NEWS With only months to go before his last presidential term, and elections in June, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has surprised many of his critics by challenging a coalition of traditionalists in Iran. Thomas Erdbrink reports from Tehran.
Israeli-Palestinian tensions rose sharply on Wednesday, with a resumption of clashes at the Gaza border as Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails declared a three-day hunger strike to protest a fellow inmate’s death, saying Israel was responsible. Isabel Kershner reports from Jerusalem.
When the prime minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, announced Wednesday that he was dissolving Parliament, he set in motion an election campaign that will render judgment not just on his embattled governing coalition, but also on Malaysia’s longstanding system of dividing the power and spoils of public life on ethnic lines. Thomas Fuller reports from Kuala Lumpur.
A subpoena was issued Wednesday for a daughter of King Juan Carlos of Spain as part of a widening investigation into whether her husband embezzled millions of euros from a sports charity, further tarnishing the image of the monarchy at a moment when corruption cases have shaken virtually every public institution in Spain. Raphael Minder reports from Madrid.
Class in Britain used to be a relatively simple matter, but the BBC has concluded from a survey that in today’s complicated world, there are seven social classes, not three. Sarah Lyall reports from London.
Even as other orders close houses and parish priests in Ireland are vanishing, the Dominican order, which has kept its traditional robes and communal lifestyle, is growing. Doreen Carvajal reports from Cork, Ireland.
The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday that it would contribute 1 billion euros, or about 10 percent, of a bailout package for Cyprus but stipulated that the country would need to take tough measures to overhaul its beleaguered economy. James Kanter reports from Brussels.
Three years after it opened, Terminal 2 at Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai stands as a testament to China’s economic ambitions, and to its unique approach to infrastructure development. David Barboza reports from Shanghai.
A rare strike by contract dockworkers in Hong Kong is snarling the flow of ships and goods at a global freight hub, the world’s third-busiest container port, after Shanghai and Singapore. Neil Gough reports from Hong Kong.
A steep devaluation in the Egyptian pound, and the lack of hard currency, makes it more difficult to import expensive drugs because the law requires that they be resold at a fixed price. Farah Halime reports from Cairo.
ARTS Jean-Luc Martinez, the head of the Louvre’s department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities, was named the museum’s new director on Wednesday. David Jolly reports from Paris.
SPORTS When giants of Europe meet in the Champions League quarterfinals, concentration becomes a crucial factor. Rob Hughes writes from London.
