NEWS Ever since flash floods struck a mountainous area of northern India last week, 60 Indian military and civilian helicopters have been navigating fog, rain and treacherous Himalayan valleys looking for survivors and recovering bodies as part of the biggest airborne rescue and recovery operation in the history of the Indian military. As of Tuesday, the operation had rescued more than 12,000 people. The flooding, which began June 16, triggered by monsoons, has killed at least 1,000. But the rescue operation is not without hazards of its own. On Tuesday, a helicopter crashed into a mountain, killing 19 aboard. Hari Kumar reports from Dehradun, India.
President Obama, declaring that “Americans across the country are already paying the price of inaction,†announced sweeping measures on Tuesday to reduce greenhouse gas polluion and prepare the nation for a future of rising temperatures. Mark Landler and John M. Broder report from Washington.
When the Taliban opened their political office in Qatar last week, it was the first time in a dozen years that the world had gotten to see members of the insurgents’ inner circle â€" and they seemed different. Urbane and educated, they conducted interviews in English, Arabic, French and German with easy fluency; passed out and received phone numbers; and, most strikingly, talked about peace. Rod Nordland and Alissa J. Rubin report.
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Tuesday appeared to rule out sending Edward J. Snowden back to the United States to face espionage charges, leaving him in limbo even as Moscow and Washington seemed to! be making an effort to prevent a cold-war-style standoff from escalating. David M. Herzenhorn, Ellen Barry and Peter Baker report.
Even as European taxpayers grimace at the escalating cost of bailing out Greece’s banking system, the banks’ top executives are poised to potentially strike it rich. Landon Thomas Jr. reports from London.
FASHION Giorgio Armani, the maestro of Milan, slimmed down his iconic silhouette for his spring summer 2014 men’s wear show. Suzy Menkes writes on the Armani show and others from Milan.
ARTS Kim Cattrall and Daniel Radcliffe can be seen on the London stage in revivals of “Sweet Bird of Youth†and “The Cripple f Inishmaan,†respectively, and both surpass any of the stage work they have done to date. Matt Wolf on London theater.
SPORTS Soccer has been used as a catalyst for the public uprisings against Brazil’s social and economic problems. The billions being spent on stadiums for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games â€" and the profits that will go out of the country from those events â€" are clearly a cause of some of the public disaffection. Rob Hughes on soccer.
