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What to Know About Ceuta

The peninsula on Morocco’s northern coast that Spain has governed for centuries has been a frequent site of mass migrant crossings and political tensions.

© Abdelmajid Bziouat/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

People gathered on the Morocco-Spain border near Ceuta and the Moroccan town of Fnideq on Thursday.
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What to Know About Ceuta

The peninsula on Morocco’s northern coast that Spain has governed for centuries has been a frequent site of mass migrant crossings and political tensions.

© Abdelmajid Bziouat/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

People gathered on the Morocco-Spain border near Ceuta, a Spanish enclave, and the Moroccan town of Fnideq on Thursday.
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Iran War Is Entangling a Growing List of Mideast Nations

As the U.S. and Iran exchange strikes, more countries are being touched — and some are joining in.

© Khaled Ziad/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A commercial vessel passes through a shipping lane off Yemen, in the Red Sea, this week.
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Was Your Trip to Europe Affected by Heat or Wildfires? Tell Us About It.

Have you had to cancel, reschedule or replan a trip to France, Spain or elsewhere because of raging fires or stifling heat? If so, we want to hear from you.

© Costas Metaxakis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

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Thousands of Migrants Enter Ceuta, a Spanish Enclave, From Morocco

The arrivals in Ceuta, a six-mile-long peninsula on Morocco’s northern coast that Spain has governed for centuries, have fueled political tensions.

© Antonio Sempere/Associated Press

Migrants crossing from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Thursday.
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Ebola Outbreak Is Now the Second-Largest Ever, and in Record Time

The disease has killed more than 1,500 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in just over two months, outpacing the response.

© Finbarr O'Reilly for The New York Times

Health workers at an Ebola treatment center in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in June.
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U.S. Government Mislabels Map of African Countries at AIDS Conference

Nigeria, a coastal country in western Africa, was landlocked in the Sahara, among other errors. The department said it had been “hastily altered.”

© Picture Obtained By Reuters/UGC

A map presented by the State Department at AIDS 2026, a conference in Brazil this week.
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Civilians Battle Wildfire Threatening Bordeaux

Residents in Bordeaux in southwestern France are doing everything in their power to stop a wildfire that’s been burning for more than a week. The flames are too spread out for professional firefighters to be everywhere, so for now, civilian volunteers are the only thing standing between the fire and a major French city.

© Alex Pena/The New York Times

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Saudi Arabia Aims to Deter Red Sea Attacks With New Coalition

Facing attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia, Saudi Arabia has invited dozens of countries to assist it in protecting shipping in the Red Sea, diplomats say.

© Khaled Ziad/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A container ship in the Red Sea off Yemen on Monday. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia.
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Former Officials Protest U.S. Plan to Defund Pan American Health Organization

The group of former health and national security officials warned that Americans will be more vulnerable to infectious disease threats.

© Tony Quinn, via Associated Press

The Pan American Health Organization headquarters in Washington. The United States owes nearly $135 million in overdue fees to the organization.
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Wildfire in Suffolk, UK, Breaks Out a Few Miles From Nuclear Power Station

A large fire engulfed almost 250 acres of land in Suffolk, a scenic area on the coast. It was a few miles from a nuclear power station.

© Toby Shepheard/Reuters

A drone view of smoke from a wildfire on Thursday on Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, England.
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Saudis Form Military Alliance to Protect Red Sea Shipping

As the war between the United States and Iran widened, Saudi Arabia joined with over a dozen other countries, including Egypt and Turkey, to form a new defense coalition to stop attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

© Khaled Ziad/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A vessel near the Hanish Islands in the Red Sea. The waterway is important for international trade.
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Attack on Egyptian Port Shows Suez Canal’s Vulnerability

The port where the Wednesday strike occurred is near the Suez Canal, through which a significant amount of the world’s shipping moves.

© Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters

Ships in the Suez Canal last year. About 10 percent of seaborne trade goes through the waterway, according to the Suez Canal Authority.
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China, Its Economy Stumbling, Signals Only Cautious Support

The ruling Politburo called for “more proactive” tax and spending policies but did not endorse broad action to address weak consumer spending.

© Qilai Shen for The New York Times

Production at a factory in Ninghai, China, in July.
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U.S. Aircraft Carrier Makes Rare Port Call in Vietnam

The seven-day visit, the longest since the two countries restored relations, is a show of mutual cooperation and a U.S. signal to China. But it comes during tensions over tariffs.

