Israeli artist Sigalit Landau wades into the warm, briny waters of the Dead Sea to inspect her latest creations -- everyday objects coated in salt crystals that glisten in the bright morning sun. . "These waters are like a laboratory," said Landau, looking at a salt-encrusted coil of barbed wire, its sharp points now caked and rounded thanks to the mineral-rich water heated by the scorching desert sun.
Taiwan's army held another live-fire drill Thursday after Beijing ended its largest-ever military exercises around the island, as it repeated threats to bring the self-ruled democracy under its control.. In response to the Chinese military revealing it was bringing drills to an end Wednesday, Taiwan's army said it would "adjust how we deploy our forces... without letting our guard down". cla/jfx/cwl
Gul Agha Jalali used to spend his nights planting bombs -- hoping to target an Afghan government soldier or, better still, a foreign serviceman. . - 'Motivated mujahideen' - The desire of fighters like Jalali to go back to school showed Afghans yearned for education, government spokesman Bilal Karimi said.
A year since returning to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban are a stronger military force than ever, but threats to their rule do exist.. Following the chaotic exit of US-led troops on August 31 last year, Western threats to Taliban rule have also been crushed.
The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accused the South of causing a Covid outbreak in the country and warned of "retaliation", as Pyongyang declared "victory" over its outbreak, state media said Thursday.. North Korea has previously said that "alien things" near the border with the South caused the Covid outbreak in the isolated country, a claim that Seoul has rejected.
When Zuo tested positive for Covid-19 while working as a cleaner in one of Shanghai's largest quarantine centres, she hoped it wouldn't be long before she could pick up the mop and start earning again.. Those who test positive, as well as their contacts, are all sent to central quarantine facilities, while a flare-up in a factory can grind production to a halt.
The road through Cristalina, Brazil is in the middle of the tropics, but the fields on either side look like they are covered in snow -- little white puffs of cotton stretching to the horizon.. The 27,000-hectare (67,000-acre) operation, run by agribusiness giant SLC Agricola, is like a small city in the middle of the countryside, with a banquet hall, a children's park, sports fields and housing for employees.
A British man accused of being part of an Islamic State (IS) kidnap-and-murder cell known as the "Beatles" was arrested on his return to the UK on Wednesday, reports said.. - Two convicted in US - The four members of the "Beatles" are accused of abducting at least 27 journalists and relief workers from the United States, Britain, Europe, New Zealand, Russia and Japan.
Ukraine on Wednesday accused Russia of carrying out rocket strikes that killed 14 civilians in areas near a nuclear power plant, as the G7 warned that Russian control of the facility "endangers the region".. - G7 call over nuclear plant - Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of recent shelling around the Zaporizhzhia plant, which has six reactors.
Several dozen prominent US and international economists urged the United States Wednesday to hand over to Afghanistan $7 billion in central bank reserves frozen when the Taliban seized control of the country nearly one year ago.. This is worsened by the refusal of the United States to return to the Afghan central bank the $7 billion in foreign exchange reserves, as well as $2 billion blocked by Britain, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates, they said.
