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Officials in Iran Suspect Sabotage in Wave of Fires and Explosions

For weeks, fires and explosions have been reported almost daily in Iran. Officials are investigating what they think is a coordinated campaign.

© Farid Hamoudi/West Asia News Agency

A fire at major oil refinery in Abadan, Iran, on Saturday killed one person.

How Native Homes in New Mexico Are Tapping the Sun

An Indigenous-led nonprofit group is bringing solar power to Navajo Nation and the Hopi tribe, where about 15,000 households lack access to electricity.

© Ramsay de Give for The New York Times

North Carolina’s Bogs Have a Dirty Secret, and That’s a Good Thing

Peat bogs have huge potential to store planet-warming carbon. The ones in North Carolina just need some help to get healthy again.

Peat soil at Angola Bay Game Land in North Carolina.

Rip Current Survival Tips: What to Do if You Get Caught in One

From land, a rip current can appear relatively calm, as a strip of water that extends out between breaking waves. Its appearance can be deceiving.

© NOAA, via Associated Press

Green dye, in an image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shows the track of a rip current.

What to Know About the $250 Visa Integrity Fee for U.S. Tourists

A newly enacted “visa integrity fee” will apply to millions of foreign visitors, including travelers from Mexico, India, Brazil and China.

© Caitlin Ochs for The New York Times

Travelers arriving on international flights at Kennedy Airport in June.

Canada Won’t Accept a Trade Deal With the U.S. at ‘Any Cost’

Prime Minister Mark Carney, after a meeting with Canada’s political leaders, downplayed the chances of success in talks aimed at reaching a trade deal with President Trump.

© Chris Young/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press

Prime Minister Mark Carney during a visit to a steel plant this month in Hamilton, Ontario.

Syrian Inquiry Says Military Leaders Did Not Order Sectarian Killings in March

A fact-finding committee presented findings on a wave of sectarian killings earlier this year. Human rights experts said the report failed to hold the country’s security establishment accountable.

© David Guttenfelder/The New York Times

Members of Syria’s government security forces in Baniyas, Syria, in March. The city was the site of some of the worst sectarian violence in Syria that month.

Zelensky Targeted in Wartime Protests in Ukraine for the First Time

The demonstrators were angered by government moves to dismantle anticorruption efforts and quell dissent.

© Tetiana Dzhafarova/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Ukrainians have urged President Volodymyr Zelensky to veto the measure passed in Parliament.

Trump Administration Keeps 19 Percent Tariff on Indonesia in Trade Deal

The administration provided some insight into the terms that were agreed upon between Indonesia and the United States, hinting at how other vague and hastily negotiated deals may turn out.

© Doug Mills/The New York Times

The tariffs on Indonesia appear to be broadly in line with those President Trump has agreed on with other Southeast Asian nations.

FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Chief Resigns, Citing Agency ‘Chaos’, Colleagues Said

Ken Pagurek had told colleagues the Trump administration was causing ‘chaos’ inside FEMA and creating dangerous delays in disaster response.

© Loren Elliott for The New York Times

Search and rescue personnel near the Guadalupe River in Texas on July 8. after catastrophic flooding.

Philippines’ Leader Meets With Trump to Clinch Trade Deal

President Trump announced that he had secured a deal with the country that will leave a 19 percent tariff in place, though no details were immediately available.

© Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines at the Pentagon on Monday.

Russia and Ukraine to Renew Talks, but Peace Remains Elusive

Russia and Ukraine are expected to hold another round of negotiations on Wednesday in Istanbul, but the two warring countries have flatly rejected each other’s demands.

© Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

Ukrainian soldiers firing toward Russian positions in the Donetsk region of Ukraine in May.

U.S. Is Missing the Century’s ‘Greatest Economic Opportunity,’ U.N. Chief Says

In a speech on renewable energy, António Guterres cited “clear market distortion” in favor of fossil fuels by President Trump and others but called the transition to cleaner energy economically inevitable.

© Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

The United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, at the U.N. headquarters in New York last month.

Air India Finds ‘No Issues’ After Inspections of Boeing Fuel Switches

An investigation into a deadly crash last month has focused on control switches that cut off fuel to an Air India Boeing jet after takeoff.

© Adnan Abidi/Reuters

The crashed Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft in Ahmedabad, India, last month.

