Inboxes List

Create an inbox to save and track emails. It's free!

+New inbox

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml">
 <head>
  <title>
   The World: A militant’s transformation
  </title>
  <!--[if !mso]><!-- -->
  <meta content="IE=edge" http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible"/>
  <!--<![endif]-->
  <meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"/>
  <meta content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1" name="viewport"/>
  <style type="text/css">
   #outlook a{padding:0}body{margin:0;padding:0;-webkit-text-size-adjust:100%;-ms-text-size-adjust:100%}table,td{border-collapse:collapse;mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0}img{border:0;height:auto;line-height:100%;outline:0;text-decoration:none;-ms-interpolation-mode:bicubic}p{display:block;margin:13px 0}p,ul{margin-top:0}@media (max-width:600px){body{padding:0 15px!important}}
  </style>
  <!--[if mso]>
        <xml>
        <o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
          <o:AllowPNG/>
          <o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch>
        </o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
        </xml>
        <![endif]-->
  <style type="text/css">
   @media (max-width:480px){.css-63f6sn{display:none!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-1npprw9{display:table-row!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-r2ey6x{width:100%!important}}@media (min-width:600px){.css-bxyyup{display:table-row!important}}@media (min-width:600px){.css-9r40m1{display:none!important}}.css-sdwaa1:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none!important;text-decoration:none!important}.css-1n5iqtj:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none!important;text-decoration:none!important}@media (max-width:600px){.css-1n5iqtj{display:inline-block;border-right:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-right:10px;margin-right:10px}}.css-wf08f0:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none!important;text-decoration:none!important}@media (max-width:600px){.css-wf08f0{display:inline-block!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-tmef31{padding:0 0 0!important}}.css-nanfcg:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none!important;text-decoration:none!important}.css-nanfcg:hover{border-bottom:none!important}@media (max-width:600px){.css-xsf469{width:100%!important;height:auto!important}}@media (max-width:600px){.css-1wuwhda{width:100%!important;padding:0!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-1hnedf7{font-size:13px!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-1dtd48z{padding-left:30px!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-36ugzx{padding-bottom:0!important}}@media (max-width:480px){.css-e0mvvo{width:57px}}
  </style>
 </head>
 <body>
  <div style="color:transparent;visibility:hidden;opacity:0;font-size:0px;border:0;max-height:1px;width:1px;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:0px!important;display:none!important;line-height:0px!important;">
   <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fnl.nytimes.com%252Fq%252FlW_B3g6GTc6MtlAPNqzZAA~~%252FAAAAARA~%252FOoWunNJw6E_mZlpIjk4voRxSPREqaNpX7QEJoCIzYuK701XvkRJH1_3tTp4ARgg8AWfD7u46B4qP1AdNQt4q0g~~/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZubC5ueXRpbWVzLiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU2NTcxNH0:1vW6bQ:F5bCk64USjF9MmOZzyxKyYLwDs8iD8ghU1fpN-ua_YI" width="1"/>
  </div>
  <div style="display:none;font-size:1px;color:#fff;line-height:1px;max-height:0;max-width:0;opacity:0;overflow:hidden">
   Also, the Bondi Beach suspect was charged with murder and terrorism.
  </div>
  <div>
   <!--[if mso | IE]><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto" width="600" align="center"><tr><td><![endif]-->
   <table align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" border="0" style="margin:0" width="100%">
    <tbody>
     <tr>
      <td align="left" id="EMAIL_CONTAINER" width="100%">
       <div style="margin:0 auto;max-width:600px;width:100%">
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td style="padding:15px 0 5px;text-align:center;width:100%">
            <div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;text-align:center;width:100%;padding-bottom:10px">
             <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#666;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;line-height:18px" title="View in browser">
              View in browser
             </a>
             <span style="color:#dcdcdc;margin:0 10px">
              |
             </span>
             <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#666;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;line-height:18px" title="The New York Times">
              nytimes.com
             </a>
            </div>
            <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
             <tbody>
              <tr aria-hidden="true">
               <td>
                <span style="text-align:center">
                 <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0 auto">
                  <tbody>
                   <tr>
                    <td style="line-height:0;font-size:0">
                     <a class="css-sdwaa1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline" tabindex="-1" target="_blank">
                      <img alt="Ad" border="0" class="css-63f6sn" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fliveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com%252Fimp%253Fs%253D1175336%2526li%253DWOR%2526m%253Ddfbfebeec3e396a6cb1a8b032a80246c%2526p%253DWOR_20251218%2526stpe%253Ddefault%2526li_coord%253Ddesktop%2526collapse_width%253D600/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXZlaW50ZW50LiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU3MTE0Nn0:1vW6bQ:TB8okv3nC7godrZLO9kFgYZxyxTvbqqDmstBnnd6hJo" style="display:block;width:100%;max-width:600px" width="600"/>
                     </a>
                    </td>
                   </tr>
                   <tr class="css-1npprw9" style="display:none">
                    <td style="line-height:0;font-size:0">
                     <a class="css-sdwaa1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline" tabindex="-1" target="_blank">
                      <img alt="Ad" border="0" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fliveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com%252Fimp%253Fs%253D1175336%2526li%253DWOR%2526m%253Ddfbfebeec3e396a6cb1a8b032a80246c%2526p%253DWOR_20251218%2526stpe%253Ddefault%2526li_coord%253Dmobile%2526collapse_width%253D480/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXZlaW50ZW50LiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU3MjY3NH0:1vW6bQ:_h0pzP4TTbwdJt8Uegd9e62z-5f51xUSI1wF6aGfCi8" style="display:block;width:100%;max-width:480px" width="480"/>
                     </a>
                    </td>
                   </tr>
                  </tbody>
                 </table>
                </span>
               </td>
              </tr>
              <tr>
               <td height="10">
               </td>
              </tr>
             </tbody>
            </table>
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td style="border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td class="css-tmef31" style="padding:8px 0 0;width:100%;text-align:center">
            <div style="margin-bottom:7px">
             <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline" title="The World">
              <img alt="The World" class="css-r2ey6x" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Femail-images%252Fnewsletters%252Fpadded-logos%252FTheWorld.jpg/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU3MzgwMn0:1vW6bQ:TJNMn4zsT1p_9_1UC6MKGkfTC_m-haAtplyGK234W6Q" style="width:300px" width="300"/>
             </a>
            </div>
            <div style="width:100%;margin-bottom:31px;font:12px/12px georgia,serif">
             December 18, 2025
            </div>
            <p aria-hidden="true" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;margin:0">
             <a class="css-sdwaa1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline" tabindex="-1" target="_blank">
              <img alt="Ad" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fliveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com%252Fimp%253Fs%253D1175331%2526li%253DWOR%2526m%253Ddfbfebeec3e396a6cb1a8b032a80246c%2526p%253DWOR_20251218%2526stpe%253Ddefault%2526li_coord%253Ddesktop%2526collapse_width%253D600/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXZlaW50ZW50LiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU3NDgyN30:1vW6bQ:atpYXE7IzzeqXT3PK2Qt92uTcuaWdMssREnSm_2bXCs" style="max-width:600px;width:100%" width="600"/>
             </a>
            </p>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="border-bottom:1px solid #dcdcdc">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td height="20">
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <div style="margin:0 auto;max-width:600px;width:100%">
         <table cellpadding="0" style="width:100%">
          <tbody>
           <tr>
            <td style="padding:0 9px 0 0;box-sizing:content-box;vertical-align:middle;width:45px" valign="middle" width="45">
             <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;color:inherit">
              <img alt="Author Headshot" height="45" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Fimages%252F2018%252F07%252F13%252Fmultimedia%252Fauthor-katrin-bennhold%252Fauthor-katrin-bennhold-blogSmallThumb.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU3NTc2Nn0:1vW6bQ:C9CPTB-09IRvaFiud2xjTRK-CoRWvRYJwo5oPbf2fhA" style="width:45px;height:45px;border-radius:100%" width="45"/>
             </a>
            </td>
            <td style="padding:0;box-sizing:content-box;vertical-align:middle" valign="middle">
             <p style="font:13px/18px arial,sans-serif;letter-spacing:.2px;color:#000;font:600 13px/18px arial,sans-serif;margin-bottom:3px">
              By
              <a class="css-nanfcg" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;border-bottom:1px solid #ccc;color:inherit">
               Katrin Bennhold
              </a>
             </p>
            </td>
           </tr>
           <tr>
            <td height="15">
            </td>
           </tr>
          </tbody>
         </table>
        </div>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-weight:700">
          Good morning, world!
