Middle East

The Louvre Reopens After a Historic Theft
VideosThe Louvre Reopens After a Historic Theft

Three days after a spectacular theft, the Louvre has reopened its doors, but the Apollo Gallery remains closed. More than 100 investigators are working to recover the stolen jewels, valued at 88 million euros. The Minister of Interior expressed confidence that the perpetrators will be found.

Russia Holds Scheduled Nuclear Drills, Week After NATO
Russia Holds Scheduled Nuclear Drills, Week After NATO

Russia held planned strategic nuclear drills on Wednesday, a week after NATO began similar annual exercises, as tensions in Europe over the Ukraine war run high. "Today we are conducting planned, I would like to emphasise, planned, nuclear forces training," Russian President Vladimir Putin told generals in a televised meeting. NATO began similar ...

Senate Panel Probes Hezbollah Links to Latin American Drug Trade
Senate Panel Probes Hezbollah Links to Latin American Drug Trade

The US Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control convened a hearing on Tuesday to examine suspected connections between Hezbollah and Latin American drug trafficking networks, as lawmakers warned of the group’s expanding footprint in the Western Hemisphere. Chaired by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), the bipartisan session focused on ...

U.S. Pushes Plan to Disarm Hamas and Rebuild Gaza
U.S. Pushes Plan to Disarm Hamas and Rebuild Gaza

US Vice President JD Vance warned Wednesday of the tough task ahead in disarming Hamas and building a peaceful future for Gaza, as Washington sought to reassure its ally Israel over the next steps in its ambitious ceasefire deal. Vance met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the second day of a trip to Israel, part of a diplomatic blitz in ...

UK King to Be First to Pray With Pope in Five Centuries
UK King to Be First to Pray With Pope in Five Centuries

King Charles III leaves for a state visit to the Vatican Wednesday, where he will meet Pope Leo XIV and make history as the first head of the Church of England to pray publicly with the pontiff since the schism between the churches 500 years ago. The visit comes at a delicate time for the British king following new revelations about his brother, ...

Zelensky in Oslo For Talks With Norwegian PM
Zelensky in Oslo For Talks With Norwegian PM

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Oslo on Wednesday for talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Norway's government said. The two leaders met in the military part of Oslo's international airport, television images showed. Zelensky is scheduled to visit Sweden later Wednesday, where Kyiv and Stockholm are to make a ...

Syria Launches Operation Against Jihadists
Syria Launches Operation Against Jihadists

Syria government forces launched an operation Wednesday against jihadists holed up in a camp in the northwest, in a push to capture French fighters wanted by their government, a monitor and a French jihadist told AFP. Security forces "launched a vast operation against the camp... to arrest French fighters wanted by their government," ...

A Subretinal Chip Brings New Hope for AMD Patients
SpotlightA Subretinal Chip Brings New Hope for AMD Patients

Losing central vision is like watching the heart of the world blur, then fade to black, until you can no longer recognize a loved one’s face or read the lines of a book. This silent suffering affects over 200 million people worldwide: Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is now the leading cause of vision loss in those over 60. The disease ...

Paramilitary Drones Target Khartoum Airport
Paramilitary Drones Target Khartoum Airport

Paramilitary drones targeted Khartoum International Airport on Wednesday for a second consecutive day, a Sudanese military source told AFP. The source, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to brief the media, said, "Drones targeted Khartoum airport once again at dawn" on Wednesday. He added that army air defenses intercepted the ...

Louvre Director Faces Senate Over Heist as Museum Reopens
Louvre Director Faces Senate Over Heist as Museum Reopens

The jewelry stolen from the Louvre in Paris was valued at more than $100 million, a French prosecutor said Tuesday, as the museum's director faces security questions from a Senate committee over the brazen weekend heist. The director, Laurence des Cars, has not made any public statement since thieves made off with royal jewels during a daylight ...

As Russia Looms, NATO Showcases Nuclear Drill
As Russia Looms, NATO Showcases Nuclear Drill

A Dutch F-35 jet roared off the runway Tuesday at Volkel airbase in the Netherlands as part of NATO's annual nuclear exercise ‘Steadfast Noon’. The long-planned drill, which involves no live nuclear bombs, is routine practice for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to ensure it is ready to use its ultimate weapon if necessary. As tensions ...

Israeli Military Says Remains of Two More Hostages Returned from Gaza Identified
Israeli Military Says Remains of Two More Hostages Returned from Gaza Identified

Israel's army said Wednesday that the remains of two more hostages returned the day before from Gaza have been identified as those of Aryeh Zalmanovich and Master Sergeant Tamir Adar. Zalmanovich, 85 at the time of his death, was abducted from his home in kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity on November 17, 2023, the Israeli military said in a ...