Three universities and a health care institution are sharing a gift of more than $1 billion that’s one of the largest in the history of higher education, they announced Wednesday. Receiving $260 million apiece will be Duke University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Southern California, and the Cleveland Clinic. The institutions are free to use the money...

If Boston’s in the mood for a melody next summer, Billy Joel’s set to have it feeling alright. The Piano Man will extend his residency at Fenway Park with another show, his seventh at the ballpark, in August, the Boston Red Sox and Live Nation New England said Thursday.

“Pose” and “Batwoman” are among the shows contributing to a surge in LGBTQ and gender inclusiveness on television, according to a new study by the advocacy group GLAAD.

McDonald’s chief executive officer has been pushed out of the company after violating company policy by engaging in a consensual relationship with an employee, the corporation said Sunday. The fast food giant said former president and CEO Steve Easterbrook demonstrated poor judgment, and that McDonald’s forbids managers from having romantic relationships with direct or indirect subordinates. In an email to...

McDonald’s chief executive officer has been pushed out of the company after violating company policy by engaging in a consensual relationship with an employee, the corporation said Sunday. The fast food giant said former president and CEO Steve Easterbrook demonstrated poor judgment, and that McDonald’s forbids managers from having romantic relationships with direct or indirect subordinates. In an email to...

Saudi Arabia formally began an initial public offering Sunday of a sliver of oil giant Saudi Aramco after years of delay, hoping international and local investors will pay billions of dollars for a stake in the kingdom’s crown jewels. An approval by Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority served as the starting gun for an IPO promised by Crown Prince Mohammed...

Saudi Arabia formally began an initial public offering Sunday of a sliver of oil giant Saudi Aramco after years of delay, hoping international and local investors will pay billions of dollars for a stake in the kingdom’s crown jewels. An approval by Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority served as the starting gun for an IPO promised by Crown Prince Mohammed...

Missouri’s health department director on Tuesday said he tracked the menstrual cycles of Planned Parenthood patients as part of an effort to identify what the agency says were “failed abortions” at a St. Louis clinic. Department of Health and Senior Services Director Randall Williams made the revelation during the second day of an administrative hearing to determine whether Missouri’s only...

New England Council President and CEO Jim Brett talks with Peter Howe about the NEC’s trip to Cuba.

California will be the first state to require abortion medication on college campuses under a law signed Friday by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

A former prime minister of the United Kingdom will visit Boston next year for the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower landing. During his visit, Sir John Major will receive the New England Historic Genealogical Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Public Service.

Biologists hope a multistate research program will help them determine if West Nile virus could be responsible for a decline in the population of ruffed grouse across the Northeast and other parts of the country.

Halloween may not be until the end of October, but for theme parks, it started all the way back in September. Haunted houses, creepy mazes and coaster-riding ghouls can be found at amusement parks big and small across the United States this time of year. Spooky-themed events were once a way to extend operations at regional parks well into the...

Facebook’s CEO said his company is ready to “go to the mat” to stop Elizabeth Warren from breaking up tech giants. Amazon accused her of getting facts wrong. And some Democratic donors with ties to Wall Street have quietly said they’ll sit out the election or vote for President Donald Trump if Warren wins her party’s presidential...

Franklin Park Zoo has a brand-new and so far unnamed red panda. The baby, born on July 6 to Fia and Hoppy, is expected to make his exhibit debut later this fall, according to zoo officials.

Franklin Park Zoo in Boston has a brand-new and so far unnamed red panda. The baby, born on July 6 to Fia and Hoppy, is expected to make his exhibit debut later this fall, according to zoo officials.

Emotions ran high and tensions boiled over at a community meeting regarding the future of the Harriet Tubman House in Boston’s South End neighborhood.

The Hilton family is mourning the loss of Barron Hilton, who died on Thursday, Sept. 19 at the age of 91. The son of hotelier Conrad Hilton and chairman, president and CEO of Hilton Hotels Corporation passed away from natural causes, according to a press release. Barron Hilton was also the founding owner of NFL team the Los Angeles Chargers....

Barron Hilton, the hotelier and philanthropist who chaired the Hilton hotel chain, died on Thursday in Los Angeles of natural causes at the age of 91, it was announced Friday. Hilton took over Hilton Hotels Corporation as president and CEO in 1966 after succeeding his father, Conrad Hilton, who founded the hotel empire, NBC News reported. Barron Hilton was also...

The University of Rhode Island is getting a $35 million gift from former CVS president and CEO Thomas Ryan and his wife, Cathy, the largest private contribution in the school’s history. The gift announced Monday includes $24 million for the George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience to expand research and teaching capacity in neuroscience; $10 million to establish the...