| Mathias Döpfner, the C.E.O. of Axel Springer, apologized for private comments in which he insulted East Germans and pushed for favorable coverage of a political party, the Free Democrats.China’s economy grew 4.5 percent in the first three months of 2023, a pickup from the end of last year, when it lifted “zero Covid” restrictions.Airbus and Air France were acquitted of manslaughter charges over the crash of a 2009 flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris that killed 228 people.A Chinese worker in Pakistan was arrested and imprisoned on blasphemy charges. The rare arrest of a foreigner under such charges could strain warming relations between the countries. |
| The Boston Marathon |
 Ian MacLellan for The New York Times |
| Evans Chebet, a 34-year-old Kenyan, won the men’s race for the second straight year, in 2 hours 5 minutes 54 seconds. |
| Hellen Obiri, a 33-year-old Kenyan, finished first in the women’s race. She was competing in only her second marathon.The race marked a dark anniversary: 10 years ago, bombs near the finish line killed three and wounded hundreds. |
| U.S. News |
| A white homeowner shot a Black teenager who had gone to the wrong house in Kansas City, Mo., to pick up his siblings. The teenager, Ralph Yarl, was critically injured. The 84-year-old homeowner was charged with felony assault.U.S. federal agents arrested two men in New York City on charges of conspiring to act as agents of China in connection with a secret police outpost in Chinatown.A Times investigation found that the Biden administration had ignored or missed signs that thousands of migrant children were working punishing jobs. |
| A Morning Read |
 Tim Hornyak |
| There are more than 10 million abandoned homes across Japan, called akiya, a symptom of the country’s shrinking population. For some curious buyers who feel less tethered to cities, that has created an opportunity. |
| One Australian paid about $23,000 for a stately home just 45 minutes from Tokyo. “We would never have been able to afford a house of this quality and size if it wasn’t an akiya,” he said. |
| SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC |
| The soccer player who almost died crossing a ball: Alex Fletcher sustained brain damage and skull fractures after colliding with a wall behind the goal line. |
| The latest on Chelsea’s hunt for a new manager: The search is now down to a few names. Here’s what we know. |
| The fans who watch Mbappe and Messi together can’t find happiness: Another league title, stunning goals from two legends, yet the mood at P.S.G. is one of disgruntlement. |
| ARTS AND IDEAS |
| Rat tales |
| New York City has appointed its first-ever “rat czar,” who will oversee efforts to drive down the pest population. It seems that everyone in the city has rat horror stories — so we collected them. |
| They’re on subways and in the garbage. One man tried to save a rat from his dog. (The rat bit his finger, and he bled profusely.) |
| And, of course, there are toilet rats. One resident heard splashing while he was brushing his teeth, flushed and watched as a rat swam back down. He did not stay in that apartment much longer. |
| “But I still close the lid on the toilet,” he said. “Always.” |
