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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says, ‘If Abdul Can Win in Michigan, Anybody Can Win Anywhere’

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made the remarks about Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, as she considers whether to run for president in 2028.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Democrats are watching closely for hints about whether Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York might run for president or for the Senate in 2028.
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White House Blocked Politico From Air Force One for Trump’s Trip to Nebraska

The move is the latest round in the fight over presidential access after Mr. Trump declared a ban on CNN, Politico and MS NOW.

© Doug Mills/The New York Times

President Trump walking off Air Force One at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Central, Neb., on Monday.
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U.S. Citizen Accused of Surveilling Taiwanese Family on China’s Behalf

The woman, Wanying Zhang, was arrested at the Los Angeles airport on Sunday. She was accused of watching the son of Taiwan’s president in Seattle.

© Federal Bureau of Investigation

A photo provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation shows Wanying Zhang being arrested on Sunday in Los Angeles.
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White House Blocked Politico From Air Force One for Trump’s Trip to Nebraska

The move is the latest round in the fight over presidential access after Mr. Trump declared a ban on CNN, Politico and MS NOW.

© Doug Mills/The New York Times

President Trump walking off Air Force One at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Central, Neb., on Monday.
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Pennsylvania faces largest measles outbreak in decades as case count rises to 1,000

Neighboring states are also reporting hundreds of cases, with over 3,800 recorded across the country

Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,000 measles cases this year, state health officials calculate, making it the largest state outbreak in more than three decades. The benchmark comes as neighboring New York declared a state of emergency about measles rates there.

Pennsylvania’s health department said Monday 1,004 cases of measles had been confirmed. Five Pennsylvania residents ⁠have died ⁠after ​contracting the disease, with 198 hospitalizations.

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© Photograph: efired/Getty Images

© Photograph: efired/Getty Images

© Photograph: efired/Getty Images

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Nigeria Military Helicopter Crashes With 32 Onboard

The crash was one of Nigeria’s worst military aviation accidents in years. The country has a history of fatal military aircraft crashes.

© Reuters

Wreckage of a military aircraft that crashed in Ondo State, Nigeria, on Monday.
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Republicans criticize Steve Hilton for ‘creepy’ innuendo-filled campaign ad

Hilton faces heavy backlash from within his own party for ‘Just Try It’ ad amid his longshot bid for California governor

Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate for California governor, is receiving heavy criticism from members of his own party over a controversial, sexual innuendo-filled campaign ad that has been described as “creepy”.

The video entitled “Just Try It, California” was released last week and depicts two young women with brightly colored hair, sitting on a bed in front of a pride flag in low lighting. One nervously says “I can’t believe I’m doing this”, while another strokes her hair and coaxes “don’t be nervous, it’s not that bad” before guiding her to fill out a ballot for Hilton and aggressively commanding “lick it”.

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© Photograph: Daniel Cole/Reuters

© Photograph: Daniel Cole/Reuters

© Photograph: Daniel Cole/Reuters

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Ukraine says its strikes have knocked out more than 51% of Russia’s oil refining capacity

ukraine says its strikes have knocked out 51% russia's oil refining capacity · post flames saratov refinery after reported ukrainian drone strike 2 2026 image_2026-08-02_14-32-39 news reports

Ukraine's Security and Defense Forces have "put out of action" more than 51% of Russia's oil refining capacity through recent long-range strikes, Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara said in a statement published by the Defense Ministry on 4 October. These "carefully thought-out" actions were aimed at "bleeding the Russian war machine" and "destroying its military-economic potential," Khmara said.

Ukraine treats Russia's refineries as a priority target because their revenue helps fund the war. Even Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on 1 October that the strikes had cost Russia 1% of its GDP and had "partially" achieved their goal, Interfax reported.

The ministry did not publish how it calculated the figure.

"The consequences of Ukrainian operations are not always visible immediately. But the effect accumulates and produces a tangible result," the ministry said.

