Chechnya’s Strongman Is Visibly Ailing. The Russian Region Is Bracing for Succession.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen strongman, is one of the closest allies of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Growing speculation about his health has raised the question of who will take the reins when he leaves.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
The Pope Returns to Castel Gandolfo for Summer. And There Will Be Tennis.
Tourists posing for photos in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, in June. The pope’s planned return has “given the town a spark,” said an owner of a bar in the town’s main square.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Israel and Syria in U.S.-Brokered Talks to End Border Conflict, Trump Envoy Says
Thomas J. Barrack Jr., third from left, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, is in his first diplomatic job at age 78.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
North Korea Beach Resort Opens With Fanfare but No Foreigners
The Wonsan Kalma tourist area in North Korea this week. Kim Jong-un, the country’s leader, had hoped it would bring in foreign currency.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Vatican Publishes a New Mass on Caring for the Environment
Pope Leo XIV presiding over Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday. The idea for a new Mass began under his predecessor, Pope Francis, who made care for the environment a cornerstone of his papacy.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Lovebugs Swarm South Korea’s Capital, Drawing Residents’ Ire
Binoculars covered in lovebugs at an observatory in Incheon, South Korea, on Monday.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Can Indonesia Afford Prabowo’s Free School Lunch Program?
Students in Cimahi, Indonesia, having lunches that were provided by the government. President Prabowo Subianto calls the program an investment in Indonesia’s future.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Where Do Israel-Hamas Truce Negotiations Stand?
Displaced Palestinians at a tent camp in Gaza City last month.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Dalai Lama Tightens Grip on Reins of Succession in the Face of Chinese Pressure
Tibetan Buddhist monks gathered in Dharamsala, a Himalayan hill town in India, to discuss the future of the Dalai Lama’s spiritual office, as China tries to control who will succeed him.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Greece Wildfire Forces Evacuation of 1,500 People From Island of Crete
More than 200 firefighters battled a blaze in the Greek island of Crete, but their work was made more difficult by heavy winds and rugged mountain terrain.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
What to Know About the Heat Wave in Europe
Fans were used to keep people cool at a restaurant near the Piazza di Spagna in Rome on Monday.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Pound Drops Amid Uncertainty Over UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves
A screenshot from the British Parliament showed Rachel Reeves, Britain’s chancellor of the Exchequer, seated next to Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Sandy Gall, War Correspondent Without Swagger, Dies at 97
Sandy Gall in 1994. He was seen on ITN’s popular “News at Ten” for more than two decades.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
E.P.A. Employees Are Invited to Adopt Soon-to-Be Homeless Lab Rats
An albino rat at a medical test facility. Critters like rats and zebra fish are commonly used to test the toxicity of chemicals.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Diogo Jota, Liverpool Soccer Star, Dies in Car Crash at 28
Diogo Jota, a Portuguese soccer star, played for Liverpool of the English Premier League.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Thursday Briefing
Damage from Israeli strikes in central Gaza City on Friday.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
5 Dead and 29 Missing After Ferry Sinks Near Bali
Family members waiting for updates on the search for people who went missing after a ferry sank near Bali, Indonesia.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
How to Stay Cool While Traveling in Paris, Italy, Spain and Parts of Europe
An outdoor swimming pool at the Széchenyi baths in Budapest.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
North Korean Tech Workers Infiltrating Companies Around World, U.S. Says
The Grand People’s Study House in Pyongyang, North Korea, in 2019.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Argentina’s President Javier Milei Undermines Press Freedom With Online Attacks
President Javier Milei of Argentina and his allies have ratcheted up their aggressive denunciation of journalists, particularly women.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Russia-Azerbaijan Tensions Soar, Threatening Moscow’s Influence
Azerbaijan’s embassy in Moscow on Wednesday. Tensions continued to grow this week between Russia and Azerbaijan, which was once considered one of Moscow’s closest partners among former Soviet states.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Iran Suspends Cooperation With U.N. Nuclear Watchdog
Iranian officials criticized Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, for saying that there was no evidence of a systematic effort to build nuclear bombs only after Israel began its military attacks.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Pause in U.S. Weapons Deepens Ukrainian Concerns as Russian Attacks Grow
A Soviet-era antiaircraft cannon operated by Ukraine’s 59th Assault Brigade in Dnipropetrovsk region in June. Only U.S.-made Patriot missiles can see off the most advanced Russian attacks.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
The First Income Tax in the Persian Gulf Signals a Changing Economic Reality
Muscat, the capital of Oman, in 2023. Officials said a new tax there would affect only a small portion of the population but would help reduce the country’s dependence on oil and gas.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Israel Wants to Resume Truce Talks With Hamas Soon