         </span>
         <span>
          The world has been watching Syria closely over the past year. For a long time it was a brutal but stable dictatorship in the Middle East. Then it descended into civil war and became a breeding ground for terrorism. Last December, an Islamist militant leader did the unthinkable. He marched on Damascus and toppled the regime.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          That man, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was on the U.S. State Department’s list of terrorists as recently as last month, has been Syria’s president for almost a year. How real is his transformation, and can it transform the country, too? Today, I’m writing about what it takes to pull off the evolution from militant to national leader.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Also:
         </span>
        </p>
        <div style="margin:0 auto;max-width:600px;width:100%">
         <table>
          <tbody>
           <tr>
            <td style="padding:0 0 5px">
             <ul class="css-1dtd48z" style="color:#333;font:10px georgia,serif;text-align:left;padding-left:50px">
              <li style="margin:0 0 10px 0;line-height:27.5px">
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                U.S. blockade threat against Venezuela
               </span>
              </li>
              <li style="margin:0 0 10px 0;line-height:27.5px">
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                Bondi Beach shooting suspect charged
               </span>
              </li>
              <li style="margin:0 0 10px 0;line-height:27.5px">
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                A bit of ancient Rome on the subway
               </span>
              </li>
             </ul>
            </td>
           </tr>
          </tbody>
         </table>
        </div>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-style:italic">
          Readers of The World get free access to all the news articles we link to. No paywall.
         </span>
        </p>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td height="20">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td height="14" style="background-color:#000;font-size:0;line-height:0" width="100%">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td height="20">
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td style="text-align:center">
            <img alt="" class="css-xsf469" height="750" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Fimages%252F2025%252F12%252F18%252Fmultimedia%252F18int-theworld-lede-fcpz%252F18int-theworld-lede-fcpz-jumbo.jpg/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU3NjY4Mn0:1vW6bQ:jCGfEvLLaBSYGbx-aCN3stnaFP4ZD8-fhiYcos62R9M" style="display:inline-block;width:83%;max-width:500px;height:auto;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:0;line-height:0" width="500"/>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="text-align:center;width:100%;padding-top:6px;padding-bottom:20px;line-height:12px">
            <span class="css-1wuwhda" style="width:83%;max-width:500px;display:inline-block;text-align:left">
             <span class="css-1hnedf7" style="color:#666;font:normal 12px georgia,serif">
              Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former rebel commander and now president of Syria.
             </span>
             <span style="margin:0;font:11px/11px georgia,serif;color:#888;letter-spacing:.01em;padding-left:5px">
              Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times
             </span>
            </span>
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <h2 style="color:#000;font:700 24px/31px nyt-cheltenham,georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px">
         <span>
          A militant’s transformation
         </span>
        </h2>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Years before Ahmed al-Sharaa became president of Syria, he was the commander of a jihadist rebel group allied with Al Qaeda. He dispatched suicide bombers to blow up military posts and pledged to create an Islamic state.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Today al-Sharaa wears suits, matches the color of his ties to the flags of the countries he visits, and is welcomed at the White House.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          It’s a staggering evolution. But al-Sharaa is not the only person with a “strong past,”
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          as President Trump once put it
         </a>
         <span>
          , to find himself suddenly walking the halls of power. And the stories of leaders who left their own strong pasts behind can tell us something about what led al-Sharaa to this point, and whether he might be able to transform Syria, too.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-weight:700">
          A means to an end
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          I spoke to Véronique Dudouet, a researcher who studies conflict transformation. One thing she underscored was that much about al-Sharaa’s circumstances is unique.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Al-Sharaa came to power through a military takeover, not the years of negotiated settlements that often end conflicts. In that sense, the speed of his role change has been especially striking. He’s also leading a society that faces a particularly complex set of challenges: Syria is emerging from full-blown war, and faces a multitude of sectarian divisions.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Still, in our conversation, we talked about some examples that might nonetheless offer some lessons. One was Martin McGuinness, the former I.R.A. member who eventually became deputy first minister of Northern Ireland. Another was Nelson Mandela, who participated in armed struggle against the apartheid regime.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          To compare al-Sharaa to Mandela, a global icon for justice, might feel jarring. But what they share, Dudouet noted, is the kind of pragmatism that helps lead societies out of conflict toward normal politics. Mandela and McGuinness saw armed struggle as a means to an end and knew when to let it go, Dudouet said. We’ve seen signs that al-Sharaa does too.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          I spoke to Jerome Drevon at the International Crisis Group, who has interviewed al-Sharaa multiple times over the past decade. Drevon told me that while al-Sharaa remains an Islamist, he cut ties with the Islamic State in 2014 and Al Qaeda in 2016 because their extremism and violence were hurting his cause. Many Syrians found them terrifying.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          When he took control of the northwestern region of Idlib in Syria, he created a religious police force — then got rid of it when the population pushed back. He’s also dialed back on imposing a strict vision of Islamic law, particularly when it comes to physical punishment.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Uniting a divided country requires compromise. And compromise requires leaders who avoid getting entrenched in immovable ideological positions.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-weight:700">
          The importance of credibility
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Negotiating with your opponents is only one part of transitioning away from conflict. The harder part is often negotiating with your own supporters about how to give ground, Dudouet said. Leaders need another quality for those discussions: credibility.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Dudouet said one thing many of the leaders who’ve walked similar paths share is prison time. McGuinness was imprisoned twice. Mandela spent 27 years in prison.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Prison time is time to reflect and read. It also signals a readiness to sacrifice personal freedom for the cause, Dudouet said. That credibility is what helped Mandela start the conversations that would lead to the end of apartheid against the will of his base.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Al-Sharaa also spent time in prison in Iraq for his jihadist activities. But perhaps the main source of his credibility is being the man who overthrew Bashar al-Assad.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          This matters. He’s already made moves that aren’t popular with all his supporters. He’s courted Western countries and struck a measured tone on Israel, in order to secure vital international support for Syria.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          He has, however, also had to deal with incidents
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          of sectarian violence
         </a>
         <span>
          , including
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          one over the weekend
         </a>
         <span>
          , involving government forces — an early sign perhaps, that one of his biggest challenges in postwar Syria might come from those with whom he once shared a worldview.
