Author: NY TIMES

Often, the pets make an understated entrance. “A lot of times, you won’t even see the dog” until you seat the owners, said Ally Gallegos, a former maître d’ at an upscale neighborhood restaurant in the West Village. “And you’re like, ‘Oh, God.’”What happens next is straightforward, at least in theory. The Americans With Disabilities Act allows the staff to ask just two questions: Is the dog a service animal, required because of the owner’s disability? And what work or task has the dog been trained to perform? This should mean that service dogs get in with no problems, and…

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved an innovative new treatment for patients with a form of lung cancer. It is to be used only by patients who have exhausted all other options to treat small cell lung cancer, and have a life expectancy of four to five months.The drug tarlatamab, or Imdelltra, made by the company Amgen, tripled patients’ life expectancy, giving them a median survival of 14 months after they took the drug. Forty percent of those who got the drug responded.After decades with no real advances in treatments for small cell lung cancer, tarlatamab offers the…

“Megalopolis,” the first film from the director Francis Ford Coppola in 13 years, premiered Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival. Self-financed by Coppola, the $120 million passion project has earned headlines about a reportedly chaotic shoot, allegations of misconduct and questions about the film’s commercial prospects.But what exactly are we dealing with here? Now that I’ve seen “Megalopolis,” let me try to answer the questions you might be asking.What is “Megalopolis” about?Any attempt to sum up “Megalopolis” will impose more narrative onto this movie than it actually contains, but here goes. Adam Driver plays Cesar Catalina, a visionary architect who…

NATO is considering sending military trainers to UkraineNATO allies are inching closer to sending military trainers into Ukraine. The move could draw the U.S. and Europe more directly into the war with Russia.Ukrainian officials have asked their U.S. and NATO counterparts to help train 150,000 new recruits closer to the front line for faster deployment. So far the U.S. has been adamant that it will not put U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine, and has urged NATO allies not to do so either.But yesterday, Gen. Charles Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that a NATO…

Forms isn’t a household name, but the Hong Kong jewelry house is drawing attention for its unusual contemporary style.A Japanese buckle from the late 19th century inspired the company’s co-founder Tzvika Janover’s latest obsession. The buckle was crafted in a Japanese gold and copper alloy called shakudo, its velvety brown patina unlike anything he’d seen before.The recipe for shakudo is unknown; each Japanese metalsmith had his own secret recipe. Mr. Janover was determined to recreate it himself, a process that ended up requiring more than a year of experimenting with alloys to achieve what he said was the same rich…

A 14-year-old whose family said he had eaten a chip made with two of the hottest peppers in the world died of cardiopulmonary arrest, according to a medical examiner’s report released on Thursday, which noted that he had eaten a spicy substance and had a heart condition.The report found that the teenager, Harris Wolobah of Worcester, Mass., died on Sept. 1 of “cardiopulmonary arrest in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration in a person with cardiomegaly and myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending coronary artery.”Capsaicin is the chemical compound found in chili peppers…

The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, one of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, said Thursday that it would allow the Jerusalem Quartet to perform, two days after it had canceled the ensemble’s concerts amid security concerns related to threatened protests.The Concertgebouw said in a statement that the Jerusalem Quartet would be allowed to perform on Saturday after all, with expanded security measures and a more robust police presence. The ensemble had originally been scheduled to perform on Thursday and Saturday, but the Concertgebouw canceled the engagement, saying it could not ensure the safety of audience members, musicians and employees because of…

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that it was expelling Britain’s defense attaché from the country, reciprocating against the British government after it threw out his Russian counterpart last week.The Russian ministry announced that further, unspecified retaliatory steps would be forthcoming because of the “unfriendly” measures taken by London.The ministry summoned a British diplomat to inform him that the attaché had been declared “persona non grata,” according to a statement.Britain had announced on May 8 that it was ordering the Russian defense attaché to leave, describing him as an “undeclared” military intelligence officer.The Russian statement said the ministry viewed…

Love it or hate it, artificial intelligence has become increasingly prevalent in our lives. Now, jewelers are exploring its marketing potential.Frankie Deane, senior vice president of growth for the British brand Monica Vinader, said A.I. was “another form of us utilizing technology to elevate our digital experience for consumers.” When it comes to providing an elevated product and in-store experience, “there is a greater expectation I think on brands like us to translate that digitally,” she said.The brand, whose pieces range from 24 British pounds (about $30) to £1,495 (about $1,870), announced in December that it would begin work with…

Dear Tripped Up,In September 2022, I booked a 17-day Arabian Sea cruise through Vantage Travel Services to celebrate my 80th birthday with my wife. The cruise was to set sail in October 2023. I used my credit card to leave a $2,000 deposit and paid the remaining $17,905 shortly afterward by bank transfer. I also bought the Worldwide Trip Protector plan from Travel Insured International (for $1,954), in part because it covered financial default and bankruptcy of cruise lines. Vantage then canceled the cruise and offered me an alternative date I could not make; I also declined their offer of…