7 Dead and Dozens Missing in Russia Building Collapse

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2VkIfxm
via IFTTT A gas leak was thought to be the cause of the early-morning blast that brought down a residential apartment building in central Russia.

At End of a Violent Year, London Police Take No Chances in a Stabbing

By ANNA SCHAVERIEN from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2EZsLsL
via IFTTT After a man was found stabbed in West London, 39 people at a nearby house party were arrested. A surge in knife crime has become a political issue for city and national officials.

Year-End Storm in the Philippines Kills More Than 60

By JASON GUTIERREZ from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2R55gWI
via IFTTT Officials said the storm known as Usman, which struck the region of Bicol on Saturday, had left at least 61 dead, while 18 others were missing.

Romania, Fighting the E.U., Prepares to Lead It

By KIT GILLET from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2ESPbvT
via IFTTT The government has turned to Euroskeptic rhetoric to defend its stance on anticorruption legislation, even as it is scheduled to take its turn in the presidency of the bloc as Brexit looms.

New Year’s Eve Around the World: Countdown to 2019, in Photos

By THE NEW YORK TIMES from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2EZQIkz
via IFTTT Images of festivities celebrating the transition to the new year.

C.I.A.’s Afghan Forces Leave a Trail of Abuse and Anger

By MUJIB MASHAL from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2EZjOjT
via IFTTT The fighters hold the line in the war’s toughest spots, but officials say their brutal tactics are terrorizing the public and undermining the U.S. mission.

American Is Arrested in Moscow on Spying Charges

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2CIEbzD
via IFTTT Russia’s Federal Security Service said that a man identified as Paul Whelan was caught “during an act of espionage,” but it gave no details.

New Year’s Fete From Russia Irks Some in Israel: ‘It’s Not a Jewish Holiday’

By ISABEL KERSHNER from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2TmnXll
via IFTTT Novy God, the Russian New Year, has become a way to gauge Israeli acceptance of more than one million Russian-speaking immigrants, many of whom feel they constantly have to prove their Jewishness.

Philippine President Says He Sexually Abused Housemaid as a Teenager

By JASON GUTIERREZ from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2AqsfRv
via IFTTT A spokesman for President Rodgrigo Duterte said later that the remarks were intended as a joke to expose the hypocrisy of the Roman Catholic Church.

‘Exhibit A’: How McKinsey Got Entangled in a Bribery Case

By WALT BOGDANICH and MICHAEL FORSYTHE from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2GMPX00
via IFTTT The consultancy’s report became key evidence in a battle over the extradition of a powerful Ukrainian oligarch charged in a scheme to help Boeing.

China Thwarts U.S. Effort to Promote American Culture on Campuses

By JANE PERLEZ and LUZ DING from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2BQ7iPK
via IFTTT The Chinese authorities blocked activities of centers run by American universities and financed by the State Department. After 10 years, none are left.

Colombia Investigates a Possible Plot to Assassinate President, Official Says

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2CECNhh
via IFTTT Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes offered few details in a video address Saturday night, but said several Venezuelans had been arrested recently with assault weapons.

Hello. Does Poland Have Vampires? My Date Wants to Know My Blood Type.

By YONETTE JOSEPH from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2Src25t
via IFTTT The British Foreign Office released a list of the oddest phone calls it received this year from Britons abroad.

He Helped Indonesia Through a ‘Year of Disasters,’ While Facing His Own

By RICHARD C. PADDOCK from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2GU6QFQ
via IFTTT Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a government spokesman, has kept the public informed about earthquakes, landslides and tsunamis while being treated for Stage 4 lung cancer.

A Day, a Life: When a Medic Was Killed in Gaza, Was It an Accident?

By DAVID M. HALBFINGER from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2QWdZKp
via IFTTT When an Israeli soldier killed Rouzan al-Najjar, Palestinians called her an innocent martyr and Israel portrayed her as a threat. The truth is more complicated.

Hungary Sheltered a Fugitive Prime Minister. Did It Help Him Escape?

By PATRICK KINGSLEY from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2GYfgfN
via IFTTT After a former Macedonian prime minister jumped bail and ended up in Hungary, the far-right Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, was accused of helping him escape.

Human Rights Advocate Under Fire in Case of Arab Princess Who Claimed Abduction

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2GHHM53
via IFTTT Mary Robinson, a former United Nations human rights commissioner, has been accused of covering for Dubai’s mistreatment of a daughter of the ruling sheikh.

