Nearly 1 1/2 years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the environmental damage from combat has contaminated Ukraine’s soil, water and air, at an estimated cost of $56 billion. This impact is likely to be one of the longest-lasting legacies of the war, persisting for decades after the fighting stops. And, on Tuesday in Canada, new regulations take effect that require health warning labels on individual cigarettes. Canada is the first country in the world to take this step. Also, Marta da Silva, who is known as Marta, is a legend of Brazilian and international soccer. She was the first player ever to score in five consecutive Olympics, and the most World Cup goals in world history. This World Cup, she says, is her last one. Plus, the changing landscape for Sweden's music industry.

International condemnation for last week's military coup in Niger continued to grow over the weekend. West African leaders have threatened economic sanctions, travel bans, and possible use of force if the president is not reinstated within a week. And, a series of drone attacks in Moscow on Sunday brought the war closer to Russian citizens. Although Ukraine has not taken responsibility, President Volodomyr Zelenskiy said afterward that attacks on Russian territory are an “inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process” in the war which has ravaged Ukraine for nearly 18 months. Also, the blast that killed dozens at a political rally in Pakistan this weekend exposed the deepening rivalries between the country’s powerful militant groups. Officials say ISIS is responsible for the explosion. Plus, a Brazilian masterpiece comes to the US.

President Joe Biden has given the green light for US cooperation with the International Criminal Court on its investigation into Russian war crimes in Ukraine, in a reversal of the US’s stance on the ICC. The Trump administration had sanctioned the ICC’s chief prosecutor who was investigating alleged of war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan. Also, after the armistice between North and South Korea 70 years ago, the two countries were in ruins leaving hundreds of thousands of children as orphans. And, El Salvador's Congress has passed legislation that would allow up to 900 people to be tried together for the same gang affiliation. Plus, through "Stories from the Stage," one woman's tale of love in two cultures.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told African leaders gathered for a summit in St. Petersburg today that his government would provide grain shipments to six African nations for free, in order to help avert a food crisis caused by Putin's decision to pull out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative last week. And, on July 27, 1953, the United Nations and North Korea signed a ceasefire, bringing an end to three years of fighting on the Korean Peninsula that killed more than 36,000 US soldiers and an estimated 2 million Korean civilians. But a formal peace agreement was never signed. Also, tributes to iconic Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor continue to pour in today after she was found dead in her London home on Wednesday at the age of 56. "Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare," wrote Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. Plus, the evolution of Senegalese rap.

The FSO Safer is an oil tanker in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen that has fallen into dangerous disrepair. The huge quantity of oil aboard could leak or explode. The UN has organized a mission to prevent a nightmare scenario by siphoning the oil out and onto a new ship. And, a well-known education activist has been in detention in Afghanistan since March. Matiullah Wesa had been fighting for education for Afghan children for more than a decade, mainly in remote areas of the country. Also, 90,000 migrants and asylum-seekers have arrived in New York City since the spring of 2022. Now, Mayor Eric Adams is saying there is "no guarantee the city will be able to provide shelter and services to new arrivals." Plus, this Belgian duo starts difficult conversations with humor and dance beats.

Exactly one month after Qin Gang disappeared from public view, on Tuesday, his removal and his successor was announced in Chinese state media. No explanation was given. And, every summer, Antarctic ice sheets recede as they melt, and every winter they regrow when the temperature drops. But recent observations and data show the ice is not regrowing. Also, researchers believe that the H5N1 virus known as avian flu may have killed millions of wild birds globally as the outbreak ravages South America. Plus, trying to prevent violence in Sudan with old-fashioned detective work.

In a vote boycotted by the Israeli opposition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bid to overhaul the judiciary is in motion with a vote passed 64-0. Israelis have protested day after day for months, and those protests have included Israeli combat veterans and military reservists. And, Greece’s Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared "war" with wildfires in a recent address to the country’s parliament. The country has been battling wildfires on islands at opposite ends of the country: western Corfu and eastern Rhodes. Also, since the start of the Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many European countries have been trying to find ways to reduce their dependency on Russian energy. One place they’re starting to look is West Africa, where Senegal and Mauritania are capitalizing on recent discoveries of natural gas. Plus, Boston's links to the slave trade.

Every night over the last week, Russia has bombarded cities along Ukraine’s southern Black Sea coast. With these attacks, the Russian military has tried to disrupt Ukraine’s ability to export grain. And, "Stories from the Stage" are tales told by ordinary people with extraordinary experiences. We begin with Ana Hebra Flaster, who came to the United States from Cuba when she was 6 years old. Flaster is a writer who grew up in New England and her storytelling is inspired by her father. Also, in dozens of towns and cities across Spain, the far-right Vox party has found itself invited into ruling coalitions — and it has already begun dismantling policies meant to preserve nature and protect sexual and gender diversity. It now could strongly influence this weekend's federal elections, should the center-right Popular Party win a majority of votes. Plus, Kyiv's wedding officiant.

Iraqi protesters stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad after Stockholm police gave permission to a yet another person to burn the Quran. Relations between Iraq and Sweden are now frayed and some Swedes are beginning to wonder: "When does the legal right to burn a Quran become a hate crime?" And, women in Afghanistan took to the streets this week to protest a Taliban ban on beauty salons. The ban will come into effect in five days, leaving roughly 6,000 women out of work. Also, centenarian statesman Henry Kissinger flew to Beijing for a surprise meeting yesterday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Plus, FIFA Women's World Cup kicks off in New Zealand and Australia.

Wrapping up a four-day trip to China, US climate envoy John Kerry said no new commitments on climate were made, but the world's two biggest climate polluters have agreed to work together at major international meetings this year. And, today, protests against the rising cost of living resumed in Kenya. The demonstrations are organized by Kenya's opposition leaders, who say the country's new government is not doing enough to improve the economy. Also, since 1930, countries that make up the British Commonwealth have gathered every four years to compete in the Commonwealth Games. But the Australian state of Victoria has abruptly canceled its hosting of the next scheduled Games in 2023 — citing the extraordinary cost of hosting it — leaving the fate of the competition in question. Plus, this Israeli rapper is aiming high.