WORLD NEWS
Sick and wounded children begin crossing from Gaza to Egypt in first opening in months
Read full article: Sick and wounded children begin crossing from Gaza to Egypt in first opening in monthsA group of 50 sick and wounded Palestinian children began crossing through Gaza’s Rafah crossing into Egypt on Saturday for treatment.
Russian drone and missile attacks kill 6 in Ukraine
Read full article: Russian drone and missile attacks kill 6 in UkraineAt least six people have died overnight as Russian drone and missile strikes pounded Ukraine’s towns and cities and Moscow’s troops continued their grinding advance through the country’s east.
As M23 rebel group advances in Congo, a new leader signals a shift in its identity
Read full article: As M23 rebel group advances in Congo, a new leader signals a shift in its identityThe M23 rebel group that is backed by Rwanda has emerged as a more potent force after being crushed during their first rebellion in 2012.
Hamas frees 3 hostages and Israel releases Palestinian prisoners in 4th exchange of ceasefire
Read full article: Hamas frees 3 hostages and Israel releases Palestinian prisoners in 4th exchange of ceasefireHamas militants released three male hostages being held in the Gaza Strip on Saturday while Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails as part of a ceasefire deal that has halted 15 months of intense fighting in the Palestinian enclave.
Peace prospects look bleak in Myanmar as a civil war rages
Read full article: Peace prospects look bleak in Myanmar as a civil war ragesPeace prospects look bleak in Myanmar as a civil war rages despite international pressure on the military four years after it seized power from an elected civilian government.
The Taliban take over Afghanistan’s only luxury hotel, more than a decade after attacking it
Read full article: The Taliban take over Afghanistan’s only luxury hotel, more than a decade after attacking itThe Taliban are taking over the operations of Afghanistan's only luxury hotel, more than a decade after launching a deadly assault on it.
Italian court blocks asylum-seekers expulsions in challenge to Meloni’s migrant deal with Albania
Read full article: Italian court blocks asylum-seekers expulsions in challenge to Meloni’s migrant deal with AlbaniaAn Italian appeals court has refused to approve the speedy expulsion of 43 asylum seekers detained in Albania under a controversial migration deal to move the proceedings beyond European Union borders.
Rwanda-backed rebels move deeper into eastern Congo as UN reports executions and rapes
Read full article: Rwanda-backed rebels move deeper into eastern Congo as UN reports executions and rapesThe U.N. says Rwanda-backed rebels were quickly expanding their presence in eastern Congo after capturing the region’s major city.
Venezuela frees 6 Americans after meeting between President Maduro and Trump's envoy
Read full article: Venezuela frees 6 Americans after meeting between President Maduro and Trump's envoySix Americans who had been detained in Venezuela in recent months have freed by the government of President Nicolás Maduro after he met with a senior Trump administration official.
Turkey dismisses 5 military academy graduates for taking discontinued secular oath
Read full article: Turkey dismisses 5 military academy graduates for taking discontinued secular oathTurkey's defense ministry says five military academy graduates and three of their immediate superiors have been dismissed from the armed forces for taking a pro-secular oath during their graduation ceremony.
Growing anger in Greece over deadly rail disaster prompts plan by opposition to challenge government
Read full article: Growing anger in Greece over deadly rail disaster prompts plan by opposition to challenge governmentThree Greek opposition parties say they are planning to challenge the conservative government with a censure motion over its handling of a 2023 rail disaster that killed 57 people.
Expected release of high-profile male hostages sparks excitement and anxiety in Israel
Read full article: Expected release of high-profile male hostages sparks excitement and anxiety in IsraelNews that three high-profile hostages are expected to be released has brought excitement and trepidation to Israel on Friday.
Russia claims another Ukrainian village has fallen as it closes in on a key city
Read full article: Russia claims another Ukrainian village has fallen as it closes in on a key cityRussia is claiming it has captured another village in its relentless offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region and as it closes in on the critical Ukrainian logistics hub of Pokrovsk after almost three years of war.
Pakistan's favorable trade status depends on progress in human rights, media freedom, EU says
Read full article: Pakistan's favorable trade status depends on progress in human rights, media freedom, EU saysThe European Union has warned Pakistan that its status as a duty-free exporter to the bloc will continue to depend on the progress the country makes in addressing concerns about civil and labor rights and freedom of speech.
Serbian anti-graft protesters march to a northern city and plan to block bridges
Read full article: Serbian anti-graft protesters march to a northern city and plan to block bridgesHundreds of students have marched through the Serbian countryside, taking their anti-graft protest to the northern city of Novi Sad, where they plan to blockade three bridges over the River Danube this weekend.
Lithuanian president backs Trump’s NATO defense spending goal amid ongoing Russian threat
Read full article: Lithuanian president backs Trump’s NATO defense spending goal amid ongoing Russian threatLithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says that any peace settlement in Ukraine must involve Kyiv and come with more defense spending by regional countries to deter future Russian aggression.
