‘A Form of Brainwashing’: China Remakes Hong Kong

By Vivian Wang, Alexandra Stevenson and Lam Yik Fei from NYT World https://ift.tt/3dkpFQz
via IFTTT Neighbors are urged to report on one another. Children are taught to look for traitors. Officials are pressed to pledge their loyalty.

South African Court Orders Arrest of Ex-President Jacob Zuma for Contempt

By John Eligon and Lynsey Chutel from NYT World https://ift.tt/3x0avaS
via IFTTT Mr. Zuma, whose tenure was tainted by financial scandals, was a comrade of Nelson Mandela and a dominant figure for decades in the governing African National Congress party.

Kim Jong-un Lost Weight. No One Knows How or Why.

By Choe Sang-Hun from NYT World https://ift.tt/3A6rN8e
via IFTTT North Koreans say they were “heartbroken” when they saw Kim Jong-un looking “emaciated.” The regime has turned the weight loss into a propaganda victory.

Ethiopian Forces Retreat in Tigray, and Rebels Enter the Capital

By Declan Walsh and Simon Marks from NYT World https://ift.tt/35WAB2u
via IFTTT After months of civil war and government occupation, Tigrayan rebels have pushed a counterattack that quickly brought them to Mekelle’s doorstep. Times journalists are there.

Crossing the Red Line: Behind China’s Takeover of Hong Kong

By Chris Buckley, Vivian Wang and Austin Ramzy from NYT World https://ift.tt/2UbisLG
via IFTTT One year ago, the city’s freedoms were curtailed with breathtaking speed. But the clampdown was years in the making, and many signals were missed.

Pope Sends More Mixed Messages on L.G.B.T.Q. Rights

By Jason Horowitz from NYT World https://ift.tt/3hqzQ7x
via IFTTT An encouraging note from Pope Francis capped an especially disorienting week on the Vatican’s stance toward gay rights.

He Saved 31 People at Sea. Then Got a 142-Year Prison Sentence.

By Niki Kitsantonis from NYT World https://ift.tt/35PR4Wv
via IFTTT Greece is prosecuting migrants on charges of people smuggling, and imposing heavy jail terms. Rights groups say many migrants are being unfairly accused and sentenced.

Sydney, Australia, enters full lockdown for the first time in the pandemic to fight the Delta variant.

By Damien Cave from NYT World https://ift.tt/3dghCUR
via IFTTT A cluster that began with an airport limousine driver has jumped to nearly 100 cases, with dozens more expected over the coming days.

Israel, a world leader in fighting the virus, grapples with a new outbreak.

By Patrick Kingsley from NYT World https://ift.tt/3jbiNIX
via IFTTT Dozens of cases recently emerged at schools in two cities, Modiin and Binyamina, leading to hundreds being quarantined.

In Canada, Another ‘Horrific’ Discovery of Indigenous Children’s Remains

By Ian Austen and Dan Bilefsky from NYT World https://ift.tt/3gTEDz4
via IFTTT An Indigenous group said the remains of as many as 751 people, mainly children, had been found in unmarked graves on the site of a former boarding school in Saskatchewan.

A Joyful Surprise at Japan’s Oldest Zoo: The Birth of Twin Pandas

By Hikari Hida from NYT World https://ift.tt/3zSS9KH
via IFTTT After a four-year hiatus, two 15-year-old giant pandas at last found the mood and added a new draw for one of Tokyo’s biggest tourist attractions.

‘Forbidden Fruit’: Apple Daily, Pro-Democracy Newspaper in Hong Kong, Is Forced to Close

By Austin Ramzy and Tiffany May from NYT World https://ift.tt/3d8gHpg
via IFTTT The police also arrested an editorial writer as part of an expanding national security investigation into the newspaper that has raised concerns about free speech.

I’ve Cracked Zodiac, a French Engineer Says. Online Sleuths Are Skeptical.

By Constant Méheut from NYT World https://ift.tt/3vO9VM6
via IFTTT Fayçal Ziraoui caused an online uproar after saying he had cracked unsolved ciphers attributed to the Zodiac killer in California and identified him, potentially ending a 50-year-old quest.

In the Wake of India’s Covid Crisis, a ‘Black Fungus’ Epidemic Follows

By Emily Schmall from NYT World https://ift.tt/35B0rcv
via IFTTT The deadly disease has sickened former coronavirus patients across the country. Doctors believe that hospitals desperate to keep Covid patients alive made choices that left them vulnerable.

