Author: NY TIMES

It’s not every day that a critic gets to review a premiere by Ravel.He died almost a century ago, after all. And while some previously unknown works have come to light over the years, it happens considerably less than once in a blue moon.So my pen was out and alert on Thursday at the New York Philharmonic’s delightful concert at David Geffen Hall, practically vibrating with the opportunity to be among the first to weigh in on a piece by the creator of some of music’s most enduring and gorgeous classics.The work that the Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel, its incoming…

Hamas said on Friday that it had agreed to free Edan Alexander, an American Israeli soldier who has been held in Gaza for 17 months, and return the remains of four other hostages holding foreign passports, without specifying when they would be released or what it was demanding in exchange.The Israeli government said that Hamas was engaged in “psychological warfare,” suggesting a deal was unlikely to be imminent. The office of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said Hamas was “continuing to reject” other proposals that Israel had deemed acceptable.Mr. Netanyahu’s office said he would convene Israeli ministers on Saturday…

Last year, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art invited a young photographer to shoot its highly anticipated spring 2025 fashion exhibition, the museum got something it probably wasn’t expecting: a counteroffer.That may be because the invitation wasn’t extended to just any young photographer but to Tyler Mitchell, who in 2018 became the first Black photographer to shoot a Vogue cover. (He was 23, and his subject was Beyoncé.) Although he said he would be happy to photograph objects from the exhibition — a cultural and sartorial examination of Black dandies — for a planned catalog, Mr. Mitchell came back to…

It was not even three months ago when it seemed like Canadians couldn’t wait for an end to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s nearly decade-long stint as their leader. On Jan. 6, he announced his intention to step down with polls showing most Canadians deeply unhappy with the state of their country.But as Mr. Trudeau, 53, prepares to officially resign on Friday, his fortunes have taken a remarkable turn thanks to a prolonged campaign of aggression against Canada by President Trump.Through tariffs that could lead to economic devastation and repeated verbal attacks on Canada’s sovereignty, Mr. Trump has ignited a wave…

Officials in Beijing are increasingly worried that President Trump’s tariffs on Mexico may be the start of a broad campaign to force developing countries around the world to choose between trade with the United States or with China.Ever since Mr. Trump imposed extensive tariffs on goods from China during his first term, companies have been investing heavily in countries like Mexico, Vietnam and Thailand to assemble Chinese components into goods for shipment to the United States. Doing final assembly in these countries offered a back door to the U.S. market regardless of trade frictions between Washington and Beijing.China’s trade surplus…

Mercedes-Benz said on Thursday that the latest version of its least expensive sedan would be available first as an all-electric car and then as a hybrid. And the company will no longer sell a gasoline-only version of the car.That’s a big break from how Mercedes and other established carmakers have typically operated. Until recently, most automakers adapted vehicles designed for fossil fuels to be powered by batteries. The Mercedes sedan, the CLA, which the company unveiled in Rome with the rapper will.i.am, is an example of how at least some established carmakers are developing electric cars first, then adapting them…

The White House on Thursday withdrew the nomination of Dr. Dave Weldon, a Republican and former congressman, to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just hours before he was to have appeared at a Senate confirmation hearing.Reached by phone, Dr. Weldon said he had learned of the decision on Wednesday night and had been told by a White House official that “they didn’t have the votes to confirm” his nomination.In a statement released later on Thursday, Dr. Weldon, 71, blamed Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine and a member of the Senate health committee, and Senator Bill Cassidy,…

What inspires the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter? Her first picture book, “Tori and the Muses,” offers an answer. In an email interview, she shared how her gently rebellious mother made her a reader. SCOTT HELLERWhat books are on your night stand?“Medicine Cards: The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals,” by Jamie Sams and David Carson. It’s an interactive book and card set where you can pull a card and read about the healing properties that each animal embodies as it relates to mind, body and spirit. Jamie Sams was of Indigenous heritage, and I feel like some of it was…

For more than a year, Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked merchant vessels and warships in the Red Sea with missiles, drones and speedboats loaded with explosives, disrupting global trade through one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.Claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, the Houthis have hit vessels as far as 100 miles off the Yemeni coast, prompting retaliatory airstrikes by U.S. and Israeli warplanes.The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, largely discontinued their attacks when Israel and Hamas reached a cease-fire in January. But evidence examined by weapons researchers shows that the rebels may have acquired new technology that makes…

Donatella Versace has taken her last runway bow.Ms. Versace, the younger sister of the founder Gianni Versace and the woman who stepped in to safeguard the company after his murder in 1997, is leaving her post as chief creative officer after almost 30 years. She will become chief brand ambassador, an honorary role involving philanthropy and red carpets (and red carpet philanthropy). Dario Vitale, the former design and image director of Miu Miu, has been named the new designer.In a release on Thursday announcing the news, John D. Idol, the chief executive officer of Capri Holdings, which owns Versace as…