World

Macron Urges Asia, Europe to Unite to Resist 'Spheres of Coercion'
Macron Urges Asia, Europe to Unite to Resist 'Spheres of Coercion'

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday urged Europe and Asia to build a new alliance to hold off big powers seeking to build "spheres of coercion", in a swipe at China and Russia. Macron was speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia's major annual defense and security conference, as Russia defies diplomatic pressure for a ...

UN Warns All of Gaza at Risk of Famine
UN Warns All of Gaza at Risk of Famine

The UN warned Friday that the entire population of Gaza was at risk of famine, as an Israeli far-right minister urged the use of "full force" against Hamas. Negotiations to end nearly 20 months of war have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming operations in Gaza in March following a short-lived truce. Israel ...

Iran Calls Austria Intel on Nuclear Programme 'Fake'
Iran Calls Austria Intel on Nuclear Programme 'Fake'

Iran on Friday branded as "fake" an Austrian intelligence report that said Tehran is seeking atomic weapons, even as it pursues delicate negotiations with the United States on its nuclear programme. In its annual report on global threats, Austria's domestic intelligence service (DSN) said Monday that Iran's "nuclear weapons development programme ...

Turkey Proposes to Host Trump-Putin-Zelensky Meeting
Turkey Proposes to Host Trump-Putin-Zelensky Meeting

Turkey on Friday proposed to host a meeting between the American, Russian and Ukrainian presidents in an effort to advance toward an end of the three years of war in Ukraine. NATO member Turkey, which has strove to maintain relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, has become a key mediator amid US President Donald Trump's push for a deal to end the ...

The Cost of No Peace: What Lebanon Loses by Staying in a Perpetual State of 'Resistance'
SpotlightThe Cost of No Peace: What Lebanon Loses by Staying in a Perpetual State of 'Resistance'

In Lebanon, the word “resistance” has long been romanticized—chanted in songs, woven into political slogans and wrapped in the symbolism of national pride. Yet, behind this idealized notion lies a sobering truth: Lebanon is a nation trapped in a permanent state of conflict, with its sovereignty and future held hostage by Hezbollah’s ...

With AI and More Shade, Saudi Set for a Searing Hajj
InterviewsWith AI and More Shade, Saudi Set for a Searing Hajj

With artificial intelligence, more shade and misting machines, Saudi authorities are preparing to welcome more than a million hajj pilgrims amid punishing summer heat that has a deadly history in the holy city of Mecca. Saudi Arabia's hajj minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah told AFP on Thursday that efforts to mitigate the searing desert heat remained a ...

Islamic State Claims First Attack on New Syria Forces Since Assad Fall: Monitors
Islamic State Claims First Attack on New Syria Forces Since Assad Fall: Monitors

The Islamic State (IS) group on Thursday claimed its first attack on Syria's new government forces since the fall of longtime Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, two war monitors said. In a statement picked up by SITE Intelligence Group, IS said it had planted an "explosive device" on a Syrian forces' vehicle in the southern province of ...

Elon Musk's Rocket-Fueled Ride With Trump Flames Out
SpotlightElon Musk's Rocket-Fueled Ride With Trump Flames Out

Elon Musk stormed into US politics as President Donald Trump's chainsaw-brandishing sidekick. Four turbulent months later it's the tech tycoon himself on the chopping block. Trump hailed Musk as "terrific" as he announced that they would hold a joint press conference on Friday as the South African-born magnate leaves the so-called Department of ...

New Metro Cuts Through Saudi Social Divisions
ReportNew Metro Cuts Through Saudi Social Divisions

For decades, civil servant Zayed al-Ghamdi's social circles in Saudi Arabia were more than predictable, bound by routine and kinship in a country where societal divisions have rarely been challenged. Then came the metro. A decade after breaking ground, Riyadh's gleaming new metro opened in December, offering the capital's eight million residents ...

Ukraine Renews Demand to See Russia's Peace Terms
Ukraine Renews Demand to See Russia's Peace Terms

Ukraine said Thursday it was ready to hold more talks with Russia in Istanbul next week but again demanded that Moscow supply a document setting out its conditions for peace. And as the United Nations said that hopes for peace in the three-year-old war were "barely" alive, the United States again warned that it could withdraw from mediation ...