World: News and Reviews from The New York Times

The House Lights, if Not the Stars, Shine Bright at Gaza’s Film Festival
At the Palestinian territory’s film festival, Hamas has the final cut on all the movies and insists the lights stay on to avoid any hanky-panky among the audience.

Removal of Top Editors Signals Trouble for Independent Russian Paper
Fellow journalists see the abrupt turnover at RBC as the latest ambush in an extended Kremlin campaign to exert control over all reporting.

Alan Rusbridger, Ex-Editor of Guardian, Won’t Become Chairman of Its Owner
Mr. Rusbridger had been set to take over in the fall as head of the Scott Trust, the nonprofit organization that owns the left-leaning news group.

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Former Argentine President, Is Indicted
Mrs. Kirchner and other officials are accused of entering into contracts to sell the Central Bank’s dollars at below-market rates during her presidency.

Spain Evacuates 9,000 From Massive Tire Fire Near Madrid
Spanish officials ordered 9,000 people evacuated Friday night from a large apartment complex after a raging fire at a sprawling tire dump sent spectacular, toxic clouds of black smoke into the sky.

Op-Ed Contributor: Do you Speak Singlish?
After emerging from a half-century of obscurity, Singapore’s wacky creole has become its boldest language.

Opinion: Life as a North Korean Refugee
China should reverse its policy of hunting down defectors and returning them to its brutal neighbor.

London’s Cats Are Falling Victim to a Two-Legged Predator
Since last fall, owners have been horrified to discover their pets mutilated, some with their heads cut off. The police are investigating.

Russia Denies Doping at Sochi Olympics
“These allegations look absolutely groundless,” a spokesman for President Vladimir V. Putin said of the claims by a former Russian lab chief.

Mysterious Blast in Philippines Fuels Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘Hatred’ of U.S.
The incoming leader traces his hostility to his belief that U.S. officials helped a badly wounded American flee charges after a hotel room blast.

Hundreds Evacuated in Bath, England, After Wartime Munition Is Found
Decades after World War II, unexploded munitions continue to be uncovered in much of Europe.

Belgium’s Anti-ISIS Airstrikes Expand From Iraq Into Syria
A spokesman for the prime minister said the decision was taken “because it’s impossible to fight ISIS only in Iraq.”

Op-Ed Contributor: Sadiq Khan and the Future of Europe
London’s new Muslim mayor is a model for integration and acceptance. The Continent should pay attention.

Beijing Tries to Whip Up Support for Its South China Sea Claims
China has been taking its case to the international news media ahead of court decision in a suit filed by the Philippines that challenges Beijing’s claims.

Anticorruption Campaign in China Snares Former Top Party Official
Ling Jihua, who was once the equivalent of the White House chief of staff, has been charged with taking bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power.

The Saturday Profile: Advocating a War in Iraq, and Offering an Apology for What Came After
For Kanan Makiya, an intellectual who helped make the case for the 2003 invasion, writing a novel became a way to acknowledge his role in what befell his home country.

Op-Ed Columnist: Chappatte on the Vote to Impeach Dilma Rousseff
Brazilians react to the Senate vote to suspend the president and begin an impeachment trial against her.

Apple Raises Bet on China as It Faces Scrutiny From Beijing
A $1 billion investment in the Didi Chuxing ride-hailing app enlarges the American giant’s Asian footprint.

Mustafa Badreddine, Hezbollah Military Commander, Is Killed in Syria
Mr. Badreddine, 55, had been accused in the 2005 assassination of a former prime minister of Lebanon, and many other attacks.

What in the World: Japan Has a Kit Kat for Every Taste, and Then Some
There are nearly 300 varieties of Kit Kat in Japan, where the candy is so popular that it is sold at high-end department stores, Kit Kat-only shops and even post offices.

W.H.O.’s Zika Guidelines Don’t Include Delaying Olympics
The World Health Organization urged athletes and travelers visiting Brazil to take precautions, but has resisted calls to reschedule the Games.

New Attack Reported by Swift Global Bank Network
Investigators are still trying to solve the $81 million heist from the central bank of Bangladesh in February.

Navy Reassigns Officer Who Commanded Sailors Detained by Iran
The officer was relieved of his duties because the Navy had lost “confidence in his ability to command,” the service said in a statement.

Worker Slain at Australian Embassy in Baghdad
A private security contractor, who was not identified, was reportedly shot.

