Share: The late Amal Khalil, a Lebanese journalist working for the pro-Hezbollah daily Al Akhbar newspaper, reports near a destroyed bridge in Qasmiyeh, Lebanon, on March 22, 2026 [Mohammed Zaatari/AP Photo] Senior Iranian officials have blamed Washington for stalled peace negotiations due to the U»»»

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has refused to release former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte, ruling that it has jurisdiction over his case despite his country’s withdrawal from the tribunal. The 81‑year‑old will remain in custody in The Hague. Duterte was arrested at Manila airport i»»»

Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said reopening the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global oil and gas shipping route — is “impossible” amid what Tehran calls “flagrant violations” of the current ceasefire by the United States and Israel. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download»»»

An Israeli airstrike killed a Lebanese journalist and wounded another on Wednesday while they were working near the border with Israel, according to their employer and rescuers. The civil defence agency's press office said rescuers were "able to recover the body of martyred journalist Amal Khalil, »»»

On 15 and 16 April, the US evacuated its last remaining base in Syria, bringing to a close more than a decade of American military presence in the country. The withdrawal from the Qasrak base in Hasakah province amounts to a declaration by Washington and Damascus that relations between the two coun»»»

Former U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan, far right, listens to Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, second from right, in South Korea. Phelan is out as Navy Secretary effective immediately, the Pentagon said Wednesday. File Photo courtesy of Hanwha Ocean April 22 (UPI) -- John Phelan is out as »»»

EU member states on Wednesday gave a preliminary approval to unlock a €90 billion loan for Ukraine. The decision comes after delays linked to an oil dispute with Hungary over the Druzhba pipeline.  EU countries on Wednesday gave a preliminary green light to unblocking a €90 billion loan for Uk»»»

The US Navy has fiercely denied claims that its warships in the Middle East are running low on food and leaving its sailors “hungry all the time,” as Washington’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz continues. Photos showing dismal, mostly-empty trays of food circulated online, with the claims that sh»»»

In tonight's edition: The European Union is set to resume budgetary aid to Ethiopia, which was suspended when a brutal civil war broke out in 2020. Also, Nigeria's jet fuel shortage is being driven by disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz that have curtailed global supplies. Plus it's the final »»»

Pope Leo XIV visited a notorious prison in Bata on the last leg of his Africa tour Wednesday, delivering a rare public critique of inmate conditions in Equatorial Guinea. In his address, the pontiff urged respect for human dignity, highlighting concerns about overcrowding and justice in a country l»»»

US President Donald Trump has said Iran’s leadership is “seriously fractured”. Trump made this declaration in announcing another extension of the ceasefire and signaled that US pressure on Tehran will continue. He said the truce would be kept in place to give negotiations "more time", while the US »»»

Iranians are confronting mass layoffs and soaring inflation amid destroyed infrastructure and internet blackouts. We take a closer look. But first: US senators grill Donald Trump's nominee for Federal Reserve chair, and the global condom industry takes a blow from supply chain issues tied to the cl»»»

BAGHDAD: The United States blocked a plane carrying nearly $500 million in banknotes from delivering the cash to Iraq, US media reported on Tuesday, piling pressure on Baghdad to fight Iran-backed militant groups. The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington has suspended cash shipments to Iraq»»»

GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defense agency said an Israeli airstrike targeted a group of civilians in a northern part of the Palestinian territory late on Wednesday, killing five people including three children. Despite an October 10 ceasefire, Gaza remains gripped by daily violence as both the Israeli»»»

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that a number of allies in the Gulf region and ​in Asia have ‌requested currency swap lines from the United States to help deal with energy shocks ⁠and otherfallout from the Middle East war. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Dr Kristi Diw»»»

GAZA STRIP: Though Gazans normally use molokhia, or jute leaves, for soup, Abu Yahya Helles coats the crumbled, dried leaves in liquid nicotine and rolls them into cigarettes as a tobacco alternative. In war-ravaged Gaza, where shortages are still acute, some are now smoking Helles’ home-made roll-»»»

