For a mega-refinery in Ulsan, South Korea, a top exporter of jet fuel to the West Coast of the United States and other places, weaning off Middle Eastern oil is no small feat.

© Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

They make much of the gear that goes into giant data centers. Demand for their products is shifting the balance of tech power.

Severe, hard-to-control blazes in densely populated areas like Los Angeles drove the year’s record losses.

Severe, hard-to-control blazes in densely populated areas like Los Angeles drove the year’s record losses.

© Loren Elliott for The New York Times