International

Revenue agency representatives did not respond to an email seeking comment. The Hernández sisters were initially devastated. But they had filmed their interaction with regulators and sent it to one of their daughters. The young girl decided she could share the family's experience with some friends. The video quickly spread online and soon outraged supporters were visiting the restaurant as if they were making a pilgrimage. Donations appeared at the door: spices to season the filling of empanadas, a 33-pound bag of cornmeal. Then funds began to arrive from Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and even Germany. Many people sent orders for…

“We know who is behind these terrorist acts,” Sergei Melikov, Dagestan's top official, said in a speech to its residents. He drew a comparison between the victims of the assault and Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, saying they were facing the same enemy. "We must understand that the war is coming to our home," Melikov added. In his daily press conference on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Peskov appeared to draw a link between the violence in Dagestan and Ukraine's separate attack on occupied Crimea on Sunday. Local officials declared a three-day mourning period in Dagestan, a multi-religious and ethnically diverse region,…

Israel ordered evacuations in eastern Gaza on Thursday as heavy attacks hit the region, causing numerous casualties, according to Palestinian officials and residents. Those in the area described a desperate scramble to escape amid the ongoing explosions. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes, which reportedly targeted the Shajaiye neighborhood, an area badly damaged by previous intense fighting. Israel's public broadcaster, Kan, noted that the military was conducting a ground operation to eliminate Hamas, based on intelligence suggesting the group was regaining control of the neighborhood. A witness from a human rights organization reported seeing Israeli tanks…

During the Iranian presidential campaign, a recurring theme dominated debates, rallies and speeches: the long-awaited return of Donald J. Trump. The six presidential candidates have repeatedly suggested that Trump's victory in the 2024 US presidential election is inevitable. The central question for Iranian voters as they go to the polls on Friday is determining which candidate is best equipped to handle Trump's presidency. Interestingly, President Biden is barely mentioned and the numerous polls indicating a close election in the United States are ignored. Instead, Trump's name is often invoked. “Wait and see what will happen when Trump comes,” said Mostafa…

Kenyan lawmakers passed a controversial finance bill on Tuesday, sparking outrage from thousands of people who marched on parliament in Nairobi. Protesters have called on the government to reject the proposed tax increases, arguing they would disproportionately burden Kenyan citizens. Clashes erupted as police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Footage captured by international media showed the chaotic scene, including the use of force against protesters. Reports also emerged of human rights activists being kidnapped ahead of the protest, raising concerns about freedom of expression. The proposed legislation has set off a firestorm across Kenya. The East African nation,…

“I'm in the middle of this whole thing, and even I find it hard to explain what happened,” Mr. Toth said. “People cheer for him as if they were cheering for the Hungarian national football team.” Politics, however, destroyed Azahriah's chances of representing her country in Europe's musical equivalent of the World Cup, the Eurovision Song Contest. Authorities, alarmed by Eurovision's reputation as Europe's biggest gay event, in 2020 ended Hungary's participation in the annual competition. “It would have been amazing if I could have won Eurovision as a straight white guy,” Azahriah said. David Sajo, entertainment editor for Telex,…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made fresh complaints on Sunday about the Biden administration's supply of munitions for the war in Gaza as his defense minister arrived in Washington to meet with senior US officials.Some Israeli media had described Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's visit, although planned in advance, as a "reconciliation" trip aimed at easing recent tensions with the country's most important ally. Netanyahu's government and the Biden administration are increasingly at odds over Israel's conduct in Gaza, and last week Netanyahu lashed out at the United States for withholding munitions.But on Sunday morning, Netanyahu redoubled his efforts. In a…

K-pop juggernaut BTS is one step closer to a reunion. The first member of the boy band to enlist in South Korea's army, Jin, 31, was discharged Wednesday morning, BTS' label said. Over the next year, his bandmates are expected to complete their military service, which is required of nearly all South Korean men. BTS shocked their own army – as the seven-member group's fervent following is collectively known – in June 2022 when they said they would take time off to enlist. Jin, the group's oldest member, whose birth name is Kim Seok-jin, began his 18-month stint in the…

Now, due to the lack of electricity and higher costs in the markets, Abdul Aziz has to buy food every day, depending on what is available and what he can afford. But the party isn't the only thing he'll miss this year, he said. “There are family visits and gatherings, money is given to children, new clothes are bought for everyone, sweets are baked, Eid prayers are said,” he said. “None of this is feasible this year. Everyone is sad and has lost someone or something." Aya Ali Adwan, 26, had become engaged before the war began. Her wedding, set…

The center of Skopje, capital of North Macedonia, a Balkan country born just 33 years ago as an independent state, is flooded with history. A statue of Alexander the Great looms over the central square. One of his fathers, Philip II of Macedon, stands on a large pedestal above a nearby square. The city is also dotted with bronze, stone and plaster tributes to generations of other heroes from what the country sees as its glorious and very long history. The problem, however, is that most of the history exposed is claimed by other countries. Modern-day North Macedonia, born out…