As Catalonia Independence Referendum Nears, Madrid Escalates Tensions

Prince William said his wife Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, is feeling better as he greeted veterans ahead of the 80th anniversary of D-Day. At a tribute event on Wednesday to mark the historic day—observed on June 6 as the start of operations that would lead to the end of World War II—the Prince of Wales gave a reading in the English city of Portsmouth. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] One elderly veteran who fought in the war eight decades ago asked William if Kate is “getting any better” following her cancer diagnosis, which she revealed in a video address shared on March 22. “She is better, thanks.

The confluence of multiplying political, economic, and social crises has made the military acronym VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) feel like a perfect description of the third decade of the third millennium. The acronym was used at the Army War College in the late 1980s to describe a world that was more unpredictable than the bipolar one of the Cold War-era, but it has come to feel increasingly resonant today, as one emergency cascades into another, amplifying the perils of an ever more interconnected globe. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] On top of the looming disaster of climate change, there are escalating threats to democracy at home and abroad, high-stakes wars in Ukraine and Gaza, surging populist anger at governments and institutions, and a tidal wave of fake news and disinformation that will rise to tsunami levels with the expanding use of AI.

All eyes are on Rafah. And Papua. And Sudan. And the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Weeks after an AI-generated image of the Gazan city became a widely shared symbol of protest against Israel’s military campaign that has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and over a million displaced, versions of the viral slogan have been recast to raise awareness of other causes around the world. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Perhaps most prominently, images and online posts promoting “All Eyes on Papua” have been shared and seen by millions on social media.

TOKYO — Called “Tokyo Futari Story,” the city hall’s new initiative is just that: An effort to create couples, “futari,” in a country where it is increasingly common to be “hitori,” or alone. While a site offering counsel and general information for potential lovebirds is online, a dating app is also in development.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli strike early Thursday on a school-turned-shelter in central Gaza that the military claimed was being used as a Hamas compound killed at least 30 people, including five children, according to local health officials. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The strike came after the military said it was launching new air and ground operations in central Gaza in an apparent widening of its nearly eight-month offensive, launched after Hamas’ Oct.

CAIRO — United Nations agencies warned Wednesday that over 1 million Palestinians in Gaza could experience the highest level of starvation by the middle of next month if hostilities continue. The World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization said in a joint report that hunger is worsening because of heavy restrictions on humanitarian access and the collapse of the local food system in the nearly eight-month Israel-Hamas war. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] It says the situation remains dire in northern Gaza, which has been surrounded and largely isolated by Israeli troops for months.