World

America's Middle East Dilemma and Opportunity
Op-edAmerica's Middle East Dilemma and Opportunity

Whatever you think about events since October 2023, a fundamental shift in the balance of power has occurred in the Middle East. The dilemma for Washington and its regional partners is what to do now to bring lasting security for all those who in the past were compelled to live in the shadow of threats and violence by Iran and its Arab proxies. ...

US House Panel Subpoenas Clintons in Epstein Probe
US House Panel Subpoenas Clintons in Epstein Probe

The US House Oversight Committee on Tuesday subpoenaed former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton for testimony on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to letters posted on its website. The Clintons were among multiple former government officials, including two of President Donald Trump's attorneys general from ...

Giotto, Padua, Jerusalem: The First Kiss in Art History
SpotlightGiotto, Padua, Jerusalem: The First Kiss in Art History

Within the sacred dimness of the Scrovegni Chapel, this scene immediately draws the eye with its unexpected tenderness. Two faces nearly touch, two foreheads gently meet and two lips reach for each other. This is neither Romeo and Juliet nor Tristan and Isolde, but Joachim and Anne, the biblical couple and parents of Mary, the future mother of ...

Russia Hints at Deploying Mid-Range Missiles after Ending INF Moratorium
Russia Hints at Deploying Mid-Range Missiles after Ending INF Moratorium

Russia on Tuesday suggested it could deploy intermediate-range missiles after ending a self-imposed moratorium on producing or deploying the weapons, which were banned for decades under a Cold War treaty with the United States. Washington and Moscow had prohibited missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (300-3,400 miles) under the 1987 ...

Thousands in Besieged Sudan City at 'Risk of Starvation'
Thousands in Besieged Sudan City at 'Risk of Starvation'

Thousands of families trapped in a besieged city in war-torn Sudan's west are at "risk of starvation", the World Food Program warned on Tuesday. Since May last year, El-Fasher, the state capital of North Darfur, has been under siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have been at war with the army since April ...

EU Suspends Tariff Retaliation After Trump Trade Deal
EU Suspends Tariff Retaliation After Trump Trade Deal

The EU announced the suspension on Tuesday of its retaliatory tariffs on US goods worth 93 billion euros ($107 billion) after Brussels struck a deal with Washington last month. "The commission has today adopted the necessary legal procedures to suspend the implementation of our EU countermeasures, which were due to kick in on August 7," ...

Decision Time as Plastic Pollution Treaty Talks Begin
Decision Time as Plastic Pollution Treaty Talks Begin

Countries will  start the clock Tuesday on 10 days of talks aimed at hammering out a landmark global treaty on combating the scourge of plastic pollution. Three years of negotiations hit the wall in South Korea in December when a group of oil-producing states blocked a consensus. Since the failure in Busan, countries have been working behind ...

Israel Poised to Order New Gaza War Plan
Israel Poised to Order New Gaza War Plan

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared Tuesday to unveil an updated Gaza war plan designed to destroy Hamas and secure the release of dozens of hostages, with Israeli media reporting he would order the total occupation of the Palestinian territory. Netanyahu was expected to meet security chiefs in Jerusalem to issue new orders, even ...

Dutch are First to Buy US Arms for Ukraine Under NATO Scheme
Dutch are First to Buy US Arms for Ukraine Under NATO Scheme

The Netherlands will buy 500 million euros ($577 million) of US weapons for Ukraine, becoming the first NATO member to fund a full package under a new scheme to speed deliveries from American stockpiles, the defense ministry said. The purchase will be under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) mechanism launched by US President Donald ...

Israel Intercepts Houthi Missile Fired From Yemen
Israel Intercepts Houthi Missile Fired From Yemen

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for firing a missile at Israel's main airport on Tuesday, as the Israeli military said it intercepted it. The Iran-backed rebels targeted Ben Gurion airport "using a 'Palestine 2' hypersonic ballistic missile" in support of Palestinians in Gaza, their military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video ...

Iran Orders Office Closures as Heatwave Strains Power Grid
Iran Orders Office Closures as Heatwave Strains Power Grid

Iranian authorities ordered many government offices to close on Wednesday in a bid to cut power consumption as a heatwave strains generating capacity, state media reported. At least 15 of Iran's 31 provinces will see public offices either shut or operating on reduced hours, the official IRNA news agency said. Provinces affected include West ...