Ukrainian deep strikes continue to bring the war to Russian territory

The ministry named eight recently struck facilities, among others. One of them is the Moscow Oil Refinery, which Ukraine targeted in a massive drone attack on the night of 20 September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The refinery, operated by Gazprom Neft in Moscow's Kapotnya district, supplies about 40% of Moscow's fuel market and 70% of the Moscow region's demand for gasoline and aviation fuel, according to Russian news Telegram channel Astra.

Another was KINEF, which Ukraine has attacked repeatedly. It is Russia's second-largest oil refinery by capacity, and the Ukrainian military struck it on the night of 30 August, setting off a fire at the facility.

Fire reported at Russia's Kirishi/KINEF oil refinery following an overnight Ukrainian drone attack, 29–30 August 2026. Photo: Exilenova+
Fire reported at Russia's Kirishi/KINEF oil refinery following an overnight Ukrainian drone attack, 29–30 August 2026. Photo: Exilenova+

The ministry also named the Yaroslavl, Perm, Ilsky, Saratov, and Syzran refineries and the Ust-Luga port complex.

Ukraine triples production and procurement of long-range drones—and this is not the end

This year, Ukraine has tripled the production and procurement of long-range attack drones, the ministry said.

"This is not the limit. We will continue to scale up deep-strike capabilities," the statement said.

International cooperation is part of that push. Berlin will fund the production of additional DeepStrike-class long-range drones in Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said after a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on 15 April. The sides also agreed to jointly develop and produce a medium- and long-range drone system.

Ukraine and Germany also signed an agreement on the joint production of Bars drones, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on 8 July. The Bars' modular design allows it to be used for deep strikes, among other missions.

Bars jet-powered drone. Photo: Museum of the Russian-Ukrainian War
Bars jet-powered drone. Photo: Museum of the Russian-Ukrainian War

Oil refinery output has fallen

Russian refineries cut crude oil processing by 14% in the first nine months of the year compared with the same period last year amid Ukrainian drone attacks, according to calculations by two industry sources.

Experts' estimates of the decline differ widely. In August, Serhii Vakulenko of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center put it at 25–28%, while Russian economic commentator Vyacheslav Shiryaev put it at 65–70%, according to Defense-Aerospace.

Fuel production data give a more concrete picture: in July, Russia's gasoline and diesel output was about a quarter to a third lower than in March 2026, the outlet reported.

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Rumors Are Swirling of a Plague Outbreak in Russia. Here’s What We Know.

The country’s consumer watchdog has said only that “an employee of an anti-plague institute in the Irkutsk Region” contracted pneumonia.

© Reuters

An infectious-diseases hospital in the town of Shelekhov, Russia, on Monday. The mayor has urged residents “not to spread rumors.”
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Snakes, bobcats, mountain lions: the secret animal world beneath the Hollywood sign

An international symbol for the city, the sign is also hallmark of the region’s environmental richness

Atop Mount Lee, in the heart of Los Angeles, the wind is quiet. Two red-tailed hawks sail above, barely flapping as they coast the thermal air like surfers on a wave. Standing beside the giant letters of the Hollywood sign, the city seems peaceful. On a clear day, blocks and blocks of homes unfold beneath and the skies reveal sights all the way to Catalina Island – 10 miles out, across the Pacific.

That’s the beauty seen from the Hollywood sign.

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© Photograph: Curioso.Photography/Alamy

© Photograph: Curioso.Photography/Alamy

© Photograph: Curioso.Photography/Alamy

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Trump’s former press secretary Karoline Leavitt to join Fox News

Youngest press secretary in White House history left earlier this year after the birth of her second child

Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down as White House press secretary in August, is joining her former boss’s favorite network, Fox News, as an on-air contributor, the channel announced on Monday.

Considering that two of her predecessors from Donald Trump’s first administration, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Kayleigh McEnany, had also joined Fox after leaving office, Leavitt was seen as a logical fit for Fox, on which she will begin providing commentary on 1 November.

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© Photograph: Kylie Cooper/Reuters

© Photograph: Kylie Cooper/Reuters

© Photograph: Kylie Cooper/Reuters

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California Prepares to Ban Quartz Countertop Production

The state would be the first to block an industry that has been connected to a deadly lung disease in workers.

