Times editors have handpicked 12 stories for you to enjoy. Welcome to The Weekender.
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Friends From Childhood. Brothers in War.
Three friends met as boys in western Ukraine. When Russia invaded, they enlisted in the same unit. There was comfort, and dread, in serving together.
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A Hindu Goddess Festival Where Indian Progressivism Is Alive and Well
A huge religious carnival shows that India remains a country of diverse political and social beliefs, despite the right-wing national government’s dominance.
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The Busy Doctor Who Gave Himself Another Job: Tracking Nazi Loot
Dr. Michael R. Hayden has spent more than a decade patiently searching for the looted silver Judaica stolen from his grandparents, who were killed by the Nazis.
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Today, Shapewear. Tomorrow, the World.
Kim Kardashian’s Skims hooks up with Swarovski to bedazzle the body.
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Olympic Hopefuls Needed a Home. A Retirement Community Stepped Up.
New Zealand’s curling team wanted to train with the “big boys” in Canada, and a group of enthusiastic seniors has provided housing, a cheering section and lots of advice.
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Who Looted an Ancient Roman Shrine? A Village Finally Tells.
Investigators say they have figured out how bronze statues from a shrine built 2,000 years ago in Asia Minor to venerate the emperors of Rome ended up in museums around the world.
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Atlanta’s Dining Scene Feels ‘the Keith Lee Effect’
When Mr. Lee, a TikTok food reviewer with 14 million followers, visited Atlanta, his reviews gave voice to gripes that some have about parts of the city’s dining culture.
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In Shetland, the Hottest Event of the Year Stars Sheep and Knitters
The festival of the intricately crafted textiles of the Shetland Islands, a remote archipelago off Scotland’s coast, draws hundreds of knitters from around the world for all things wool.
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An Extremely Detailed Map of New York City Neighborhoods
More than 37,000 New Yorkers told us where their neighborhoods start and end. We mapped them all.
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36 Hours in Durham, N.C.
The evolution of Durham from a faded tobacco town to a diverse cultural and culinary destination has been years in the making.
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Holiday Gift Guide
Our experts have curated the best gifts to help you check everyone off your list.
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Thanks for reading.
This edition of The Weekender was edited by Jonathan Wolfe.