         </span>
        </p>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td style="text-align:center">
            <img alt="" class="css-xsf469" height="500" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Fimages%252F2025%252F12%252F18%252Fmultimedia%252F18int-theworld-lede2-gvjp%252F18int-theworld-lede2-gvjp-jumbo.jpg/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU3NzU5fQ:1vW6bQ:MXGOj_GKbdFr6smMa7tddiFtxDBcbToCM_-IiB5Emlk" style="display:inline-block;width:83%;max-width:500px;height:auto;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:0;line-height:0" width="500"/>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="text-align:center;width:100%;padding-top:6px;padding-bottom:20px;line-height:12px">
            <span class="css-1wuwhda" style="width:83%;max-width:500px;display:inline-block;text-align:left">
             <span class="css-1hnedf7" style="color:#666;font:normal 12px georgia,serif">
              The new Syrian flag painted over a mural of Hafez al-Assad.
             </span>
             <span style="margin:0;font:11px/11px georgia,serif;color:#888;letter-spacing:.01em;padding-left:5px">
              Nicole Tung for The New York Times
             </span>
            </span>
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-weight:700">
          A changing region
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          But the success or failure of al-Sharaa’s ongoing transformation — and Syria’s — doesn’t just hinge on personal characteristics. External circumstances are important too.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          The collapse of apartheid in South Africa coincided with the end of the Cold War, when the West lost interest in supporting the regime. The Good Friday Agreement was aided by the process of E.U. integration, which helped Britain and Ireland see each other as partners.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Al-Sharaa has taken charge of Syria during a moment of enormous change in the Middle East. The region’s power dynamics
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          are evolving fast
         </a>
         <span>
          . (The decline of the Iranian power that supported Assad is part of how al-Sharaa became president in the first place.)
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          We don’t yet know if this will help or hinder his efforts to forge a new Syria, a task so challenging it’s hard to imagine the person who could pull it off. Perhaps, though, al-Sharaa has a better chance than most.
         </span>
        </p>
        <table width="100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td class="css-36ugzx" style="padding-bottom:15px">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-bottom:15px">
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td style="border-top:0 solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:15px">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr aria-hidden="true">
           <td>
            <div style="width:100%;text-align:center;line-height:0">
             <img alt="Ad" border="0" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fliveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com%252Fimp%253Fs%253D1175345%2526li%253DWOR%2526m%253Ddfbfebeec3e396a6cb1a8b032a80246c%2526p%253DWOR_20251218%2526stpe%253Ddefault/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXZlaW50ZW50LiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU3ODU0Nn0:1vW6bQ:LgodvG0dic8R2dIZZml1NYzSOxUFFb9ZftuA8wyR0DE" style="max-width:96px;margin-bottom:7px"/>
            </div>
            <span style="text-align:center">
             <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0 auto">
              <tbody>
               <tr>
                <td style="line-height:0;font-size:0">
                 <a class="css-sdwaa1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline" tabindex="-1" target="_blank">
                  <img alt="Ad" border="0" class="css-63f6sn" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fliveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com%252Fimp%253Fs%253D1175341%2526li%253DWOR%2526m%253Ddfbfebeec3e396a6cb1a8b032a80246c%2526p%253DWOR_20251218%2526stpe%253Ddefault%2526li_coord%253Ddesktop%2526collapse_width%253D600/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXZlaW50ZW50LiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU3OTQ5fQ:1vW6bQ:aPuWY9ahQkxghIDyPioQwVjNYL5jjAShiwVxinm5Hu0" style="display:block;width:100%;max-width:600px" width="600"/>
                 </a>
                </td>
               </tr>
               <tr class="css-1npprw9" style="display:none">
                <td style="line-height:0;font-size:0">
                 <a class="css-sdwaa1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline" tabindex="-1" target="_blank">
                  <img alt="Ad" border="0" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fliveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com%252Fimp%253Fs%253D1175341%2526li%253DWOR%2526m%253Ddfbfebeec3e396a6cb1a8b032a80246c%2526p%253DWOR_20251218%2526stpe%253Ddefault%2526li_coord%253Dmobile%2526collapse_width%253D480/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXZlaW50ZW50LiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU4MDQzfQ:1vW6bQ:8tSqbIn3pi4yM6LglEA6IA4uyRk-zSfi3gC4jPzBGrs" style="display:block;width:100%;max-width:480px" width="480"/>
                 </a>
                </td>
               </tr>
              </tbody>
             </table>
            </span>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="padding-bottom:15px;border-bottom:0 solid #dcdcdc">
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td height="30">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <td style="padding:0;font-size:0;border-top:14px solid #000">
           <h3 style="color:#000;font:700 17px/25px arial,sans-serif;margin:5px 0 30px 0;letter-spacing:.2px">
            <span style="font-weight:700">
             MORE TOP NEWS
            </span>
           </h3>
          </td>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td style="text-align:center">
            <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
             <img alt="An oil tanker at a port. " class="css-xsf469" height="500" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Fimages%252F2025%252F12%252F18%252Fmultimedia%252F18int-theworld-vene-tlbc%252F18int-theworld-vene-tlbc-jumbo.jpg/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU4MTY4fQ:1vW6bQ:iR9PQbeDEQ7YsCbOYpw7KZS2vSZsbUl1uslSEtdSulI" style="display:inline-block;width:83%;max-width:500px;height:auto;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:0;line-height:0" width="500"/>
            </a>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="text-align:center;width:100%;padding-top:3px;padding-bottom:20px;line-height:12px">
            <span class="css-1wuwhda" style="width:83%;max-width:500px;display:inline-block;text-align:right">
             <span style="margin:0;font:11px/11px georgia,serif;color:#888;letter-spacing:.01em;padding-left:0">
              Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times
             </span>
            </span>
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <h2 style="color:#000;font:700 24px/31px nyt-cheltenham,georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px">
         <span>
          Trump’s blockade threat against Venezuela
         </span>
        </h2>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          The Venezuelan government
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          ordered its navy to escort several oil ships
         </a>
         <span>
          yesterday after President Trump threatened a blockade on oil tankers going to and from Venezuela that are on a U.S. sanctions list.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          The
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          blockade threat
         </a>
         <span>
          has escalated the U.S. administration’s pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro, the leader of Venezuela. A U.S. official said Washington was aware of the military escort and was considering various courses of action.
