ArtsBeat: Rare Encore at the Met as Mexican Tenor Stirs Crowd

ArtsBeat: Rare Encore at the Met as Mexican Tenor Stirs Crowd
Defying Moscow, Ukraine Threatens to Blockade Pro-Russian Militants
Airbnb Host Welcomes Travelers From All Over
European Firms Seek to Minimize Russia Sanctions
Xishuangbanna Journal: In Land That Values Ivory, Wild Elephants Find a Safe Haven
A Policy-Making Mystery in the Renminbi’s Decline
Iraqi Militants Stage Political Rally, Then Bombs Go Off
DealBook: R.B.S. to Drop Bonus Plan After British Agency Balks
Vow of Freedom of Religion Goes Unkept in Egypt
Common Sense: Amazon’s Shrinking Profit Sets Off a Seismic Shock to Its Shares
News Analysis: Collapse of Peace Talks Gives Israel Easy Exit, but Leaves It in a Precarious Spot
Sinosphere Blog: People’s Daily Editorial Fanned Flames of 1989 Protest
Art Review: Metropolitan Show Reunites Goya Portraits of the Altamiras
The Saturday Profile: For Leader of Soviet Rock Band, an Unwanted Spotlight
Commodities and Common Sense: Why Everyone’s Talking About the Great Lime Shortage
Rubik’s Redux: A Colorful Cube Puzzles Anew
Obama Offers Solace to South Korea, and a Warning to the North
Writing in English, Novelists Find Inventive New Voices
The Industrial Art of Those Talented Bugattis
Video: Times Minute | Real Cost of a Tomato
DealBook: Bare Knuckles at Sotheby’s Auction House

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 10:08 PM PDT

Javier Camarena joined the small coterie of opera singers who have literally stopped the show at the Met when he got such a thunderous ovation in Rossini's "La Cenerentola."

Defying Moscow, Ukraine Threatens to Blockade Pro-Russian Militants

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 06:07 PM PDT

As tension mounted, the interim authorities said any crossing of the country's borders by Russian troops would be treated as an invasion.

Airbnb Host Welcomes Travelers From All Over

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 06:07 PM PDT

A Queens resident with a spare bedroom has rented it out over the past 10 months to scores of guests, taking in almost $18,000.

European Firms Seek to Minimize Russia Sanctions

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 06:04 PM PDT

As businesses, particularly in the energy sector, campaign to maintain ties with Moscow, the world's seven wealthiest nations said on Friday they would impose additional sanctions on Russia resulting from its military action in Ukraine.

Xishuangbanna Journal: In Land That Values Ivory, Wild Elephants Find a Safe Haven

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 05:56 PM PDT

Government protections are helping Asian elephant numbers rise, but forests are rapidly giving way to rubber and other cash crops.

A Policy-Making Mystery in the Renminbi’s Decline

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 04:23 PM PDT

Observers question whether the drop in the value of China's currency to its lowest levels since 2012 is a result of central bank intervention or a weakening economy.

Iraqi Militants Stage Political Rally, Then Bombs Go Off

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 03:40 PM PDT

Bombs killed over 30 at a political rally in Baghdad by a Shiite militant group, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a Sunni group, claimed responsibility.

DealBook: R.B.S. to Drop Bonus Plan After British Agency Balks

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 12:42 PM PDT

The decision by United Kingdom Financial Investments, which oversees the government's 81 percent stake in the bank, adds to a firestorm over pay in Europe.

Vow of Freedom of Religion Goes Unkept in Egypt

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 12:09 PM PDT

The architects of the military takeover promised religious tolerance and pluralism, but nine months later not much has changed.

Common Sense: Amazon’s Shrinking Profit Sets Off a Seismic Shock to Its Shares

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 10:27 AM PDT

For a second quarter in a row, the Internet retailer's stock fell sharply after its earnings report, suggesting that investors may be growing wary.

News Analysis: Collapse of Peace Talks Gives Israel Easy Exit, but Leaves It in a Precarious Spot

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 09:08 AM PDT

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu avoided a crisis in his governing coalition with the suspension of the talks with Palestinians, but the longer picture contains risks for Israel.

Sinosphere Blog: People’s Daily Editorial Fanned Flames of 1989 Protest

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 08:59 AM PDT

Players in the confrontation that convulsed China in 1989 have long wondered how differently events might have played out without a truculent editorial that appeared in People's Daily on April 26 that year.

Art Review: Metropolitan Show Reunites Goya Portraits of the Altamiras

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 08:46 AM PDT

"Goya and the Altamira Family," at the Metropolitan Museum, reunites for the first time four portraits by Goya, including that of the famous boy in red.

The Saturday Profile: For Leader of Soviet Rock Band, an Unwanted Spotlight

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT

Before Russia's annexation of Crimea, a Kremlin-backed television station used a 1980s song by the underground band Aquarium, drawing the ire of its founder, Boris Grebenshikov.

Commodities and Common Sense: Why Everyone’s Talking About the Great Lime Shortage

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 07:58 AM PDT

And what the problem teaches us about the Federal Reserve.

Rubik’s Redux: A Colorful Cube Puzzles Anew

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 07:36 AM PDT

The 40th anniversary of the Rubik's cube is being celebrated with a $5 million exhibition at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City.

Obama Offers Solace to South Korea, and a Warning to the North

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 05:58 AM PDT

During a tour of Asia, the president expressed his condolences for the recent ferry sinking, and said that he would consider new sanctions against Pyongyang.

Writing in English, Novelists Find Inventive New Voices

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 05:00 AM PDT

An expanding flock of novelists is writing in second languages, enriching and expanding the literature of their host cultures.

The Industrial Art of Those Talented Bugattis

Posted: 25 Apr 2014 02:23 AM PDT

"The Art of Bugatti," at the Mullin Automotive Museum near Los Angeles, honors the creative Bugatti family, whose French-built cars remain landmarks of design and engineering.

Video: Times Minute | Real Cost of a Tomato

Posted: 24 Apr 2014 09:28 PM PDT

A novel program to stop abuse of tomato workers in Florida. Also on the Minute, negotiations stalled during President's Obama visit to Asia and a preview of John Oliver's new TV show.

DealBook: Bare Knuckles at Sotheby’s Auction House

Posted: 24 Apr 2014 06:58 PM PDT

Daniel S. Loeb, the hedge fund mogul and biggest shareholder of Sotheby's, has nominated himself and two others to the board of the venerable auction house, which holds its annual meeting on May 6.