World

Iran has warned U.S. allies in the Middle East that it will strike American bases on their soil if Washington attacks Iran, according to a senior Iranian official, underscoring a sharp escalation in tensions surrounding a widening domestic crackdown and regional standoff. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tehran has asked U.S. partners in the region to “prevent Washington from attacking Iran,” and delivered a direct message that bases hosting U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and…

Global temperatures over the past three years have, on average, exceeded 1.5C above pre-industrial levels for the first time, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service confirmed, underscoring a rapid escalation in warming and its risks. The service reported 2025 as the third warmest year on record and said the last 11 years have been the 11 warmest in modern records. The new analysis, produced by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), places 2025’s average global surface air temperature…

Marine Le Pen opened her appeal in a high-profile “fake jobs” case by telling judges she had “no sense of having committed the slightest offence” when her far-right party employed European Parliament assistants dating back to 2004 — a proceeding that could decide whether she can run for France’s presidency in 2027. The former National Front leader, who now heads the National Rally (RN) bloc in parliament, argued the European institution was aware of the elements underpinning the contracts. “We concealed nothing,” she said,…

Claudette Colvin, civil rights pioneer who refused to give up her bus seat before Rosa Parks, dies at 86 Claudette Colvin, the Alabama teenager whose refusal to give up her seat on a segregated bus helped lay the legal groundwork for dismantling Jim Crow transit laws, has died at 86. She died under hospice care in Texas, a spokesperson for her family and the Claudette Colvin Foundation confirmed. Colvin was 15 on March 2, 1955, when she defied a bus driver’s order to surrender her seat to a white woman in Montgomery, nine…

At least 19 killed as construction crane crushes Thai passenger train, derailing three cars At least 19 people were killed in northeastern Thailand when a construction crane collapsed onto a passing passenger train, derailing three carriages and sparking a brief fire, authorities said. The crash occurred in Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, about 230 kilometers northeast of Bangkok. The train had departed the capital and was bound for Ubon Ratchathani province in the country’s far east. Local police said more…

U.S. President Donald Trump warned the United States would take “very strong action” if Iranian authorities begin hanging people as part of their crackdown on a nationwide uprising, escalating a war of words over the spiraling unrest and its toll. In an interview with CBS News, Trump was asked about reports that executions could begin as soon as today. “We will take very strong action if they do such a thing,” he said, adding in a video clip released online: “When they start killing thousands of people — and now you’re…

WHO urges higher taxes on sugary drinks and alcohol as affordability rises in dozens of countries Sugary drinks and alcohol are not being taxed at levels that curb demand and protect public health, the World Health Organization said in two new reports, warning that the products remain broadly affordable and are fueling chronic disease. The agency renewed its call for stronger “health taxes” on alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages to reduce consumption and bolster strained government budgets. The WHO said sugary drinks…

Venezuela says it has freed more than 400 people from prison as part of an ongoing release process, though local rights groups dispute the figure and say only 60 to 70 detainees have been released in recent days. National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez announced the releases without providing a timeline. The pledge follows public statements last week by Rodríguez and U.S. President Donald Trump that large numbers of detainees would be freed as a peace gesture after what officials in both countries described as the U.S.…

UNICEF says more than 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the start of a fragile ceasefire three months ago, underscoring the continuing toll on civilians despite a slowdown in bombardments. At least 60 boys and 40 girls have died in Israeli airstrikes and ground operations during the truce period, the UN children’s agency said. “More than 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire,” UNICEF spokesman James Elder told reporters from Gaza City. “That’s roughly a girl or a boy killed here every day during…

Trump urges Iranians to keep protesting as Tehran crackdown intensifies; Russia warns U.S. against new strikes; Europe weighs tougher sanctions U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iranians to keep protesting and said “help is on its way,” as Iran’s clerical establishment pressed a sweeping crackdown on the biggest demonstrations in years and an Iranian official acknowledged about 2,000 people had been killed in two weeks of unrest. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called on “Iranian Patriots” to “take over your institutions”…