         </span>
        </p>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td height="30">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <td style="padding:0;font-size:0;border-top:14px solid #000">
           <h3 style="color:#000;font:700 17px/25px arial,sans-serif;margin:5px 0 30px 0;letter-spacing:.2px">
            <span style="font-weight:700">
             OTHER NEWS
            </span>
           </h3>
          </td>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <div style="margin:0 auto;max-width:600px;width:100%">
         <table>
          <tbody>
           <tr>
            <td style="padding:0 0 5px">
             <ul class="css-1dtd48z" style="color:#333;font:10px georgia,serif;text-align:left;padding-left:50px">
              <li style="margin:0 0 10px 0;line-height:27.5px">
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                The surviving suspect in the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia was
               </span>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle;font-weight:700">
                charged
               </span>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                with
               </span>
               <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                murder, terrorism and 57 other crimes
               </a>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                . A
               </span>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle;font-weight:700">
                funeral was held
               </span>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                for
               </span>
               <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                a rabbi killed in the attack
               </a>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                .
               </span>
              </li>
              <li style="margin:0 0 10px 0;line-height:27.5px">
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                Nick Reiner
               </span>
               <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                appeared in court
               </a>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                but did not enter a plea after he was
               </span>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle;font-weight:700">
                charged with murdering
               </span>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                his parents, the director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele.
               </span>
              </li>
              <li style="margin:0 0 10px 0;line-height:27.5px">
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                The U.S. government
               </span>
               <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                admitted liability in the air collision
               </a>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                in the Washington, D.C., area that
               </span>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle;font-weight:700">
                killed 67 people early this year.
               </span>
              </li>
              <li style="margin:0 0 10px 0;line-height:27.5px">
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle;font-weight:700">
                Gen. Xu Qinxian of China defied orders
               </span>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                to crush the 1989 pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square.
               </span>
               <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                Video of his secret trial has leaked to YouTube
               </a>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                .
               </span>
              </li>
              <li style="margin:0 0 10px 0;line-height:27.5px">
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                Warner Bros. Discovery
               </span>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle;font-weight:700">
                urged shareholders to reject
               </span>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                a
               </span>
               <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                hostile takeover bid by Paramount
               </a>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                .
               </span>
              </li>
              <li style="margin:0 0 10px 0;line-height:27.5px">
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle;font-weight:700">
                Bali’s resorts and clubs
               </span>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                sit on
               </span>
               <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                mass graves from the anti-Communist purges
               </a>
               <span style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                of the 1960s.
               </span>
              </li>
             </ul>
            </td>
           </tr>
          </tbody>
         </table>
        </div>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td height="30">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <td style="padding:0;font-size:0;border-top:14px solid #000">
           <h3 style="color:#000;font:700 17px/25px arial,sans-serif;margin:5px 0 30px 0;letter-spacing:.2px">
            <span style="font-weight:700">
             SPORTS
            </span>
           </h3>
          </td>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-weight:700">
          Tennis:
         </span>
         <span>
          Carlos Alcaraz has
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          split with his longtime coach
         </a>
         <span>
          , Juan Carlos Ferrero.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-weight:700">
          Cricket:
         </span>
         <span>
          How Day 1 of the
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          crucial third Ashes test
         </a>
         <span>
          in Adelaide played out.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-weight:700">
          Boxing:
         </span>
         <span>
          Terence Crawford, one of the sport’s greats,
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          announced his retirement
         </a>
         <span>
          .
         </span>
        </p>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td style="border-top:0 solid #dcdcdc;padding-top:15px">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr aria-hidden="true">
           <td>
            <div style="width:100%;text-align:center;line-height:0">
             <img alt="Ad" border="0" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fliveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com%252Fimp%253Fs%253D1175355%2526li%253DWOR%2526m%253Ddfbfebeec3e396a6cb1a8b032a80246c%2526p%253DWOR_20251218%2526stpe%253Ddefault/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXZlaW50ZW50LiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU4Mjc1N30:1vW6bQ:I_eaASd7CqkKM95-IuXO-aDwhp2Qj4NPEr3rgNnDiVM" style="max-width:96px;margin-bottom:7px"/>
            </div>
            <span style="text-align:center">
             <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0 auto">
              <tbody>
               <tr>
                <td style="line-height:0;font-size:0">
                 <a class="css-sdwaa1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline" tabindex="-1" target="_blank">
                  <img alt="Ad" border="0" class="css-63f6sn" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fliveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com%252Fimp%253Fs%253D1175351%2526li%253DWOR%2526m%253Ddfbfebeec3e396a6cb1a8b032a80246c%2526p%253DWOR_20251218%2526stpe%253Ddefault%2526li_coord%253Ddesktop%2526collapse_width%253D600/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXZlaW50ZW50LiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU4Mzc0NH0:1vW6bQ:9XnAFFDn6Iu2PlDofPM1ZdBBdS1KmLpSzENP2eXlKUg" style="display:block;width:100%;max-width:600px" width="600"/>
                 </a>
                </td>
               </tr>
               <tr class="css-1npprw9" style="display:none">
                <td style="line-height:0;font-size:0">
                 <a class="css-sdwaa1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline" tabindex="-1" target="_blank">
                  <img alt="Ad" border="0" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fliveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com%252Fimp%253Fs%253D1175351%2526li%253DWOR%2526m%253Ddfbfebeec3e396a6cb1a8b032a80246c%2526p%253DWOR_20251218%2526stpe%253Ddefault%2526li_coord%253Dmobile%2526collapse_width%253D480/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXZlaW50ZW50LiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU4NDcxOX0:1vW6bQ:prYolHpocZ8uPPXCNtxCL0QAHet1gdsGQpx2NBwJfJA" style="display:block;width:100%;max-width:480px" width="480"/>
                 </a>
                </td>
               </tr>
              </tbody>
             </table>
            </span>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="padding-bottom:15px;border-bottom:0 solid #dcdcdc">
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td height="30">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <td style="padding:0;font-size:0;border-top:14px solid #000">
           <h3 style="color:#000;font:700 17px/25px arial,sans-serif;margin:5px 0 30px 0;letter-spacing:.2px">
            <span style="font-weight:700">
             WORD OF THE DAY
            </span>
           </h3>
          </td>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <h2 style="color:#000;font:700 24px/31px nyt-cheltenham,georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px">
         <span>
          Pellicle
         </span>
        </h2>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-style:italic">
          — The word, meaning a thin skin or film,
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font-style:italic">
          stumped Spelling Bee players more than any other
         </a>
         <span style="font-style:italic">
          this year. Just 18 percent found it.
