Author: NY TIMES

The United States would cut off funding for the main U.N. agency that provides aid to Palestinians in Gaza under a spending agreement on track to soon become law, according to two people familiar with the plan.The ban, part of a massive spending bill negotiated by lawmakers and the White House that is expected to clear Congress by this weekend, would create a shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars for the agency, known as UNRWA. That could have disastrous consequences for Gazans, who are facing an acute hunger crisis and displacement in crowded shelters and tent encampments.The move would…

Former Israeli security officials are split on how to address growing anarchy in the northern Gaza Strip, but many agree that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lack of a workable plan for how the enclave will be governed makes it impossible to chart a path toward a more stable future.Mr. Netanyahu has brought forward a vague plan that calls for Israeli security control over Gaza after the war. He has also outright rejected U.S. calls for an overhauled Palestinian Authority — which now has limited governing powers in the West Bank — to govern the enclave.But there are no simple options.…

Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, is readying for her national close-up. How else to interpret her recent controversial trip to Texas to “fix” her smile, documented in a lengthy video?You know, the one she posted on X, Facebook and Instagram, singing the praises of Smile Texas, the cosmetic dental clinic that remedied what she said had been a problem incurred long ago in an accident while bicycling with her children. The one that chronicled her journey to, she said, “a smile that I can be proud of and confident in.”The result seemed so much like a promotional infomercial…

The Federal Reserve is expected to keep its key interest rate steady on Wednesday, but American households will be listening for clues about whether rate cuts are on the horizon, which could have meaningful implications for their monthly budgets and influence big purchase decisions.The central bank has raised its benchmark rate to a range of 5.25 to 5.50 percent, the highest level in more than two decades, in a series of increases over the past two years. The goal was to rein in inflation, which has cooled considerably from a high of 9.1 percent in 2022.Fed officials have kept rates…

Parrots have much in common with toddlers. The brainy birds can learn to recognize colors and shapes, manipulate objects, build large vocabularies and make their needs known at improbably high volumes. They are also playful, intelligent and curious; without ample cognitive enrichment, they quickly become bored.So owners of pet parrots sometimes turn to a strategy familiar to parents: reaching for the closest available screen. And some owners have found that they can keep their birds occupied with mobile games, drawing apps and music-making programs designed for young children. “Kids apps are quite popular,” said Rébecca Kleinberger, a scientist at Northeastern…

Measles, a highly contagious but preventable disease, is resurging in pockets of the United States, a warning of the dangers of the strengthening anti-vaccine movement.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded more cases this year than the 58 tallied in all of 2023, although the agency is not expected to release exact numbers until Friday. On Monday, the agency advised health care providers to ensure that unvaccinated patients, especially those traveling internationally, stay updated on their immunizations.The number of cases is likely to keep rising because of a sharp spike in measles worldwide, along with spring travel to…

At 28, Jan Lisiecki can certainly be called a young musician. But of the pianists making recital debuts at Carnegie Hall recently, he’s something of an elder statesman.Last month, Yunchan Lim, then still in his teens, confidently pressed through the challenges of Chopin’s études. And on Tuesday, Alexander Malofeev, 22, was an unruffled guide through the richness of Russian late Romanticism and its afterglow.Both Lim and Malofeev were appearing at Carnegie for the first time, but Lisiecki has been an occasional presence with orchestras there since 2016. While the main hall’s scale can be daunting for a solo recitalist, with…

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Israel this week, adding a stop to his latest Middle East trip amid intense diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.Mr. Blinken arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday afternoon. The State Department initially made no mention of Israel in announcing his travel plans, saying only that he would visit Saudi Arabia and then Egypt on the trip — Mr. Blinken’s sixth to the region since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel set off the war in Gaza.On Wednesday, the State Department said that Mr.…

Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s barrier-breaking taoiseach or prime minister, said on Wednesday that he would step down as the country’s leader, days after the defeat of two referendums that the coalition government had championed and after years of waning public support for his political party, Fine Gael.Ireland is scheduled to hold a general election early next year, and his decision will not trigger an earlier election, he said.“I know this will come as a surprise to many people and a disappointment to some, but I hope you will understand my decision,” Mr. Varadkar told a press briefing outside Leinster House in…

A few years ago, my in-laws gave our oldest child and another grandchild generous monetary gifts when they turned 13 in the same year. The other grandchild had a bar mitzvah that year, but we’re not religious so our child did not. Still, they both received checks. Our second child turned 13 two years ago, but she received no such gift. My husband and I think this was an oversight. We don’t believe his parents meant to favor one child over another. Should my husband mention this to them? Our younger child, now 15, feels slighted by her grandparents and…