Author: NY TIMES

As signs emerged that President Biden was gearing up to stop the Japanese steel maker Nippon Steel from acquiring Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, top Japanese officials repeatedly warned that quashing the merger would hinder economic ties between the allies.Japan’s biggest business lobby, Keidanren, said in September that America’s investability would be tarnished if Nippon Steel’s $15 billion bid was blocked. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan reached out to Mr. Biden asking him to approve the deal during what he called a critical juncture.In the United States, during a heated presidential campaign, both Mr. Biden and his opponent, Donald J. Trump,…

The two sides in the momentous clash at the Supreme Court over a measure that could shut down TikTok made their closing written arguments on Friday, sharply disputing China’s influence over the site and the role the First Amendment should play in evaluating the law.Their briefs, filed on an exceptionally abbreviated schedule set last month by the justices, were part of a high-stakes showdown over the government’s insistence that ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, sell the app’s operations in the United States or shut it down. The Supreme Court, in an effort to resolve the case before the law’s Jan. 19…

Alcohol is a leading preventable cause of cancer, and alcoholic beverages should carry a warning label as packs of cigarettes do, the U.S. surgeon general said on Friday.It is the latest salvo in a fierce debate about the risks and benefits of moderate drinking as the influential U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans are about to be updated. For decades, moderate drinking was said to help prevent heart attacks and strokes. That perception has been embedded in the dietary advice given to Americans. But growing research has linked drinking, sometimes even within the recommended limits, to various types of cancer. Labels…

When Venkata Datta Sai met PV Sindhu, a champion badminton player, on a plane, there was a spark, but her popularity concerned him. “She’s like the LeBron James of this side of the world,” he said.

With that, the Osmond Brothers were introduced to a broader audience and eventually became a recurring part of the show. In the early 1970s, they changed their name from the Osmond Brothers to just the Osmonds, Ms. Cook said. The radio hits and touring followed.“The Osmonds present a kind of theater‐in‐rock ‘n’ roll,” The Times wrote in 1973. “With tight choreography, taken perhaps from Black soul groups, they wheel and strut around the stage, regimented and disciplined, programmed to draw that last squeal out of an ecstatic weeny bopper.”As a child, Wayne Osmond had a brain tumor that he was…

Syria’s new leaders met the French and German foreign ministers in the capital, Damascus, on Friday in one of the highest-level Western diplomatic visits since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last month.Annalena Baerbock of Germany and her French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, arrived in Damascus for the first such trip in years on behalf on the European Union, as world powers have begun building ties with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist group that leads the new Syrian government.Ms. Baerbock and Mr. Barrot met with Ahmad al-Shara, the group’s leader. Earlier in the day they visited the notorious Sednaya prison, where…

Washington Commanders quarterback Jaden Daniels, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowles, the league announced Thursday Ranked among the 2025 Pro Bowl starters.The Baltimore Ravens lead all teams with nine players selected to the Pro Bowl, while the Detroit Lions (seven players), Minnesota Vikings (six), Philadelphia Eagles (six), Dallas Cowboys (five ) and the Kansas City Chiefs (5) each have at least five players on the roster.The four teams without anyone on the initial Pro Bowl roster are the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans.While he hasn’t played in…

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Boise State has two states competing on New Year’s Eve.One was a division champion and had a dream season. A team led by star running back Ashton Jeanty made the College Football Playoff and once again finished atop the Group of Five conference.Boise State’s other team was a shorthanded G5 team that put up a valiant but futile effort against a better, more talented Penn State team.Both versions existed Tuesday night as No. 3 Boise State lost 31-14 to No. 6 Penn State in the playoff quarterfinals of the Fiesta Bowl. The first one is worth celebrating.…

[EXPLOSION] “The people are running away from the bombing. People are dying. We just send this to the nation to see what is happening in Nuba Mountains.” [GUNSHOTS] “Yeah.” Sudan is in the grip of a brutal civil war. Eleven million people have been driven from their homes, and tens of thousands have been killed. As a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces — [CRIES] — battles the Sudanese Army for control of the country. The U.N. has accused both sides of abuses. But a six-month investigation by The New York Times shows that the R.S.F. is committing systemic…

World number one chess player Magnus Carlsen will return to the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship in New York after withdrawing after refusing to change out of his jeans.The 34-year-old withdrew from the World Speedboat Championship on Friday after breaching the dress code and choosing not to change his outfit.However, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced on Sunday that Carlsen will return to the World Blitz Championship. Arkady Dvorkovich, the organization’s president, confirmed that while the official dress code will remain the same, it will be relaxed to accommodate “minor deviations from elegance.”A post on Carlson’s X account read:…