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As Starvation Spreads in Sudan, Military Blocks Aid Trucks at Border

As Sudan hurtles toward famine, its military is blocking the United Nations from bringing enormous amounts of food into the country through a vital border crossing, effectively cutting off aid to hundreds of thousands of starving people during the depths of a civil war. Experts warn that Sudan, barely functioning

Vintage of War

Bacchus once reigned here. Now Mars does. Tunnels have long wended through the earth beneath Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine. Until the 1960s, they were used by the mining industry. The vintners came next. Then, after Russia invaded the country in 2022, the tunnels were repurposed yet again. As fighting between

Olympics Live Updates: Arson Attack Triggers Travel Chaos Ahead of Opening Ceremony

Service on three high-speed train lines in France was disrupted on Friday because of arson attacks, the national railway company said, causing travel chaos on the day of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics in Paris. “A massive attack took place last night to paralyze the high-speed rail network,” the

New Zealand Abuse in Care Report Speaks of ‘National Catastrophe’

More than 200,000 people are estimated to have been abused by state and religious organizations in New Zealand that had been entrusted with their care, according to the final report from a landmark independent inquiry released on Wednesday. The abuse included sexual assault, electric shocks, chemical restraints, medical experimentation,

Fatah and Hamas Sign Unity Deal in China, but Deep Divisions Remain

The two main rival Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, signed a joint statement in Beijing on Tuesday that endorsed, in concept, a temporary government for the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in a grand show of unity brokered by China’s foreign ministry. The statement supports the formation

Middle East Crisis: Netanyahu Offers Full-Throated Defense of Gaza War

In his speech to Congress on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel addressed the threat to his country posed by Iran, which has clashed with Israel for decades. He also portrayed Iran as a dangerous enemy of the United States and emphasized the role Israel has played as America’

An Unbending Leader’s Crackdown Rains Carnage on Bangladesh

For those watching from outside, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh presents a compelling story. She is among the world’s longest-serving female heads of government, a secular Muslim in colorful saris who has fought Islamic militancy, lifted millions out of poverty and deftly kept both India and China at

Netanyahu Seeks Support in U.S. Visit, but Will Find a Nation Distracted

With his visit to Washington this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel will step away from one political maelstrom and into another. He is facing anger at home over the prolonged war in Gaza and failure to bring home the hostages held in the enclave. Washington is divided over

Middle East Crisis: Israeli Forces Strike in Humanitarian Zone; Scores Reported Killed

Israel renewed its military assault in parts of Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Monday, in a ground and air operation that local health officials said killed and wounded scores of people, adding to the misery of a city deeply scarred after nine months of war. The Israeli military said

Biden Shepherded Europe on Ukraine and NATO. What Happens Now?

European leaders have been relying on President Biden to guide them through some of the continent’s darkest days in decades. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, they found in him a shepherd of sorts, who worked with them to unite behind Kyiv and shaped the response to Russia’

The Decathlete Who Picked Up a Gun

On a rest day from the war in Ukraine, Volodymyr Androshchuk went out for sushi. In a cheap car, recently purchased, he drove his squad leader to a supermarket a short distance from the eastern front. They ate at a safe house and shared a small bottle of Cognac. “We

Middle East Crisis: Israeli Forces Strike in Humanitarian Zone; Scores Reported Killed

Israel renewed its military assault in parts of Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Monday, in a ground and air operation that local health officials said killed and wounded scores of people, adding to the misery of a city deeply scarred after nine months of war. The Israeli military said

Hong Kong’s Bouncy ‘Wonders’ Leave Some Wondering, ‘Why?’

With darkness falling along Hong Kong’s waterfront against a backdrop of glimmering skyscrapers, carnival music competed with the whine of ventilation blowers as visitors bounced on the inflatable Stonehenge. The puffy white megalithic replica was part of an installation put up this month for SummerFest, a public outdoor festival

Bangladesh Protests Inequality of Opportunity

The video, taken this month, shows a Bangladeshi protester wearing a black T-shirt and standing on one side of an empty street. His arms are outstretched, and he is holding a stick in one hand. Across the street stand several police officers, wearing bulletproof vests and helmets and pointing their

Israeli Strike on Yemeni Port Will Harm Civilians, Not Houthis, Experts Say

The Israeli bombing of a vital Yemeni port controlled by the Houthi militia is not expected to deter the group from further attacks but is likely to deepen human suffering in Yemen, regional experts said. Israeli officials said the barrage of airstrikes that hit the Red Sea port city of

Canadian Politicians Are in No Hurry to Fight Foreign Interference in Elections

It is the “Wild West” of Canada’s political system, a “critical gap” in its democracy. But Canadian political leaders — and some foreign nations — are big fans. Canadian elections have long rested on what many experts say is an undemocratic foundation: opaque nomination races in which political parties select their

Hong Kong’s Bouncy ‘Wonders’ Leave Some Wondering, ‘Why?’

With darkness falling along Hong Kong’s waterfront against a backdrop of glimmering skyscrapers, carnival music competed with the whine of ventilation blowers as visitors bounced on the inflatable Stonehenge. The puffy white megalithic replica was part of an installation put up this month for SummerFest, a public outdoor festival

Bangladesh Sharply Cuts Quota System That Sparked Protest

The Supreme Court of Bangladesh on Sunday drastically reduced the number of government jobs reserved for war veterans and their descendants, a momentous decision spurred by violent student protests that had resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people and brought the country to a standstill. Under the court’

The Buried Book That Helped Ukraine’s Literary Revival

After Russian forces took control of his village in 2022, Volodymyr Vakulenko, a well-known Ukrainian author, sensed he might soon be arrested. So he buried his new handwritten manuscript in his backyard, under a cherry tree. Best known in Ukraine for his cheerful and lyrical children’s books, Mr. Vakulenko

The Olympics Is Transforming Their Neighborhood. And Kicking Them Out.

The building, once a warehouse, apartments and offices, is a temporary home — with one shower — for 60 adults and children. On the ground floor, rats sprint under plastic chairs and parked baby strollers. The stench of damp clothes and clogged toilets overpowers the strong scents of tomato and spices from

Did Police in Kenya Catch a Serial Killer or Coerce a Confession?

A 26-year-old hair braider named Josephine Owino disappeared one morning last month in the sprawling shantytown of Mukuru Kwa Njenga in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, after going out suddenly to see someone who had just phoned. Ms. Owino’s younger sister, Peris Keya, was desperate to find her, and went

The Poet Who Commands a Rebel Army

Deep in the sweltering jungles of Myanmar this spring, a rebel commander stood in front of 241 recruits for Day 1 of basic training. The troops — part of a resistance fighting an unpopular military dictatorship — were organized in rows by height, starting at less than five feet tall. A spotted

Israel in Talks Over Withdrawing From Egypt-Gaza Border, Officials Say

Israel and Egypt have privately discussed a possible withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from Gaza’s border with Egypt, according to two Israeli officials and a senior Western diplomat, a shift that could remove one of the main obstacles to a cease-fire deal with Hamas. After more than nine months of

Middle East Crisis: Israeli Strikes, One on a School Building Turned Shelter, Kill More Than 20

Two Israeli strikes killed more than 20 people in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, including at a United Nations school turned shelter, according to local health officials, the latest in a string of recent bombardments that have hit U.N. buildings in the enclave. Paramedics found at least five bodies

Kenyan Police Arrest Suspected Serial Killer of 42 Women

Kenya’s police on Monday said that they had arrested a suspected serial killer who they said confessed to killing 42 women in the past two years, a shocking development in a country wracked by political turmoil and a spate of violence against women. The police arrested the man days