Author: NY TIMES

The two sisters brought with them a chocolate cake from the nearby grocery store and put candles on it: two red hearts, and a neon orange 2 and 5. Their brother had turned 25 in April, but he could not properly celebrate his birthday in a Russian prison.They brought along other things, too: a carton of Winston cigarettes, lighters, a bottle of Coca-Cola, some chocolates. The things that he liked, the things he had not had for so long. The sisters wondered: Would he still have his sense of humor? Would he still be the same?And then they waited for…

For motorcycle lovers in Sweden, Harley-Davidson is the hottest brand on the road. Jack Daniel’s whiskey beckons from the bar at British pubs. In France, Levi’s jeans are all about chic.But in the tumult of President Trump’s trade war with Europe, many European consumers are starting to avoid U.S. products and services in what appears to be a decisive and potentially long-term shift away from buying American, according to a new assessment by the European Central Bank.In April, Mr. Trump imposed a 10 percent blanket tariff on America’s trading partners, and threatened “reciprocal tariffs” on many of those, including the…

Few people want beefs with their neighbors to become public. That includes Elon Musk.In March, Mr. Musk’s team lobbied officials in the upscale city of West Lake Hills, Texas, to keep quiet the details of one of his mansions and security operations, according to emails to city employees obtained by The New York Times through public records requests.In those emails, the tech billionaire’s employees asked West Lake Hills officials to make private a public meeting in April — where neighbors might speak about his $6 million house. They pointed to Mr. Musk’s work with the Trump administration as reason that…

Philip Sunshine, a Stanford University physician who played an important role in establishing neonatology as a medical specialty, revolutionizing the care of premature and critically ill newborns who previously had little chance of survival, died on April 5 at his home in Cupertino, Calif. He was 94.His death was confirmed by his daughter Diana Sunshine.Before Dr. Sunshine and a handful of other physicians became interested in caring for preemies in the late 1950s and early ’60s, more than half of these unimaginably fragile patients died shortly after birth. Insurance companies wouldn’t pay to treat them.Dr. Sunshine, a pediatric gastroenterologist, thought…

The soprano Patricia Racette has performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, but she has long felt a special connection to Opera Theater of St. Louis, where she made her debut in 1993.Now Racette, 59, will deepen her ties to St. Louis: She will lead Opera Theater as its next artistic director, the company announced on Tuesday.Racette, who has directed productions for the company and overseen its young artist program for six years, said she was excited by the challenge of working to keep opera fresh and relevant.“It feels like a very natural evolution for me,” she said. “I…

Israeli fighter jets bombarded the main international airport in the Yemeni capital of Sana on Tuesday, the Israeli military said, two days after the Houthi militia in Yemen fired a ballistic missile that struck near Israel’s main airport.The Israeli attack was the latest salvo in an ongoing battle with the Iran-backed Houthis, who rule Sana and much of northwestern Yemen. They have fired scores of rockets and drones at Israel in what they call a solidarity campaign with Palestinians to press for an end to the war in Gaza.The scope of the damage to Sana’s international airport was not immediately…

Janelle Monáe was feeling euphoric on Sunday when asked to break down her look for this year’s Met Gala, which celebrates Black dandyism.“I feel like a kid in class ready to give the presentation,” Monáe said.After all, “she truly is the modern day dandy,” said Thom Browne, who designed her look.Since Monáe started releasing music in the 2000s, tailored suiting has been core to her style. She adds her own flair with sculptural layering and accessories like whimsical hats and bow ties.Growing up, Monáe observed her mother, a janitor and part-time banquet server; her father, a sanitation worker; and her…

A Ukrainian drone attack restricted flights at airports near Moscow, Russian officials said on Tuesday, showing Kyiv’s ability to strike at the capital three days before a planned parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.The drone volley targeted half a dozen Russian regions, forcing airports outside five cities, including Moscow, to suspend flights, according to Russian state news reports.The Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the strikes. It was not clear from the Russian report exactly how long the airports were closed.It was also not clear that the barrage was intended as…

It was always going to be a hard year for Bangladesh. Last summer, amid an economic collapse, protesters toppled a tyrant and pushed the country to the brink of chaos.Then a month ago, as a new government was still working to steady Bangladesh’s economy, came the devastating news that the United States was placing a new 37 percent charge on the country’s goods. Bangladesh relies on revenue from its exports to buy fuel, food and other essentials.President Trump soon paused those tariffs on Bangladesh and dozens of other countries after the world recoiled. But the possibility they will be reinstated…

OpenAI said on Monday that it was restructuring as a public benefit corporation, allowing the nonprofit that controls OpenAI to retain its grip on the company.The decision is a victory for OpenAI’s critics, including one of its founders, Elon Musk, who complained that the company was too focused on profits and had abandoned its early plan to build artificial intelligence systems with safety foremost in mind.The changes announced on Monday are the latest in years of corporate drama for what many consider to be the most influential A.I. company in the world. OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, released in late 2022, was…