Beyond Borders

Delving into International Top Stories, Headlines, and Features

Live Updates: Images Suggest Russia Is Packing Up Equipment in Syria

Europe Begins to Ask if Syrians Can Go Home After al-Assad’s Fall

Members of the Syrian community in Berlin on Sunday celebrating the end of Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Macron Appoints François Bayrou as France’s New Prime Minister

François Bayrou during a meeting of his party, in March.

Ukrainian Women Are Traveling to the Front Line to Keep Love Alive

With al-Assad Gone, Syrians Search Prisons for Traces of Their Loved Ones

Russia Launches Missile Attack on Ukraine’s Energy Infrastructure

A thermal power plant in an undisclosed location in Ukraine in November. The facility has been repeatedly targeted by Russian airstrikes.

Iranians Confront Their Leaders Over Syria Debacle

People celebrating the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in front of the citadel in Aleppo, Syria.

Prince Andrew’s Links to Chinese Spy Suspect Revealed by U.K. Court

Prince Andrew, whose lifestyle has come under scrutiny, departing the Easter service at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in 2023.

Turkey Emerges as a Big Winner in the Wake of al-Assad’s Ouster

Antigovernment fighters joined thousands of Syrians as they celebrated in the streets of Damascus on Monday.

How America Turned Allies into Enemies in Afghanistan

Mullah Osman Jawhari at his home in Waygal, in Nuristan Province in Afghanistan.

Trump’s Pick as Mideast Adviser, Massad Boulos, Is a Truck Salesman

Massad Boulos in Detroit in October.

Young Koreans, Seeing Democracy at Stake, Take to the Streets

Milei Tames Inflation in Argentina With Painful Policies, Sparking Applause and Anger

President Javier Milei of Argentina speaking at an America First Policy Institute gala at Mar-a-Lago in Florida last month. President-elect Donald J. Trump has lauded Mr. Milei’s tenure in office.

Chinese-Flagged Ship Suspected of Cutting Cables Remains Halted Weeks Later

The Chinese-flagged commercial ship Yi Peng 3 remains anchored off the coast of Denmark.

Joy Buoys Syria’s First Friday Prayers Since Assad Ouster, but Hardships Loom

Thousands of people gathered at the historic Umayyad Mosque for the first Friday prayers after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, in Damascus, Syria, on Friday.

What is Captagon, the Illegal Stimulant Made in Assad’s Syria?

Critics Complain That Italy’s Government Is Interfering in the Arts

Visitors at “The Time of Futurism" exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome on Dec. 2.

Canada’s Gas Brings Indigenous People New Money, and Old Worries

Gas flare as seen from Kitamaat.

For Wild Animals, the Bird Flu Disaster Is Already Here

A dead Cape cormorant in False Bay, Cape Town, in November 2021.

Friday Briefing

Along the border between Israel and Syria yesterday.

U.S. Hopes for a Gaza Cease-Fire and Hostage Deal ‘This Month’

The White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, speaking on Thursday in Tel Aviv.

Stanley Recalls More Than 2 Million Travel Mugs Over Burn Hazard

The recall covers all Stanley Switchback and Trigger Action stainless steel travel mugs sold in the United States from June 2016 through December.

Two Americans on Holiday Are Killed in Western Mexico

President Claudia Sheinbaum has vowed to curb the violence gripping parts of Mexico.

U.S. and Allies Race to Shape a New Syria

A Syrian flag was hoisted over Saadallah al-Jabiri Square in Aleppo, Syria, on Thursday.

Friday Briefing: Israeli Forces to Stay in Syria for Now

Israeli vehicles at the border between Israel and Syria yesterday.

Syrians Celebrate the Fall of al-Assad, and Rebuild From Tragedy

Syrians celebrating the fall of the Assad government in the Kafr Sousa neighborhood of Damascus on Friday.

Ocean Heat Killed Half the Common Murres Around Alaska

Rescued common murres were placed into a special enclosure to dry after examination at a bird rescue center in Cordelia, Calif., in 2015.

Rebel Group’s Terrorist Label Could Hinder Efforts to Aid Syria

A Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighter at a frontline position near the Syrian town of Maaret al-Naasan in 2021.

Why Some U.K. Pubs Are Running Out of Guinness

Enjoying Guinness in London in October.

Why Do Some Rebel Governments Last When Others Fall?

People celebrating the fall of the regime of former president Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo, Syria, on Wednesday.

Trump’s Energy Pick, Chris Wright, Argues Fossil Fuels Are Virtuous

Chris Wright, the founder and chief executive of Liberty Energy, in 2018.

How U.S. Firms Battled a Government Crackdown to Keep Tech Sales to China

A silicon wafer at Applied Materials in May 2023.