U.S. Navy Fires Commander of Sailors Who Were Held by Iran
The U.S. Navy said on Thursday that it had fired the commander of the 10 American sailors who wandered into Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf and were briefly held by Iran.

Iran Says It Will Avoid the Hajj This Year, Blaming Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, which hosts the hajj, a Muslim pilgrimage, said Iran was to blame for the problem, reflecting the worsening relationship between the countries.

Editorial: Making Brazil’s Political Crisis Worse
President Dilma Rousseff is right to question the motives and moral authority of the politicians who are seeking to oust her from office.

Matter: Climate Change and the Case of the Shrinking Red Knots
A ripple effect of weather, insects and other food supplies, from the Arctic to the tropics, may be driving down the population of the red knot, a study finds.

In Syria, an Aid Convoy Is Refused Entry to a Besieged Town
Syrian government officials at a checkpoint near the rebel-held town of Daraya turned away the convoy, carrying baby formula and medicine.

Michel Temer, Brazil’s Interim President, May Herald Shift to the Right
Mr. Temer’s first pick for science minister was a creationist, and he is the first Brazilian leader in decades to have no women in his cabinet.

Russia Calls New U.S. Missile Defense System a ‘Direct Threat’
The Russian reaction to the opening of the system included suggestions by some commentators that it had raised the risks of a nuclear war.

Brazil’s Impeachment Trial of Dilma Rousseff: Readers React
The decision stirred a strong response, with some speaking of “dark times for Brazil” and others saying “her removal means hope for the people.”

Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 6 in Northeastern Nigeria
The attacker was stopped outside a heavily guarded government compound in the city of Maiduguri before setting off his explosives.

ISIS Kills Dozens in Iraq in New Round of Bombings
A day after the Islamic State staged a deadly wave of bombings in Baghdad, its forces struck Ramadi and the capital again.

German Lawmaker Reads Poem on Erdogan, to Show Just How Vulgar It Is
A lawmaker read out in Parliament a crude verse insulting Turkey’s president — for which the German comedian who wrote it faces trial — to highlight how offensive it is.

Contributing Op-Ed Writer: Pakistan Doesn’t Owe You a Free Mansion
Politicians, generals, journalists, poets — they’re all skimming off the Pakistani state.

Op-Ed Contributor: Refusing to Honor Labor Rights Backfires on China
A rash of protests over job losses stems from lax enforcement in a country purportedly ruled by law.

Yoweri Museveni and Other African ‘Presidents for Life’
The Ugandan president was sworn in for a fifth term. President Obama has urged African leaders not to cling to power, to limited effect.

Russian Insider Says State-Run Doping Fueled Olympic Gold
Each night, said the director of the antidoping lab at the Sochi Games, bottles of urine were passed through a hole in the wall and replaced for testing the next day.

No-Confidence Vote Fails in France, Leaving Socialist Government Intact
Had a motion of censure passed, a labor reform bill would have failed and the government of Prime Minister Manuel Valls would have been toppled.

Letter From Europe: The Imperialist Roots of Our Modern Crises
The seeds that were sowed as Western powers like Britain faded after the world wars have contributed to the persistent problems of the present.

Personal Data of Prominent Chinese Posted on Twitter
The social media network suspended an account on Thursday after private information about government officials and billionaires was published.

Britain Plans to Tighten Oversight of the BBC in New Charter
The government, presenting its plans for the BBC’s future, pulled back from radical changes but urged the publicly funded broadcaster to be more “distinctive” in its programming.

Pope Francis Says He’s Open to Studying Whether Women Can Serve as Deacons
The off-the-cuff remark was far from a change in doctrine, but opened a conversation on a pressing issue.

Brazil Workers’ Party, Leaders ‘Intoxicated by Power,’ Falls From Grace
A vote to impeach President Dilma Rousseff has dealt a crippling blow to a party that came to power vowing to represent the masses but became ensnared in corruption scandals.

Rome Journal: For Chinese Police Officers, Light Duty on Tourist Patrol in Italy
As China and Italy try to nurture closer economic ties, they also want to ease anxieties over petty crime against Chinese visitors to Rome and Milan.

Op-Ed Columnist: The Arab Withering
How the civic spirit of the Arab Spring gave way to the brutal theocracy of the Islamic State.

Sinosphere: China Pressed on Queen Elizabeth II’s Complaint of ‘Very Rude’ Officials
The British monarch’s sharp words resonated online, and journalists asked a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a response.