Israeli Leaders to Discuss Hamas Response on Cease-Fire Proposal

Israeli ministers were set to meet Thursday evening to discuss Hamas’s response to a new proposal for a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages, as mediators sought to revive dormant talks for a cease-fire after nearly nine months of war. On Wednesday, the Israeli government said in a statement that it was examining […]

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Saudi Arabia Sentences Producer to 13 Years in Prison Over Netflix Show

From the outside, the past few years looked like the peak of Abdulaziz Almuzaini’s career. As the head of an animation studio in Saudi Arabia, he signed a five-year deal with Netflix in 2020. A sardonic cartoon franchise that he helped create, “Masameer,” likened to a Saudi version of “South Park,” was soon streaming to […]

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Iranians’ Demand for Their Leaders: Fix the Economy

In the working-class neighborhood of Tehran surrounding Imam Hussein Square, the side streets and alleys are lined with secondhand stores and small repair shops for refurbishing all manner of household goods. But with little to do, most shopkeepers idle in front of their stores. A 60-year-old man named Abbas and his son Asgar, 32, lounged […]

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As Britain Votes, Change Is in the Air. Optimism, Not So Much.

Voters go to the polls in Britain on Thursday in a dyspeptic mood, many of them frustrated with the Conservative government but skeptical that any replacement can unravel the tangle of problems hobbling the country. Their skepticism is warranted, according to analysts. Even if the Labour Party wins a robust majority in Parliament, as polls […]

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What to Know as Israel-Hezbollah Conflict Grows

For months, concerns have grown that the war in Gaza might ignite a second conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the well-armed militia that is loosely allied with Hamas and based just across Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. The two sides have repeatedly traded strikes since the Gaza war began in October, killing civilians and combatants […]

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Biden Tells Governors That He Is Staying in the Race

President Biden told a group of Democratic governors on Wednesday that he was staying in the 2024 campaign, as the group peppered the president with questions about the path forward after Mr. Biden’s disastrous debate performance last week. After the meeting, a handful of governors spoke with reporters outside the White House, with one, Gov. […]

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Hurricane Beryl Batters Jamaica After Pummeling 2 Other Islands

Jamaica was hammered by a surge of water, damaging winds and flooding rainfall on Wednesday as Hurricane Beryl delivered a glancing blow when it passed just south of the coast, claiming at least one life on the island. The effects of the storm, a Category 4, struck Jamaica just days after it swept through the […]

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Menendez Defense Rests Without Senator Testifying

After calling just four witnesses, lawyers for Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey rested their case late Wednesday afternoon in Manhattan federal court, setting the stage for jurors to begin deliberations in his international bribery conspiracy trial early next week. Mr. Menendez, 70, said that he decided against testifying in his own defense for two […]

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