Vue lecture

No Sting, No Mercedes: A Russian Expo Shows Cost of Divorce With the West

The annual economic forum in St. Petersburg used to host multibillion-dollar deals and performances by global music stars. With the war in Ukraine still raging, the mood has shifted.

© Anton Vaganov/Reuters

At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia on Wednesday. Major American investors once again shunned the conference.

Iran Has Its Back Against the Wall

The Iranian regime finds itself in its most difficult position 46 years after the revolution that brought it to power. But does it mean the end?

© Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

Watching Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s message to the people of Iran, in Tehran, on Wednesday.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Faces Calls to Resign After Leak

Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been widely criticized for appearing weak in a conversation with Hun Sen, who posted a recording of their exchange on Facebook.

© Lillian Suwanrumpha/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra of Thailand has apologized for comments, which she cast as a “negotiation technique.”

Will Israel’s Interceptors Outlast Iran’s Missiles? The Answer May Shape the War.

Israel has a world-leading missile interception system but its bank of interceptors is finite.

© Menahem Kahana/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Tel Aviv this week. Since Iran started retaliating against Israel’s fire, Israel’s defense system has intercepted most incoming Iranian ballistic missiles.

Air India Cuts International Flights After Crash Causes Chaos

The move came a day after Indian officials told the airline to improve its operations, and as delays and canceled flights are drawing complaints from passengers.

© Amit Dave/Reuters

An Air India aircraft takes off at the international airport in Ahmedabad, India, on Tuesday.

Trying to Satisfy Trump, NATO Is Running Into Difficulties

A plan to increase military spending at the level President Trump wants is becoming clearer, as are its shortcomings.

© Davide Monteleone for The New York Times

A Norwegian naval commando hoisted himself onto the deck of a ship during a NATO exercise in March.

Can A.I. Quicken the Pace of Math Discoveries?

Breakthroughs in pure mathematics can take decades. A new Defense Department initiative aims to speed things up using artificial intelligence.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Patrick Shafto, who oversees DARPA’s information innovation office. A.I., he said, shows “huge potential benefit to the community of mathematicians and to society at large.”

A Sardinian Road Trip: Coastal Cliffs and Picturesque Villages

A photographer’s road trip traced the coastal cliffs around the Mediterranean island, a world apart from mainland Italy. Here’s what she saw.

Sea cliffs at the Regional Natural Park of Porto Conte, along Sardinia’s northwestern coast.

China Is Hacking Russia to Steal War Secrets

Since the war in Ukraine began, analysts have monitored a series of intrusions aimed at stealing information about weaponry and warfighting.

© Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

Russian soldiers marching in the country’s annual Victory Day parade in May. Hacking groups appear to have become more interested in Russian targets after the country’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Belgian Nonprofit Papy Boom Is Helping Retirement-Home Residents Hit the Clubs

A group of Brussels retirement-home residents grooved to electronic music late one night as part of a program to fight loneliness among seniors.

© Romane Iskaria for The New York Times

Nicole Dekoster, 71, dancing at the Mirano nightclub in Brussels, in an outing organized by a Belgian nonprofit.

Iran Missile Strikes Hospital in Southern Israel

The strike highlighted the risks to civilians in Israel and Iran after days of fighting between the two nations.

© Leo Correa/Associated Press

The Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Israel, on Thursday, after an Iranian missile strike.

Hurricane Erick Nears Mexico as a Category 4 Storm

Erick set off flash floods in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero. A stretch of the Pacific coastline, including Acapulco, was under a hurricane warning.

© Jorge Luis Plata/Reuters

A woman filming waves breaking on the beach in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, on Wednesday.

U.S. to Review Social Media Posts of Student and Scholar Visa Applicants

The State Department is restarting the processing of visa applications from students and visiting scholars, but is screening for “hostility” toward the United States.

© Sophie Park for The New York Times

All applications for F, M and J nonimmigrant visas will be reviewed, officials said.

Iranian Civilians Are Killed in Israeli Strikes, Including a Poet and an Equestrian

Israel has said it does not target Iranian civilians, but hundreds have died in the violence, among them a poet and her family, an equestrian and a graphic designer.

© Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

A copy of an Iranian newspaper showing people killed in recent Israeli strikes.

U.S. Strike on Iran Would Bring Risks at Every Turn

The largest perils may lie in the aftermath, many experts say, just as they did in Afghanistan and Iraq.

© Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA, via Shutterstock

The American B-2 stealth bomber is the only plane capable of carrying the bombs needed to strike Iran’s deepest nuclear facilities, but the decision to use them is not without risk.

Iran Rejects Trump’s Call for ‘Surrender’ in War With Israel

President Trump did not rule out U.S. military intervention on behalf of Israel, saying, “Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”

© Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

Tehran, the Iranian capital, after an Israeli strike on Wednesday.

Trump Administration Says It Is Working to Help Americans Leave Israel Amid Iran Conflict

As fighting between Iran and Israel continued for a sixth day, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem made its first announcement for Americans trying to leave Israel.

© Ahmad Gharabli/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The United States Embassy in Jerusalem in 2023.

Austria Moves to Tighten Gun Laws After Deadly School Shooting

The government announced proposals to make it harder to buy a firearm after a gunman killed nine students and a teacher.

© Darko Bandic/Associated Press

A vigil for the victims of the school shooting in Graz, Austria.

U.K. Police Mishandled Crash That Killed Teenager Harry Dunn, Review Finds

An independent report found that officers should have arrested the driver, Anne Sacoolas, at the scene. She later claimed diplomatic immunity and fled Britain.

© Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Relatives of Harry Dunn at a London court in 2022, including his father, Tim Dunn, left, and mother, Charlotte Charles, second from right.
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