Tens of thousands of Muslims attend annual Biswa Ijtema event in Bangladesh
Read full article: Tens of thousands of Muslims attend annual Biswa Ijtema event in BangladeshTens of thousands of people have gathered on a riverbank near Bangladesh’s capital to listen to sermons by Islamic scholars at the Biswa Ijtema or global congregation of Muslim devotees.
Middle East latest: Israeli hostages' families welcome news that 3 more men will be released
Read full article: Middle East latest: Israeli hostages' families welcome news that 3 more men will be releasedThe Israeli organization representing families of hostages in Gaza has celebrated the news that three high-profile men will be released next.
German opposition's migration bill narrowly defeated amid controversy over far-right support
Read full article: German opposition's migration bill narrowly defeated amid controversy over far-right supportGermany's parliament has narrowly rejected an opposition-sponsored bill calling for tougher rules on migration that risked becoming the first draft legislation to pass thanks to a far-right party.
Myanmar’s military government extends its mandate to rule another 6 months
Read full article: Myanmar’s military government extends its mandate to rule another 6 monthsMyanmar’s military government has extended its mandate to rule another six months, as the country enters its fifth year of crisis.
A French journalist recounts 711 days of captivity as a hostage of Islamic extremists in Mali
Read full article: A French journalist recounts 711 days of captivity as a hostage of Islamic extremists in MaliOlivier Dubois, a French journalist, was kidnapped by JNIM, a branch of al-Qaida in Africa's Sahel region, while on his way to interview one of the group's leaders in northern Mali.
US aid was long a lifeline for Eastern Europe. Trump cuts are sending shockwaves through the region
Read full article: US aid was long a lifeline for Eastern Europe. Trump cuts are sending shockwaves through the regionPresident Donald Trump’s abrupt freeze of U.S. foreign aid is sending shockwaves through Eastern Europe.
After the initial ecstasy of freedom, released hostages face a long road to recovery
Read full article: After the initial ecstasy of freedom, released hostages face a long road to recoveryFifteen hostages have been released from more than 15 months of captivity in Gaza over the past two weeks.
Sacred strokes of color on foreheads are a major display of Hinduism at India’s Maha Kumbh festival
Read full article: Sacred strokes of color on foreheads are a major display of Hinduism at India’s Maha Kumbh festivalA vermilion dot on the forehead is one of India’s most widely accepted Hindu cultural insignias.
Experts and advocates warn of nickel mining's risk to precious marine region of Indonesia
Read full article: Experts and advocates warn of nickel mining's risk to precious marine region of IndonesiaA new report says the expansion of nickel mining in Indonesia is a threat to one of Earth's most biodiverse marine regions.
Study finds India doubled its tiger population in a decade and credits conservation efforts
Read full article: Study finds India doubled its tiger population in a decade and credits conservation effortsIndia doubled its tiger population in a little over a decade by protecting the big cats from poaching and habitat loss, ensuring they have enough prey, reducing human-wildlife conflict, and increasing communities’ living standards near tiger areas.
Panama's president says there will be no negotiation about ownership of canal
Read full article: Panama's president says there will be no negotiation about ownership of canalPanama President José Raúl Mulino says there will be no negotiation with the United States over ownership of the Panama Canal.
Who are the Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for Israeli hostages?
Read full article: Who are the Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for Israeli hostages?Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday, in exchange for three Israeli hostages held in captivity in Gaza.
More schools in France are getting special mailboxes for children to flag abuse
Read full article: More schools in France are getting special mailboxes for children to flag abuseA special mailbox for children to flag abuses has been set up at a Paris primary school, a first in the French capital as part of nationwide effort to encourage more victims of sexual violence to speak up.
Shell still reviewing moving listing away from London but not a live discussion
Read full article: Shell still reviewing moving listing away from London but not a live discussionOil company Shell says is still mulling moving its stock market listing from London to New York but that it wasn't a “live discussion” at the moment.
Israel's ban on UN's Palestinian aid agency has come into effect. Here's what that looks like
Read full article: Israel's ban on UN's Palestinian aid agency has come into effect. Here's what that looks likeIsrael has formally banned the main United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees from operating on its territory despite heavy diplomatic backlash.
Richard Williamson, Catholic bishop whose denial of Holocaust embarrassed Pope Benedict XVI, dies
Read full article: Richard Williamson, Catholic bishop whose denial of Holocaust embarrassed Pope Benedict XVI, diesA traditionalist Catholic bishop whose denial of the Holocaust created a scandal when Pope Benedict XVI rehabilitated him has died.
Families in India cremate loved ones killed in stampede at religious festival
Read full article: Families in India cremate loved ones killed in stampede at religious festivalGrieving families in India are cremating their loved ones while others are caring for their injured relatives in hospitals a day after a stampede.
