SEATTLE The Seattle Times Turns 130 Under Fifth-Generation Family Stewardship
In 1896, Alden Blethen arrived in Seattle—then a remote town near the Canadian border and at the edge of the continent—with a firm determination to develop the newspaper he had recently acquired. In 1913, he expressed that dream in a telegram to his younger son, C.B. Blethen, who was then editor of The Seattle Times: He hoped that a century later, the newspaper would be even more influential and would remain under the control of his descendants.
Alden proved farsighted. Today, The Seattle Times...
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WORLD New Agreement Changes the Format of Syria–Russia Cooperation
A new memorandum between Damascus and Moscow on the Hmeimim and Tartus bases opens a new stage in bilateral relations. The negotiations lasted about...
USA Government Decisions Between Protecting Society and Projecting Strength
The materials presented are not directly connected by a single topic: the first focuses on a review of the childhood vaccination schedule in the...
NEIGHBORS Vancouver Island: From Goats to Bears — Summer Challenges
British Columbians continue to grapple with the consequences of the warm season: while Vancouver Island chooses the best roadside attraction from...
SEATTLE Delay in College Sports Bill Raises Tensions in NCAA
The Protect College Sports Act, which is intended to establish federal rules for college sports in the United States, did not receive a Senate vote...
SEATTLE Malden Faces Fire Threat Again, but the Town Is Protected
Six years after a fire destroyed about 80% of Malden in Whitman County, a new wildfire once again approached the town. This time, however,...
EVENTS Events in Seattle: August 10–17, 2026
From August 10 to 17, Seattle and its surrounding areas turn into one large summer stage, with concerts by Yeat, ZZ Top, Jason Isbell, and other...
EVENTS Events in Seattle: August 9–16, 2026
From August 9 through 16, Seattle and the surrounding area will become one big summer stage. City neighborhoods will host music festivals, art...
EVENTS Seattle in August: Events from August 7–30, 2026
August in Seattle gets off to a bright and confident start: the city seems to switch into celebration mode, and the first few days already offer...
USA From Local Incidents to Systemic Responsibility
Three pieces cover very different events: a product recall in the United States, a rescue operation on an island in the Susquehanna River, and a news...
Seattle
Gates Foundation to Give $540 Million to UW Global Health Research
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will give the University of Washington $540.2 million — the largest one-time donation in the university’s...
MacKenzie Scott Returns to the Literary Spotlight
MacKenzie Scott, one of the best-known yet most private billionaire philanthropists, has announced the release of a new novel. It is her first book...
Heat and Smoke Return: Forecast, Mariners Rout and a Legendary Grand Slam
A roundup of Seattle news: meteorologists warn of another wave of heat and smoke, the Mariners suffer a lopsided loss to Tampa Bay, and we look back...
Amanda Knox’s play sparks new conflict with Meredith Kercher’s family
Amanda Knox is defending Cartwheel, a comedy show scheduled to appear at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. According to Knox, the production is about...
How to Increase Your Home’s Chances of Surviving a Wildfire
After recent fires in the Spokane area destroyed hundreds of structures, the threat of more dangerous weather events may seem especially frightening....
An Online Radio Station in Ballard Broadcasts Sea Lion Voices
For Chris Mills, Seattle sounds like sea lions. From around October through June, their barks, bleats and cries carry from Shilshole Bay to his home...
Judge Allows Budget Impact Assessment of Millionaires Tax Repeal
Thurston County Superior Court Judge Chris Lanese ruled that including information on the budgetary consequences of repealing the tax on high-income...
Seattle Gets a Brief Respite From Smoke, but Fire Danger Persists
After several days of wildfire smoke hanging over Seattle, blue skies returned above the city on Saturday. According to the state Department of...
Seattle today: development, smoke, and a new “Huskies” voice
A controversial law has been passed in Seattle that limits public appeals of environmental rulings in order to speed up housing construction. Western...
Weather
🌤️ 10-Day Weather Forecast for Seattle, Washington
Today, Monday, August 10, Seattle is expected to have mostly sunny and pleasant weather. The daytime temperature will reach a comfortable 75°F, while overnight temperatures will drop to 57°F. Winds will be light from the north-northeast at around 1 mph, so the day should be calm. Humidity will be moderate, and the UV index will reach 7 (high), so sunscreen is recommended during the midday hours. Atmospheric pressure is within the normal range, and visibility is excellent. The moon is in its...
Neighbors
Renting in B.C.: A “Generational Path” or an Illusion of Progress?
