Why Saad Hariri Had That Strange Sojourn in Saudi Arabia
Mr. Hariri, Lebanon’s prime minister, expected the royal treatment when he was summoned to Riyadh. Instead, he was told to resign. Here is the back story.
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CreditThe New York Times ‘We Are Afraid of Christmas’: Tensions Dampen Holiday in India
Christmas is becoming big business in India, where it has a cosmopolitan appeal to people of many faiths. But far-right Hindu groups have put the holiday in their cross hairs.
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CreditBryan Denton for The New York Times One Target in Beijing’s Migrant Crackdown: Schoolchildren
The demolition of schools for migrant children has driven 15,000 students out of their classrooms, depriving many of a chance at an education.
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CreditPaolo Aguilar/European Pressphoto Agency Peru’s President Pardons Alberto Fujimori, Enraging Critics
Mr. Fujimori, who was president from 1990 to 2000, was serving a 25-year term for human rights abuses.
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CreditEd O'Loughlin/The New York Times In Ireland, a Same-Sex Marriage With a Tax Benefit
Matt Murphy, 82, and Michael O’Sullivan, 58, who are close friends, married to avoid inheritance tax.
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CreditAlessandra Tarantino/Associated Press Pope Francis Puts Focus on Refugees in Christmas Eve Mass
At a Mass that amplifies his voice around the globe, Francis evoked a parallel between the travails of migrants and those of the biblical holy family.
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CreditPool photo by Abir Sultan Guatemala Will Move Its Israel Embassy to Jerusalem, Following Trump’s Lead
The Central American nation was one of a few countries to vote with the United States against a U.N. resolution condemning President Trump’s decision.
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CreditKim Won-Jin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images North Korea Calls U.N. Sanctions an ‘Act of War’
Pyongyang vowed revenge on the United States, which sponsored the resolution, and the Security Council members that approved the measure.
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CreditPavel Golovkin/Associated Press Navalny Is Nominated by Hundreds to Challenge Putin for Russian Presidency
The move allows Aleksei Navalny to ready the endorsement papers required for candidacy, putting pressure on the Kremlin to allow one of the Russian president’s most formidable foes to run.
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CreditGenya Savilov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Taken From Ukraine’s War Zone, Grenades Are Used in Crimes, Too
The weapons are becoming an increasingly common feature in criminal activities including domestic violence and bank robberies.
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CreditYas D. Ocampo, via Reuters Dozens Feared Dead in Fire at Philippines Mall
Firefighters recovered one body but have been unable to enter the mall in Davao City since the fire started on Saturday, officials said.
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CreditSave Elephant Foundation How Do You Keep an Elephant Warm? Knit a Giant Blanket
When an unexpected cold spell hit Myanmar, caretakers of orphaned animals pulled out giant blankets that had been knitted for them.
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CreditMauricio Lima for The New York Times For More Than 300 Afghan Children, Many Older Than 5, Home Is Mother’s Cellblock
Orphanages that could help house the children are packed, and there has been little international interest in addressing the issue.
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CreditMusa Al Shaer/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images In Bethlehem, a Mood of Hopeless Resignation Among Palestinians
Normally bustling around Christmas, Bethlehem, like the rest of the Palestinian territories, appears suspended in a kind of limbo, neither basking in seasonal cheer nor raging in a new intifada.
