DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The Israeli military withdrew from Gaza’s largest hospital early Monday after a two-week raid, leaving behind several bodies and a vast swath of destruction, according to Palestinian residents. The military has described the raid on Shifa Hospital as one of the most successful operations of the nearly six-month war. It … Read more
JERUSALEM — Israel’s Supreme Court ruling curtailing subsidies for ultra-Orthodox men has rattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition and raised questions about its viability as the country presses on with the war in Gaza. Netanyahu has until Monday to present the court with a plan to dismantle what the justices called a system that … Read more
TOKYO — Japan’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved a plan to sell future next-generation fighter jets that it’s developing with Britain and Italy to other countries, in the latest move away from the country’s postwar pacifist principles. The contentious decision to allow international arms sales is expected to help secure Japan’s role in the joint fighter … Read more
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has proposed a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as the North urged Japan to show sincerity toward improving bilateral ties and realizing their countries’ first summit in about 20 years. Japan’s government did not immediately respond to the … Read more
A week ago, President Vladimir Putin swaggered triumphantly onstage at a post-election event surrounded by young people in T-shirts reading “Putin — Russia — Victory,” and he confidently shrugged off Western criticism of the vote as neither free nor fair. This weekend, a very different Vladimir Putin addressed a nation shocked by a massacre at … Read more
MIAMI — A former fighter pilot jailed in Venezuela in February for his ties to a prominent human rights attorney is an employee of U.S. oil firm Chevron, The Associated Press has learned, an arrest that combined with other recent repressive acts by Nicolás Maduro’s government is straining efforts by the Biden administration to pave … Read more
NIAMEY, Niger — A militant attack on Nigerien forces in a border region near Mali and Burkina Faso killed 23 soldiers, the defense ministry said Friday. The soldiers were taking part in an overnight clearing operation on Tuesday in the country’s west when they were ambushed by armed men on motorcycles equipped with homemade bombs, … Read more
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he will share alternatives to Israel’s planned ground assault into the southern Gaza town of Rafah when he meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his War Cabinet on Friday. Blinken and Arab leaders on Thursday discussed efforts for a cease-fire and ideas for Gaza’s post-conflict future during … Read more
KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday appointed his son as top commander of the military, a controversial move in a country where many have long believed Museveni is grooming his eldest child for the presidency. Museveni’s son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has recently been holding rallies around the country, in violation of a … Read more
JERUSALEM — Israel is determined to launch a ground offensive against Hamas in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town, a plan that has raised global alarm because of the potential for harm to the hundreds of thousands of civilians sheltering there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel can’t achieve its goal of “total victory” against Hamas without … Read more