American soldiers deploy to Eastern Europe at Fort Bragg, N.C., Feb. 14, 2022. The 2,000 paratroopers heading to the Middle East may give President Donald Trump more leverage in negotiations, but they also leave him with the option of doubling down on military force. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times) By DAVID E. SANGER Nearly a month into the war, the United States and Iran struggled to find a way to begin negotiations over peace terms Wednesday, with each insisting it had t

Cuba is facing what may be its worst electricity crisis since Fidel Castro’s revolutionaries swept to power 67 years ago. By PABLO ROBLES, SIMON ROMERO and TIM WALLACE Cuba is facing what may be its worst electricity crisis since Fidel Castro’s revolutionaries swept to power 67 years ago. Following weeks of frequent blackouts, the national grid experienced a “complete disconnection” last week, according to the energy ministry. Blackouts are getting worse, and on some days the

By LUIS FERRÉ-SADURNÍ and FEDERICO RÍOS A Colombian military aircraft transporting 128 troops and crew members crashed shortly after taking off from southern Colombia on Monday morning, killing 66 people and injuring dozens of others, Colombian military officials said at a briefing. The dead included 58 members of the military, six members of the air force and two police officers, according to defense ministry officials. Four people were still unaccounted for. The devastating

People shop at the Tajrish Bazaar on the fourth day of Nowruz holidays in Tehran, Iran, on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times) By GABBY SOBELMAN, YEGANEH TORBATI, NATAN ODENHEIMER and ERICA L. GREEN President Donald Trump, speaking on a day in which Iran sent waves of missiles across the Middle East, said Tuesday that negotiations to end the war were still taking place and that the Iranians would like “to make a deal.” Iran has maintained publicly th

Sandro Castro, 33, a grandson of Fidel Castro, the leader of Cuba’s Communist revolution, has some 152,000 followers on Instagram. (Reddit via r/cuba Rguezlp2031) By MARIA ABI-HABIB and EMILIANO RODRÍGUEZ MEGA The Castro family has controlled Cuba tightly for nearly 70 years, their personal lives shrouded in secrecy. But now one of them is an influencer on Instagram. Sandro Castro, 33, is a grandson of Fidel Castro, the leader of Cuba’s Communist revolution. With some 152,000

By GREG JAFFE and ERIC SCHMITT Senior military officials are weighing a possible deployment of a combat brigade from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and some elements of the division’s headquarters staff to support U.S. military operations in Iran, defense officials said. The officials described the military’s actions as prudent planning, noting that nothing had been ordered by the Pentagon or U.S. Central Command, which declined to comment. The officials spoke on the condi

Emergency workers at a residential building that was the site of an airstrike in Tehran, on Monday, March 23, 2026. President Trump said Monday that the United States and Iran were negotiating a “total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” and that he would postpone any American attacks on Iranian power plants by five days. (Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times) By AARON BOXERMAN, DAVID E. SANGER, JULIAN E. BARNES and RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA Iran denied President Donald

President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on Thursday, March 19, 2026. Some people criticized Trump’s decision to invoke a painful chapter of history. Others worried it might harm U.S.-Japan relations. (Doug Mills/The New York Times) By JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZ and HISAKO UENO President Donald Trump’s meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House was the talk of Japan l

The ancient city walls of Diyarbakir, in southeastern Turkey, ahead of the Kurdish Newroz holiday, a celebration of the start of spring, March 20, 2026. The ancient holiday comes at a critical time this year for the Kurdish ethnic minority in Turkey, as they push for peace while their brethren in Syria and Iran fear further conflict. (Rena Effendi/The New York Times) By BEN HUBBARD and SAFAK TIMUR Flames from a giant bonfire rose toward the sky. The ground rumbled underfoot a

A woman walks in front of a new billboard at Valiasr Square in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 22, 2026. President Donald Trump said that he would “obliterate” Iran’s electricity plants if it did not open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Iran dismissed the ultimatum as its missiles hit southern Israel, including near the country’s main nuclear research center. (Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times) By AARON BOXERMAN and PRANAV BASKAR Fresh threats between Iran and the United S