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Two rare, unknown Rembrandt portraits worth millions discovered in private collection

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:03:25 GMT

(CNN) — A pair of unknown and “exceptionally rare” portraits by Rembrandt have been discovered in a private collection in the UK.The intimate paintings of relatives of the Dutch master are now expected to sell for between £5 million and £8 million ($6.25 million-$10 million) at auction.Signed and dated 1635, the pictures are of an elderly husband and wife who were related to Rembrandt by marriage.Measuring just under 8 inches high, the paintings depict wealthy plumber Jan Willemsz van der Pluym and his wife Jaapgen Carels, who were from a prominent family in the Dutch city of Leiden.Their son Dominicus van der Pluym was married to Rembrandt’s cousin Cornelia van Suytbroec. The couple had one child, Karel van der Pluym, who is thought to have trained with Rembrandt and included the artist’s only surviving heir, Titus, in his will.In 1635, the year the portraits were painted, the subjects acquired a garden next to that of RembrandtR...

2 arrested, person sought in New Hampshire graduation party shooting that wounded 4

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:03:25 GMT

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Two men have been arrested and there’s a search for a third person following a shooting at a graduation party in New Hampshire that wounded four people, police said.A 21-year-old man was charged Monday with four counts of felony reckless conduct and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. A 20-year-old man was charged with criminal liability to reckless conduct and two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Both also face parole violations.It wasn’t immediately known when they would face a judge or if they had lawyers.The Manchester Police Department said Monday night they were still working to identify a third person and asked for the public’s help regarding the identity and any further information about the shootings.The victims in Saturday’s shooting in Manchester included two women and two men, all in their 20s, who are expected to survive, police said.Initial reports said two males in h...

Taco Bell is fighting to cancel the ‘Taco Tuesday’ trademark

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:03:25 GMT

New York (CNN) — Taco Bell wants to liberate the “Taco Tuesday” trademark from a smaller, rival chain.The taco chain filed a petition Tuesday (naturally) with the US Patent and Trademark office to cancel the trademark, owned by rival Taco John’s for 34 years, because Taco Bell claims the commonly used phrase “should be freely available to all who make, sell, eat and celebrate tacos.”Since Taco John’s owns the trademark, other restaurants and companies must seek permission to use “Taco Tuesday” in branding and advertising.The use of the phrase “potentially subjects Taco Bell and anyone else who wants to share tacos with the world to the possibility of legal action or angry letters if they say ‘Taco Tuesday’ without express permission from [Taco John’s] — simply for pursuing happiness on a Tuesday,” the filing said.Taco Bell added that “nobody should have exclusive rights in a common phrase.”Maggie Mettler, director of legal for Taco Bell’s parent company...

Biden and congressional leaders to meet in debt ceiling showdown as McCarthy pushes for faster deal

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:03:25 GMT

 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is ready to discuss the debt ceiling with congressional leaders at the White House in a high-profile session with reverberations across the globe as early outlines of a potential deal begin to emerge from painstakingly slow negotiations.Raising the stakes, the Tuesday afternoon session comes as Biden is preparing to depart for the Group of Seven summit in Japan where the U.S. leadership will be on the world stage later this week. The president and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are trying to strike a budget deal before the U.S. Treasury runs out of cash to keep paying the nation’s bills, which could occur as soon as June 1.While Biden has remained upbeat that “we’ll be able to do this,” McCarthy is prodding the president to move faster. The Republican speaker says they need an agreement soon to avoid default. Expectations are low that a deal is that close at hand. Instead, it is more likely that staff talks will continue while the president ...

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, set to receive Ms. Foundation’s Woman of Vision Award

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:03:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will be in New York Tuesday night, along with Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown, to receive the Ms. Foundation’s Women of Vision Award, as the nation’s oldest women’s foundation marks its 50th anniversary.The appearance is set to be her first public event since she opted to skip the coronation of her father-in-law King Charles III earlier this month in order to stay at home in California for her son Prince Archie’s sixth birthday. Her husband Prince Harry attended the coronation in London and then rushed back to California.Funds raised at the foundation’s annual gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan will be used to further the organization’s equity-centered initiatives and its mission of advancing women’s collective power.The foundation will also honor Wanda Irving, co-founder of Dr. Shalon’s Maternal Action Project, and Kimberly Inez McGuire, executive director of URGE, as well as abortion rights activist Olivia Juliann...

