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Iran Rejects Trump Claims of US Control over Hormuz as 'Lies'

World An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-US billboard at the Enghelab square in central Tehran, Iran, 13 August 2026. Tensions between Iran and the US remain high as opposing claims persist over shipping control in the Strait of Hormuz.  EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Iran Rejects Trump Claims of US Control over Hormuz as 'Lies'

Iran's military on Thursday rejected as "lies" remarks by US President Donald Trump claiming control of the Strait of Hormuz, saying the strategic waterway was…

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World FILE - White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt watches as President Donald Trump speak to reporters while in flight on Air Force One to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Will Leave at the Month’s End

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave the administration at the end of the month to spend more time with her family, President Donald Trump…

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World This aerial view shows heavy machinery used by rescuers in the search for survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Pereira, Colombia on August 12, 2026. (AFP)

Colombia Enters ‘Final Phase’ of Quake Search as Toll Hits 265

Rescuers in Colombia were making last-ditch efforts to locate earthquake survivors early Thursday, as the critical 72-hour window for rescue operations neared…

World  US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a forum of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition in Panama City on August 12, 2026. (AFP)

US Floats Prospect of Joint Strikes on Colombian Armed Groups

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth floated on Wednesday the possibility of joint strikes on Colombian armed groups, as he welcomed the nation into a military…

World  This photograph shows smoke rising in the distance following a Russian air attack, in Kyiv on August 12, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

Ukraine Military Aid Surged in June Despite Long-Term Shortages, Says Institute

Boosted by new EU financing, military aid for Ukraine in June hit its highest level since the United States pulled funding, though long-term support is lagging…


World  Taiwanese Military Police personnel install road blockades during a drill as part of the annual Han Kuang military exercises in Taipei, Taiwan, August 12, 2026. (Reuters)

Taiwan Holds Naval Drill During War Games as China Steps up Maritime Pressure

Taiwan's armed forces carried out an anti-blockade drill during annual war games, using the navy and coast guard to simulate escorting a merchant ship, the…

World Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), addresses his supporters from the top of a bus after giving testimony to judicial authorities at the Justice Palace, known as Caglayan Courthouse, in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 31, 2025. (Reuters)

Jailed Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu Joins New Opposition Party Amid Political Turmoil

Jailed Istanbul Mayor ‌Ekrem Imamoglu said on Wednesday he was joining the newly formed New Party, after a court order removed the leadership of his…

World Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez speaks during a press conference addressing the government's response to the back-to-back earthquakes in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)

Venezuela Govt, Opposition Wrap Up Round of Post-Maduro Talks

Venezuela's interim government and opposition representatives on Wednesday wrapped up a first round of talks aimed at reconciling the nation following the US…

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World A firefighter works at a compound of a port which was hit during overnight Russian drone strikes in the town of Izmail, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa region, Ukraine, May 19, 2026. (Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters)

Russian Attack Sets Ablaze Ukraine's Izmail Port infrastructure

Russia struck the area around Ukraine's largest Danube port of Izmail overnight, causing damage and setting off a fire, regional authorities said ‌on the …

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World 08 August 2026, Serbia, Belgrade: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic following their meeting at the Palace of Serbia. Photo: Marko Dimic/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Zelensky: Ukraine Needs 5% of US Patriot Stocks to Get Through Winter

Ukraine needs five percent of the United States' Patriot interceptor missiles to get through the winter and 10 percent to destroy all of Russia's ballistic…

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World  Russian President Vladimir Putin (C), accompanied by Pacific Fleet Commander-in-Chief Admiral Viktor Liina, visits the Guards missile cruiser Varyag during the final stage of the Pacific Fleet's exercises off the coast of Sakhalin region, Russia, 12 August 2026.  EPA/GAVRIIL GRIGOROV KREMLIN / POOL MANDATORY CREDIT

Russia's Putin Visits Japan-claimed Islands for First Time; Tokyo Protests

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, a Japan-claimed island at the end of the Kuril chain near the island of Hokkaido, Russian media said on…

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World The USS Abraham Lincoln departed San Diego, California on November 21, 2025 for duty in the South China Sea and was rerouted to the Middle East before US-Israeli attacks on Iran that began February 28. US NAVY/AFP/File

Senators Demand Inquiry into Conditions Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln

Congressional Democrats demanded answers Wednesday about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, following reports of food shortages, broken plumbing and…

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World President Donald Trump walks from Marine One to board Air Force One at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Trump 'Low-key' Bets on Economic Pressure against Iran

Keeping a low profile doesn't come naturally to Donald Trump. Yet that is the strategy the American president says he now favors in the war against Iran, and…

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World Six months ago, another Turkish F-16 fighter jet crashed, killing the pilot, shortly after takeoff during an alert-response mission near the Bulgarian border. (AFP file)

Turkish F-16 Crashes After Pilot Ejects Safely

A F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training exercise in northwestern Türkiye on Wednesday but no-one was hurt, the pilot ejecting to safety, the defense…

World People walk in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, August 11, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

