World

Haitian Men Cut Off From Families as U.S. Tightens Entry Rules

By KIRK SEMPLE

After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, many Haitians were allowed into the United States on humanitarian grounds. Now, a sudden policy shift is dividing families.

American Airstrike Killed Afghan Civilians, U.N. Says

By MUJIB MASHAL

An American spokesman said the military was investigating reports of civilian casualties in the strike in the Islamic State stronghold of Achin district, in Nangarhar Province.

Duterte, Philippine President, Raises Doubts About Military Alliance With U.S.

By FELIPE VILLAMOR

Defense and diplomatic officials were facing a quandary after the president vowed to end military exercises with the U.S. and strengthen ties with China and Russia.

Antigraft Law Stirs Up Wariness Over South Koreans Bearing Gifts

By CHOE SANG-HUN

The measure, which affects public servants, journalists and teachers, will alter a country where meals, cash and other gifts have long been central to doing business.

It’s No Cold War, but Vladimir Putin Relishes His Role as Disrupter

By DAVID E. SANGER

Russian airstrikes in Syria and cyberattacks have echoed some of the Cold War’s uglier moments. American intelligence officials wonder whether a grander scheme is at work.

International Court Takes a Stand With Ruling on Destruction of Antiquities

By RUSSELL GOLDMAN and MARLISE SIMONS

The International Criminal Court in The Hague, in ruling that the destruction of cultural antiquities is a war crime, sent a signal, even if further prosecutions appear unlikely for the time being.

Letter From Europel

A Battle to Define Democracy

By ALAN COWELL

As in the United States during the current election campaign, the notion of what qualifies someone to lead in Britain is open to intense scrutiny.

Sinosphere

U.S. Lawmakers Urge Greater Scrutiny of Chinese Corporate Purchases

By EDWARD WONG

Sixteen members of Congress are raising questions over the foreign acquisition of American movie theaters and studios.

Trade Ban to Protect Pangolins: Enough to Save Them?

By RACHEL NUWER

An international agreement now prohibits the commercial sale across international borders of the world’s most trafficked mammals. Enforcement is another matter.

Mahmoud Abbas to Attend Shimon Peres Funeral, but Thaw With Israel Is Unlikely

By PETER BAKER

The decision by Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, to attend the Israeli statesman’s funeral does not portend reconciliation with Israel.

Joseph Harmatz, Who Led Jewish Plot to Kill Germans After World War II, Dies at 91

By SAM ROBERTS

Harmatz, a survivor of the Vilnius ghetto in Lithuania, was the leader of a group that poisoned 2,200 imprisoned Germans by lacing their bread with arsenic.

Moscow Journal

Better Traffic Manners Where an Iron Fist Rules

By ANDREW HIGGINS

As with so much of what happens in Russia, interpreting the new civility on the roads depends on what you make of President Vladimir V. Putin.

Reykjavik Briefly Swaps Its City Lights for Northern Ones

By PAULINE BOCK

The Icelandic capital went dark Wednesday night, after the City Council switched off street lamps and encouraged residents to turn off their lights.

Russia Rejects John Kerry’s Demands on Syria, Accusing U.S. of Promoting Terror

By ANNE BARNARD, SEWELL CHAN and RICK GLADSTONE

Moscow’s escalation of anti-American invective came as United Nations officials warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe” in eastern Aleppo.

Sinosphere

Chengguan, Widely Despised Officers in China, Find Refuge and a Kind Ear

By KAROLINE KAN

In recognition of the pressures they face, a center opened in Nanjing that offers the urban management officers counseling and other support services.

India Claims ‘Surgical Strikes’ Across Line of Control in Kashmir

By ELLEN BARRY and SALMAN MASOOD

Pakistan played down the early morning operation, which it said killed two of its soldiers and wounded nine, calling it a propaganda exercise by Delhi.

North Korean Soldier Crosses DMZ to Defect, South Says

By CHOE SANG-HUN

South Korea said officials were debriefing the soldier to determine his motive for leaving the North.