BERLIN—European Union foreign ministers agreed to impose sanctions on senior Belarusian officials in response to what the EU called violent repression against peaceful protesters and opposition figures by the country’s autocratic regime. The EU in coming days will draft a list of roughly 20 officials to face sanctions and the roster will be extended if … Read more
GENEVA—Sylvie Briand landed in China looking for answers. Nearly a month had passed since word of a mysterious pneumonia had emerged. It was now late January and the World Health Organization was struggling to learn more about it. Frustrated with mounting cases and limited information from China, the WHO’s top brass, including Dr. Briand, flew … Read more
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand—The man who murdered 51 people in live-streamed attacks on two New Zealand mosques was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, the first time the country has imposed a punishment that denies any chance of release. The March 15, 2019, massacre in the southern city of Christchurch, which brought about a national ban … Read more
CANCÚN, Mexico—Since this once-sleepy stretch of Mexico’s Caribbean coast began its transformation into a glitzy resort community 50 years ago, it has thrived by attracting millions of vacationers during its summer and winter seasons. These days, however, there are long stretches of deserted beach. Hotel occupancy has fallen below 30%. Shopping malls are empty. And … Read more
JOHANNESBURG—South Africa’s $1.5 billion wine industry is reeling after a series of pandemic-induced shocks, including successive bans on the sale of alcohol totaling some 14 weeks. The country’s Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons have become household staples world-wide, and wineries centered in the rolling farmlands around the Western Cape are among South Africa’s most successful and … Read more
SEOUL—South Korea, praised for its Covid-19 containment, is having a bout of coronavirus déjà vu, with rising coronavirus cases linked to a large church and the government scrambling to respond. The country is teetering on the verge of a national outbreak, local health officials warn, and faces a possible return of its most stringent social-distancing … Read more
BEIJING—Before going to bed, George Gao, the head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, typically completes his 10,000 steps for the day and then checks the news online. When he scanned his feed on Dec. 30, he was stunned. Two leaked local-government notices warned about cases of unexplained pneumonia in the Chinese … Read more
KYOTO, Japan—The bustle of tourists has disappeared from this ancient capital—only to be replaced by dissension over whether they should ever be welcomed back. Mimiko Takayasu, 80 years old, is proprietress of a century-old tea house where geisha entertain wealthy Japanese with traditional music and dance. Until the coronavirus pandemic, the streets of Gion, Kyoto’s … Read more
TUCHÓW, Poland—Last year, this small Polish town near the eastern edge of the European Union passed a resolution proclaiming itself a “municipality free of LGBT ideology.” Last month, the EU responded by stripping funding for a program connecting Tuchów with a sister city in France. For EU authorities, Tuchów had violated a fundamental right not … Read more
BEIRUT—In the wake of the massive explosion that devastated large parts of the Lebanese capital, a new danger is stalking the struggling country: hunger. The early August blast, which killed more than 150 people and displaced hundreds of thousands from their homes, destroyed the grain silos storing most of the country’s wheat supplies and badly … Read more