© Nhac Nguyen/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The U.S.S. George Washington arriving at the port in Da Nang, Vietnam, on Thursday.
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NATO Says Russian Missile Hit Poland During Ukraine Attack

Russian missiles have briefly entered Polish airspace in the past. Investigators have yet to definitively identify the object that struck overnight.

© Fot. Jakub Orzechowski/Agencja Wyborcza.Pl, via Reuters

Emergency services on Thursday at the site where an object landed near Lublin, Poland.
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Russia Strikes Ukraine With Missiles and Drones, Killing at Least 8

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said five members of a family had been killed in the latest large-scale aerial assault by Moscow.

© Roman Baluk/Reuters

In Lviv, western Ukraine, on Thursday morning, at the site of a Russian missile strike. The overnight attack pushed Russia’s use of ballistic missiles to a new monthly record.
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Mistaken Username Sent Man to Prison for 18 Months, Court Finds

An appeals court in Canada acquitted Brandon Klayme of charges related to child sexual abuse imagery. His Kik username had one less underscore than another account that was involved.

© Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press, via ZUMA Press

The Nova Scotia provincial flag. Prosecutors in Nova Scotia acknowledged the conviction had been flawed.
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Why China’s A.I. Models Could Threaten the Communist Party

China’s A.I. rise is creating a new dilemma for Beijing. The open models that win influence abroad may pose risks to the country’s security and geopolitical strategy.

© Pool photo by Ng Han Guan

The Chinese leader Xi Jinping opening the World A.I. Conference in Shanghai, China, in July. Even as China supports openness in A.I., it needs to “constantly refine measures to forestall loss of control,” he said.
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Cuba to Trump: We’re Open for Business

A top Cuban official says the island won’t negotiate its politics, but it is willing to talk investment, including from President Trump.

© Lisette Poole González for The New York Times

Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister, in the Fidel Castro museum in Havana.
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How to Watch Two Summer Meteor Showers Peak On the Same Night

The end of July brings the Alpha Capricornids and the Southern Delta Aquarids, both of which will be most active on Thursday night into Friday morning.

© Jorge Guerrero/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Hoping to catch these two meteor showers at their most active? Astronomers suggest not using telescopes or binoculars, which could limit the field of view.
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Cuba’s Bet on Solar

President Trump keeps predicting Cuba will collapse after he cut off its oil. But it’s still standing. Our reporter Jack Nicas visited to see how Cubans are adopting solar to offset the power shortage.
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Japan Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 34

Rescue crews were working to find people who might still be trapped in a collapsed shopping mall, as the region faced sweltering heat.

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

Rescue efforts in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, on Thursday.
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As Wildfires Plague Europe, Scotland Races to Save a Cherished National Park

As Europe’s climate warms, even moorlands and forests in the Cairngorms, in the Scottish Highlands, have fallen victim to rapidly spreading flames.

© Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Land charred by the Cairngorm wildfire in Aviemore, Scotland, on Tuesday.
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How Climate Change and Tariffs Help China Raise More Cattle

As increased rain makes grasslands and cornfields possible in areas that once were deserts, the world’s largest beef importer is becoming more self-reliant by expanding domestic herds.

© Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times

A herder taking her cows to graze in mountain pastures in northern China’s Hebei Province.
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U.S.-Saudi Attack on Iraqi Militias Risks Drawing Them into War

Iran-aligned militias in Iraq were under growing pressure to disarm, but the latest strikes may embolden them to get more deeply involved in the war.

© Hadi Mizban/Associated Press

Mourners carried a coffin draped in the Iranian flag during a funeral for those killed in airstrikes on bases belonging to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, in Mosul on Wednesday
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New Strikes Engulf More Countries in the Iran War

The U.S. unleashed new strikes on Iran after a day in which attacks on Iraq, Jordan and Egypt threatened to expand the scope of the war.

© Hadi Mizban/Associated Press

Mourners carried coffins, draped in the Iranian and Iraqi flags, for those killed in U.S.-Saudi airstrikes on Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of predominantly Shiite militias that includes Iran-backed groups, in Mosul, Iraq, on Wednesday.
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New Strikes Engulf More Countries in the Iran War

President Trump threatened retribution after Iran fired missiles at U.S. military bases in Jordan. Strikes by U.S. and Saudi warplanes on Iranian-linked militias in Iraq were a further escalation after a lull.

© Hadi Mizban/Associated Press

Mourners carried coffins, draped in the Iranian and Iraqi flags, for those killed in U.S.-Saudi airstrikes on Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of predominantly Shiite militias that includes Iran-backed groups, in Mosul, Iraq, on Wednesday.
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Two Tankers Hit in Apparent Drone Strike in Egypt

An explosion at a port on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast set fire to two ships, including a U.S. gas storage tanker, according to maritime tracking firms.