© Zack Wittman for The New York Times

A California rule would ban any manufactured stone that contains more than 1 percent of crystalline silica.
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Why Saudi Arabia’s Last War in Yemen Turned Into a Quagmire

A Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign this week against the Iran-backed Houthi militia in the country, reviving memories of its previous effort.

© Reuters

Smoke billowing from the fuel storage area at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last month after the Houthis claimed to have attacked the facility.
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The surprising, cut-throat race for Los Angeles mayor

Karen Bass is fighting for her political life as progressives battle to lead the US’s second-largest city

Karen Bass has never lost an election. But this fall, she faces the fight of her political life.

Bass has roughly a month to convince voters that she should be elected to a second term as the mayor of Los Angeles. Given Angelenos’ broad dissatisfaction with the direction of the city, approval ratings on par with Donald Trump’s and a wave of anti-establishment sentiment sweeping American politics, she has a formidable challenge in city council member Nithya Raman.

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© Illustration: Guardian Design/Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images

© Illustration: Guardian Design/Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images

© Illustration: Guardian Design/Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images

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Nobu chef killed by teen driver who crashed into his parked car in Malibu

Ryo Uchimiya was sleeping in his car waiting for his shift to begin when a 16-year-old crashed into him

A longtime chef for the famous Japanese restaurant chain Nobu was killed over the weekend in Malibu, California, when a teen driver crashed into his parked vehicle, where he was sleeping while waiting for his shift to start.

The 51-year-old chef, named by the Los Angeles medical examiner’s office as Ryo Uchimiya, had arrived at work at Nobu Malibu early on Saturday when his vehicle was hit by a 16-year-old boy driving a Range Rover at 6.50am.

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© Photograph: trekandshoot/Alamy

© Photograph: trekandshoot/Alamy

© Photograph: trekandshoot/Alamy

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Saudi and Yemeni Forces Attack Houthis to Retake Control of Red Sea Coast

The offensive is an effort to wrest control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait from the Houthis, a militia in Yemen backed by Iran.

© Mohammed Huwais/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Inspecting melted foam in a factory after a strike in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sunday. Houthi-affiliated media blamed Saudi Arabia for the attack.
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Trapped in a Kill Zone, a Ukrainian City Is Beginning to Starve

Evacuation is almost impossible and food is running out in Russian-occupied Oleshky, a city menaced by mines and drones.

© Sergei Supinsky/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A protester in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, last month calling for help for Oleshky, a city in southern Ukraine.
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Democrats Expect Record Number of Women in Party in House After Midterm Elections

Democrats are increasingly confident they will have a record number of women serving in the House next year, after backing women in competitive districts they are now positioned to win.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

“I’m incredibly confident that we will pass that 100 mark,” Representative Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico, third from right, chairwoman of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, said in an interview. “The real issue is how far above it do we go.”
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Extreme heat warnings issued for parts of southern California

Temperatures in US state forecast to hit high 30s celsius this week, while regions in Indonesia grapple with wildfires

The National Weather Service in the US has issued extreme heat warnings for parts of southern California, including Los Angeles, until Thursday, as temperatures are expected to hit the high 30s celsius. Burbank, a suburb north of Los Angeles, recorded 39C on Saturday, a few degrees shy of the October record for the region set in 1987. A persistent area of high pressure will remain in place this week, leading to further hazardous hot weather and increased fire risk.

Parts of Indonesia are in the midst of an extreme wildfire season, which has peaked over the past month. Western Kalimantan (Borneo) and southern Sumatra have been particularly badly affected. The lack of rainfall has dried the usually water-logged tropical soils, meaning that fires have been able to spread quickly, above and below the surface. Indonesia’s soils are also extremely rich in peat, meaning that the smoke produced from the fires contain higher levels of toxic gases such as sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Cities in surrounding areas and as far as Malaysia and Singapore have experienced reduced air quality in recent weeks as a result. Drought and wildfires are more common in this part of the world during El Niño events owing to suppressed thunderstorm activity.

