World News

The COVID-19 omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is quickly becoming the dominant strain in the United States. In the past week, it has doubled its spread. Now 41% of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. consist of it.

Scientists have identified more than 100,000 RNA viruses that have never been seen before, a new study has revealed.

Iran said Friday it has kicked off annual military drills Friday in the critical Strait of Hormuz even as Tehran continues its crackdown on anti-government protests that have spread throughout the country.

Belarus has accused neighboring Ukraine of firing an air defense missile into Belarusian territory. The incident raised concerns as Belarus is a close ally of Russia, which invaded Ukraine earlier this year.

One of Russia’s most extensive bombardments since the war began, was underway in Ukraine on Thursday with missiles fired from the sea and land, injuring several people, authorities said.

Kosovo’s minority Serbs, who blocked roads in the north for 19 days, agreed to remove their barricades from Thursday after bowing to pressure from the United States and European Union to end the worst ethnic tensions in years. Yet distrust remained in the region where Serbia had put its armed forces on high alert ahead of Orthodox Christmas.

Iran’s army began military exercises Thursday in strategic southern regions east of the Strait of Hormuz, state news agency IRNA reported.

Russian forces have stepped up mortar and artillery attacks on Kherson city in southern Ukraine, forcing civilians to flee the recently liberated town.

The planets of the solar system will be lined up in the sky Wednesday night in an astronomical phenomenon, visible from Earth, known as a “planet parade.”

Executions carried out by the Iranian regime soared by 88 percent in 2022 compared with the previous year, a new report from an Iranian human rights organization has revealed.

The defense ministers of Russia, Turkey, and Syria met in Moscow on Wednesday, the first such talks since a war broke out in Syria, the Russian defense ministry said.

The mandatory military service in Taiwan has been extended, President Tsai Ing-wen announced on Tuesday.

A lesbian artist in Norway is now facing a possible prison sentence for hate speech after posting on Facebook in October that men can neither become pregnant nor become lesbian, the Christian Post reports. Tonje Gjevjon has been outspoken in criticizing trans activists and Norwegian politicians for promoting “gender identity” policies at the expense of women’s rights.

Serbia says it has put the army on high alert near its border with Kosovo while inside Kosovo, Serbs have erected more roadblocks amid escalating tensions. The standoff comes as Serbia and Kosovo accuse each other of preparing for an armed confrontation.

South Korea says it has scrambled fighter jets and attack helicopters, firing warning shots, after North Korean drones “violated” its airspace.

Taiwan’s defense ministry claimed Monday that China staged one of its biggest incursions into the island’s sea and airspace.

Iran has threatened to level Tel Aviv “to the ground” in a chilling video explaining how Tehran would respond to an Israeli strike on its nuclear plant.

Moscow says three Russian army servicemen have died after a Ukrainian attack on a crucial airbase deep inside Russian territory. The attack raised fears of escalating warfare this Christmas season. 

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged his people to celebrate the birth of Jesus despite Russian attacks devastating his wartorn nation. His appeal comes as many Ukrainians observe Christmas in bomb shelters.

As European legislators prepared for their long Christmas holidays, Hungary’s prime minister advised them not to return.