Alexei Navalny’s Last Laugh
Something I’ve seen in Putin’s most effective opponents: Even if it costs them their life, they defy him with humor.
Is Venezuela ‘Fixed’?
A rapper, a true-crime story, and the politics of distraction
Photos of the Week: Surf Torch, Lion Dance, Pancake Race
An ancient town-wide football match in England, sumo wrestling for youngsters in Japan, the Super Bowl halftime show in Las Vegas, a destructive wildfire in New Zealand, and much more
How to Defeat a Mafia State
An unlikely coalition of urban professionals and Indigenous people has pulled off something extraordinary in Guatemala.
Photos of Carnival 2024 Around the World
Images of many of this year’s varied Carnival parades and celebrations
Hezbollah Goes to the Theater
The Lebanese militant movement put on a play to stir the faithful. Watching it made me wonder about the real-life dramas that don’t make it to the stage.
Superb Owl Sunday VIII
A special Sunday event: a photographic essay celebrating the magnificent birds of prey. These nocturnal hunters hail from Europe, Asia, North America, and South America, and are depicted here in photos from recent years.
Godzilla Minus the United States
This year’s monster movie speaks to Japanese anxieties about American abandonment.
Ukraine’s Military Shake-Up Will Come at a Cost
Zelensky had every right to fire his top general, but the politics could get ugly.
Hong Kong Is Self-Destructing
The city’s lawmakers won’t try to solve its problems. They’re too busy mimicking Beijing.
Photos of the Week: Ferret Racing, Ice Castles, Sauna Marathon
Scenes from the World Aquatics Championships in Qatar, new lava flows in southwestern Iceland, a freestyle-skiing competition in Utah, a Carnival gala on Tenerife, and much more
Blinken’s Make-or-Break Tour of the Middle East
Whether Washington can de-escalate tensions will determine the future of its regional authority.
People’s Choice: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Winning and honored images from this year’s nature-photography competition
Deadly Wildfires Rage Through Central Chile
Images from Chile, where recent wildfires have killed more than 100 people and destroyed hundreds of homes
How to Win an Argument but Lose the Plot
Harvard’s Claudine Gay was right that context matters for campus anti-Semitism. It does at the International Court of Justice too.
What Has Happened to the Rule of Law in India?
A once-feisty supreme court has gone supine under Narendra Modi.
Iran Is Not a ‘Normal’ Country
The Islamic Republic shouted its hatred of the West from the rooftops for decades. Many Westerners opted not to hear.
Photos of the Week: Wrapped Shuttle, Pearl Farm, Masquerade Games
The world’s largest cruise ship setting sail from Miami, dolphins fleeing orcas near San Diego, widespread farmer protests in Europe, a Republic Day parade in India, and much more
Iran’s Proxies Are Out of Control
By tying Iran’s fate to an unruly Axis, Khamenei has endangered his country and put it at serious risk of war.
New Galactic Images From the James Webb Space Telescope
A dozen combination views of spiral galaxies captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope