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Global affairs, conflict, and the long view from beyond the headlines.

Lead Story

Andes Hantavirus Outbreak on Atlantic Cruise Spreads to Three Continents as WHO Confirms 27% Fatality Rate

Eleven passengers from the MV Hondius are now confirmed or probable cases of Andes virus and three are dead, the World Health Organization said this week — the first multi-country hantavirus cluster ever traced to a cruise ship, and a stress test of how quickly the world's health agencies can move on a pathogen that, unlike its cousins, can pass between people.

World

Goodbye PCOS: The World's Most Common Hormonal Disorder in Women Has a New Name — PMOS

After a decade of debate, an international consensus has retired 'polycystic ovary syndrome' in favour of 'polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome,' a mouthful chosen to do something the old name never did: tell the truth about what the condition actually is.

World

Floodwater Swallows Heathrow's Long-Stay Lots as London Drowns Under a Spring Deluge

Hundreds of cars sat half-submerged at one of Heathrow's off-airport car parks on Wednesday after a violent burst of rain turned west London's drainage network into a series of shallow rivers — and exposed, again, how thinly the capital is engineered for the weather it now gets.

More from the Desk

Lebanon and Israel Return to the Table in Washington

A third round of direct talks opened in Washington on Thursday, with Lebanese officials hoping the two-day session will yield a new ceasefire and a timetable for an Israeli withdrawal from contested southern positions.

In Beijing, Trump and Xi Pull the Trade War Back From the Brink

President Trump and President Xi Jinping opened a two-day summit in Beijing on Thursday — the first state visit by an American president to China in nine years — with both sides describing 'progress' on trade and Mr. Xi warning that Taiwan, mishandled, could send the relationship 'down a dangerous path.'

The Quiet Cargo: A Russian Vessel's Final Voyage Toward Pyongyang

A Russian-flagged ship that sank in disputed waters this week may have been carrying components for North Korean submarine reactors. The route, the manifest, and the silence afterward all suggest a transfer the Kremlin would rather not explain.

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