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European Union leaders on Thursday chose three senior politicians to lead the bloc’s institutions for the next five years, signaling commitment to Ukraine and the need for stability amid electoral upheaval in Europe and, potentially, the United States.At a summit in Brussels, the heads of government of the 27 EU members agreed to nominate Ursula von der Leyen, a German conservative, for a second term as head of the powerful European Commission, the Union's executive body.António Costa, a socialist and until recently prime minister of Portugal, was chosen as president of the European Council, which includes those 27 heads of government, balancing Ms. von der Leyen's political and geographical background.And Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, a hawk on Russia, was the official chos...

Many travelers from the United States lost a crucial tool for checking maps, making reservations, using ride-hailing apps and more because of a cellular data outage that began affecting AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon users on Wednesday.Affected travellers, mostly in Europe, posted on social media, seeking answers about what caused the disruption and how long it would last. Some reported being unable to make phone calls, send messages or use online services without Wi-Fi for as long as 24 hours. It was unclear what caused the outage, which appeared to stretch from Britain to Türkiye.An AT&T spokesperson said the carrier's network is operating normally, but that some customers traveling internationally may experience service interruptions due to an issue outside the AT&T network. The comp...

Israel and Egypt agreed to allow at least 19 sick children, most of them cancer patients, to leave Gaza for medical treatment on Thursday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said, in the first major evacuation of critically ill Gazans since the Rafah border crossing was closed in early May.The Israeli military said the operation was conducted in coordination with the United States, Egypt and the international community. In total, 68 people, including sick and injured patients and their companions, were allowed to leave, the army said.More than 10,000 sick and injured people in Gaza require urgent care that is available only outside the enclave, the World Health Organization said this week. These include those injured in airstrikes, as well as cancer patients, children with life-threatenin...

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that members of the wealthy Sackler family cannot be protected from lawsuits over their role in the opioid crisis as part of a bankruptcy settlement that would net billions of dollars to victims and their families.In a 5-4 decision, written by Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, the majority of justices found that the federal bankruptcy code does not authorize a third-party liability shield in bankruptcy settlements. Justice Gorsuch was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.In a strongly worded dissent, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh wrote that “the decision is wrong as a matter of law and is devastating for more than 100,000 opioid victims and their families.” He was joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts...

Margot Friedländer, a 102-year-old Holocaust survivor whose family was murdered at Auschwitz, would seem an unlikely, if not radical, choice to take on a fashion gloss that routinely features attractive models and celebrities. But the weathered, white-haired Ms. Friedländer is Vogue Germany's latest cover star, a distinction she seems to wear as casually as the tailored coat she dons in the magazine's July/August issue.One of the world's oldest and perhaps best-known Holocaust survivors, Ms. Friedländer is no stranger to fame. She has met world leaders such as Angela Merkel, the former Chancellor of Germany, and had contact with prominent figures such as Helen Mirren.Ms. Friedländer (née Bendheim), who lives in Berlin, is a staunch advocate of Holocaust remembrance. She has ...

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Throughout the Iranian presidential campaign, in debates, demonstrations and speeches, a singular presence hovered: Donald J. Trump.To hear the six candidates tell it, the former president's victory in the race for the White House in 2024 is a foregone conclusion. The pressing question facing Iranian voters as they go to the polls on Friday, they say, is who is best suited to deal with him.They almost never mention President Biden and they never mention the numerous polls that suggest the US election will be extremely close. Instead, Trump's name is invoked again and again.“Wait and see what will happen when Trump comes,” one candidate, the cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi, said during a recent televised debate. “We need to prepare for negotiations.” Another candidate, Alireza Zaka...

The Supreme Court appears poised to temporarily allow emergency abortions in Idaho when a woman's health is at risk, according to a copy of what appeared to be the opinion that appeared briefly Wednesday on the court's website.The unsigned opinion dismissed the case on procedural grounds, saying the court would not, for now, address the merits of the dispute, according to the 22-page document, published by Bloomberg News. Such a decision would reinstate a lower federal court ruling that had suspended Idaho's near-total abortion ban and said the state's hospitals could perform emergency abortions if necessary to protect the mother's health.The case centers on whether a federal law requiring emergency care for any patient trumps Idaho's strict abortion ban, which bar...

When Emperor Naruhito of Japan visits Kew Gardens on Thursday as part of a state visit to Britain, the ties between its island nation and the famous London landmark will be on full display.Scattered throughout the botanical garden's 330 acres are constant reminders of that long-standing relationship. In a large greenhouse, bronze sculptures of bonsai trees, some nearly as tall as the room, pay homage to the Japanese horticultural art form. Just a few steps away is the Japanese Gateway, an intricately carved cypress replica of a Kyoto temple. Nearby, neatly raked gravel in waves and swirls surrounded by Japanese plant species evokes a traditional tea garden.Dignitaries and heads of state from many countries regularly stop at Kew Gardens on official tours, joining the crowds that num...

The Supreme Court handed the Biden administration a major practical victory Wednesday, rejecting a Republican challenge that sought to block the government from reaching out to social media platforms to combat what it said was misinformation.The court ruled that the states and users who had challenged those interactions had not suffered the kind of direct harm that gave them the right to sue.The decision, by a vote of 6 to 3, left for another day fundamental questions about what limits the First Amendment places on the government's power to influence technology companies that are the primary gatekeepers of information in the Internet age .The case arose from a flurry of communications from administration officials urging the platforms to remove posts on topics such as the coronavirus v...