Author: NY TIMES

The U.N. agency that provides aid to Palestinians has been a vital lifeline in the Gaza Strip for generations — and it was a point of contention with Israel long before some of the agency’s employees were accused of involvement in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 assault on Israel.The allegation, made by Israel, is a serious blow to the reputation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, generally known as UNRWA. The claim was acted on by both the United Nations, which said on Friday that it had fired the accused workers and was investigating, and the…

When Russian troops and tanks invaded Ukraine in February 2022, tens of thousands of Ukrainians rushed to serve in the army in a surge of patriotic fervor. The influx of fighters who dutifully answered their draft notices or enlisted as volunteers helped to repel Russia’s initial assault and thwart the Kremlin’s plans to decapitate the Ukrainian government.But after nearly two years of bloody fighting, and with Ukraine once again in need of fresh troops to fend off a new Russian push, military leaders can no longer rely solely on enthusiasm. More men are avoiding military service, while calls to demobilize…

Once Mr. Caneco responded, he displayed what she considered a weirdness of his own: After only a few messages, he asked to switch to phone calls. “I’m somebody who only talks on the phone for work,” she said. Overcoming that aversion for Mr. Caneco seemed worth it, though. His devotion to Beanhead, whose mystery illness was never diagnosed before his death at the end of 2020, was part of it. So were his messages, which rang sincere. “There was nothing off-putting about him,” she said, including his background.Born on Staten Island, Mr. Caneco joined the Navy in 2005 after earning…

In 2018, Anna-Lisa Miller was working with agricultural cooperatives in Hawaii, helping them reinvest in their communities through shared ownership.Ms. Miller, who had gone to law school and had planned to do civil rights litigation, loved the principle of workers partaking in the financial success of their employers, and the next year joined Project Equity, a nonprofit that helps small businesses transition to worker ownership. But it was slow going, with each transaction requiring customized assistance.Then she came across an investor presentation from a different universe: KKR, one of the world’s largest private equity firms. In it, a KKR executive,…

Since Apple introduced the App Store in 2008, it has tightly controlled the apps and services allowed on iPhones and iPads, giving the company an iron grip on one of the digital economy’s most valuable storefronts.Now Apple is weakening its hold on the store, in one of the most consequential signs to date of how new European regulations are changing consumer technology.To comply with a European Union competition law taking effect on March 7, Apple on Thursday announced major changes to the App Store and other services for consumers in Europe. Users of iPhones and iPads in the 27-nation bloc…

As Taylor Swift’s N.F.L. adventure began in earnest at a Kansas City Chiefs game against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 24, the reaction of the Fox broadcast crew — and much of the N.F.L. world in general — was summed up by Erin Andrews, a veteran sideline reporter.“We all need to calm down,” Ms. Andrews said, shortly after Travis Kelce scored a second-half touchdown.Ms. Andrews was making a nod to one of Ms. Swift’s songs, but she was also acknowledging how star-struck she and her colleagues were to have the world’s biggest pop star at Arrowhead Stadium to see her…

Israel on Sunday stepped up efforts to prevent Israeli protesters from blocking the flow of aid into Gaza, two days after the United Nations’ highest court said it must allow more supplies to get into the enclave.The Israeli military has declared the area around a border crossing into Gaza a closed military zone in a bid to stop the protests that have for several days impeded the movement of aid through the only open crossing between Israel and Gaza. The decision was made Saturday night but announced publicly only Sunday afternoon.Dozens of protesters had been blocking the Kerem Shalom crossing…

Finland’s presidential election is headed for a runoff after no candidate secured a majority in Sunday’s closely watched vote, which comes as NATO’s newest member faces the threat of an antagonistic Russia.Alexander Stubb and Pekka Haavisto — both familiar faces with strong foreign policy credentials — were the top two finishers on Sunday, when voters braved bitter temperatures and icy sidewalks to cast their ballots. With 99 percent of the ballots counted, Mr. Stubb had garnered 27.1 percent of the vote and Mr. Haavisto 25.7 percent, setting the two men up to face off in a second round on Feb…

Jim Harbaugh is the new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers , and to understand what that means and why this is happening, you have to understand the current state of the organization.On January 11, 2017, team owner Dean Spanos announced the move from San Diego to Los Angeles in an open letter to fans. In the seven years and 14 days since, the Chargers have faced an uphill battle to find their place among one of the most competitive teams. Sports markets around the world. A fight of their own making, but a fight nonetheless.Organizations know it takes…

There’s a keening sound coming from America’s co-working spaces, third-wave coffee shops, and mommy-and-me yoga classes.Perhaps you’ve heard it, as if 72.2 million complaints rang out in unison: grumblings of sore joints from high-intensity interval training, of parties held in distant neighborhoods on weeknights; grievances about the resurgence of Y2K style, the onset of hair loss, the strength of contemporary marijuana.Millennials have grown up. We’ve hit middle age, started to show signs of aging — even of aging out of the internet and into something called “millenopause.” We now have to work harder than ever to stay culturally relevant, as…