British Design for D-Day Stamp Gets Address Wrong by 8,000 Miles

By PALKO KARASZ from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2Sm7oWA
via IFTTT A commemorative stamp for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings showed American troops on a beach in Asia, instead of Normandy.

Stalin’s Soaring Moscow Towers Sorely Need Body Work

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2Vao4Sy
via IFTTT The massive “Stalin High-Rises,” built to embody the victorious spirit of postwar Russia, still offer some of the best apartments in Moscow, but are now badly decayed.

China to Retry Canadian on Drug Charge Amid Diplomatic Spat

By CHRIS BUCKLEY and DAN BILEFSKY from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2EQtvAx
via IFTTT Robert Lloyd Schellenberg appealed against his jail sentence in a previously obscure case. He now faces a retrial that could impose a death penalty.

Gay Couples Rush to Wed Before Brazil’s New President Takes Office

By SHASTA DARLINGTON from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2Q8QoBe
via IFTTT The incoming president, Jair Bolsonaro, has promised to end same-sex marriage, leading to a surge in the number of gay weddings before his inauguration.

Amazon Sees in Brazil Continent-Size Profits and Problems

By SHASTA DARLINGTON from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2QadpDW
via IFTTT The retail behemoth is laying the groundwork to penetrate Brazil’s huge consumer market, analysts say. Success won’t come easy.

Son of Yemeni Mother Dies Soon After She Won Visa Battle With U.S. to See Him

By CHRISTINA CARON from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2Qc4stu
via IFTTT Shaima Swileh, a Yemeni citizen who lives in Egypt, fought to visit her only child in California, where he was receiving treatment for a brain disease.

Egypt Kills 40 Suspected Militants After Deadly Bombing of Tour Bus

By MOHAMED EZZ from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2Vb07dQ
via IFTTT Security forces raided sites in North Sinai and Giza, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday, a day after a bomb killed three Vietnamese tourists and their Egyptian guide.

Along a Road of Sorrow, a Toddler Lost Her Name, Her Family and Her Life

By MUJIB MASHAL and FAHIM ABED from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2SpBBUz
via IFTTT A roadside bomb wiped out a family in Afghanistan, except for a tiny girl who arrived in a shepherd’s arms at a hospital where no one knew her name. She was called “Angel” as she struggled to survive.

Hungarians Fume as Statue of Former Leader Is Downgraded

By BENJAMIN NOVAK from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2Q5jJwk
via IFTTT Imre Nagy, the communist prime minister executed for rebelling against the Soviet Union, is a hero to many in Hungary — but not to its far-right government.

Chinese Scientist Who Claimed to Make Genetically Edited Babies Is Kept Under Guard

By ELSIE CHEN and PAUL MOZUR from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2RmWfHJ
via IFTTT He Jiankui, who was last seen in public in November soon after his stunning announcement, is sequestered in a guesthouse in the city of Shenzhen.

On the Front Line of the Saudi War in Yemen? Child Soldiers from Darfur

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2CDLloU
via IFTTT Led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudis have used their oil wealth to outsource the war, primarily by hiring desperate survivors of Sudan’s conflict.

Angered at Trump’s Visit, Some Iraqi Lawmakers Want U.S. Troops Out

By FALIH HASSAN and RICK GLADSTONE from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2BM9RT5
via IFTTT A range of Iraqi politicians criticized President Trump over his surprise visit as an affront. The most strident critics were affiliated with Moktada al-Sadr, a nationalist Shiite cleric.

Gatwick Airport Drone: Lots of Second-Guessing, but Not Many Answers

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2GFmV23
via IFTTT After the London airport was closed for almost 36 hours last week, officials are calling for new investigators, critiquing government readiness and suggesting new solutions.

As Congo Election Nears, Rioters Storm an Ebola Center and Unrest Grows

By KIMIKO de FREYTAS-TAMURA from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2GIJ2om
via IFTTT Delays of long-anticipated elections to replace President Joseph Kabila are adding to insecurity in a region plagued by an Ebola outbreak and militia violence.

Bomb in Egypt Strikes Bus Full of Vietnamese Tourists, Killing 3

By MOHAMED EZZ from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2EQ2Off
via IFTTT Eleven people were injured and two Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian tour guide were killed when a bomb blast hit their bus near the famous pyramids of Giza.

‘That’s Shiny’: How a U.K. Plane Spotter Cracked the Secret of Trump’s Iraq Visit

By ANNA SCHAVERIEN from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2TfaHP4
via IFTTT An aviation enthusiast saw something shiny out of his kitchen window. Public data, and a community of online sleuths, did the rest.