         </span>
        </p>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td height="30">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <td style="padding:0;font-size:0;border-top:14px solid #000">
           <h3 style="color:#000;font:700 17px/25px arial,sans-serif;margin:5px 0 30px 0;letter-spacing:.2px">
            <span style="font-weight:700">
             MORNING READ
            </span>
           </h3>
          </td>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td style="text-align:center">
            <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
             <img alt="Ivan Urgant is shown standing next to a woman." class="css-xsf469" height="500" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Fimages%252F2025%252F12%252F18%252Fmultimedia%252F18int-theworld-ivan-zjmt%252F18int-theworld-ivan-zjmt-jumbo.jpg/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU4NTYyfQ:1vW6bQ:1i8jwvsbl9nCImLX_TJQF8wuYrM_V5J7xQDLTcbr3BE" style="display:inline-block;width:83%;max-width:500px;height:auto;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:0;line-height:0" width="500"/>
            </a>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="text-align:center;width:100%;padding-top:3px;padding-bottom:20px;line-height:12px">
            <span class="css-1wuwhda" style="width:83%;max-width:500px;display:inline-block;text-align:right">
             <span style="margin:0;font:11px/11px georgia,serif;color:#888;letter-spacing:.01em;padding-left:0">
              Matthias Hangst/Bongarts, via Getty Images
             </span>
            </span>
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Ivan Urgant was a Russian megastar, with a wildly successful late-night show on the flagship Channel One. Then in 2022, he posted a simple black square on Instagram as a symbolic protest of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          His show went dark, and he vanished from television, film and prominent events. But, unlike other anti-war entertainers, Urgant stayed in Russia. The result has been an uncomfortable in-between life. He is still working, but removed from the spotlight; still joking, but muzzled out of fear.
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font-weight:700">
          Read more
         </a>
         <span style="font-weight:700">
          .
         </span>
        </p>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td height="30">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <td style="padding:0;font-size:0;border-top:14px solid #000">
           <h3 style="color:#000;font:700 17px/25px arial,sans-serif;margin:5px 0 30px 0;letter-spacing:.2px">
            <span style="font-weight:700">
             AROUND THE WORLD
            </span>
           </h3>
          </td>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td style="text-align:center">
            <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
             <img alt="Ancient Roman ruins found during excavation for a subway station, with commuters and escalators in the background." class="css-xsf469" height="500" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Fimages%252F2025%252F12%252F16%252Fmultimedia%252F18int-theworld-treni2%252F18int-theworld-treni2-jumbo.jpg/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU4NjUwMn0:1vW6bQ:Rg_DB76VX1J15FzFh4xsOIYlUXTRMi3ddaHizfCwMSk" style="display:inline-block;width:83%;max-width:500px;height:auto;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:0;line-height:0" width="500"/>
            </a>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="text-align:center;width:100%;padding-top:3px;padding-bottom:20px;line-height:12px">
            <span class="css-1wuwhda" style="width:83%;max-width:500px;display:inline-block;text-align:right">
             <span style="margin:0;font:11px/11px georgia,serif;color:#888;letter-spacing:.01em;padding-left:0">
              Filippo Monteforte/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
             </span>
            </span>
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <h2 style="color:#000;font:700 24px/31px nyt-cheltenham,georgia,serif;margin:0 0 10px">
         <span>
          A bit of ancient Rome on the subway
         </span>
        </h2>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Two new subway stations that opened in Rome this week are
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          part museum, part train stop
         </a>
         <span>
          .
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Commuters can admire marvels of ancient history — thermal baths, wells, marble decorations — while waiting to catch their train. Nearly all of the artifacts were discovered at or near the construction sites of the subway stops during excavation. The items were removed, restored and put back in place, for commuters to appreciate.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said the stations exemplified how “complex engineering” can coexist with the “extraordinary historical stratification of our city.”
         </span>
        </p>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td height="30">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <td style="padding:0;font-size:0;border-top:14px solid #000">
           <h3 style="color:#000;font:700 17px/25px arial,sans-serif;margin:5px 0 30px 0;letter-spacing:.2px">
            <span style="font-weight:700">
             RECOMMENDATIONS
            </span>
           </h3>
          </td>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-weight:700">
          Visit:
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          Spend 36 hours in Toulouse, France
         </a>
         <span>
          .
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-weight:700">
          Plan:
         </span>
         <span>
          How to
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          avoid an Airbnb fail
         </a>
         <span>
          on your next vacation.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-weight:700">
          Watch:
         </span>
         <span>
          Here are
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          four true crime picks
         </a>
         <span>
          worth checking out.
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-weight:700">
          Train:
         </span>
         <span>
          If you’re a regular runner,
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          these six mobility exercises
         </a>
         <span>
          are for you.
         </span>
        </p>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td height="30">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <td style="padding:0;font-size:0;border-top:14px solid #000">
           <h3 style="color:#000;font:700 17px/25px arial,sans-serif;margin:5px 0 30px 0;letter-spacing:.2px">
            <span style="font-weight:700">
             RECIPE
            </span>
           </h3>
          </td>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td style="text-align:center">
            <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
             <img alt="A plate of rice and beef with a yogurt sauce and parsley. " class="css-xsf469" height="333" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Fimages%252F2025%252F11%252F11%252Fmultimedia%252F18int-theworld-food%252F11FD-KC-Beef-Biryani-With-Cumin-Raita-zlwp-jumbo.jpg/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU4NzQyNX0:1vW6bQ:eA5v0YY4BJlBKhO8L_jj3abLrwO-3adajMru-e0yvxk" style="display:inline-block;width:83%;max-width:500px;height:auto;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:0;line-height:0" width="500"/>
            </a>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="text-align:center;width:100%;padding-top:3px;padding-bottom:20px;line-height:12px">
            <span class="css-1wuwhda" style="width:83%;max-width:500px;display:inline-block;text-align:right">
             <span style="margin:0;font:11px/11px georgia,serif;color:#888;letter-spacing:.01em;padding-left:0">
              Linda Xiao for The New York Times
             </span>
            </span>
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span>
          This cheater version of
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
          beef biryani
         </a>
         <span>
          allows you to enjoy the wonderfully fragrant and complex dish without hours of preparation. The shortcut method here gives the rice a head start in a Dutch oven, while a ground beef mixture comes together quickly in a skillet.
         </span>
        </p>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td height="30">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <td style="padding:0;font-size:0;border-top:14px solid #000">
           <h3 style="color:#000;font:700 17px/25px arial,sans-serif;margin:5px 0 30px 0;letter-spacing:.2px">
            <span style="font-weight:700">
             WHERE IS THIS?
            </span>
           </h3>
          </td>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td style="text-align:center">
            <img alt="A spacious open-air area of pale stone, flooded with natural light, is surrounded by towering walls with geometric designs and monumental arched doorways above a broad flight of stairs. A young woman runs down the steps." class="css-xsf469" height="333" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Fimages%252F2025%252F04%252F09%252Fmultimedia%252F18int-theworld-quiz%252F18int-theworld-quiz-jumbo-v4.jpg/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU4ODQzfQ:1vW6bQ:1H_l-a9qxEmZ9zHF30W9o13ZFT4B1iHndVmgBHUgMBE" style="display:inline-block;width:83%;max-width:500px;height:auto;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:0;line-height:0" width="500"/>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="text-align:center;width:100%;padding-top:3px;padding-bottom:20px;line-height:12px">
            <span class="css-1wuwhda" style="width:83%;max-width:500px;display:inline-block;text-align:right">
             <span style="margin:0;font:11px/11px georgia,serif;color:#888;letter-spacing:.01em;padding-left:0">
              Yassine Alaoui Ismaili for The New York Times
             </span>
            </span>
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-weight:700">
          Where is this mosque?
