World

Gaza: Between Truce Hopes and Deadly Escalation, Doha Leads Talks
ExplainerGaza: Between Truce Hopes and Deadly Escalation, Doha Leads Talks

As indirect talks between Israel and Hamas unfold in Doha, violence escalates in the Gaza Strip, with at least 31 killed in 24 hours. Facilitated by Qatar and backed by the United States and Egypt, these negotiations falter in securing a lasting truce, deepening the Palestinian enclave's plight. As the Israel-Hamas conflict enters its ...

Former US President Carter Lies in State After Somber Washington Procession
Former US President Carter Lies in State After Somber Washington Procession

The body of late US president Jimmy Carter was transferred Tuesday in a grand and solemn military ceremony to the US Capitol, where it will lie in state until a national funeral later this week. Carter, who died on December 29 at the age of 100, served a single term from 1977-1981 and was widely praised for his post-presidential humanitarian ...

Blinken in Paris to Discuss Mideast
Blinken in Paris to Discuss Mideast

Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday began a visit to Paris in which he will receive France's highest honor and seek further coordination on the turbulent Middle East. The top US diplomat arrived early on Wednesday in Paris after stops in Japan and South Korea on what is expected to be his final trip before he is slated to ...

Iran Rejects Macron's Remarks on its Role in Region as 'Baseless'
Iran Rejects Macron's Remarks on its Role in Region as 'Baseless'

Iran on Wednesday rejected as "baseless" French President Emmanuel Macron's claim that Tehran was the main strategic and security challenge in the Middle East. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the comments as "baseless, contradictory, and speculative," and called for France "to reconsider its non-constructive approaches to ...

Wildfire Sparks Panicked Evacuations in Los Angeles Suburb
Wildfire Sparks Panicked Evacuations in Los Angeles Suburb

A ferocious wildfire in a Los Angeles suburb devoured buildings and sparked panicked evacuations Tuesday, as hurricane-force winds tore through the region. Frightened residents abandoned their cars on one of the only roads in and out of the upscale Pacific Palisades area, fleeing on foot from the almost 3,000-acre (1,200-hectare) blaze engulfing ...

The Caesar Act: A Long And Winding Road
ExplainerThe Caesar Act: A Long And Winding Road

For over thirteen years, Syria has been at the heart of one of the bloodiest civil wars of the past half-century. While the fighting has subsided with the fall of Bashar al-Assad – overthrown on December 8, 2024, by a coalition of rebels led by the group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – the country remains mired in an unprecedented economic and ...

Freewheeling Trump Sets Out US Territorial Ambitions
Freewheeling Trump Sets Out US Territorial Ambitions

Donald Trump threatened military action to secure the Panama Canal and economic force against neighboring Canada, in a meandering press conference Tuesday a day after Congress certified his election victory. The Republican president-elect had gathered reporters at his home in southern Florida to announce a $20 billion Emirati investment in US ...

US Sanctions Top Hungary Minister Over 'Corruption'
US Sanctions Top Hungary Minister Over 'Corruption'

The United States announced sanctions against the head of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's cabinet on Tuesday for his alleged involvement in corruption. Antal Rogan, a minister who oversees the country's intelligence services and government communication, has "orchestrated schemes designed to control several strategic sectors ...

South Sudan to Resume Oil Production on January 8
South Sudan to Resume Oil Production on January 8

South Sudan could resume oil production "as early as tomorrow" almost a year after fighting in neighbouring Sudan ruptured a key pipeline, the government said Tuesday. The landlocked and impoverished country's vital oil had been shipped to global markets from Port Sudan on the Red Sea, with Sudan taking a cut as a transit fee. But the pipeline ...

US Accuses Sudan's RSF of Committing 'Genocide', Sanctions Leader
US Accuses Sudan's RSF of Committing 'Genocide', Sanctions Leader

The United States determined on Tuesday that members of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had "committed genocide" and imposed sanctions on the paramilitary group's leader. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the determination was based on information about the RSF's "systematic" murder of men and boys and the targeted rape of women and girls ...

Syria Rulers Plan 'Expanded' Committee to Prepare National Dialogue
Syria Rulers Plan 'Expanded' Committee to Prepare National Dialogue

Syria's new authorities are to set up an inclusive committee to prepare for a "national dialogue conference" to discuss the future of the country, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said on Tuesday. Since toppling president Bashar al-Assad nearly a month ago, Syria's Islamist-led rulers have spoken of a "national dialogue conference" to map out ...

Iran Reportedly Executed at Least 901 People in 2024
Iran Reportedly Executed at Least 901 People in 2024

Iranian authorities reportedly executed more than 900 people last year, including around 40 in a single week in December, the United Nations rights chief said on Tuesday. "It is deeply disturbing that yet again we see an increase in the number of people subjected to the death penalty in Iran year-on-year," Volker Turk said, adding that at least ...