More Than 25 Countries Condemn in ‘Strongest Terms’ Iran Executions

More than 25 nations, including France, the UK and Canada, on Wednesday condemned the use of capital punishment by Iranian authorities, saying in a joint…

World  President Donald Trump talks to reporters after arriving on Air Force One Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP)

Trump Says US Will ‘Keep’ Hormuz Strait Control

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States is in control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz and will "keep it." "The U.S.A. has total control…

World A health worker in protective gear washes her hands at the treatment center in Bunia General Hospital in Ituri, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP)

WHO Says Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Is on Track to Eclipse the Deadliest One in History

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo is on track to eclipse the deadliest one in history that killed over 11,000 people out of more than 28,000 cases, the head…

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World China's Prime Minister Rongji Zhu (L) answers questions during a joint press conference with US President Bill Clinton at the Old Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, on April 8, 1999.(Photo by JOYCE NALTCHAYAN / AFP)

Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji Dies Aged 97

Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, whose market reforms helped drive the country's extraordinary economic rise, died Wednesday at the age of 97. Zhu became…

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World Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting aboard the Guards missile cruiser Varyag during the final stage of the Pacific Fleet's exercises off the coast of Sakhalin region, Russia, 12 August 2026. (EPA/Gavriil Grigorov Kremlin / Pool)

Putin Threatens Retaliatory Seizures of European Ships

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday threatened to seize ships belonging to European countries in retaliation for plans to sell off cargo seized from…

World A handout photo made available by the Iranian Foreign Ministry Office shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) meeting with Pakistan's Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran on August 11, 2026. (Iran Foreign Ministry / AFP)

Pakistan Interior Minister in Iran to Discuss Regional Security

Pakistan's interior minister is visiting Iran to discuss regional security, stability and other developments, the Pakistani foreign office said Wednesday, as…

World People watch a news broadcast on a television screen showing a report on a missile launch, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, 12 August 2026. (EPA)

North Korea Fires Missile Ahead of Major US-South Korea Drills

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday toward the sea off the Korean peninsula's east coast, South Korean and Japanese authorities said, days ahead…

World A handout picture made available by the press service of the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces shows a civilian car in a crater on a bridge in the frontline city of Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, 11 August 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (EPA/Press service of the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade/Handout)

Four Killed in Russia-Ukraine Strikes, Including 8-Year-Old

Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia's south killed two people, including an eight-year-old child, the regional governor said on Wednesday after the latest…

World Communal workers sweep water in the street after morning flood caused by flash rain in the wake of typhoon Dolphin, in Changping district of Beijing, China, August 12, 2026. (Reuters)

Typhoon Dolphin’s Remnants Brings Torrential Rain to Beijing

Typhoon Dolphin's ‌remnants channeled vast amounts of moisture into Beijing and the central province of Henan on Wednesday, as the capital braced to…

World  Passengers line up in front of an All Nippon Airways counter at Haneda airport in Tokyo following flight cancellations due to Tropical Storm Chan-hom Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (Katsuya Miyagawa/Kyodo News via AP)

Tropical Storm Hits Tokyo Area, Leaving Thousands without Power Before Moving West

Tropical storm Chan-hom moved westward Wednesday after making landfall in the greater Tokyo region the night before, knocking down trees and leaving thousands…

World  A rescuer sits on the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Cali, Colombia on August 11, 2026. (AFP)

Colombia Rescuers Find Woman Alive as Quake Death Toll Passes 200

Colombian rescuers pulled a 32-year-old woman alive from the rubble of a collapsed building Tuesday, sparking cheers and applause as exhausted crews raced to…

World Taiwanese soldiers carry fuel supplies towards AH-64E Apache Guardian and UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters during a refueling drill as part of the annual Han Kuang military exercise in Taoyuan on August 11, 2026. (AFP)

Taiwan Condemns ‘Dangerous’ Planned Chinese Navy Drill with Indonesia to Its East

Taiwan's government has condemned "dangerous" planned Chinese navy drills with an Indonesian warship off the island's east coast, saying Beijing was trying to…

World Protestors gather at the gates of Columbia University, in support of student protesters who barricaded themselves in Hamilton Hall, despite orders from university officials to disband or face suspension, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in New York City, US, April 30, 2024. (Reuters)

Palestinian Students and Staff Sue Columbia University Alleging Discrimination

A ‌group of current and former Palestinian students and staff have sued Columbia University, alleging discriminatory treatment by the school against its…

World In this photo made from video released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), crew pull survivors from a passenger ferry Putri Yasmin that caught fire while traveling from the tourist island of Bali to neighboring island of Lombok toward a rescue ship in the waters of Lombok Strait, Indonesia, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (BASARNAS via AP)

One Dead, 172 Rescued as Second Ferry in Days Catches Fire in Indonesia

One woman died and more than 170 were rescued after a ferry caught fire off the Indonesian tourist island of Bali on Wednesday, a rescue official said, in the…

World A vessel near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 10, 2026. (Reuters)

US Helicopter Fired on Ship That Tried to Break Iran Ports Blockade

A US helicopter fired missiles on Tuesday into the engine room of a Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to break the American blockade of Iran's ports,…