UN says scale of deaths in Lebanon is horrific
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Iran says peace talks unreasonable after Israeli strikes
Israel unleashed its most intense strikes yet on Lebanon, killing hundreds and provoking a threat of retaliation from Iran, which signaled it would be “unreasonable” to move ahead with talks aimed at securing a permanent peace deal with the United States.
The remarks from Iran’s chief negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammed Bager Qalibaf, underscored how fragile the region remains even after President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire.
The United States and Iran have entered Saturday’s planned peace talks with sharply…
US-Iran ceasefire leaves Israel short of war objectives
The ceasefire struck between the US and Iran has ended the fighting without delivering Israel’s core war aims, analysts say, prompting swift condemnation from Israeli opposition figures who cast the outcome as a serious strategic setback.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had framed the conflict around a central objective: eliminating, or at minimum sharply crippling, Iran’s nuclear programme, which he has long portrayed as an "existential threat" to Israel.
He also said Israel sought to dismantle Iran’s ballistic…
‘Ketamine Queen’ sentenced to 15 years in Matthew Perry death case
Matthew Perry’s fatal overdose case reached a major turning point as Jayvee Sangha — the alleged drug supplier known as the “Ketamine Queen” — was sentenced in the US to 15 years in prison for her role in delivering the ketamine dose that killed the Friends actor.
Sangha, 42, admitted she operated a “stash house” for illegal narcotics from her home in Los Angeles’ North Hollywood neighbourhood and pleaded guilty in September to five felony drug charges linked to Mr Perry’s 2023 death.
Sangha, 42, who holds dual US and…
Greece to ban social media for children under 15 starting in 2027
Greece will block children under 15 from accessing social media starting 1 January next year, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced today, unveiling what he described as a tough but necessary step.
"We have decided to proceed with a difficult yet necessary measure: ban access to social media for children under 15 years old," he said in a video posted on TikTok.
"Greece is one of the first countries in the world to adopt such a measure," the prime minister said, adding that he intends to press the European Union to…
Iraqi armed group releases U.S. journalist
After a week in captivity in Baghdad, US journalist Shelly Kittleson has been freed by Iraq's powerful armed faction Kataeb Hezbollah, according to statements from the Iranian-backed group and the United States.
News of her release came just hours before the United States and Iran reached a ceasefire agreement, ending more than a month of war.
"In recognition of the national stances of the outgoing prime minister, we have decided to release the American defendant Shelly Kittleson, on the condition that she leave the country…
Relief as Trump backs down at the eleventh hour
A single social media post set the tone for a day of global alarm: the president of the United States appeared to threaten the destruction of Iran itself.
"A whole civilisation will die tonight," he wrote, "never to be brought back again".
In Washington, the backlash was immediate and fierce.
"Unhinged," "deranged," "lunatic," and "genocidal" were among the terms used by political opponents, with many demanding he be removed from office.
Many Republicans, by contrast, sought to soften the impact of the comments, urging the…
UN probe says Israeli tank, Hezbollah device likely killed peacekeepers
A pair of deadly attacks in southern Lebanon that killed three UN peacekeepers last month were most likely caused by Israeli tank fire in one case and a Hezbollah improvised explosive device in another, according to preliminary findings from a United Nations investigation shared last night.
"We have requested with the relevant parties that the cases be investigated and prosecuted by national authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure criminal accountability for crimes against peacekeepers," Stephane…
US and Iran both claim victory after agreeing to two-week ceasefire
With barely an hour to spare before President Donald Trump's deadline to unleash a devastating assault on Iran, Washington and Tehran agreed overnight to a two-week ceasefire, prompting a wave of global relief tempered by deep uncertainty.
Iran has also agreed to temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global shipments of oil, gas and fertiliser, easing immediate fears for an already battered world economy.
Even so, international leaders warned the breakthrough remained fragile. UN chief Antonio Guterres…
Russia and Ukraine exchange drone attacks, leaving nine dead
A Russian FPV drone slammed into a bus in central Nikopol, killing three people and injuring 12 others in one of the deadliest strikes reported in the frontline city in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region.
"Three people were killed and another 12 injured. The enemy attacked a city bus with an FPV drone right in downtown Nikopol. It was pulling up to the stop - there were people both on board and at the stop," the head of the region's military administration, Oleksandr Ganzha, wrote on social media.
Elsewhere, Russian shelling…