Comment on Asian markets mixed: Japan skids; China helped by rate cut

Israel launched a retaliatory strike against a site in Iran late Thursday night (early Friday morning local time), U. S. officials confirmed to several media outlets, though an Iranian official has downplayed the attack as a “failed and humiliating” drone strike. ABC News, CBS News, NPR, and others have cited unnamed U.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina formally requested on Thursday to join NATO as a global partner, a status that would clear the way for greater political and security cooperation at a time when the right-wing government of President Javier Milei aims to boost ties with Western powers and attract investment. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The request came as NATO’s Deputy General Secretary Mircea Geoana held talks in Brussels on regional security challenges with visiting Argentine Defense Minister Luis Petri. Geoana said he welcomed Argentina’s bid to become an accredited partner in the alliance—a valued role short of “ally” for nations that are not in NATO’s geographical area and not required to take part in collective military actions.

Iran’s attack on Israel was an unprecedented show of force. Though Iran telegraphed the attack in advance, with most drones and missiles intercepted in the air, the attack was a game changer and signals much higher risk of escalation in the future. The shadow war is a shadow war no longer. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] But the show of force was also precisely that—a show, choreographed and designed largely to project power without actually causing damage.

Within just weeks of Oct. 7, the outraged attention of much of the world shifted from what had happened to Israel to what Israel was doing. A deep chasm opened between those who remained primarily consumed by the greatest loss of Jewish lives since the Holocaust, and those focused on the tens of thousands of deaths that have resulted from Israel’s thunderous military assault on the Gaza Strip.

Prince William met with individuals running the Surplus to Supper food charity in Surrey, England, on Thursday, marking his first official public appearance since his wife, Kate Middleton, revealed her cancer diagnosis. The charity delivers food that would otherwise be discarded to people struggling with food insecurity. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Photos show Prince William assisting with cooking, helping to load food trucks, and engaging in conversations with charity workers.

JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Chinese and Indonesian foreign ministers called for an immediate and lasting cease-fire in Gaza after a meeting in Jakarta on Thursday, condemning the humanitarian costs of the ongoing war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi told reporters that the two countries share the same view about the importance of a ceasefire and of resolving the Palestinian problem through a two-state solution. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “I am sure that China would use its influence to prevent escalation,” Marsudi said, adding that China and Indonesia “would also fully support Palestine’s membership in the U.