World

A collection of 1422 posts

World

Jeffrey Epstein’s Trust Reveals Beneficiaries of His Fortune

Two days before he killed himself in federal jail, Jeffrey Epstein signed a 32-page document called the 1953 Trust that named about 40 potential beneficiaries; a copy was included in Justice Department files released on Friday. It is unclear how much any beneficiary will receive after the estate’s decline

World

The people betting on catastrophic world events – podcast

In the early hours of 3 January, Donald Trump ordered a surprise attack on Caracas to kidnap Nicolás Maduro. In the hours before the attack someone — and we have no way of knowing who — placed a series of bets on a prediction market that Trump would oust Maduro, netting nearly

World

Police Search X Premises in Paris as Inquiry Widens

French police searched X's Paris offices as prosecutors summoned the platform's owner, Elon Musk, in a yearlong probe by the Paris prosecutor’s cybercrime division. The office said it is investigating seven accusations including complicity in distributing images of a child of a pornographic nature, producing

World

Paris court says Iraq should hear heirs' $22M suit over French embassy home

A Paris court on Monday rejected a $22 million lawsuit by descendants of Ezra and Khedouri Lawee, who say France has not paid them rent for more than 50 years for the house in Baghdad that has housed the French Embassy. The court concluded it was "not competent to

World

Trump’s Greenland threats reopen colonial wounds for Inuit across Arctic

About 70 people marched through Nunavut on a bitterly cold recent morning, waving signs that read: "We stand with Greenland" and "Greenland is a partner, not a purchase", in a protest that reflected Inuit concern over Donald Trump’s threats to Greenland. Donald Trump’s tug-of-war

World

Palestinians Return to Gaza After Rafah Border Reopens

Twelve Gaza residents were allowed back into the territory late on Monday after Israel and Egypt reopened the Rafah border crossing, the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza said, ending nearly two years in which Palestinians were barred from returning. The returnees were reunited with family members, and several described their

World

Claire Fahy visits Maui to assess recovery after 2023 Lahaina firestorm

Our reporter Claire Fahy visited Maui to see if it’s recovering from the 2023 firestorm that killed more than 100 people and razed thousands of structures in the town of Lahaina. The visit is presented in a New York Times video titled "How Maui Is Recovering From the

World

Former Israeli hostage says he was sexually abused in Gaza tunnels

Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who was abducted to Gaza from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, says he was sexually abused by one of his captors in the tunnels of Gaza and was threatened with death if he disclosed it, he told The New York Times weeks after his release

World

Sheinbaum vows humanitarian aid to Cuba despite US moves to curb oil

Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, pledged to send humanitarian aid this week to Cuba and said Mexico was "exploring all diplomatic avenues to be able to send fuel to the Cuban people," despite US efforts to cut off oil to the Caribbean nation, she said at a public

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U.S. and Iranian officials expected to meet in Istanbul amid Trump threats

Senior U.S. and Iranian officials are expected to meet in Istanbul on Friday, according to three current regional officials and a former one, in talks aimed at de-escalating tensions. The planned participants include Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy; Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law; and Iran’

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Israel permits limited reopening of Rafah; sick and wounded begin crossing to Egypt

Sick and wounded Palestinians began crossing into Egypt on Monday after Israel permitted a limited reopening of the Rafah border crossing, Egyptian officials said. About 150 people were due to leave and 50 to enter, more than 20 months after Israeli forces closed the crossing in May 2024. Ambulances waited

World

Cyclone Fytia kills at least three and floods homes in Madagascar

At least three people have died and nearly 30,000 people have been affected by flooding after Tropical Cyclone Fytia, Madagascar’s first tropical storm of the season, hit over the weekend. Fytia formed to the north-west of Madagascar over the northern Mozambique Channel on Thursday and was forecast to

