Baghdad and Arbil agree to resume Kurdish oil exports: government
Baghdad, Iraq -- The Iraqi government announced Thursday an agreement to resume crude exports from the autonomous Kurdistan region after...Geostrategy
Summit on Palestinian statehood planned for Sept in Paris or New York
The conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, was originally planned for mid-June to revive work on the long-standing diplomatic...Geostrategy
‘Resist Tyranny’: Another round of anti-Trump demonstrations hit major US cities
Many took aim at Trump's deportations of undocumented migrants, chanting "No ICE, no fear, immigrants are welcome here," a reference...In New York, people gathered outside the city's main library carrying signs targeting the US president with slogans like "No Kings in America" and "Resist Tyranny."
In Washington, protesters voiced concern that Trump was threatening long-respected constitutional norms, including the right to due process.
US Supreme Court intervenes to pause Trump deportations
Washington, United States - The US Supreme Court, in a dramatic nighttime intervention Saturday, paused President Donald Trump's unprecedented use...The emergency ruling, delivered in two terse paragraphs, noted that two of the most conservative of the nine justices had dissented
The order temporarily prevents the government from continuing to expel migrants under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act
Putin announces ‘Easter truce’ in Ukraine set to last until midnight on Sunday
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday announced a surprise Easter truce in Ukraine, set to last until midnight on Sunday...The short-term order for Russia's troops to halt all combat activity comes after months of US President Donald Trump pushing both Moscow and Kyiv to agree a truce
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a social media post responded sceptically to the truce proposal, accusing Putin of attempting to "play with human lives."
Tunisia opposition figures get jail terms in mass trial
A Tunisian court has handed down jail sentences of up to 66 years to multiple defendants, including prominent opposition figures,...The trial, decried by a defence lawyer as a "masquerade", is of unprecedented scale with around 40 defendants including vocal critics of President Kais Saied
Among those sentenced were well-known opposition figures, lawyers and business people, with some already in prison for two years while others were in exile or still free
Iran, US to resume high-stakes nuclear talks in Rome amid sanctions and mutual distrust
Western countries including the United States have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons - an allegation Tehran...Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will hold the Oman-mediated talks in Rome
Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic relations since shortly after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution
Israeli strikes kill 24 after Hamas calls for ‘comprehensive deal’
Gaza's civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said early Friday that crews had "recovered the bodies of 10 martyrs and a...Hamas chief negotiator urged international pressure to end Israel's complete blockade of Gaza that began on March 2.
The appeal comes after the United Nations warned of worsening conditions and shortages of medicine and other essentials for the Palestinian territory's 2.4 million besieged people.
Israel making Gaza unlivable, expands control over half of the territory
Jerusalem, Undefined -- By seizing large swathes of the Gaza Strip, Israel is redrawing the map of the Palestinian territory,...Nearly all Gazans have been displaced at least once, and many now live in schools turned shelters, under tents and in other makeshift shelters.
Some Israeli figures who advocate for the return of settlements in the Gaza Strip -- which were evacuated in 2005 -- claim to have concrete plans and make regular visits.
Chinese vent anger at Trump’s trade war with memes, mockery
Beijing, China -- While China's leaders use their economic and political might to fight Donald Trump's trade war "to the...Defiant posts have shot to the top of most-searched lists on social media, flooding platforms with patronizing comments and jokes.
In one video, a Chinese internet user opens his hands to reveal what goods he buys from the United States -- nothing.
Deadly US strikes hit Yemen fuel port used by Huthis
The US military said it had destroyed a key Yemeni fuel port as it targets the country's Huthi rebels, who...The attack on the Ras Issa fuel port aimed to cut off a source of supplies and funds for the Iran-backed Huthis, the US military said
Washington has hammered the Huthis with near-daily air strikes since March 15 in a bid to end their attacks on civilian shipping and military vessels
Hamas rejects Israel’s truce plan, demands full withdrawal and end of war in Gaza
The Palestinian militants' chief negotiator spoke out after civil defence rescuers in Gaza said new Israeli air strikes killed at...A Hamas source told AFP that the group sent a written response Thursday to mediators on Israel's latest proposal for a 45-day ceasefire
It also called for the freeing of 1,231 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza
