The Ukrainian city of Izium still bears the scars of Russian occupation from four years ago. As Moscow’s forces approach, residents are bracing for the worst.
President Trump mostly offered retreads and self-congratulation at the gathering. Then, he offered to pay Americans $5,000 apiece if Republicans kept power.
The Iran-backed militia routed Yemeni government forces in Mokha, putting the group in a stronger position to attack ships in a crucial waterway for global trade.
California’s Big Sur coastline is often called a slice of heaven. But this year – beset by wildfires, road closures and disruptions to tourist amenities – it has endured a long summer of hell. Now questions are being asked about how many visitors it can sustain in the face of the climate crisis.
For our big story this week, Andrew Gumbel visits Big Sur, where the tourist industry accounts for about 90% of the local economy, to hear why the community fears its ethos is under threat.
The UN has warned that the El Niño climate phenomenon is “supersizing before our eyes”. Environment editor Damien Carrington reports on the latest forecasts, which predict the event is near certain to shatter temperature records.
Then, the mayors of Paris, Milan and Phoenix write about how their cities are learning from each other on responding to the heat crisis. “How do you protect millions of people,” they ask, “when extreme heat is no longer an exceptional event, but an increasingly familiar part of summer?”
Spotlight | ‘It breaks my heart’ Kate Connolly reports from Magdeburg, the capital of Saxony-Anhalt, where voters are digesting the far-right Alternative für Deutschland’s state election triumph
Science | Forbidden planet Since it was stripped of planetary status, Pluto’s defenders have been fighting the decision – and they’re only getting more passionate, writes Tim Dowling
Feature | Your lying AIs LLMs have an alarming tendency to deceive and manipulate their users. As they become ever more embedded in society, the race is on to find out why – and stop them doing it. Snigdha Poonam explains
Opinion | The route to a brighter future The world is being driven to the brink by thugs and dictators, says Simon Tisdall, but ordinary people have more power than we think
Culture | A stitch up As the Bayeux tapestry goes on show in London, cartoonist Edith Pritchett offers an alternative 21st century take, capturing today’s battles, while art critic Jonathan Jones reviews the British Museum’s blockbuster exhibition of the original masterpiece
Tehran is growing increasingly aggressive as it confronts an economic threat and worries that its grip on the Strait of Hormuz is slipping, analysts say.
For much of its history, Albania remained as shadowy and remote as the fictional Syldavia of the Tintin comics. Letters to Albania were sometimes returned from Albany, New York, with the postal direction “Try Europe.” The country came into existence only after 1912, with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Its first ruler, King Zog, was hounded out by Mussolini when he invaded in 1939. Five years later, the Italians and…
In August, Donald Trump sided with consumers by increasing the tariff-free quota on imported beef for 90 days beginning September 1. The concession will last three months. It would be a minor story with any other president in the White House. But under Trump, even dull-sounding trade news can take on a sudden importance, especially when mixed up with foreign affairs. Trump’s justification for favoring Argentina, whose 2026 quota he increased by 80,000 metric tons, is partly geopolitical: he wants to give support to Javier Milei’s free-market regime, seeing it as a foil to left-leaning governments elsewhere in Latin America.
Pete Hegseth has a face for television and a machismo of sorts. It appears, even to parts of MAGA, that Donald Trump put him in charge of the armed forces because the President likes attractive people on TV. “Right out of central casting,” Trump once told Secretary Hegseth, patting him on the bicep. “Pete loves war!”
The Trump administration had let the peace process enter such a freeze that a trip to Kyiv was just an initial step. Any new talks will happen alongside escalating fighting.
Israel has stepped up its attacks targeting Hezbollah after capturing a strategic ridge last week, spurring worries that it will prolong its occupation of Lebanese territory.
Jefferson County, Colo., is one of the few school systems to sue the administration over demands that it revoke transgender protections or face funding cuts.
While reporting on federal investigations of virus scientists, we learned of a meeting last year at the F.B.I. about allegations that U.S. researchers hid a Covid lab leak.
About 50 people were tested, an unparalleled inquiry that came after news reports about the war in Iran and the U.S. military’s diminished stocks of munitions.
Focus centers on the next paradigm of technology, such as advanced AI chips, robotics, and the economic infrastructure behind massive AI model rollouts.
Geopolitics & Social Unrest
Major themes include global security, currency volatility (across the Dollar, Euro, and Yen), public health resilience, and shifting spheres of influence—particularly between the U.S. and China.
Climate & Energy Dynamics
Predictive coverage features regional climate shifts, extreme weather management (like wildfires), and a massive transition toward renewable energy infrastructure, such as Europe’s expanding solar-battery hybrid grids.
Global Milestones
The year will also track major demographic shifts, including the second phase of India’s first national census since 2011.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious
Boomers Daily 