World

Erfan Soltani, Iranian Protester, Released on Bail

Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old Iranian protester who was widely reported last month to be awaiting execution, has been released on bail, human rights group Hengaw and Iranian state media said. Hengaw said Mr. Soltani was freed on Saturday after being arrested during anti-government protests. A lawyer for Mr. Soltani told

World

Laura Fernández wins Costa Rica presidency in preliminary count

Laura Fernández, a 39-year-old political scientist handpicked by outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, won Costa Rica’s presidential election on Sunday, according to a preliminary count of the votes, and reached the threshold needed to win in the first round. Early results showed Ms. Fernández with nearly 50 percent of the

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Gustavo Petro to meet President Trump at the White House on Feb. 3

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro is scheduled to meet President Trump at the White House on Feb. 3, in a visit arranged after a period of heightened tensions between the two leaders, diplomats said. The meeting is meant to de-escalate those tensions and to address cooperation on issues such as

World

Three fraternity leaders in Arizona charged with hazing after student found dead

Three leaders of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity at Northern Arizona University were arrested and charged with hazing after an 18-year-old pledge candidate was found dead on Saturday morning following a rush event on Friday night in Flagstaff, the police said. Just before 8:45 a.m., officers responded to

World

Ice storm leaves thousands without power in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana

A widespread ice storm last week knocked out power across Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, leaving tens of thousands without electricity and heat as of Sunday and contributing to more than 30 deaths, officials said. Nashville accounts for a majority of the outages in Tennessee, with about 33,000 customers still

World

Study finds international humanitarian law at breaking point after 23 conflicts

An authoritative Geneva Academy study surveying 23 armed conflicts between July 2024 and the end of 2025 concludes international humanitarian law is at a "critical breaking point", saying more than 100,000 civilians were killed and that torture and rape have been committed with near impunity. The War

World

Oscar-nominated screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian arrested in Iran after signing protest letter

Mehdi Mahmoudian, an Oscar-nominated Iranian screenwriter and human-rights activist, was arrested on Saturday after signing a letter condemning the government’s crackdown on protesters, the United States-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. Mr. Mahmoudian, a co-writer of the film It Was Just an Accident, was among 17 prominent lawyers,

World

Police ‘strongly’ believe fugitive Dezi Freeman is dead as new Mount Buffalo search begins

Victoria Police have launched a major search in the high country around Mount Buffalo for fugitive Dezi Freeman, saying on Monday they strongly believe he is dead. Freeman fled into bushland after he allegedly shot dead two officers in Porepunkah on 26 August, and police say there has been no

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NC woman charged after allegedly driving 103 mph with 1-year-old unrestrained

A woman in North Carolina was pulled over and arrested after a deputy allegedly measured her driving 103 mph on snow-covered Highway 70 near Princeton on Saturday, Jan. 31, with a 1-year-old found "unrestrained in a child seat," the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said. The driver was

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Secret Egyptian air base used to launch drones striking targets in Sudan

The New York Times reported on Feb. 1, 2026, that a covert airstrip at the East Oweinat desert project in Egypt has been used for at least six months to base advanced military drones that have carried out strikes inside Sudan, primarily against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (R.S.

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Trump warns of a “massive Armada” heading to Iran; analysts say Iran is riskier than Venezuela

President Trump warned on Truth Social that “A massive Armada is heading to Iran,” comparing the threat to the pressure campaign the United States used against Venezuela, The New York Times reports. The article says Mr. Trump has effectively given Iran an ultimatum, demanding that it end its nuclear program,

World

Thousands still without power after Southern ice storm; at least three dozen dead

At least three dozen people have died across Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana and thousands remain without power a week after a widespread ice storm, officials said, as crews worked to restore service in Nashville and surrounding areas by Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Nashville accounted for a majority of outages in

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China lifts sanctions on six serving British MPs and peers, Starmer says

China has lifted the sanctions it imposed on six serving British MPs and peers, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday after talks in Beijing with President Xi Jinping, adding the restrictions no longer apply with immediate effect. Nine UK citizens were banned from China in 2021, the Guardian reported,