Author: NY TIMES

The U.S. government announced charges in two separate cases on Wednesday aimed at enforcing laws blocking the transfer of critical technologies, part of a broader campaign to hamper military efforts and weapons production in rival countries.One of the complaints was against a U.S. citizen born in China who has been arrested and accused of stealing trade secrets from a private company. The technology, according to court documents, “would be dangerous to U.S. national security if obtained by international actors.”A Justice Department complaint filed in U.S. District Court in California said the stolen material would help the development of technology that…

When Taylor Swift announced at the Grammys that the title of her new album would be “The Tortured Poets Department,” what was your reaction?Maybe it was: “My gosh! Her first new album in more than a year. I can’t wait!”Maybe it was: “Ho-hum. I’d rather listen to Shostakovich/Metallica/Baby Shark.”Or, just possibly, it could have been:“Shouldn’t there be an apostrophe in that title?”Yes, plenty of people, upon hearing the biggest music announcement of the year, started thinking about diacritical marks and then talking about them on social media.“I ruined this album release for my students by making it a lesson on…

Prince William, the heir to the British throne, stepped back onto the public stage Wednesday, trying to project a steely sense of normalcy, two days after the announcement that his father, King Charles III, had been struck by cancer.But as William carried out an honors ceremony at Windsor Castle and attended a charity fund-raiser in London, a shadow of uncertainty hung over the 41-year-old prince. Nobody, aside from Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, faces more lingering disruption from the king’s cancer diagnosis than his eldest son.The advocacy work, family life, and zone of privacy that William has carved out…

The NFL’s gambling rules have drawn widespread criticism and questions ahead of the Super Bowl in Las Vegas as the league seeks to balance its sports betting partnerships with policies that prevent players from betting on games.Gambling was a major topic during NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s annual Super Bowl press conference on Monday, where he said the “integrity of the league” was a top priority.”We want to make sure that when people watch an NFL game, they know that the action on the field is real and free from any outside influence,” Goodell said.With just days to go before a…

Bailey Cormier was browsing the Saks Fifth Avenue website one evening when she decided to buy a blue and white, porcelain ashtray, for $275. When her order arrived a few days later, the 25-year-old attorney was excited to open the Dolce & Gabbana Casa box, wrapped in cellophane and nested inside a standard cardboard shipping box. Nothing seemed amiss, but when Ms. Cormier opened the sleek black package, she found something else entirely: a can of Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore Tuna, worth about $1.99.Though she’d never posted on TikTok before, Ms. Cormier was so perplexed, she created an account…

The United States is on pace to add nearly $19 trillion to its national debt over the next decade as the mounting costs of an aging population and higher interest expenses continue to weigh on the nation’s fiscal outlook, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Wednesday.But the report did offer a sliver of relief: Recently enacted legislation to curb federal spending and a U.S. economy that has been growing faster than expected are making the fiscal picture slightly less bleak. Annual deficits over the next decade are 7 percent smaller than the $20.3 trillion the budget office forecast last…

Right in the middle of the exhibition “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys,” which opens Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum, is Kehinde Wiley’s 25-foot-long 2008 painting “Femme Piquée par un Serpent.” Showing a Black man in snappy but casual dress reclined in a distinctively twisted position, with a background of Wiley’s signature flowers, it borrows both title and pose from an 1847 marble sculpture by Auguste Clésinger. What you think of it really depends on what you’re asking for.If you view the painting as a Venti-size iteration of Wiley’s ongoing project, his decades-long attack…

Missiles streaked into Kyiv early Wednesday in a Russian attack that killed at least five people, according to local officials, jolted residents awake with air alarms and explosions, and ignited a fire that sent plumes of smoke billowing over the Ukrainian capital.The barrage, which directed missiles and drones at cities across the country, coincided with a moment of heightened uncertainty for Ukraine. Russian forces are pressing assaults in towns and villages along the front, American aid is in doubt, and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is preparing for what he has hinted will be a major shake-up in his government…

Sushi Park opened nearly two decades ago in a tucked-away corner on the second floor of a nondescript strip mall along the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. It’s an unlikely celebrity hangout, but a scan of paparazzi images shows that the rococo railing in front of the restaurant has become a mainstay of the celebrity press.Dua Lipa hard launched her relationship with the actor Callum Turner there; Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods stepped out together, unofficially calling an end to their acrimonious feud; Kendall Jenner flaunted her relationship with Bad Bunny; Taylor Swift gathered Zoe Kravitz and Selena Gomez for…

Banking crisis déjà vu? The sell-off in regional bank stocks looks set to worsen on Wednesday, after Moody’s cut New York Community Bancorp’s credit rating to junk status.Fears are now rising among investors over the United States’ distressed commercial real estate sector. This comes as a crucial lifeline created during last year’s banking crisis is set to expire.N.Y.C.B.’s shares plunged as much as 15 percent in premarket trading after the downgrade, before rebounding. The stock has plummeted roughly 60 percent in the past week after the lender reported dismal results, especially stemming from its exposure to souring commercial real estate…