WORLD NEWS

In Ukraine, Bakhmut Becomes a Bloody Vortex for 2 Militaries

​How Britain Turned ‘Modern Slavery’ Law Against Low-Level Drug Dealers

Glodi Wabelua was serving a prison sentence for drug dealing when he was charged and tried under Britain’s Modern Slavery Act.

Deadly Fire in China Fuels Protests Over Xi’s Covid Policies

A protest at a campus of the Communication University of China in Nanjing on Saturday.

Beauty Over Brains: Japan’s Skin-Deep University Pageants

Yuki Iozumi, center, and other finalists of the Miss Mister Aoyama pageants in Tokyo last month. Critics argue that the competitions promote stereotypical beauty standards.

French Police Guard Water as Seasonal Drought Intensifies

The Mauzé-sur-le-Mignon reservoir is the first of 16 planned in the Deux-Sèvres region.

They Were Surrogates. Now They Must Raise the Children.

Hun Daneth chose to be a surrogate for a Chinese businessman. After Cambodia banned the practice, she was forced by the courts to raise the child or risk going to jail.

Amid Israeli Blockade on Gaza, a Fishing Fleet Limps Along

A Palestinian fisherman carrying his bounty after a trip out to the sea along the Gaza Strip.

U.S. Allows Chevron to Expand Energy Operations in Venezuela

The Cardon oil refinery in Punto Fijo, Venezuela. Years of U.S. sanctions on oil and gas have cut the country’s profits.

U.S. and NATO Scramble to Arm Ukraine and Refill Their Own Arsenals

Ukrainian forces preparing to fire an M-777 howitzer at Russian positions in the Donetsk region in May.

This Country’s Top Judges Were All Foreigners. Now They’re Gone.

President Taneti Maamau of Kiribati accused foreign judges of trying to undermine the Pacific island nation’s sovereignty.

Landslide on Italian Island Sweeps Away Homes and Turns Roads Into Rivers of Mud

Vehicles were dragged into the sea on Saturday when a landslide hit the southern Italian island of Ischia.

‘Gangnam Style’ Brought K-Pop to the World, but Haunted Its Creator

Psy during an interview on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his hit “Gangnam Style,” at his office in Seoul (specifically, in the Gangnam area).

Catholic Church Issues Guidelines for Ethical Investing

St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican last week. The church says it has cleaned up its financial act after a long history of accusations of murky dealings.

Canadian Singer Kris Wu Sentenced to Prison for Rape in China

The pop singer Kris Wu in Toronto, in 2018. He has become arguably the most prominent figure in China to face punishment over #MeToo allegations.

Ukraine’s Progress Threatened by the Challenges of Winter Weather

Members of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Force took part in a tactical training exercise on Friday, near Malopolovetske, Ukraine.

Roman Coins Thought for Centuries to Be Fakes Get a Fresh Appraisal

Long considered fake, gold coins like this one bearing the image of a mysterious third-century figure named Sponsian may be authentic, researchers say.

Cholera and Crime

Jameson Batz, 4, cries next to his mother, Fanis Pierre, 30, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Protests Erupt in Shanghai and Other Chinese Cities Over Covid Controls

Protesters shouting slogans as police officers looked on in Shanghai on Saturday.

Meet the Man on a Mission to Expose Sneaky Price Increases

Mr. Dworsky said he looks out for clues like “new and improved” on packaging.

Ukraine Draws Parallels Between Holodomor and Russia’s Strikes

Placing candles on Saturday at a memorial to honor the victims of the Holodomor, a famine engineered in 1932 by Joseph Stalin that killed millions of Ukrainians.

Holiday Rituals

Tech Turmoil Complicates Canada’s Policing of the Online World

Google, which has a large office in Kitchener, Ontario, is among the tech giants with Canadian operations.

A Timely Biography Traces Joseph Roth’s Accounts of Fascism

Joseph Roth left Vienna for Paris in the 1920s amid mounting tensions. His 1923 book, “The Spider’s Web,” mentioned Adolf Hitler by name, though Hitler was then still a decade from gaining power.

Happy Birthday, Omicron

As Venezuelan Antagonists Talk, the U.S. Softens Its Stance

A rally for a mayoral candidate in Caracas last November. European election observers later said the vote was neither free nor fair.

Kherson Evacuates Hospitals Under Relentless Russian Shelling

City workers collecting the body of a woman in Kherson, in southern Ukraine, on Friday.

Under a Cross Atop a Shallow Grave, He Found His Father

Serhiy Novosad, 26, carrying the body of his father in his yard in Lvivsky Otrubi, a village in the Kherson region of Ukraine, on Wednesday.

Putin Holds Highly Choreographed Meeting With Mothers of Russian Soldiers

President Vladimir Putin of Russia meeting with mothers of Russian soldiers outside Moscow on Friday.

Merkel Says She Lacked the Power to Dissuade Putin from Invading Ukraine

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel in Lisbon in October.

Trudeau Defends Invoking Emergency Law During Trucker Protest

Police officers clearing demonstrators from near the Canadian capital in Ottawa in February.

Death Toll From Indonesia Earthquake Rises to 310

Search and rescue teams looking for victims in Cianjur, West Java, on Wednesday.

Holiday Shopping and Inflation

Shoppers in Soho, New York City last week.

