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U.S. and European officials are struggling to honor their pledge to use Russian assets to aid Ukraine.A long-awaited plan to help Ukraine rebuild using Russian money is in limbo as the United States and Europe struggle to agree on how to construct a $50 billion loan using Russia’s frozen central bank assets while complying with their own laws.The fraught negotiations reflect the challenges facing the Group of 7 nations as they attempt to push their sanctions powers to new limits in an attempt to punish Russia and aid Ukraine.American and European officials have been scrambling in recent weeks to try to get the loan in place by the end of the year. There is added urgency to finalize the package ahead of any potential shifts in the political landscape in the United States, where support for Ukraine could waver if former President Donald J. Trump wins the presidential election in November.But technical obstacles associated with standing up such a loan have complicated matters.Group of 7 officials grappled for months over how to use $300 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets to aid Ukraine. After European countries expressed reservations about the legality of outright seizing the assets, they agreed that it would be possible to back a $50 billion loan with the stream of interest that the assets earn.The solution was intended to provide Ukraine with a large infusion of funds without providing more direct aid from the budgets of the United States and European countries. It also allowed western allies to make use of Russia’s assets without taking the step of actually spending its money, which many top officials in Europe believed would be illegal.But differences in the legal systems in the United States and in Europe, which both plan to provide the money up front, have made it difficult to structure the loan.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

The Observer, first published in 1791, could be bought by Tortoise Media, an outlet founded by a British media veteran that began publishing in 2019.The parent company of The Guardian said on Tuesday that it was in formal talks to sell The Observer, Britain’s oldest surviving Sunday newspaper, to the start-up Tortoise Media.A deal would signal that Guardian Media Group is willing to shed a pillar of the British media landscape — The Observer has run in print since 1791 — as it increasingly focuses on news of worldwide interest, delivered digitally.In an internal memo to employees, leaders of Guardian Media said that Tortoise had approached them with a “compelling” offer to buy The Observer. The approximately 70 employees of the Sunday publication were told about the talks on Tuesday.A final deal could be reached within about three months, according to a person briefed on the talks, who was not authorized to discuss the details publicly. The negotiations are ongoing and may not end in an agreement.For years, The Guardian, which was founded in Manchester in 1821, has sought to establish itself as a global media company. It established a digital U.S. edition in 2007, and has sought to expand aggressively across the Atlantic.Executives at The Guardian said that a deal to sell The Observer, which the company bought in 1993, would allow their company to focus even more on international expansion.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

