzed away on May 2 with a leading 13 Tony Award nominations, putting the spotlight on a show that is a sweet, full-hearted embrace of trans rights.

Longtime Starbucks leader Howard Schultz defended the coffee chain's confrontational approach to unionization on March 29, while insisting it had not violated U.S. labor law in countering the campaign.

The hearing, which got contentious at some points, was convened by progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, focusing on what the independent from Vermont called "illegal union busting."

With barricades set up near Trump Tower and police on high alert, New York was holding its breath Wednesday for the likely indictment of Donald Trump, but the timing remained uncertain.

The ex-president himself claimed he would be arrested on Tuesday over hush money paid to a pornographic actress, but the day came and went and there were no signs of an indictment or arrest.