Beyond Borders

Delving into International Top Stories, Headlines, and Features

Iran War Live Updates: U.S. and Iran Exchange Fire, Testing Truce

German Leaders Clash With Spy Chiefs Over Domestic Threat From Iran

Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany and Alexander Dobrindt, the country’s interior minister, at a meeting in Berlin last week. They have cast Iranian threats linked to the war as largely hypothetical.

Starmer Braces for Local Election Losses Amid New Era of UK Politics

A mural showing Aneurin Bevan, the Labour Party hero who helped create the U.K.’s National Health Service, in Tredegar, Wales.

In Hungary, Voters Exposed the Limits of China’s Ties to Orban

The Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd, or CATL, battery plant in Debrecen, Hungary, last week. Opposition to the plant soured local voters on Prime Minister Viktor Orban in elections in April.

Israel Says It Killed a Hezbollah Chief Near Beirut, Testing the Truce

Rescue workers on Thursday at a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs that was destroyed a day earlier by an Israeli strike.

Russia Ramps Up Threats Toward Ukraine Over Victory Day Parade

Russia has enhanced security in Moscow ahead of Saturday’s Victory Day parade.

New NTSB Report Into Deadly China Eastern Crash Suggests Struggle in Cockpit

Emergency workers searching for the black box at the crash site of the China Eastern flight in Teng County, China in 2022.

A Project in Europe Tested Whether Students Could Live Without Smartphones

A teenager using a smartphone in Vienna. Some participants in a phone ban experiment felt more connected to their families and hobbies, while others struggled without the instant digital stimulus.

China Sentences 2 Former Defense Ministers on Bribery Charges

Man Arrested on Suspicion of Carrying Weapon Near Former Prince Andrew’s Home

A man was arrested on “suspicion of a public order offense and possession of an offensive weapon” near Sandringham Estate, the home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Trump Hosts Brazil’s President Lula at White House After Months of Ups and Downs

President Trump with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil during an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meeting last year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Australian Women and Children Linked to ISIS Fighters Return Home

The Al Roj camp in northeast Syria where family members of men suspected of fighting for the Islamic State have been held for years.

Starmer Faces a Major Test in a Set of UK Elections: What to Know

Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain at the launch of the Labour Party’s local election campaign, in Wolverhampton, England, in March.

Art and Politics

As Stockpiles Fall, U.S. Sells More Missiles Worth $17 Billion to Gulf Nations

A Patriot missile launcher in Kuwait City in 2019. The United States is selling Kuwait another $9.3 billion worth of interceptor missiles.

Iran and U.S. Consider One-Page Plan to End Hostilities, Iranian Officials Say

A vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday near Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

Why America Is Removing So Many ‘Deadbeat’ Dams

The Street Dam on the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, Pa.

Hantavirus Response Shows How Trump Cuts Have Compromised U.S. Preparedness

An ambulance crew awaiting an evacuated passenger with a suspected hantavirus infection in Amsterdam on Wednesday. The U.S. government has released very little information about the outbreak on a cruise ship, which has affected several Americans.

German Tourist Wins Lawsuit After Not Getting a Lounge Chair by the Pool

A German court ruled in April that a tour operator that tolerates placing dibs on hotel sun beds is liable for a travel defect and must refund part of the holiday price to any guest left out.

Health Officials Race to Track Hantavirus Cruise Ship Outbreak but Predict ‘Limited’ Spread

An ambulance during an evacuation of suspected hantavirus patients, in Praia, Cape Verde, on Wednesday.

U.S. Awaits Iran’s Response to Latest Peace Proposal to End War

Watercraft Slams Into Gray Whale Near Vancouver, Injuring Driver

U.S. Health Authorities Monitor Hantavirus Cruise Passengers in Georgia, California and Arizona

Three sick people aboard the MV Hondius were evacuated on Wednesday.

Air-Conditioning Is in Short Supply as Asia Swelters

Used air-conditioners for sale at a roadside shop in Manila, Philippines, in April.

The Iran War and Angry Voters

Iran Says It Is Reviewing a U.S. Proposal to End the War

President Trump at a Mother’s Day event at the White House on Wednesday. He said the Iranians “want to make a deal.”