         </span>
        </p>
        <div style="margin:0 auto;max-width:600px;width:100%">
         <table>
          <tbody>
           <tr>
            <td style="padding:0 0 5px">
             <ul class="css-1dtd48z" style="color:#333;font:10px georgia,serif;text-align:left;padding-left:50px">
              <li style="margin:0 0 10px 0;line-height:27.5px">
               <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                Casablanca, Morocco
               </a>
              </li>
              <li style="margin:0 0 10px 0;line-height:27.5px">
               <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                Tunis, Tunisia
               </a>
              </li>
              <li style="margin:0 0 10px 0;line-height:27.5px">
               <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                Gaziantep, Turkey
               </a>
              </li>
              <li style="margin:0 0 10px 0;line-height:27.5px">
               <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;vertical-align:middle">
                Seville, Spain
               </a>
              </li>
             </ul>
            </td>
           </tr>
          </tbody>
         </table>
        </div>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td height="30">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <td style="padding:0;font-size:0;border-top:14px solid #000">
           <h3 style="color:#000;font:700 17px/25px arial,sans-serif;margin:5px 0 30px 0;letter-spacing:.2px">
            <span style="font-weight:700">
             TIME TO PLAY
            </span>
           </h3>
          </td>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td>
            <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
             <tbody>
              <tr class="css-bxyyup" style="display:none">
               <td>
                <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
                 <tbody>
                  <tr>
                   <td style="border-bottom:1px solid #dcdcdc;border-right:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding:0 0 16px 0" width="50%">
                    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
                     <tbody>
                      <tr>
                       <td width="62">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <img alt="Wordle" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Femail-images%252Fimages%252Fgames%252Fwordle_logo_clipped.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU4OTM0fQ:1vW6bQ:mvtQg_HnQfT1i6wLPUYWusUbFHt5QzIChJsU4kecl34" style="display:block" width="62"/>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                       <td valign="middle">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <p style="margin:0 0 0 24px;color:#000;font:700 20px/25px georgia,serif">
                          Wordle →
                         </p>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                      </tr>
                     </tbody>
                    </table>
                   </td>
                   <td style="border-bottom:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding:0 0 16px 0" width="50%">
                    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
                     <tbody>
                      <tr>
                       <td style="padding-left:24px" width="62">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <img alt="Connections" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Femail-images%252Fimages%252Fgames%252Fconnections_logo_clipped.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU5MDE5NX0:1vW6bQ:cbyO49rM-yl25iCtYltb46qY_Q1Qd2kmtGLugLJySqM" style="display:block" width="62"/>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                       <td valign="middle">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <p style="margin:0 0 0 24px;color:#000;font:700 20px/25px georgia,serif">
                          Connections →
                         </p>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                      </tr>
                     </tbody>
                    </table>
                   </td>
                  </tr>
                 </tbody>
                </table>
                <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
                 <tbody>
                  <tr>
                   <td style="border-bottom:1px solid #dcdcdc;border-right:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding:16px 0" width="50%">
                    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
                     <tbody>
                      <tr>
                       <td width="62">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <img alt="Strands" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Femail-images%252Fimages%252Fgames%252Fstrands_logo.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU5MTAzN30:1vW6bQ:k8igNjHJLirxmReZeuasK_FZSawVsJP-5wR0YjuKmE8" style="display:block" width="62"/>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                       <td valign="middle">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <p style="margin:0 0 0 24px;color:#000;font:700 20px/25px georgia,serif">
                          Strands →
                         </p>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                      </tr>
                     </tbody>
                    </table>
                   </td>
                   <td style="border-bottom:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding:16px 0" width="50%">
                    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
                     <tbody>
                      <tr>
                       <td style="padding-left:24px" width="62">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <img alt="Spelling Bee" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Femail-images%252Fimages%252Fgames%252Fspelling_bee_logo.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU5MjE2Mn0:1vW6bQ:9zWFGlrUBPPnDQWLEUMUWYgqxxlf9p486BARMInSLlU" style="display:block" width="62"/>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                       <td valign="middle">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <p style="margin:0 0 0 24px;color:#000;font:700 20px/25px georgia,serif">
                          Spelling Bee →
                         </p>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                      </tr>
                     </tbody>
                    </table>
                   </td>
                  </tr>
                 </tbody>
                </table>
                <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
                 <tbody>
                  <tr>
                   <td style="border-right:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding:16px 0" width="50%">
                    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
                     <tbody>
                      <tr>
                       <td width="62">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <img alt="Crossword" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Femail-images%252Fimages%252Fgames%252Fcrossword_logo.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU5MzA3fQ:1vW6bQ:wP_6fEf7mqnkqkqWiGNljkNjxIOX3JEmTp1dC5DjT7A" style="display:block" width="62"/>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                       <td valign="middle">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <p style="margin:0 0 0 24px;color:#000;font:700 20px/25px georgia,serif">
                          Crossword →
                         </p>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                      </tr>
                     </tbody>
                    </table>
                   </td>
                   <td style="padding:16px 0" width="50%">
                    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
                     <tbody>
                      <tr>
                       <td style="padding-left:24px" width="62">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <img alt="Mini" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Femail-images%252Fimages%252Fgames%252Fmini_logo.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU5MzkzMX0:1vW6bQ:I1uWyCoKtD3Yt-pS6OnaxAiA6cDSEV9ATAI181bGcAw" style="display:block" width="62"/>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                       <td valign="middle">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <p style="margin:0 0 0 24px;color:#000;font:700 20px/25px georgia,serif">
                          Mini →
                         </p>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                      </tr>
                     </tbody>
                    </table>
                   </td>
                  </tr>
                 </tbody>
                </table>
               </td>
              </tr>
              <tr>
               <td>
                <div>
                 <!--[if !mso]><!-- -->
                </div>
                <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
                 <tbody>
                  <tr class="css-9r40m1" style="display:block;border-bottom:1px solid #dcdcdc">
                   <td style="padding:0 0 16px 0" width="100%">
                    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
                     <tbody>
                      <tr>
                       <td width="62">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <img alt="Wordle" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Femail-images%252Fimages%252Fgames%252Fwordle_logo_clipped.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU5NDgyfQ:1vW6bQ:nJ0rA_RF7PXMHcUeWacBpOR3XxnjoFz243z8yQZdk0Q" style="display:block" width="62"/>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                       <td valign="middle">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <p style="margin:0 0 0 24px;color:#000;font:700 20px/25px georgia,serif">
                          Wordle →
                         </p>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                      </tr>
                     </tbody>
                    </table>
                   </td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr class="css-9r40m1" style="display:block;border-bottom:1px solid #dcdcdc">
                   <td style="padding:16px 0" width="100%">
                    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
                     <tbody>
                      <tr>
                       <td width="62">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <img alt="Connections" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Femail-images%252Fimages%252Fgames%252Fconnections_logo_clipped.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU5NTcxMn0:1vW6bQ:uQE55VmXwI3PIr7Pc4egcsKRXzuQNHMZBX429FuqaEE" style="display:block" width="62"/>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                       <td valign="middle">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <p style="margin:0 0 0 24px;color:#000;font:700 20px/25px georgia,serif">
                          Connections →
                         </p>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                      </tr>
                     </tbody>
                    </table>
                   </td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr class="css-9r40m1" style="display:block;border-bottom:1px solid #dcdcdc">
