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Israeli Defense Minister Says No Need for Opposition Approval to Launch Strikes

World 25 June 2024, Jerusalem: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. (dpa)

Israeli Defense Minister Says No Need for Opposition Approval to Launch Strikes

Israel's defense minister said Thursday that caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not need opposition permission to order fresh military operations…

World People walk past a television broadcast showing stock indexes and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Taipei, Taiwan, 13 November 2026. (EPA)

US Lawmakers Summon Nvidia Ex-CEO After Affair with Suspected Spy

US lawmakers have called Jensen Huang, an architect of the artificial intelligence boom, to face their questions in December after the Nvidia ex-CEO quit over…

World Albert K. Barume, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, speaks during a press conference in Sydney on November 13, 2026. (AFP)

Indigenous Rights in Australia ‘Embarrassing’, Says UN Envoy

Cases of Indigenous women shackled while giving birth and growing numbers of children in detention are "embarrassing" to Australia, the UN's special rapporteur…

World  Leftist party La France Insoumise (LFI) candidate in France's 2027 presidential election Jean-Luc Melenchon gestures as he delivers a speech during a campaign rally in La Souterraine on November 11, 2026. (AFP)

Israel Says Will Ban French Hard-Left Leader Melenchon from Entry

Israel said on Thursday it would ban French hard-left presidential contender Jean-Luc Melenchon from visiting after he vowed that if he were elected, French…

World US special envoys Steve Witkoff, right, Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, left, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speak to the media at the airport in Dublin, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026.(AP)

Kushner Says US Working Toward ‘Largest Prisoner Exchange’ of Russia’s War in Ukraine

US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said on Thursday Russia and Ukraine agreed to expand the next round of talks to include European…


World  Aircraft pass behind kerosene storage facilities at Liege Airport in Liege, Belgium, 16 April 2026.  EPA/Olivier Hoslet

IEA Chief Says Europe Has 'Maybe 6 Weeks or So' of Jet Fuel Left

Europe has “maybe six weeks or so (of) jet fuel left,” the head of the International Energy Agency said Thursday in a wide-ranging Associated Press interview,…

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World FILE PHOTO: A NATO flag flutters at the Tapa military base, Estonia April 30, 2023. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File Photo

EU, NATO to Work to Strengthen Relationship, Von der Leyen Says 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday that she agreed with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to work in the coming weeks to…

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World FILE PHOTO: A 3D-printed miniature model of Donald Trump and the US and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken January 15, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

If Iran Refuses US Proposal, Israel Vows 'Even More Painful' Strikes

Israel's defense minister warned Iran on Thursday against rejecting a US proposal focused on renouncing "nuclear armament" and vowed to stage "even more…

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World Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Photo by Evaristo Sa / AFP)

Lula Says Trump Has 'No Right' to Threaten Countries

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized US President Donald Trump, saying the US leader has "no right" to threaten other nations, in an…

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World Some of the Sudanese civilian refugees and human rights activists hold placards with the wordings, 'KeepEyesOnSudan' outside a bus branded during a commemorative gathering dubbed 'Under the Neema (Tree)' to mark the third anniversary since the war in Sudan started, organized by the Amnesty International at the Freedom Corner in Nairobi, Kenya, 15 April 2026. EPA/DANIEL IRUNGU

Danish Refugee Council Warns 4 Million More Face Displacement as Aid Drops

Over 4 million people are set to be newly displaced around the world by the end of next year as donors step back from providing life-saving aid, the Danish…

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World Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomes Minister of Defense for Indonesia Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to the Pentagon, Monday, April 13, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

US Democrats File Impeachment Articles Against Pentagon Chief

US House Democrats introduced six articles of impeachment against Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing him of "high crimes and misdemeanors"…

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World Vehicles cross the Rumichaca International Bridge, the border crossing between Colombia and Ecuador, in Tulcan, Ecuador, 10 April 2026.  EPA/Xavier Montalvo

Bus Accident Kills 14 in Ecuador

A bus veered off the road and plunged into a ravine in southern Ecuador Wednesday, killing 14 people and injuring at least 29, emergency officials said. …

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World  This handout image taken on July 23, 2024 and released by the Australian Defense Force shows a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft (top R) in formation flight with an RAAF EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft (bottom R), RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet (top C), a Spanish Navy AV-8B Harrier II (bottom C), an F-35 Lightning II (top L), a Japan Air Self-Defense Force Mitsubishi F-2 (bottom 2nd L), and a Philippine Air Force FA-50 Golden Eagle (bottom L) over northern Australia during Exercise Pitch Black 2024.  Handout / AUSTRALIA DEFENCE FORCE/AFP

Australia to Boost Defense Spending Citing Growing Threats

Australia will raise defense spending to 3.0 percent of GDP by 2033 as armed conflicts flare worldwide, Defense Minister Richard Marles said Thursday. The…

