How are the 2026 World Cup contenders shaping up?
Only eight countries have won the World Cup in 22 editions up to the most recent tournament in Qatar, when...Geostrategy Sports
Israel admits to supporting anti-Hamas armed group in Gaza led by Yasser Abu Shabab
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel is supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes the militant group Hamas,...Geostrategy
UN ‘disturbed’ as Israeli strikes on health care kills 10 in Lebanon
"The tragic events of the past 36 hours have resulted in a significant loss of life and injuries in south..."Deeply disturbed by the repeated attacks on health facilities and health workers who risk their lives to provide urgent assistance to their local communities," said Imran Riza.
Hizbollah said four of its fighters and two rescuers were killed in Wednesday's strikes, while its ally the Amal movement said it had lost two members, including a rescuer.
US shoots down four Houthi drones in Red Sea
In November, the Houthis launched a campaign of drone and missile strikes against vessels in the Red Sea, an area...US Central Command that its forces had "engaged and destroyed four long-range unmanned aerial systems" at around 2 am Sanaa time adding there were no injuries
Actions against Houthis are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy and merchant vessels," CENTCOM added
Crypto fraudster Bankman-Fried faces sentencing
Calling Bankman-Fried's seven-count conviction reflective of the defendant's "unmatched greed and hubris," the government's sentencing request argues for significant jail...US prosecutors are seeking a prison term of 40-50 years after a jury found Bankman-Fried guilty
His attorneys depicted their client as a diligent young man motivated by philanthropy
Cross-border fire between Hizbollah and Israel leaves 16 dead
Israeli rescue teams searching a damaged building in the border town of Kiryat Shmona "found a 25-year-old who was unconscious,...Hizbollah said it had fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel after its neighbour carried out a deadly strike on southern Lebanon
The pro-Iranian movement said four of its fighters and two rescuers were killed, while its ally the Amal movement said it had lost two members
Israel backtracks on canceled Rafah talks: US official
Israel's prime minister cancelled the visit after the US abstained on the UNSC vote, allowing it to pass. But Israel backtracked,...Netanyahu last week agreed to a request by Biden to send a team to Washington to hear US concerns
The United States also insisted its abstention did not represent a shift in policy on Israel
Israeli troops shoot dead three Palestinians in West Bank
Residents told AFP that Israeli forces entered Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp just after midnight (2200 GMT on Tuesday)...Residents told AFP that Israeli forces entered Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp just after midnight (2200 GMT on Tuesday) and forced their way into several houses.
The health ministry said two men, Muhammad Sabti and Hamza Harawi, were killed in an air strike, and Ayman Azouqa was shot dead by Israeli troops.
UN expert faces threats after Israel Gaza ‘genocide’ remarks
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories, said this week there were reasonable...The pressure, she said, "pisses me off, of course it does. But it ... creates even more pressure not to step back."
Israel last month announced a visa ban on Albanese over comments denying that Hamas's October 7 attack was "anti-Semitic".
Quran burner Salwan Momika says leaving Sweden for Norway
Stockholm, Sweden - An Iraqi refugee in Sweden who stoked international outrage by repeatedly desecrating the Quran last year said Wednesday...Salwan Momika, a Christian Iraqi who burned Qurans at a slew of protests in Sweden over the summer, told AFP that he had left Sweden and arrived in Norway.
The Swedish Migration Agency revoked Momika's residency permit in October, citing false information in his original application.
Clowns try to put smiles back on faces of Gaza children
Palestinian Territories - The children of Gaza have little to eat, have had to flee their homes and have survived...Clowns and acrobats performed for children in the Nuseirat refugee camp's school where their displaced families have been sheltering the bombing.
Wassim Lobed, whose support group organized the show, said they are trying to provide psychological relief to trauma-hit children.
Hyundai to invest $50bn in South Korea
The automaker will make a bigger push to produce EVs.With the $50.5bn investment announced, Hyundai said it wants to "secure future growth engines in an uncertain business environment through constant change and innovation"
Under the plan, Hyundai will create 80,000 jobs in South Korea and build three new EV factories, with the aim of increasing annual EV production to 1.51 million units by 2030
