President Biden kicks off his final week in office on Monday with a robust defense of his foreign policy, arguing in a speech to be delivered in the afternoon that America has become stronger on his watch. With just seven days left until he hands over the White House to President-elect Donald J. Trump, Mr. […]

Five months after Ukrainian forces swept across the border in the first ground invasion of Russia since World War II, the two armies are engaged in some of the most furious clashes of the war there, fighting over land and leverage in the conflict. The intensity of the battles recalls some of the worst sieges […]

As Western diplomats explore establishing ties with the rebels who took power in Syria, a religious minority has been conducting its own diplomatic push to ensure protections for its members as the country rebuilds. A representative of the group, the Druse, recently went to Washington to meet with lawmakers, members of the Biden and Trump […]

Italy’s justice minister has requested the revocation of the arrest of an Iranian man sought by the United States for allegedly providing material used in a drone attack that killed three American soldiers, the Italian government announced on Sunday. Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, 38, was arrested last month in Milan and the U.S. Justice Department had […]

Israeli security and policy chiefs were expected to arrive in Qatar on Sunday for high-level talks about a proposed cease-fire deal in Gaza that would see hostages released in the final days of President Biden’s term and before Donald J. Trump takes office. Biden administration officials have been pressing for a deal that would become […]

There seem to be no limits to the dark revelations laid bare by the downfall of Syria’s 54-year Assad regime. Prisons have emptied, exposing the instruments of torture used on peaceful protesters and others considered opponents of the government. Stacks of official documents record thousands of detainees. Morgues and mass graves hold the gaunt, broken-bodied […]

The Sudanese military recaptured a key city in Sudan’s breadbasket region on Saturday, chasing out a paramilitary group that the United States accused last week of genocide. Sudan’s information minister said the army had “liberated” the city, Wad Madani, while the military said that its troops were working to “clear the remnants of the rebels” […]

From above the raging flames, these planes can unleash immense tankfuls of bright pink fire retardant in just 20 seconds. They have long been considered vital in the battle against wildfires. But emerging research has shown that the millions of gallons of retardant sprayed on the landscape to tame wildfires each year come with a […]

It kills more people each year than car crashes, war or drugs do. This invisible killer is the air pollution from sources like cars and trucks or factory smokestacks. But as wildfires intensify and grow more frequent in a warming world, the smoke from these fires is emerging as a new and deadly pollution source, […]

The Harvard Sentences are hundreds of sentences that have been used for many decades to test technologies in which understanding speech is essential, like telephone systems and hearing aids. I came across the list recently and was charmed by it. Some sample sentences: It’s easy to tell the depth of a well. The hogs were […]