Morning news brief
VP Harris and her running mate continue their introductory tour. Ukraine launches one of its most brazen operations in the war with Russia. An extreme wildfire tore through Lahaina a year ago.
World News
Organizers cancel Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna over fears of an attack
NPR's Leila Fadel asks counterterrorism expert Javed Ali about the cancellation of Taylor Swift concerts in Austria after officials uncovered an apparent plot to attack large events.
Ukraine must drive Russia troops away from border areas, a Zelenskyy adviser says
As Ukraine receives new weapons -- such as F-16 fighter jets -- Ukrainian troops struggle to halt a Russian ground offensive in the eastern part of the country.
Ex-Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont returns to Spain — then vanishes again
Police launched a manhunt in Barcelona on Thursday for the campaigner for Catalan independence, who made a sensational return to Catalonia — and a getaway after a speech in the city.
In a surprise attack, Ukraine sends a large force into western Russia
Ukrainian soldiers appear to be several miles inside Russia’s Kursk region, where they are in several villages. Russia’s top military official says some 1,000 Ukrainian troops are taking part.
Nobel laureate Yunus arrives in Bangladesh to take over as interim leader
Muhammad Yunus arrived in Bangladesh from an overseas trip as he looks to restore calm and rebuild the country following an uprising that ended the rule of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
For Ukraine’s Olympic breakdancers, ‘shining’ is more important than winning
As the sport makes its Olympic debut in Paris, a small crew of dancers from Ukraine look forward to representing their war-torn country and its rich culture on the world stage.
Police are deployed in London amid race riots and threats from far-right
After more than a week of race riots across the UK, police are now deployed around the capital London amid fresh threats there from the far-right.
Family of explorer who died in Titan submersible sues Oceangate for more than $50M
French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet was among five people who died when the Titan submersible imploded during a voyage to the famed Titanic wreck site in the North Atlantic in June 2023.
Crypto-currency Captive in Nigeria; German Chancellor Turned Fictional Crime Sleuth
A popular book and TV series in Europe imagines the straight-laced former German chancellor Angela Merkel solving crimes in her retirement. We unpack the premise's popularity. And an American has been jailed in Nigeria over a dispute the country has with the crypto-currency exchange Binance. Some say the man is effectively being held hostage.