                   <td style="padding:16px 0" width="100%">
                    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
                     <tbody>
                      <tr>
                       <td width="62">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <img alt="Strands" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Femail-images%252Fimages%252Fgames%252Fstrands_logo.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU5NjU1OX0:1vW6bQ:C8oNjCl8E2zQJnDzLqaLD7-F8WKa4bn06Llr3TnblHA" style="display:block" width="62"/>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                       <td valign="middle">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <p style="margin:0 0 0 24px;color:#000;font:700 20px/25px georgia,serif">
                          Strands →
                         </p>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                      </tr>
                     </tbody>
                    </table>
                   </td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr class="css-9r40m1" style="display:block;border-bottom:1px solid #dcdcdc">
                   <td style="padding:16px 0" width="100%">
                    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
                     <tbody>
                      <tr>
                       <td width="62">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <img alt="Spelling Bee" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Femail-images%252Fimages%252Fgames%252Fspelling_bee_logo.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU5NzQxN30:1vW6bQ:gWFa6VummakNPwIcgXx8fviNdBiUurbmvC31o6ZVNLg" style="display:block" width="62"/>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                       <td valign="middle">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <p style="margin:0 0 0 24px;color:#000;font:700 20px/25px georgia,serif">
                          Spelling Bee →
                         </p>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                      </tr>
                     </tbody>
                    </table>
                   </td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr class="css-9r40m1" style="display:block;border-bottom:1px solid #dcdcdc">
                   <td style="padding:16px 0" width="100%">
                    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
                     <tbody>
                      <tr>
                       <td width="62">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <img alt="Crossword" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Femail-images%252Fimages%252Fgames%252Fcrossword_logo.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU5ODI3OH0:1vW6bQ:0Pc5XTsy2y_wyvbeluJ7rZcJvFRIju5NpytnW-BgLgM" style="display:block" width="62"/>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                       <td valign="middle">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <p style="margin:0 0 0 24px;color:#000;font:700 20px/25px georgia,serif">
                          Crossword →
                         </p>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                      </tr>
                     </tbody>
                    </table>
                   </td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr class="css-9r40m1" style="display:block">
                   <td style="padding:16px 0" width="100%">
                    <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="width:100%">
                     <tbody>
                      <tr>
                       <td width="62">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <img alt="Mini" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%252Femail-images%252Fimages%252Fgames%252Fmini_logo.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMwMS5ueSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODU5OTE0M30:1vW6bQ:EIfI0hhZRbB0z_liqTJdbPgOeUf5Dyk7GGi5NCJ30-U" style="display:block" width="62"/>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                       <td valign="middle">
                        <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap">
                         <p style="margin:0 0 0 24px;color:#000;font:700 20px/25px georgia,serif">
                          Mini →
                         </p>
                        </a>
                       </td>
                      </tr>
                     </tbody>
                    </table>
                   </td>
                  </tr>
                 </tbody>
                </table>
                <div>
                 <!--<![endif]-->
                </div>
               </td>
              </tr>
              <tr>
               <td height="16">
               </td>
              </tr>
             </tbody>
            </table>
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <table width="100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td class="css-36ugzx" style="padding-bottom:15px">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-bottom:15px">
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-style:italic;font-weight:700">
          You’re done for today. See you tomorrow! — Katrin
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-style:italic">
          You are receiving free access to stories linked in The World newsletter. Access to these articles is available for a limited time. We may change or remove this feature at our sole discretion in accordance with our
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font-style:italic">
          Terms of Service
         </a>
         <span style="font-style:italic">
          .
         </span>
        </p>
        <p style="font:normal 17px/25px georgia,serif;color:#333;margin:0 0 15px">
         <span style="font-style:italic">
          We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at
         </span>
         <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;font-style:italic">
          theworld@nytimes.com
         </a>
         <span style="font-style:italic">
          .
         </span>
        </p>
        <div aria-hidden="true" style="overflow:hidden;height:0;width:100%;max-width:600px;margin:0 auto">
         <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="40">
          <tbody>
           <tr>
            <td height="6">
             <img border="0" height="6" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fliveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com%252Fimp%253Fs%253D128186400%2526sz%253D2x1%2526m%253Ddfbfebeec3e396a6cb1a8b032a80246c%2526p%253DWOR_20251218%2526li%253DWOR/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXZlaW50ZW50LiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODYwMDA2fQ:1vW6bQ:1RZJjm36cc6ZMfH7uB_VZfBErZVwmkkv7uO4IqUpwR4" width="2"/>
            </td>
            <td height="6">
             <img border="0" height="6" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fliveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com%252Fimp%253Fs%253D128186401%2526sz%253D2x1%2526m%253Ddfbfebeec3e396a6cb1a8b032a80246c%2526p%253DWOR_20251218%2526li%253DWOR/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXZlaW50ZW50LiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODYwMTA3fQ:1vW6bQ:zzXZ0rKNff9YXb0QTmZF9fNXJwUPBDb12LnhRmwL2X4" width="2"/>
            </td>
            <td height="6">
             <img border="0" height="6" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fliveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com%252Fimp%253Fs%253D128186402%2526sz%253D2x1%2526m%253Ddfbfebeec3e396a6cb1a8b032a80246c%2526p%253DWOR_20251218%2526li%253DWOR/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXZlaW50ZW50LiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODYwMjM1N30:1vW6bQ:KmjdXdJCBV5aUVWsTeBuwlQkmt6ldOj3zWxn68snNcc" width="2"/>
            </td>
            <td height="6">
             <img border="0" height="6" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fliveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com%252Fimp%253Fs%253D128186403%2526sz%253D2x1%2526m%253Ddfbfebeec3e396a6cb1a8b032a80246c%2526p%253DWOR_20251218%2526li%253DWOR/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXZlaW50ZW50LiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODYwMzM0OX0:1vW6bQ:J6vti6ogiG6mxh6pbXzo-QNiXPJMbBXs_7d2FawEvLI" width="2"/>
            </td>
            <td height="6">
             <img border="0" height="6" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fliveintent.newyorktimesinfo.com%252Fimp%253Fs%253D128186404%2526sz%253D2x1%2526m%253Ddfbfebeec3e396a6cb1a8b032a80246c%2526p%253DWOR_20251218%2526li%253DWOR/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZsaXZlaW50ZW50LiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODYwNDZ9:1vW6bQ:gPqkLi79IolMd97FjbBjmJbAhoduSKRUiXt62ysHeBM" width="2"/>
            </td>
           </tr>
          </tbody>
         </table>
        </div>
        <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%">
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td style="border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding:20px 0">
            <img alt="The World Newsletter Logo" class="css-e0mvvo" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic.nytimes.com%252Femail-images%252Fmorning-briefing%252Fworld%252FTheWorld-New.jpg/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMubnl0aSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODYwNTUzM30:1vW6bQ:BIu_nUA0HXFd3V7n46ecTOvT-XB-zoTY50phh3rYH_g" style="display:block" width="90"/>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="padding:0 0 30px">
            <p style="font:400 12px/18px arial,sans-serif;color:#333;letter-spacing:0;margin:0">
             <span style="font:700 12px/18px arial,sans-serif">
              Host:
             </span>
             Katrin Bennhold
            </p>
            <p style="font:400 12px/18px arial,sans-serif;color:#333;letter-spacing:0;margin:0">
             <span style="font:700 12px/18px arial,sans-serif">
              Editor:
             </span>
             Alicia Wittmeyer
            </p>
            <p style="font:400 12px/18px arial,sans-serif;color:#333;letter-spacing:0;margin:0">
             <span style="font:700 12px/18px arial,sans-serif">
              News Editors:
             </span>
             <span style="display:inline-block">
              Desiree Ibekwe
             </span>
             ,
             <span style="display:inline-block">
              Carole Landry
             </span>
            </p>
            <p style="font:400 12px/18px arial,sans-serif;color:#333;letter-spacing:0;margin:0">
             <span style="font:700 12px/18px arial,sans-serif">
              Producer:
             </span>
             Parin Behrooz
            </p>
            <p style="font:400 12px/18px arial,sans-serif;color:#333;letter-spacing:0;margin:0">
             <span style="font:700 12px/18px arial,sans-serif">
              Deputy International Editor:
             </span>
             Adam Pasick
            </p>
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
        <table>
         <tbody>
          <tr>
           <td style="height:15px">
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="padding:12px 0;border-top:1px solid #000">
            <p style="font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;color:#666;margin-bottom:7px">
             If you received this newsletter from someone else,
             <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">
              subscribe here
             </a>
             .
