World

Pentagon Chief Warns China 'Preparing' to Use Military Force in Asia
Pentagon Chief Warns China 'Preparing' to Use Military Force in Asia

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Saturday that China was "credibly preparing" to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, vowing the United States was "here to stay" in the Indo-Pacific region. The Pentagon chief made the remarks at an annual security forum in Singapore as the administration of US ...

Israel Strikes Western Syria, Despite Talks
Israel Strikes Western Syria, Despite Talks

Israel on Friday struck western Syria, the Israeli military and Syrian state media said, in the first such attack on the country in nearly a month. It came after Damascus announced earlier this month indirect talks with Israel to calm tensions, and the US called for a "non-aggression agreement" between the two countries, which are technically at ...

Israel Threatens Hamas With ‘Annihilation' as Trump Says Gaza Ceasefire Close
Israel Threatens Hamas With ‘Annihilation' as Trump Says Gaza Ceasefire Close

Israel on Friday said Hamas must accept a hostage deal in Gaza or "be annihilated", as US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire agreement was "very close". It came amid dire conditions on the ground, with the United Nations warning that Gaza's entire population was at risk of famine. Defense Minister Israel ...

Egypt Denies Court Ruling Threatens Historic Monastery
Egypt Denies Court Ruling Threatens Historic Monastery

Egypt and Greece sought to ease tensions over the historic St. Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula on Friday after a controversial court ruling said it sat on state-owned land. Cairo has denied that the ruling threatens the UNESCO World Heritage landmark, a pilgrimage, and tourism site, after Greek and church authorities warned the ...

Musk Says to Remain 'Friend and Advisor' to Trump
Musk Says to Remain 'Friend and Advisor' to Trump

Billionaire Elon Musk said Friday he would remain a "friend and advisor" to Donald Trump, as the US president hosted an Oval Office farewell for the man who led his turbulent cost-cutting drive. "I look forward to continuing to be a friend and advisor to the president," Musk told reporters after Trump handed a golden key as a gift to the ...

Ukraine Says Russia Withholding Peace Terms to Undermine Talks
Ukraine Says Russia Withholding Peace Terms to Undermine Talks

Ukraine said Friday it did not expect any results from talks with Russia in Istanbul unless Moscow provided its peace terms in advance, accusing the Kremlin of doing "everything" it could to sabotage the potential meeting. Diplomatic efforts to end the war have accelerated in recent weeks, with both sides meeting for their first round of direct ...

Saudi FM to Make Landmark Visit to the West Bank
Saudi FM to Make Landmark Visit to the West Bank

Prince Faisal bin Farhan will become the first Saudi foreign minister to visit the occupied West Bank on Sunday, a diplomatic source told AFP, as the Gaza war drags on and Riyadh pushes for Palestinian statehood. The top Saudi diplomat will head a delegation to Ramallah, a Palestinian embassy source said, the first such trip since Israel first ...

Barcelona Ends 'Friendship Agreement' With Tel Aviv Over Gaza War
Barcelona Ends 'Friendship Agreement' With Tel Aviv Over Gaza War

Barcelona's city council voted Friday to cut institutional ties with the Israeli government and suspend its friendship agreement with the city of Tel Aviv, citing violations of international law and the rights of Palestinians. The motion, supported by the governing Socialist party along with far-left and leftist pro-independence groups, calls for ...

Tensions Mount as Washington Delays and Israel Threatens Iran
Tensions Mount as Washington Delays and Israel Threatens Iran

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay any potential military action against Iran, in order to give the United States administration more time to negotiate a new nuclear agreement with Tehran. Iran’s nuclear program lies at the center of an escalating diplomatic ...

Trump Signals Fresh Trade Tensions With China
Trump Signals Fresh Trade Tensions With China

US President Donald Trump signaled renewed trade tensions with China on Friday, arguing that Beijing had "violated" a deal to de-escalate tariffs, at a time when both sides appeared deadlocked in negotiations. Trump's post on his Truth Social platform came hours after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that trade talks with ...

EU 'Fully Invested' in Trump Trade Talks After US Court Ruling
EU 'Fully Invested' in Trump Trade Talks After US Court Ruling

The EU is "fully invested" in reaching a deal with the United States to avoid sweeping tariffs, the bloc's trade chief said Friday, after US judges ruled the controversial measures were unconstitutional. "Delivering forward-looking solutions remains a top EU priority. Staying in permanent contact," EU trade commissioner ...