Ukraine, Catalonia, Champions League: Your Friday Briefing – New York Times
They are back at the usual squabbles as the clock ticks toward a Catalan independence referendum on Oct. 1. Our correspondent notes that these divisions also have practical security implications that the attack plotters perhaps managed to exploit.
A march in Barcelona planned for tomorrow could show how much these divisions are reflected in the broader public.
(Above, King Felipe VI stood between the prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, and the Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, at a vigil last week.)
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In Washington, our reporters look at the efforts by the new White House chief of staff, John Kelly, to impose an order on the information flow to Mr. Trump.
The changes Mr. Kelly, a retired general, have put in place have resulted in a more functional government, administration officials said.
Separately, heres a profile of Mr. Trumps top soldier in Afghanistan: Gen. John Nicholson, above, is a combat veteran described by peers as a thinker warrior. He has not yet met Mr. Trump.
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Roger Federer, the Swiss tennis star, discussed his late-career resurgence, a rarity for any sport, with our magazine writer. Im long past the thing that you have to end your career in a fairy tale, he said of his expectations.
Mr. Federer could win his third major of the year at the U.S. Open, and fans are hoping for a face-off with his archrival, Rafael Nadal. Meanwhile, with Serena Williamss absence, womens tennis for once lacks its traditional rivalries.
In soccer news, the draw for the group stage of this seasons UEFA Champions League put Real Madrid, Tottenham and Dortmund in the same group. Barcelona gets a chance for an early revenge against Juventus. (Heres the full list.)
And the four-time British Olympic champion Mo Farahs track career ended with a thrilling win in Zurich.
President Trump must soon decide whether to renominate Janet Yellen, above, as the chairwoman of the Federal Reserve. She is speaking today at the Jackson Hole gathering of central bankers, as is the European Central Bank president, Mario Draghi.
In Croatia, Uber is taking to the sea, offering an (expensive) new boat service. It could soon be available in Greece and Spain.
There are new questions about the corporate structure of HNA, the Chinese conglomerate that is Deutsche Banks largest shareholder. We uncovered undisclosed deals and relationships that could heighten regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe.
Networking is overrated, a business school professor writes in this much-read Op-Ed. Its better to focus on achieving great things.
Heres a snapshot of global markets.
At least eight people remain missing after a landslide swept through a small village in the Swiss Alps on Wednesday. [The New York Times]
Prosecutors in Denmark seek murder charges against Peter Madsen, the Danish inventor arrested in the death of a Swedish journalist onboard his submarine. [The New York Times]
The police in Rome clashed with hundreds of migrants, scattering them from a square they had camped on for days after they had been evicted from a building they had occupied for years. [Los Angeles Times]
When the French interior minister tied terrorism to mental illness, he started a debate about whether such a link existed. [France 24]
The Dutch police said there was no longer an imminent terrorist threat after they arrested a 22-year-old man in Rotterdam in an investigation into plans for an attack on a concert site. A Spanish man, detained earlier, has been released. [The New York Times]
The Czech authorities extradited a Vietnamese man to Germany over the abduction of an asylum-seeking Vietnamese executive in Berlin last month. [The New York Times]
In Thailand, the lawyer of Yingluck Shinawatra, the former prime minister ousted in a coup, said he was unaware whether she was still in the country. A court said it would issue an arrest warrant after she failed to appear before it. [The NewYork Times]
Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.
Recipe of the day: Make your own blueberry jam.
Protect your digital accounts by text or app.
In what should you invest? Ask yourself these tough questions.
We have plenty of European travel advice today: Theres our latest 36 Hours guide that finds daring cuisine and avant-garde art and design in Brussels. And heres an ode to family holidays in Romania.
In Marrakesh, Yves Saint Laurent discovered light and color, draping and caftans. A new museum in Morocco will soon celebrate his work.
In Britain, an 800-year-old coffin was damaged after a family put a child in it for a photo and knocked off a small piece. It happens.
Finally, a geobiologist in Norway reflects on how Scandinavian summers taught her as a young woman to savor time.
It all began with a question about L. Frank Baums off-the-cuff story about a faraway magical land. What, a child asked, was the name of this extraordinary place? Baum looked at a filing cabinet label, rejected A-G and went with O-Z.
Thats one origin story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the childrens book that became a celebrated movie, which opened in wide release in the U.S. on this day in 1939.
