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In Seoul, Blinken Affirms Alliance Amid Challenges to Democracies

In Seoul, Blinken Affirms Alliance Amid Challenges to Democracies

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and the foreign minister of South Korea, Cho Tae-yul, both acknowledged the challenges to democracy in their nations on Monday while asserting that the alliance between the countries remained strong despite ongoing political turmoil. “Our relationship is bigger than any one leader, any one government, any one party,” Mr. […]

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Emeralds for Sale: The Taliban Look Below Ground to Revive the Economy

Emeralds for Sale: The Taliban Look Below Ground to Revive the Economy

In a chilly auditorium in Afghanistan, heaps of freshly mined green emeralds glowed under bright table lamps as bearded gemstone dealers inspected them for purity and quality. An auctioneer asked for bids on the first lot, which weighed 256 carats. With that, the Taliban’s weekly gemstone auction was underway. These sales, in the emerald-rich Panjshir […]

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Israel Conducts Raids in Syria Amid Accusations of Cease-Fire Violations

Israel Conducts Raids in Syria Amid Accusations of Cease-Fire Violations

The Israeli military said on Sunday that it has been conducting “operational raids” in recent weeks on Mount Hermon in Syria, continuing a military campaign on Syrian soil that is drawing increasing international condemnation. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based Syrian war monitor, on Sunday also reported airstrikes around the Syrian capital, Damascus, […]

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Austria Coalition Talks Collapse, Raising Prospects for Far-Right Freedom Party 

Austria Coalition Talks Collapse, Raising Prospects for Far-Right Freedom Party 

The far-right Freedom Party of Austria gained a realistic chance this weekend of leading the country’s next government, after talks between three mainstream parties collapsed. The Freedom Party’s ascent would put its firebrand leader, Herbert Kickl, into the position of chancellor and signal a new high-water mark for the rise of the far right in […]

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In Reversal, Musk Trashes Farage, U.K.’s Anti-Immigrant Populist

In Reversal, Musk Trashes Farage, U.K.’s Anti-Immigrant Populist

It was an abrupt turnabout, even for the easy-come, easy-go nature of alliances in President-elect Donald J. Trump’s political orbit. For weeks, Elon Musk, Mr. Trump’s billionaire backer, had wrapped his arms around the British populist politician, Nigel Farage, promoting his insurgent, anti-immigrant party, Reform U.K., as the answer to Britain’s problems. But on Sunday, […]

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