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The long-sought and torturously negotiated Gaza ceasefire agreement announced Wednesday is the result in part of a remarkable collaboration between President Biden and President-elect Donald J. Trump, who temporarily put aside animosity mutual to achieve a common goal.The two presidents ordered their advisers to work together to push Israel and Hamas over the finish line toward an agreement to halt the fighting that has devastated Gaza and free hostages who have been held there for 15 months. The deal is expected to begin Sunday, the day before Biden hands over the White House to Trump.Each president had his own interest in resolving the issue before Inauguration Day. For Biden, the deal, if it holds, represents a final vindication under his watch, what he hopes will be an end to the deadl...

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday banned the use of red dye No. 3 in foods, drinks and drugs, more than three decades after the synthetic dye was found to cause cancer in male laboratory rats.The dye, a petroleum-based additive, has been used to give candy, soda and other products their vibrant cherry-red hue. Consumer advocates said the FDA's decision to revoke the authorization was long overdue, given the agency's decision in 1990 to ban the chemical's use in cosmetics and topical medications.Under federal rules, the FDA is prohibited from approving food additives that cause cancer in humans or animals.“This is wonderful and long overdue news,” said Melanie Benesh, vice president for government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, one of several organizations that have...

Princess Catherine, wife of Prince William, reported Tuesday that her cancer was in remission. But what does it mean to be in remission from cancer?Last March, he revealed that doctors had unexpectedly discovered his cancer during abdominal surgery. He did not reveal the type of cancer he has, nor how advanced it was when it was discovered.But she said she had chemotherapy, which she said was completed in September. He told British news agency PA Media that he has a port, a small device that is implanted under the skin and connected to a catheter that enters a large vein. It allows medicines such as chemotherapy drugs to be administered directly into the chest veins, avoiding needle sticks.Catherine told PA Media that the chemotherapy was "really tough".“It's a relief to now be in remissio...

U.S. securities regulators sued Elon Musk in federal court in Washington on Tuesday in an enforcement action stemming from his $44 billion purchase of Twitter, now called X.The lawsuit against Musk, who has become a close adviser to President-elect Donald J. Trump, is likely to be one of the Securities and Exchange Commission's most controversial final acts under Gary Gensler, its outgoing chairman. It could also be reduced in a matter of days, when Trump appoints new leadership to take over the regulator.The SEC alleges that by purchasing Twitter in 2022, Musk violated securities laws by amassing a large stock position in the social media company without filing the proper notification. The complaint stated that he waited 11 days before making the required disclosure to the SECRegulatory d...

According to a new analysis published in The Lancet, deaths caused by bombs and other traumatic injuries during the first nine months of the war in Gaza may have been underestimated by more than 40%.The peer-reviewed statistical analysis, conducted by epidemiologists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, used modeling in an attempt to provide an objective third-party estimate of fatalities. The United Nations relied on data from the Hamas-led Health Ministry, which it said was largely accurate, but which Israel criticizes as inflated.But the new analysis suggests that the Hamas Ministry of Health's tally is significantly underestimated. The researchers concluded that the death toll from Israel's aerial bombardment and ground military operation in Gaza between October 2023 ...

At Azara Ballet, dancers are not expected to maintain eye contact with directors and choreographers. If company members need an impromptu break from the bright stage lights during rehearsals, they take one. They also receive clear guidance on hair and makeup well in advance of the performances.The priority at Azara is the health of the dancers. Founded in 2022 by dancers Kate Flowers and Martin Roosaare, who are both autistic (and are a married couple), the company, which is based in Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida, is a haven for neurodivergent artists. (The company is made up of 10 dancers, not all of whom are neurodivergent.)“When I dance,” Flowers said, “as long as it's in a good environment and a safe space, expression through nonverbal movement is something that helps me a lot.”Azara...

While many of Musk's posts, particularly those about gang-baiting, originated in the ecosystem of far-right bloggers and activists, they are also a temptation for mainstream politicians looking for a cudgel to use against their adversaries. And they turn to editors and broadcasters looking for a good story.“The British press and broadcasters, to some extent, have gone out of their way to publicize Elon Musk,” said David Yelland, former editor of Rupert Murdoch's tabloid, The Sun. “The press has done it because it is extremely hostile to Keir Starmer. This is simply old Fleet Street prejudice.Claire Enders, a London-based media researcher and founder of Enders Analysis, compared Musk to Murdoch, the Australian rebel media baron who shook up London's newspaper industry in the 1970s. “We just...

The Biden administration on Monday issued sweeping rules regulating how artificial intelligence chips and models can be shared with foreign countries, in an effort to create a global framework that will guide the spread of artificial intelligence around the world for years to come.With the power of artificial intelligence growing rapidly, the Biden administration has said the rules are needed to keep a transformative technology under the control of the United States and its allies, and out of the hands of adversaries who could use it to enhance its armies, carry out cyberattack operations, and otherwise threaten the United States.Tech companies have protested the new rules, saying they threaten their sales and the future prospects of the American tech industry.The rules place various limit...

High-level ceasefire talks appeared to gain momentum Monday, as Arab and American mediators pressed for a deal to halt fighting in Gaza and release hostages held by Hamas before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes over. assignment on January 20th.It is not yet clear whether the sides have reached a resolution on all the central disputes that have proven insurmountable in previous rounds of negotiations, but officials have expressed optimism that a deal is achievable.President Biden suggested on Monday that a deal between Israel and Hamas was imminent. “We are on the brink of a proposal that I detailed months ago about the war between Israel and Hamas finally coming to fruition,” he said in a foreign policy speech.Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, said there was "a real pos...

Most American parents hardly think about polio beyond the time their child is immunized against the disease. But there was a time in this country when polio paralyzed 20,000 people in a year, killing many.Vaccines have turned the tide against the virus. There has been only one case in the United States in the past decade, involving international travel.This could change very quickly if polio vaccination rates decline or the vaccine becomes less accessible.Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic who could become secretary of Health and Human Services, said the idea that vaccination has nearly eradicated polio is “a myth.”And while Mr. Kennedy has said he has no intention of taking vaccines away from Americans, he has long argued that they are not as safe and effective as claimed.A...