By Bryant Rousseau from NYT World https://ift.tt/HoyCqNf
via IFTTT Our correspondents ventured to some of the world’s most remote, and dangerous, locales to report stories that reveal a country’s culture and the human condition. Here are our favorites from the year.

By Jack Nicas from NYT World https://ift.tt/TykFbfu
via IFTTT In Chile’s oldest and most overcrowded prison, the inmates have found solace in the hundreds of stray cats.

By Marc Santora from NYT World https://ift.tt/Y35alio
via IFTTT As conventional forces struggle to break through defensive lines, both sides are increasingly turning to guerrilla tactics.

By Vivek Shankar from NYT World https://ift.tt/WELeiVm
via IFTTT Iranian-backed Houthi gunmen from Yemen had fired on American helicopters responding to an attack on a commercial ship, U.S. Central Command reported.

By Lara Jakes from NYT World https://ift.tt/b4JD5I2
via IFTTT The conflict and surging arms production in Russia have spurred demand for ammunition manufacturing across Europe.

By Constant Méheut and Ivan Nechepurenko from NYT World https://ift.tt/4vEampo
via IFTTT The bombardment of Belgorod on Saturday, apparently in response to an enormous air assault by Moscow a day earlier, appeared to be the deadliest single attack on Russian soil since the start of the war.

By Rory Smith from NYT World https://ift.tt/nFIXQam
via IFTTT A festive pop-up restaurant is the latest crowd-pleasing stunt from Greggs, a mass-market bakery that is riding out Britain’s cost-of-living crisis with gusto.

By Jason Horowitz from NYT World https://ift.tt/0rn5Y9J
via IFTTT Gleefully vulgar, the genre known as “Cinepanettone” once dominated Italy over the holidays. Italian revelers recently flocked to the alpine town where many of the films were set.

By Anjali Singhvi, Bora Erden, Helmuth Rosales, Mika Gröndahl, Rumsey Taylor, Josh Williams and Abu Bakr Bashir from NYT World https://ift.tt/gkAsapc
via IFTTT In this airstrike, Israel was targeting a senior Hamas leader. Dozens of people in a residential neighborhood were killed in the attack.

By Constant Méheut and Daria Mitiuk from NYT World https://ift.tt/5YKI8Ww
via IFTTT The missile and drone attacks killed at least 30 people and damaged critical industrial and military infrastructure, part of a wintertime campaign that Ukraine had been dreading.

By Bhadra Sharma and John Yoon from NYT World https://ift.tt/FB1w4uJ
via IFTTT One pilot changed the propeller angle instead of that of the wing flaps while trying to land a Yeti Airlines plane in January, a report said.

By Claire Moses from NYT World https://ift.tt/UHXoxmc
via IFTTT The Dutch chess player, who received an official warning, said she did not intend to violate the dress code when she wore her canvas Burberry sneakers at a chess championship in Uzbekistan.

By John Yoon from NYT World https://ift.tt/V7bAiMu
via IFTTT The actor, Lee Sun-kyun, had been questioned on suspicion of drug use in a country that has long drawn a hard line against anything other than total abstinence.

By Jeffrey Gettleman, Anat Schwartz, Adam Sella and Avishag Shaar-Yashuv from NYT World https://ift.tt/dLq4hfK
via IFTTT A Times investigation uncovered new details showing a pattern of rape, mutilation and extreme brutality against women in the attacks on Israel.

By Vjosa Isai from NYT World https://ift.tt/9XKF0Gf
via IFTTT The country is divided over a law that would allow patients suffering from mental health illnesses to apply for assisted death.

By John Yoon from NYT World https://ift.tt/zgb7yoT
via IFTTT Mr. Lee, a familiar face on Korean television and movie screens, rose to international fame after starring in the Oscar-winning film.

By Carlotta Gall, Oleksandr Chubko, Cora Engelbrecht and Daniel Berehulak from NYT World https://ift.tt/1eOydX5
via IFTTT Thousands of young Ukrainians were separated from their parents by the Russian authorities in the early stages of the war. They are among the most forlorn victims of the invasion.

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Marian Carrasquero from NYT World https://ift.tt/z3AKBnS
via IFTTT A northern community in Mexico City cannot give up on the famous 1960s hippie-favorite Volkswagen.

By Remy Tumin from NYT World https://ift.tt/SJ029yZ
via IFTTT Svalbard, an island in the Arctic, has about one of everything, including a social media influencer with millions of followers.

By Ivan Nechepurenko from NYT World https://ift.tt/2OFbBXi
via IFTTT The comments from the Russian opposition leader were written with a heavy dose of humor, and seemed intended to assuage concerns among allies after his three-week disappearance.

By Andrew E. Kramer from NYT World https://ift.tt/LOezYVs
via IFTTT The Ukrainian Orthodox Church formally changed the main date for the festivities, departing from the Russian tradition of celebrating on Jan. 7, according to the Julian calendar.

By Vivian Nereim from NYT World https://ift.tt/mUPWpMx
via IFTTT Riyadh is seeking to avoid getting dragged back into a bloody clash with the Yemeni militia, which has sowed chaos by attacking shipping and firing missiles at Israel.

By Constant Méheut from NYT World https://ift.tt/epvfXtg
via IFTTT The Ukrainian success, possibly owed to Western-supplied Patriot missiles, was offset by Russia’s statement that it now controlled Marinka.

By Vivian Yee, Ameera Harouda, Nadav Gavrielov and Abu Bakr Bashir from NYT World https://ift.tt/E1hozWG
via IFTTT The Gazan Health Ministry blamed Israeli airstrikes for the deaths, and Israel’s military said it was reviewing the episode.

