As Theresa May Pursues Deals in China, Her Own Troubles Follow

By CHRIS BUCKLEY and STEPHEN CASTLE from NYT World http://ift.tt/2DRWpB7
via IFTTT Uncertainties about Brexit and Mrs. May’s hold on power are likely to cloud the British prime minister’s three-day visit, experts said.

North Korean Defector, Honored by Trump, Has a Remarkable Escape Story

By CHOE SANG-HUN from NYT World http://ift.tt/2DSNJdC
via IFTTT Ji Seong-ho, a defector from North Korea who lost an arm and a leg at 13, traveled thousands of miles on crutches to make it to the South.

Norway Ski Team’s Sweater Gets Tangled in a Neo-Nazi Uproar

By RICHARD MARTYN-HEMPHILL from NYT World http://ift.tt/2BF8PpN
via IFTTT A design for official knitwear to be worn by the country’s competitors this season bears a rune that white supremacists have tried to co-opt.

Anguish in New Delhi at Rape of an 8-Month-Old Girl

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN and HARI KUMAR from NYT World http://ift.tt/2Gwg07i
via IFTTT The infant was hospitalized in the Indian capital after she was raped, the police said. A cousin who was babysitting her has been arrested.

Dangerously Low on Water, Cape Town Now Faces ‘Day Zero’

By NORIMITSU ONISHI and SOMINI SENGUPTA from NYT World http://ift.tt/2BEwFBZ
via IFTTT One of Africa’s richest cities is threatening to turn off the taps to its four million residents, cutting off homes and most businesses.

Kenyans Name a ‘People’s President,’ and TV Broadcasts Are Cut

By JINA MOORE from NYT World http://ift.tt/2nqTaoU
via IFTTT After supporters of the opposition leader Raila Odinga gathered for an alternative “inauguration,” the government declared part of his coalition criminal.

Trump’s Stance on Russia Sanctions Angers Both Moscow and Washington

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR and PETER BAKER from NYT World http://ift.tt/2BC0PWt
via IFTTT The administration outraged lawmakers by not imposing new sanctions while upsetting Moscow by releasing a list of senior Russian officials and oligarchs.

What He Did on His Summer Break: Exposed a Global Security Flaw

By ISABELLA KWAI from NYT World http://ift.tt/2GtvadB
via IFTTT Nathan Ruser, an Australian college student, discovered that a fitness app revealed the locations of military sites around the world. Now he has to decide what he’s doing after graduation.

Berlusconi Is Back. Again. This Time, as Italy’s ‘Nonno’

By JASON HOROWITZ from NYT World http://ift.tt/2DOT4CM
via IFTTT A master of reinvention, the three-time former prime minister is poised to come out a winner in Italy’s election. Just spare him the Trump comparisons.

When Animals Are at Risk, Special Netherlands Police Force Defends Them

By CHRISTOPHER F. SCHUETZE from NYT World http://ift.tt/2BDeoVG
via IFTTT Like a Humane Society with guns, handcuffs and badges, the animal police force provides a mixture of animal protection and human social services.

Powerful Ally of Xi Jinping Makes Political Comeback in China

By CHRIS BUCKLEY from NYT World http://ift.tt/2rRsnHO
via IFTTT Wang Qishan, who served as Mr. Xi’s anticorruption chief, retired last year. Does his appointment to the national legislature portend a return to high office?

Strava Fitness App Can Reveal Military Sites, Analysts Say

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA and MATTHEW ROSENBERG from NYT World http://ift.tt/2Gr0xp9
via IFTTT A global map published by the company shows users’ movements and is said to expose data about bases and personnel, including those of U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.

China Embraces a Game About a Traveling Frog

By KAROLINE KAN and AUSTIN RAMZY from NYT World http://ift.tt/2FjkfSe
via IFTTT For whatever reason, Travel Frog, an extremely low-key Japanese mobile game, is a hit in China. “You don’t even need to think about anything,” one player explained.

Olympic Dreams of a United Korea? Many in South Say, ‘No, Thanks’

By CHOE SANG-HUN from NYT World http://ift.tt/2GnJGn0
via IFTTT Young Koreans are more focused on domestic issues, like unemployment and whether they can live as well as their parents did, than a costly and complex reunification.

The Propaganda I See on My Morning Commute

By JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZ from NYT World http://ift.tt/2DDeKxl
via IFTTT In Beijing, socialist slogans butt up against ads for luxury cars and hair transplants, part of the Communist Party’s efforts to inspire loyalty.

Female Kurdish Fighter Kills Turkish Troops in Likely Suicide Bombing in Syria

By ROD NORDLAND from NYT World http://ift.tt/2Fq3epv
via IFTTT The Kurdish bomber, 20, fought for a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces, an important ally of the United States military in the battle against the Islamic State.

Iranians Prayed for Rain, but Were Covered in Snow

By THOMAS ERDBRINK from NYT World http://ift.tt/2DRdbiO
via IFTTT The country has been gripped by a terrible drought, so a blizzard brought joy — although the relief was most likely only temporary.

