JERUSALEM (AP) — Iran’s parliament speaker warned on Thursday that attacks on the Persian Gulf islands that form Iran’s southern maritime frontier would provoke a new level of retaliation, underscoring how central they are to the country’s economy and security. In a social media post, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Iran “will abandon all restraint” if […]
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says it is dropping charges against five soldiers who were accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee in an encounter partially caught on camera. The army announced the decision in the high-profile case at a time when much of the country’s attention is focused on the war with Iran.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean lawmakers on Thursday passed a law to implement a pledge of $350 billion in U.S. investments Seoul made last year to avoid the Trump administration’s highest tariffs. Government officials had urged lawmakers to quickly pass the contested bill, submitted in November, as uncertainty mounts for the country’s trade-dependent […]
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Unrelenting Iranian attacks on shipping traffic and energy infrastructure pushed oil above $100 a barrel on Thursday, as American and Israeli strikes pounded the Islamic Republic with no sign of an end to the war in sight. Iran hit a container ship off the coast of Dubai, caused a […]
BANGKOK (AP) — The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, topped $100 a barrel early Thursday, just days after it spiked near $120. Oil prices shot more than 9% higher as supply concerns worsened with Iranian attacks on commercial shipping around the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. benchmark crude oil jumped […]
GENEVA (AP) — A U.N.-backed panel of independent experts focusing on racial discrimination says racist hate speech by U.S. President Donald Trump and other American political leaders, along with a crackdown on immigration in the United States, have led to “grave human rights violations.” The Geneva-based Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination issued its […]
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador is preparing a “major offensive” against criminal organizations set to begin this weekend with logistical support from the United States, the interior minister said Wednesday. Speaking to a local radio station, Interior Minister John Reimberg also urged citizens to observe a curfew from March 15-30 in the provinces of Guayas, […]
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The new U.S. ambassador to South Africa was summoned to explain his criticism of the country’s policies, the South African foreign minister said Wednesday, as a diplomatic rift continues. Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III made the comments at a meeting of business leaders on Tuesday. He challenged the South African government over […]
KHOR FAKKAN, United Arab Emirates (AP) — People on the coast of the United Arab Emirates can see oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz while playing on swings, riding horses and camping out on the beach near Khor Fakkan, as the war in Iran affects the global energy supply. […]
BERLIN (AP) — Germany and Austria say they are releasing parts of their oil reserves following an International Energy Agency request for its members to release 400 million barrels to help temper energy price spikes due to the Iran war. The largest-ever previous collective release of emergency stocks by IEA member countries was 182.7 million […]
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The war on Iran, for all its complexity and global effects, boils down to a single question: Who can take the pain the longest? A surge in oil prices points to what may be Iran’s most effective weapon and the United States’ biggest vulnerability in continuing the campaign: Damaging […]
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel and Iran exchanged fire early Wednesday as Tehran kept up its pressure on the region’s oil industry, hitting a ship in the Strait of Hormuz and targeting infrastructure as concerns grew of a global energy crisis. Iran has effectively stopped shipping traffic through the narrow strait off its […]
ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay (AP) — Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday approved a defense agreement allowing the temporary presence of U.S. military and civilian personnel inside its borders, widely seen as a victory for the Trump administration, which has sought to strengthen its presence in Latin America. The Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, was approved […]
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel says Iran has been firing cluster munitions throughout their 10-day war — adding a complicated and deadly challenge to Israel’s already-stretched air defenses. The warheads burst open at high altitudes, scattering dozens of smaller bomblets across a wide area. The smaller bombs, which at night can resemble orange fireballs, […]
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Tuesday rejected U.S. allegations that it detains foreigners to obtain leverage over other countries, saying Afghan authorities arrest people for violating laws not to make a deal. The U.S. State Department on Monday announced the designation of Afghanistan as a sponsor of wrongful detention, accusing it of […]
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian police are investigating reports that the United States consulate in downtown Toronto was hit by gunfire early on Tuesday morning. No injuries have been reported. Toronto police said they responded to reports at around 5:30 a.m. that someone shot a gun at the U.S. consulate. In a post on social media, […]
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of the Chaldean Catholic bishop of San Diego, California, a decision announced Tuesday by the Vatican after the bishop was arrested on embezzlement charges. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said last week it had arrested Bishop Emmanuel Shaleta on March 5 at San Diego […]
BEIRUT (AP) — Terrified by explosions shaking their homes in Tehran and other cities, tens of thousands of Iranians have packed up and left, finding refuge in small, remote towns to wait out massive bombardment by Israel and the United States. Pouya Akhgari, 22, is holed up in a family house with aunts and cousins […]
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares have rebounded from their sharp declines a day before after a rally on Wall Street as global investors wagered that the war with Iran may not last too long. But the gains early Tuesday fell far short of losses Monday, when oil prices neared $120 per barrel before falling back […]
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran launched new attacks Tuesday at Gulf Arab countries as it keeps up pressure on the region, while five pro-Iranian militants were killed in an airstrike northern Iraq. Incoming missile sirens sounded early in the morning in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, while Saudi Arabia said […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — As war spreads across the Middle East, U.S. rivals and allies in Asia are preparing for the consequences, which include possible economic shock and long-term security threats. Here’s a look at how the fighting in the Middle East is impacting the Koreas, Japan and China. North Korea At a major […]
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan lawmakers on Monday began debating a bill proposed by acting President Delcy Rodríguez to regulate the country’s mining industry and create conditions to attract crucial foreign investment. The bill aims to generate confidence among foreign investors, many of whom lost assets through expropriations decades ago, and draw much-needed capital to […]
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — How long will the Iran war last? What do all sides want to achieve? And how high will oil prices go? Big questions remain as fighting enters week two. Israel and the United States keep pounding Iran. And Iran keeps carrying out retaliatory attacks against Israel, U.S. military assets in […]
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The Iran war has put at risk some of the world’s most critical oil and gas infrastructure — the pipelines, refineries, and shipping terminals that keep energy flowing from the countries around the Persian Gulf to the global economy. Strikes by Iranian drones have disrupted operations, while the effective closure of […]