Fire Kills 10 in China’s Xinjiang, Raising Questions About Lockdown

Firefighters spraying water on a fire at a residential building in Urumqi in western China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, on Thursday, in this still image taken from a video.

He Pointed Out a Judge’s Goof. Now, He Faces Jail Time in Fiji.

A crossing in Suva, Fiji’s capital, last year. Democracy is fragile in Fiji, which has experienced four coups d’état since 1987.

An Israeli Schoolboy Died in the West Bank. To Find His Body, Foes Joined Forces.

Members of the Israeli Druse community carrying the coffin of Tiran Fero, a schoolboy whose body had been seized by Palestinian militants, during his funeral in Israel, on Thursday.

Qataris Say Criticism of Country Amid World Cup Is Rooted in Stereotypes

The skyline of Doha, the capital of Qatar, on Monday. The country is the first in the Middle East to host the World Cup.

The Only U.S. Territory Without U.S. Birthright Citizenship

Pago Pago, American Samoa, in 2020.

Your Friday Briefing

Your Friday Briefing: Covid Protests Grow in China

Social media videos posted on Wednesday showing workers protesting at Foxconn’s iPhone factory in Zhengzhou in central China.

John McFall Is the World’s First Disabled Astronaut

“I can bring inspiration,” John McFall, 41, said on Wednesday. “Inspiration that science is for everyone,” he added, and that, “potentially, space is for everyone.”

French Lawmakers Back Bill to Enshrine Abortion Rights in Constitution

Members of the French National Assembly celebrated a vote to ensure abortion rights in the Constitution in Paris on Thursday.

Under Missile Strikes, Ukrainians Haul Water, While Surgeons Work in the Dark

The darkened streets of Kyiv on Wednesday night after a wave of Russian missile strikes that targeted energy facilities across the country.

Surgeons in Ukraine Struggle to Operate When the Power Goes Out

Doctors operating on a 13-year-old patient at a hospital in Kherson, Ukraine, on Tuesday.

Indonesia Earthquake Takes a Heavy Toll on Children

Neng Didah, 34, holding a photo of her daughter, Dewi Hani, on Thursday. Hani died when her school collapsed in an earthquake in West Java on Monday.

iPhone Factory Protest Challenges China’s ‘Zero Covid’ Rules

Social media videos posted on Wednesday showing workers protesting at Foxconn’s iPhone factory in Zhengzhou in central China.

Happy Thanksgiving

Dry-brined turkey.

Manx Language Is Experiencing a Revival on the Isle of Man

At Bunscoill Ghaelgagh, a school on the Isle of Man, evidence that Manx was still very much in use was practically everywhere.

Volker Türk, the U.N.’s New Human Rights Chief, Has a Lot to Do.

Volker Türk, the new United Nations high commissioner for human rights, at his office in Geneva in October.

Anwar Ibrahim Is Prime Minister of Malaysia, After a Wait of Decades

Anwar Ibrahim leaving a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday. His appointment was the culmination of a stunning comeback.

Pakistan Names a New Army Chief, Amid Political Drama Centered on the Military

A photo released by Pakistan’s government showing the newly appointed army chief, Lt. Gen. Syed Asim Munir, right, meeting with President Arif Alvi, in Islamabad, on Thursday.

Your Thursday Briefing

Smoke from a Russian artillery bombardment rising on Wednesday from the port of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, which has come under daily shelling this week from Russian positions located across the Dnipro River.

A US-Made Missile Went Astray in Ukraine, Injuring Civilians

AGM-88 air-to-surface missiles aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford off the coast of Virginia in October.

Russian Missile Barrage Cuts Power and Water Across Ukraine

Smoke from a Russian artillery bombardment rising on Wednesday from the port of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, which has come under daily shelling this week from Russian positions located across the Dnipro River.

Judge Slaps Down Bolsonaro’s Late Bid to Overturn Brazil’s Election

President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, center at top, waited two days to publicly address his loss. When he did, he refused to concede. Now, he’s challenging the results.

Pope Compares Russia’s War in Ukraine to Stalin-Era Famine That Killed Millions

Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday.

Your Thursday Briefing: Bombs Kill a Teenager in Jerusalem

Aryeh Schupak, a 15-year-old yeshiva student, was killed in the bombings.

US Bolsters Ukrainian Military With $400 Million in Aid

A HIMARS unit fired by the Ukrainian military in the Kherson region of Ukraine in early November. The newest U.S. military aid package to Ukraine includes ammunition for the system.

Thieves Steal Ancient Gold Coins From German Museum

The Celtic coins and other artifacts on display at the museum in 2006.

UK Acknowledges Signs of Race Disparity Over Joint Enterprise Cases

A protest organized by Joint Enterprise Not Guilty by Association, a group set up to fight joint-enterprise convictions, outside Parliament in London in May.

The European Parliament Backs Designating Russia as a State Sponsor of Terrorism

Civilians lined up for humanitarian aid in Kherson, Ukraine, last week. Millions have been displaced because of the war, while thousands are believed to have been killed.

BBC Could Have Been More Critical of Russia During 2018 World Cup, Its Commentator Says

Gary Lineker, a former soccer player for England, recently discussed the BBC’s coverage of Russia during the 2018 World Cup.

Squatters Can Stay at a Russian Tech Entrepreneur’s Property in Amsterdam, a Dutch Court Rules

Arkady Volozh, a prominent Russian tech entrepreneur, at an investment forum in Moscow in 2019.