Politics

Emergency declared in Southeastern Russia as cross-border clashes erupt Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of orchestrating what he described as a “serious provocation.” This statement followed Moscow’s claim of a large-scale cross-border assault in the Kursk region, located in the southwestern part of Russia. Alexey Smirnov, the region’s interim governor, has declared a state of emergency following two intense days of combat. Russia-Ukraine War: Key Events on Day 895 Heavy

FARDIS, Lebanon (AP) — Alma Ayman Fakhr al-Din, an energetic 11-year-old with a love for basketball and language learning, was playing soccer a week ago in Majdal Shams, a Druze village situated in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, when tragedy struck as a rocket landed. Ayman, her father, rushed to the scene, desperate for news of his daughter. "I saw a little girl in a body bag," he recounted, as he recognized her from her shoes and her delicate hand. "At that moment, I

MADRID (AP) — On Tuesday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declined to testify at the official residence as part of an ongoing probe into accusations of corruption involving his wife, according to legal representatives. Sánchez, a longstanding figure among socialist leaders in Europe, is not legally compelled to provide testimony against his wife, as dictated by Spanish law. The brief session, lasting only a few minutes, saw Sánchez invoke his right to remain silent, according to several

The passing of Vietnam’s 80-year-old leader paves the way for a leadership contest at the 2026 National Party Congress Thousands of Vietnamese citizens gathered to bid a final farewell to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the country’s most influential leader in years, ahead of his funeral and burial ceremonies. The 80-year-old leader passed away last week in a Hanoi hospital. Having led the Communist Party since 2011, Trong orchestrated a notable anticorruption campaign that impacted the

PM Keir Starmer Faces Pressure From MPs and Activists to End the Two-Child Benefit Cap. But Will He? The UK’s newly installed Labour government finds itself under increasing pressure to lift benefit restrictions on parents—policies that were previously enforced by the Conservative administration. On Tuesday, the government withstood an emergency vote proposed by the Scottish National Party (SNP) to eliminate the two-child limit on family benefits. This contentious policy, however, remains in

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The two main Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, have signed a declaration in Beijing seeking to resolve their longstanding discord, Chinese state media reported on Tuesday. This marks a fresh effort to bridge the divide between the groups as the war in Gaza continues to escalate. The agreement emerged after a series of discussions aimed at promoting unity. However, past efforts have consistently fallen short, leading to skepticism regarding whether these

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Belarusian rights organization revealed on Thursday that at least 10 political prisoners have been released, following a commitment made this week by the nation's authoritarian leader to set seriously ill detainees free, all of whom were imprisoned in relation to mass protests nearly four years ago. Pavel Sapelko, a representative from the Viasna human rights group, informed The Associated Press that those who were released are not prominent individuals whose