The definition of diversification is evolving as hard-hit investors rethink traditional approaches to take advantage of shorter-term opportunities.

Time for a New Strategy?

Leaders of armed groups in Afghanistan are talking to intermediaries about a potential peace agreement.

U.S. Pullout a Condition in Afghan Peace Talks

Strategies include providing direct service to individuals who need it rather than cash donations, or allowing future financial pledges be become immediately available to troubled charities.

Smart Giving in a Troubled Climate

After voters rejected measures to prevent financial catastrophe, calls for an overhaul of the state’s Constitution grew louder.

California, Out of Money, Reels as Voters Rebuff Leaders

Officials said the yearlong investigation culminated as the men tried to carry out an attack in the Bronx.

4 Accused of Bombing Plot at Bronx Synagogues

Anne Mulcahy said Thursday that she would step down as chief executive in July but remain chairwoman. Her handpicked successor is Ursula M. Burns.

At Xerox, a Transition for the Record Books

In an impassioned speech, President Obama said that it was essential to stand by the country’s basic principles in the fight against terrorism.

Obama Would Move Some Detainees to U.S.

At best, Kris Allen is a harmless singer. He makes Kenny Loggins look tough.

‘American Idol’: The Triumph of Soft Rock

An agreement with the U.A.W. was a crucial obstacle for G.M. to clear before a June 1 deadline to restructure debt.

G.M. in Deal With Union as Deadline Approaches

Royal Dutch Shell will face charges of crimes against humanity in connection with Nigerian activists’ deaths.

Oil Industry Braces for Trial on Rights Abuses

Compared to the two-ton blobs that pass for crossover wagons in the suburbs, Volvo has delivered a handsome standout.

Safe and Sleek, but Not a Sipper

The Federal Reserve is expected to help in the search for a successor to Edward M. Liddy, who will stay on in the interim.

A.I.G. Chief, Brought In During Bailout, to Leave

A motor home that gets better-than-average mileage, especially one priced below $100,000, could be a hit for the recreational vehicle industry.

A View With a Room

Disinclined to protest, students also lack the economic grievances that motivated their predecessors in 1989.

Tiananmen Now Seems Distant to China’s Students

“The Girlfriend Experience” has a sleek, tailored look appropriate to its setting, which is the moneyed precincts of Manhattan at the height of the recent gilded age.

’Tis Pity She’s a Brand

At the Cannes Film Festival, the town may be somewhat quiet, but the screens have been alive with the sights and sounds of horror.

After Days of Cringing at the Screen, a Reason to Smile Sweetly

The multimillion-selling rapper returns after an overdose, putting his addiction battle front and center.

Get Clean, Come Back: Eminem’s Return

If a particular rule is adopted, shareholders will get something they have never seen before: ballots with more candidates than jobs to be filled.

Potential Risk in a Move to Give Investors More Say on Boards

Investors this week helped three newly public companies raise $500 million, a sign that Wall Street is beginning to look beyond repairing the balance sheets of troubled institutions.

I.P.O.’s Offer Encouraging Signs

Most people who open a dishwasher to find plates caked with yesterday’s pasta blame the dishwasher. But the machine is usually not at fault.

The Dish on Dishwashers

An article on Tuesday about a meeting between President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel paraphrased incorrectly from Mr. Netanyahu’s remarks about the prospects for negotiations with Palestinians. Mr. Netanyahu said, “If we resume negotiations, as we plan to do, then I think the Palestinians will have to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.” He did not say that Israel was prepared to resume negotiations only if the Palestinians recognized Israel as a Jewish state.

Corrections

An article on Tuesday about the settlement of a lawsuit in which Woody Allen had sought $10 million from the American Apparel clothing company for using an image of Mr. Allen on billboards without his permission misidentified the source of a claim that Mr. Allen’s likeness was not worth $10 million because his reputation had already been tarnished by the scandal over his marriage to Soon-Yi Previn. That claim was made by American Apparel in its response to the suit  not by Dov Charney, the company’s chief executive. 

The Advertising column on Tuesday, about the broadcast networks’ fall lineups, misstated the new schedule of a Fox series. “Fringe” has been moved to Thursday, not Friday. 

An article on Wednesday about the cyclist Ivan Basso, who is riding in the Giro d’Italia after a two-year doping ban, misstated the amount of time that the overall race leader added to his margin through the 10th stage. And because of an editing error, the article also rendered the leader’s surname incorrectly in two instances. The leader, Danilo Di Luca  not DiLuca  added 1 minute 7 seconds to his overall lead, not 10 seconds. 

A report in the “Arts, Briefly” column on Monday about a possible trial for the Turkish author Orhan Pamuk over remarks he made in 2005 about the killing of Kurds and Armenians by Turks misstated the dollar amount the plaintiffs, who include members of a support group for families of soldiers killed fighting Kurdish separatists, are seeking in damages. The 36,000 liras they seek is about $23,000, not $23 million.

May 21, 2009

Headlines from May 21, 2009

Time for a New Strategy?

U.S. Pullout a Condition in Afghan Peace Talks

Smart Giving in a Troubled Climate

California, Out of Money, Reels as Voters Rebuff Leaders

4 Accused of Bombing Plot at Bronx Synagogues

Billboard 200

Epiphany

Hannah Montana: The Movie

Fantasy Ride

Unstoppable

Together Through Life

Historical Context for May 21, 2009