The deadly earthquake on Monday in Turkey, which was felt in Syria, Lebanon and Israel, was as strong as one in 1939, the most powerful one on record in Turkey. At magnitude 7.8, Monday’s quake had the same magnitude as one that killed about 30,000 people in December 1939 in northeast Turkey, Stephen Hicks, a […]
Month: February 2023
China Finds Itself With Limited Options After U.S. Shoots Down Balloon
After an American fighter jet shot down the Chinese balloon that had floated across the United States, the reaction from Beijing — defensive, angered, yet hedging its options — illustrated the challenges facing China’s leader, Xi Jinping, as he tries to stabilize relations while giving little, if any, ground. Hours after the balloon was struck […]
‘It’s Our Central Park’: Uproar Rises Over Location of New Toronto Homes
TORONTO — Spreading across two million acres, Toronto’s Greenbelt is a vast swath of protected and ecologically sensitive lands that forms an arc around the city and its suburbs, as if holding Canada’s most populous and fastest-growing region in an embrace. “It’s our Central Park,” said Jeff Bowers, 57, recently retired from a “high-stress, 24/7” […]
Fierce Battle Rages for ‘Every Stairwell’ in Bakhmut, Wagner Leader Says
A fierce fight was raging on Sunday in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, where a Russian paramilitary leader said Ukrainian forces were defending “every street, every house, every stairwell,” as they waged a desperate effort to deny Moscow its first significant battlefield success in months. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner private military […]
Pope Francis Calls for Peace in South Sudan During Visit
JUBA, South Sudan — On the last full day of his trip to Africa, Pope Francis met with the displaced South Sudanese who have borne the brunt of the conflict he came to help resolve by issuing blunt and insistent calls for leaders to get serious about peace. “I am with here you, and I […]
Spy Balloon Incident Highlights Fragile State of U.S.-China Relations
Live updates: The U.S. has shot down the Chinese spy balloon. After years of deepening mistrust and simmering tensions, ties between the United States and China appeared poised for a modest rebound after the meeting of the two nations’ leaders at a summit last November and recent efforts by Beijing to stabilize its relations with […]
Russia Pushes to Take Ukrainian Town Near a Vital Supply Line
Vuhledar takes its name, “gift of coal” in Ukrainian, from the mine on its outskirts. Consisting of a cluster of high-rise apartment complexes on an otherwise empty plain, the town’s elevation, exposure and tall buildings give defenders a distinct advantage. Updated Feb. 1, 2023, 1:31 a.m. ET The ill-fated November campaign was led by the […]
The Pentagon Saw a Warship Boondoggle. Congress Saw Jobs.
After years of crippling problems and a changing mission, the Navy pushed to retire nine of its newest ships. Then the lobbying started.
Brazil Says It’s Started Sinking an Old Warship, Hazardous Material and All
RIO DE JANEIRO — The Brazilian Navy said on Friday evening it had begun an operation to sink the decommissioned aircraft carrier São Paulo, packed with an undetermined amount of asbestos and other toxic materials, about 220 miles off the country’s northeastern coast. A navy news release did not give details of the operation, and […]
Pope Francis Visits South Sudan to Highlight Young Nation’s Troubles
It is just over a decade since the steamy capital of South Sudan exploded in joy, with revelers singing and dancing through the night to mark the birth of their nation as it split from its old enemy, Sudan. The new country was cheered on in 2011 by the American diplomats who had midwifed its delivery […]