The United States on Thursday designated two of Brazil’s most powerful criminal organisations, the Red Command and First Capital Command, as terrorist organisations, escalating tensions with Brasilia, which strongly opposes the move. US officials said the groups operate transnational criminal »»»

Churches, mosques, and archaeological sites: In its widespread demolition campaign in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military is accused of also destroying cultural and religious heritage. The devastation has been documented by the NGO Green Southerners, which denounces the actions as a direct attac»»»

It’s been a week where, 90 days into the conflict and ceasefire stand-off with Iran, both Tehran and Washington are insisting time is on their side — each claiming the other needs a deal more urgently. Pressure is growing on the Trump administration with soaring energy prices and midterm elections »»»

WASHINGTON: The top US commander in Latin America met with Cuban military leaders on Friday in a “brief exchange on operational security matters” near the US Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, the latest official to visit the island nation as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on its leaders. Trump»»»

WASHINGTON: A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center and blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations — the latest legal setback for Trump’s efforts to leave his personal mark on the landsc»»»

SINGAPORE: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday urged Asian allies to ramp up military spending ​to counter China’s growing power and prevent its dominance in the region, warning of “rightful alarm” over its rapid military buildup. Hegseth, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore,»»»

FARASAN ISLANDS: Al-Qandal Forest, a sprawling mangrove sanctuary in the Farasan Islands, is attracting growing numbers of visitors during the Eid Al-Adha holiday season, underscoring the archipelago’s emergence as one of Saudi Arabia’s leading ecotourism destinations, according to a report by the »»»

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, said Thursday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has killed more than 200 people, can still be contained despite conflict in the country's east. The WHO on Friday announced that one patient was co»»»

After almost three months of being cut off from the world, internet access was partially restored in Iran starting on Tuesday. While some rejoice at finally being reconnected and able to check in on their loved ones, many complain about the persistent slowness in connectivity and doubt a complete r»»»

US President Donald Trump will only make a peace deal with Iran if it meets all of his conditions, a White House official told AFP on Friday, as questions swirled about the state of negotiations to end the war. The White House had indicated Trump was close to a decision on a potential deal, even as»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday questioned if the drone that crashed ‌into an apartment block in ‌Romania earlier in the day was from Russia, as Bucharest has said, suggesting instead that it could have been a Ukrainian ‌drone. He called for the debris to be handed over to Moscow for wha»»»

A drone struck a residential building in Romania’s city of Galati near the Ukrainian border, injuring two people and triggering a fire after impact, authorities said on Friday. While Bucharest condemned the strike as an "irresponsible escalation" by Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin maintain»»»

French officials and analysts are raising the alarm after former RT France chief Xenia Fedorova began appearing regularly on major conservative media outlets in the country. They warn that Kremlin-aligned narratives are gaining visibility ahead of crucial elections, testing the limits of »»»

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Friday that Paris had asked the public prosecutor to investigate the treatment of nationals on board the recent flotilla ‌heading for Gaza. This comes after reports that activists were subjected to abuse while in detention, including humiliati»»»

The European Union will unlock more than €16 billion in frozen funds for Hungary, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Friday, praising what she described as "long overdue reforms" by newly elected Prime Minister Peter Magyar. The EU had frozen the funds while the country was under the lead»»»

Gavin Lee is pleased to welcome prominent Romanian journalist, TV anchor and military analyst Radu Tudor. As tensions continue to rise along NATO's eastern frontier, the latest drone incident in Romania has once again exposed the growing security dilemmas facing frontline alliance states.»»»

