Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s announcement comes despite international pressure against Israel’s building of illegal settlements. Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has declared 800 hectares (1,977 acres) in the occupied West Bank as state land, in a move that will facilitate the use of the ground for settlement building. The announcement on Friday came as United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel for talks with Prime Minister...

Peruvian democracy has continued to deteriorate more than a year after the removal of former President Pedro Castillo, according to a recent report from the Washington-based nonprofit Freedom House. The report — released this month — traced the lingering effects of a government crackdown on protesters, as well as efforts to interfere with judicial independence and other oversight bodies. The result was that Peru slumped from a rating...