            </p>
            <p style="font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;color:#666;margin-bottom:7px">
             Need help? Review our
             <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">
              newsletter help page
             </a>
             or
             <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">
              contact us
             </a>
             for assistance.
            </p>
            <p style="font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;color:#666;margin-bottom:7px">
             <span>
              You received this email because you signed up for The World from The New York Times.
             </span>
            </p>
            <p style="font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;color:#666;margin-bottom:7px">
             To stop receiving The World,
             <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">
              unsubscribe
             </a>
             . To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic,
             <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">
              manage your email settings
             </a>
             .
            </p>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="padding:10px 0;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc">
            <p style="font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;color:#666;margin:0">
             <a class="css-1n5iqtj" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">
              Subscribe to The Times
             </a>
             <a class="css-wf08f0" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0;display:none">
              Get The New York Times app
             </a>
            </p>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="padding:9px 0 8px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc">
            <table>
             <tbody>
              <tr>
               <td style="padding-right:15px">
                <p style="font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;color:#666;margin:0">
                 Connect with us on:
                </p>
               </td>
               <td style="padding-right:15px">
                <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
                 <img alt="facebook" height="25" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic.nytimes.com%252Femail-images%252Fdesign-system%252Fsocial-icons%252Ffacebook.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMubnl0aSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODYwNjQwNX0:1vW6bQ:CTX2m3RO5-6x7F4GBx0G3YHA7OTeCigXALPHCyzgq_Q" style="vertical-align:middle" width="25"/>
                </a>
               </td>
               <td style="padding-right:15px">
                <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
                 <img alt="x" height="25" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic.nytimes.com%252Femail-images%252Fdesign-system%252Fsocial-icons%252Fx.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMubnl0aSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODYwNzc0NX0:1vW6bQ:FZwV651aR-SK8gmxWW3cOkCqxI7nfvbPxb2wGI-C6cQ" style="vertical-align:middle" width="25"/>
                </a>
               </td>
               <td style="padding-right:15px">
                <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
                 <img alt="instagram" height="25" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic.nytimes.com%252Femail-images%252Fdesign-system%252Fsocial-icons%252Finstagram.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMubnl0aSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODYwODY1fQ:1vW6bQ:m01ecTSCdqLuWNDuY4okTNzUHG8mCUncHLwV2IBcQpg" style="vertical-align:middle" width="25"/>
                </a>
               </td>
               <td style="padding-right:15px">
                <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="color:#286ed0;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline">
                 <img alt="whatsapp" height="25" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic.nytimes.com%252Femail-images%252Fdesign-system%252Fsocial-icons%252Fwhatsapp.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMubnl0aSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODYwOTQ4OH0:1vW6bQ:x5mDuH8mST5_Omwhmh6d32AQPYtZA-GWZkgBhhddb2M" style="vertical-align:middle" width="25"/>
                </a>
               </td>
              </tr>
             </tbody>
            </table>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="padding:10px 0;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc">
            <p style="font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;color:#666;margin:0;line-height:20px">
             <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0;display:inline-block;border-right:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-right:10px;margin-right:10px">
              Change Your Email
             </a>
             <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0;display:inline-block;border-right:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-right:10px;margin-right:10px">
              Privacy Policy
             </a>
             <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0;display:inline-block;border-right:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-right:10px;margin-right:10px">
              Contact Us
             </a>
             <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#286ed0">
              California Notices
             </a>
            </p>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="padding:5px 0 7px;border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc">
            <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#666;line-height:0;display:inline-block;border-right:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding-right:10px;margin-right:10px">
             <img alt="LiveIntent Logo" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic.nytimes.com%252Femail-images%252Fdesign-system%252Fads%252Fliveintentads.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMubnl0aSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODYxMDMzfQ:1vW6bQ:JrrDhygjUgk5mlqBw0hUk7g6sSr_6YzIU7RoTsCRvN8" style="vertical-align:middle" width="150"/>
            </a>
            <a class="css-sdwaa1" style="-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:none;color:#666;line-height:0">
             <img alt="AdChoices Logo" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fstatic.nytimes.com%252Femail-images%252Fdesign-system%252Fads%252Fadchoices.png/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZzdGF0aWMubnl0aSIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODYxMTE2fQ:1vW6bQ:KoDztqF73Ua4Pb84POOxNIZluq1bbGa6bTtxzgUZNc0" style="vertical-align:middle" width="70"/>
            </a>
           </td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
           <td style="border-top:1px solid #dcdcdc;padding:10px 0 30px">
            <p style="color:#999;font:12px/15px arial,sans-serif;margin:0">
             The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018
            </p>
           </td>
          </tr>
         </tbody>
        </table>
       </div>
      </td>
     </tr>
    </tbody>
   </table>
   <!--[if mso | IE]></td></tr></table><![endif]-->
  </div>
  <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://inboxflows.com/_/image/https%253A%252F%252Fnl.nytimes.com%252Fq%252FMbkJ-jsH_5C_kDWQ-5YtKg~~%252FAAAAARA~%252F0Vo9eDcTq9gkdlqs_JWaSaIM5u_GhB25p8gUdsEhTcWKB_pxlrpGThSIfsDuMbATZovJ9insCjbhOig_u8KUFw~~/?inbox_flows_img_sig=eyJwYXRoIjoiaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZubC5ueXRpbWVzLiIsInRpbWUiOjE3NjYwMzU4NjQuODYxMjEyNX0:1vW6bQ:wCbcUbeDohEg_Bqjcsv_I8DP9KFSG-bJbV95JTFZeYQ" width="1"/>
 </body>
</html>