Zelensky’s Government Takes Aim at Ukraine’s Corruption Fighters

Ukraine’s president ran on a promise to clean things up, but critics say his government is cracking down on anti-corruption activists, critics and agencies.

© Tetiana Dzhafarova/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The fight against corruption helped propel President Volodymyr Zelensky to power in 2019.

U.S. Says It Will Withdraw From UNESCO, Again

A decision to pull out of UNESCO was the latest move by the Trump administration to cut ties with international organizations.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

The move to leave UNESCO reflects President Trump’s deep mistrust and distaste of multilateralism and international institutions.

Bangladesh Mourns After Deadly Plane Crash During School Lunch Break

Nearly all of the 31 killed when the plane crashed were children. Dozens more were being treated as the nation declared a day of mourning.

© Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters

Raiyan, 14, a student, received treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, after suffering injuries when a military jet crashed into a school in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Monday.

Israel Expands Attacks in Central Gaza City and Raids W.H.O. Offices

The aid agency says its buildings in the central part of the territory were attacked after the military targeted Deir al-Balah, which had largely been spared.

© Hatem Khaled/Reuters

Gazans hauling belongings on Tuesday in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, after the Israeli military broadened its operations in the area.

Austria Prepares to Give Up ‘Dream’ of Disarmament

Historically neutral, the country is set to double military spending, even in the midst of a budget crisis, as its neighbors also spend big to counter Russia.

© Lisa Leutner/Reuters

Chancellor Christian Stocker of Austria in Vienna this month. The principle of neutrality, he said, “obligates us to national defense, comprehensive national defense in particular.”

Fiona Hill on Trump, Putin and Why Great Powers Fall

The former White House aide recently returned to her roots, advising Britain on defense and taking a role at Durham University in northeastern England. She still has her eye on global threats.

© Mary Turner for The New York Times

“Inability to act is the real challenge for all democratic systems,” Fiona Hill said. “Populism offers quick fixes for extraordinarily difficult problems.”

TV Show Helps Identify Mother and Child Found Dead in Rome Park, and a Suspect

When two bodies were found in a popular Roman park, Italians wanted answers. A TV program specializing in missing people helped identify them, and a suspect.

© Francesco Benvenuti/LaPresse, via Associated Press

Forensic police officers working last month at the park where a woman and child were found dead in Rome.

Iran’s Leaders Turn to a New Brand of Nationalism After Israeli and U.S. Attacks

The theocratic government is repurposing folklore and patriotic anthems as it seeks to channel national outrage into increasing its support at home.

© Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

A march during a Tasua mourning ceremony in Tehran, Iran, this month.

Sharing a Bed With Your Kid? It’s Totally Normal in Asia.

Bed sharing tends to be unpopular and contentious in the United States. But in many Asian countries, the question is often not whether to do it, but when to stop.

© Woohae Cho for The New York Times

Erin Lim, second from right, and Tommy Kim in their bedroom with their sons in Seoul this month.

Climate Change Is Making Fire Weather Worse for World’s Forests

Forest fires are on the rise globally. An increase in severe fire weather is largely responsible.

© BC Wildfire Service/Anadolu Agency, via Getty Images

Fires at Tatkin Lake in British Columbia, Canada, in July 2023.

Chinese Officers Questioned U.S. Government Employee About His Army Service

The man, a U.S. citizen, is barred from leaving China by the Ministry of State Security, the country’s main intelligence and counterintelligence agency.

© Vincent Thian/Associated Press

The Commerce Department employee is one of a handful of Americans barred by China from leaving the country, in a shadowy practice called an “exit ban” that the Chinese government has used for years.

Seabed-Mining Firm Faces Legal Questions Over Trump Policy

After Trump pledged to open international waters to mining, The Metals Company sought U.S. permits. But other countries are raising legal concerns.

© Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times

A ship chartered by The Metals Company in 2021 to explore the potential of seabed mining.

In Japan, Anti-Establishment Parties Resonate With Young Voters

Anti-establishment parties focused on wages, immigration and an unresponsive political elite struck a chord with working-age people in Japan.

© Jiji Press, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan and other leaders of the Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo on Monday, a day after the party’s defeat in parliamentary elections.

