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When Diamonds Are Not Forever

After decades of growth driven by diamond mining, Canada’s Northwest Territories are facing the closure of three major mines and wondering: What’s next?

Lithuania Declares National Emergency Over Suspicious Balloons From Belarus

Lithuania’s government declared a nationwide emergency on Tuesday to bolster security after months of fending off suspicious balloons that have floated into the country’s airspace from neighboring Belarus, disrupting flights and stirring chaos.

Australia’s Social Media Ban for People Under 16 Takes Effect

A new law in Australia that bars anyone younger than 16 from having social media accounts went into effect on Wednesday, in the start of a sweeping governmental effort to shelter children from the harms associated with such platforms.

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Venezuela’s Nobel Winner Ups the Ante in Standoff With Maduro

News Analysis: The decision by María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader, to leave her homeland after more than a year in hiding has drastically raised the stakes in the unfolding standoff over Venezuela’s future.

Islamic State Camps Pose a Dangerous Problem for Syria’s Leaders

The Syrian government faces a dilemma over what to do with civil-war-era prisons and detention camps that hold thousands of ISIS fighters and tens of thousands of their family members.

Louvre Heist Was Caught on Film, Officials Say, Rebutting Director’s Account

After robbers broke into the Louvre in October, the museum’s director said they had entered undetected. Now, investigators from the French culture ministry have found that that the thieves’ entrance was recorded but the security guards had taken too long to switch to the live feed.

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U.S. Steps Up Campaign Against Maduro in Seizing Tanker Off Venezuela

The United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, a dramatic escalation in President Trump’s pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro, the leader of Venezuela.

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Resigns in the Face of Mass Protests

Bulgaria’s prime minister resigned on Thursday after less than a year in office, acknowledging “the voice of the people” after mass protests against government corruption in recent weeks.

Pakistan’s Ex-Spy Chief Sentenced to Prison After Court-Martial

A Pakistani military court announced that it had sentenced Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, the former head of the country’s intelligence agency, to 14 years in prison after convicting him on charges of corruption, political meddling and misuse of authority.

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Focused More on Power Outages, Ukrainians See U.S. Peace Push as Noise

Many in Ukraine understand the dance their leaders must perform to appease President Trump. But that doesn’t make them any less weary of the rounds and rounds of talks.

Trump Says Thailand and Cambodia Have Agreed to a New Cease-Fire

President Trump said on Friday that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to a cease-fire, as he sought to restore his image as a peacemaker after a deal he had brokered to end a border conflict between the two Southeast Asian countries unraveled this week.

Dozens Killed as a Hospital Is Bombed in Brutal Civil War

Myanmar’s military on Wednesday night dropped two bombs on the Mrauk-U Hospital, which was a lifeline for many civilians in a rebel stronghold in the country's western Rakhine State. The attack killed 34 people and injured at least 80 others, according to aid workers and rebel forces.

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The Panicked Moments When a Beach Celebration Became a ‘War Zone’

At least 15 people were killed and several dozen were injured when two men opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday at Bondi Beach in Sydney, the core of the Australian city’s Jewish community.

Hong Kong Media Tycoon’s Conviction Was Years in the Making

Judges in Hong Kong delivered guilty verdicts in the landmark national security trial of the media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai on Monday, following a five-year-old case that has come to symbolize the sweeping political changes in the city.

Conservative Wins Resoundingly in Chile’s Presidential Election

José Antonio Kast, a conservative candidate, was elected Chile’s president on Sunday, a sharp rightward swing for a country where voters have grown deeply concerned about security and illegal immigration.

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In a Remote Jungle, the Gruesome Poaching of Rare Elephants

More than a dozen Bornean elephants have been killed — including five beheaded — in Malaysia in the past 18 months, the authorities say.

As U.S. Threatens Maduro, a Caribbean Nation Is Drawn Into the Conflict

The effort to bring a military tool to the nation of Trinidad and Tobago, just days after a visit by the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, has become a flashpoint in a heated debate over Trinidad’s involvement in the Trump administration’s escalating conflict with nearby Venezuela.

After an Antisemitic Atrocity, Australia Looks for a Path Forward

News Analysis: Jews are fearful of more violence and Muslims are wary of a backlash after the mass shooting at Bondi Beach killed 15. Can Australia steer its way toward stability?

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Trump Revised Chevron’s Venezuela Deal. Maduro’s Oil Trader Profited.

A firm controlled by a businessman tied to a seized tanker carrying Venezuelan oil has sold millions of barrels from a Chevron-operated oil field.

A Roar of Motorcycles and the Terrifying Night of a Mass Kidnapping

Survivors of the St. Mary’s Catholic School abduction in Nigeria recall their harrowing ordeal and release.

South Africa Arrests Workers Processing U.S. Refugee Applications

The authorities in South Africa said on Wednesday that they had arrested and would deport seven Kenyan nationals who were working illegally at a center processing refugee applications for the United States.

