World News at a Glance

Trump Team Sees ‘Major Disarmament’ of North Korea in 2.5 Years

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that the Trump administration hopes to complete “major disarmament” of North Korea within the next 2 1/2 years, even as conflicting accounts left unclear what had been agreed to. A day after President Donald Trump’s landmark meeting with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, the two leaders sought to shape the understanding of their talks to their advantage. But the contours of the vague agreement remained unclear and open to divergent interpretations. North Korea’s state-controlled news media said Trump had agreed to a phased, “step by step” denuclearization process rather than the immediate dismantling of its nuclear capability.

Humanitarian Crisis Worsens in Yemen After Attack on Port

An Arab military coalition invaded Yemen’s main Red Sea port on Wednesday, worsening what is already the world’s most severe humanitarian disaster by disrupting the delivery of food and other supplies to millions of Yemenis. The air and ground attack by forces loyal to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates was aimed at tipping the balance in Yemen’s long-running civil war and driving Iranian-backed rebels out of the port of Hodeida. After years of war, 8 million of Yemen’s estimated 28 million people are at risk of starvation, according to the United Nations.

Antarctica Is Melting 3 Times as Fast as a Decade Ago

Antarctica is melting, and a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature shows that the melting is speeding up. The rate at which Antarctica is losing ice has tripled since 2007, according to the latest available data. The continent is now melting so fast, scientists say, that it will contribute 6 inches to sea-level rise by 2100. That is at the upper end of what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has estimated Antarctica alone could contribute to sea-level rise this century. The melting ice and warming waters have all been primarily driven by human emissions of greenhouse gases.

Vote at U.N. Castigates Israel Over Gaza Deaths

Criticism of Israel’s lethal force against Palestinian protesters at the Gaza border shifted Wednesday to the United Nations General Assembly, which overwhelmingly passed a resolution that basically blamed the Israelis for the casualties in 10 weeks of clashes. Israel and the United States, which voted against the resolution, called it blatantly one-sided and unhelpful. The resolution requested recommendations to protect Palestinians. It did not explicitly criticize Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. While the resolution carries no legal weight, the outcome was seen by the Palestinian delegation as a moral victory.

Scorned Migrant Boat Exposes Raw Feelings Among European Allies

A boat crowded with hundreds of Africans sailing across the Mediterranean has exposed anew the shaky fault lines in Europe’s approach to the migrant crisis. On Sunday, Italy’s new far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, ordered the Aquarius, a rescue ship operated by humanitarian groups, to stop off the coast of Italy, refusing to let it dock. The ship is now on its way to Spain, which showed up its neighbors by announcing that it would “respect its international engagements” and accept the boat after Malta, too, refused it, and France stood idly by. Brussels, the seat of the European Union, looked on in relative silence.

Georgia’s Prime Minister Resigns After Protests and Party Infighting

The prime minister of Georgia resigned Wednesday, citing disagreements with Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the governing party and the country’s richest man. The resignation of Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili was announced in the wake of a series of anti-government protests that have disrupted Tbilisi, the capital. Ivanishvili made billions in the Russian banking and metal industries. In 2012, he founded his own party. Kvirikashvili, who has headed the government since 2015, said in a televised briefing, “Today is the moment when the party’s chairman should have the opportunity to form a team on the basis of his own views.”