Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 4 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “light,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown. The New York Times A strong, 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck in Ethiopia on Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey. The temblor happened at 11:28 p.m. East … Read more
Barbie Hsu, a Taiwanese actress, television host and pop star who catapulted to Pan-Asian popularity in 2001 as the star of the Cinderella-style teenage drama “Meteor Garden,” died on Feb. 2 in Tokyo. She was 48. Her death was announced to TVBS News in Taiwan by her sister Dee Hsu, who said the cause was … Read more
Fewer than 6,000 people live in Trevethin and Penygarn, a gritty, deindustrialized district amid the hills and valleys of South Wales, and not many expected drama when a vote was called to elect a member of the local municipality, one of the lowest tiers of British government. But as one candidate, Stuart Keyte, a member … Read more
A Texas county is taking steps to declare a state of emergency and seek federal assistance over farmland contaminated with harmful “forever chemicals,” as concerns grow over the safety of fertilizer made from sewage. Johnson County, south of Fort Worth, has been roiled since county investigators found high levels of chemicals called PFAS, or per- … Read more
A U.S. official overseeing the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah indicated on Friday that Israel would by next week withdraw from occupied towns in southern Lebanon. But his comments added to the uncertainty over whether Israel would remain in a handful of strategic points within Lebanese territory. In a statement released by U.S. Central Command, … Read more
A Rafter ‘Swallowed’ by a Whale, and Caught on Dad’s Video
Vice President JD Vance told European leaders on Friday that their biggest security threat was not military aggression from Russia or China, but their own suppression of free speech — including efforts to block hard-right parties from joining governments. An audience that was largely expecting Mr. Vance to lay out the Trump administration’s priorities for … Read more
As the Trump administration continues to withhold billions of dollars for climate and clean energy spending — despite two federal judges ordering the money released — concerns are growing that the United States government could skip out on its legal commitments. Typically, when the federal government spends money through a grant or a loan program … Read more
Olena Matvienko knows she doesn’t have much to go home to. The Russians captured her city, Mariupol, shortly after invading Ukraine. A Russian missile destroyed her old apartment building. Her daughter and her granddaughter were killed in the city. Still, Ms. Matvienko, 66, would like to return. But after comments by President Trump and his … Read more
The structure at Chernobyl that was hit on Friday is a huge arching shelter covering what remains of the crippled reactor. The meltdown spewed radiation into the atmosphere and contaminated an 18-mile zone around the plant that residents were forced to leave. The protective structure, which resembles an aircraft hangar, was completed in 2016. It … Read more