Syria’s Kurds, Feeling Betrayed by the U.S., Ask Assad Government for Protection

By BEN HUBBARD from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2ETuiBr
via IFTTT The call was the first sign of shifting political alliances in Syria’s east since President Trump announced the withdrawal of American troops.

Saudi Strikes, American Bombs, Yemeni Suffering

By DEREK WATKINS and DECLAN WALSH from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2ERJeiD
via IFTTT How Saudi Arabia’s war tactics have fueled Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.

For Italy’s Populists, Everything Is a Nationalist Cause. Even Leonardo.

By JASON HOROWITZ from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2V9EfQh
via IFTTT The hard-right government has accused the French of disrespect and of trying to culturally appropriate the artist in a dispute over loaning his works.

Suicide Bombing Kills Pakistani Insurgent Wanted for Attack on Chinese

By TAIMOOR SHAH, MUJIB MASHAL and ZIA ur-REHMAN from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2RjlF8V
via IFTTT Aslam Baluch, who officials say masterminded last month’s attack on a Chinese consulate in Pakistan, was targeted in Afghanistan.

5 Takeaways From Facebook’s Leaked Moderation Documents

By AODHAN BEIRNE from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2s0AJKE
via IFTTT The New York Times obtained more than a thousand pages of internal guidelines. They shed light on how Facebook decides what should be kept off the platform.

Germany’s Far-Right Rebrands: Friendlier Face, Same Doctrine

By KATRIN BENNHOLD from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2Aks8aa
via IFTTT A far-right youth movement is part of a growing network of actors giving extremism a friendly face — and worrying intelligence officials.

Pakistani Party Blames Security Establishment for Killing of Former Lawmaker

By SALMAN MASOOD from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2ETPc3o
via IFTTT The political party M.Q.M., which has controlled the politics of the city of Karachi for decades, said one of its former lawmakers, Syed Ali Raza Abidi, was assassinated.

Saudi King Shakes Up Cabinet, Keeping Power in Son’s Hands

By BEN HUBBARD from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2RinhQn
via IFTTT Allies of the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, were among those promoted, despite the war in Yemen and the death of the dissident columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Germany Considers Recruiting Foreign Nationals for Military

By CHRISTOPHER F. SCHUETZE from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2BGYxYk
via IFTTT Seven years after ending conscription, Germany is concerned about being able to fill its ranks, especially for highly specialized jobs.

India Struggles to Save 15 Trapped Coal Miners

By HARI KUMAR from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2ENagrA
via IFTTT The workers have been trapped for two weeks, their chances of survival increasingly slim, local officials in the northeastern state of Meghalaya say.

Being There: Our Favorite Dispatches From Every Corner of the World

By BRYANT ROUSSEAU from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2ETwpFB
via IFTTT We reported this year from over 100 countries, and in a new feature, the Dispatch, we invited you to come along for a bumpy, exhilarating, emotionally wrenching ride.

Fake Islands Bring a Dutch Lake Back to Life

By DAVID SHIMER from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2VdD3uX
via IFTTT More than 40 years after the Netherlands caused an environmental calamity, an ambitious if costly solution is showing signs of enormous promise.

Inside Facebook’s Secret Rulebook for Global Political Speech

By MAX FISHER from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2T9lv1a
via IFTTT Under fire for stirring up distrust and violence, the social network has vowed to police its users. But leaked documents raise serious questions about its approach.

Frenchman, 71, Aims to Cross the Atlantic in a Giant Barrel

By PALKO KARASZ from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2Q5To17
via IFTTT Jean-Jacques Savin set off from the Canary Islands this week for the Caribbean, propelled only by currents and winds, in an orange capsule he built himself.

Syria Faces Brittle Future, Dominated by Russia and Iran

By VIVIAN YEE from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2LCdpvs
via IFTTT With or without an American pullout, Syria is now a Balkanized version of what existed before it plunged into a calamitous civil war in 2011.

Iran’s Economic Crisis Drags Down the Middle Class Almost Overnight

By THOMAS ERDBRINK from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2VdJmyD
via IFTTT Between inflation and a currency collapse, lives have been turned upside down, seemingly overnight. Many blame the government — and President Trump.

Thailand to Allow Medical Marijuana, a First in Southeast Asia

By RICHARD C. PADDOCK from NYT World https://nyti.ms/2Sl3RaR
via IFTTT Lawmakers unanimously approved legislation that would allow the use of cannabis under medical supervision. The penalty for recreational use would remain in place.