Iranian Official Heads to Saudi Arabia as Israel Postpones U.S. Meeting
As the Middle East remains on edge in anticipation of a possible retaliatory attack by Israel on Iran, the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, was scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as part of a diplomatic tour aimed at preventing further escalation in the region’s wars.
Another important diplomatic meeting that had been set for Wednesday will not happen: Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, was supposed to go to Washington to discuss the situation in the Middle East with U.S. officials. But on Tuesday the visit was postponed, and the Israeli prime minister’s office has declined to say why.
The fate of the two visits highlighted the complicated regional dynamics the Biden administration must navigate as it seeks to calm the wars in Gaza and Lebanon and prevent the outbreak of a third, between Israel and Iran.
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Who Will Lead Britain’s Conservatives? The Finalists Are a Surprise.
The race to lead Britain’s vanquished Conservative Party narrowed to two finalists on Wednesday, as the party’s lawmakers in a surprise twist set up a clash between two right-wing candidates.
After four knockout rounds of voting, the lawmakers left two finalists standing: Kemi Badenoch, a favorite of the right who has said the party needs to fight against “nasty identity politics,” and Robert Jenrick, a rival hard-liner who has appealed to the right by promising to slash annual immigration numbers.
The choice of two right-wing candidates was completely unexpected, provoking gasps in the room when the vote totals were announced on Wednesday.
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Prestigious U.S.-Ireland Scholarship Paused Amid Funding Woes
Last month, 12 American students flew across the Atlantic to begin the prestigious George J. Mitchell scholarship program in Ireland and Northern Ireland. They are living in cities and towns including Cork, Belfast and Dublin, studying subjects like biotechnology, history and engineering.
But they could be the last cohort in the program, as organizers announced earlier this year that they had paused selection for coming years because of funding difficulties.
The program sent its first students to the island in 2000, in the wake of the Good Friday Agreement that forged peace after decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles. Named for then-Senator George J. Mitchell, who lead the talks, it has brought nearly 300 students to Ireland since its inception. The scholarship covers the full cost of tuition for a year, accommodations and a stipend for living expenses and travel.
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A Gaza Family Separated by a Few Miles, and the War
The new baby was supposed to come in early October, when things were still normal. Najia Malaka and her husband, Hammam, had been counting the days. But when the war came to Gaza, they said, they were still waiting.
As Israeli bombs thundered down on Gaza City, Israel’s military ordered everyone in the north to evacuate. The Malakas made a decision. He packed up their two older children to go south. She stayed back with their two toddlers to give birth.
She went into labor that day, Oct. 13. But he had already left. They have not seen each other, barring a few early visits, ever since.
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