U.S. Appeals for Unity Behind New Syrian Government After Fall of Assad Regime

U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Jordanian leaders in the coastal city of Aqaba on Thursday.

Mazen al-Hamada, Syrian Pro-Democracy Activist, Is Mourned at Funeral

While working for the French company Schlumberger in eastern Syria, Mazen al-Hamada became a protester and citizen journalist during the 2011 uprising that led to the civil war.

Man Found in Syria Says He Is Missing American Travis Timmerman

A man who appeared to identify himself as Travis Timmerman, a U.S. citizen who was missing for several months, speaking to reporters in Syria on Thursday.

Russian Troops Advance to Within 3 Miles of Key Ukrainian Transit Hub

An artillery unit of Ukraine’s 68th Jaeger Brigade firing at Russian positions in the Pokrovsk district of Ukraine last month.

What I Learned From a Reclusive Taliban Commander

Mullah Osman Jawhari in the hills above his home. “There was no Taliban here when the war started,” he said.

Humbled in Syria, Putin Seeks Vindication in Ukraine

Soldiers from Ukraine’s Herkules mobile air defense unit at a shooting range in Kyiv last month. The war is now “all or nothing” for Vladimir V. Putin, one analyst said.

As Europe Looks for a Leader, Italy Thrives While France and Germany Teeter

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy has worked to dispel fears about her party’s post-fascist roots by aligning with her European partners on key issues like support for Ukraine.

A Father’s Search for His Missing Daughter in South Korea

Assad’s Fall in Syria Renews Push for Justice on Crimes Committed by His Regime

People celebrated in the center of Damascus, Syria’s capital, on Monday. The Assad family ruled the country brutally for more than 50 years.

Thursday Briefing

In Damascus, Syria, yesterday.

How to Pack a ‘Go Bag’ for Extreme Weather

An extreme-weather go bag will eliminate the panic of wondering what to bring with you, and it may end up saving your life.

Canada’s Plan To Avoid Trump’s Tariffs Takes Shape

Commercial trucks heading toward the U.S. border last month from South Surrey, British Columbia.

South Korea President Yoon Defends Martial Law Decree in Defiant Speech

Watching President Yoon Suk Yeol’s address at a railway station in Seoul on Thursday.

Syria’s New Leaders Balance Huge Struggles Amid Disorder

A former detainee of the notorious Sednaya prison being treated at a hospital after being freed by rebels.

In Aleppo, Jubilant Syrians Return to a Ravaged City and Toppled Monuments

Young men, some of them rebel fighters, climbing on a giant statue that previously depicted Basil al-Assad, the former president Bashar al-Assad’s late brother, riding a horse on Wednesday in Aleppo, Syria.

Thursday Briefing: The Struggle to Create Order in Syria

A defaced portrait of President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Tuesday.

U.S. Strategy on Syria Risks ISIS Resurgence, Kurdish General Warns

Destroyed trucks loaded with weapons for a Kurdish-led force after a Turkish airstrike near Qamishli, northeastern Syria, on Wednesday.

Biden’s Top Aides Race to Middle East as Militias Wield Power in Syria

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken left for the Middle East on Wednesday, where the main topic of his meetings will be the future governance of Syria.

Russian Navy Ships Have Left Key Syrian Port

Could Cats Become a Vector for Bird Flu?

Scientists worry that if a cat were simultaneously infected with H5N1 and a seasonal flu virus, the H5N1 virus could acquire mutations to spread efficiently among people.

U.K. Bans Puberty Blockers for Teens Indefinitely

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said he had received advice from medical experts that there was an unacceptable risk in prescribing puberty blockers without further research into their impact.

Who Is Mohammed al-Bashir, Syria’s New Prime Minister?

Mohammed al-Bashir during a news conference in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib in November.

Who Set the Stage for al-Assad’s Ouster? There Are Different Answers in the U.S. and Israel.

A defaced portrait of Bashar al-Assad at the Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syria, on Tuesday.

Scholz Calls for Confidence Vote, in Step Toward German Elections

Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany with his cabinet on Wednesday.

Syria After al-Assad’s Overthrow: What’s Happening and What Comes Next

A fighter from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham on Tuesday near an entrance to Bashar al-Assad’s abandoned presidential palace in Damascus.

Explosion in Afghanistan Kills Minister in Highest-Profile Blast Since Taliban’s Return

Khalil Haqqani delivering remarks after Friday Prayer in Kabul in 2021. He was a leading figure in the Taliban’s rise to power in 2021.

How Many People Have Died in Syria’s Civil War?

Relatives look for bodies of loved ones who were taken or disappeared at the Sednaya Prison on Tuesday.

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