World News

Israel, Iran close airspace after Netanyahu orders strikes on Tehran

Even with the US saying the door to further diplomacy remains open, President Donald Trump has amassed huge military forces in the Middle East, sending a second aircraft carrier to Israeli waters

Israel launches pre-emptive strike on Iran, dims hopes for nuclear talks

The attack, coming after Israel and Iran engaged in a 12-day air war in June, follows repeated US-Israeli warnings that they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear programmes

US, UK, China evacuate West Asia embassies as Trump 'not happy' on Iran

Earlier on Friday, the US told non-emergency staff at its embassy in Jerusalem that they're allowed to leave Israel, with the country being vulnerable to Iranian retaliation

Pakistan, Afghanistan clashes enter 3rd day as diplomatic efforts intensify

Diplomatic efforts gathered pace late on Friday as Afghanistan said its foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, spoke by telephone with Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal bin Farhan about reducing tensions

OpenAI signs pact with Pentagon to deploy AI models on classified network

Sam Altman says OpenAI will deploy models on the US Department of War's classified network under strict safeguards, barring domestic mass surveillance and ensuring human control over force use

Trump raises possibility of 'friendly takeover' of Cuba after Havana talks

Cuba has been on Trump's mind since at least early January, after US forces ousted one of Havana's closest allies, Venezuelan's socialist President Nicolas Maduro

Protests continue at Iranian colleges as US military threat looms

The simmering tensions on campuses come as the Iranian government led by Supreme Leader Khamenei faces threats of military action by the United States over the country's nuclear programme

Paramount's Ellison used deep pockets, political links to buy Warner Bros

The dramatic turnaround positions Paramount to acquire Warner Bros in a $110 billion deal, making the Ellison family owners of one of the world's largest entertainment empires

Blackstone CEO Schwarzman takes home a near-record $1.24 billion in 2025

Schwarzman collected $1.1 billion in dividends alone from his roughly 20 per cent stake in the world's biggest alternative asset manager, according to an annual filing on Friday

Trump directs US government agencies to stop using Anthropic products

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Pentagon to bar its contractors and their partners from any commercial activity with Anthropic

Pentagon waging war on American genius in name of 'national security'

As debate grows over Pentagon's use of artificial intelligence, concerns mount over unreliable AI systems, hallucinations, and risks of deploying autonomous weapons in high-stakes military decisions

Trump says 'not happy' with the Iran nuke talks, hints at giving more time

As US forces mass in the region, Trump threatens military action unless Iran accepts a sweeping nuclear deal, while Tehran insists it can enrich uranium peacefully and denies seeking a bomb

UnitedHealthcare CEO killing: US drops death penalty bid against Mangione

US District Judge Margaret Garnett ruled in January that prosecutors can't pursue the capital murder charge, but that a jury could determine if Mangione caused CEO's death under two stalking laws

Trump halts federal use of Anthropic's technology in dispute over AI safety

Trump also said Anthropic could face "major civil and criminal consequences" if it's not helpful in the phase-out period

Cash-laden cargo plane crashes near Bolivia's capital, killing at least 15

The plane, a Hercules aircraft belonging to the Bolivian air force, was transporting new banknotes from the Central Bank to other cities and large number of bills scattered on the ground at crash site

India, EU free trade agreement includes model mediation procedures

These FTA texts may undergo further modifications as a result of the process of legal revision/ scrub. The texts will be final upon signing

Rubio to visit Israel as tensions with Iran escalate: US State Dept

The department said in a statement that Rubio would visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday to "discuss a range of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon

'Did nothing wrong, saw no signs of Epstein's abuse,' says Bill Clinton

Republicans were relishing the opportunity to scrutinise the former Democratic president under oath.

Afghan Taliban open to talks after Pakistan bombs Kabul, Kandahar

Targets in the capital Kabul and the city of Kandahar, where Taliban leaders are based, were hit, signalling a stark rupture in ties between the Islamic neighbours

ArcelorMittal to close its second unit in Ukraine amid Russian attacks

The CBAM is the EU's tool to put a fair price on carbon emitted during the production of carbon-intensive goods entering the bloc