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On his first day in office, Lebanon’s new finance minister, Yassine Jaber, sat at his desk reading a color-coded report on the dire state of the ministry’s operations. Nearly everything was marked in alarming red. The computers were decades old — some still ran on Windows 98. Like much of the government, the ministry relied … Read more
For eight decades, Henri Mignon has viewed Americans as heroes. They twice liberated his tiny Belgian hometown, Houffalize, from German occupation — the second time, he said, when he was 8 years old, mere hours after shrapnel from shelling had killed his father. The image of U.S. troops handing out gum to local children is … Read more
A ‘highly aggressive’ trip to Greenland Relations between Greenland and the U.S. deteriorated further yesterday as Mute Egede, the island’s prime minister, erupted over what he called a “highly aggressive” delegation of senior officials that the Trump administration plans to send there this week. Greenlanders’ effort to be diplomatic just “bounces off Donald Trump and … Read more
President Trump says he is focused on stopping the “death march” in Ukraine “as soon as possible.” But for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, cease-fire talks with Mr. Trump are a means to much broader ends. Russian and American officials are set to meet in Saudi Arabia on Monday to deepen their negotiations about … Read more
new video loaded: Pope Makes First Public Appearance Since Falling Ill transcript Back transcript Pope Makes First Public Appearance Since Falling Ill Pope Francis made his first public appearance in Rome after being admitted to a hospital in mid-February with an acute respiratory insufficiency. Francis will continue recovery at the Vatican guesthouse where he lives. … Read more
After President Trump spoke on the phone with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine last week, the White House wanted to make one thing clear: The Ukrainian leader was grateful to the American president. Very grateful. The statement recounting the call mentioned four times that Mr. Zelensky had thanked the president for his efforts to negotiate … Read more
The United States will hold separate talks with Russia and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia to iron out details of a possible limited cease-fire in what could be a crucial step toward a full cessation of hostilities in the war. Russia and Ukraine both agreed this past week to temporarily halt strikes on energy infrastructure, but … Read more
Looking frail, Pope Francis made his first, brief, appearance in more than six weeks on Sunday, appearing on the balcony of a Rome hospital to greet hundreds of people gathered in the square in front. “I see a woman with yellow flowers,” said Francis, who was brought out on the second-floor balcony in a wheelchair. … Read more
The British government has ordered an urgent investigation into how a fire at an electricity substation left Heathrow Airport in London in darkness on Friday, crippling one of the world’s busiest airports. “We are determined to properly understand what happened and what lessons need to be learned,” Britain’s energy secretary, Ed Miliband, said in a … Read more
At least three people were killed during a large Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s capital overnight, local officials said on Sunday, hours before U.S.-mediated talks to discuss a partial cease-fire were set to begin in Saudi Arabia. Multiple explosions shook the capital, Kyiv, overnight as air defense units fired at incoming drones. The Ukrainian Air … Read more