Author: NY TIMES

Strange Delight for a StrangerWe matched on Tinder in April 2020. Both quarantined alone, 2,500 miles and 25 years apart. She texts, “Do you want to see some pictures?” Pictures? Sure. Her suggestive selfies and dancing videos delight me for a month. Curiously, she never asks for anything in return. She writes, “Going back to work, not taking my clothes off anymore.” We continue text messaging our hopes, fears and family drama. We laugh and cry. Both searching for love. Years pass. She writes, “Found a good man!” Later, “Expecting a child!” She’s happy and I’m strangely happy for her.…

Did anything come out of nowhere and surprise you?The Fear story was one that I wanted to know about forever. When I first got to 30 Rock in 2009 [when the Roots became the house band of “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon”], I purposely waited six months to figure out how I was going to infiltrate the “S.N.L.” ecosystem. Who am I going to be friends with so I can see how it works? And one of the first people that took to me was Hal Willner [the longtime “S.N.L.” sketch music coordinator], I couldn’t have chosen more wisely and…

Israel’s military said on Wednesday that it was pressing ahead with what it called a new counterterrorism operation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and Palestinian officials said that at least 10 people had been killed.A spokeswoman for the military said that 10 militants were “hit” in the operation, without giving further details. Earlier, Israel said that it had killed eight militants since the start of the raid. The Palestinian health ministry said that 10 people had been killed in Jenin and its outskirts since the start of the raid.At least four people were injured Wednesday in Jenin, where the new…

When two longtime business partners established a subsidiary 50 years ago to make zinc out of an industrial complex set up by South Korea’s government, they settled on an unusual division of power.The new venture, Korea Zinc, would be managed by the Choi family. The existing parent company, Young Poong, would be run by the other founder’s household, the Chang family. Both clans agreed to respect each other’s management. The arrangement came to be known as “two families under one roof.”Korea Zinc went on to become the world’s largest producer of zinc and an essential cog of South Korea’s economy.But…

It began on Saturday night at the vice president-elect’s dinner, when she wore a black velvet column from Oscar de la Renta, that being a bipartisan go-to brand for first ladies on both sides of the aisle. The sartorial balancing act continued through the wreath-laying at Arlington, when Ms. Vance appeared in a white Sergio Hudson matching dress and coat, a nod to a Black designer who was favored by Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris.Her outreach was further underscored at the president-elect’s candlelight dinner, when she wore a dress by the Indian designer Gaurav Gupta to honor her Indian heritage.…

At least 10 people were killed and 32 others were injured on Tuesday after a fire broke out at a hotel with more than 200 guests at a skiing resort in western Turkey, the authorities said.The fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the town of Kartalkaya in Bolu Province took place over the winter break for schools across the country, a time when families flock to skiing resorts and other vacation spots.The fire started at around 3:30 a.m. local time, when most occupants were asleep, according to news reports. In an effort to evacuate, some occupants strung bedsheets together…

President Trump signed an executive order on Monday to delay enforcing a federal ban of TikTok for 75 days, even though the law took effect on Sunday and it is unclear that such a move could override it.The order, one of Mr. Trump’s first acts after taking office, instructs the attorney general not to take any action to enforce the law so that his administration has “an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward.” The order is retroactive to Sunday.As he signed the order, Mr. Trump told reporters that “the U.S. should be entitled to get half of TikTok” if…

On Sunday evening, on the way to the Emporio Armani fashion show here, I did what I always do with … oh, six free minutes of my day: I checked eBay.Perhaps to get in the Armani spirit, I searched “vintage Armani” (a search I’ve had saved in my account for a couple of years now) and prowled through the hundreds of Armani jackets, shirts and knits that have washed up on the site.Half an hour later, watching the Emporio show, I began to feel as if my eBay search had sprung to life.There, in front of me, were sandy-hued chevron…

With help from a failed two-point conversion attempt, the Buffalo Bills defeated the Baltimore Ravens 27-25 in the final divisional game of the weekend on Sunday.Ravens tight end Mark Andrews made a game-tying two-point attempt with 1:33 left, but was unable to catch a pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson. Buffalo recovered the ensuing onside kick and sealed the win. Two points conversion is not good😳 📺： #BALvsBUF on cbs📱: Live broadcast @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/s1DAo0tdm1 — NFL (@NFL) January 20, 2025The win puts Buffalo into the AFC Championship Game for the second time in five seasons, setting up a matchup…

As a truce took hold on Sunday in Gaza, potentially ending the longest and deadliest war in a century of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, two men used the same metaphor to describe how they felt.“The weight on my chest has lifted,” said Ziad Obeid, a Gazan civil servant displaced several times during the war. “We have survived.”“The rock lying on my heart has been removed,” said Dov Weissglas, a former Israeli politician. “We want to see the hostages home, period.”Both men also had a “but.”Mr. Obeid has not seen his damaged house in northern Gaza for more than a year. How bad,…