British Columbia sees light at the end of the rental tunnel, but the numbers tell a more ambiguous story
British Columbia’s Ministry of Housing was quick to announce a “generational path to prosperity” after the release of Rentals.ca’s latest national rental report. However, the newest data paint a far more complex and contradictory picture than the optimistic statements from officials suggest. The August 2026 report, which analyzes July figures, continues to show that the province’s rental...
Renting in Vancouver: Prices Are Falling, But Break Records; Transit Faces Threat
Canada’s rental market continues to cool: in July, the average rate fell 4% year over year, but Metro Vancouver remains the country’s priciest region—North Vancouver still leads, with $3,458 for a two-bedroom. British Columbia has seen declines for 25 months in a row, though prices are rising in Atlantic Canada. Meanwhile, bus drivers and SeaBus crews have rejected a tentative agreement with Coast Mountain Bus Company for the second time: starting August 17, they will stop wearing uniforms, but...
British Columbia News: Rentals, Wildfires, Energy
Rent is continuing to drop across the province, but housing remains expensive. Police are investigating possible arson amid major wildfire activity. BC Hydro is buying a gas power station to improve grid reliability.
Rental in British Columbia keeps getting cheaper, but affordability is still a long way off
British Columbia’s rental market is in a landmark phase: housing prices have been falling for the 25th month in a row, marking the longest streak of price declines in recent years. According...
Vancouver: top-tier stadium, tourist rescued, fire in the park
Top stories of the day: BC Place was named one of the best concert stadiums in the world, a missing tourist was found alive after three nights in the wilderness, and in the Belcarra Regional Park near Vancouver, a wildfire was brought under control.
BC Place named one of the world’s best stadiums for concerts
Vancouver’s BC Place has made a list of the top twenty stadiums in the world, according to live-industry experts. The ranking, called “Stadium Stars,” was compiled by the British magazine...
Wildfire smoke blankets Vancouver and cities across British Columbia
Wildfires in British Columbia have led to heavy smoke across Vancouver and other cities. The air quality index has reached dangerous levels, and residents have been advised to cut back on time outdoors. The Bradley Creek fire has destroyed about 230 homes, and thousands of people have been evacuated.
Wildfire smoke blankets Vancouver: orange alert level in the Fraser Valley
The Canadian province of British Columbia is once again dealing with the fallout of large wildfires, and this time the...
Smoke and Fire: British Columbia Encircled by Wildfires
Wildfires in British Columbia have turned deadly and destructive: near Vernon, the fire has destroyed hundreds of homes, and thousands of people have been evacuated. Smoke has reached Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, where air quality warnings have been issued. Meteorologists expect conditions to improve along the coast starting Wednesday, but eastern areas will remain under smoky skies for longer.
Smoke over Vancouver: Where the haze came from and when it will lift
In these days, residents of...
Summer in British Columbia: wildfire smoke and roadside wonders
British Columbia’s fire season is still under way: smoke from wildfires is again blanketing the south of Vancouver Island, and the head of the evacuated First Nation is warning that the situation has not eased—“the emergency isn’t over.” Against this backdrop, CBC is launching a tournament to crown the province’s best roadside attraction—from giant capes to the “Zero Mile” marker—reminding people of the small wonders along the sides of the road.
Searching for the best roadside attraction in...
Fires, Traffic, and Pride: Weekends in British Columbia
In British Columbia, the long weekend is being overshadowed by wildfires and evacuations, chaos in the air, on ferries, and at the border. Meanwhile, the Vancouver Whitecaps are announcing a Pride match with a touching story about a young fan named Jack.
Storm front in British Columbia: Lightning sparked new wildfires and expanded the evacuation area
The situation with wildfires in the Canadian province of British Columbia continues to intensify — both literally and figuratively. Another round...
Vancouver: skyscraper, compensation and the port
Canada news digest: a record 315-metre skyscraper has been approved, a court has approved compensation for victims of violence at Catholic schools, and the prime minister backed port expansion for trade independence.
Vancouver approves construction of the tallest skyscraper in Western Canada
Vancouver City Council has made a major planning decision that will significantly reshape the downtown core. On the morning of Monday, July 27, city officials approved a zoning change for an ambitious...
USA
Scattered News as a Reflection of Human Risks and Losses
The materials provided concern entirely different events: repression in Iran, a tragedy on the water near the Statue of Liberty, and a report on the death of renowned basketball coach Don Nelson. The common thread linking these publications is the consequences of people’s decisions and actions in situations where the cost of an error or abuse can be extraordinarily high. In one case, the issue is state violence and the destruction of judicial safeguards; in another, a possible violation of...
