Author: NY TIMES

As the Russian military launched its offensive on the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka last fall, Ukrainian troops noticed a change in their tactics as column after column of Russian forces were ravaged by artillery fire.Russian forces divided their infantry formations into smaller units to avoid being shelled, while the amount of Russian airstrikes increased to hammer the city’s defenses.It was one of several adjustments the Russians made to help reverse their fortunes after a disastrous first year. But these changes were obscured by one glaring fact: The Russian military was still far more willing to absorb big losses in…

This is not what Scott Boras wants. Now, Cody Bellinger, the first member of Boras’ quartet, has agreed to a deal that’s less than expected, which may only make it easier for teams pursuing Boras’ other top free agent clients Be more bold and persevere.Bellinger reportedly signed a three-year, $80 million free-agent deal with the Chicago Cubs, with an opt-out that gives him a chance to return to the open market next offseason.Maybe then he’ll get a deal closer to what some expected him to be – six years, $162 million Athletic team Tim Britton, 12 years, MLBTradeRumors.com revenue $264…

On a Monday in early February, Michael Salem was contemplating some silicone breast enhancers at a booth inside the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Midtown Manhattan. A section of the venue had recently been taken over by Curve New York, a lingerie trade show.The fake breasts were from Nood, a so-called solutionwear brand that, according to promotional material, offers products intended “to make all women feel seen.” With a soft feminine design, the enhancers were a modern and more subtle version of the ponderous breast forms Mr. Salem has sold for decades as a merchant who has catered largely…

An independent federal agency has become one of the most reliable executors of President Biden’s attempts to fight inflation, at a time when the White House has few weapons of its own to quickly bring down stubbornly high prices of consumer staples like groceries.The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit on Monday, joined by several state attorneys general, to challenge a merger between the supermarket giants Kroger and Albertsons. The agency’s rationale in many ways echoed Mr. Biden’s renewed attempts to blame corporate greed for rising prices and shrinking portions in grocery aisles.“If allowed, this merger would substantially lessen competition,…

A recent outbreak of lead poisoning from cinnamon in applesauce has drawn attention to the toxic effect the heavy metal can have on children. The cinnamon in the applesauce was believed to have been intentionally contaminated, possibly to add to its value as a commodity sold by weight. It had unusually high levels of lead.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 400 children were poisoned in the applesauce outbreak. Their median blood lead levels were six times higher than the average seen during the height of the Flint water crisis, the C.D.C. said.While such poisoning cases…

The world of experimental medical research might not seem like it has much to say to the world of theater, but Lucy Prebble sees connections. Both require subjects and observers, both take place within a carefully controlled environment and both depend on a certain amount of luck.“The more I thought about it, the more I thought, ‘That’s kind of what we do,’” said Prebble, a British playwright and screenwriter.In 2006, Prebble became fascinated with one botched medical trial in particular, in which six healthy young Britons experienced multiple organ failure after taking a novel drug. The incident partly inspired “The…

A sealed case filled with unopened boxes of Canadian hockey trading cards sold for $3.72 million on Sunday after a father and son found them while cleaning the father’s house in Saskatchewan.The high price takes into account the mystery inside: The case could contain as many as 30 of the holy grail of collectible hockey cards, a Wayne Gretzky rookie card from 1979. Or it might not.The buyer is likely content with the uncertainty, and prepared to never know the answer, explained Jason Simonds, a sports card specialist at Heritage Auctions, the Dallas-based auction house that brokered the sale.“The person…

PGA Tour rookie Jake Knapp is now the PGA Tour champion, beating rookie Sami Valimaki by two strokes on Sunday after shooting 19-under this week. Sami Valimaki, won the Mexican Open.Knapp started the round with a four-shot advantage, but let the lead slip away as his driver – the foundation of his first three rounds – betrayed him. Knapp hit two fairways in 18 holes on Sunday, becoming the first PGA Tour player since 1983 to hit two or fewer fairways in the final round and win. Knapp hit 33 of 39 fairways Thursday through Saturday.Still, he sealed the win…

The Federal Reserve may have a housing problem. At the very least, it has a housing riddle.Overall inflation has eased substantially over the past year. But housing has proved a tenacious — and surprising — exception. The cost of shelter was up 6 percent in January from a year earlier, and rose faster on a monthly basis than in December, according to the Labor Department. That acceleration was a big reason for the pickup in overall consumer prices last month.The persistence of housing inflation poses a problem for Fed officials as they consider when to roll back interest rates. Housing…

At the Kawasaki Disease Clinic at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, led by Dr. Burns, caring for children affected by Kawasaki disease is always linked to the search for the cause.On a recent Wednesday morning, Dr. Kirsten Dummer, a pediatric cardiologist, was examining the heart scans of a 2-year-old who showed signs of a large aneurysm on the right side of the heart.“The biggest question from parents is: How did this happen? How did my child get this? In every patient room, that’s what they fundamentally want to know,” she said. “Year after year after year, they come back and ask…