ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s historic trip to East Africa last week was aimed at boosting relations. But his last stop, in Ethiopia, held special meaning for many of the 135,000 Jews of Ethiopian origin who live in Israel today. Netanyahu is the first Israeli leader to visit the East African country. Formal […]
Iranian Hulk denies he said he wants to fight ISIS in Syria
It’s been a busy week for an Iranian weight lifter who looks strikingly similar to the Hulk. After multiple reports from both Iranian news outlets and international media that Sajad Gharibi, also known as “the Persian Hercules,” wants to go to Syria to fight ISIS, the bulky Iranian now denies he ever made those comments and […]
Going on offense: Obama’s new Afghan war policy begins to take shape
Now that President Obama has abandoned his plan to greatly scale back U.S.-involvement in the Afghan war, military commanders are drawing up plans to help Afghan forces hammer Taliban insurgents. At a media briefing here in Kabul on Saturday, Gen. John W. Nicholson said the president has given U.S. military commanders “all the capabilities” they requested […]
Obama slammed Polish democracy on Friday. Here’s how Polish TV proved him right.
WARSAW – Amid fears of a rollback of Poland’s democratic freedoms, President Obama had a harsh message of concern during a trip here for a NATO summit. But viewers of Poland’s main evening news program saw exactly the opposite. The twisted message would not instill confidence in the new Polish government’s protestations that its press […]
After the Brexit fallout, Europeans are suddenly not so eager for more referendums
LONDON — The past two weeks in Britain have been described as the country’s most chaotic post-Word War II, and Europe has taken note. As both the value of the pound and consumer confidence have fallen to record lows, pro-European Union politicians elsewhere have argued that such repercussions would be disastrous for even smaller countries than […]
Turkey’s bold new plan for Syrian refugees: Make them citizens.
Earlier this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan toured a southern province close to the Syrian border and announced a new plan to cope with the huge population of Syrian refugees in the country. “We are going to help our Syrian friends in offering them the chance, if they want it, to acquire Turkish nationality,” […]
Finalist for British prime minister suggests motherhood makes her a better pick than childless opponent
LONDON — Andrea Leadsom, one of two women in the race to become the next British prime minister, has suggested that being a mom makes her a better pick than her rival Theresa May. Leadsom, a 53-year-old mother of three, told the Times of London that being a mother “means you have a very real stake […]
Abdul Sattar Edhi: He was a hero to Pakistan’s poor and needy
Abdul Sattar Edhi was a beacon of hope in a country too often mired in despair. He was an ascetic in a country where politicians regularly skim millions of dollars through corruption; a humanitarian in a country rife with sectarian hatred and violence; and ultimately the provider of public services in a country where the government […]
Britain’s next leader will be a woman. So why aren’t more women celebrating?
LONDON — It was a historic moment in British politics, and Andrea Leadsom relished being at the center of it. “The great news is we have an all-female shortlist with no positive discrimination or anything, isn’t that fantastic?” a beaming Leadsom told reporters shortly after it was announced that she would be one of two […]
5 countries where most police officers do not carry firearms — and it works well
LONDON — It has been another week of devastating gun violence in the United States: 37-year-old Alton Sterling and 32-year-old Philando Castile were both fatally shot by police officers in separate incidents which sparked outrage across the nation. When protesters rallied against the shootings Thursday night in Dallas, at least one gunman opened fire on 12 officers, killing five of them. Shortly after […]
NATO summit casts spotlight on Poland’s unsettling politics
WARSAW — NATO leaders gathered Friday in the Polish capital to discuss a daunting list of threats to global security, with the Western post-Cold War order in question as never before. And now Poland itself is on the list of challenges. A government elected in October has engaged in a broad-based attack on the nation’s democratic […]
India’s Environment Ministry appears to have thoroughly plagiarized a U.S. document
There is immense hope around the world that India will not repeat the mistakes of Western countries, which, during their industrializing periods, created a global economic system dependent on finite and highly polluting fuel sources. In May, India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests published a new Environmental Supplement Plan. The relatively obscure document has massive implications […]
Peace with FARC may be coming, so Colombia’s farmers are on a massive coca binge
Colombian drug growers continue to stuff their fields with illegal coca ahead of a possible peace deal between the government and the leftist guerrillas who are dominant in the country’s narcotics trade. The country’s coca crop increased 39 percent last year and has doubled since 2013, Colombian authorities said Thursday, announcing the results of an annual United […]
On Arabic social media, Dallas becomes part of a bigger debate over terrorism
The shootings in Dallas are just the latest backdrop for global discussions about race relations, guns and law enforcement in the United States. Some of the strongest views have come from the Arab world, where many view America’s struggles through the lens of religion and debates over how to define terrorism. Immediately after the shooting, […]
‘What is going on America?’: The world reacts to Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and Dallas shootings
LONDON — Days after America celebrated Independence Day with flags and fireworks, another week of devastating gun violence unraveled. First, 37-year old Alton Sterling was fatally shot by at least one police officer. Just moments before, Sterling had been selling CDs in front of a convenience store. about 48 hours later, on Wednesday night, 32-year old Philando Castile […]
The U.S. obsesses over Clinton’s emails. But why not the Iraq War?
