To pay debt or feed people: Hungry nations face an impossible choice

AFTER SRI LANKA defaulted on its debt, Jack McIntyre, a portfolio manager at Brandywine Global Investment Management, started watching rice and grain prices more closely.

Israel warns against travel to Turkey citing Iran assassination

JERUSALEM — Israel on Monday warned its citizens against travel to Turkey, citing Iranian threats of revenge for the assassination last week of a Revolutionary Guards colonel.

Evicted villagers pay a high price for India’s hydropower push

HAAT VILLAGE, India — Narmada Devi pointed to an expanse of rubble and dirt, at the spot where her home in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand stood until last year. 

Britain prepares to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee

LONDON — Britain will mark Queen Elizabeth’s record-breaking 70 years on the throne this week with four days of celebrations, ranging from military parades and a church service to street parties and a pop concert outside Buckingham Palace. 

From baristas to inspectors: Singapore’s robot workforce plugs labor gaps

SINGAPORE — After struggling to find staff during the pandemic, businesses in Singapore have increasingly turned to deploying robots to help carry out a...

Monkeypox presents moderate risk to global public health, WHO says

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday that monkeypox constitutes a “moderate risk” to overall public health at global level after cases were...

Zero-COVID, big money: China’s anti-virus spending boosts medical, tech, construction

BEIJING — China’s “zero-COVID” (coronavirus disease) policy of constantly monitoring, testing, and isolating its citizens to prevent the spread of the coronavirus has battered...

Shanghai eases return to work, moves to support economy

SHANGHAI — Shanghai authorities will cancel many conditions for businesses to resume work from Wednesday, a city official said on Sunday, easing a city-wide...

Russia advances in east Ukraine

KYIV — Russian forces intensified their assault on the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk on Sunday after claiming to have captured the nearby rail hub of Lyman, as Kyiv issued new calls for longer-range weapons from the West.

UN rights chief says she urged China to review counter-terrorism policies

BEIJING — United Nations (UN) human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, whose rare visit to China was criticized by rights groups and Western countries, said she urged Beijing to review its counter-terrorism policies to ensure they comply with international human rights standards.

N. Korea discusses revising COVID curbs, outbreak ‘improving’

SEOUL — Top North Korean officials discussed revising anti-epidemic restrictions on Sunday as they assessed the situation over the country’s first acknowledged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was “improving,” state media reported.

First steps in reforming global health emergency rules adopted at WHO meeting

GENEVA - Countries around the world on Saturday adopted an initial U.S.-led reform of the rules around disease outbreaks, known as the International Health Regulations (IHR), the United States said.