The head of a new aid distribution program for Gaza, backed by the US and Israel, has resigned after weeks of controversy, citing concerns over impartiality and urging Israel to allow more aid into the blockaded enclave. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is meant to run a new, tightly controlled, mechanism for aid deliveries into Gaza, but it has been ...

North Korea has arrested four people it claims bear responsibility for a launch accident last week that left leader Kim Jong Un’s newest warship lying on its side and partially submerged in a shipyard, state-run media has reported. The four people detained included Ri Hyong Son, vice department director of the Munitions Industry Department of the Party Central Committee, “who ...

An Austrian appeals court has overturned conservative former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s recent perjury conviction and the resulting eight-month suspended prison sentence, news agency APA reported on Monday. The ruling removes Kurz’s only criminal conviction, taking away a serious obstacle to a future political comeback for the 38-year-old, although prosecutors have yet to decide whether to charge him over potential corruption-related ...

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office moved swiftly on Monday to defuse attention around a viral video showing his wife Brigitte pushing his face away as they deplaned in Vietnam for the first leg of a Southeast Asia tour. The short clip shows the aircraft door opening with Macron appearing in the doorway. Seconds later, both of Brigitte Macron’s hands reach ...

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier released during a ceasefire-hostage deal has said one of her biggest fears during captivity were strikes carried out by Israel. Na’ama Levy, one of five IDF female soldiers released in January, made the comments during a weekly rally at Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square on Sunday demanding the return of hostages. “They (strikes) come unexpectedly. ...

The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza blasted the newly-picked head of the Shin Bet security agency after he reportedly voiced opposition to hostage deals. According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, Maj. Gen. David Zini said in meetings of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) general staff: “I oppose hostage deals. This is a forever war.” The report does not ...

Jorge Humberto Figueroa Benítez, identified by the United States government as a key member of the “Los Chapitos” criminal organization, died during an operation aimed at capturing him in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, the country’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch said Saturday. The operation against Figueroa Benitez, known by the nickname “El Perris,” took place ...

The bodies of five skiers have been found on a glacier near the Swiss mountain of Rimpfischhorn, police announced on Sunday. The bodies were found after two other skiers raised the alarm, saying that they had seen skis at the foot of the summit of the mountain, but had not come across the owners of them, the police statement said. ...

Ukraine’s capital Kyiv came under a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack overnight into Saturday, just hours after Russia and Ukraine began a major prisoner exchange. At least eight people were injured in the attacks, which triggered fires and left debris strewn in districts throughout the city, the city’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post on Telegram. Klitschko said ...

The Trump administration issued orders Friday to begin easing sanctions on Syria, marking a major policy shift after US President Donald Trump pledged earlier this month to roll back the measures during a trip to the Middle East. Trump administration officials had been carrying out quiet engagements for months to pave the way for sanctions relief to help the nation ...