On a day when Britain’s dizzying political wheel turned once more and when America was forced to reckon yet again with its problem of police brutality and gun violence, TV cameras in Washington on Thursday were all focused on a very different story. FBI Director James B. Comey delivered testimony at a five-hour House committee hearing where congressional Republicans […]
The men who gave us Brexit have all destroyed each other in two weeks flat
LONDON — It has only been two weeks since the world awoke to the news that Britain had done the unthinkable, voting to exit the European Union. But you’d need a comprehensive scorecard to keep track of all the carnage since among those who led the charge for Brexit. The betrayals and the backstabbing. The revenge and […]
A Maryland mom is stuck in the snake-infested prison of one of Africa’s worst tyrants
Her family says she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But Fanta Jawara of Frederick, Md., has now spent almost three months in a prison notorious for torture, and in a cell her family says is infested with snakes. The prison, called Mile 2, is an overcrowded complex sandwiched between a swamp […]
Police search for missing Russian couple after body parts wash up on Fiji beach
Fiji’s Natadola Beach is a summer vacationer’s paradise, replete with long stretches of white sand bounded by the Pacific Ocean. It is a popular destination for swimmers and surfers, boasting ideal conditions regardless of the tide. In recent weeks, however, the tropical locale has been shaken by the investigation into a Russian couple who went missing from their farm […]
Keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan sends the right message, generals and diplomats say
While President Obama’s decision to keep 8,400 troops in Afghanistan is seen by some critics as a sign of political failure, it is being endorsed as a crucial necessity by a range of U.S. experts and former officials, including a long list of former ambassadors and senior generals who served in Afghanistan. Although the president’s action […]
Britain voted for Brexit. And then things got weird.
It’s been a long 15 days since British voters decided to leave the European Union. The ramifications of the decision have rippled through the continent and the world. The pound plummeted and world markets took a hit. // The prime minister resigned. Rhetoric took a nasty turn, with a wave of racist incidents reported right […]
The Netherlands have a strange problem: Empty prisons
If you were to visit a prison in the Netherlands anytime soon, you might find it surprisingly empty. Just this week, the Dutch justice ministry announced that the total number of inmates held in Dutch prisons fell by 27 percent between 2011 and 2015. To put the Dutch situation into an American context, a 27 percent drop […]
Why Rio police kill — cops explain in shocking new report
RIO DE JANEIRO — It could be a film noir script from the gothic underbelly of this tropical Brazilian metropolis, where crooked cops summarily execute suspected criminals, fake evidence when innocent bystanders are killed in the crossfire, and become embroiled in deals and kidnappings with drug gangs. Instead it was a 115-page report, called “Good […]
Three leading Western nations could all have women in charge by January
After a tumultuous week in British politics, the race for who will replace outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron has narrowed to a contest between two women. That means, as my colleague Griff Witte reports, for the first time since Margaret Thatcher, a woman will head Britain’s government. Conservative party members will take the summer to choose between […]
This English village has become a tourist attraction. The problem is, no one can work out why.
Coachloads of Japanese tourists have been randomly turning up in the Oxfordshire village of #Kidlington! #HeartNews pic.twitter.com/vZ7hEMgPO4 — Thames Valley News (@HeartThamesNews) July 6, 2016 Kidlington is a large village in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of a little less than 14,000, according to the last census. If you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone. […]
The ‘hideous’ sexual assault problem at music festivals is causing major tensions in Europe
Police handed out bracelets to attendees at Sweden’s Bravalla Festival during the weekend. They were emblazoned with this reminder: “Don’t Grope.” The wristbands were part of a larger police campaign to raise awareness about sexual assault, particularly amid music festival season. “We’re hoping mainly that this will get boys to think twice,” national police chief Dan Eliasson told TT News Agency. “A lot […]
Satellite photos show Islamic State installing hundreds of makeshift oil refineries to offset losses from airstrikes
With its refineries mostly destroyed and its tanker fleet under constant attack, the Islamic State is increasingly turning to low-tech alternatives for processing oil, a vital source of revenue for the terrorist group, new satellite images reveal. Aerial photos taken near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul show scores of tiny, makeshift refineries popping up […]
New stricter sexual assault laws in Germany are making refugee activists uneasy
BERLIN — Following mass sexual assaults in Cologne on New Year’s Eve, the German parliament on Thursday voted in favor of a stricter sexual assault law that also could ease deportation rules for refugees convicted of sex-related offenses. The new law sharpens punishments for anyone convicted of sexual assault regardless of nationality, but it spells out specific […]
Andrea Leadsom supporters in suits and ties just led Britain’s most awkward rally
Central London was roiled Thursday morning by an impassioned rally of political revolutionaries demanding “fresh” leadership. Okay, well, not exactly. It was more like a small lunch-break gathering that fancied a summer stroll despite still being in formal work attire. And then they decided to imitate rallies they’d seen on the evening news. All told, it was […]
This giant, hairy Iranian bodybuilder wants to fight ISIS in Syria
An Iranian weightlifter who rose to Internet stardom from social media has announced this week that he plans to travel to Syria to fight the Islamic State alongside the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Sajad Gharibi, nicknamed the Iranian Hulk, revealed his plan to join other Iranian forces fighting in Syria in a video clip to his 148,000 Instagram […]
Yelling ‘I hate white people’ and punching one isn’t a hate crime, Canadian judge rules
Tamara Crowchief may have yelled “I hate white people” as she carried out a violent assault on a white person, but that doesn’t mean her attack was racially motivated, a Canadian judge has ruled. The attack occurred outside a pub in Calgary, Canada, on Nov. 1, according to the Calgary Herald. Crowchief’s victim, identified as […]
Colombia’s peace process: What’s next and what’s at stake
After nearly four years of formal negotiations, the Colombian government is on the brink of finalizing a peace deal with the FARC guerrillas it has been fighting since 1964. The conflict has left more than 220,000 dead and driven nearly seven million Colombians from their homes — the highest number of internally displaced people in […]
The Iraq War is still being fought in London, Washington and Baghdad
The much-anticipated release of the Chilcot report — the findings of a seven-year investigation into the British involvement in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq — interrupted an already frenzied British news cycle fixated on the country’s disentanglement from the European Union. Clocking in at some 2.6 million words, or five times the length of Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” […]
Could Tony Blair be put on trial for his role in the Iraq War?