Pakistan Army ‘Has Greatly Increased Its Clout’ Under New Chief

By SALMAN MASOOD from NYT World http://ift.tt/2EfPnmt
via IFTTT Since assuming what may be the most powerful position in Pakistan, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa has left no doubt about who is in charge, even as he deals with a freeze in aid from the Trump administration.

Why Attack Afghan Civilians? Creating Chaos Rewards Taliban

By MAX FISHER from NYT World http://ift.tt/2DWsmar
via IFTTT The central issue in the 16-year war has become whether Afghanistan can have a functioning state. The Taliban have every incentive to expose government weakness.

Bolivia Tells President His Time Is Up. He Isn’t Listening.

By NICHOLAS CASEY from NYT World http://ift.tt/2DQX6cS
via IFTTT Voters told President Evo Morales in a referendum it was time to retire. But he intends to run again, part of a tilt toward authoritarian tendencies among both the left and right in Latin America.

Sara Netanyahu’s Aides Sued Over Her Tirades. Now, There’s a Recording.

By DAVID M. HALBFINGER from NYT World http://ift.tt/2EgMyl6
via IFTTT The Israeli premier’s embattled wife can be heard screaming at a publicist over a gossip item that did not mention her college and graduate degrees.

Canadians Greet Bombardier Decision With Pride and a Little Snark

By DAN BILEFSKY from NYT World http://ift.tt/2FlVWmM
via IFTTT In Quebec, where aerospace company Bombardier is an inextricable part of economic and cultural identity, Canadians declare victory.

Russians Brave Icy Temperatures to Protest Putin and Election

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR and IVAN NECHEPURENKO from NYT World http://ift.tt/2FpTf3t
via IFTTT Demonstrators turned out across the country against what they called a lack of choice in the March 2018 presidential vote, which is almost certain to give President Vladimir Putin a fourth term.

Climber Rescued on Pakistan’s ‘Killer Mountain,’ but Another Is in Peril

By MEHER AHMAD from NYT World http://ift.tt/2rLBcmw
via IFTTT An elite team came to the rescue of the French climber Elisabeth Revol, but extremely harsh conditions made it impossible to reach her Polish partner, Tomek Mackiewicz.

Fake Country Carved From Catalonia Means to Mock Separatism

By RAPHAEL MINDER from NYT World http://ift.tt/2njgFjB
via IFTTT The founders of make-believe Tabàrnia intend for it to send a serious message: That one declaration of independence could set off a cascading series of breakaway nations, to the point of absurdity.

Israel Slams ‘Baseless’ Holocaust Legislation in Poland

By ISABEL KERSHNER from NYT World http://ift.tt/2ngs9oX
via IFTTT Legislation in Poland that would outlaw blaming Poles for the crimes of the Holocaust drew condemnation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli lawmakers.

In the Land of the Skinny, People are Getting Fat

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN from NYT World http://ift.tt/2nf6RIv
via IFTTT Growing economies have led to surging obesity rates in sub-Saharan Africa, causing a health crisis that has caught the continent by surprise. One solution? “Eat like grandmum did,” says a doctor.

Foreign Fighters Back Kurdish Militia in Syria in Fight Against Turkey

By MEGAN SPECIA from NYT World http://ift.tt/2ByqMWT
via IFTTT Many Westerners who identify with the promise of a Kurdish state have joined the Y.P.G. militia, battling first the Islamic State and now Turkey.

Ireland Prime Minister Says He Will Campaign to Repeal Abortion Ban

By ED O’LOUGHLIN from NYT World http://ift.tt/2niTaHs
via IFTTT After weeks of uncertainty, Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar confirmed during a Saturday interview that he will campaign in favor of ending his country’s constitutional ban on abortion.

Finland’s Scene-Stealing First Dog Is Missed During Dull Election

By RICHARD MARTYN-HEMPHILL from NYT World http://ift.tt/2njMhqv
via IFTTT Lennu, a much-loved celebrity in Finland, is a Boston terrier with a lolling tongue whose master, the president, is up for re-election. But an illness has apparently kept Lennu off the campaign trail.

Czech Republic Re-elects Milos Zeman, Populist Leader and Foe of Migrants

By MARC SANTORA from NYT World http://ift.tt/2FnIO0D
via IFTTT In rejecting the president’s opponent, the country was poised to continue the same euroskeptic shift as Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

Billionaire Saudi Prince, Alwaleed bin Talal, Is Freed From Detention

By BEN HUBBARD from NYT World http://ift.tt/2DTOrGu
via IFTTT Saudi Arabia’s most prominent investor, he had been detained in the Ritz-Carlton in the capital after a mass crackdown on corruption.

‘It’s a Massacre’: Taliban Bomb in Ambulance Kills 95 in Kabul

By MUJIB MASHAL and JAWAD SUKHANYAR from NYT World http://ift.tt/2FmujtE
via IFTTT At least 158 others were wounded when the bomber drove past two checkpoints and detonated explosives in Kabul, officials said.

