World News at a Glance

Mixed Messages From U.S. as Turkey Attacks Syrian Kurds

The White House sent out a message aimed at mollifying Turkey’s president on Tuesday, suggesting that the United States was easing off its support for the Syrian Kurds. That message was quickly contradicted by the Pentagon, which said it would continue to stand by the Kurds, even as Turkey invaded their stronghold in northwestern Syria. The conflicting statements appeared to reflect an effort by the administration to balance competing pressures. Turkey, which has been furious over U.S. support for the Kurds, is a NATO ally, while the Kurds have been critical American partners in the war against the Islamic State.

Afghan Pedophiles Get Free Pass From U.S. Military, Report Says

On 5,753 occasions from 2010 to 2016, the U.S. military reported accusations of “gross human rights abuses” by the Afghan military, including many examples of child sexual abuse. If true, U.S. law required military aid to be cut off to the offending unit. Not once did that happen. That was among the findings in a report released Monday. "Although DOD and State have taken steps to identify and investigate child sexual assault incidents, the full extent of these incidences may never be known,” the report said, referring to the departments of Defense and State.

Extremists Messaged British Suspect

A British man accused of killing a worshipper and injuring several others when he rammed a van into a congregation of Muslims leaving a London mosque last year had been in contact with far-right groups before the attack, prosecutors said at his trial Tuesday. The BBC reported that the man, Darren Osborne, 48, had received a Twitter message from Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of Britain First, a group that recently gained notoriety after President Donald Trump recirculated unverified anti-Muslim videos it had posted online. Fransen was arrested in December on charges related to hate crimes.

Venezuela Calls for Early Elections, and Maduro Aims to Retain Control

Venezuela’s all-powerful Constituent Assembly called Tuesday for a presidential election before the end of April, an accelerated schedule that seems to benefit President Nicolás Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela and put the fractured opposition at a disadvantage. Maduro, who came to power in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chávez, is widely expected to seek re-election even though he remains deeply unpopular amid a worsening economic crisis. With control of the country’s legislative system, electoral machinery and highest court, Maduro has been steering a juggernaut over the past several months over the objections of the opposition and foreign governments.

Ex-Federal Worker in Australia Accused of Financing ISIS

A 40-year-old Sydney woman who worked for the federal government is facing terrorism financing charges, after the police accused her of wiring tens of thousands of dollars to the Islamic State in 2015. The police accused the woman, who was identified as Linda Merhi, 40, of transferring “a little over” 30,000 Australian dollars ($24,000) to the Islamic State. Police said the woman would be charged with five counts of intentionally collecting and making funds available to a terrorist organization. The arrest was part of Operation Peqin, a continuing police effort to identify and curb terrorist activity.

U.N. Condemns Congo’s Use of Force Against Protesters and Monitors

The United Nations on Tuesday expressed alarm over mounting repression in the Democratic Republic of Congo after security forces fired on anti-government protesters, killing at least six people, and attacked a U.N. official monitoring the protests. The violence erupted Sunday during protests in the capital, Kinshasa, and other major cities calling on President Joseph Kabila to step down and hold free elections. Kabila was to step down at the end of 2016 at the end of his second term, as constitutionally mandated. But he refused. U.N. human rights monitors in Kinshasa said they believed the number of fatalities could rise.

At England’s Loneliest Rail Station, a Train Comes Just Once a Week

It is not a good idea to miss the 2:56 p.m. service to Darlington: The next train will call here in precisely one week. At England’s least popular railway station, in Teesside, the only travelers these days are those attracted by the rarity of their journey. Teesside Airport rail station was built along an existing line to bring passengers to and from a regional airport. But there is no longer a bus service from the station to the airport, and the numbers flying from Durham Tees Valley are greatly reduced. So rail bosses have sidelined the stop for years.