Why These Oscars Mean So Much to Brazil

The streets of Rio de Janeiro have been littered with Fernanda Torres imitators. They drink beer, clutch plastic Oscars and deliver the impromptu acceptance speeches that they hope their idol, the Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres, will give on Sunday night at the Academy Awards. “It’s the peak of fame in Brazil: to become a costume … Read more

Who Is the P.K.K. Leader Abdullah Ocalan?

Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of a Kurdish guerrilla movement that has been waging a bloody insurgency against the Turkish state for decades, has called on his fighters to lay down their arms and disband. The rare message from Mr. Ocalan on Thursday raised the possibility that a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 … Read more

China’s Military Puts Pacific on Notice as U.S. Priorities Shift

China has in recent weeks staged military drills off Australia and Vietnam, sending pointed warnings near and far. Neither was a full-fledged exercise. But taken together, China’s recent shows of force, experts said, conveyed a message: the region must not ignore Beijing’s power and claims. Three Chinese naval ships, including a cruiser with 112 missile … Read more

Biodiversity Talks in Rome End

While the Trump administration in Washington was cutting environmental programs, delegates at U.N. biodiversity talks in Rome made modest progress Thursday on a series of measures to support nature. Governments gathered to tackle global biodiversity losses that are unprecedented in human history, driven by the ways people have transformed the world. The seismic geopolitical changes … Read more

Friday Briefing: Trump Met With Britain’s Leader

Trump said he trusted Putin to keep a Ukraine peace deal President Trump met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain in Washington yesterday. While sitting beside the British leader in the Oval Office, Trump said repeatedly that he believed that Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader, would not violate the terms of whatever peace deal might … Read more