Grounded and Gutted, Main Afghan Airline Struggles After Taliban Attack

By MUJIB MASHAL and FAHIM ABED from NYT World http://ift.tt/2DHQFK3
via IFTTT With insurgents threatening road travel, Kam Air has kept Afghanistan moving. But its future looks grim with foreign crew members dead or fleeing.

Julian Assange Asks U.K. Court to Drop His Arrest Warrant

By SEWELL CHAN from NYT World http://ift.tt/2DO6tKy
via IFTTT The WikiLeaks founder suffers from depression, his lawyer said, and fears that if he leaves the Ecuador Embassy in London, he might be extradited.

Women Outnumber Men in Oxford’s Newest Class. It Only Took 1,000 Years.

By STEPHEN CASTLE from NYT World http://ift.tt/2ne5Sbg
via IFTTT The incoming class in 2017 had 1,070 women and 1,025 men, a bit of catching up in a country lately more worried about lagging male attendance.

‘Nutella Riots’ in France Show Price of a Sweet Tooth

By PALKO KARASZ from NYT World http://ift.tt/2ndv69X
via IFTTT When a French supermarket chain announced a promotion on the chocolate-and-hazelnut spread, Black Friday-like scenes ensued all over the country.

Floods Leave Paris Contemplating a Wetter Future

By ELIAN PELTIER and ELOISE STARK from NYT World http://ift.tt/2DJ7eoU
via IFTTT The Seine River overflowed its banks for the second time in less than two years, raising questions about a potential pattern.

A Sober Trump Reassures the Davos Elite

By PETER BAKER from NYT World http://ift.tt/2ndzmoY
via IFTTT In a restrained speech, the president argued that his “America First” policies were consistent with the current global economic system.

Trump and Davos: Not Exactly Best Friends, but Not Enemies Either

By PETER BAKER and PETER S. GOODMAN from NYT World http://ift.tt/2ne3osO
via IFTTT Last year, the chieftains at Davos were panicked at the thought of Trump. This year, they welcomed him with somewhat open arms.

10 Monkeys and a Beetle: Inside VW’s Campaign for ‘Clean Diesel’

By JACK EWING from NYT World http://ift.tt/2FgFDYe
via IFTTT An experiment that produced false data sheds light on how German automakers financed scientific research to promote their political agenda.

Doomsday Clock Is Set at 2 Minutes to Midnight, Closest Since 1950s

By SEWELL CHAN from NYT World http://ift.tt/2rEcCnx
via IFTTT The “clock,” kept by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, is a symbolic measurement of scientists’ concerns about disaster.

Train Derails Near Milan, Killing at Least 3 and Injuring Dozens

By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO from NYT World http://ift.tt/2BqBlLD
via IFTTT Officials are investigating the causes of the crash, which took out the two central carriages of the commuter service.

Trump, in Davos, Hopes to Sell the Story of U.S. Success

By PETER BAKER from NYT World http://ift.tt/2rGRjSg
via IFTTT The plan is to soft-pedal on trade issues and convince the assembled titans that the U.S., having cut taxes and regulations, is the place to invest.

India Braces for Opening of Film That Has Hindu Extremists Enraged

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN, SUHASINI RAJ and HARI KUMAR from NYT World http://ift.tt/2rBAYOS
via IFTTT Women threatened suicide. A politician offered a reward for beheading the director. The police were out in force for Thursday’s release of “Padmaavat.”

‘She’ll Die if She Stays With Us’: A Baby Abandoned in China

By JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZ and IRIS ZHAO from NYT World http://ift.tt/2E4kalX
via IFTTT The case of a 6-month-old girl left alone in a park revived concerns about the high cost of medicine and the plight of children with disabilities.

U.S. Adviser Rebukes Aung San Suu Kyi: ‘I Don’t Want to Be Part of a Whitewash’

By HANNAH BEECH and RICK GLADSTONE from NYT World http://ift.tt/2n8bFz3
via IFTTT Former Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, a longtime friend of Myanmar’s leader, quit an advisory panel on the Rohingya crisis, calling it a “cheerleading squad.”

Trump Administration Slaps New Sanctions on North Korea

By ALAN RAPPEPORT from NYT World http://ift.tt/2n7JCzS
via IFTTT The Treasury Department announced new sanctions on North Korea as the administration continues to crack down on the nuclear ambitions of Kim Jong-un.

Cell Behind Barcelona Attack May Have Had Sights on Eiffel Tower

By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI from NYT World http://ift.tt/2rC1N5q
via IFTTT The assault in Spain in August, which killed 16 people and wounded 140 others, could have been far worse, according to researchers of the Program on Global Terrorism in Madrid.

U.K.’s ‘Most Un-P.C.’ Charity Dinner Faces Harassment Accusations

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA from NYT World http://ift.tt/2F77OZC
via IFTTT Outrage and questions in Parliament greeted The Financial Times’s undercover report from the all-male event, which had 130 young hostesses.