It took more than a few screenwriters (11 by one count) to adapt Baums vision into a girls dream of a land over the rainbow from Depression-era Kansas.
Theories about the story abound. Is the yellow brick road a metaphor for the gold standard in the late 1800s? Does the movie sync up with Pink Floyds album The Dark Side of the Moon?
Some scholars are skeptical that Baum set out to write a populist allegory. (Youre on your own testing the Pink Floyd claim.)
But the charms of Baums tale endure. As a Times film critic wrote after the films debut, It is all so well-intentioned, so genial, and so gay that any reviewer who would look down his nose at the fun-making should be spanked and sent off, supperless, to bed.
Tim Williams contributed reporting.
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Ukraine, Catalonia, Champions League: Your Friday Briefing - New York Times
- Belgium to transfer three F-16s to Ukraine this year, Zelenskiy says - reuters.com - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Why is South Korea so angry with Ukraine over two North Korean prisoners of war? - The Guardian - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- More NATO countries are buying a US-made interceptor that has downed thousands of Russian drones in Ukraine - Business Insider - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Ukraine to Have $54 Billion Funding Gap by 2029, IMF Predicts - bloomberg.com - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Putin envoy, US officials discussed Ukraine war and energy initiatives, US official says - reuters.com - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Russian strikes on Ukraine kill at least 7, including woman at Kyiv's National Academy of Sciences - CBS News - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Their Sons Are Dying on Battlefields in Ukraine. They Still Back Russias War. - The New York Times - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- These teens lost parents to fighting Russia. Ukraine is training them for war - The Detroit News - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- How the War in Ukraine Has Restricted the Way We See the Countrys Art - Ocula - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Putin Envoy, U.S. Officials Discussed Ukraine War and Energy Initiatives, U.S. Official Says - The Moscow Times - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Tuesday, September 29. Russias War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine - forbes.com - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Ukraine's Battlefield Supply Robots Have Learned How to Swim - Business Insider - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Russia has increased its use of drones against Ukraine in September Air Force - Ukrinform - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Russian hackers Star Blizzard expand targeting, change up tactics to reach Ukraine and beyond - CyberScoop - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Zelenskyy says Belgium to transfer three F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by year's end - Anadolu Ajans - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Ukraine pushes for 'bold action' on Russian assets to plug $78 billion gap in 2027 - euronews.com - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Ukraine seeks to expand Solidarity Lanes via Germany and other EU states Vysotskyi - Ukrinform - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Kazakh president again calls on Putin to freeze war in Ukraine after talks in Germany - - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Ukraine Confirms More Than 20,000 Children Were Unlawfully Deported or Forcibly Transferred - UNITED24 Media - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Germany and Slovakia Push for Stronger Pressure on Russia to Protect Ukraine - UNITED24 Media - September 29th, 2026 [September 29th, 2026]
- Moldova's PM on confronting Russian threats and backing Ukraine - pbs.org - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Kremlin signals before Lavrov-Rubio meeting that its stance on Ukraine peace talks remains unchanged - Reuters - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Senior NATO commander warns Putin is becoming more cavalier and open to risk as Ukraine war drags on - pbs.org - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Zelenskyy urges stronger pressure on Russia, warns wars impact is spreading beyond Ukraine - UN News - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Zelensky accuses Putin of using nationals of 47 countries to fight Ukraine war - France 24 - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Ukraine - Welcome to the United Nations - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Agreement on long-term support and cooperation between Australia and Ukraine - foreignminister.gov.au - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Zelenskyy says Ukraine ready for energy truce with Russia after Trump talks - Al Jazeera - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
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- Ukraine fires over 1,000 drones at Russia, including largest ever attack on Moscow - AP News - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
