Ebrahim Raisi at the United Nations last year. Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times |
Iran’s president killed in a helicopter crash
President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran was killed along with the country’s foreign minister in a helicopter crash yesterday in the country’s mountainous northwest, state news media reported, leaving the country without two of its most influential figures at a time of heightened foreign tensions and domestic discontent. Here’s the latest news.
Raisi, 63, was a conservative Shiite Muslim cleric who violently crushed dissent and was a devoted upholder of religious rule in the country. He was a protégé of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and was widely viewed as a possible successor. Read our obituary.
Quotable: “There will be no disruption in the country’s operation,” Khamenei said in an address on state television. “Senior officials are doing their work and I have advised them on the necessary points, and all of the country’s operation will carry on smoothly and orderly.”
Yoav Gallant, left, and Benny Gantz, members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet. Pool photo by Abir Sultan |
Israeli officials challenge Netanyahu
Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, and Benny Gantz, a centrist former military chief, have demanded that the country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, come up with a decisive strategy for postwar Gaza. Gantz set up an ultimatum on Saturday and said his party would leave the government by June 8 without a plan from Netanyahu. Both he and Gallant have implicitly accused Netanyahu of prioritizing his political survival over national security.
Now, Netanyahu’s emergency war cabinet is on the brink of disintegrating over what opponents view as his dithering prosecution of Israel’s offensive. But analysts said that the dissent from Gantz and Gallant was unlikely to bring about major change; even without Gantz’s party, Netanyahu’s coalition would still hold a small majority.
Hostages: In Gaza, Israeli troops recovered the bodies of three people whom Hamas had captured during the Oct. 7 attacks.
Gaza: A wartime marketplace for survival supplies, including aid parcels, has emerged.
Biden: In a college commencement address, the president called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and said that his administration was working to secure one.
A resort compound hit by a Russian missile strike, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Sunday. Evgeniy Maloletka/Associated Press |
Russia and Ukraine trade fire
Russia and Ukraine targeted each other’s territory yesterday with drone attacks and airstrikes that hit urban centers and energy facilities, as both sides look for ways to inflict damage beyond the battlefield.
The Russian military said that it had shot down nearly 60 Ukrainian drones over the Krasnodar region of southwest Russia. Ukrainian officials said Russia had struck northeast Ukraine, including Kharkiv, killing at least 10 civilians and wounding more than 20 people.
Help for Ukraine: The U.S. and Europe are moving toward using interest earned on frozen Russian central bank assets to provide Ukraine with a loan for military and economic assistance.
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Samy Ntumba Shambuyi/Associated Press |
Congo: The army said it foiled a coup, and the U.S. ambassador said she was “very concerned” that Americans may have participated in the effort.Georgia: The president vetoed a divisive foreign-influence bill, but Parliament is likely to override the veto.Niger: All U.S. troops will leave the West African country by Sept. 15, their governments said yesterday.China: Xi Jinping warmly welcomed Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, to Beijing in a show of solidarity in defiance of the West.Mexico City: Unchecked urban sprawl and poor infrastructure have strained the water supply. This summer, one critical system may stop working.Taiwan: The incoming president, Lai Ching-te, is poised to take office today.Dominican Republic elections: President Luis Abinader is set to win re-election, after a campaign that promised a crackdown on Haitian migrants.Slovakia: Observers say the country’s political climate has become more toxic after an attempted assassination of the prime minister.The Vatican: The Roman Catholic Church updated its guidelines for evaluating supernatural faith-based visions in the age of social media. |
U.S. politics: Increased threats of violence are changing how public officials do their jobs. |
MORNING READ |
Ash Adams for The New York Times |
A growing number of astronomers are training their attention on our own planet as they rally to fight climate change.
“People are often surprised to learn that astronomers are engaged in climate change work,” the astronomer Travis Rector, above, said, adding: “But there’s a very strong overlap between the science of astrophysics and the science of climate change. We understand, more than anyone else, that Earth is our only home.”
SPORTS NEWS |
Catherine Ivill/AMA, via Getty Images |
Oxford United: The team can call itself a Championship club for the first time this century.
Xander Schauffele: The golfer won the P.G.A. Championship to win his first major tournament.
A defining win: Oleksandr Usyk cements his legacy after defeating Tyson Fury.
‘Perfect Match’: The tennis film, set to release next month, depicts Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf’s relationship.
ARTS AND IDEAS |
Illustration by Anson Chan |
The rise of neopopulism
The U.S. feels deeply polarized. But the country’s supposedly gridlocked federal government has instead had arguably the most productive period of Washington bipartisanship in decades over the past four years, my colleague David Leonhardt writes.
The collaborations — on issues like Covid-19 policy, semiconductor chips and TikTok — represent a new form of centrism, which David calls “neopopulism,” that is based on mistrust of the neoliberal free-market ethos. Officials are increasing tariffs and supporting government efforts to address the market’s shortcomings.
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Christopher Testani for The New York Times |
Cook: Tandoori chicken is moist and tender.