By RAJA ABDULRAHIM A court in Syria sentenced Bashar Assad, the country’s ousted president, and several other former government officials to death in absentia Tuesday after convicting them of committing murder, torture and crimes against humanity during the nearly 14-year civil war. The verdicts marked the end of the first trial related to the war held in Syria since Assad was overthrown in December 2024, and they were met with celebrations inside and outside the courthouse i

By GENEVIEVE GLATSKY and JULIE TURKEWITZ Desperate searches for survivors of a deadly Colombian earthquake continued throughout the night Monday and into Tuesday, with firefighters and other emergency workers using pickaxes and other tools to hack through the rubble in affected cities. The death toll had risen to at least 181 people by Tuesday morning, according to Asocapitales, an association of Colombian cities. At least 1,310 people were injured and 153 buildings have coll

A group of volunteers called “trenzando sonrisas,” or “braiding smiles,” braids the hair of young girls at a temporary shelter in La Guaira, Venezuela, July 14, 2026. More than a month after the earthquakes, the coastal region of La Guaira — once Venezuela’s main gateway — is completely unrecognizable. (Fabiola Ferrero/The New York Times) By EMMA BUBOLA There was a billboard on the seaside road along Venezuela’s northern coast with a gigantic photograph of a smiling Nicolás M

The heavily damaged Iranian space research center, one of the sites struck during the war, in Tehran on July 6, 2026. Iran said Monday that any deal with Oman on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz would not lead to the waterway being fully reopened and that the route would remain closed until the United States agreed to demands including lifting a naval blockade. (Emile Ducke/The New York Times) By AURELIEN BREEDEN Iran said Monday that any deal with Oman on shipping in the Str

By GENEVIEVE GLATSKY and JULIE TURKEWITZ A powerful earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, rattling much of the country, killing more than 100 people and sending residents fleeing from swaying and crumbling buildings in multiple major cities. As rescuers searched the rubble of damaged buildings and officials warned of possible aftershocks, the death toll appeared likely to rise. The 7.4 magnitude earthquake occurred at 7:34 a.m. local time, according to the U.S

Senator Iván Cepeda in Bogota, Colombia’s capital, on May 28, 2026, during his unsuccessful campaign for the presidency. The country’s new Trump-endorsed president, Abelardo De La Espriella, takes office on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. (Nathalia Angarita/The New York Times) By ANNIE CORREAL and ERIC SCHMITT Colombia’s new president campaigned on promises to crush his country’s powerful drug traffickers with the help of the United States. He took office Friday, but his plans to partn

Iran’s demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as laid out in a statement Saturday, are largely what President Donald Trump had already agreed to do in the memorandum of understanding that was signed June 17 and quickly fell apart. But Iran sees control over the strait as its best chance of getting Trump to deliver on those promises — and is not willing to give it up just yet. (Pete Marovich/The New York Times) By STEVEN ERLANGER Iran’s demands for reopening the Strait of

Palestinians attend the funeral of 112 members of the Hassayna and Abu Sharia clan, who were killed in an Israeli strike in 2023 and whose remains were recovered from beneath the rubble, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense, in Gaza City, Aug. 4, 2026. Soon after President Trump announced a new plan last week to deliver peace and security in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave instead experienced a spike in deadly Israeli bombings, which threatened to undermine hopes for long-awaited

An area of Havana on July 10, 2019. The CIA has secretly established a Cuba task force, setting in motion plans for a more concerted campaign to pressure the Cuban government to make the economic, political and leadership changes demanded by President Trump, according to people briefed on the action. (Todd Heisler/The New York Times) By ADAM ENTOUS The CIA has secretly established a Cuba task force, setting in motion plans for a more concerted campaign to pressure the Cuban g

People protest the government’s response to the ferry sinking during a memorial for the victims in Georgetown, Guyana, on July 22, 2026. The capsizing of the ferry was Guyana’s deadliest event since Jonestown in 1978. ( César Rodríguez/The New York Times) By SIMON ROMERO The sinking of a state-run ferry, which killed an estimated 100 people last month, is deepening political fault lines in Guyana, an oil-rich country and a top U.S. ally in South America. The tragedy was Guyan