Author: NY TIMES

The crew at an artillery position in eastern Ukraine had 33 shells in its ammunition bunker, stacked neatly like firewood against a wall.Then came an order to fire. Twenty minutes later, smoke wafted around a howitzer and 17 shells were gone — more than half the crew’s ammunition. The rapidly depleted stack was emblematic of Ukraine’s dwindling supply of artillery munitions, even as Russian attacks persist.“Artillery decides battles,” said Capt. Vladyslav Slominsky, the artillery commander along this section of the front. “Who has more wins.”For now, that is Russia, as Ukrainian soldiers are reaching for some of the last ammunition…

When they met at the wedding of two good friends, Alexandra Dale and Patrick Kohout discovered they had been born at the same hospital. Source link

Oil spike ripples through global markets The price of Brent crude rose again on Friday, at one point topping $91 a barrel. Growing tensions in the Middle East have pushed the global benchmark to levels last reached in October.That poses a potential problem for President Biden ahead of the election and raises new questions about when the Fed will start cutting interest rates.Some analysts believe the oil rally is just beginning, creating a fresh inflation risk for central bankers who are struggling to keep price-increases in check. JPMorgan Chase forecast last week that oil would climb above $100 by September.…

Listen to and follow ‘Hard Fork’Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTubeThis week we look at how A.I. is affecting jobs. As companies start announcing A.I.-related job cuts and experimenting with customer service bots, economists are placing bets on whether A.I. will lead to major gains for companies and workers. Some are even predicting it will help rebuild the middle class.Then, the multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker Paul Trillo joins to talk to us about his experience as part of a select group of testers granted early access to Sora, OpenAI’s video generation tool. And finally, Kevin explains what happened when…

Jazz at Lincoln Center announced its 2024-25 concert season on Tuesday, which will include performances that celebrate the 20th anniversary of the center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, a tribute to the civil rights activist Bayard Rustin and concerts by Grammy Award-winning artists.The season will run from Sept. 19, 2024, to June 14, 2025, and will begin with Hot Jazz and Swing, in which the music director Loren Schoenberg will guide the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra through revitalized arrangements of 1920s and ’30s tunes.On Oct. 18-19, Bryan Carter, a drummer and composer, will lead the Jazz at Pride Orchestra in…

Nearly six months since it began, Israel’s war in Gaza is dragging on. So, too, is the tenure of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In Israel, some are now asking: Are the two are linked?To his allies, Mr. Netanyahu’s refusal to agree to a cease-fire in Gaza is a necessary one, made in the national interest and backed by many Israelis. The thinking goes that Israel must cripple Hamas to weaken its hand at cease-fire negotiations.To his critics, the prime minister is dragging out the war to prevent the collapse of his fragile right-wing coalition and extend his time in office.…

On one chilly evening in March, after the sun had set and when most school-aged children were begrudgingly starting their homework, Felicia Dawkins, 16, enthusiastically hopped on the phone from Scotland to share that her life had changed — for the better.She introduced herself with the kind of bubbly energy and giddiness that only a teenager can radiate. It is the same energy that drew millions of viewers to her TikTok account, where she unveiled herself as a key participant in a Willy Wonka-themed event that had gone so poorly that its memes briefly took over large portions of the…

A barefaced woman studies her reflection, trying on fabric bibs that could have been yanked from a production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” In a video posted on TikTok last month, she is draped in lustrous silver, faint pink, a deep green that recalls a jalapeño pepper.Standing behind her client as a hairdresser might, Tatum Schwerin oohs and aahs. “Stunning on you,” she says of one warm-toned tapestry. Another, with stripes of terra cotta and butter yellow, is “on the money.”Ms. Schwerin, 44, calls herself the Color Analysis Queen on social media. She estimates that she conducts about…

China wants young people to put money away for retirement. Tao Swift, an unemployed 30-year-old, is not interested in hearing it.“Retire with a pension?” he asked. “I don’t hold much hope that I can definitely get my hands on it.”Mr. Tao, who lives in the southern city of Chengdu, is not alone in thinking this way. On social media forums and among friends, young people are questioning whether to save for old age. Some are opting out, citing the shortage of jobs, low pay and their ambivalence about the future.Their skepticism betrays the enormous challenge for China’s leaders. Over less…

Cualquiera que trabaje a fondo en las trincheras de internet te dirá que no es una maquinaria bien aceitada que funcione sin el menor problema.Más bien, es un conjunto de partes desorganizadas que se han ido ensamblando a lo largo de décadas y que solo se mantienen juntas gracias al equivalente digital de una cinta adhesiva y goma de mascar. Gran parte de la red depende de software de código abierto que se mantiene por el trabajo de un pequeño ejército de programadores voluntarios a quienes nadie les da las gracias por reparar los errores, parchar los huecos y asegurarse…