By Ivan Nechepurenko and Anton Troianovski from NYT World https://ift.tt/EQs04l2
via IFTTT Supporters of the Russian opposition leader lost contact with him 20 days ago, fueling concern about his health and whereabouts.

By Isabel Kershner and Hiba Yazbek from NYT World https://ift.tt/d4cT6aF
via IFTTT Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said 15 Israeli soldiers had been killed since Friday, but vowed to keep fighting.

By Marc Santora from NYT World https://ift.tt/ODCuKiT
via IFTTT How a Ukrainian soldier escaped from the embattled Azovstal steel complex in Mariupol and sneaked 125 miles to Ukrainian territory.

By Norimitsu Onishi and Nasuna Stuart-Ulin from NYT World https://ift.tt/TCIB6UR
via IFTTT The country’s public colleges and universities increasingly rely on international students, especially from India, even as tensions between the two nations have flared.

By Constant Méheut from NYT World https://ift.tt/KUMisgp
via IFTTT The Ukrainian authorities said they had uncovered a scheme for the purchase of artillery shells at inflated prices, amid a wider effort to tackle wartime corruption.

By Anton Troianovski, Adam Entous and Julian E. Barnes from NYT World https://ift.tt/AGeiMRj
via IFTTT Despite its bravado in public, the Kremlin has indicated its interest in striking a deal to halt the war — so long as it could still declare victory.

By Patrick Kingsley, Aaron Boxerman, Natan Odenheimer, Ronen Bergman and Marco Hernandez from NYT World https://ift.tt/Ff8s3bR
via IFTTT No Israeli town suffered more bloodshed than Be’eri in the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7.

By Liam Stack from NYT World https://ift.tt/lWjf8Uo
via IFTTT Gadi Haggai, 73, was fatally shot in the Oct. 7 attack, a hostage family group says. His wife was also shot and taken captive.

By Andrew Higgins and Jenny Gross from NYT World https://ift.tt/Q6UO5B8
via IFTTT After a student killed 14 people at a premier university, questions swirled. Did the Czech Republic’s permissive attitude toward gun ownership play a role?

By Jason Horowitz from NYT World https://ift.tt/S0DlXWQ
via IFTTT Pope Francis spoke with L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics and their supporters for years before letting priests bless same-sex couples. But the move’s timing also owed something to its conservative opponents.

By Livia Albeck-Ripka from NYT World https://ift.tt/ym71ZRI
via IFTTT A jury found that a boy and a girl, both now 16, murdered Brianna Ghey, 16, who was stabbed 28 times at a park near Manchester in February.

By Natalie Kitroeff and Emiliano Rodríguez Mega from NYT World https://ift.tt/dI0TSA3
via IFTTT The latest killings have left dozens of Mexicans dead and few held accountable despite insecurity being the public’s top priority going into next year’s presidential election.

By Andrew Higgins and Jenny Gross from NYT World https://ift.tt/yGQCMZD
via IFTTT The police said the suspect, who also died, first shot his father in a town outside Prague and then continued his rampage at the university.

By Matina Stevis-Gridneff from NYT World https://ift.tt/uH1SWZM
via IFTTT The agreement was aimed at allaying pressures from the far right amid rising anti-migrant sentiment in Europe and beyond.

By Egill Bjarnason and Jenny Gross from NYT World https://ift.tt/zsw4rAI
via IFTTT Icelanders had been girding for an eruption. When it happened, they wanted to see it.

By Unknown Author from NYT World https://ift.tt/ucHa856
via IFTTT Photographers captured historic moments of war, grief and wonder that defined the year.

By Sheera Frenkel from NYT World https://ift.tt/fadxlnb
via IFTTT Disenchanted by the prospect for peace after a devastating terrorist attack, Israelis are becoming more conservative in their politics.

By Vivian Nereim from NYT World https://ift.tt/oWx7hM2
via IFTTT Across the Middle East, people have hailed the Houthis as one of the few regional forces willing to challenge Israel with more than harsh words.

By Vivian Wang and Joy Dong from NYT World https://ift.tt/OZkoN54
via IFTTT The 5.9-magnitude quake, which injured hundreds, struck Gansu Province around midnight. Survivors huddled in the freezing cold, setting fires to keep warm.

By Egill Bjarnason and Claire Moses from NYT World https://ift.tt/X7cl2oK
via IFTTT While Monday’s eruption was not unexpected, it was larger than volcanologists had been predicting and took place not far from an evacuated town and a power plant.

By Jason Horowitz from NYT World https://ift.tt/tYykW7x
via IFTTT A church official said the blessings amounted to “a real development” that nevertheless did not amend “the traditional doctrine of the church about marriage.”

By Declan Walsh and Arlette Bashizi from NYT World https://ift.tt/CDobVxR
via IFTTT Six million have died, and more than six million are displaced after decades of fighting and the ensuing humanitarian crisis in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, drawing in neighbors, mercenaries and militias. An upcoming election is inflaming tempers.

By Isabelle Qian and Pablo Robles from NYT World https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/17/world/asia/myanmar-cyber-scam.html?partner=IFTTT
via IFTTT A man was abducted by a Chinese gang and forced to work in a scam operation. He gathered financial information, photos and videos and shared the material with The New York Times.

By Paul Sonne, Rebecca R. Ruiz and Nico Chilla from NYT World https://ift.tt/p6aMrhH
via IFTTT If companies want to leave Russia, the president is setting the terms — in ways that benefit his government, his elites and his war.

By Aaron Boxerman and Ronen Bergman from NYT World https://ift.tt/gIVO1Si
via IFTTT

By Alan Cowell from NYT World https://ift.tt/N8bPlUo
via IFTTT He was defense minister when Iraq invaded his tiny but oil-rich country, and he became ruler in his 80s.