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© Photograph: Caroline Brehman/Reuters

© Photograph: Caroline Brehman/Reuters

© Photograph: Caroline Brehman/Reuters

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Pay Phone, a Lifeline During 2019 Australia Wildfires, Gains Heritage Status

Hundreds lined up to call loved ones as the internet went down and the flames closed in on the Australian town of Narooma in 2019.

© Telstra

A public phone booth in Narooma on Australia’s east coast has been awarded heritage status for the role it played during and after wildfires in the region.
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White House defends new press aide who posed with rifle in ‘Fuck Joe Biden’ shirt

Beni Rae Harmony, 24, has been ‘a trusted voice for the Maga movement’ as a correspondent, White House says

The White House has defended a newly hired press aide who posed for a holiday photograph in 2021 wearing a “Fuck Joe Biden” T-shirt and holding a rifle.

Beni Rae Harmony, the new assistant White House press secretary, announced on Friday that she was going to work for Donald Trump just days after covering him as a correspondent for Real America’s Voice, a partisan rightwing outlet originally created as a video podcast platform for the US president’s former adviser Steve Bannon.

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© Photograph: Kylie Cooper/Reuters

© Photograph: Kylie Cooper/Reuters

© Photograph: Kylie Cooper/Reuters

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Measles Outbreak in Amish Country Forces Some to Rethink Vaccines

The spread of measles in Pennsylvania and Ohio is largely affecting Amish communities where vaccinations levels are low.

© Madeleine Hordinski for The New York Times

A nurse named Stephanie Truckey, right, making a house call to the home of Nancy Miller in Middlefield, Ohio.
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Steve Hilton’s ‘Just Try It’ Ad on Mail Voting Denounced by Republicans

An online spot for Mr. Hilton, the G.O.P. candidate, is full of sexual innuendo that has befuddled Republicans and Democrats watching the race for governor in California.

© Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times

Steve Hilton at his primary election watch party event in June.
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Aerial footage shows Bouquet wildfire burning in California national forest – video

A fast-growing wildfire in the Angeles national forest north-east of Santa Clarita, California, has triggered evacuation orders and warnings in the area. Firefighters battled the blaze, which had spread to 1,000 acres by Saturday evening, from the ground and air, while authorities ordered residents in surroundings areas to leave as the fire spread quickly across the rugged terrain. The cause of the fire was not immediately reported

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© Photograph: ABC7 Los Angeles via AP

© Photograph: ABC7 Los Angeles via AP

© Photograph: ABC7 Los Angeles via AP

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Biljana Plavsic, a Former Bosnian Serb Political Leader, Has Died

Biljana Plavsic, a Bosnian Serb, pleaded guilty to one count of crimes against humanity. She later recanted and said she “would do the same again.”

© Raphael Gaillarde/Gamma-Rapho, via Getty Images

Biljana Plavsic during her first appearance at the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague in 2001.
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Mass shootings leave two people dead in Georgia and 12-year-old girl dead in Baltimore

At least 25 injured at block party shooting in Georgia and three wounded in Baltimore park shooting, officials say

Two people were killed and at least 25 others injured when a shooting erupted at a homecoming block party in Vienna, Georgia, early on Sunday, according to authorities.

In another high-profile mass shooting in the US over the weekend, a 12-year-old girl was shot and killed and three other people were wounded after gunfire evidently broke out over a parking spot in a Baltimore park on Saturday, officials said.

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© Photograph: José Luis Magaña/AP

© Photograph: José Luis Magaña/AP

© Photograph: José Luis Magaña/AP

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“We are staying”: EU embassies remain in Kyiv after Russia warns diplomats to leave or risk their lives

staying eu embassies remain kyiv after russia warns diplomats leave risk lives · post ambassador ukraine katarina mathernová 796746075_10164532181563363_8495230156254396336_n news ukrainian reports

The EU Delegation and all EU embassies will keep working in Kyiv despite Russia's warning that foreign diplomats should leave or risk their lives, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová said on 4 October. Poland and Estonia also said their embassies would stay, calling the threats an attempt to intimidate Europe.

Russia attacks Kyiv daily as Moscow tries to make the city unlivable. Alongside the strikes, it now threatens the foreign missions that anchor Ukraine's support in the capital.