Institutional Independence and the Politicization of Public Decisions
The materials provided cover different areas—professional sports, American politics, and the international agenda—but they share one theme: how organizations make decisions under pressure from public conflict and how successfully they preserve their institutional independence. In the case of the WNBA, the issue concerns rules governing the participation of transgender athletes and the balance between inclusivity and fair competition. In the case of Todd Blanche’s confirmation as U.S. attorney...
When the Water Recedes and Distrust Grows
Across three, at first glance, completely different news stories — about an appointment at the US Department of Justice, flooding on streets in Westmoreland County, and a water main break in Jefferson Hills — runs one common theme: the vulnerability of the systems on which day-to-day and political resilience depend. In one case, the question is about government oversight and whether the US Department of Justice can remain independent of the president. In the other two, it is about basic...
The Cost of Systemic Risk and Human Error
At first glance, these three pieces appear to be about completely different things: falling water levels at the largest reservoir in the United States, rising costs of the U.S. war with Iran, and a tragic killing committed by a woman who had already been convicted of a similar crime. But if you look more closely, they share one important theme: the price of an accumulating crisis, when natural, political, and personal destruction stop being abstract and become measurable losses—water, money,...
Pressure on the Fed and the fight over defining citizenship
Taken separately, three very different pieces of news. But together they reveal the same logic of modern U.S. politics: power increasingly tries to respond to a sense of instability not through broad compromises, but through hard, symbolically strong decisions. On the financial front, the White House and the Federal Reserve argue about what matters more—weak labor-market conditions or accelerating inflation. On the legal and political front, Donald Trump is once again trying to narrow...
Control of Information and Control of Risk
Across all three pieces—about the death of a pilot in Oregon, a fatal FedEx truck crash in Louisville, and Euronews’ website being declared “extremist” in Belarus—the same theme comes to the fore: how authorities, companies, and investigative bodies try to manage the fallout from events that pose a threat to people, infrastructure, and public order. In one case, it is an in-air crisis and urgent provision of safety on the ground; in another, it is an investigation into a tragedy on the road and...
Violence, Fear, and Politics: How the US and Mexico Live in an Age of Threats
Across all three pieces—about Fauci, about a shot Mexican influencer, and a string of attempts on Trump—there runs the same thread: publicity is increasingly becoming a zone of risk. A politician, a doctor, a blogger, a candidate, or a sitting president is not merely a participant in public debate, but a target around which hatred, suspicion, weapons, and institutional conflicts concentrate. These stories differ in scale and context, but together they show just how fragile the boundary has...
Coalitions, Institutions, and Competition for Trust
If you look at these three pieces together, one big theme comes into view: in today’s politics and sports, it’s no longer enough to simply “win the primary round.” After that comes a more complex test—whether you can gather, hold, and correctly allocate the resources around you. In a Michigan senatorial race, this becomes a proving ground for Abdul El-Sayed: after winning the primary, he must demonstrate that a progressive agenda can unite a wider electorate. In the story about appointing a new...
Fragmented news and what they have in common
If you look at these three pieces together, they seem unrelated: a tragic incident involving Perez Hilton, a high-stakes fight over control of the U.S. Senate through primaries in Michigan, and a local road crash in Pennsylvania. But there’s a common denominator: all three texts show how today’s news agenda is built around moments of high uncertainty—when the outcome isn’t yet clear and the consequences can be anything from personal drama to a reshuffling of political power, or simply an...
Reactions
America as a Source of Controlled Instability: Views from South Africa, Turkey and China...
In South Africa, Turkey and China, the American agenda is now perceived not as a set of domestic White House decisions, but as the main generator of...
America Trapped in the Strait of Hormuz: China, Israel and France Debate Not U.S
The main American story currently drawing the strongest reaction in China, Israel and France is the new phase of the U.S. conflict with Iran over the...
America as a Risky Ally: How Riyadh, Canberra and Jerusalem Assess the Cost Differently
In recent weeks, the United States has become the subject of particularly anxious discussion in Saudi Arabia, Australia and Israel—not because of the...
How arguments about Trump’s America play out in South Korea, Russia and Australia: tariffs, alliance...
In recent weeks, in three very different countries, discussion about the United States has narrowed not to some abstract “American policy,” but to...
America Through the Eyes of Seoul, Canberra and Kyiv: Tariffs, Alliance Politics and Worry Over the...
In South Korea, Australia and Ukraine, talk about the United States is not now revolving around an abstract idea of “American power,” but around a...