WASHINGTON: Global air travel remains severely disrupted, with many people unable to fly as ‌planned to destinations after the Iran war forced the closure of major Middle Eastern hubs, including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi. Below is the latest on flights, in alphabetical order: Greece’s largest carri»»»

The US military has dangerously depleted its stockpiles of critical missiles during the seven‑week war on Iran, creating a “near‑term risk” that could leave it vulnerable in any future conflict, according to a new analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The report, pu»»»

NEW YORK: It might be hard to imagine the Iran war weighing on stuffed toys with names like Snuggle Glove, Bizzikins and Wobblies, but even plush playthings are not immune when oil shipments from the Middle East are constrained. Like many soft toys, the creatures developed by a manufacturer in Fort»»»

PARIS: Iran hanged a man on Wednesday convicted of links to Israel’s Mossad spy agency, the judiciary said, with two NGOs based outside the country saying he worked for the Iranian atomic energy organization. The execution of Mehdi Farid was the latest in a number of hangings of high-profile convic»»»

Washington: The United States blocked a plane carrying nearly $500 million in banknotes from delivering the cash to Iraq, US media reported on Tuesday, piling pressure on Baghdad to fight Iran-backed militant groups. The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington has suspended cash shipments to I»»»

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump on Wednesday said Iran had halted alleged plans to execute eight women arrested over anti-government protests, after he urged Tehran to release them to help peace negotiations.Iran's judiciary, however, described the US president's claims as "false news," saying they had ne»»»

Dubai: Oil prices are likely to remain elevated, and could rise further in the near term, as ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz and uncertainty surrounding the conflict involving Iran continue to tighten global supply conditions. Brent crude rose 1.7% to $100.16 per barrel on Wednesday, ref»»»

LONDON: Europe’s commercial aviation sector is moving closer to a jet fuel crunch as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continue to choke off supplies from the Gulf, threatening summer travel plans for millions and forcing airlines and governments to weigh rationing, cancellations and emergency fu»»»

The war with Iran has been a strategic disaster for the US, leaving President Donald Trump in a weaker position at home and damaging American credibility, Quincy Institute co-founder Trita Parsi has told RT. He added that the conflict, which he said Israel had pushed for, had not unfolded as Washin»»»

Will the world have enough fuel to fill the tank and fertilize the crops? The seizure of ships by Iran adding to global jitters as the extension of a ceasefire offers zero visibility on prospects for the planet’s biggest choke point for oil and gas. Nearly two months on, the Paris-based Internation»»»

Oil refineries set ablaze, missiles hitting pesticide factories, an oil slick in the Strait of Hormuz... In under two months, the US and Israel’s war on Iran has inflicted a heavy toll on the environment, fuelling concerns over the public health impact on local populations. It’s too soon to evaluat»»»

Iranian forces targeted three container ships on Wednesday, seizing two, the latest incidents to threaten a crucial trade route in the Middle East war. Iran's parliament speaker said on Wednesday that the Islamic republic would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the US naval blockade remain»»»

LONDON: Lebanese authorities have accused Israeli forces of trapping two journalists in the southern town of Al-Tiri and blocking rescue teams from reaching the area after a drone strike nearby killed two people. Lebanon’s National News Agency said Israeli forces had prevented the Red Cross and the»»»

Syria has moved since early this year from internal unrest in the northeast, the coast, and the south to relative calm and attempts to impose a new security and political order, most clearly seen in the security file and in an agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces. But the shift has set up an»»»

Dahlia Cuartero, mother of a victim of an alleged extrajudicial killing during the war on drugs campaign of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, holds a picture of her son prior to watching a broadcast of an International Criminal Court proceeding from Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines»»»

Rising oil prices are no longer just an energy market story; they are feeding directly into the cost of clothing. From petrochemical plants to fabric mills and retail racks, a complex supply chain is passing on higher costs, pushing up the final price consumers pay. According to the “Materials Mark»»»

President Joseph Aoun’s comments on Wednesday came a day before a second meeting is scheduled to take place in Washington between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors. Aoun said in comments released by his office that preparations are ongoing for negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. He said the»»»