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Europe’s Fight Over Russian Assets Is Testing Its Ability to Support Ukraine

European Union leaders convened on Thursday for a meeting that will show whether they can face head-on many of the largest challenges confronting them: an aggressive Russia, an increasingly unfriendly United States and a costly land war in Ukraine.

Over 1,000 Were Killed in Attack on Famine-Stricken Camp in Sudan, U.N. Says

Paramilitaries in Sudan killed over 1,000 people, one-third of them in summary executions, in an attack in April against a famine-stricken camp for displaced people, the United Nations human rights body said.

Who Can Solve Iran’s Many Problems? Not I, Says the President.

Amid sky-high inflation, water and energy cuts and prospects for a deal with the U. S. dimming, President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran has apparently thrown up his hands.

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Putin Offers to Suspend Deep Strikes During Potential Ukraine Vote

President Vladimir Putin on Friday offered to suspend long-range strikes deep inside Ukraine during any potential presidential election held by Kyiv, as the Russian leader reiterated his call for President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine to face a wartime vote.

Gaza City Famine Averted, Global Experts Say, but Palestinians Face Major Difficulties Accessing Food

A panel of global experts found that famine conditions previously reported in Gaza City had been alleviated since October’s cease-fire but that hundreds of thousands of people across the territory still faced major difficulties accessing food.

Can This Man Finally Defeat Mexico’s Cartels?

Mexico's top security official, Omar García Harfuch, is overseeing one of the most aggressive offensives in years against Mexico’s powerful criminal groups. Many before him have failed.

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Assad’s Enforcers Brutalized Syria. Now They’re Living Large, Lying Low and Evading Justice.

A Times investigation into the whereabouts of top Syrian officials who fled after the regime’s fall shows many remain free — shielded by wealth and accommodating host nations.

What We Know About U.S. Interceptions of Oil Tankers in Venezuela

A Venezuela-bound vessel fled after rebuffing an attempt by the Coast Guard to seize it, the latest twist in the escalating U.S. pressure campaign against the Maduro government.

More Abducted Nigerian Children Are Released, Government Says

The scores of schoolchildren who remained in captivity after being kidnapped at gunpoint last month from their dormitories in the middle of the night have been released, the Nigerian government said.

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Ukraine Withdraws From Eastern Town, Complicating Negotiating Stance

Ukraine said on Tuesday that its forces had withdrawn from the eastern town of Siversk, in a move that could complicate Kyiv’s stance in ongoing peace talks with Russia, which have largely stumbled over territorial settlements.

Yemen’s Warring Sides Agree to Largest Prisoner Swap in a Decade of Fighting

Yemen’s warring factions agreed to release thousands of prisoners in what would be the largest swap since civil war erupted in the country more than a decade ago.

Thunberg Arrested at U.K. Protest Supporting Palestine Action Prisoners

The Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was arrested under terrorism laws in Britain for holding a placard that the police said showed support for the banned group Palestine Action, her lawyer and organizers of the protest said.

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Zelensky Opens Way to Demilitarized Zone in Eastern Ukraine to Reach Peace

President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Tuesday that he was ready to pull his troops back from areas of the eastern Donetsk region still under Kyiv’s control and turn those areas into a demilitarized zone as part of a possible peace deal with Moscow.

The Truce Is 2 Months Old. So Why Have Hundreds of Gazans Been Killed?

Since the cease-fire took effect, Israel says it has targeted only militants. But the killing of Palestinians has not yet stopped for more than a day or two at a time.

China Is Shifting Its Nuclear Forces to Swifter Footing, Pentagon Says

China has been growing its stockpile of nuclear warheads by about 100 a year as its top leader, Xi Jinping, pushes to expand his nuclear options. But its production of warheads slowed last year, the Pentagon said, without specifying a cause.

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No Power, No Heat, No Water: Odesa’s Days of Hell Under Russian Fire

The toll on older people and those with disabilities is especially severe as Moscow’s forces repeatedly attack the port city’s infrastructure.

​North Korea Unveils the Completed Hull of What It Calls a Nuclear Submarine

The arms race between North and South Korea has expanded underwater as the North condemned the South’s plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine as a security threat and unveiled​ the completed hull of its ​own nuclear sub, which is under construction.

With Airspace Closed, a Lonely Christmas for Many Venezuelans

Many thousands of Venezuelans have found themselves stranded abroad or alone at home this holiday, prevented from gathering with relatives after President Trump declared the airspace around Venezuela closed more than three weeks ago.

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U.S. Strikes ISIS in Nigeria After Trump Warned of Attacks on Christians

The United States launched a number of strikes against the Islamic State in northwestern Nigeria, President Trump announced on Thursday, the latest American military campaign against a nonstate adversary.