Waiting for Sharp Moves: Trade, Markets and Fear of a New Standoff
Against the backdrop of talk about possible changes in American politics in the era of Trump, nervousness has intensified in both political and...
America as a common irritant: renewed debate over tariffs, power and reliability in Turkey, Russia and...
In recent weeks, in three very different countries — Turkey, Russia and Australia — discussion about the United States has surprisingly often shifted...
The US under the spotlight: how China, Australia and Germany read Washington through tariffs, cracks...
In recent days, in China, Australia and Germany, talk about the United States has been revolving around one big knot: a new wave of American tariffs...
The US as a mirror of anxiety: how Ukraine, Russia and Germany read American politics
In recent weeks, talk about the United States in Ukraine, Russia and Germany has been revolving around the same nerves: Donald Trump, Russia’s war...
World
Venezuela Announces Timeline for Restoring Power System
Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez said that one of the power transmission lines knocked out by the twin earthquakes on June 24 would be brought back online on Sunday. This will allow the restoration of power loads to continue and gradually normalize the operation of the National Electric Power System. According to Rodríguez, the Carabobo Thermal Power Plant is expected to restore about 75% of its capacity after sustaining damage.
A key stage will come on October 1, when Unit No. 6 at the...
Former Syrian ambassador’s appearance in Moscow sparks wave of criticism
The appearance of Bashar al-Jaafari, Syria’s former permanent representative to the United Nations and former ambassador to Moscow, in a video filmed at a Moscow restaurant has sparked a sharp reaction among Syrians. He attended Syrian journalist Akram Huzam’s birthday celebration alongside people linked to Bashar al-Assad’s former regime. The singing, applause and festive atmosphere were seen as provocative against the backdrop of the continuing consequences of the war and the former...
Syria Needs More Than a Transition—It Needs Full State-Building
Syria is entering a phase that goes beyond conflict management and organizing a political transition. Forming a government, drafting a constitution, holding elections, and restoring order to political life are important, but they do not by themselves create a stable state. The main task is to build institutions capable of continuing to function regardless of changes in governments and political alliances.
The key difference between establishing political authority and building a state is that...
Delcy Rodríguez Discusses Funding for Earthquake Recovery
President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez held a working meeting with the country’s economic team and the heads of state financial institutions to identify funding sources for the urgent repair of damage caused by the earthquakes that occurred on June 24. The participants also assessed the progress of emergency infrastructure work and the implementation of key areas of the National Economic Agenda.
The meeting addressed mechanisms for raising funds for urban reconstruction projects and social...
Jumblatt: Hamza al-Khatib’s Story Became a Turning Point
Walid Jumblatt said that his last meeting with former Syrian President Bashar Assad in June 2011 brought an end to their brief period of reconciliation. In an interview with Al Jazeera’s Witness of the Era, he said he asked Assad about Hamza al-Khatib—a child from Daraa province who became one of the first symbols of the suppression of Syria’s protests. Hamza was detained during the demonstrations, and his body, bearing numerous signs of torture, was handed over to his family in May 2011,...
Latin America Between U.S. Pressure and the Search for Compromise
This issue examines the region’s response to the Trump administration’s policies on Venezuela, Cuba, and migration. The materials show how U.S. sanctions, oil policy, and tighter border controls are becoming instruments of political and economic pressure, prompting debate over a possible transfer of power in Venezuela and the future of relations with Havana. Against this backdrop, Latin American leaders are pursuing different strategies, ranging from strong criticism to pragmatic dialogue with...
Shelling of Marib: dead, wounded and a retaliatory strike
Yemeni media reported a series of explosions in the city of Marib on Friday following a rocket-and-drone attack by the forces of “Ansar Allah” (the Houthis) on targets inside the city. According to available information, the strike caused casualties and injuries, and in response pro-government forces in Yemen said they carried out a military operation against Houthi positions in Marib Governorate.
A source in Yemen’s military structures said that the government air defenses shot down several...
Court Closes the Case and Fully Frees Judge María Lourdes Afiuni
The court ruling granted Judge María Lourdes Afiuni full freedom and permanently closed her case, bringing an end to criminal prosecution that lasted 16 years. The decision was reported by her brother, Nelson Afiuni, after an official document terminating the case was handed over to the family by an official.
According to him, at the time the notice was delivered, Afiuni was unable to receive it in person because she was with her mother at a medical center in the capital. This measure formally...