"We are staying"

Russia's Foreign Ministry singled out the embassies still working in Kyiv and the foreign officials who keep visiting Ukraine, Mathernová wrote. Moscow claimed that if something happened to them, the responsibility would be theirs.

"The responsibility for russian attacks belongs to russia! Not to anybody else," Mathernová wrote, adding: "Moscow wants to scare Europe into reducing its support for Ukraine. That will not happen."

The EU Delegation continues its work while taking the security of its team seriously, she added.

russia's drones keep targeting bridges kyiv can't easily replace—now northern crossing cratered · post explosion bridge ukraine 4 2026 20261004111959-2727 (1) news ukrainian reports
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Russia’s drones keep targeting the bridges Kyiv can’t easily replace—now the Northern crossing is cratered

She pointed to the morning's strike on the Northern Bridge, saying the repeated attacks disrupt the connections between the two banks of the Dnipro. People worry about getting to work, reaching their families, and getting home safely, she wrote.

Poland and Estonia keep their embassies open

Poland's Foreign Ministry said it had no intention of changing how its Kyiv embassy works. The Kremlin's threats and calls for diplomats to leave show it is trying to intimidate Europe and undermine support for Ukraine, the ministry said. Such threats contradict international law and will not work, it added.

Estonia's Foreign Ministry said its embassy stays in Kyiv and its support for Ukraine remains firm. Russia's threats only strengthen Estonia's resolve to stand with Ukraine, the ministry said.

mr putin put end senseless war merz kyiv €1 billion military aid · post ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy welcomes german chancellor friedrich 4 2026 video zelenskiy official /telegram володимир зеленський
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“Mr Putin, put an end to this senseless war”: Merz in Kyiv, with €1 billion in military aid

The European Commission also responded. Russia's threats show the Kremlin is losing the war and losing its self-control, Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand said, Suspilne reported.

More aid, more sanctions

This year alone, the EU has approved €28.3 billion ($32.3 billion) in defense procurement plans for Ukraine and is releasing another €6.6 billion ($7.5 billion) linked to military aid, Mathernová wrote. It is also moving forward with its biggest-ever sanctions listings against Russia, and this week imposed new sanctions over the deportation of Ukrainian children.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz came to Kyiv on the same day, as Russian attacks on the city continued. He and Zelenskyy visited the National Academy of Sciences building, hit by a Russian drone in September, and Zelenskyy thanked him for coming despite the air raid alert, calling it "a needed and brave signal," in a post on Telegram. Germany remains a reliable partner at Ukraine's side even in difficult times, Merz wrote.

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Houthis Claim Attack on Aramco as Yemen Conflict Escalates

More than 200 U.S. intelligence and military analysts are in Saudi Arabia helping it provide assistance to its Yemeni allies, current and former U.S. officials say.

© Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Flames at a facility belonging to the Saudi oil giant Aramco, south of Riyadh on Saturday.
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Superpowers Race to Put Nuclear Reactors on the Moon

The United States wants a reactor on the moon by 2030. A Russian-Chinese alliance is working on one for 2036. Some leading scientists say the danger is great.

© NASA

The moon and Earth were aligned in the same frame, each partly illuminated by the sun, as seen from behind the moon during the Artemis II flight in April.
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Russia Turns to Striking Kyiv’s Bridges, Threatening a Vital Lifeline

The bridges, used by many commuters in the Ukrainian capital, are the latest target in a broad Russian bombing campaign against infrastructure.

© Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

A Russian drone striking a bridge, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday.
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Trump, Putin, Ukraine and an Oil Deal: 5 Takeaways

A proposal to bolster relations with the Kremlin through the purchase of Russian energy assets is striking even for an administration that regularly mixes personal business interests with foreign policy.

© Anastasia Barashkova/Reuters

Cars waited to refuel at a Lukoil fuel station amid fuel shortages in August.
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Cornell Case Revives Anger About Handling of Campus Sexual Assault Cases

A lawsuit alleging rape at Cornell has led to an outpouring of women sharing stories about sexual violence on college campuses.