Beijing LGBT Center shuttered as crackdown grows in China

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:03:25 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — An advocacy group that also served as a safe space for the LGBTQ community in Beijing became the latest organization to close under a crackdown by Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government.“We very regretfully announce, due to forces beyond our control, the Beijing LGBT Center will stop operating today,” read a notice posted on the center’s official WeChat account Monday night. Beijing LGBT Center did not respond to an email request for comment. The Ministry of Civil Affairs, which oversees nonprofits in China, also did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.The group’s shuttering marks a critical blow for advocacy groups that once had been able to be public about their work for LGBTQ+ rights.“They are not the first group, nor are they the largest, but because Beijing LGBT Center was in Beijing, it represented China’s LGBT movement,” said one Chinese activist who requested anonymity out of fear for his safety. “In our political, e...

Canada ‘extremely concerned’ about fate of Line 5 pipeline in Wisconsin, embassy says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:03:25 GMT

WASHINGTON — Canada’s embassy in Washington says it is “extremely concerned” about the fate of the Line 5 cross-border pipeline. A court hearing Thursday in Wisconsin could determine whether the pipeline, owned and operated by Enbridge Inc., is allowed to continue operating. The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa says spring flooding has heightened the risk of a rupture and it wants a federal judge to shut the line down. A strongly worded statement from the embassy says doing so would endanger more than 33,000 U.S. jobs and US$20 billion in economic activity. Canada argues that Line 5 is a vital energy conduit across the U.S. Midwest and an economic lifeline for Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec. The Indigenous band fears a rupture would foul not only a key watershed on its territory, but also the waters of Lake Superior. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2023.The Canadian Press

Swedish Eurovision winner Loreen returns to native Sweden

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:03:25 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish singer Loreen, who won the Eurovision Song Contest with her power ballad “Tattoo,” returned home on Tuesday, saying she was proud to be only the second person in Eurovision history to have won the contest twice.“I’m so incredibly happy,” a smiling Loreen said after landing at Stockholm’s international airport from the English city of Liverpool, where the event was held. “On the plane home, I had my first burst of joy and looked out at the sky. I am so incredibly happy about this. I am so proud that Sweden sent me.” She held the trophy — a handmade glass sculpture in the shape of a microphone from the 1950s — saying it was “brutally heavy.” Later Tuesday, the 39-year-old artist was to perform the winning dance-pop anthem at a downtown Stockholm park — a popular hangout known for its outdoor cafés and open-air concerts. The concert was to be broadcast live on public television. Loreen won the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, billed as the world’s biggest music ev...

Skeletons found in Pompeii ruins reveal deaths by earthquake, not just Vesuvius’ ancient eruption

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:03:25 GMT

MILAN (AP) — The discovery of two skeletons buried beneath a collapsed wall in the Pompeii archaeological site point to deaths by powerful earthquakes that accompanied the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the first century, experts said Tuesday, in addition to the victims of volcanic ash and gas.The two skeletons believed to be men at least 55 years old were found in the Casti Amanti, or House of Chaste Lovers, beneath a wall that collapsed before the area was covered in volcanic material. The area was likely undergoing reconstruction work at the time of the eruption in A.D. 79, following an earthquake a few days earlier.“In recent years, we have realized there were violent, powerful seismic events that were happening at the time of the eruption,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park. New archaeological techniques and methodology “allow us to understand better the inferno that in two days completely destroyed the city of Pompeii,...

Stellantis recalls nearly 220,000 Jeep Cherokee SUVs worldwide due to fire risk

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 13:03:25 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis is telling owners of nearly 220,000 Jeep Cherokee SUVs worldwide to park them outdoors and away from other vehicles because the power liftgates can catch fire even when the engines are off.The company is recalling certain Cherokees from the 2014 through 2016 model years. Water can get into the liftgate control computer, causing an electrical short that can touch off a fire.The company says it hasn’t developed a fix yet. Owners will get notification letters starting June 30. Stellantis says the problem was caught in a routine review of customer data. It’s not clear how many of the small SUVs have caught fire. Stellantis says in documents posted Tuesday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it has 50 customer assistance records, 23 warranty claims and 21 field reports due to the issue. The company says it’s not aware of any injuries.The power liftgates may stop working before the SUVs catch fire. Stellantis recalled many ...