Israel’s military chief told troops on Wednesday that its airstrikes in Lebanon were aiming to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure and to pave the way for a possible ground incursion by Israeli forces. “You hear the jets overhead; we have been striking all day,” the head of Israel’s military, Herzi Halevi, told troops while visiting the country’s northern border with Lebanon. “This ...
Despite pledging a “battle without limits” against Israel, Hezbollah’s response to back-to-back Israeli attacks appears to have been carefully calibrated. Its strike Wednesday that was intercepted near Tel Aviv managed to be both unprecedented and understated. It marked many firsts: The first time Hezbollah launched what it said was a ballistic missile at Israel; the first time a missile had ...
The first-ever visit by a president of the United Arab Emirates to the White House took place this week as Israel’s war in Gaza expanded to Lebanon. That war, however, was not at the top of the agenda in talks with US officials. US President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and UAE president Sheikh Mohammed ...
Pope Francis took the unusual decision Wednesday to expel 10 people – a bishop, priests and laypeople – from a troubled Catholic movement in Peru after a Vatican investigation uncovered “sadistic” abuses of power, authority and spirituality. The move against the leadership of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, or Sodalitium of Christian Life, followed Francis’ decision last month to expel the group’s ...
A wildfire raging in Quito has forced residents to flee their homes and Ecuador’s president to make an emergency return from abroad, as heavy smoke spreads across whole neighborhoods of the capital city. “I had two refrigerators, stoves, gas tanks, beds, dining tables, everything. As you can see, it’s all on fire … It’s terrible,” said Maria Sarango, who lost ...
A pair of blood-spattered trousers in a miso tank and an allegedly forced confession helped send Iwao Hakamata to death row more than five decades ago. Now, the world’s longest-serving death row convict has a chance to clear his name. A Japanese court on Thursday is set to hand down its verdict in the retrial of 88-year-old Hakamata, who was ...
President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Wednesday that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it was struck with conventional missiles, and that Moscow would consider any assault on it supported by a nuclear power to be a joint attack. The decision to change Russia’s official nuclear doctrine is the Kremlin’s answer to deliberations in the United States and Britain about whether ...
Hong Kong will roll out the red carpet Thursday to receive two giant pandas gifted by the Chinese government to mark 75 years of Communist Party rule, part of a citywide push by authorities to deepen patriotism. An An and Ke Ke, both five years old, are expected to land shortly after noon at Hong Kong International Airport, where they ...
The killing of a Japanese schoolboy in China has sparked an outpouring of anger and soul searching over the rise of extreme nationalism in the country, with some accusing the government of fanning anti-Japan sentiment and even the “education of hatred.” The tragic loss of a young life has once again thrown a spotlight on the complex relationship between Asia’s ...
When award-winning actress Meryl Streep spoke on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly about cats, squirrels and birds, she wasn’t making a point about hunters and prey. She was comparing all three with women and girls in Afghanistan – and pointing out that the animals have more rights. “A cat may feel the sun on her face. She ...