World News

The Netherlands has been shaken by political turmoil over revelations that Dutch government members knew about Ukraine’s involvement in blowing up Nord Stream pipelines transporting Russian natural gas to Europe, even before it happened. Information about the planned sabotage in September 2022 was shared by the Dutch secret service with the United States, officials say, which raised questions about former Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who is due to become the secretary general of the NATO military alliance.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday that Ukraine had not informed Berlin about its August 6 shock incursion into Russia, and he defended his government’s decision to reduce military support for Kyiv by billions of euros.

A U.S. government-requested study has concluded that the U.S. army is not ready to respond to tactical nuclear weapons strikes by Communist-ruled China if war breaks out.

Azerbaijan has applied to join the BRICS bloc of developing economies despite the European Union vying for attention from the oil—and natural gas-rich South Caucasus nation.

Anxiety remained Wednesday after Taiwan conducted live-fire missile drills in response to growing military pressure from Communist-ruled China.

Ukraine says it wants peace talks to end Russia’s incursion, but not directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kyiv seeks an agreement similar to the Black Sea grain deal between the two nations, which allowed Ukraine, a key bread basket, to transport grain to the rest of the world again.

As the Democratic National Convention began, the United States said Monday that Iran was responsible for hacking into former President Donald J. Trump’s campaign and trying to breach the Biden-Harris campaign.

Christians in Indonesia have appealed for prayers amid fresh concerns about a once-in-a-century earthquake in the country and Japan.

Indonesia observed 79 years of independence from Dutch rule over the weekend with a ceremony in its unfinished future capital, Nusantara, but in the Netherlands, there were mixed feelings.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held separate phone conversations last week with his counterparts in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey about the multiple crises ongoing in the Middle East, the Media Line reports.

Appealing to the international community for assistance, the 16-nation Southern African Development Community has warned that some 68 million people in southern Africa are facing food shortages and damaged economies due to a drought brought on by the El Nino phenomenon, Reuters reports.

United Nations investigators contend in a new report that Iran has perpetrated “crimes against humanity” in attacking ethnic and religious minorities amid its crackdown on women’s rights protests, Christian Today reports.

The European Union is rolling out a European Vaccination Card, sidelining critics who fear it will lead to more central government control over people’s personal lives and decisions.

Ukraine has defended its massive offensive into Russian territory, saying it is designed to persuade Moscow to engage in “fair” talks on ending its war in Ukraine. Additionally, Kyiv denied reports that it was responsible for blowing up Nord Stream pipelines that carried natural gas from Russia to Europe.

Europe’s health authorities are rushing to contain an outbreak of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox after a more severe strain was detected in Sweden. They asked European leaders to issue travel advice for areas impacted by pox, as the potentially fatal virus was declared a global health emergency.

The parliament of Thailand has voted for the heir of a powerful and polarizing dynasty to lead the Asian nation as its youngest prime minister ever.

Sweden became Thursday the first European country to confirm a first case of mpox, a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the potentially fatal viral infection a “global public health emergency.”

The globally renowned US-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) has warned that Iran is spending massive academic research resources on nuclear bomb detonation, the Jerusalem Post reports.

Setting aside historical tensions over Turkey’s military action against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in Iraq, senior Turkish and Iraqi officials are meeting in Ankara on Thursday for high-level talks on security cooperation, Media Line reports.

Iran’s supreme leader said Wednesday that Tehran shouldn’t walk away from pledges to attack Israel after one of the largest cyber attacks on agencies linked to the Islamic Republic’s government.