A plaza in Tel Aviv has become a home away from home. “If I don’t know what to do, I come here,” one relative said.

Where Hostage Families and Supporters Gather, for Solace and Protest

The South Pacific island of Niue says it was cheated out of .nu, a domain that turned out to be very lucrative on the other side of the world.

The Two-Decade Fight for Two Letters on the Internet

The share of New York City residents who could not afford basic essentials jumped dramatically in 2022, with one in four children living in poverty, a new report found.

Poverty Has Soared in New York, With Children Bearing the Brunt

Intended to fight crime, Latin American prisons have instead become safe havens and recruitment centers for gangs, fueling a surge in violence.

In Latin America, Guards Don’t Control Prisons, Gangs Do

Thirty years ago, the U.S. entered an era of productivity gains that enabled healthy growth. Experts are asking if it could happen again.

Are We in a Productivity Boom? For Clues, Look to 1994.

A best actress nomination changes everything — Sandra Hüller knows that. She just isn’t sure that’s a good thing.

A Top Oscar Nominee, Uneasy in the Spotlight

China’s tech firms were caught off guard by breakthroughs in generative artificial intelligence. Beijing’s regulations and a sagging economy aren’t helping.

China’s Rush to Dominate A.I. Comes With a Twist: It Depends on U.S. Technology

Under intensifying scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers, top firms have pulled back from investing in Chinese start-ups.

Silicon Valley Venture Capitalists Are Breaking Up With China

After a dramatic rise in business and society, the art-world mogul Louise Blouin finds herself unloading a Hamptons dream home in bankruptcy court.

$89 Million Can’t Fix Her Mistakes

As she tries to find her place in Hollywood, the “Color Purple” stage and screen star bids an emotional goodbye to a character she has lived with for nearly a decade.

Danielle Brooks Has an Oscar Nomination. So Why Is She in Mourning?

The head of the factory making Max jets is leaving the company as it faces scrutiny of an incident that left a hole in a plane’s fuselage in flight.

Boeing 737 Max Official Is Out as Questions Linger on Mishap

The Maricopa County attorney in Arizona said she would fight to keep a man who authorities believe bludgeoned a woman to death in a New York City hotel.

Arizona Refuses to Send Murder Suspect to New York Over Bragg’s Policies

The A.I. chip maker’s revenue more than tripled, and profits rose ninefold. It also projected that its revenue would more than triple again.

Nvidia Says Growth Will Continue as A.I. Hits ‘Tipping Point’

Quotation of the Day for Wednesday, February 21, 2024.

Quotation of the Day: Becoming the New Face Opposing the Kremlin

A look at how the Field Museum in Chicago is responding to recent federal regulations that have led officials to cover objects they may need to return to tribes.

6 Objects That Explain New Rules on Native Displays in Museums

Unusual experiments on organs recovered from three carcasses suggest how baleen whales call out at sea.

These Whales Still Use Their Vocal Cords. But How?

Moses Ingram makes her New York stage debut in Dominique Morisseau’s love poem to Nina Simone.

‘Sunset Baby’ Review: Don’t Let Nina Be Misunderstood

Thousands of companies, concerned that Germany is facing a recession, are calling for an end to political infighting that has blocked a possible stimulus plan.

Small Businesses Sound Alarm Over Weakening German Economy

Like Meta, the company opened access to its technology to outside programmers, but kept its most powerful system under wraps.

Google Is Giving Away Some of the A.I. That Powers Chatbots

Scientists debate whether this object is the brightest in the visible universe, as a new study suggests.

A Voracious Black Hole at the Dawn of Time?

The tower, once used to send telecom traffic, has been sold and will be transformed by the company that turned the TWA terminal at Kennedy Airport into a hotel.

The BT Tower, a Once-Futuristic London Landmark, Will Become a Hotel

A federal judge said the lawsuit, in which a California woman accused Simpson Imports of using “highly misleading” packaging, could proceed. The company says its labels do not call the product “San Marzano.”

Woman Sues Tomato Company, Saying Those Weren’t San Marzanos in the Can

The National Labor Relations Board said that Home Depot violated federal law in 2021 when it told a worker that they must quit or stop showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement on their apron.

Home Depot Is Ordered to Reinstate Worker Who Quit Over ‘BLM’ Logo

Pakistanis once thought of the military as the iron hand controlling the country’s politics. That illusion has been broken, creating one of the establishment’s biggest crises yet.

An Election Shatters the Image of Pakistan’s Mightiest Force

An executive order expands powers to the Department of Homeland Security amid increased fears of a conflict with China.

February 21, 2024

Headlines from February 21, 2024

Where Hostage Families and Supporters Gather, for Solace and Protest

The Two-Decade Fight for Two Letters on the Internet

Poverty Has Soared in New York, With Children Bearing the Brunt

In Latin America, Guards Don’t Control Prisons, Gangs Do

Are We in a Productivity Boom? For Clues, Look to 1994.

Billboard 200

Vultures 1

Coming Home

Stick Season

One Thing At A Time

SOS

Historical Context for February 21, 2024