Hat Etiquette:


As Jeff Bezos proved when he donned a cowboy hat for his first Blue Origin trip, hats are definitely the statement pieces of the moment — for good or ill.

And though his choice provoked a

France Takes the Lead in Pressuring People to Get Vaccinated

PARIS — As Europe and the United States scramble to find an appropriate balance between curbing the Delta variant of the coronavirus and curbing personal freedom, President Emmanuel Macron has led the way down a narrow path combining limited compulsion to get vaccinated with widespread coercion.

His approach of ordering health workers to get vaccinated by Sept. 15, and telling the rest of the French population they will be denied access to most indoor public venues if unvaccinated or without a negative test by Aug. 1, has prompted other countries including Italy to follow suit, even as it has stirred

In the Valley of the Warriors: The Taliban Gains Ground in East Afghanistan

No one has conquered it in over a century. Not the United States Army, not the Islamic State, not the Taliban, not the the mujahedeen, not the Soviet army. The inhabitants of the rugged Darah-i-Noor valley, whose villages are built into mountain slopes like fortresses, have always wanted one thing above all: to be left alone. But, as they will tell you here, one thing has always been clear if there has to be fighting: Anyone here capable of holding a gun will do so. At least among the men.

The fact that enemies might appear to be stronger than