Iranian Hard-Liner Ebrahim Raisi Wins Presidential Vote

By Vivian Yee from NYT World https://ift.tt/35zd1cb
via IFTTT The government announced his victory on Saturday, a day after a vote that many Iranians skipped, viewing it as rigged.

Pope’s Silence Speaks Volumes on Controversial Communion Vote by U.S. Bishops

By Jason Horowitz from NYT World https://ift.tt/3vGV06i
via IFTTT The divergence of the conservative American church from Francis’ agenda is now so obvious as to be unremarkable, even when U.S. bishops ignore a Vatican warning.

The European Union Recommends Opening to Americans to Rescue the Summer

By Monika Pronczuk from NYT World https://ift.tt/35zkhos
via IFTTT The bloc recommended that its 27 member nations lift a ban on nonessential travel from the United States, but each country will decide for itself.

Europe is edging toward a more open summer, with American tourists.

By Monika Pronczuk, Isabella Kwai and Aurelien Breeden from NYT World https://ift.tt/2SBego8
via IFTTT Hopeful that vaccine rollouts will keep case numbers low, officials in some countries have lifted restrictions, and the European Union is expected to recommend removing a ban on travelers from the U.S.

Biden and Putin say the talks went well, but divisions remain on issues like cyberattacks and human rights.

By Anton Troianovski, Oleg Matsnev and Ivan Nechepurenko from NYT World https://ift.tt/3q0BqAB
via IFTTT Mr. Biden and Mr. Putin emerged from their first in-person summit offering broad claims of good will.

North Korea Is Facing a ‘Tense’ Food Shortage

By Choe Sang-Hun from NYT World https://ift.tt/35s6PCw
via IFTTT Kim Jong-un said addressing food insecurity was “a top priority” in the country, where millions died in a famine during the ’90s.

Israeli Aircraft Bomb Gaza Just Days Into New Government

By Patrick Kingsley, Isabel Kershner and Adam Rasgon from NYT World https://ift.tt/3zsl2gx
via IFTTT After a day of rising tensions, which saw a far-right march in Jerusalem and incendiary balloons launched from Gaza, Israel’s new coalition government ordered airstrikes against Hamas.

For Israel’s Netanyahu, the Official Residence Became a Fortress

By Isabel Kershner from NYT World https://ift.tt/3pQKmIO
via IFTTT After a year of protests outside Balfour, the prime minister’s house, Israelis are debating what role they played in Benjamin Netanyahu’s downfall.

Boris Johnson’s ‘Global Britain’ Makes Shaky Start at G7 Summit

By Mark Landler from NYT World https://ift.tt/3gmRV6R
via IFTTT The prime minister’s plan to introduce his vision of a nimble, trade-savvy U.K. was upended by a spat over Northern Ireland.

Vatican Warns U.S. Bishops: Don’t Deny Biden Communion Over Abortion

By Jason Horowitz from NYT World https://ift.tt/3zpBlL3
via IFTTT Conservative American Catholic bishops are pressing for a debate over whether Catholics who support the right to an abortion should be allowed to take Communion.

A Top Virologist in China, at Center of a Pandemic Storm, Speaks Out

By Amy Qin and Chris Buckley from NYT World https://ift.tt/35kRpQE
via IFTTT The virologist, Shi Zhengli, said in a rare interview that speculation about her lab in Wuhan was baseless. But China’s habitual secrecy makes her claims hard to validate.

Tumult Disrupts Israeli Parliament as Netanyahu Era Ends

By Roger Cohen and Adam Rasgon from NYT World https://ift.tt/3gxoQoa
via IFTTT Naftali Bennett, heckled and insulted, replaced Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister by the narrowest of margins.

Bennett is in and Netanyahu is out, all by a single-vote margin.

By Richard Pérez-Peña from NYT World https://ift.tt/3ggHr97
via IFTTT A day of drama in the Knesset, as Netanyahu’s supporters denounce the new prime minister and an ungainly coalition rises to power.

In China’s latest outbreak, doctors say the infected get sicker, faster.

By Keith Bradsher from NYT World https://ift.tt/3grJlTe
via IFTTT Four-fifths of symptomatic cases develop fevers, more than in earlier outbreaks. The findings match trends in other countries where the Delta variant is spreading.

Remember the Trump balloon? Now there’s one for Biden, too.

By Mark Landler from NYT World https://ift.tt/2TmEAmc
via IFTTT Barred from staging large in-person protests at this week’s Group of 7 summit because of pandemic restrictions, activists revived an attention-drawing move.

