The followers of the influential populist Shiite cleric came by the thousands to storm Iraq’s parliament. Mass mobilization and control is a well-worn strategy of Muqtada al-Sadr, a mercurial figure who has emerged as a powerful force in Iraq’s cutthroat political scene with a nationalist, anti-Iran agenda. Wednesday’s storming of parliament came after al-Sadr’s Tehran-backed…

President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed disagreements over Taiwan on a two-and-a-half hour call on Thursday during which the two leaders also expressed an interest in meeting face-to-face. According to a White House readout, Biden told Xi that U.S. policy on Taiwan had not changed and that the U.S. “strongly opposes” any actions……