The leader of opposition party “Revival,” Kostadin Kostadinov, sharply criticized Bulgaria’s current stance on the war in Ukraine, arguing that the country is continuing the same foreign policy line set by previous administrations. He claimed that Bulgaria is expected to keep providing military equ»»»

Former Finance Minister Asen Vassilev said Bulgaria’s current fiscal situation was predictable, arguing that warnings about breaching the deficit threshold were ignored during the 2025 budget process. He stated that concerns raised during the budget’s adoption were dismissed by the governing majori»»»

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the drone incident in the Romanian city of Galați, where a Russian armed drone Geran-2 struck a residential building and injured two civilians during overnight attacks connected to the war in Ukraine. In a statement posted on social media, t»»»

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova said Sofia remains firmly committed to the framework agreed with North Macedonia in 2022 and warned that Skopje should focus on meeting its obligations instead of deepening political tensions with Bulgaria. Speaking to Bulgarian National Television, Petr»»»

MADINAH: Saudi Arabia has completed extensive preparations across the Madinah region’s road network as the first groups of pilgrims arrived from Makkah following the completion of this year’s Hajj, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Madinah welcomed the first post-Hajj arrivals on Friday af»»»

'Gifts' from a lover and 'botched' cocaine raids: Police inquiry grips South Africa 10 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleKhanyisile NgcoboJohannesburg Gallo Images via Getty ImagesBrig Rachel Matjeng oversaw a tender awarded in 2024 to controversial businessman Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala An»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned citizens of his country that Russia is planning an attack, based on their intelligence reports, and to hunker down on Friday night. File Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo May 29 (UPI) -- Ukraine on Friday evening said that it expects Russia to»»»

Ghana parliament passes anti-LGBTQ+ bill Just nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleHarry SekulichandThomas Naadi ReutersReverend John Ntim Fordjour, the Ghanian MP who sponsored the bill, speaks to media after it passed parliament. The parliament in Ghana has approved a new bill criminalising homo»»»

Share: The US Treasury Secretary announced that US had seized $1bn in Iranian cryptocurrency assets as part of the economic campaign launched by Trump. Iran has been charging for passage thru Hormuz in crypto currency Iran says a ceasefire deal has still not been reached after US President Donald T»»»

Share: A paramedic volunteer carries a body, one of the six the family members who were killed on Wednesday when their car was struck in an Israeli airstrike on a highway as they fled their village, during a funeral procession in the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, Friday, May 29, 2026. Mohamm»»»

A federal judge struck down a New Hampshire law requiring new voters to produce documentary proof of citizenship because it is unconstitutional, and said that signing a sworn affidavit suffices when registering. File Photo by Matthew Healey/UPI | License Photo May 29 (UPI) -- A federal judge declar»»»

1 of 2 | The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts appears in Washington, D.C., on Friday. A federal judge ruled that President Trump overstepped his authority by renaming the Kennedy Center after himself, ordering Trump's name to be removed and reversing a decision to »»»

ANTALYA, Turkiye: Iran will have an answer from US authorities over their World Cup visa applications “this week,” their football federation vice president Mehdi Mohammad Nabi said on Friday. The Iranian World Cup squad will be based in Mexico during the tournament in North America, but all three o»»»

BARCELONA: Barcelona confirmed the signing of Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United on Friday, for a fee that could rise to 80 million euros ($93 million). Gordon will sign for “the next five seasons, until June 30, 2031,” Barcelona said in a brief statement. The 25-year-old left winger netted 17 go»»»

The Louisiana state legislature on Friday passed a new congressional district map that eliminates one of the state's two majority black districts. File Photo by A.J. Sisco/UPI | License Photo May 29 (UPI) -- Louisiana's Republican-led legislature on Friday voted to approve a new congressional map t»»»

Budapest: Paris Saint-Germain stars Ousmane Dembele and Marquinhos insisted their team are ravenous for European glory ahead of Saturday's Champions League final clash with Arsenal after tasting success last season. The French side claimed the trophy for the first time and are defending their crown»»»

SANTIAGO: Spain are the ‌favorites to win the 2026 World Cup, ahead of France, Argentina and Brazil, according to a Goldman Sachs model published on Friday that uses teams’ historical performance and ranking data. The model gives Spain a 26 percent chance of lifting the trophy at the tournament, wh»»»

LONDON: Some walked out of Syria’s Sednayah prison unable to remember their own names. After years inside what rights groups described as a “human slaughterhouse,” survivors of the country’s most notorious prison emerged in late 2024 unsure whether their families were alive or whether their homes w»»»

