Author: NY TIMES

The Israeli military issued a sweeping evacuation order for the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, signaling it could relaunch intensive operations in the area.The order — which came during the Eid al-Fitr holiday — heralded renewed hardship for Palestinians in the southernmost city of Rafah, which has been battered by the war between Israel and Hamas. The war restarted two weeks ago after a monthslong cease-fire collapsed.In the past, the Israeli military has ordered evacuations ahead of both aerial attacks and ground maneuvers that it has said were targeting Hamas.Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman, on Monday posted a…

Paul Marchant, the chief executive of Primark, has resigned “with immediate effect” from his role leading the discount clothing retailer after an allegation about his behavior, the company announced Monday.Mr. Marchant, who joined Primark in 2009, left after the company hired lawyers to investigate “an allegation made by an individual about his behavior towards her in a social environment,” Associated British Foods, Primark’s parent company, said in a statement.It said that he cooperated with the inquiry, “acknowledged his error of judgment and accepts that his actions fell below the standards expected by the company.” Mr. Marchant apologized to the individual,…

Marine Le Pen, the French far-right leader, was found guilty of embezzlement by a criminal court in Paris on Monday, jeopardizing her plans to compete in France’s 2027 presidential election.The verdict was a major blow to the perennial presidential ambitions of Ms. Le Pen, an anti-immigrant, nationalist politician who was widely seen as a front-runner in the 2027 race, despite three past failed bids.Ms. Le Pen, 56, has long denied any wrongdoing in the case, which involved accusations that her party, the National Rally, illegally used several million euros in European Parliament funds for party expenses between 2004 and 2016.Her…

When it arrived at Grambling State in 2015, it entered the WNBA or created the idea that the incredible NCAA record never crossed Shakyla Hill.She has other wishes. She wants to become a lawyer.Recording four times the doubles in the game is never part of the plan. Gaining two people in a career isn’t even the same idea.However, this happens to student-athletes who prefer the law rather than layups.”I probably said that I was playing basketball for a hundred times in my first two years, and I was playing basketball for school. I didn’t play basketball at school,” Hill told…

In Washington, President Trump has said he is willing to meet with Xi Jinping, China’s top leader.In Beijing, Chinese officials and experts agree that a meeting between the heads of state must precede any broad reset of relations with the United States amid Mr. Trump’s aggressive approach to trade and foreign policy.But arranging a meeting is already proving slow and difficult.Senator Steve Daines, Republican of Montana, who came to Beijing this month as an informal representative of Mr. Trump, said one of the main goals for his trip was to lay the groundwork for a presidential summit. After meeting China’s…

Follow live updates on the Trump administration here.Automakers can respond to President Trump’s new 25 percent tariffs on imported cars and parts in several ways. But all of them cost money and will lead to higher car prices, analysts say.Manufacturers can try to move production from countries like Mexico to the United States. They can try to increase the number of cars they already make here. They can stop selling imported models, especially ones that are less profitable.But whatever carmakers decide, car buyers can expect to pay more for new and used vehicles. Estimates vary widely and depend on the…

Johnny Mathis, a pop music singer and one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, said this week that he would perform only four more live concerts before retiring from touring after nearly 70 years.Known for his “velvet voice” on romantic ballads like “It’s Not for Me to Say” and “Wonderful! Wonderful!” Mr. Mathis has been singing standards and soft rock since his teenage years, but he started touring professionally after his debut album was released in 1956.Mr. Mathis, 89, will pick up the microphone for shows in April and May, but his concerts scheduled for the summer…

Israel and Hamas both signaled over the weekend that efforts for a renewed cease-fire in Gaza were underway, less than two weeks after the breakdown of a temporary truce and the resumption of Israel’s air and ground campaign against the militant group in the enclave.Hamas said on Saturday that it had accepted a proposal for a new cease-fire, which would see some hostages released from captivity in Gaza. Israel said it, too, had received a proposal via third-party mediators and had responded with a counterproposal in coordination with the United States.“The military pressure is working,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of…

On Tuesday, as news piled up about the Trump administration’s use of a Signal group chat to discuss military strikes, Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, found himself facing the Senate Committee on Intelligence. He looked like a prep schooler sitting in detention.His striped tie was yanked off center, and the top button of his dress shirt was conspicuously unfastened, as if too constricting for his neck.But by the standards of President Trump’s cabinet, there was nothing off about Mr. Patel’s Dorito-shaped tie. After all, the wide Windsor knot, a symmetrical loop about the size of a Labrador’s paw, has become…

In Mandalay, near the epicenter of the quake that rocked the region, volunteer rescue workers raced against time as they combed through the ruins of apartments, monasteries and mosques to find survivors. Others struggled to come to terms with all they had lost.Downed power lines, destroyed roads and a lack of equipment made rescue work even harder in a city already enduring a repressive military government and a civil war that is now in its fourth year.“There are at least a hundred people still trapped inside,” said Thaw Zin, a volunteer who was sitting in front of a destroyed condominium.…