World News

Leaders from 26 nations have pledged to commit troops to Ukraine as part of “post-war security guarantees,” despite mounting concern that such a move could pave the way for a return to conscription and compel young people to serve in volatile territories. The initiative, spearheaded by French President Emmanuel Macron through the “Coalition of the Willing,” was discussed at a summit in Paris and envisions deployment of a “reassurance force” once fighting subsides.

Portugal declared a national day of mourning Thursday after at least 17 people were killed and 21 others injured when the Glória funicular in central Lisbon derailed and slammed into a building, raising questions about maintenance.

A confidential report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has revealed that Iran expanded its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in the weeks leading up to Israel’s June 13 military strikes, raising new alarms over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

President Donald Trump on Thursday pressed European leaders to stop buying Russian oil that he said is helping fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine and urged them to place economic pressure on Beijing for supporting the Kremlin’s war effort.

Every person in Britain could be required to obtain a digital identity card under proposals revived after French President Emmanuel Macron pressed London to curb migration.

Bulgaria says Russia was likely behind the jamming of navigation signals that disrupted the flight of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as she approached Plovdiv, the country’s second-largest city. Pilots were forced to rely on ground-based navigation and paper charts to land safely, delaying her arrival.

A stabbing rampage in southern France’s c
ity of Marseille injured at least five people before police fatally shot the attacker, authorities said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Moscow has “never opposed Ukraine’s potential membership of the European Union,” but warned that Ukraine joining the NATO military alliance would be unacceptable.

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that U.S. forces had carried out a lethal strike against a Venezuelan drug-smuggling vessel, marking the first acknowledged military action under his expanded authority to target Latin American cartels.

Russia and China advanced long-stalled plans for the massive Power of Siberia-2 natural gas pipeline on Monday, signing a legally binding memorandum to construct the project. But the absence of key commercial terms underscored how Beijing now holds decisive leverage in its energy dealings with Moscow.

Indonesia faces tragedy abroad and turmoil at home after one of its diplomats was shot dead in Peru’s capital, Lima, while days of protests over parliamentary perks and inequality killed at least 10 people across the Southeast Asian nation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping warmly embraced Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, pledging closer cooperation in defiance of U.S. sanctions over Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro warned Monday that he would “constitutionally declare a republic in arms” if U.S. forces launched an attack, as Washington bolsters its naval presence in the Caribbean to counter Latin American drug cartels.

The Trump administration has approved an $825 million arms sale to Ukraine, delivering long-range strike capabilities to Kyiv as peace negotiations with Moscow remain stalled.

Student-led crowds burned tires at rallies in Medan, a vital trade and commerce hub, and in other Indonesian cities in defiance of a possible military crackdown after protests left at least eight people dead in the worst violence to hit the Southeast Asian nation in more than two decades.

Authorities in Afghanistan say a powerful earthquake has devastated the east of the country near the Pakistan border, killing more than 800 people and injuring over 2,500, as concerns grow about restricted access for international aid and the plight of the country’s tiny Christian minority.