PARIS —  A vast collection of rare Beatles vinyl records, photos and other paraphernalia will go on auction in Paris on Saturday. Beatles aficionado Jacques Volcouve began his collection in 1967 with the album “A Hard Day’s Night.” Decades later, it has grown to include nearly 15,000 records and more besides. “Starting from 1967, I […]

JOHANNESBURG —  About two years ago, blues-folk artist Alice Phoebe Lou gave a performance in a park in Berlin, looking for donations as a street entertainer. A listener invited her to perform at a function. Her career has since taken off. Last year, she released her debut record, and on Wednesday she played one of […]

PARIS —  French sculptor Auguste Rodin’s newly re-discovered marble masterpiece titled “Andromeda” will be up for sale in Paris in May, auction house, Artcurial, said on Friday. The auctioning of the sculpture is of particular importance as it has remained in the hands of the same family for roughly 130 years, according to the director […]

NEW YORK —  Chelsea Clinton, daughter of losing presidential candidate Hillary, will publish a children’s book whose title is inspired by an attempt to silence a female U.S. senator that drew outrage from women’s rights activists. She Persisted will feature stories of 13 American women who have overcome adversity to make important contributions to society, […]

New Orleans, Louisiana, is considered the birthplace of American jazz, a genre of music that originated among African Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. National parks traveler Mikah Meyer spent some time in the vibrant city before setting out to visit several national parks spread out across the state. He shared highlights […]

CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA —  Derek Walcott, a Nobel-prize winning poet known for capturing the essence of his native Caribbean and became the region’s most internationally famous writer, has died on the island of St. Lucia. He was 87. Walcott died early Friday at his home in the eastern Caribbean nation of St. Lucia, according to […]

WASHINGTON —  Beauty and the Beast is a tale for the ages. We’ve read it in fairytale books and watched it in numerous TV and movie adaptations. Maybe the most memorable of this classic was the iconic 1991 Disney animation. With its infectious songs and beautiful graphics, the film entered the popular mainstream worldwide. Now, […]

WASHINGTON —  U.S. first lady Michelle Obama has taken delivery of her last White House Christmas tree. Standing at the mansion’s north portico Friday, the first lady, along with her young nephews and the family dogs greeted a 19-foot Balsam-Veitch fir as it was brought in a horse-drawn wagon, “Christmas begins. The holidays start,” Obama […]

JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN —  Musicians played lively tunes in South Sudan’s capital, and pedestrians and market shoppers watched the impromptu concert with curiosity. A soldier in desert camouflage walked around, surveying the scene. As the drumming grew more insistent, the audience stood silent and motionless seemingly afraid to join the fun. Then the soldier started […]

LOS ANGELES —  Florence Henderson, the wholesome actress who went from Broadway star to television icon when she became Carol Brady, the ever-cheerful matriarch of “The Brady Bunch,” has died, her manager and her publicist said. She was 82. Henderson died Thursday night at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, after being hospitalized the day […]