One of the more surprising turns of the US-Israeli war on Iran has been the sophistication of Tehran’s multi-pronged PR response. From memes to sleek AI-generated cartoons to official messaging, pro-Iranian online content looks like anything but the product of a stiff-necked self-centered bureaucra»»»

BEIRUT: Israeli attacks on Lebanon during its latest war with Hezbollah damaged or destroyed more than 50,000 housing units in the country, a government estimate found on Wednesday. “Within about 45 days (of the war), we had 17,756 destroyed housing units and 32,668 damaged housing units,” Chadi Ab»»»

Deir al-Balah in central Gaza will hold the enclave’s first local elections in nearly two decades, with voting set to begin on Saturday alongside municipal polls in the occupied West Bank. A decree by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas designated Deir al-Balah as the only voting site in Gaza, citi»»»

After Israel imposed a new reality on the ground following a ceasefire, a new deterrence equation has emerged, confining hostilities to the area south of the Litani River. Israeli forces continue operations in zones under their control, while Hezbollah has limited its attacks to that area, with res»»»

As the US-Israel-Iran war enters its second month, one of the most consequential geopolitical actors has been conspicuous by its silence. China has not intervened, has not condemned, and has not chosen sides in any meaningful public way. But Beijing is not simply watching. It is calculating — and a»»»

The conflict that has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for one-fifth of global crude and a significant share of gas supplies, has done more than spike oil prices. It has laid bare how dangerously concentrated energy supply had become around a single chokepoint, sending importers s»»»

Nigeria’s Dangote Petroleum Refinery is advancing plans to build a Linear Alkylbenzene (LAB) production facility with a capacity of 400,000 tonnes per year, marking a major expansion of its downstream petrochemicals portfolio. »»»

The conflict that has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for one-fifth of global crude and a significant share of gas supplies, has done more than spike oil prices. It has laid bare how dangerously concentrated energy supply had become around a single chokepoint, sending importers s»»»

Russia's coal industry is heading toward a systemic crisis from which the Kremlin's patronage network can no longer shield it, according to a paper published this week by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran will not open the Strait of Hormuz as long as the United States violates the ceasefire, including with its naval blockade, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday. "A full ceasefire only makes sense when it is not violated by a naval blockade an»»»

RAMALLAH: Israeli settlers shot dead a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry said. The ministry said 25-year-old Awda Atef Awawdeh was killed by settler gunfire in the central West Bank town of Deir Dibwan, just east of Ramallah. He is the third vic»»»

The United Nations is pushing its proposal for a humanitarian corridor to get fertiliser and other essential goods through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively blocked since the start of the Iran war. This plan, which FRANCE 24 has seen, has yet to be approved by several countries.»»»

American surveillance tech contractor Palantir released a 22-point manifesto over the weekend, calling for a “new era” of AI-enabled US military supremacy. The internet went wild, with the text being labeled a blueprint for “technofascism.” Posted on X on Saturday, the document goes far beyond the »»»

Human Centre for Human Rights Research & Advocacy (CENTHRA) announced the signing of a memorandum of cooperation with Waves of Freedom France (WOFF) in Malaysia, and Global Coalition to End the Occupation of Palestine (SANED), with the aim of establishing a framework for international legal coopera»»»

The issue of the Israeli war against Lebanon remains a key topic in the U.S.-Iranian contacts and separating the Lebanese file from the Islamabad talks does not appear to be certain, informed sources told al-Akhbar newspaper. "This issue continues to exert pressure on the American side, which is at»»»

KHARTOUM: For nearly two years, Al-Shubbak watched through ancient grey eyes as Tuti, the crescent-shaped island in the heart of the Sudanese capital she calls home, emptied of its inhabitants under a punishing paramilitary siege. She refused to leave. “I didn’t even move for the English when they »»»

New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed lawsuits against cryptocurrency companies Coinbase and Gemini for violating state gambling laws. FilePhoto by Derek French/UPI | License Photo April 22 (UPI) -- New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed lawsuits against cryptocurrency compan»»»