Thousands of Albanians pay last respects to Orthodox Christian Archbishop Anastasios
Read full article: Thousands of Albanians pay last respects to Orthodox Christian Archbishop AnastasiosThousands of Albanians gathered in the capital to pay their last respects to Archbishop Anastasios, who revived the country’s Orthodox Christian Church after the fall of the country’s communist regime in 1990.
Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband, imprisoned for raping and drugging her, now caught up in other cases
Read full article: Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband, imprisoned for raping and drugging her, now caught up in other casesThe convicted rapist who horrified France by drugging his wife so other men could rape her is being linked to other cases.
European Central bank cuts benchmark rate by a quarter percentage point to boost stagnant economy
Read full article: European Central bank cuts benchmark rate by a quarter percentage point to boost stagnant economyThe European Central Bank is cutting its key interest rate, a step to boost an economy that’s struggling to grow as consumers burned by inflation warily eye price tags and businesses try to chart a course amid political turmoil in leading economies France and Germany.
Merkel criticizes German front-runner Merz over migration vote with far-right support
Read full article: Merkel criticizes German front-runner Merz over migration vote with far-right supportFormer German Chancellor Angela Merkel has issued rare public criticism of her successor as the country’s center-right leader, the front-runner in Germany’s election next month, for putting to parliament proposals for tough new migration rules that only passed with the help of a far-right party.
European court finds Italy violated the right to life of Naples residents living in toxic dump area
Read full article: European court finds Italy violated the right to life of Naples residents living in toxic dump areaThe European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Italy violated the right to life of those living in a toxic-waste polluted area around Naples.
Rwanda-backed rebels in eastern Congo say they plan to take their fight to the capital
Read full article: Rwanda-backed rebels in eastern Congo say they plan to take their fight to the capitalRwanda-backed rebels who have captured eastern Congo’s largest city say they plan to take their rebellion to the capital and seek to gain political power.
A Russian drone strikes an apartment building in Ukraine, killing at least 6
Read full article: A Russian drone strikes an apartment building in Ukraine, killing at least 6Officials say a Russian drone has blasted a hole in an apartment building in northeastern Ukraine during a nighttime attack that killed at least six people and wounded nine others.
A New Zealand mountain is granted personhood, recognizing it as sacred for Māori
Read full article: A New Zealand mountain is granted personhood, recognizing it as sacred for MāoriA mountain in New Zealand considered an ancestor by Indigenous people has been recognized as a legal person after a new law granted it all the rights and responsibilities of a human being.
Russia comes in from the cold, with flowers blooming around Moscow in January
Read full article: Russia comes in from the cold, with flowers blooming around Moscow in JanuaryJanuary in Russia conjures up images of Muscovites crunching through the snow in bulky coats -- not bunches of delicate snowdrops blooming in grassy areas around still-standing Christmas trees.
Israelis and Palestinians rejoice after more hostages and prisoners are freed
Read full article: Israelis and Palestinians rejoice after more hostages and prisoners are freedHamas-led militants freed eight more hostages from the Gaza Strip and another 110 Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel as part of a ceasefire that began earlier this month.
Longtime AP international journalist Earleen Fisher, whose career spanned five decades, dies at 78
Read full article: Longtime AP international journalist Earleen Fisher, whose career spanned five decades, dies at 78Earleen Fisher, an editor and writer whose career across five decades with The Associated Press gave her a front-row seat to some of the late 20th century’s most chaotic and challenging news stories, has died.
Palestinians' return to northern Gaza complicates Netanyahu's war aims
Read full article: Palestinians' return to northern Gaza complicates Netanyahu's war aimsPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed 15 months ago that Israel would achieve “total victory” in the war in Gaza — by eradicating Hamas and freeing all the hostages.
Leader of rebels who toppled Syrian President Bashar Assad is named country's interim president
Read full article: Leader of rebels who toppled Syrian President Bashar Assad is named country's interim presidentThe Syrian factions that toppled President Bashar Assad last month have named an Islamist former rebel leader as the country‘s interim president in a push to project a united front as they face the monumental task of rebuilding Syria after nearly 14 years of civil war.
Daily anti-corruption protests are rattling Serbia's leader. What might come next?
Read full article: Daily anti-corruption protests are rattling Serbia's leader. What might come next?If Serbian President Aleksander Vucic hoped the resignation of his hand-picked prime minister would get students to end nearly three months of anti-corruption protests, he didn’t have to wait long for an answer.
Trump White House rescinds memo freezing federal money after widespread confusion
Read full article: Trump White House rescinds memo freezing federal money after widespread confusionPresident Donald Trump’s budget office has rescinded a memo freezing spending on federal grants, less than two days after it sparked widespread confusion and legal challenges across the country.