World terrorism is funded from the UK-USA both directly and through their client States/governments...

Top News Paying Ransoms, Europe Bankrolls Qaeda Terror By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI While some countries, including the United States, refuse to pay ransoms, European ones do - inadvertently helping to bankroll Al Qaeda's global operations. As Sanctions Pile Up, Russians' Alarm Grows Over Putin Tactics By NEIL MacFARQUHAR Fears are growing that the festering turmoil in Ukraine and the new round of sanctions announced Tuesday will damage the economy to the extent that ordinary Russians feel it. Loss of Shelter and Electricity Worsens a Crisis for Fleeing Gazans By BEN HUBBARD Three weeks of war between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have pushed the territory to the brink of humanitarian disaster. For more top news, go to NYTimes.com »

Editors' Picks WORLD Anatomy of an Abduction By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI Rare video made by the militants behind a 2003 kidnapping of 32 Europeans shows the abductors smiling and waving for the camera as they ride their victims' motorcycles. OPINION | EDITORIAL OBSERVER The Federal Marijuana Ban Is Rooted in Myth and Xenophobia By BRENT STAPLES An atmosphere of hysteria in the 1930s took hold and shaped a national policy that lives on today.

QUOTATION OF THE DAY "Why isn't anybody coming here to pick up the pieces?" MARIA NIKOLAYEVA, a retiree in Petropavlovka, Ukraine, who was distraught at finding personal belongings from the crashed Malaysia Airlines plane in her garden.

Today's Video  VIDEO: How the E.U. Signed On to Sanctions Why Europe had been so hesitant to act but is now set to dramatically escalate sanctions against Russia.  Related Article  VIDEO: Intersection | High Line Break Time Marika Emi picked up her minimalist, all-black style from the friends she made while living in New York. Though she has since moved back home to Hawaii, "Old habits die really hard," she said. For more video, go to NYTimes.com/Video »

World Coordinated Sanctions Aim at Russia's Ability to Tap Its Oil Reserves By PETER BAKER, ALAN COWELL and JAMES KANTER The United States and Europe began a joint effort to curb Russia's long-term ability to develop new oil resources, taking aim at a source of Kremlin power in retaliation for its intervention in Ukraine.    Interactive: How Much Europe Depends on Russian Energy  BP Profit Rises, but It Warns of Risks in Russia China Says Former Security Chief Is Being Investigated for Corruption By CHRIS BUCKLEY and ANDREW JACOBS Zhou Yongkang, who retired from the Politburo Standing Committee in late 2012, is the most senior Communist Party figure to face a formal corruption inquiry.  Graphic: Zhou Family Ties Lawmakers Voice Skepticism on Iran Nuclear Deal By DAVID E. SANGER If an accord is reached, it would not be a formal treaty, so the Senate would not be called upon to ratify it. For more world news, go to NYTimes.com/World »

U.S. Judges Block Abortion Curb in Mississippi By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON and ERIK ECKHOLM A three-judge panel ruled that in closing the sole clinic, the state would have shifted its constitutional obligations to neighboring states. In Church Attics, Clues to the Private Life of Early America By MICHAEL PAULSON Historians are racing against time to find and preserve records from more than 250 years ago that were kept by New England congregations.    Video: Preserving the Church's Past $1.8 Million for Ventura in Defamation Case By MONICA DAVEY Jesse Ventura had sued the estate of Chris Kyle, a former member of the Navy SEALs, saying his book included passages about him that were defamatory. For more U.S. news, go to NYTimes.com/US »

Business DEALBOOK Profits Soaring After Disgrace at Steven Cohen's Hedge Fund By MATTHEW GOLDSTEIN The billionaire investor's revamped firm, Point72 Asset Management, generated a profit of nearly $1 billion for the first half of this year. DEALBOOK As Talks Falter, Bond Default by Argentina Appears Likely By ALEXANDRA STEVENSON Argentina is likely to default on billions of dollars of bonds on Wednesday as talks between both sides appeared to break down. Ruling Says McDonald's Is Liable for Workers By STEVEN GREENHOUSE If upheld, the decision by the National Labor Relations Board's general counsel could upend employment practices in the fast-food industry and invite unionization. For more business news, go to NYTimes.com/Business »

Sports N.C.A.A. Deal Revamps Head-Injury Care By BEN STRAUSS The settlement brings a significant change in the care and safety of current and former college athletes, including a $70 million medical monitoring fund and a new national protocol for head injuries. ON GOLF Becoming a Champion at Charming the Fans By KAREN CROUSE In his first news conference since winning the British Open, Rory McIlroy talked about being a grumpy teenager and his inconsistencies as a professional golfer. ON PRO BASKETBALL One Arena, Two Directions for Teams in Los Angeles By SCOTT CACCIOLA The Clippers can look to brighter times ahead now that Donald Sterling finally appears to be gone, while the Lakers look back on their glory days.  Donald Sterling Loses Bid to Block Sale of Clippers For more sports news, go to NYTimes.com/Sports »

Arts A Battle of the Hamlets By BEN BRANTLEY A theater critic imagines a clash of the greatest versions of Shakespeare's melancholy prince, as portrayed by John Barrymore, Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton and others. President of the Metropolitan Museum of Art to Step Down By ROBIN POGREBIN Emily K. Rafferty, the first woman to serve as president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, announced that she would step down in the spring of 2015. Labor Struggles at Metropolitan Opera Have a Past By MICHAEL COOPER There are historic examples that point to reasons for worry in the current contract dispute between 15 unions and the Met. For more arts news, go to NYTimes.com/Arts »

Dining & Wine RESTAURANT REVIEW | RUSS & DAUGHTERS CAFE Standing 100 Years? So You Should Sit By PETE WELLS The Russ & Daughters Cafe is modeled on the family's 100-year-old Lower East Side store, but adds to and deviates from the original in inspired ways. THE POUR Splendor in Solitude By ERIC ASIMOV A tiny Basque corner of southwest France, isolated by the Pyrenees, offers compelling wines. Chefs Move Beyond New York By REBECCA FLINT MARX Smaller cities are increasingly attractive for New York chefs, who find savvy audiences willing to support innovative restaurants. For more dining news and recipes, go to NYTimes.com/Dining »

Obituaries Theodore Van Kirk, 93, Enola Gay Navigator, Dies By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN Mr. Van Kirk, a navigator, guided a flight that, six-and-a-half hours after takeoff, reached Hiroshima with its atomic bomb just seconds behind schedule. Margot Adler, 68, Journalist and Priestess, Dies By MARGALIT FOX Ms. Adler, a longtime reporter for NPR on myriad subjects, was a Wiccan high priestess and the author of "Drawing Down the Moon," a 1979 survey of contemporary pagan movements. James Shigeta, 85, Leading Man in 'Flower Drum Song,' Dies By WILLIAM YARDLEY