Author: NY TIMES

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel offered condolences Thursday on the passing of Pope Francis, more than three days after the death of the Roman Catholic world’s leader.The delay in issuing a statement highlighted apparent tensions in the relationship between Israeli officials and the pope, who pointedly criticized Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza and repeatedly called for a cease-fire.“The State of Israel expresses its deepest condolences to the Catholic Church and the Catholic community worldwide at the passing of Pope Francis,” the office of the Israeli prime minister said in a post on X. “May he rest in…

Think of English folk music and maybe thoughts come to mind of villagers lamenting lost loves or sailors bellowing tales of adventure at sea.But when the rising British folk band Shovel Dance Collective performs, its members want their listeners to think of more contemporary concerns.At the band’s shows, the singer Mataio Austin Dean sometimes introduces “The Merry Golden Tree,” a song about a badly treated cabin boy, as a tale of “being shafted by your boss” — a scenario many office workers might relate to.The group also performs “I Wish There Was No Prisons” and “A Hundred Stretches Hence”: probable…

Nine days earlier, Gayle King had been pilloried online as a Marie Antoinette like figure for asking critics of her 11-minute spaceflight “have you been?” and suggesting they can’t have a conversation about it until they have. But on Thursday evening, she walked the red carpet at the Time 100 Gala, her head held high and her green dress shimmering.“I can’t complain,” Ms. King said at 7:30 p.m., standing on the 16th floor of the building that was previously known as the Time Warner Center, but is now called the Deutsche Bank Center. “My life is wonderful.”To her left was…

Pope Francis understood optics. When his body was moved from the Vatican guesthouse where he lived and died to the Basilica of St. Peter’s on Wednesday, his vision of a simpler papacy had one of its most tangible visual moments.It was unlike when Pope John Paul II died in 2005, and the procession that accompanied his body to the basilica began in the opulently decorated Sala Clementina. That procession was chronicled on live TV, and as with previous popes, it moved down majestic marble staircases, and through the vaulted loggias and frescoed halls of the Apostolic Palace, reflecting centuries’ worth…

Officials in the United States are urging Japan and South Korea to make a formal commitment within the next few weeks to a $44 billion natural gas project in Alaska.The effort, known as Alaska L.N.G., is a centerpiece of President Trump’s energy agenda, and aims to ship gas from northern Alaska in a liquefied form to nations in Asia. Its feasibility hinges on securing backing from the region, home to some of the world’s largest purchasers of liquefied natural gas.A group created by Mr. Trump that is advising him on domestic energy production, the National Energy Dominance Council, is seeking…

The question of whether to be polite to artificial intelligence may seem a moot point — it is artificial, after all.But Sam Altman, the chief executive of the artificial intelligence company OpenAI, recently shed light on the cost of adding an extra “Please!” or “Thank you!” to chatbot prompts.Someone posted on X last week: “I wonder how much money OpenAI has lost in electricity costs from people saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to their models.”The next day, Mr. Altman responded: “Tens of millions of dollars well spent — you never know.”First things first: Every single ask of a chatbot costs…

After an outcry from scientists and experts, federal officials on Thursday said they would restore funding to the Women’s Health Initiative, one of the largest and longest studies of women’s health ever carried out.The findings of the W.H.I. and its randomized controlled trials have changed medical practices and helped shape clinical guidelines, preventing hundreds of thousands of cases of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.“These studies represent critical contributions to our better understanding of women’s health,” said Emily G. Hilliard, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services.“We are now working to fully restore funding to these essential research…

A woman recently released after more than 15 months of captivity in Gaza refused any medical tests one day at the Israeli hospital that received her.The doctors were delighted.“We canceled a whole day’s schedule,” said Prof. Noa Eliakim-Raz, who heads the department that receives hostages at Beilinson Hospital near Tel Aviv. The woman’s ability to retake control indicated progress after months at the mercy of her Hamas captors.This was one of the small victories doctors say they have seen as dozens of freed hostages transition back to everyday life. For over a year, a team from Israel’s medical, military and…

Upstate, Schlather has been unfurling a series of Handel productions with the terrific period-instrument ensemble Ruckus; “Cesare,” running through May 2, comes on the heels of “Rodelinda” at Hudson Hall in 2023. It is a precious bastion of an ever rarer breed.His directorial style in dealing with this composer’s works has gotten clearer with experience. “Alcina” and “Orlando” were always quirky, often thrilling and sometimes bewildering. But this substantially yet intelligently trimmed “Cesare” — with intermission, it’s just under three hours — is a stylishly straightforward account of a story of vengeance and lust set amid Julius Caesar’s campaign to…

Jason Kelce, a mellow mountain of a man, has spent most of his life fretting over offensive snaps.Now, a year into his retirement after 13 seasons as a center for the Philadelphia Eagles, Mr. Kelce has space to puzzle over other matters. Lately, he’s been thinking about sweatshirts and T-shirts. And he has thoughts. Lots of thoughts.“On the inside of a sweatshirt, I don’t like when it feels fuzzy,” said Mr. Kelce, speaking on a video call from his Philadelphia home in April, just a few days after the birth of his fourth daughter. He wants a “heavier-duty” sweatshirt, with…