Families start to flee Zaporizhzhia as nuclear plant tensions rise

Both Russia and Ukraine have warned of a possible “false-flag” attack on the nuclear plant, which is held by Russian forces.

By Loveday Morris, Adela Suliman and John HudsonAugust 19, 2022

Life sentence for ISIS ‘Beatle’ who tortured, ransomed U.S. hostages

A jury convicted El Shafee Elsheikh, 34, in April of conspiracy charges in the kidnapping and murder of journalists and humanitarian workers.

By Salvador RizzoAugust 19, 2022

Ukraine live briefing: Warnings of imminent attack on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant; rockets hit Kharkiv

The Zaporizhzhia plant's staff has been told to stay home Friday, while Ukraine claims that Russian forces could disconnect the plant from the country's power grid.

By Adela Suliman, John Hudson, Katerina Ang, Mary Ilyushina and Karina TsuiAugust 19, 2022

Kamoya Kimeu, renowned fossil hunter in Africa, is dead

He worked closely with the Leakey dynasty of fossil hunters.

By Phil DavisonAugust 19, 2022

Firing of TV anchor stirs debate about sexism, ageism in Canada

For years, until her unceremonious dismissal earlier this week , Lisa LaFlamme was a fixture in living rooms across Canada.

By Claire ParkerAugust 19, 2022

Calls grow to ban E.U. visas for Russians, but not all Ukrainians agree

Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said he disagrees with the idea of a blanket visa ban for all Russians and Belarusians.

By David L. Stern, Annabelle Timsit and Isabelle KhurshudyanAugust 19, 2022

How strong is the Islamic State in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan?

Bombings continue to rock Kabul, illustrating the enduring threat posed by the Islamic State's Afghan affiliate in the era of Taliban rule.

By Claire ParkerAugust 19, 2022

China sentences tycoon Xiao Jianhua to 13 years in prison

A court in Shanghai sentenced the billionaire for financial crimes, five years after he vanished from the Four Seasons hotel in Hong Kong.

By Christian Shepherd and Eva DouAugust 19, 2022

Zelensky faces outpouring of criticism over failure to warn of war

Until this week, Ukrainians seemed to see President Volodymyr Zelensky as beyond reproach. Comments he made to the The Washington Post punctured the bubble.

By Liz SlyAugust 19, 2022

A family won luggage at an auction. Two children’s bodies were inside.

A family got two suitcases in an online auction for abandoned goods. Inside, they found the remains of two children — prompting a homicide investigation.

By María Luisa PaúlAugust 19, 2022

Ancient Vatican statue is latest artwork climate protesters glued hands to

Activists from the Last Generation environmental group stuck themselves to the Laocoon sculpture to draw attention to climate change.

By Marina LopesAugust 19, 2022

Russia paralyzed Estonia’s internet once. Its latest effort may have failed.

Estonia, a NATO member and major European digital hub, said it repelled attacks by the Kremlin-affiliated Killnet hacking group.

By Andrew JeongAugust 19, 2022

5 things you need to know about Russia’s intelligence failures ahead of the invasion of Ukraine

Before the war, officials at the FSB assured the Kremlin that Ukraine’s government would fall quickly and deployed operatives to install a puppet regime.

By Greg Miller and Catherine BeltonAugust 19, 2022
The Washington Post
Exclusive

Russia’s spies misread Ukraine and misled Kremlin as war loomed

A trove of sensitive materials obtained by Ukrainian and other security services and reviewed by The Washington Post offers rare insight into the activities of the FSB, a sprawling security service that bears enormous responsibility for the failed Russian war plan and the hubris that propelled it.

By Greg Miller and Catherine BeltonAugust 19, 2022

North Korea rejects South’s ‘absurd’ offer on disarmament

The influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un rebuffed Seoul’s offer of economic benefits, calling South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol "really foolish."

By Michelle Ye Hee LeeAugust 19, 2022

Trump’s personality cult and the erosion of U.S. democracy

The wholesale capture of a wing of American politics by a “cult of personality” surrounding one demagogic leader has limited precedent in U.S. history. But variations of the theme are visible in other countries today.

By Ishaan TharoorAugust 19, 2022

Video of Finnish prime minister partying sparks outrage — and applause

Amid an outcry in Finland, Prime Minister Sanna Marin defended her right to spend free time with friends.

By Sammy WestfallAugust 18, 2022

Ukraine live briefing: U.N. says attack on nuclear plant would be ‘suicide’; blasts reported behind Russian lines

U.N. Secretary General António Guterres met with the leaders of Ukraine and Turkey in Lviv. Blasts in Crimea have drawn attention to Kyiv's special forces.

By Ellen Francis, Kendra Nichols, Mary Ilyushina, Sammy Westfall, Reis Thebault and Andrew JeongAugust 18, 2022

China’s Yangtze River is running dry amid scorching temperatures

China is suffering its worst drought on record as soaring temperatures dry up key parts of the Yangtze River.

By Karina TsuiAugust 18, 2022