Britain’s long-awaited Chilcot inquiry paints a poor picture of then-Prime Minister Tony Blair’s decision-making process in the run-up to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Although the report has few outright surprises, its remarkable heft — 2.6 million words — makes it extremely comprehensive, and many observers have been surprised at how openly damning it is of Blair. Now, […]
Survival, loss and rescued pigs: Moving tales from China’s floods
Li Zuming wiped away tears as he stood knee-deep in floodwaters at a farm in China’s Anhui province on Monday. On either side of him were rows of pigs, their bodies half-submerged and their snouts poking out from between the bars of their pens, as if beckoning to Li. The farmer had been told that environmental […]
Tony Blair’s emotional defense of his legacy
LONDON — Tony Blair offered a personal and passionate defense of his legacy Wednesday in a marathon news conference that saw the former British prime minister hauled over the coals for his role in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Over the course of two hours, Blair attempted to keep public opinion from calcifying around him […]
‘Shut Down Zimbabwe’ protests are met with Internet blackouts and arrests
Days of anti-government protests and riots in Zimbabwe culminated Wednesday in a coordinated move to “shut down” the country. Business owners, students and teachers, nurses and doctors, and government workers were encouraged by activists and union leaders to stay home. Some reports from the capital, Harare, indicated that almost all businesses, schools and hospitals were closed […]
As Britain debates the Chilcot report, Iraq keeps counting the dead
BAGHDAD — After a seven-year inquiry, British investigators gave a damning assessment of the United Kingdom’s role in the Iraq War, concluding that planning for the aftermath was inadequate and it ended “a very long way from success.” That didn’t come as news for Iraqis. As the report from the inquiry, led by former civil […]
Russian Embassy responds to Chilcot report with mocking ‘I told you so’ tweet
The long-awaited report on Britain’s involvement in the 2003 invasion of Iraq was released Wednesday. The independent report, which took seven years and was spearheaded by John Chilcot, stands at a staggering 2.6 million words and highlights many failures in intelligence and conduct that went into justifying Britain’s role in the U.S.-led invasion. The report immediately brought a wave of global scrutiny […]
‘I will be with you, whatever’: Read Blair’s secret 2002 memo to Bush on Iraq
One of the documents released in Wednesday’s Iraq Inquiry report was a note written by then British Prime Minister Tony Blair to President George W. Bush in July 2002 about embarking on the war in Iraq. The full text follows and is annotated using Genius by WorldViews staffers Max Bearak and Adam Taylor. I will […]
What the Chilcot inquiry says about Britain’s decision to invade Iraq
LONDON — British investigators on Wednesday released a damning report on Britain’s decision to invade Iraq with U.S. allies in 2003 to topple the regime of Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein. The report — which runs a staggering 2.6 million words — is based on seven years of work led by the retired civil servant, Sir […]
In a deadly Ramadan, ISIS terrorism exposes the failures of others
Many Muslim majority countries will mark Eid al-Fitr, or the last day of the holy month of Ramadan, on Wednesday. But for politicians and other leading figures from Turkey to Bangladesh, the annual holiday comes at a profoundly somber moment. The past week has seen an alarming campaign of slaughter unleashed by the militants of […]
Egypt cancelled daylight savings time three days before it was due to start
On Monday, Egypt’s cabinet announced that it was abolishing daylight saving time this year. Such a move may strike many around the world as logical: The practice of moving the clocks forward by one hour during the summer months so that the evening daylight lasts longer is widespread throughout much of the world, but it is surprisingly […]
Did an Indian Islamic TV evangelist inspire one of the Dhaka terrorists? Many Indians say the preacher must be banned.
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