Good morning. We're covering threats to counterterrorism efforts from the coup in Niger as well as the return of Tony Blair. |
Plus: In the Women's World Cup semifinal, a dream ending for England and a dream denied for Australia. |
 | | Niger has been a centerpiece of American efforts to combat Islamist militants in the region.Tara Todras-Whitehill for The New York Times |
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The costs of the coup in Niger |
The military takeover in Niger has upended years of Western counterterrorism efforts in West Africa. The coup also poses challenges for the Biden administration's fight against Islamist militants on the continent, especially in the Sahel, the semiarid region south of the Sahara where groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State are quickly gaining ground. |
Niger, an impoverished nation of 25 million people that is nearly twice the size of Texas, has recently been the exception to that trend. Terrorist attacks against civilians there decreased by 49 percent this year, largely because of French and U.S. troops' training and assisting of Nigerien forces there, as well as efforts from the deposed president, analysts say. |
Those gains could be in jeopardy if a regional conflict breaks out or if the junta orders the Western forces, including 1,100 American troops, to leave and three U.S. drone bases to be shuttered. It could also open the door to Russian influence in Niger in the form of the Kremlin-backed Wagner private military company. |
Consequences: A security vacuum in Niger could embolden the militants to ramp up propaganda, increase recruitment, establish ministates in remote areas and plot attacks against Western countries. Removing the relatively small U.S. presence would make it harder to manage threats as they emerge, officials said. |
 | | A Ukrainian soldier checked coordinates as his team fired a rocket in the Donetsk region.Mauricio Lima for The New York Times |
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Ukraine claims another small gain |
Ukraine's forces have driven further into the Mokri Yaly River Valley in the south of the country, retaking the tiny village of Urozhaine, with a population of under 1,000. The recapture of the village, the first by Kyiv's forces since late July, follows the retreat by Russian forces after more than a week of fighting. |
Ukraine now holds positions on both banks of the Mokri Yaly River. But the fact that progress in Kyiv's counteroffensive is measured by the recapture of small villages reinforces how difficult the fighting has become. |
In other news: As Russia threatens ships in the Black Sea, the 40-mile Sulina Channel has kept grain flowing, becoming a vital and safe lifeline for Ukraine. |
 | | Sam Kerr, lost in her thoughts amid England's celebrations after the final whistle.Brendon Thorne/Getty Images |
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England triumphs against Australia |
Spain and England will face off in the final of the Women's World Cup on Sunday, after England beat Australia, 3-1, yesterday, in a game that broke hearts across the host nation. |
For three weeks, the Matildas have held Australia in the palms of their hands, across exhilarating highs and moments of exquisite tension. Sam Kerr, the team's captain and superstar, has had to miss most of the tournament because of a calf injury. Against England on Wednesday, she scored one extraordinary goal — but she could not follow it with others. |
Effects: Alex Chidiac, a midfielder for the Matildas, said that the country's run in this tournament will leave a "lasting legacy." Read more about the long rise of women's sports in Australia. |
 | | Pool photo by Henry Nicholls |
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- Tony Blair is back. The former British prime minister has returned to the good graces of his party, Labour, ahead of next year's election.
- As the search effort continues after devastating wildfires, Maui's residents try to balance helping loved ones with the tourism work needed to support themselves.
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken faces a crisis: a huge backlog of passport applications that is creating summer travel nightmares for Americans.
- Xuxa was Brazil's biggest TV star. Decades later, the country is reckoning with how a blond white woman became the symbol of such a diverse country.
- The British Museum fired a staff member on suspicion of looting jewels and started a review of its security practices.
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- Start-ups and investors are taking extraordinary measures to obtain critical chips known as graphics processing units, or GPUs, to power A.I. products.
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 | | Emma Mcintyre/Getty Images |
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- They saw Taylor Swift. They went to Disneyland. But other elements of the 10-day California vacation taken by Britain's prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and his family were kept strictly under wraps.
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- A windmill in the English countryside featured in the 1968 movie "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is for sale.
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 | | Olivier Chassignole/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
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France's vast but aging system of public pools is feeling the strains of rising energy costs, increasing water scarcity and mounting budgetary pressure. |
As heat waves become more frequent, conflicts over spending priorities could become more common. A new stadium stands opposite a closed pool in Montlhéry, south of Paris. "They found money for soccer, but not for swimming," one local swimmer said. |
| SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC |
 | | Rafael Pavarotti/Vogue |
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A new debate about beauty standards |
The cover has generated enthusiasm among some and consternation among others, who question the promotion of these women as paragons of mature beauty when the years have seemingly been smoothed from their faces. The models look "so retouched that they seem more like A.I.-generated bots than actual people," Vanessa Friedman, The Times's chief fashion critic, writes. |
 | | David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. |
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That's it for today's briefing. Thanks for joining me. — Natasha |
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