Author: NY TIMES

Within the course of days, hopes for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip have been raised, dashed and raised again, with no clear explanation.The confusion was evident on Monday, when Hamas claimed to have accepted the terms of a truce deal even as Israel — a week after making concessions in the hope of an agreement — was ordering civilians in the southern Gazan city of Rafah to evacuate and escalating its airstrikes there. Then on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had sent tanks into Rafah and taken over the Gaza side of the border crossing with Egypt, halting…

When China’s leader, Xi Jinping, last visited Europe’s formerly communist east in 2016, the president of the Czech Republic hosted him for a flag-bedecked, three-day state visit and offered his country as an “unsinkable aircraft carrier” for Chinese investment.That vessel has since sunk, scuppered by China’s support for Russia in the war in Ukraine and bitter disappointment over projects that never materialized. Also capsized are many of the high hopes that took hold across Eastern and Central Europe for a bonanza of Chinese money.So when Mr. Xi returns to the region this week, after a visit to France, he will…

Of course they showed no mercy.During the more than three-hour Netflix live broadcast, no one was spared in mocking Tom Brady at the expense of the seven-time Super Bowl champion. Everything from his divorce from Gisele Bündchen, Spygate, Deflategate and Brady’s relationship with Alex Guerrero is on the table.”Before I came to the New England Patriots, we heard about Spygate. After I left, we heard about Deflategate,” Randy Moss said. “So I just have one question for you, Tom: ‘Why didn’t we cheat while I was there?! I also want to cheat. My kids always ask me, ‘Dad, why does…

If ever a Met Gala seemed primed to clash with its political moment, it was the 2024 Met.On the one hand, there was the event: the most opulent, extravagant, expensive party of the year, where a single ticket cost a whopping $75,000 — 50 percent more than last year’s ticket and more than $15,000 more than the average American salary.On the other hand, there was a city roiled by student protests over the war in Gaza and rived by the country’s first criminal trial of a former president, and a sponsor (Condé Nast) in a fight with its employees over…

Nearly two decades after the fast-casual salad chain Sweetgreen was founded, the company announced on Tuesday that it would introduce beef to its menu.According to Nicolas Jammet, a founder of Sweetgreen, the addition of a caramelized garlic steak option comes at a time when many Americans are trying to increase their protein intake and also as Sweetgreen is looking to attract more customers for dinner.The decision, however, leaves many questions about how the company, which has more than 225 locations, may accomplish its goal of carbon neutrality by 2027 when beef production is a significant factor in climate change. As…

As experts warn that images, audio and video generated by artificial intelligence could influence the fall elections, OpenAI is releasing a tool designed to detect content created by its own popular image generator, DALL-E. But the prominent A.I. start-up acknowledges that this tool is only a small part of what will be needed to fight so-called deepfakes in the months and years to come.On Tuesday, OpenAI said it would share its new deepfake detector with a small group of disinformation researchers so they could test the tool in real-world situations and help pinpoint ways it could be improved.“This is to…

The Biden administration has repatriated a family of 10 American citizens who had been stranded for years in desert camps and detention centers in Syria run by a Kurdish-led militia that battled the Islamic State, according to officials.The government also brought to the United States a pair of half brothers — only one of whom, said to be 7, is an American citizen. The resettlement of the other boy, who is said to be 9, is the first time the United States has taken in someone from the war zone who is not an American national.The government announced the early…

Vladimir V. Putin was inaugurated for a fifth term as president on Tuesday in a ceremony filled with pageantry and a televised church service, as the Russian leader tried once more to depict his invasion of Ukraine as a religiously righteous mission that is part of “our 1,000-year history.”Mr. Putin took the presidential oath — he swore to “respect and safeguard the rights and freedoms of man and citizen” — with his hand on a red-bound copy of Russia’s constitution, the 1993 document that guarantees many of the democratic rights that he has spent much of his 25-year rule rolling…

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Lando Norris had a smile on his face during his postgame media availability.His first Formula 1 victory has been a long time coming. He’s come close to success a few times, but failed due to small mistakes, such as the 2023 Olympics in Qatar, and things beyond his control, such as heavy rain and strategic calls for the 2021 Winter Olympics in Sochi. At the age of 18, he joined McLaren and joined the F1 team. times and more than 6,000 laps.As each driver stopped for an interview at the media fence, nearly everyone said the…

Up the carpeted stairs, past the tuxedoed photographers, Anna Wintour stood at the top of the steps at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit.“Your royal highnesses,” Baz Luhrmann, the Australian film director, said as he approached Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez and Chris Hemsworth, who were standing in a receiving line with Ms. Wintour. The space had been transformed by greenery, filled with string musicians and dancers, creating a “Midsummer Night’s” dreamscape just off Fifth Avenue.“How is it out there?” Ms. Wintour said, adding, “You look incredible.”One by one, the stratospherically famous faces that captivate imaginations worldwide walked carefully…