The co-owner of Miriam opens Rafael, Brass enlists Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske Valtierra, and more restaurant news.OpeningKellogg’s DinerThe 1928 original, a classic of the genre, has been reborn. The restaurateur Louis Skibar has put Jackie Carnesi, formerly of Roberta’s and Nura in Greenpoint, in charge of the kitchen. (“I love diners,” said Mr. Skibar, whose portfolio includes a few.) At 37, Ms. Carnesi said she no longer had to prove her chops and could concentrate on a menu notable for approachability and affordability. At the same time, you’ll find herbed mayo and marinated tomatoes in the BLT; guajillo-braised short rib hash, a nod to Ms. Carnesi’s Texan roots; huevos rancheros; and nachos. A highlight on Amanda Perdomo’s dessert menu is strawberry pretzel salad. The design, an updated restoration, is by Nico Arze and Matthew Maddy. (Opens Friday) 518 Metropolitan Avenue (Union Avenue), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, kelloggsdinernyc.com. Rafael The chef Rafael Hasid brings Mediterranean and Middle Eastern to neighborhood settings. Having successfully planted Miriam in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and a sibling on the Upper West Side, he has now turned his attention to the Upper East Side. This time his name is on the awning; Miriam was for his mother. The townhouse space on several levels is simply done with pale wood, blue accents (a thing this year), some rough-hew stonework and Middle Eastern design touches. The repertoire of the executive chef, Francisco Da Silva Rosa includes shakshuka, Israeli chopped salad and lamb in a burger. (Opens Thursday) 917 Lexington Avenue (71st Street), 646-918-7971, rafaelues.com. BrassA challenge when opening a restaurant is the name. Here’s one that has been hiding in plain sight — clever for an American brasserie. The place in question is in the Evelyn Hotel in NoMad, where the entrepreneur Nick Hatsatouris has already opened the Tusk Bar. He has again enlisted Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske Valtierra as partners for a menu that talks brasserie with an American accent. Mussels with chickpea fritters, an onion tart in a buckwheat crust, Amish chicken rolled around a mousseline of herbs and truffles, and a profiterole masquerading as a banana split are what you’ll find in a room with a vintage piano centerpiece that will be put to use. (Thursday) 27 East 27th Street, 212-971-9746, brassny.com. Corner Store Michael Vignola, Catch Hospitality’s culinary director, and Paul Castro, the executive chef of this spot moving in to a space on the edge of SoHo once occupied by Dos Caminos, dress some American classics with luxury touches. Wagyu is in a French dip. A two-pound lobster is escorted by frites, and an apple hand pie comes encased in buttery shortbread. Drinks include martinis, like a sour cream and onion version served with dip and chips. A bar, two dining rooms done in green velvet and leather, and a glass-enclosed patio define the premises. 475 West Broadway (West Houston Street), 212-271-9240, thecornerstoresoho.com.Dilly Dally Dilly Dally serves up unpretentious fare like lasagna.Teddy WolffA white storefront and a red awning announce this newcomer to Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. There is a chef’s counter but the place is better defined by unpretentious fare like meatballs, lasagna, ravioli with sage, crackers and dip, Caesar salad, shrimp cocktail and crisp steelhead trout. Dave Patry’s goal is comfort and familiarity, and he is working with the culinary director Diego Moya, a chef with pedigree. 626 Vanderbilt Avenue (Prospect Place), Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, 646-481-0754, dillydallybk.com. We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

The music mogul has been under mounting scrutiny since a 2023 lawsuit by his former girlfriend, Cassie, accused him of sex trafficking and years of abuse.Sean Combs, the music mogul whose career has been upended by sexual assault lawsuits and a federal investigation, was arrested at a Manhattan hotel on Monday evening after a grand jury indicted him.The indictment is sealed and the charges were not announced but Marc Agnifilo, a lawyer for Mr. Combs, said he believed he was being charged with racketeering and sex trafficking.A statement from Mr. Combs’s legal team said they were disappointed with the decision to prosecute him and noted that he had been cooperative with the investigation and had “voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.”“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community,” the statement said. “He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal.”Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement posted on social media late Monday that “we expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”Mr. Agnifilo said Mr. Combs had been arrested by officers with Homeland Security Investigations at about 8:30 p.m. at the hotel where he was staying, the Park Hyatt New York on 57th Street. It is expected he will be held overnight and then arraigned on Tuesday.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

After Donald J. Trump spread a debunked rumor about the city’s Haitian immigrants, schools have endured dozen of bomb threats.Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio announced on Monday that he was deploying state troopers to the beleaguered city of Springfield to reassure the community that schools are safe despite a wave of bomb threats.The threats began last week after Donald J. Trump mentioned Springfield during the presidential debate, repeating a baseless rumor that Haitian immigrants in the city were abducting and eating household pets.Since then, 33 bomb threats have targeted city schools, most recently on Monday when two elementary schools were evacuated as a result of threats, Governor DeWine said. City Hall and two hospitals have also been targeted.At a news conference, Mr. DeWine said that none of the bomb threats so far had “any validity at all.”But the threats have shaken the city and disrupted school for thousands of students. The deployment of a contingent of 36 troopers, beginning on Tuesday, is intended to allay anxieties and ensure that students can focus on school.“We must take every threat seriously, but children deserve to be in school, and parents deserve to know that their kids are safe,” the governor said. “The added security will help ease some of the fears caused by these hoaxes.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

