• Refugee Firefighters in Mauritania Battle Bushfires to Give Back to the Community That Took Them in
  
  The men move in rhythm, swaying in line and beating the ground with spindly tree branches as the sun sets over the barren and hostile Mauritanian desert. The crack of the wood against dry grass lands in unison, a technique perfected by more than a decade of fighting...
• EU Leaders Gather to Discuss a Massive Loan to Ukraine
  
  European Union leaders are gathering Thursday for a summit aimed at agreeing on a massive loan to cover Ukraine's military and other financial needs for the next two years.The leaders will also discuss migration, the bloc's enlargement policy, trade and economies, but...
• Mourners Grieve 10-year-old Slain in Bondi Mass Shooting as Australia's Leader Pledges New Hate Laws
  
  Hundreds of mourners bearing bright bouquets and clutching each other in grief gathered at a funeral in Sydney on Thursday for a 10yearold girl who was gunned down in an antisemitic massacre during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.Matilda, whose last name is being...
• New Chinese Carrier Fujian Sails Through Taiwan Strait
  
  China's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the CNS Fujian, sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday in a high-profile demonstration of Beijing's expanding naval power, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said.
• US Announces Over $10B Arms Sales Package for Taiwan
  
  The Trump administration has announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers, and drones, a move that is sure to infuriate China.
• US, Russia Headed to Miami for Ukraine War Peace Talks
  
  U.S. and Russian officials are scheduled to meet in Miami this weekend as the Trump administration seeks to end nearly four years of war between Kyiv and Moscow, Politico reported Wednesday.
• Unreliable Data Mask Just How Bad the Air Quality Crisis Is in India
  
  Recent remarks about pollution from two Indian officials have increased frustration among residents who say policymakers are unwilling to acknowledge the severity of India's air quality crisis. When Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told Parliament earlier this month...
• US Military Says Strike on Alleged Drug Boat Kills 4 in Eastern Pacific
  
  The U.S. military said Wednesday that it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people on the same day the House rejected efforts to limit President Donald Trump's power to use military force against drug cartels.U.S. Southern...
• Trump Demands Venezuela Pay for Seized US Oil Assets
  
  President Donald Trump demanded Wednesday that Venezuela return assets that it seized from U.S. oil companies years ago, justifying anew his announcement of a "blockade" against oil tankers traveling to or from the South American country that face American sanctions.
• Lukashenko to Newsmax: Trump Is a Brilliant Leader
  
  Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told Newsmax Wednesday he has always supported President Donald Trump.
• Putin Calls EU Leaders 'Little Pigs,' Lauds Russia's 'Steadiness'
  
  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday derided European Union leaders as "little pigs," asserting that they wanted to profit from Russia's collapse as he blamed the previous U.S. administration for "consciously" unleashing the war in Ukraine.
• House Defeats Bids to Rein In Trump Venezuela Campaign
  
  The House of Representatives narrowly defeated two resolutions on Wednesday seeking to rein in President Donald Trump's actions toward Venezuela, amid widespread speculation that the Republican will launch an attack on the South American oil state's territory.Wednesday's...
• Fmr Amb. Rooney to Newsmax: Pope Brings American Clarity to the Vatican
  
  Pope Leo XIV is already reshaping global expectations of the papacy, bringing a distinctly American tone to an institution long shaped by European tradition, says former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Francis Rooney.
• Mexico Asks UN to Step In Amid US-Venezuela Standoff
  
  Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday called on the United Nations to intervene amid escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela, accusing the international body of failing to fulfill its obligation to pursue a peaceful resolution.
• Trump's Expanded Travel Ban Hits Africa the Hardest but Reactions Are Muted
  
  Africa has been the hardest hit by the Trump administration's decision to add 20 countries to a list of travel restrictions but reactions on the continent of some 1.5 billion people were largely muted on Wednesday as affected nations mulled the implications of the measure...
• Venezuela Reacts Defiantly to US Oil Blockade
  
  Venezuela struck a defiant note Wednesday, insisting its crude oil exports were not impacted by President Donald Trump's announcement of a potentially crippling oil tanker blockade.Trump's declaration on Tuesday marked a new escalation in his months-long campaign of...
• Trump Sounds Out Oil Firms on Post-Maduro Venezuela
  
  The Trump administration has quietly polled major U.S. oil companies about whether they would return to Venezuela after the removal of socialist leader Nicolas Maduro. The industry response has been overwhelmingly negative.
• Some Sanctioned Oil Vessels Divert From Venezuela as Trump Threatens Blockade
  
  Some oil vessels are diverting away from Venezuela after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a "blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving the South American country, a dramatic escalation in the White House's pressure campaign on leader Nicolás Maduro.Trump...
• Congress Ends Syria Sanctions
  
  Congress on Wednesday permanently ended sanctions imposed on Syria under ousted leader Bashar Assad, paving the way for the return of investment to the war-ravaged nation.
• The Oil Blockade Threat Creates Anxiety in Venezuela but People Stick to Their Daily Lives
  
  U.S. President Donald Trump is threating to blockade sanctioned oil tankers from Venezuela, a move that could devastate a country already wrangling with years of spiraling crisis. Seasoned by years of political, social and economic challenges, Venezuelans on Wednesday...
• US Govt Sues Virgin Islands Over Second Amendment Violations
  
  A Second Amendment clash has erupted between the federal government and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Israel Fires Mortar into Gaza Residential Area, Wounding at Least 10
  
  Israeli troops fired a mortar shell over the ceasefire line into a Palestinian residential area in the Gaza Strip, in the latest incident to rock the tenuous ceasefire with Hamas. Health officials said at least 10 people were wounded, and the army said it was...
• Matthew Whitaker to Newsmax: NATO Must Prepare for War to Secure Peace
  
  President Donald Trump has brought Ukraine and Russia closer to a peace agreement than at any point since their war began, but NATO must adopt a "wartime mindset" while striving to keep the peace, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on Newsmax.
• Pope Calls Israeli President, Condemns Antisemitism
  
  Pope Leo XIV during a phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog "reiterated the Catholic Church's firm condemnation of all forms of antisemitism, which, throughout the world, continues to sow fear in Jewish communities and in society as a whole," the Holy See Press Office said in a statement.
• US Extends Sakhalin-2 Oil Sales Waiver Through June 18
  
  The U.S. extended on Wednesday a waiver allowing oil sales from Russia's Sakhalin-2 project through June 18 next year, a move that likely allows production of liquefied natural gas from the project to continue.

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