Watchdog groups are questioning whether deep financial and personal connections between U.S. lawmakers and Toyota could taint inquiries.

Lawmakers’ Ties to Toyota Questioned at Start of Inquiries

The trial of a melanoma drug offers a glimpse at a new kind of therapy tailored to the genetic profile of a cancer.

After Long Fight, Drug Gives Sudden Reprieve

As the government cracks down on overdraft fees, banks are mounting an aggressive campaign aimed at retaining billions of dollars in penalty income.

Banks Apply Pressure to Keep Fees Rolling In

Five Republicans defected to support the measure’s advance after Senator Scott Brown expressed backing for the Democrats’ bill.

In Passage of Jobs Measure, a Glimpse of Bipartisanship

Hoping for a family-oriented future for its iPad, Apple is looking more closely at what is for sale in its App Store.

Apple Bans Some Apps for Sex-Tinged Content

Duane Reade is as much a story about selling milk and toothpaste at 2 a.m. as it is about Wall Street, financial engineering and shifts in the private equity industry.

Duane Reade and Its Road to Health

An executive told a House committee Toyota’s recall might “not totally” solve the problem of unintended acceleration in its vehicles.

Toyota Official Says Recall May Not Fully Solve Safety Problem

The Obama administration reiterated its desire for stricter trading rules and a consumer agency as it worked to refine regulations in the wake of the financial crisis.

White House in New Push for Changes on Wall St.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said it had placed 702 lenders on its list of “problem” banks, the most since 1993.

At F.D.I.C. , Bracing for a Wave of Failures

New robots serve and cook food, and, in the process, act as good-will ambassadors for a more automated future.

Just Like Mombot Used to Make

The site-specific revival of “The Boys in the Band” brings to mind an epigram of Jean-Paul Sartre: “Hell is just other people.” Or to tweak it for the occasion: “Hell is just other homos.”

Broken Hearts, Bleeding Psyches

A list of seven destinations within shooting distance of New York that offer a welcome escape from winter’s punishing final weeks.

Last-Minute Winter Getaways

Peter Hessler’s account of his adventures on China’s burgeoning highway system makes for an ambitious portrait of a country that’s feverishly on the move.

Feeling at Sea on the Roads of New China

It’s not just the winner who cashes in on “American Idol,” according to last year’s contestant contract, a copy of which was included in a recent court filing in Los Angeles.

‘Idol’ Winners: Not Just Fame but Big Bucks

The design for the new American Embassy has all the glamour of a corporate office block.

A New Fort, er, Embassy, for London

A trailer for the forthcoming film “Kick-Ass” is igniting debate about how Hollywood advertises its R-rated films on the Web.

Cat-and-Mouse for a Trashy Trailer

Schlumberger’s shareholders have been in a state since news leaked last week of the company’s bid for Smith International, its rival in the oilfield services sector.

Excess Skepticism on Schlumberger?

An article last Tuesday about the stage shows inspired by the actress Tallulah Bankhead misidentified a drag act named for her. It is the Dueling Bankheads  not the Dueling Tallulahs. 

Corrections

A report in the “Arts, Briefly” column on Wednesday about the play “La Bête,” which is transferring to Broadway in September after a run in London this summer, erroneously included a play among those for which the director of the play, Matthew Warchus, was awarded a Tony. While Mr. Warchus received a Tony for directing “God of Carnage,” he did not win for directing “Boeing-Boeing,” though he was nominated.

Because of an editing error, a report in the “Arts, Briefly” column on Monday about various theater plans in New York, including new cast members for “Enron,” which is to start previews on April 8 at the Broadhurst Theater, referred incorrectly to that work. Although it includes a few songs and dances, its author, Lucy Prebble, considers it a play, not a musical.

A music review last Tuesday about the Metropolis Ensemble’s “Love Letter to Haiti” concert at Le Poisson Rouge in Greenwich Village misspelled the surname of an artist who designed T-shirts for the event. She is Jennifer Salomon, not Solomon. 

A report in the “Arts, Briefly” column on Feb. 3 about conflict within the band Aerosmith misstated the date of its most recent show. It was Nov. 1 in Abu Dhabi  not Aug. 5 in Sturgis, S.D. 

A jazz entry in the listings on Friday misidentified the drummer who is performing with the saxophonist Lou Donaldson, the organist Pat Bianchi and the guitarist Randy Johnston at Birdland on Wednesday and Thursday. He is McClenty Hunter  not Fukushi Tainaka, who had previously been scheduled to play. 

A listing of credits on Feb. 12 with a film review about “October Country” omitted a distributor. In addition to Wishbone Films, the movie was also released by International Film Circuit.

An art review on Friday about the exhibition “Contemplating the Void: Interventions in the Guggenheim Museum” misstated the name of the creator of “Art/Trap,” a work on view. The creator is the Seoul-based firm Mass Studies, not Art Mass.

Orlando Zapata Tamayo was a Cuban political activist and a political prisoner who died after hunger striking for more than 80 days. His death received international attention, and was viewed as a significant setback in Cuba's relationship with the U.S. the EU and the rest of the world.

Orlando Zapata, Cuban plumber and activist (born 1967)

Orlando_Zapata

Diesel fuel, also called diesel oil, heavy oil (historically) or simply diesel, is any liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine, a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition takes place without a spark as a result of compression of the inlet air and then injection of fuel. Therefore, diesel fuel needs good compression ignition characteristics.

Unknown criminals pour more than 2+1⁄2 million liters of diesel oil and other hydrocarbons into the river Lambro, in northern Italy, sparking an environmental disaster.

February 23, 2010

Headlines from February 23, 2010

Lawmakers’ Ties to Toyota Questioned at Start of Inquiries

After Long Fight, Drug Gives Sudden Reprieve

Banks Apply Pressure to Keep Fees Rolling In

In Passage of Jobs Measure, a Glimpse of Bipartisanship

Apple Bans Some Apps for Sex-Tinged Content

Billboard 200

Need You Now

Rebirth

Who I Am

The Fame

2010 Grammy Nominees

Notable Deaths

Historical Events

Historical Context for February 23, 2010