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- Exclusive: EU countries sound alarm over weapons brought back from Ukraine front line - Euronews.com - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Foreign Secretary address to the UNSC on Ukraine - gov.uk - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Video: Zelensky Warns That Russias War in Ukraine Is Spreading - The New York Times - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- U.N. Updates: Zelensky Warns of Growing Global Cost of Russias War in Ukraine - The New York Times - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Finland and Ukraine sign Drone Deal to boost their defence and security cooperation - patriagroup.com - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Ukraine's winter warning to Canada: Help us keep the lights on - CBC - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Ukraine targets Moscow with hundreds of drones on final day of Russian election - The Guardian - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Finland and Ukraine Join Forces on Next-Gen Drone Production - UNITED24 Media - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Beslov Hasid man arrested in Ukraine was drafted into the army and stationed in Kharkov as a doctor - Ynetnews - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- Zelensky tells world leaders that Putin is patient zero spreading war globally - but Ukraine has a cure - The Independent - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- President calls for peace in Ukraine and security in the Black Sea - - September 24th, 2026 [September 24th, 2026]
- At least 37 dead and hundreds evacuated after strike on Kyiv weapons depot - BBC - August 31st, 2026 [August 31st, 2026]
- Death toll rises to 38 from Russias deadliest attack on Ukraine this year - NBC News - August 31st, 2026 [August 31st, 2026]
- Russian strikes on food warehouses pose threat of shortages in Ukraine - The Washington Post - August 31st, 2026 [August 31st, 2026]
- Russia is slowly grinding through the Donbas as Ukraine braces for a brutal fight over its last strongholds - Business Insider - August 31st, 2026 [August 31st, 2026]
- Ukraine war briefing: Nuclear plant has lost power and running on generators, UN watchdog says - The Guardian - August 31st, 2026 [August 31st, 2026]
- Death toll rises to 38 from Russias deadliest attack on Ukraine this year - AP News - August 31st, 2026 [August 31st, 2026]
- 'Run you fools, you will die': Meet the unit of Russian defectors fighting for Ukraine - Sky News - August 31st, 2026 [August 31st, 2026]
- Unrealistic optimism isnt helping Ukraine - The Telegraph - August 31st, 2026 [August 31st, 2026]
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- Russia launches nearly 1,500 drones at Ukraine in four days, including about 800 jet-powered ones, Zelensky sa - Ukrinform - August 31st, 2026 [August 31st, 2026]
- Death toll rises to 38 from Russias deadliest attack on Ukraine this year - WFXRtv - August 31st, 2026 [August 31st, 2026]
- Russia is running out of cash due to its war in Ukraine: report - Defense News - August 29th, 2026 [August 29th, 2026]
- Russian drones batter Ukraine's Kyiv region, hitting apartments and warehouses for a second day - ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos - August 29th, 2026 [August 29th, 2026]
- Russia planning operation in northern Ukraine, including Kyiv, military says - The Kyiv Independent - August 29th, 2026 [August 29th, 2026]
- DW News. . Russian strikes near Kyiv have killed at least 37 people in one of the deadliest attacks this year. The strikes hit a depot which stored... - August 29th, 2026 [August 29th, 2026]
- 37 killed in Ukraine after Russian attack sparks fire at warehouse near Kyiv - The Times of Israel - August 29th, 2026 [August 29th, 2026]
- Kremlin sets unrealistic goal to capture Donbas by end of year, Ukraine says - TVP World - August 29th, 2026 [August 29th, 2026]
- Ukraine chooses three Western fighters to build its air force around. One of them can fly again from stretch of road in 15 to 20 minutes - Euromaidan... - August 29th, 2026 [August 29th, 2026]
- Ukraine has five ways to stop Russia's Iskanders. Only one arrives before the strikes on the grid begin - Euromaidan Press - August 29th, 2026 [August 29th, 2026]
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- 2-year-old killed as Russia's near-continuous attacks stretch into third day across Ukraine - The Kyiv Independent - August 29th, 2026 [August 29th, 2026]
- The Russia-Ukraine Air War Has Entered a New, Deadlier Phase - WSJ - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- What has been hit in Ukraine's attacks on Russian energy sites? - Reuters - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Where Drones Cannot See, the Ukraine War Is a Deadly Game of Cat and Mouse - The New York Times - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Ukraine resumes missile-interception counts after Zelensky says some Patriots arrived from Coalition of the Willing allies - Meduza - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Ukraine says Russia used its upgraded, longer-range 'Iskander-1000' missile in a bombardment of Kyiv - Business Insider - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Playing With Fire: Russia Warns Great Britain Over Ukraine - FITSNews - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Burnham Accuses Russia of Starting the Fire in Ukraine as Moscow Amps Up Warnings - The New York Times - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Ukraine war briefing: Small batch of Patriots arrives as Zelenskyy pleads for more - The Guardian - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Holding election in wartime would risk destroying Ukraine, says Zelenskyy - The Guardian - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]
- Zelenskyy gives Ukraine's Order of Freedom award to Musk for Starlink's role in war effort - PBS - August 27th, 2026 [August 27th, 2026]