The gunfire began at dawn on Friday in the town of al-Haffa on Syria’s Mediterranean coast. At first, Wala, a 29-year-old resident of the town, leaped off her bed to the corner of the room in her first-floor apartment, flattening…
Tag: Politics and Government
He Was Once a Covert Taliban Operative. Now He’s the Friendly Taxman.
He is the Taxman of Kabul, a bearded, black-turbaned Talib with a genial manner and the calculating mind of a computer-savvy accountant. As director of the Taliban’s Taxpayers Services Directorate, Abdul Qahar Ghorbandi has the unenviable task of raising revenue…
Trump’s Embrace of Russia Leaves Europe in Emotional Shock
For decades a core objective of the Soviet Union was to “decouple” the United States from Europe. Decoupling, as it was called, would break the Western alliance that kept Soviet tanks from rolling across the Prussian plains. Now, in weeks,…
Days of Clashes in Syria Kill More Than 300 Civilians, War Monitor Reports
Three days of clashes between forces from Syria’s new government and fighters loyal to the ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad have killed more than 300 civilians and scores of combatants from both sides, a war monitoring group said on Saturday. The…
A Europe in Emotional Shock Grapples With a New Era
For decades a core objective of the Soviet Union was to “decouple” the United States from Europe. Decoupling, as it was called, would break the Western alliance that kept Soviet tanks from rolling across the Prussian plains. Now, in weeks,…
Trump Administration Sends Politically Charged Survey to Researchers
The Trump administration has asked researchers and organizations whose work is conducted overseas to disclose ties to those regarded as hostile, including “entities associated with communist, socialist or totalitarian parties,” according to a questionnaire obtained by The New York Times.…
German Court Convicts Five Over Plot to Kidnap Health Official and Spread Chaos
Five people have been sentenced to prison over what the authorities in Germany described as a plot to kidnap the country’s health minister on live television in 2022 in an attempt to destabilize the German state. After a nearly two-year…
What We Know About the Clashes in Syria
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, has reported attacks on Alawite civilians, frequently by unknown gunmen. The country’s new rulers have pledged to bring all armed groups under the state’s control, but the security situation remains…
South Korean Court Orders Impeached President’s Release From Jail
A South Korean court on Friday ordered the release from jail of Yoon Suk Yeol, the country’s impeached president, who is standing trial on insurrection charges over his decision to impose martial law in December. The Seoul Central District Court…
Trump to Pause Auto Tariffs for Canada and Mexico for One Month
President Trump said on Wednesday that he would pause tariffs on cars coming into the United States from Canada and Mexico for one month, after a 25 percent tariff that he placed on America’s closest trading partners a day earlier…