New Study Shows Risks of Amazon Deforestation. And Rewards of Protection.

A timber truck rolled through a deforested section of the Amazon in Pará State, Brazil, in November.

A Hotel in Venezuela’s Capital Has Become the U.S. Embassy’s De Facto Headquarters 

The Marriott’s top floor serves as the de facto headquarters of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.

Iran’s Oil Sector and Economy Are Under Pressure as U.S. Blockade Bites

With the United States blockading Iranian shipping, Iran risks running out of room to store oil in places like Kharg Island.

Macron Calls for U.S. and Iran to Open Strait of Hormuz While They Negotiate

President Emmanuel Macron of France in Armenia on Tuesday. He has shown frustration about the economic costs of the blocked strait.

Here’s the latest.

Ted Turner, Creator of CNN and the 24-Hour News Cycle, Dies at 87

Ted Turner was a visionary media mogul who dominated the cable television industry, and extended his reach into movies, major league baseball and even yachting.

Leo XIV Is the First Pope From the U.S. He’s Making That an Asset.

Pope Leo XIV arriving at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican on Wednesday.

Why Is Gas So Much More Expensive in Some States Than Others?

The national average gas price has soared about 50 percent since the start of the war with Iran.

Hantavirus Patients Land in Amsterdam With More Cruise Ship Evacuations Planned

The MV Hondius off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Wednesday.

Trump’s U-turn and hopes of a deal ease tensions in energy markets.

A driver pumped fuel at a gas station in Gresham, Ore., in April.

In Romania, Living With Weapons of War Spilling Into NATO Territory

Khaled Sabsabi’s Rocky Road From Australia to the Biennale

Khaled Sabsabi at his exhibition at the Australia Pavilion of the Venice Biennale, in April.

World Cup Dynamic Ticket Pricing Drives Argentine Soccer Fans To Extremes

River Plate soccer fans at Estadio Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, at the biggest club game in Argentina against rival Boca Juniors last month.

Argentine Fans Are Struggling to Afford This World Cup

Reclaiming the Name of the Black Hero Who Inspired ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’

The Henson House at the Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History in Dresden, Canada.

In Talks With Iran, China Calls for Opening of Strait of Hormuz

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China in Beijing on Wednesday.

Japan’s Takaichi Pitches Strength and Stability in Visits to Australia and Vietnam

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan arriving in Canberra, Australia, on Sunday.

Trump and Rubio Insist Iran War Is Over, Even as Missiles Fly During Cease-Fire

Despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s declaration that the objectives of the war have been accomplished, they clearly have not.

Hantavirus Outbreaks Are Rare, but They Aren’t Going Away and There’s No Cure

A cruise ship remained stranded off the coast of Cape Verde after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the vessel killed at least three people and left several others ill.

Deadly Russian Strikes Rip Into Ukrainian Cities

The site of a Russian airstrike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Tuesday. The death toll in Zaporizhzhia was one of the highest from a single attack so far this year.

Louise Arbour Named as Canada’s Governor General

Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada with the country’s new governor general, Louise Arbour, in Ottawa on Tuesday.

Trump Says U.S. Pausing Efforts to Guide Ships Through Strait Blocked by Iran

A billboard in Tehran showing the three supreme leaders of Iran last week, only one of whom is alive.

Iran announces a new system for traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

A billboard in Tehran last week, depicting a closed Strait of Hormuz over the mouth of President Trump.

Can Trump Strong-Arm Iran?

A billboard in Tehran on Saturday.

Andrew Tate’s Civil Trial Over Assault Claims Is Postponed in Britain

Andrew Tate speaking to reporters in Bucharest, Romania, in March 2025. The Police in Britain are reinvestigating criminal accusations against him.

Is It Time to Tax the Oil and Gas Industry’s Windfall?

Gas prices in Washington on Friday.

Trump Looks for a Silver Bullet to End the Iran War. There May Be None.

A billboard in Tehran last week, depicting a closed Strait of Hormuz over the mouth of President Trump.

Modi’s Triumph in West Bengal Elections Puts Him Closer to an Opposition-Free India

Supporters of Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party celebrating in Kolkata as the party headed to victory in the West Bengal state assembly elections on Monday.

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