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World Mortuary vans are parked in front of a hospital morgue, after a deadly shooting at a school, in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, April 16, 2026. REUTERS/Ensar Ozdemir

Türkiye Orders 83 Arrests Over Online Praise for School Shootings

Turkish police said on Thursday they had ordered dozens of arrests for people accused of posting controversial content on social media after two deadly school…

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World Ukrainian service members of the 260th Zaporizhzhia Separate Territorial Defence Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces load a 152-mm shell for a D‑20 howitzer before firing towards Russian troops at a frontline position, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, April 9, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

Death Toll from Russian Strikes in Ukraine Rises to 12

Russian strikes killed at least 12 people in Ukraine, local authorities said on Thursday, after Moscow pummeled its neighbor in overnight attacks. Missile…

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World Image published by the Iranian Foreign Ministry of Araghchi receiving Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir in Tehran on Wednesday.

Pakistani Army Chief Visits Tehran in Bid to Broker Renewed Talks between US and Iran

Pakistan’s army chief is set to meet with Iranian officials in Tehran on Thursday in a bid to ease tensions in the Middle East and arrange a second round of…

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World US Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush

Mounting Pressure on Iran Revives the Specter of the 2000 Aden Attack

US author Anne-Marie Slaughter argues in The Chessboard and the Web: Strategies of Connection in a Networked World that the world no longer operates or…

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World A man rides past a large billboard referring to the Strait of Hormuz in Tehran's Vanak Square on April 15, 2026. (AFP)

Iran Can Go up to Two Months without Oil Exports Before Cutting Output, Analysts Say

Iran can withstand a complete halt in oil exports of up to two months before being forced to curb production, analysts said, after the US began blocking…

World  A girl carries jerrycans on a wheelbarrow after collecting water from a well at a mosque in Deh Mazang, Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP)

World Bank Announces Water Security Plan for One Billion People

The World Bank announced a plan Wednesday that aims to improve secure water access for a billion people within the next four years. The new "Water Forward"…

World Members of the media raise hands to ask questions as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds a press conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing, China, March 8, 2026. (Reuters)

China FM Tells Iran Beijing Supports ‘Momentum of Peace Talks’

China's top diplomat told his Iranian counterpart that Beijing "supports maintaining the momentum of the ceasefire and peace talks" in a phone call on…

World Turkish security forces and emergency staff stand at the courtyard of a high school where an assailant opened fire, in Siverek, south east Türkiye, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, (Mevlut Bayraktar/IHA via AP)

Toll from Türkiye School Shooting Rises to Nine

The toll from Türkiye's second school shooting in as many days now stands at nine people dead, the interior minister said on Wednesday. "We regret to report…

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World Israeli Supreme Court judges assemble on the day of the hearing for a petition to force Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to oust Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from his position, following allegations Ben-Gvir used his role to intervene in investigations and operational matters, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem April 15, 2026. (Reuters)

Top Israel Court Hears Petitions to Oust Far-Right Minister

Israel's High Court was on Wednesday hearing four petitions backed by the country's attorney general that seek to oust hardline National Security Minister…

World 01 November 2004, Austria, Vienna: The flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) flies in front of the UN seat in Vienna. (dpa)

UN Nuclear Chief Urges Strict Iran Checks in Any Deal to End War

The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that “very detailed” measures to verify Iran’s nuclear activities must be included in a potential US-Iran…

World  Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi speaks during a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP)

North Korea Boosting Ability to Make Nuclear Arms, Says UN Watchdog

North Korea is showing a "very serious increase" in its ability to produce atomic weapons, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said Wednesday on a visit to…

World Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha speaks during a briefing marking Ukrainian Defense Industry Day in Kyiv, on April 13, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

Ukraine Broaches ‘Stolen’ Russian Grain Cargo on Call with Israel

Ukrainian Foreign ‌Minister Andrii Sybiha held a call with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa'ar to discuss a Russian vessel carrying what he described as…

World Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walks for a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China April 15, 2026. (EPA/Iori Sagisawa / Pool)

Russia Pledges Further Oil Supplies to Cuba After Dispatching Crude Cargo

Russia will continue helping fuel-hungry Cuba with crucial supplies of oil, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday, two weeks after Moscow sent a…

World Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari arrives for her trial on charges of promoting terrorism on social media at a Paris courthouse on January 13, 2026. (AFP)

Female Iranian Student Arrives in Iran After Release in France

Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari, who was held in France for over a year, has returned home, Iranian state television reported Wednesday, a week after Iran…

World Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gestures as he speaks during a press conference in Madrid. (AFP)

Israeli Rights Group Files ICC Case Against Spanish PM

An Israeli rights group said Tuesday that it had asked the International Criminal Court to consider legal action against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez…

Asharq Al Awsat (Tel Aviv)