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 unstable, with some Syrians seeking vengeance. Who are the Assad loyalists taking up arms? There … Read more
new video loaded: Players Tussle in English Town’s Centuries-Old Football Game transcript Back transcript Players Tussle in English Town’s Centuries-Old Football Game The Atherstone Ball Game, a tradition since 1199 in the town of Atherstone, England, is one of a dwindling number of folk football games played across Britain. “Five, four, three, two, one.” [horn … Read more
In England, the Tuesday before lent is traditionally celebrated by eating a stack of pancakes. But in Atherstone, a small town about 100 miles northwest of London, the locals gathered for a more bloody ritual: At 3 p.m. on the town’s main street, a ball was thrown out of the second-story window of a mortgage … Read more
Russia unleashed a furious bombardment aimed at critical Ukrainian infrastructure overnight on Thursday and on Friday amid increasing worries that the American decision to withhold intelligence assistance could leave Ukraine more vulnerable to attacks. Ukraine’s energy minister, German Galushchenko, said Russian forces launched a “massive missile and drone” assault on power and gas facilities across … Read more
The moment Ashraf Zughayer, a Hamas leader in Israeli prison, heard in October 2023 that Palestinian militants had taken hostages, he knew his life sentence for murdering six people in Tel Aviv could soon be wiped away, he said. It took more than a year. But in late January, as part of the cease-fire and … Read more
This article is part of a Women and Leadership special report highlighting women who are charting new pathways and fighting for opportunities for women and others. For the first 10 years of her life, Tarcila Rivera-Zea lived a cloistered existence. Growing up in the Peruvian Andes as part of the Quechua Indigenous community, she spoke … Read more
Moroccan families usually celebrate Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, with prayers at the mosque in the morning and sizzling meat skewers at night. But in recent years, many have been unable to afford basic necessities — much less the cost of a sheep to slaughter for one of Islam’s holiest festivals. So when King … Read more
The protester leaped on to the stage, lunged at Chrystia Freeland and screamed within inches of her face. She didn’t flinch. Her January campaign launch for leadership of the Liberal Party, and by extension Canada, was disrupted, but the encounter made a point no stump speech could have landed as effectively: She’s unflappable. Ms. Freeland, … Read more
It was the summer of 2007. Deep inside Canada’s finance ministry, high-ranking officials were staring down the barrel of a global financial meltdown. They weren’t sure exactly when, or how, the market would crash, but as Mark Carney tells it, “We knew that the thing was going to fall apart.” It was a turning point … Read more
