A showdown is gathering pace in Syria as the country’s new leaders demand that a powerful Kurdish-led militia backed by the United States disarm and integrate into a unified national military force. The tensions are centered around preparations to establish a caretaker government to replace the dictatorship that fell in early December. The new leaders … Read more
A British couple who had been on a motorcycle tour around the world were detained in Iran, Britain’s foreign office said on Saturday. The couple, Craig and Lindsay Foreman, were last heard from on social media in early January. But this week, Iranian state media reported that two British nationals had been detained on suspicion … Read more
Naama Moses, a volunteer selling merchandise to support the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents relatives of the captives, ascribed this to the pain that many felt when they saw the three men who were freed last week. “Perhaps containing your disappointment would be easier at home in front of the telly, on your … Read more
President Trump’s proposal that the United States take over the Gaza Strip while other countries take in the Palestinians who live there is a deal King Abdullah II of Jordan cannot make. The monarch rebuffed Mr. Trump gently, telling him at the White House on Tuesday that the American president was essential to peace in … Read more
Sexual violence against children in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has soared in recent weeks, the United Nations Children’s Fund said on Thursday, as disputes over land and mineral resources fuel fighting in the country. The organization, known as UNICEF, reported that health care facilities in the city of Goma and the surrounding areas … Read more
A U.S. official overseeing the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah indicated on Friday that Israel would by next week withdraw from occupied towns in southern Lebanon. But his comments added to the uncertainty over whether Israel would remain in a handful of strategic points within Lebanese territory. In a statement released by U.S. Central Command, … Read more
Hamas freed three more Israeli hostages on Saturday in a ceremony marked by some of the same provocative theatrics used by the Palestinian militants in previous releases. It was the sixth round of a tense series of hostage-for-prisoner exchanges that are part of a 42-day cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, which went into effect … Read more
Another week, and another round of tariff threats and annexation suggestions from President Trump. It began with the announcement of a policy imposing 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports. In Canada’s case, those tariffs would be stacked on top of the previously introduced 25 percent tariffs on most Canadian exports, which are … Read more
A friend told me he recently removed the email app from his phone. “I used to love in the old days, coming home and checking email — there would be new messages!” he rhapsodized. I felt the pang. Not only would there be new messages, but often, in those early days of email, they were … Read more
Before she waded into the water to take a holy dip among the teeming throngs at the world’s largest religious gathering, Draupadi Devi reached into her blouse and handed her husband a small pouch to safeguard. Inside was a slip of paper with his phone number scrawled on it, so she would have it if … Read more