Author: NY TIMES

The C.I.A. director met with top Qatari and Egyptian officials on Wednesday as the Biden administration launched a renewed push for a cease-fire in Gaza, though Israel and Hamas appeared to remain far apart on the latest proposal to pause the fighting.The U.S. spy chief, William J. Burns, met in Doha, Qatar, with the Qatari prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and the Egyptian intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, according to an official briefed on the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door encounter.Egypt and Qatar have been key mediators in the talks between Israel…

A federal appellate court on Wednesday struck down a Securities and Exchange Commission rule intended to provide investors in hedge funds, private equity funds and venture capital firms with more information about fees and expenses.The unanimous decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans sided with a group of associations representing the private fund industry in ruling that the S.E.C. exceeded its authority with the rule, which was enacted in August.In its decision, the appeals court agreed with their argument, saying that the regulator had overstepped with its rule, which was based on a…

What really sets the theater apart, though, is its programming of world premiere after world premiere by top-shelf artists. Behind that is Winokur, 35, a Juilliard-trained dancer-turned-director who was a founder of the essential, increasingly visible collective American Modern Opera Company, or AMOC. Now, with Little Island, he is at the vanguard of his generation’s artistic leaders, with a New York stage to call his own.The financial support that Diller has pledged to Little Island’s programming, millions of dollars with no end in sight, is the kind that most artistic leaders only dream of. Winokur does not have to spend…

A professional skier and his girlfriend fell more than 2,000 feet to their deaths while mountain climbing in the Italian Alps, sports officials in the country said.The deaths of the two, Jean Daniel Pession and Elisa Arlian, were reported by FISI, Italy’s winter sports federation, which called the episode an “accident” and a “terrible tragedy.”Mr. Pession and Ms. Arlian, who were both Italian, were climbing a ridge on Saturday that divides the east and north faces of Monte Zerbion, a mountain in the Pennine Alps that both knew well. As is common in climbs of this kind, they were tied…

Real Madrid have been trying to land Kylian Mbappe for years and now they have finally found the right man.The 25-year-old Frenchman’s signing was confirmed on Monday, more than two years after they last tried to sign him.In May 2022, Mbappe dramatically rejected a transfer to Madrid and decided at the last minute to renew his contract with Paris Saint-Germain. This time, things are going much smoother and everyone in Madrid is very excited about the arrival of one of the best players in the world, especially as the team that just won the club’s 15th European Cup/Champions League is…

On the third floor of a building in SoHo, Jenna Lyons sat frantically scrubbing a pair of Lanvin shoes.“This has been a long time coming,” said the 55-year-old former J. Crew president and “Real Housewives of New York City” star. “Every time I would buy something, I would realize that there was no place for it.”So she did what many New Yorkers in this situation would do: host a stoop sale.“When I moved to Brooklyn, that was the first time I’d ever seen a stoop sale. I thought it was so cute. People would just sit outside and watch people…

A start-up stock exchange headquartered in Dallas and backed by the financial powerhouses BlackRock and Citadel Securities is set to challenge the dominance of the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq in the listing and trading of companies and funds.The Texas Stock Exchange, or TXSE, has raised roughly $120 million from more than two dozen investors, including BlackRock and Citadel Securities as well as some unnamed business leaders, according to a statement on Wednesday.The exchange has yet to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which will be its primary regulator, but intends to do so later this year. It…

Electric cars are more expensive than gasoline models largely because batteries cost so much. But new technology could turn those pricey devices into an asset, giving owners benefits like reduced utility bills, lower lease payments or free parking.Ford Motor, General Motors, BMW and other automakers are exploring how electric-car batteries could be used to store excess renewable energy to help utilities deal with fluctuations in supply and demand for power. Automakers would make money by serving as intermediaries between car owners and power suppliers.Millions of cars could be thought of as a huge energy system that, for the first time,…

One of the nation’s premier medical advisory organizations has weighed in on long Covid with a 265-page report that recognizes the seriousness and persistence of the condition for millions of Americans.More than four years since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, long Covid continues to damage many people’s ability to function, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, a nongovernmental institution that advises federal agencies on science and medicine.“Long Covid can impact people across the life span, from children to older adults, as well as across sex, gender, racial, ethnic and other demographic groups,” it said, concluding…

The Shyamalan family is very close. How close? During a video interview with the sisters Saleka, 27, and Ishana Night Shyamalan, 24, their dad, the “Sixth Sense” director M. Night Shyamalan, called Ishana on the phone. The sound interrupted Ishana speaking about the differences between her and her father’s filmmaking process.“I’m like, you know we’re on this call right now,” she said with a laugh, ignoring the ring.Given this familial bond, it makes sense that the Shyamalan siblings are both on the cusp of major career moments this summer made in collaboration with their father. Ishana’s feature directing debut “The…