World Headlines
Polish citizen accused of spying for Russia in potential plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- A Polish citizen was arrested for allegedly spying for the Russian government as part of a potential assassination attempt against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the top prosecutors in Poland and Ukraine said Thursday.The Polish citizen, identified as Pawel K., was charged with readiness to act for foreign intelligence against the Republic of Poland, the Polish National Prosecutor's Office said in a press release.The suspect allegedly "proactively established contact" with Russian military command representatives and "informed them of his readiness to cooperate" with the Russian Federation's foreign military intelligence agency, according to Andriy Kostin, the Ukrainian prosecutor general.The suspect's alleged tasks for the Russian government included collecting and providing the agency with information ... Read More
Renewed support for Israel in wake of Iran’s attack could be squandered with direct retaliation on Iran, say former top Israeli military officers
An Israeli army F-15 fighter jet flies over central Israel on April 15, 2024. (Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images)(TEL AVIV, Israel) -- Two former senior Israeli military officials said a direct military strike against Iranian territory would not be in Israel's best interests.Retired Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland, who was head of Israel's National Security Council from 2004 to 2006, said the alliance that helped Israel successfully defend itself from Iran's first-ever direct attack against Israeli territory on Sunday has proven "that Israel cannot do everything alone."Eiland said Iran's attack and the defensive military support and intelligence Israeli received from a coalition -- led by the U.S. and including European and Arab states -- has reversed Israel's growing isolation in relation ... Read More
Prince William attends first royal engagement after Kate Middleton cancer announcement
Prince William, Prince of Wales visits a housing workshop to discuss solutions to support local families at risk of homelessness, in Sheffield, northern England on March 19, 2024. (Temilade Adelaja/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)(LONDON) -- Prince William returned to work this week in his first official public appearance since his wife Kate, the princess of Wales, revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer.William is traveling to Surrey on Thursday to visit Surplus to Supper, a nonprofit organization that distributes surplus food to people in need.The royal engagement is the first for William since March, when Kate shared publicly for the first time that she was diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing preventative chemotherapy.Kate shared her diagnosis in a video message released ... Read More
Biden administration to end sanctions waiver on Venezuelan oil
Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The Biden administration is conceding the reality of the last six months: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro does not intend to hold free and fair elections.Six months after lifting U.S. sanctions on Venezuela's key oil and gas sectors, the Treasury Department announced Wednesday it will let those temporary licenses expire -- saying Maduro's government did not uphold its end of the bargain.That bargain was straightforward – Maduro and the united Venezuelan opposition signed an agreement in Barbados last October to hold free and fair elections, monitored by international observers, and in exchange the U.S. temporarily lifted some of its sanctions on Venezuela's oil, gas, gold, and sovereign debt.It was a bold move, a gamble -- ... Read More
9 arrests made in $14.8 million gold heist at Toronto airport, only fraction recovered
Gary Hershorn/Getty Images(TORONTO) -- Nine people have been arrested and search warrants are out for three others in last year's $14.77 million (20 million Canadian dollars) gold heist from the Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canadian officials announced Wednesday.Police have only recovered six pure gold bracelets worth over $65,000 -- a fraction of the gold that was stolen from a holding cargo facility last April. Authorities announced the arrests on the one-year anniversary of the heist.Police say 6,600 bars of pure gold weighing over 400 kilograms and foreign cash amounting to around $1.8 million were stolen in the heist. They believe that the thieves melted down the gold, sold it and then used the profits to purchase illegal firearms as part ... Read More
US submits assurances to UK over Julian Assange extradition, moving case forward again
A protester stands with a placard in support of Julian Assange during the demonstration. Supporters of Julian Assange gathered outside the Embassy of Ecuador in Knightsbridge on the fifth anniversary of his incarceration in Belmarsh Prison. (Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)(LONDON) -- The United States has reportedly sent assurances to the United Kingdom intended to facilitate the extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange -- including that he will not face the death penalty -- signaling, for now, that the U.S. is continuing to move forward with its efforts to prosecute Assange on espionage charges.Last month, the U.K.’s High Court ordered a delay in Assange’s extradition unless the U.S. could provide assurances on a number of issues, including that he ... Read More
Dubai sees severe flooding after getting 2 years’ worth of rain in 24 hours
Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images(DUBAI, United Arab Emirates) -- Flood conditions continued to impact Dubai on Wednesday, after two years' worth of rain fell in just 24 hours, records show.Over a half foot -- 6.26 inches -- of rain was recorded in the United Arab Emirates city between 10 p.m. local time Monday and 10 p.m. local time Tuesday, according to the Dubai Meteorological Office.Dubai receives 3.12 inches of rain per year on average, according to the World Meteorological Organization, meaning two years' worth of rain fell in 24 hours.The Dubai International Airport, the world's second-busiest airport, said Wednesday it was facing "operational challenges" and advised passengers not to arrive as runways continued to be inundated with water. It said ... Read More
IDF’s conduct, ethics under scrutiny following soldiers’ social media posts
Ronaldo Schemidt/ Getty Images(JERUSALUM) -- Six months into the Israel-Hamas conflict, the conduct and ethics of some of the Israel Defense Forces members have increasingly come under the microscope.Incidents ranging from pranks to potentially criminal acts are being exposed to the world, often by videos soldiers themselves have posted online, according to critics and Israeli officials.In many pictures and videos that have circulated since the conflict began, and which were reposted by pro-Palestinian activists to millions of followers, IDF soldiers are seen blowing up buildings in Gaza while in combat, waving women’s underwear like flags and rifling through the possessions of Gazans with gleeful expressions.Younis Tirawi, a Palestinian activist, says he’s seen thousands of videos of IDF soldiers reportedly behaving ... Read More