Damage from Israeli strikes in central Gaza City on Friday.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Hundreds of Small Earthquakes Rattle Remote Islands in Japan
Akusekijima in 2021. Residents of the island said they have lost sleep since the tremors began.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Kim Jong-un Appears to Mourn His Troops Killed Fighting for Russia
A still image taken from a video showing North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, covering a coffin with his nation’s flag is displayed on a screen during a performance in Pyongyang, North Korea, last week.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Heathrow Shutdown Caused by Problem Left Unfixed for Years, Report Says
The fire at an electrical substation in March brought Heathrow to a standstill. More than 1,000 flights were disrupted during the shutdown.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Dalai Lama Succession: How the Next Tibetan Spiritual Leader Will Be Chosen
The Dalai Lama has hinted that he might buck established succession practices as part of an apparent strategy to throw off the Chinese and avoid a vacuum that Beijing can exploit as it seeks to control Tibetan Buddhism.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Wednesday Briefing
Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, oversaw the passage of President Trump’s signature domestic policy bill.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Ali Shamkhani, Top Iran Official, Survived Israeli Strike
Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani in 2018. He told Iranian state media on Saturday that he had sustained serious injuries in the Israeli strike in June.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Richard A. Boucher, Veteran State Department Spokesman, Dies at 73
The State Department spokesman Richard A. Boucher talked about a standoff between the United States and China at a press briefing in Washington in 2001.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Denmark Begins Drafting Women as Russian Threat Looms
In the past, women were allowed to volunteer to serve in the military, but they were not entered into a lottery system for compulsory service like their male peers. Women volunteers made up roughly a quarter of 2024’s cohort.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Macron and Putin Discuss Iran and Ukraine in Rare Call
The two leaders seemed to reach some common ground on Iran, but they were still at odds over the war in Ukraine.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Keir Starmer Endures Rebellion in Parliament Over Welfare Cuts
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s retreat on the planned welfare cuts did not satisfy many lawmakers within his increasingly fractious Labour party.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
As U.S. Warms Ties With Syria, What Does It Expect?
Syrians celebrating President Trump’s plan to ease sanctions, in Homs, Syria, in May.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Senate Version of Trump’s Policy Bill Ends Many Clean Energy Credits
Wind farm tower pieces destined for the South Fork Wind Farm off the Rhode Island coast in 2023.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Explosion at Indian Pharmaceutical Factory Kills 36
Rescue workers inspected the damage at Sigachi Industries near Hyderabad, India, on Tuesday, a day after an explosion leveled the factory.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
3 Managers Arrested Over Deaths at U.K. Hospital Where Lucy Letby Worked
The Cheshire police, which investigated baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital, said they had arrested three senior managers who worked at the hospital between 2015 and 2016.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Britain’s Royal Train, Once a Symbol of Luxury and Modernity, Is Being Retired
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip arriving in Bristol, England, in 1999.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
The U.S. Sends Lots of Plastic Trash Overseas. Malaysia Just Said No Thanks.
A Malaysian inspector examined a shipment of plastic waste in 2019.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Israelis Set a Palestinian Village Ablaze in West Bank Attack
The family of Murshid Hamayel at his wake on Friday. Palestinian officials said that Mr. Hamayel was killed in clashes with the Israeli military in Kafr Malik.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Top Russian General Convicted in High-Profile Corruption Case
Timur Ivanov inside the defendant’s box before a hearing at the Moscow City Court, in March.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Israel’s Netanyahu Says He Will Meet With Trump Next Week
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Trump in the Oval Office, in April.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Wimbledon 2025: How the World’s Oldest Tennis Tournament is Coping with the Heat Wave
Spectators try to keep cool during the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London on Monday.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Under a Drone-Swarmed Sky: Surviving in Eastern Ukraine
An artillery unit of the 28th Mechanized Separate Brigade preparing to fire an M109 howitzer on Russian positions, on the outskirts of Kostiantynivka, eastern Ukraine.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
92-Year-Old U.K. Man Gets Life Sentence for 1967 Rape and Murder
Ryland Headley, 92, in an undated handout photo from Avon and Somerset Police.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
China Bans Some Portable Batteries From Flights as Safety Concerns Grow
The Beijing Capital International Airport in April. China’s ban prohibits passengers from taking some portable batteries on board planes after millions of the devices were recalled.
Posted by
Thomas
on July 2025
Thursday Briefing: Sean Combs Acquitted of Sex Trafficking
Algerian Court Upholds 5-Year Sentence for Boualem Sansal, Angering France
The Site of the Jonestown Massacre Is Opening to Tourists
Don’t Like Eating Insects? Your Pet Might.
Wednesday Briefing: Senate Passes Trump’s Signature Bill