© Heather Ainsworth for The New York Times

On the campus of Cornell University and beyond, women are talking about their own experiences of sexual assault.
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U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump Allies

President Vladimir V. Putin brought up a sale of Russian energy assets with President Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, pushing a deal that raises new questions about conflicts of interest.

© Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times

The negotiations about the Lukoil deal show that personal business interests in President Trump’s inner circle are also in play. Lukoil is Russia’s biggest private oil company.
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Larry Krasner, Philadelphia’s Combative D.A., Faces Judicial Blowback

Two blistering court opinions have put Mr. Krasner, a prominent progressive district attorney, in what may be the most precarious position of his public career.

© Michelle Gustafson for The New York Times

District Attorney Larry Krasner of Philadelphia in his office in 2022.
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In India, a Food Inspector Sparks Fear in Mumbai Restaurants

Tukaram Mundhe’s surprise raids of Mumbai kitchens have made him an unlikely celebrity and set off a conversation about food standards in India.

© Zishaan A Latif for The New York Times

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Trump Suggests Cornell Defendants Won’t Get a ‘Fair Shake’ From Letitia James

President Trump weighed in on the case when asked about Ms. James, who has become a target of his second-term retribution campaign.

© Alex Kent/The New York Times

President Trump answering questions from reporters at the White House on Friday.
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What to Know About Fighting Between Ethiopia and Rebels in Tigray

The conflict is raising fears of a regional war in the Horn of Africa, drawing in foreign powers including Eritrea, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

© via Reuters

A shattered window of Tigray Television Station after a drone strike in Mekelle, Ethiopia, last week.
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Israel Lists 170 Killed in Gaza It Says Were Militants Posing as Media Workers

The Israeli military published an investigation it said rebuts accusations that it intentionally targeted journalists. But it and a journalists group disagree over 78 people who are on the list.

© Saher Alghorra for The New York Times

The site, near a hospital in Gaza City, was hit by an Israeli strike that killed an Al Jazeera reporter and several of his colleagues in August last year.
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Russia retaliates after Hungary expels 10 diplomats, deepening Budapest-Moscow rift since Orbán’s ouster

Péter Magyar waves the Hungarian flag at Tisza party's supermajority victory rally in Budapest, 12 April 2026

Russia has ordered Hungarian diplomatic staff to leave the country weeks after Hungary expelled 10 Russian diplomats over activities Budapest said were incompatible with their diplomatic status, Euronews reported. 

The tit-for-tat expulsions mark a significant change in relations between Budapest and Moscow following Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule as Hungarian Prime Minister.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Hungary’s chargé d’affaires Gábor Gergics on 1 October and informed him that staff at the Hungarian embassy in Moscow and consulates in St Petersburg and Kazan would have two weeks to leave. Moscow described Hungary’s September expulsion as “baseless and openly unfriendly,” according to Euronews.

Hungary stands by expulsions

Hungary expelled 10 Russian diplomats on 8 September, citing activities it said were unacceptable for diplomats under the Vienna Convention. The government did not publicly provide details of the alleged activities.

Budapest said it was not seeking an escalation but would maintain its decision, while also saying its diplomatic missions in Russia would continue operating.

The expulsions come as Hungary’s foreign policy shifts under Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who took office after Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz lost the April election. Magyar’s government has moved to strengthen Hungary’s alignment with the EU and NATO while maintaining what it describes as pragmatic relations with Moscow.

A break with the Orbán era

Under Orbán, Hungary maintained unusually close relations with Russia compared with other EU members. Budapest continued cooperation with Moscow after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Orbán repeatedly opposed or delayed EU measures related to Ukraine.

The new government has taken a different position. In September, Hungary expelled the 10 Russian diplomats, and its new foreign policy doctrine identified Russia as a threat to Hungary’s security. Earlier, the government’s guidance for its UN delegation condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine and affirmed Ukraine’s sovereignty and right to self-defense, according to Euronews.

The shift has not amounted to a complete break with Moscow. Magyar has said Hungary will pursue pragmatic relations with Russia, while Budapest continues to seek concessions from Kyiv over the rights of Hungary’s minority in Ukraine.

