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July 12, 2026
 

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Humeyra Pamuk
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (L) during a meeting with the people in Tehran on Jan. 17 and U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaking in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Feb. 3. Trump said in an interview on Wednesday that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should be "very worried," as the U.S. builds up its military forces in the region.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 5, 2026
U.S. and Iran agree to Friday talks in Oman but still at odds over agenda
The meeting comes as the U.S. builds up forces in the Middle East and regional players seek to avoid a military confrontation that could lead to a wider war.
A billboard threatening action against American warships in Enghelab Square in Tehran on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Jan 29, 2026
Trump weighs Iran strikes to inspire renewed protests, sources say
The U.S. president wanted to create conditions for “regime change,” in Iran after a crackdown crushed a nationwide protest movement earlier this month, two sources said.
People walk past a poster with an image of U.S. President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein pasted on a bus stop in Nuuk, Greenland, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 25, 2026
From Greenland to Ukraine, Trump’s centralized diplomacy creates whiplash for allies
The approach may hold a unique appeal to Trump, given his suspicion of the Washington bureaucracy and desire to have his decisions implemented quickly.
Syria's President Ahmad al-Sharaa delivers a speech on the first anniversary of Bashar Assad's fall, in Damascus on Dec. 8.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 22, 2026
How Syria’s al-Sharaa captured Kurdish-held areas while keeping the U.S. onside
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s rapid takeover of territory long held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces tested the boundaries of Washington’s support for him.
Immigrant visa processing from 75 countries will be "paused" during a reassessment of immigration procedures, according to the State Department.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 15, 2026
U.S. to suspend immigrant visa processing for 75 nations
The move does not impact U.S. visitor visas, which have been in the spotlight given ‍the United States is hosting the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
The U.S. State Department has declined to provide a list of the diplomats being ‍recalled after sources disclosed that nearly 30 senior envoys were among those ordered back to Washington.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 24, 2025
As Trump pulls envoys in ‘America First’ push, critics say it weakens U.S. abroad
The Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 ambassadors and other senior career diplomats to ensure embassies reflect its “America First” priorities.
The United States has imposed sanctions on two more judges of the International Criminal Court to support Israel.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 19, 2025
Trump administration imposes sanctions on two more ICC judges
The ICC said it deplored the new round of sanctions, which is the fourth round of measures this year.
Smoke billows from a blast near a tank as Polish forces hold military exercises with NATO soldiers at a range in Wierzbiny, near Orzysz, Poland, in September.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 7, 2025
U.S. sets 2027 deadline for Europe-led NATO defense, officials say
The shift would dramatically change how the United States, a founding member of the postwar alliance, works with its most important military partners.
Palestinians walk amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Friday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 8, 2025
U.S. intel found Israeli military lawyers warned there was evidence of Gaza war crimes
The previously unreported intelligence pointed to doubts within the Israeli military about the legality of its tactics in Gaza.
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport as Trump leaves Israel en route to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, to attend a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a U.S.-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal, in Lod, Israel, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 14, 2025
Trump convinced Netanyahu to take a deal. Can he keep him on board?
With Israel and Hamas divided over many aspects of Trump’s plan, Netanyahu’s approach may shift as he attempts to keep his right-wing coalition together for next year’s elections.
Cuba Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 27.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 6, 2025
Citing Cuban fighters in Ukraine, U.S. urges allies to shun Havana at U.N.
U.S. diplomats will tell countries that the Cuban government is actively supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with up to 5,000 Cubans fighting alongside Moscow’s forces.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau at the Global Refugee Asylum System meeting in New York on Thursday. He urged countries to join a global campaign to roll back asylum protections.
WORLD
Sep 26, 2025
Trump administration urges other nations to join its push to restrict asylum rights
U.S. officials said that the existing global asylum system was being exploited by economic migrants and criminal groups seeking to profit from illegal immigration.
Sanctions applied to the International Criminal Court as an entity could affect its basic day-to-day operations — from its ability to pay its staff to its access to bank accounts and routine office software on its computers.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 23, 2025
U.S. could hit entire International Criminal Court with sanctions soon
Washington has already imposed targeted sanctions on several prosecutors and judges at the court, but naming the court in the sanctions list would mark a major escalation.
The Syrian flag is flown in Aleppo on May 14.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 18, 2025
U.S. envoys focused on Syria ousted amid pro-Damascus shift, sources say
The diplomats at the de facto U.S. mission to Syria, based in Istanbul, all reported to the U.S. special envoy for Syria, a longtime friend of U.S. President Donald Trump.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks next to U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Terry Cole, Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), during the signing of executive orders by U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 26, 2025
U.S. weighing sanctions on EU officials implementing Digital Services Act
The law aims to make the online environment safer, in part by compelling tech giants to tackle illegal content such as hate speech and child sexual abuse material.
The U.S. State Department's 2024 Human Rights Report was delayed for months as appointees of President Donald Trump altered an earlier draft dramatically to bring it in line with "America First" values, according to government officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 13, 2025
U.S. State Department softens criticism of some countries in human rights report
The 2024 Human Rights Report’s section on Israel was much shorter than last year’s edition and made no mention of the severe humanitarian crisis or death toll in the Gaza Strip.
People from the first group of white South Africans granted refugee status for being deemed victims of racial discrimination under U.S. President Trump's Refugee plan, listen to welcoming remarks during a meet and greet event, at Dulles International Airport in Virginia in May.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 26, 2025
U.S. diplomats asked if nonwhites qualify for Trump’s South African refugee program
The State Department said U.S. policy is to consider both Afrikaners and other racial minorities for resettlement, echoing guidance posted on its website.
Members of the Taliban carrying flags participate in a rally to mark the third anniversary of the fall of Kabul, in Kabul on Aug. 14, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 22, 2025
Trump vowed to save Afghans, but UAE had already sent some evacuees back, cable shows
The United Arab Emirates, a close security partner of the United States, agreed in 2021 to temporarily house several thousand Afghans evacuated from Kabul.
Members of Syrian security forces stand on a road as vehicles transporting other Syrian security forces make their way out of the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Jul 18, 2025
U.S. does not support Israel’s Syria strikes as al-Sharaa vows to protect Druze
Israel launched airstrikes in Damascus on Wednesday, saying it aimed to protect Syrian Druze, a part of a minority that also has followers in Lebanon and Israel.
U.S. President Donald Trump pumps his fist as boards Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 22, 2025
Israel tells U.S. it could attack key Iran nuke site before Trump deadline
Israel communicated their concerns to Trump administration officials on Thursday in what sources described as a tense phone call.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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