Kim Jong-un Calls K-Pop a ‘Vicious Cancer’ in the New Culture War

By Choe Sang-Hun from NYT World https://ift.tt/3pFRwQb
via IFTTT South Korean music, movies and dramas are winning the hearts of young North Koreans. Their influence is seen as a threat to Mr. Kim’s grip on society.

When is a jacket not just a jacket? When a first lady uses it to send a message.

By Michael D. Shear from NYT World https://ift.tt/3xbPx8B
via IFTTT Jill Biden’s “Love” jacket drew instant comparisons to Melania Trump’s “I really don’t care, do u?” message, but Dr. Biden said it was just about giving hope amid the pandemic.

China Returns to Its Strict Covid Limits to Fight a New Outbreak

By Keith Bradsher from NYT World https://ift.tt/352pqVB
via IFTTT Foreign businesses worry that tough quarantines and restrictions could persist into next year as Beijing struggles with variants and questions about its vaccines.

How Thousands of Indigenous Children Vanished in Canada

By Ian Austen from NYT World https://ift.tt/3z8HKdK
via IFTTT The discovery of the remains of 215 children at the site of a defunct boarding school in British Columbia has rekindled discussion of a sinister time in Canada’s history.

In Guatemala, Harris Tells Undocumented to Stay Away From U.S. Border

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs from NYT World https://ift.tt/3g2oy9G
via IFTTT In her first foreign trip as vice president, Kamala Harris promoted economic development and anti-corruption efforts, trying to stem the northward flow of migrants.

The Criminals Thought the Devices Were Secure. But the Seller Was the F.B.I.

By Yan Zhuang and Elian Peltier from NYT World https://ift.tt/3gfnDln
via IFTTT Global law enforcement officials revealed a three-year operation in which they said they had intercepted over 20 million messages. Hundreds of arrests were made in more than a dozen countries.

Harry and Meghan Announce Birth of Second Baby, Lilibet Diana

By Mark Landler from NYT World https://ift.tt/3z7VKUL
via IFTTT The name pays tribute to Harry’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, and grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, after a year of estrangement between the couple and the royal family.

Sinkholes, Collapsing Canal Walls, Rickety Bridges: Amsterdam Is Crumbling

By Thomas Erdbrink from NYT World https://ift.tt/3uTnMAh
via IFTTT For the next two decades, the scenic city and tourist magnet is going to look more like one gigantic construction site.

After Lavish Nights of Clubbing in Bangkok, a Covid Outbreak

By Hannah Beech, Muktita Suhartono and Adam Dean from NYT World https://ift.tt/3fTEJ9r
via IFTTT Thailand went for months without a single confirmed case of local transmission, but the epidemic has now radiated from nightclubs to areas where social distancing is all but impossible.

As Vaccines Turn Pandemic’s Tide, U.S. and Europe Diverge on Path Forward

By Benjamin Mueller and Marc Santora from NYT World https://ift.tt/3pp3QEn
via IFTTT The split is particularly stark in Britain, which is facing the spread of a new variant, while America has essentially lifted all rules for people who are vaccinated.

Tasked to Fight Climate Change, a Secretive U.N. Agency Does the Opposite

By Matt Apuzzo and Sarah Hurtes from NYT World https://ift.tt/3g3hj0d
via IFTTT Behind closed doors, shipbuilders and miners can speak on behalf of governments while regulating an industry that pollutes as much as all of America’s coal plants.

A See-Through Pool Opens 10 Stories Above London

By Jenny Gross from NYT World https://ift.tt/3uKTMX2
via IFTTT Even if you don’t have a fear of heights, you probably won’t be able to try it out: The swimming is limited to select residents at a luxury apartment complex in the British capital.

As the U.S. starts a return to normal, some countries have their worst outbreaks yet.

By Julie Turkewitz and Shashank Bengali from NYT World https://ift.tt/3pmLhR1
via IFTTT In parts of South America and Asia, lockdowns have resumed, coronavirus deaths are climbing and vaccinations are proceeding far more slowly than in the West.

Iranian Navy’s Largest Ship Catches Fire and Sinks

By Vivian Yee from NYT World https://ift.tt/2SPJyay
via IFTTT Efforts failed to save the vessel, which was described as a “training ship.” The authorities offered no cause for the blaze.

A man in China is found to have H10N3 bird flu, a reminder of a continued ‘concern for pandemic flu.’

By Vivian Wang from NYT World https://ift.tt/3peMQAE
via IFTTT The World Health Organization said that such an infection was “a vivid reminder that the threat of an influenza pandemic is persistent.”