Israel-Gaza live updates: US sanctions 16 people, 2 groups after Iran attacks
pawel.gaul/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Iran on Saturday night unleashed a retaliatory strike against Israel, sending a volley of more than 300 uncrewed drones and missiles toward targets throughout the country, Israeli military officials said. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.The attack on Israel came more than six months after Hamas terrorists invaded the country on Oct. 7, after which the Israeli military began its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.Here's how the news is developing:Apr 18, 4:19 PMIn meeting with Israelis, US officials 'expressed concerns' over RafahIn a Thursday meeting between U.S. and Israeli officials, the two sides discussed the attack by Iran as well as the Israeli military's plans ... Read More
Fire rips through Old Stock Exchange building in Copenhagen as people try to rescue artwork
slobo/Getty Images(LONDON) -- One of the oldest buildings in Copenhagen, Denmark, that was built in the 17th century has become engulfed in flames as rescue efforts are underway to salvage artwork and other valuable assets from the building.The Old Stock Exchange, located in the heart of downtown Copenhagen next to the Danish Parliament building, became engulfed by fire early Tuesday morning as the building's iconic spire collapsed due to the flames.People could be seen rushing into and out of the burning building attempting to salvage art work that is housed within the Old Stock Exchange.The cause of the fire is currently unknown and no injuries have been reported as crews work furiously to extinguish the flames.Denmark's Minister for Culture Jakob ... Read More
Attack on religious leader in Sydney to be investigated as terror related, police say
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb, Premier of NSW Chris Minns, NSW Deputy Police Commissioner Peter Thurtell and Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan hold a press conference on April 16, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)(SYDNEY) -- An attack on a religious leader during a sermon in a suburb of Sydney, Australia, on Monday has been deemed a terror-related incident, police said."Anyone with information about extremist activity or possible threats to the community should come forward, no matter how small or insignificant you may think the information may be," the New South Wales Police Force said in a statement on Tuesday.The government's Joint Counter Terrorism Team has begun an investigation into the stabbing, which was first reported to police at ... Read More
Global coral reef bleaching event underway as oceans continue to warm: NOAA
Lillian Suwanrumpha/ Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- As the world's oceans experience unprecedented rising temperatures, significant coral bleaching has been reported across the globe, according to experts.On Monday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported the fourth global bleaching event on record and the second in the last 10 years."From February 2023 to April 2024, significant coral bleaching has been documented in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of each major ocean basin," Derek Manzello, Ph.D., NOAA CRW coordinator, said in a press release Monday.According to the National Ocean Service, warmer ocean temperatures can result in expulsion of algae that live in the coral tissue. This leaves the coral completely white, known as coral bleaching. Coral bleaching does not necessarily ... Read More
US to Israel: If you strike back at Iran, you’ll do it alone
Israeli Government Press Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Image(WASHINGTON) -- As Israel on Monday weighed its response to Iran's stunning attacks this weekend, the U.S. is privately telling officials there: If Israel strikes back militarily, it will do so alone.It's an unusual message for a close ally that's spent decades receiving more US military aid than any other country in the world and whose relationship with America is often described as "ironclad."But after months of Israel acting on its own in Gaza -- and facing tough criticism from the U.S. and other allies that its military operations have gone too far – the Biden administration made clear the U.S. wouldn't participate in offensive military operations against Iran, fearing a broader ... Read More
Priest stabbed during livestream, suspect arrested in Australia, police say
Bernard Van Berg / EyeEm/Getty Images(LONDON) -- A suspect was arrested after a priest was stabbed during a livestream in Wakeley, a city in New South Wales, Australia, police said on Monday.A "number" of other people were also stabbed, law enforcement said.A video of the incident, which was viewed by ABC News, appears to show a man approaching the priest as he speaks to his congregation. The man appears to interrupt the sermon and to begin violently attacking the priest."Officers arrested a male and he is assisting police with inquiries," the New South Wales Police Force said in a statement. "The injured people suffered non-life threatening injuries and are being treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics."Officers were dispatched to a church ... Read More
US identifies ISIS-K suicide bomber who killed American troops and Afghans in chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal
Isaiah Campbell/U.S. Marine Corps via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- In a significant revelation, the U.S. military has for the first time publicly named the suicide bomber behind the catastrophic attack at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport during the chaotic final days of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.The identification was part of findings from a supplemental review ordered by U.S. Central Command to build on the military's initial investigation by taking into account information and claims that have since surfaced. The review also found that members of a Marine scout sniper platoon at the airport who believed they had the bomber in their crosshairs were mistaken, and they would not have been able to prevent the attack.In a recent briefing ... Read More
US forces down drones headed to Israel
U.S. officials say American military forces have downed some Iran-launched attack drones flying toward Israel. That is according to a U.S. defense official and two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. The defense official said the effort to intercept the attack was continuing. Since Iran announced its attack Saturday against Israel, air raid sirens have gone off in Jerusalem, in northern and southern Israel, in the Negev region, in the Shomron area and in the Dead Sea region. ... Read MoreTop of page