Howard Neuthaler makes his New York Times Crossword debut.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTUESDAY PUZZLE — Do you believe in magic? There might be some of it in today’s crossword puzzle, constructed by Howard Neuthaler. I don’t know that I have convictions either way, but a skilled magician can, at the very least, persuade me to withhold my skepticism for an evening. Last year, for instance, I watched Penn & Teller perform a successful card trick on roughly 1,000 guests at a gala over Zoom. I have barely managed to pull my jaw off the floor since.Mr. Neuthaler’s talents will become evident once you start solving, though his trick is more about language than legerdemain. Today’s ThemeIf you begin your solve from the top-left corner, 17A is the first themed entry you’ll encounter. [“AB negatve?” or “B poditive”?] are two examples of a BLOOD TYPO. This is a play on “blood type.”At 28A, [Odysseus vis-à-vis Ulysses?] is the SAME HERO, because Ulysses is just a Latinized version of Odysseus. Here, the joke is subtler: It’s playing on a figure of speech, “same here.”We’ve just witnessed a brilliant illusion, and it’s explained by the phrase “Presto CHANGO!” (23D): At 17-, 28-, 41- and 52A, common expressions have their final E’s exchanged for O’s — which I’d suggest is also true of the word CHANGO, even though it’s spelled that way in the dictionary. Shouldn’t it be “change-O,” if anything? Aren’t you, too, compelled to rhyme CHANGO with “mango”?We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

In a livestream, Mr. Trump formally introduced World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture led by a pair of digital currency enthusiasts with little experience running high-profile businesses.A day after an apparent assassination attempt against Donald J. Trump, the former president appeared on a livestream on X on Monday to champion his latest business venture: cryptocurrencies.“Crypto is one of those things we have to do,” Mr. Trump said. “Whether we like it or not, I have to do it.”Beside him were his collaborators, including a family friend, some of Mr. Trump’s sons and a pair of little-known crypto enthusiasts with no experience running a high-profile business. Together, they were rolling out World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture that has raised concerns about Mr. Trump’s conflicts of interest and alarmed some of his most vocal supporters in the industry.Mr. Trump has promoted the project since August, but its exact purpose remains unclear. On the livestream, he did not address the business directly, deferring to his partners. One of them has described himself as “the dirtbag of the internet,” while another used to teach classes on how to seduce women.It’s unusual for a presidential candidate to embark on a new business just weeks before Election Day. But throughout his political career, Mr. Trump has engaged in business dealings that government ethics experts have flagged as problematic. He is the majority owner of Trump Media & Technology Group, the publicly traded parent company of his social media platform Truth Social, which accounts for some $2 billion of his personal wealth.Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, a nonpartisan watchdog group, said that if Mr. Trump is elected, his involvement in the crypto venture would create serious conflicts of interest. The Securities and Exchange Commission has argued that virtually all cryptocurrencies are unregistered securities and ought to be regulated like stocks traded on Wall Street.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

Astronomers have found evidence of a process that supports an alternative, more rapid approach to planetary formation, more top down than bottom up.When it comes to making a planet, astronomers have long subscribed to what Cassandra Hall, an astronomer at the University of Georgia’s Center for Simulational Physics, refers to as the “bottom up” approach: The gas and dust swirling around a young star slowly clumps together over millions of years, and its gravity shapes it into a rounded object.But a discovery by Dr. Hall and her colleagues, published in the journal Nature this month, suggests that the picture might be more complex.In a star system 508 light-years from Earth, the researchers found conditions that support an alternative “top down” approach to planet formation, in which the fertile material circling a young star rapidly collapses into a planet. The mechanism, known as gravitational instability, could explain the existence of mysterious, massive worlds known to follow wide orbits around relatively young stars.“There’s never been real, hard evidence of it happening before,” Dr. Hall wrote in an email. “We found it!”The cosmic matter stirring around an infant star is ripe with planet-forming potential. The matter is known as a protoplanetary disk, and its rotation is generally driven by the gravity of its host star. But if that disk gets large enough, it can be influenced by its own gravity, causing the young star system to become unstable. Regions of higher density in the disk emerge in the form of spiral arms, similar to the shape of spinning clouds in a hurricane.“The star would be like the eye of the storm,” said Jess Speedie, a graduate student at the University of Victoria in Canada who led the study under the supervision of Ruobing Dong, an astrophysicist.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More