NY Times: There Is No Dance Without Dance Education, Jody Gottfried Arnhold Says - Jody Gottfried Arnhold has a mission (and the means) to cultivate dance education. To her, it is a basic human right — and vital to democracy. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/08/arts/dance/jody-arnhold-dance-education.html

NY Times: O’Shae Sibley Wasn’t Interested in Toning Himself Down - The killing of the dancer and choreographer at a Brooklyn gas station is a stark reminder that some forms of expression are still seen as threatening. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/07/arts/dance/oshae-sibley-vogueing-memorial.html

NY Times: Mark Morris Premieres a Dance More Major Than ‘Minor’ - In his Joyce Theater debut, Morris unveiled a cheekily titled premiere and “Castor and Pollux,” a lost treasure from his early days. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/09/arts/dance/mark-morris-dance-group-joyce-theater.html

NY Times: Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Through the Eyes of a Dance Critic - The choreography on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour doesn’t ask her to do too much, but she knows how to use her simple moves to her advantage. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/09/arts/dance/taylor-swift-eras-tour-dancing.html

NY Times: France Prepares Niger Evacuation Amid Risks of Conflict - Tensions were rising in the West African nation over demands by African and Western countries to reinstate a president ousted in a military takeover. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/01/world/africa/niger-coup-mali-burkina-faso.html

NY Times: A Leader of Niger’s Coup Visits Mali, Raising Fears of a Wagner Alliance - Several military officials who took power from the president in Niger last week met with the leaders of Mali, where the Kremlin-backed Wagner mercenary group has deployed about 1,500 troops. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/world/africa/niger-coup-mali-wagner.html

NY Times: Niger’s Detained President, Mohamed Bazoum, Pleads for U.S. Help - The military junta that ousted the president in the West African nation of Niger last week also dismissed Niger’s ambassadors to key partners: the United States, France and Nigeria. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/world/africa/niger-president-coup-us.html

NY Times: Henri Konan Bédié, Ivory Coast President Deposed in a Coup, Dies at 89 - As a longtime power broker he helped make his West African country an economic dynamo, but in office he fomented ethnic divisions and cracked down on dissent. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/05/world/africa/henri-konan-bedie-ivory-coast-president-deposed-in-a-coup-dies-at-89.html

NY Times: Deadline to Junta in Niger From ECOWAS Leaders Runs Out - A deadline given by a bloc of other West African nations to the Nigerien military junta to reinstate the ousted president ran out with no sign of a military intervention by neighbors. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/06/world/africa/niger-coup-deadline.html

NY Times: At Least 24 Killed in Minibus Crash in Morocco - The vehicle overturned at a curve on its way to a weekly town market southeast of Marrakesh, officials said. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/06/world/africa/morocco-bus-crash.html

NY Times: Hopes for Dialogue Dim in Niger as Junta Clings to Power - A leader of the coup in Niger who had been considered a close U.S. ally rejected a request from a visiting U.S. diplomat to release the country’s democratically elected president and bring back constitutional order. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/08/world/africa/niger-coup-military-talks.html

NY Times Tech: Guggenheim Museum Staff Ratifies Union Contract - The contract will provide an average salary increase of 11 percent, similar to what other museum workers across the country have obtained during the industry’s multiyear union push. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/08/arts/design/guggenheim-union-ratify.html

NY Times Tech: How 4 Countries Are Preparing to Bring Stolen Treasures Home - While attention is focused on western museums and governments giving back looted items, heritage workers in the global south are laying the groundwork for new claims. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/09/arts/design/restitution-nepal-indonesia-democratic-republic-of-congo-cameroon.html

NY Times Tech: At Least 60 Injured in Factory Explosion at Plant In Moscow - Russian officials said one person was killed and dozens were injured in the blast. The warehouse is on the grounds of a plant that has produced night vision devices and binoculars, according to local news media. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/09/world/europe/russia-fireworks-warehouse-explosion.html

NY Times Tech: Poland to Deploy 2,000 Troops To Reinforce Belarus Border - The deployment comes as concerns are mounting in Poland, a NATO member, over the presence of mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner private military company in neighboring Belarus. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/09/world/europe/poland-belarus-wagner-nato.html

NY Times Tech: Russian Missile Hits Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Killing 3 - Officials said nine people were injured, a church building and several local shops were destroyed, and the windows were blown out of several high-rise buildings. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/09/world/europe/russia-missile-zaporizhzia-ukraine.html

NY Times Tech: 4 Nigerian Migrants Crossed the Atlantic on a Ship’s Rudder to Brazil - Four Nigerian stowaways hopped on a cargo ship not knowing where it was going, but hoping to find a place where they could claw out of poverty. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/world/americas/nigerian-migrants-brazil.html

NY Times Tech: Biden Seeks $24 Billion More for Ukraine in Test of Bipartisan Support - The aid request is the first by the president since Republicans took over the House, and some party leaders have expressed opposition to spending more to help Ukraine beat back Russian forces. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/us/politics/biden-ukraine-aid.html

NY Times Tech: A Japanese Candy Tasted Like Nothing. Why Do People Miss It? - Flavorless (?) Candy, a convenience store product in Japan, spurred debate over what the “taste of nothingness” tastes like, if anything. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/11/world/asia/japan-flavorless-candy-lawsons.html

NY Times Tech: Americans Held Prisoner in Iran Saw Promise of Better Relations - The five Americans who are part of a prisoner swap could be released by September under a complicated agreement with Tehran. - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/11/world/middleeast/americans-prisoners-iran-swap.html