© Barry Iverson/Alamy

The Damietta Port in Egypt. Two vessels, including one owned by the United States, caught fire on Wednesday at the port, which is near the Suez Canal.
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Saudi Arabia’s Strikes in Iraq Mark Entry Into U.S.-Iran War.

The kingdom’s defense ministry said airstrikes in Iraq targeting Iran-backed militias were in retaliation for attacks on Saudi oil facilities this week.

© Younis Al-Bayati/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Security forces and emergency personnel work at the site of U.S.-Saudi strikes in Iraq’s Diyala province on Wednesday
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Saudi Arabia’s Strikes in Iraq Mark Entry Into U.S.-Iran War.

© Younis Al-Bayati/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Security forces and emergency personnel work at the site of U.S.-Saudi strikes in Iraq’s Diyala province on Wednesday
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What to Know About Iraq’s Militias

At least 20 fighters of the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of Iraqi militias with ties to Iran, were killed in a wave of U.S. and Saudi airstrikes.

© Hadi Mizban/Associated Press

Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces march during a funeral in Baghdad last March for members killed in airstrikes that month.
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What to Know About Iraq’s Militias

At least 20 fighters of the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of Iraqi militias with ties to Iran, were killed in a wave of U.S. and Saudi airstrikes.

© Hadi Mizban/Associated Press

Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces march during a funeral in Baghdad last March for members killed in airstrikes that month.
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Saudi Arabia’s Strikes in Iraq Mark Entry Into U.S.-Iran War.

© Younis Al-Bayati/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Security forces and emergency personnel work at the site of U.S.-Saudi strikes in Iraq’s Diyala province on Wednesday
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Canada’s Answer to Trump’s Tariffs: More Energy Deals With Europe

The Carney government’s agreement with a German natural gas company will also reduce Europe’s dependence on a Qatari supply made more uncertain by war.

© Jesse Winter/Reuters

L.N.G. Canada’s export facility on Canada’s Pacific Coast in Kitimat, British Columbia.
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St. Mary’s, Newfoundland, Will No Longer Reek of Rotten Fish Sauce

In Newfoundland, 20-year-old smelly sludge will finally be removed.

© Elling Lien/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press

The process of draining and removing decades-old fish sauce has begun in Newfoundland.
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As Trump Squeezes Cuba, He Plans to Send Cuban Deportees to Uruguay

The State Department under Secretary of State Marco Rubio has deported Cubans to Africa. Now it’s negotiating with a South American country.

© Eric Lee for The New York Times

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States had many concerns about Cuba, which is 90 miles from Florida, including “the threat of mass migration.”
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Hezbollah Attacks Strategic Area in Southern Lebanon, Israel Says

The Israeli military said the Iran-backed militant group had used an explosive drone to target one of its vehicles on a strategic ridge, raising fears of a renewed escalation.

© Mahmoud Zayyat/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Smoke rises from the site of Israeli artillery shelling that targeted the forest area of Ali Al-Taher in June.
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Israel Strikes Mosque in Gaza City

The Israeli military accused Hamas of using the mosque to store weapons. The Hamas-run government’s media office said Israel’s claims aimed to justify its attacks on mosques.

© Saher Alghorra for The New York Times

Palestinians inspect a mosque bombed by Israel in Gaza City on Tuesday.
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BTS Won’t Enter Music From Comeback Album for Grammy Awards

The group announced it would not submit its most recent album, ‘Arirang,’ for consideration a month after the Recording Academy introduced a new category for Asian pop.

© Matt Rourke/Associated Press

BTS performing at the halftime show of the soccer World Cup final this month in East Rutherford, N.J.
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Wildfires Slow in France and Spain, but Worse May Be Ahead

Firefighters have contained vast wildfires in both countries, but winds are high and temperatures rising. Spain’s prime minister said the next 12 hours would be “decisive.”

© Emma Da Silva/Associated Press

Un bombero descansando cerca de Lanton, Francia, el martes
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Russia Charges Telegram’s Founder Pavel Durov With Facilitating Terrorism

The case against Pavel Durov reflected an ongoing fight over one of the world’s most popular messaging and media apps, which is widely used in the country.

© Poitout Florian/Abaca Press, via Shutterstock

Pavel Durov, left, founder of Telegram, in Paris in 2025. The Kremlin has used various methods to try to restrict access to Telegram in Russia.
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