Blog

Israel strikes IranIsrael struck Iran early this morning, according to two Israeli defense officials, in what appeared to be the country's first military response to the Iranian attack last weekend.Three Iranian officials confirmed that an attack had hit a military air base near the central Iranian city of Isfahan early Friday morning, but they did not say which country it had attacked.The explosions came less than a week after Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel, its first direct attack on the country, in response to an Israeli attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria that killed seven officials Iranians on April 1.For days, Israeli leaders have threatened to respond to Iran's attacks, which have turned the years-long shadow war between the two countrie...

Netflix added 9.3 million subscribers in the first quarter of 2024, it announced Thursday, beating analysts' expectations and cementing its status as the entertainment industry's dominant streaming company.It also generated net income of $2.3 billion and its revenue was $9.3 billion, 15% higher than the same period last year. Netflix today has nearly 270 million subscribers worldwide.The streaming giant said its quarter was buoyed by audience interest in series such as “Griselda,” “3 Body Problem” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”Its advertising business, which is now a year old and offers subscribers a lower-priced option, grew 65% compared to last quarter. The company said that in markets where the ad tier was available, 40% of new signups chose that option. A crackdown on pas...

The United States on Thursday blocked the U.N. Security Council from pursuing a Palestinian bid to be recognized as a full member state of the United Nations, quashing an attempt by Palestinian allies to persuade the world body to support the effort. The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, had described the bid for full member status as an effort "to take our rightful place in the community of nations."But Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, on Thursday denounced the resolution presented to the Security Council as a "prize for terror." He added: “Unfortunately the United Nations no longer deals with multilateralism. Now he is engaged in multi-terrorism."There were 12 votes in favor of the resolution, while the United States opposed it, with two...

People typically don't think of themselves as at high risk of succumbing to the heat or at greater risk than before, leading them to underestimate how a heat wave might land them in the emergency room, said Kristie L. Ebi, a professor at University of Washington. University of Washington, expert on the health risks of extreme heat.“The heat you were asked to handle 10 years ago is not the heat you are asked to handle today,” he said. One of the first symptoms of heat illness can be confusion, she added, making it more difficult for someone to respond without the help of others.What happens next: States and hospitals are preparing for another summer of extreme heat.Dr. Srikanth Paladugu, an epidemiologist with the New Mexico Department of Health, said the state had nearly 450 heat-rel...

One of Germany's most prominent far-right leaders, Björn Höcke, went on trial Thursday on charges of using banned Nazi slogans at political rallies.The use of National Socialist slogans and symbols is a punishable crime in Germany which, due to the legacy of Hitler's rise to power, has a much more restrictive approach to free speech than democracies such as the United States.Mr Höcke heads the far-right Alternative for Germany party, known by its German abbreviation AfD, in the state of Thuringia. Both he and the state branch he leads have been classified by domestic intelligence as right-wing extremists and are under surveillance.He is on trial for using the slogan “Everything for Germany” in a speech in the eastern region of Saxony, where he is on trial. It was the slogan of th...

“Have an abortion with me,” says a Brooklyn single mother named Sunni as she twirls around her kitchen to the sound of jazz piano, before walking TikTok viewers through the steps she took to end her pregnancy at home.With states expanding abortion restrictions and the issue likely to be at the forefront of presidential elections, women are creating videos on social media describing their abortions and sharing practical information on how to get one.Sunni explained to viewers that she wanted information as she was planning the abortion. “This is the video I was looking for,” she said.The reaction to his video, which has been viewed more than 400,000 times and sparked comments of both commiseration and condemnation, shows how deeply personal and controversial the issue remains in the run-up...

A relentless deluge of rain hit the United Arab Emirates and Oman this week, killing at least 20 people, causing dozens of delays and cancellations at Dubai airport and shutting down other cities in what experts described as an enhanced weather system from climate change. .The storm first hit Oman on Sunday, killing 19 people, causing widespread flash flooding and turning roads into raging rivers in Muscat, the capital. In the United Arab Emirates, which recorded its heaviest rainfall in 75 years, one person died in the city of Ras Al-Khaimah and authorities urged residents to stay at home as videos showed submerged cars on clogged highways and planes taxiing on flooded runways.Here are photos and videos of the flood:

Navigating the healthcare system in the United States can often feel like getting lost in a maze. What kind of doctor should I see? Who takes my insurance? What is a co-payment anyway?For this reason, Chris Hamby, an investigative journalist, has dedicated much of his five-year career at the New York Times to guiding readers through such dizzying questions. His latest article, published online this month, explores the complex topic of insurance bills.Last year, Hamby began investigating MultiPlan, a data company that partners with several major health insurance companies, including UnitedHealthcare, Cigna and Aetna. After a patient goes to an out-of-network medical provider, the insurer often uses MultiPlan to recommend the amount to reimburse the provider.Mr Hamby's investigation...

European leaders visit Israel, seeking restraint on IranDavid Cameron, the British foreign secretary, acknowledged that Israel seemed certain to retaliate against Iran, despite calls for restraint from Israel's allies.“It's clear that the Israelis are making the decision to act,” Cameron told the BBC shortly before meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We hope they do it in a way that does as little as possible to aggravate the situation.”Israel's allies have joined other world leaders in repeatedly pressuring Netanyahu to avoid taking any action that could increase tensions with Iran, which fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel over the weekend. Israel's war cabinet has met several times since then to discuss when and how to respond, and official...

For decades, the United States has proclaimed itself a champion of an open internet, arguing that the web should be largely unregulated and that digital data should flow around the world unimpeded by borders. The government has opposed Internet censorship abroad and has even funded software that allows people in autocratic states to bypass restrictions on online content.Now that reputation could take a hit.The House indicated Wednesday that it will again try to push legislation to force the sale of TikTok by its Chinese owner, ByteDance, or institute a first-of-its-kind ban on the app in the United States, this time including it in a legislative package that should be considered with the help of Israel and Ukraine. The package's language is similar to a standalone measure passed by t...