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Powerful Wildfires Require a New Approach, California Report Finds

A report on the fires that devastated the Los Angeles area in early 2025 recommended that local governments take a broader approach to preparedness and emergency response.

© Philip Cheung for The New York Times

The clearest lesson from the Palisades and Altadena fires was the extent to which climate-driven fires are outstripping modern firefighting, a new report found.
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Why Were 4 Pilots Aboard FlyDubai Flight 1073?

After the co-pilot stabbed the captain, two pilots who were seated in the cabin intervened alongside passengers and safely landed the Boeing 737 in Saudi Arabia.

© Erik Marmor/Getty Images

A FlyDubai plane carried passengers to Tel Aviv on Wednesday after a midair cockpit attack on their earlier flight. Two other pilots who were seated in the cabin safely landed that plane.
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Ukrainian grandmother detained in Kazakhstan at Russia’s request while trying to bring grandson back to Ukraine

Russian and Kazakh flags fly as plane contrails form the Russian tricolour above Astana, Kazakhstan, 27 November 2024. Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Kazakhstan detained Ukrainian citizen Liubov Rozhanska in Astana on 1 October at Russia’s request, after she traveled there to receive her grandson, a Ukrainian boy whose father has sought his return to Ukraine, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported.

Russia accuses Rozhanska of attempting to abduct the child and is seeking her detention through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russia-led security alliance that includes Kazakhstan. 

She could now face deportation to Russia, despite never having entered the country, according to her lawyers cited by DW. 

A Ukrainian child Russia wants to keep

The case involves a boy born in Odesa in 2018. His mother took him from Ukraine to Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast in 2021, before Russia’s full-scale invasion. In 2022, she and the child obtained Russian citizenship.

The boy’s Ukrainian father challenged the child’s residence in court. In March 2025, Ukraine’s Supreme Court ruled that the boy should live in Odesa with his father.

According to Rozhanska’s lawyer, Oleksii Pryanishnikov, the boy’s stepfather and step-grandfather contacted her in July 2026 about arranging the child’s transfer to his Ukrainian father and grandmother.

By August, a Kaliningrad court had issued a warrant to detain Rozhanska in connection with an alleged attempt to abduct the child. Russian investigators were also preparing documents to seek her extradition through the CSTO, according to documents cited by DW.

Rozhanska then traveled to Astana and was detained at the airport after arriving from Istanbul.

Kazakh lawyer Riza Nurbaeva told DW that Rozhanska did not know about the Russian criminal case and had never entered Russia. She said the Ukrainian was detained under the Kaliningrad court’s warrant.

Lawyer alleges political motive

Pryanishnikov described the detention as a “planned operation” by Russia’s Federal Security Service and alleged that it has a political dimension connected to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

His allegation comes in the context of Russia’s documented transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and efforts to assimilate them into Russian society, grant them Russian citizenship and sever their ties to Ukraine.

In this case, Russia is using international legal mechanisms to potentially prevent a Ukrainian child from returning to his father in Ukraine.

Rozhanska is currently being held in a Kazakh pretrial detention center. A court hearing is expected within three days, according to DW.

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Ukraine Reports First Combat Use of Its Own Ballistic Missile

While the missile fired on Thursday has a limited range, Kyiv is developing a larger weapon that could strike Moscow.

© Genya Savilov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine trumpeted the launch of the country’s first domestically made ballistic missile.
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Fighting Intensifies in Yemen, Raising Fresh Fears of All-Out War

Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, was bombarded overnight, after government forces reported some of the most intense clashes in years around Taiz, the country’s third largest city.

© Mohammed Huwais/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, was hit by airstrikes on Friday.
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India Faces Fresh Protests, This Time Over Voter Rolls

Hundreds were detained in New Delhi as demonstrators expressed anger over the removal of 130 million people from the rolls. The government denies accusations of “vote theft.”

© Manish Swarup/Associated Press

Protesters demanding the resignation of India’s election chief were put onto buses by the police in New Delhi on Friday.
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