Author: NY TIMES

For months, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has refused to offer a timeline for ending the war against Hamas in Gaza, a reticence that his critics see as a political tactic. But he has been put on the spot this weekend by President Biden’s announcement outlining a proposal for a truce.Mr. Netanyahu, a conservative, has long juggled competing personal, political and national interests. He now appears to be facing a stark choice between the survival of his hard-line, hawkish government and bringing home hostages held in Gaza while setting himself and Israel on a new course away from growing…

South Africa is headed for big change.Precisely what that change looks like, and whether it will alleviate the many hardships that South Africans face, remains the million-dollar question.The African National Congress, or A.N.C. — which has governed with sizable electoral majorities since the start of democracy in South Africa in 1994 — won only about 40 percent of the vote in last week’s election. The poor result means that it is now negotiating with rival parties to become partners in forming a government.“In their desperation, I wonder what kind of choices they will make,” said Bhekindlela Cebekhulu, 40, a theater…

Each NBA playoff series is its own unique event, with no true point of continuity between the end of one game and the beginning of another.For example, the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the defending champion Denver Nuggets, but that didn’t automatically make them king of the hill; the next round series against the Dallas Mavericks presented an entirely different set of challenges, and the Timberwolves’ The lineup is even less equipped to handle these challenges. Likewise, the Indiana Pacers’ valiant battle against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals tells us little about what might happen in Boston’s series against…

When officials from major oil-producing countries met on Sunday, they had a tricky task before them: To reassure shaky markets that they would continue to restrain oil supplies.The group known as OPEC Plus, which is led by Saudi Arabia and includes Russia, also wanted to offer some hope to discontented producers like the United Arab Emirates that they might soon get the go-ahead to pump more oil.Not surprisingly, the deal reached in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, on Sunday is complex. It aims to bolster oil prices by promising that deep production cuts will extend through next year.But it also spells…

Pride Month is here, which means queer people and their allies will be taking to the streets for parades and protests and parades that look a lot like protests. There are dance parties, cultural events and unexpected gay histories to have fun with too.But while boozy drag brunches and silent discos under the stars are fun and all, Pride can also happen onscreen and from the comfort of your couch. Tearful romances, family-friendly comedies, revelatory documentaries: Pride Month is a ripe time for discovering how the movies mirror queer lives as they were and still can be.In these seven films,…

For months, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has refused to offer a timeline for ending the war against Hamas in Gaza, a reticence that his critics see as a political tactic. But he has been put on the spot by President Biden’s announcement outlining a proposal for a truce.Mr. Netanyahu, a conservative, has long juggled competing personal, political and national interests. He now appears to be facing a stark choice between the survival of his hard-line, hawkish government and bringing home hostages held in Gaza while setting himself and Israel on a new course away from growing international isolation.Critics…

The competing strains on U.S. global power came into sharp focus at a security conference on Sunday, where China accused the United States of stoking tensions around Taiwan and the South China Sea, and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine sought greater support for his embattled country.These scenes played out at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual security forum in Singapore that has long been a barometer of the ups and downs of U.S.-China relations.This year, the United States defense secretary, Lloyd J. Austin III, and China’s defense minister, Adm. Dong Jun, held talks, something the top defense officials from the two…

The legal woes of Colorado State starting safety Shiloh Sanders are being closely watched as a nearly decade-long saga continues to unfold. Sanders, 24, the son of Buffalo head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was ordered to pay nearly $12 million to a former security guard in October by a Texas court. He later filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.That’s according to court records in Texas and Colorado obtained and reviewed this week. CompetitorJohn Darjean claims Sanders, then 15, attacked Darjean during an argument at Triple A Academy in 2015, causing damage to Darjean’s cervical spine ,…

“Very soon people said, ‘Well, what can we buy?’” she said.The skin of her nascent media brand began shedding. Infographics and merch were no longer enough for Ms. Shields, who had put a small team of executives together and mined the community for ideas. In June, a new company will emerge, called Commence. It will sell three hair-care products on its website.In the modern beauty industry, there is precedent for pivoting from content to commerce: Glossier, valued at $1.8 billion in 2021, was born from the blog Into the Gloss. Its first skin-care products were developed using feedback from the…

Sometimes, smaller is better.For decades, major sports leagues have tried to place teams in the country’s largest markets in the hopes of selling more tickets and sponsorships as well as satisfying broadcasters who want to reach the largest number of viewers possible.But in recent years, leagues have embraced the charms of smaller markets. Teams have moved to cities like Oklahoma City, Las Vegas and Winnipeg, Manitoba, in search of financial incentives, newer arenas and stadiums, and more devoted fans.In early April, the National Hockey League approved the $1.2 billion sale of the Arizona Coyotes to the tech billionaire Ryan Smith…