BUSAN, South Korea: Talor Gooch surged into the lead at LIV ‌Golf Korea with a 7-under 63 in the second round Friday at Asiad Country Club in Busan, South Korea. Gooch carded eight birdies — six on the front nine — and a lone bogey at the par-4 fifth hole to move to 8-under, one stroke ahead of Bry»»»

VIRGINIA: A bus struck six vehicles on Interstate 95 in Virginia early Friday as traffic slowed for a work zone, killing five people and injuring 34, including the driver, authorities said. The crash happened at about 2:35 a.m. on southbound I-95 in Stafford County, near Quantico, Virginia. All fiv»»»

MIAMI: The Trump administration has extended protections shielding about 11,000 Lebanese from deportation, allowing them to stay and work in the United States for another six months. The decision, announced Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security, marked a rare reprieve for people protected»»»

The international Special Operations Forces exercise Trojan Footprint 26 brought together 3,000 military personnel from Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the United States, the Republic of North Macedonia, Hungary, and Croatia, who participated in trai»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has expressed its solidarity with Kenya following a fire at a girls’ school dormitory in Nakuru that left several students dead and injured. In a statement issued on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victi»»»

Hungary will not supply weapons or military equipment to Ukraine, the country’s newly elected prime minister, Peter Magyar, said on Thursday shortly after meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels. Magyar’s center-right Tisza party defeated Viktor Orban’s Fidesz last month, securin»»»

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., announced on Friday that she will not seek re-election for a ninth term in Congress. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo May 29 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D.-Fla., said she has decided not to run for what would be her ninth term in the House of Rep»»»

In a letter to Romanian President Nicusor Dan, Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova expressed sympathy with the Romanian people, after a residential building in Galati, eastern Romania, was hit by a Russian drone, the press office of the presidential institution reported on Friday. The incident result»»»

The bodies of the victims of a overnight fire at Utumishi Girls Academy are moved outside the burned dormitory in Gilgil, 77 miles northwest of Nairobi, Kenya, on Thursday. At least 16 students were killed in a fire in the school dorm. On Friday, eight girls were arrested on suspicion of arson. Pho»»»

Damascus, May 29 (SANA) Former United Kingdom envoy to Syria Ann Snow said Friday that the discovery of chemical weapons dating back to the ousted regime era constituted an important step toward addressing “one of the darkest aspects of the conflict’s legacy.” In a post published Friday on the soci»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s fintech race is no longer being defined by consumer-facing apps, but by the infrastructure powering them, according to Mohamed Oueida, founder and CEO of Stitch. As the Kingdom’s financial sector matures under Vision 2030, attention is shifting away from user interfaces towar»»»

PARIS: Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca knocked out Novak Djokovic in the third round of the French Open on Friday to scupper the Serbian great's latest quest for a record 25th Grand Slam. The 19-year-old Fonseca rallied from two sets down for the second straight match to stun Djokovic, winning 4-6,»»»

GAZA: The ​German government is concerned about ‌Israeli ‌plans ​to ‌take ⁠more ​of Gaza, ⁠a Foreign Ministry spokesperson ⁠said ‌on ‌Friday, ​adding ‌that ‌Germany opposes a permanent ‌division of the ⁠Palestinian territory. Palestinians view Israel’s widening Gaza buffer zone as a part of a strat»»»

DEIR EZZOR: The Syrian Arab Republic’s government has continued its emergency operations in Deir Ezzor after surging water levels along the Euphrates River affected about 2,400 families. The crisis prompted widespread evacuations, urgent shelter preparations, and a sweeping humanitarian relief effo»»»

ASTANA: Armenia should hold a referendum on EU membership “as soon as possible,” President Vladimir Putin and three Russian-allied leaders said in a statement Friday, escalating pressure on Yerevan over its deepening ties with Brussels. Armenia is formally allied with Moscow, but has been building »»»

PARIS: France’s government said on Friday that it’s asking prosecutors to investigate Israel’s alleged violent mistreatment of activists from a flotilla to Gaza, potentially opening a route for criminal proceedings. France had already announced an indefinite ban from French territory of Israel’s fa»»»