Wildfire in Chile forces hundreds to evacuate

Comment on this story Comment Firefighters battled Thursday to contain a massive wildfire around the city of Viña del Mar in the Greater Valparaíso region on Chile’s Pacific coast. Early estimates suggest more than 400 houses have burned as the fire rages over 110 hectares, or 270 acres, according to the country’s fire department. At […]

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Inside the monumental, stop-start effort to arm Ukraine

The U.S. supply of weapons has never been enough for Kyiv. But for Washington and the Pentagon, there are broader concerns. December 23, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EST Pallets of ammunition, weapons and other equipment are loaded and bound for Ukraine on a commercial airline at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del., on Oct. […]

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Soviet artists drew a freedom message. A KGB agent named Putin investigated.

Comment on this story Comment RIGA, Latvia — A Russian historian was browsing a display on Soviet dissidents in a dim corner of St. Petersburg’s political museum last month when the name on a 1976 KGB search warrant jumped out: “Lt. Putin.” The historian, Konstantin Sholmov, had found a previously unknown document touching on President […]

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Jordan’s dignity protesters demand action on rising fuel costs

Comment on this story Comment BEIRUT — A rise in fuel prices in Jordan has set off nationwide demonstrations, snarling traffic and supply chains and threatening the stability of a U.S. ally that has struggled to insulate itself from the global economic downturn. Organized by truckers, the “dignity protests” turned violent in one part of […]

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UN experts: `Substantial evidence’ of Rwanda forces in Congo

Comment on this story Comment UNITED NATIONS — U.N. experts say they found “substantial evidence” of Rwandan government forces crossing into neighboring eastern Congo, either to reinforce M23 rebels or to conduct military operations against another rebel group that includes fighters accused of taking part in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. According to excerpts from the […]

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Franz Gertsch, Swiss artist of photorealism mastery, dies at 92

Franz Gertsch, a Swiss artist acclaimed as one of the masters of hyper-realistic painting whose work often evoked a flashbulb-like sharpness on subjects ranging from landscapes to punk rocker Patti Smith in the 1970s, died Dec. 21 at a hospital in Riggisberg, Switzerland. He was 92. The death was confirmed by Arno Stein, managing director […]

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CDC warns of increase of invasive Strep A cases among children

Comment on this story Comment The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of an increase in severe infections involving the Group A streptococcus bacteria, also known as Strep A, among children. There has been a “recent increase in pediatric invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) infections,” the CDC said Thursday in a health advisory […]

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Greece: EU’s external border is hardening, attitudes are too

Comment on this story Comment LYKOFI, Greece — Accompanied by a cloud of mosquitos, Police Capt. Konstantinos Tsolakidis and three other border guards set out on a boat patrol along the Evros River that forms a natural frontier between Greece and Turkey. The route takes them through a maze formed by tall reeds, past clusters […]

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Head of Turkish medical group stands trial on terror charges

Comment on this story Comment ISTANBUL — The president of the Turkish Medical Association denied in court on Friday accusations that she disseminated “terrorist propaganda” by calling for an investigation into allegations that the Turkish military used chemical weapons against Kurdish militants. Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, 63, is on trial accused of engaging in propaganda […]

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Pope’s vicar for Rome seeks full truth about Jesuit abuse

Comment on this story Comment ROME — The pope’s vicar for Rome called Friday for the full truth to come out about a famous Jesuit priest accused of sexual and spiritual abuses against adult women, and said he was evaluating what to do with the priest’s Rome-based community and diocesan positions. Cardinal Angelo De Donatis […]

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