Category: World

For 20 years, Iranian officials have said they wanted the U.S. military out of Afghanistan. Iran supplied Afghan insurgents with weapons to use against American soldiers. It sheltered Al Qaeda’s top leaders in Tehran. It courted the Taliban with diplomatic visits, covertly and then publicly. But when the United States finally left Afghanistan in August,… Continue reading Iran Wanted U.S. Out of Afghanistan. It May Be Sorry the Wish Came True.

After a night of unrest, Sudan’s capital fell quiet for a brief time on Tuesday with schools, shops and banks shuttered in response to a call by pro-democracy groups for civil disobedience to protest against the military seizure of power that has threatened to derail a transition to civilian rule after decades of brutal dictatorship.… Continue reading Sudan’s Shuttered Capital Pauses Before a Fresh Day of Protest

It is time for one of The Morning’s occasional updates on the state of the pandemic. Today’s is focused on the U.S. and organized around three main points. 1. Covid’s retreat continues The number of new daily Covid-19 cases has plunged 57 percent since peaking on Sept. 1. Almost as encouraging as the magnitude of… Continue reading Covid Cases Keep Falling – The New York Times

The brain of a fruit fly is the size of a poppy seed and about as easy to overlook. “Most people, I think, don’t even think of the fly as having a brain,” said Vivek Jayaraman, a neuroscientist at the Janelia Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Virginia. “But, of course, flies… Continue reading How to Map a Fly Brain in 20 Million Easy Steps

SEOUL — Roh Tae-woo, South Korea’s last military-backed president who forged ties with Communist foes, tolerated the country’s rambunctious transition from dictatorship to democracy but ended up in jail for mutiny and corruption, died on Tuesday. He was 88. Mr. Roh died in an intensive care unit at Seoul National University Hospital, the hospital said,… Continue reading Roh Tae-Woo, South Korean Leader as It Moved Toward Democracy, Dies at 88

BERLIN — A criminal court in Munich sentenced a German convert to Islam to 10 years in prison on Monday, finding the woman guilty of supporting the Islamic State in Iraq and a crime against humanity for leaving a 5-year-old Yazidi girl to die of thirst in the scorching heat. The sentencing of the 30-year-old… Continue reading German Woman Convicted of a Crime Against Humanity in Death of Yazidi Child

TEL AVIV — An Israeli family court ruled Monday that the 6-year-old survivor of an Italian cable car crash should live with his paternal aunt in Italy, not with the maternal grandfather who had spirited him off to Israel in what the court said was a violation of international law. The boy, Eitan Biran, was… Continue reading Eitan Biran Custody Ruling Issued by Israeli Court

CAIRO — Egypt’s authoritarian president announced Monday that he had lifted a four-year-old state of emergency, undoing powers that had given the government sweeping authority to quash protests, detain dissidents and control everyday life in the most populous Arab country. The proclamation by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, coming amid global criticism of Egypt’s human rights… Continue reading Egypt’s Leader Ends State of Emergency, Says It’s No Longer Needed

WASHINGTON — The United States froze $700 million in direct assistance to Sudan’s government in response to Monday’s coup, and American officials demanded that the Sudanese military immediately release civilian leaders and restore the transitional government. Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, acknowledged frustrations among Sudanese officials and citizens over the sluggish pace of the… Continue reading U.S. Halts Aid to Sudan Government After Coup

ROME — Matteo Salvini, the nationalist leader who as interior minister exercised enormous influence in Italy, lost his position in the cabinet and at the center of the spotlight, particularly after a new establishment prime minister effectively sidelined the country’s populists. But this weekend, Mr. Salvini’s efforts to regain attention received a star-powered lift when… Continue reading An Italian Politician’s Quest for Attention Gets a Boost From Richard Gere