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Lebanese relive 'nightmare' of displacement from war
In the lobby of a vocational school packed with hundreds of people, Zeinab Moqdad, who fled Beirut's southern suburbs, rages at a new war between Hezbollah and Israel whose consequences she is once again forced to bear.
US must probe Iran school strike 'very quickly', UN says
The United Nations rights chief called Friday for answers after a deadly strike on an Iranian elementary school, as a media investigation concluded the United States was most likely responsible.
Iceland proposes August 29 referendum on resuming EU membership talks
Iceland's government on Friday proposed that a referendum be held on August 29 on resuming the country's EU membership talks after they were terminated in 2015.
Hungary to expel 7 Ukrainians as Zelensky, Orban quarrel over Russian oil
Hungary will expel seven detained Ukrainians, the government said Friday, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traded threats in a row over stalled Russian oil supplies.
Who rules the seas? Torpedoed Iran ship brings focus underwater
A US submarine this week torpedoing an Iranian warship during the Middle East conflict raised the crucial question of who controls the seas during wartime.
Mideast war escalates as fresh strikes batter Iran
Fresh strikes rocked Iran and Lebanon Friday as Israel and the United States stepped up their attacks in the spawling Middle East war, with powerful explosions shattering the skies of Tehran.
Decades of planning and US backing helps fuel Israel's air power
Israel's air superiority over Iranian skies in the war with the Islamic republic reflects decades of strategic thinking and a singular partnership with Washington, experts told AFP.
Nepal's rapper-turned-politician takes early lead in key polls
Nepal's centrist party of rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah took an early lead in the high-stakes parliamentary election on Friday, as slow counting continued after the first polls since last year's deadly uprising.
Mideast war is heightening uncertainty, Lufthansa warns
German aviation giant Lufthansa warned Friday it faced a more uncertain outlook because of the unfolding Middle East conflict, and that the fallout showed how vulnerable air traffic remains to geopolitical shocks.
Fresh Israeli strikes on Lebanon as PM warns of 'looming humanitarian disaster'
Fresh Israeli strikes on Friday battered Lebanon, where Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned "a humanitarian disaster is looming" due to mass displacement.
Hong Kong mogul Jimmy Lai won't appeal national security conviction: lawyer
Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai will not appeal against the national security conviction for which he was jailed for 20 years last month, his legal team said on Friday without providing a reason.
Italian general challenges Meloni from the right
A retired general who criticises the EU, wants to send home illegal migrants and says Ukraine should accept a peace deal with Russia is challenging Italy's hard-right government on its own turf.
Hungary detains seven Ukrainians as Kyiv, Budapest quarrel over Russian oil
Kyiv accused Budapest of kidnapping seven of its citizens on Friday, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he would use "every means" to pressure Ukraine in an escalating row over stalled Russian oil supplies.
Extensive destruction in Beirut's southern suburbs following Israeli strikes
Israeli air strikes left behind massive destruction in Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday morning, with the Israeli military saying it had destroyed Hezbollah targets.
Lufthansa warns of heightened 'uncertainty' from Mideast war
German aviation giant Lufthansa warned Friday it faced heightened uncertainty because of the unfolding Middle East conflict, adding the fallout showed how vulnerable air traffic remains to geopolitical shocks.
Mideast war enters 'next phase' as strikes hit Iran, Lebanon
Fresh strikes rocked Iran and Lebanon on Friday, as Israel vowed to escalate to a new phase in the Middle East war that has spiralled rapidly throughout the region and beyond.
Italy challenges EU over key climate tool
Italy is once again challenging the EU's green transition, pushing for an overhaul of the bloc's carbon trading scheme and changing the way the tool operates to try to cut electricity bills.
Ukraine accuses Hungary of taking 'hostage' bank staff carrying $40 mn
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Hungary on Friday of taking "hostage" a group of Ukrainian bank employees who were reportedly transporting $40 million and nine kilograms of gold.
Heavy attacks hit Tehran as Israel says war in 'new phase'
Heavy attacks were reported in Tehran on Friday after Israel said it was hitting "regime infrastructure" in a "new phase" of the war it launched with the United States against Iran.
Nepal counts votes after key post-uprising election
Counting was underway in Nepal on Friday, after a high-stakes parliamentary election that could reshape the country's leadership following 2025 protests that toppled the government.
Iran missile barrage sparks explosions over Tel Aviv
The latest Iranian missile barrage sparked a wave of explosions across Tel Aviv as firefighters worked to contain a blaze at a residential building near Israel's commercial hub on Friday.
El Salvador's Bukele holding dozens of political prisoners: rights group
The government of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, known for a harsh crackdown on street gangs and dissent, is holding dozens of political prisoners, a rights group charged Thursday.
With Iran war, US goes it alone like never before
When the United States fought the 1991 Gulf War, president George H.W. Bush boasted of building a broad coalition unseen in decades. When his son attacked Iraq in 2003, he faced wide criticism but secured several steadfast US allies.
Pete Hegseth: Trump's Iran war attack dog
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, a self-declared opponent of "undefined wars" and regime change, is now going on the offensive against critics of President Donald Trump's attack on Iran, while unapologetically backing the conflict.
'Enemy at home': Iranian authorities tighten grip as war rages
War has emptied the usually traffic-jammed streets of Iran's capital, but Islamic republic authorities have filled them with checkpoints and security forces as they tighten their grip on the population.
Medvedev arrives in Indian Wells after being stranded in Dubai
Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev has made it to Indian Wells for the ATP/WTA hardcourt Masters 1000 after being stuck in Dubai for several days amid Israel and the United States' war with Iran.
Trump fires homeland security chief Kristi Noem
US President Donald Trump on Thursday fired Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security, the agency responsible for carrying out his sweeping immigration crackdown.
Mideast war risks pulling more in as conflict boils over
The Middle East war unleashed by US-Israeli attacks on Iran has swelled outwards to Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Azerbaijan, and risks drawing more countries into the conflict.
UK sends more fighter jets to Gulf: PM
Britain is sending additional fighter jets to Qatar amid the widening war in the Middle East, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Thursday as his defence minister visited Cyprus.
Trump demands say on Iran's next leader as Mideast war spirals
US President Donald Trump insisted on Thursday that he have a say in picking Iran's next supreme leader, as the war triggered by the US-Israeli campaign that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reverberated throughout the Middle East and beyond.
EU to ban plant-based 'bacon' but veggie 'burgers' survive chop
EU member states and lawmakers agreed Thursday to ban using meat-related terms such as "steak" and "bacon" to market plant-based foods -- but spared veggie "burgers" and "sausage".
Mideast war traps 20,000 seafarers, 15,000 cruise passengers in Gulf
Around 20,000 seafarers and 15,000 cruise ship passengers are stuck in the Gulf because of the Middle East war, the UN's International Maritime Organization told AFP on Thursday.