8 Killed in Syria Mosque Blast, Government Says

At least eight people were killed and about 20 others injured in an explosion during Friday Prayer at a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs, a spokesman for the country’s Interior Ministry said.

New Jail Term and Enormous Fine for Ex-Malaysian Leader in Graft Scandal

A Malaysian court sentenced former Prime Minister Najib Razak to 15 years in prison and ordered him to pay a hefty fine in a case related to the looting of the multibillion-dollar government fund 1MDB, a scandal that has already brought prison time for the disgraced leader.

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Grim Evidence of Trump’s Airstrikes Washes Ashore on a Colombian Peninsula

A scorched boat, two mangled bodies: The first physical evidence of U.S. strikes in the Caribbean has washed up in Colombia.

Russia Threatens to Toughen Its Stance on Ending the War in Ukraine

With talks on ending the Ukraine war making little progress on the toughest issues, Russia issued a dramatic threat on Monday to harden its stance, linking the potential change to what the Kremlin called a failed Ukrainian drone attack overnight targeting a rural residence of President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine immediately denied any such attack.

China Mobilizes Forces on Land, Air and Sea for Live-Fire Drill Near Taiwan

China launched military exercises around Taiwan, mobilizing naval, air, ground and missile forces for what the People’s Liberation Army described as a “stern warning” to opponents of Beijing’s claims to the island.

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C.I.A. Conducted Drone Strike on Port in Venezuela

The C.I.A. conducted a drone strike on a port facility in Venezuela last week, according to people briefed on the operation, a development that suggests an aggressive new phase of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against the Maduro government has begun.

Protests Over Sinking Economy in Iran Spread to Universities

Protests driven by worsening economic conditions in Iran have spread to universities in several cities on Tuesday, with students chanting for freedom and clashing with the security forces near some campuses.

Emirates to Pull Troops Out of Yemen After Saudi-led Airstrike

The United Arab Emirates said that it was pulling its remaining troops out of Yemen, hours after a Saudi-led airstrike targeted an Emirati shipment, an episode that has laid bare the deepening rift between two Gulf powerhouses.

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How Russia’s War Machine Brutalizes and Exploits Its Own Soldiers

President Vladimir Putin has hailed the troops fighting his war of attrition as sacred heroes. But more than 6,000 confidential complaints about the war reviewed by The Times show that anger and discontent simmer beneath the surface.

Slow Pace of Flood Recovery Stirs Anger in Far-Flung Corner of Indonesia

Protests have erupted in Aceh Province on the northern tip of Sumatra island, where anger and frustration are mounting over what many see as inadequate relief efforts by a distracted government.

Thieves Make Off With Millions in German Bank Heist

When a group of masked thieves drove into a garage in an industrial city in western Germany last weekend, they were not simply searching for a parking spot.

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Guinea’s Coup Leader Wins Election After Barring Leading Opponents

The leader of a coup in the West African nation of Guinea won a landslide victory in a presidential election meant to legitimize his rule, according to results on Wednesday. The vote took place more than four years after he seized power and tightened his grip on the country.

Iran Protests Turn Deadly as Violence and Anger Spread

Financial pressures have fueled a fifth day of demonstrations around Iran, with at least one person killed in the protests so far, according to the authorities.

Another New Year at War: Ukraine’s Troops Doubt It Will Be the Last

After a year of Russian advances, the goal for 2026 is simply to survive, said one officer in eastern Ukraine. “It’s hard to make any plans,” he said.

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How a Fire Ripped Through a Swiss Bar and Broke a Village’s Heart

Investigators said that sparklers attached to bottles of champagne were the likely cause of a fire that tore through a popular bar during a New Year’s celebration in the Alps, leaving 40 people dead and dozens badly burned, many fighting for their lives.

Trump Says U.S. Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ if Iran Kills Protesters

President Trump said on Friday that the United States would come to the aid of protesters in Iran if the government there used lethal force against them, in a sharp escalation of remarks after days of widespread demonstrations against the Iranian government.

Zelensky Names General to Replace Chief of Staff Ousted in Graft Scandal

President Zelensky appointed Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the country’s military intelligence agency, as his new chief of staff. Mr. Budanov is seen as a potential rival to Mr. Zelensky if elections are held.

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What We Know About Maduro’s Capture and the Fallout

Venezuela’s ousted president, Nicolás Maduro, appeared before a judge in New York on Monday to face drug and weapons charges, two days after he was captured in a U.S. military raid on Caracas.

Denmark Tells Trump to ‘Stop the Threats’ About Greenland

Denmark’s prime minister urged President Trump to “stop the threats” to take over Greenland after Mr. Trump reiterated his interest in controlling the semiautonomous territory of Denmark, following the U.S. military raid on Venezuela.

After U.S. Strikes on Christmas, Fear Grips Muslims in Rural Nigeria

A small town in Nigeria, set amid a smattering of baobab trees is grappling with the aftermath of a bombing ordered by President Trump.

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