Syrian Government Evacuates Bedouin Families After Deadly Clashes

The violence in Sweida Province between groups from Bedouin tribes and the Druse minority renewed fears of sectarian conflict and drew Israeli attacks before a cease-fire was announced Saturday.

© Rami Al Sayed/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Bedouin tribe members, evacuating in the back of a truck, stopped at a security checkpoint in Taarah, in Syria’s southern Sweida Province, on Monday.

Did Jeju Air Pilots Shut Down Wrong Engine Before Deadly Crash?

Investigators found the Jeju Air flight crash-landed with only its badly damaged right engine on, but experts warned against drawing early conclusions.

© Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

The site of the Jeju Air plane crash at Muan International Airport, South Korea, in 2024.

SkyWest Plane Aborts Landing to Avoid Midair Collision With B-52 Bomber

The pilot told passengers that he made an “aggressive maneuver” to avoid a military aircraft over North Dakota. The Air Force said a B-52 was conducting a flyover at a state fair at the time.

© Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Shootings, Devastation, Hunger: Israel Fails to Address Gaza’s Power Vacuum

Over the weekend, Israeli soldiers shot Palestinians near an Israeli-backed aid site and a U.N. convoy. Both episodes pointed to Israel’s refusal to allow new governance structures to emerge.

© Saher Alghorra for The New York Times

Mourners after Israeli troops opened fire on people trying to get aid north of Gaza City on Sunday.

Israel Refuses to Renew Visa of Top UN Humanitarian Official for Gaza

The head of the agency that helps oversee international aid deliveries to the territory has criticized the impact of Israeli policy on civilians.

© United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, via Reuters

In a screen grab taken from a handout video provided by the United Nations, Jonathan Whittall is shown standing near a destroyed hospital in Gaza in 2024.

Bangladesh Air Force Jet Crashes Into School, Killing at Least 20

More than 170 people were injured after the training aircraft crashed, military officials said. The country’s interim leader called the loss “irreparable.”

© Reuters

Firefighters and soldiers next to the wreckage of a military aircraft after it crashed into a school campus in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Monday.

Chinese Officials Helped Cover Up Lead Poisoning of Children, Report Says

Health officials tampered with blood tests of some of the more than 200 children who were sickened by food tainted with lead, an investigation found.

© Mahesh Kumar A./Associated Press

A family outside a pediatric hospital in Beijing, China, in July.

Iran to Hold Nuclear Talks With France, Germany and U.K. After Sanctions Threat

Iranian representatives will meet with negotiators from Britain, France and Germany on Friday, days after they threatened to restore economic restrictions.

© Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

Walking by a mural of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, right, and Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of the Islamic revolution, in Tehran.

Venezuela Targets Economists as Inflation Surges Under Trump’s Sanctions

As inflation surges under President Trump’s renewed sanctions, Venezuelan authorities are trying to keep a lid on the country’s worsening financial situation.

© The New York Times

U.S. dollar bills and Venezuelan bolívars. Though the bolívar is Venezuela’s official currency, the country operates on a dual-currency system, and many people paid in bolívars spend in dollars.

Ukraine Ups Its Arms Production, Asking Allies to Pay for It

There is a growing drive to make the country more self-reliant in weapons manufacturing as it faces Russia’s superior firepower. That requires a lot of money from Western backers.

© Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times

An employee at Ukrainian Armor working on a vehicle in its factory this month in central Ukraine.

Chinese Car Giants Rush Into Brazil With Dreams of Dominating a Continent

As the likes of Ford and Mercedes retreat, Great Wall Motor and BYD are building factories and bringing affordable EVs and hybrids to one of the world’s biggest markets.

© Victor Moriyama for The New York Times

Workers in training at the new Great Wall Motors factory in Iracemápolis, Brazil.

Russia Launches Heavy Strikes Despite Trump Arms Pledge to Ukraine

The barrage of exploding drones and missiles appeared to be the most intense attack since President Trump announced a plan to get more weapons for Kyiv.

© Oleksii Filippov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A damaged metro station on Monday after a strike in Kyiv, Ukraine.

How Trump’s Tariffs and Foreign Policies Have Bolstered Support for the E.U.

The European Union has its problems, but the bloc is gaining public trust and making new friends. President Trump’s attacks are one reason why.

© Omar Havana/Associated Press

The European Union Headquarters in Brussels. President Trump’s pressure on military spending and trade have led some member states to work more closely together.
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