The International Criminal Court (ICC) is facing unprecedented pressure as judges and prosecutors experience the broad effects of US sanctions targeting the court over investigations into alleged war crimes by Israeli and US officials. Staff affected include six judges and the chief prosecutor, who report being cut off from basic financial services, online shopping platforms,

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The United States House of Representatives has approved a historic $901 billion defense spending bill for the 2026 fiscal year, marking the largest military budget in US history. The legislation, part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed on Wednesday with 312 votes in favor and 112 against and is now headed to the

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At least 33 people have been killed and around 70 others wounded after a military airstrike struck a major hospital in Mrauk U township, Rakhine state, Myanmar, according to aid workers, witnesses, and the Arakan Army, a local rebel group engaged in ongoing clashes with the military government. The Mrauk U General Hospital, a key

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Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has outlined the Palestinian group’s own disarmament vision as part of negotiations with the United States, a key issue in the second phase of the two-month ceasefire with Israel. Speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic, Meshaal emphasized that Hamas seeks guarantees to prevent the return of conflict, proposing a long-term truce of

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Portugal is experiencing widespread disruption across public services, transportation, healthcare, and education as trade unions launch the country’s largest general strike since June 2013. Workers are protesting a government-backed draft law aimed at simplifying dismissal procedures, extending fixed-term contracts, and defining minimum service levels during industrial disputes. In Lisbon, streets were unusually quiet as public

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Israel is bracing for heavy rainfall, flash floods, and strong winds as Storm Byron approaches, with the Israel Meteorological Service warning of up to 150mm (5.9 inches) of rain in coastal areas and wind gusts reaching 90 km/h (56 mph). While cities across the country implement emergency measures, many Palestinian citizens of Israel—especially those in

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is holding urgent meetings with leaders and officials from approximately 30 allied nations in a bid to secure more favorable terms in negotiations to end the war with Russia, now deep into its fourth year. The talks come as Kyiv faces mounting pressure both on the battlefield in eastern Donetsk and

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More than 400 civilians have been killed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as fighting escalates between government forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group. The surge in violence comes despite a United States-mediated peace agreement signed last week in Washington, DC, by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents, which is now at serious risk

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In a dramatic political turn, Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado publicly emerged in Oslo after nearly a year in hiding. Her high-risk escape from Venezuela, which included evading military checkpoints and crossing the Caribbean by fishing vessel, marks a significant moment in the ongoing struggle against President Nicolas Maduro’s

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