Israel drags out talks on southern Lebanon despite “positive” signals from the US
At the seventh round of negotiations in Rome, Israel refused to withdraw forces from a new zone in southern Lebanon and demanded first that it be confirmed that the Lebanese army has fully taken control of two territories where it has already been deployed. According to a source in the Lebanese presidency, the Thursday meeting under American auspices did not produce a final decision on the so-called “exemplary zones”: Beirut insisted on moving to new sectors, while the Israeli side pushed for...
Knowledge
Porch Houses: How Neighbors Saved Seattle’s Trees and Old Homes
Imagine a street lined with small wooden houses featuring porches, sloping roofs, and large trees in the yards—with swings swaying, squirrels jumping, and birds singing. That is what many streets in the American city of Seattle looked like for a full century. But one day, these cozy streets nearly disappeared: they could have been demolished and replaced with enormous box-shaped houses. They were saved not by the police or the mayor, but by ordinary neighbors who decided their neighborhood was...
Floating Bridges: The Mystery of the People Who Built a Road on Water
Imagine a bridge that does not stand on piles driven into the bottom, but simply... floats. Like a giant boat carrying thousands of cars every day. Bridges like these exist in the American city of Seattle—and this is not science fiction, but a reality that has existed for more than eighty years. Yet few people know that these remarkable structures were built by people who came from the distant Philippine Islands and who themselves were once almost invisible to those around them.
Why Bridges...
The Room with the Lucky Chair: A Secret at the Top of an Old Tower
Imagine this: you’re walking through the streets of an old city when you look up and see a tower, sharp as a pencil stuck into the sky. It’s more than a hundred years old. People built it to prove to the whole world that their city could be big and important too. And at the top, behind an unremarkable door, there’s a room with a chair inside. They say that if you sit in it, real magic will soon happen. This isn’t a fairy tale. It’s the Smith Tower in Seattle, and its story is more fascinating...
The City That Took a Name—but Never Fully Asked Permission
Some cities are named after rivers, mountains, or kings. Seattle was named after a real person—a chief named Si'ahl, whom white settlers called Seattle. It is a beautiful story about friendship between peoples. But look a little deeper, and you discover something surprising: the city has carried the chief’s name for nearly 170 years, while the people he came from—the Duwamish tribe—are still not officially recognized as a tribe by the U.S. government. How is that even possible? Let’s take a...
A land that remembers: how a soldiers’ camp became a home for eagles — and for people it...
Imagine: you’re walking through the biggest park in Seattle, and suddenly something strange appears from behind the bushes. A concrete wall. A rusted door. A dark corridor going down underground. This isn’t a castle or a movie-style bomb shelter — it’s an old military bunker. And there are several of them here. A park where squirrels run today, eagles nest, and wildflowers bloom — once it was a secret soldiers’ camp. And the ground under your feet holds history you won’t find in any...
The Roof That Took Flight: How Engineers Lifted an Entire Building to Build the Future Beneath...
Imagine you need to clean up your room, but your mom says, “Don’t touch the ceiling — it’s special.” What do you do? Most people would be at a loss. But engineers in Seattle in that kind of situation… just lifted the ceiling into the air. Along with the entire roof. Weighing twenty thousand tons. That’s about the same as the weight of three thousand elephants. And this isn’t a fairy tale — it really happened, right in the middle of the city.
A Gift from the Past: What Remained After the...
A Palace Among Garages: How Georgetown Residents Fought for the Right to Live Amid Rust — and...
Imagine walking down a street that smells of engine oil, where there are garages everywhere and metal-mesh fences everywhere—then suddenly you see a building that looks like a palace. Tall arched windows, beautiful columns, brick the color of dark cherry. Inside are enormous turbines the size of a two-story house. This is Georgetown—one of Seattle’s oldest neighborhoods. And this is a place people truly fought for. Not with fists—with words, posters, and stubbornness. And they won.
When the...
Library as a spaceship: why Seattle’s strangest building was designed for you
Imagine: you walk into a library and, instead of a quiet hall with wooden shelves, you see a huge glass ship. The walls tilt in different directions, as if the building were squeezed and twisted by someone. Inside are bright yellow escalators, floors that “hang” in midair, and a staircase that never ends. That’s what the Seattle Central Library looks like. And the most interesting part is that it’s strange for a reason. It’s strange because the architect first looked honestly at how people...
Turtles vs
Imagine: November 1999, the streets of an American city—Seattle. Among thousands of people with placards, you see… giant turtles. Not real, of course—people in green cardboard-and-fabric shells. They wave their “paws,” chant slogans, and look a little ridiculous. But it was these turtles that became one of the most memorable images from protests that went down in history as the “Battle of Seattle”—and their story is surprisingly similar to what’s happening in the world right now.
What was...