UK: Development of Largest Untapped Oil Field Approved The UK's Northeast Transition Authority on Wednesday approved Norway-based energy company Equinor to develop the Rosebank oil and gas field, located northwest of the Shetland islands in the North Sea.... World
Ex-Chancellor Merkel Gifted Highest German Honor Former Chancellor Angela Merkel was decorated with Germany’s highest possible honor on Monday in recognition of her near-record 16 years at the helm of the country.... World
CENTCOM: US Conducts Raid on IS Leader in Northwest Syria US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday that its forces had launched a helicopter raid in northwest Syria which resulted in the 'probable death' of a senior Islamic State (IS) leader as well as two 'armed individuals.'... Syria
Sudan: 'Dire Situations' Reported on Third Day of Fighting in Khartoum According to a doctors' union, almost 100 civilians have been left dead, as fighting between the army and paramilitary forces entered its third day in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Monday. Local hospital workers have spoken of 'dire situations' amid shelling of electricity and water supplie... Politics
Yemen’s Houthis, Saudi Arabia Exchange Hundreds of Prisoners The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday that Yemen's Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia agreed to exchange about 900 prisoners over the next three days, adding that 318 detainees had already flown between the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, and government-held Aden, as peace ta... Yemen
Fears in Sudan Over Confrontation Between Army, Paramilitary Force Sudan's army has warned of a potential confrontation between itself and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, as the two forces continue the dispute that has so far delayed a planned transition towards democracy within the state.... Politics
India: 4 Soldiers Killed in Punjab Army Base Shooting Four Indian army soldiers were killed in a shooting while sleeping in a barracks inside the Bathinda military station in Punjab early Wednesday morning.... Pakistan
Brandon Johnson Wins Chicago Mayor's Race On Tuesday, Brandon Johnson, a Cook County commissioner, union organizer, and former teacher, was elected the new mayor of Chicago in a runoff over Chicago Schools Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas.... Politics
Top Iranian, Saudi Envoys Meet in China Following China's mediation of a deal to restore relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia last month, the foreign ministers of both nations met in Beijing on Thursday for the first formal gathering of their top diplomats since 2016, when relations between the two countries became highly contentiou... Yemen
Afghanistan: Taliban Carries Out Raid on Islamic State Group Hideout Taliban forces killed six members of the Islamic State group (IS) in Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province during an overnight raid on Monday.... Syria
Pakistan: Top Court Sets Punjab Provincial Election For May 14 Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday declared the decision made by the country's election commission to delay Punjab's provincial election from April 30 to Oct. 8 as unconstitutional, ordering the government to hold snap elections on May 14.... Pakistan
UK Military Record on Civilians Killed in Iraq, Syria Questioned New questions have emerged regarding an admission made by the UK in May 2018 that its military had killed one civilian in eastern Syria two months earlier — the only civilian casualty they have acknowledged. Then defense secretary Gavin Williamson told parliament that the strike was not logged ... Syria
CENTCOM: US Military Kills Top IS Leader in Syria The US military has announced that it killed Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri — who it accused of participating in the planning of Islamic State (IS) attacks in Europe — in an undisclosed location in Syria via a drone strike. No civilians were reported to have been killed or injured.... Syria
NASA Names First Woman and Black Man for Moon Mission The US space agency NASA has named four astronauts, three Americans and one Canadian, for the Artemis-2 lunar mission. Among them are the first woman and first Black man to partake in a mission to the Moon - Christina Koch and Victor Glover.... Space
Kenya: Opposition Leader Raila Odinga Suspends Anti-Government Protests Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga on Sunday evening called off a fourth anti-government rally in protest against soaring living costs and alleged election fraud, which had been scheduled for Monday.... Kenya
Israeli Cabinet Approves Ben-Gvir’s National Guard Plan On Sunday, Israel approved the formation of a national guard — proposed by controversial National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir — to deal with civil unrest in mixed Jewish-Arab areas. They refrained, however, from immediately giving Ben-Gvir direct command.... Israel
Finnish PM Concedes Defeat, Right-Wing Party Wins Vote Finland's left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin conceded defeat in the nation's parliamentary election on Sunday as the opposition right-wing National Coalition Party (NCP) claimed victory in a tightly fought contest.... Finland
UK Joins Trans-Pacific Trade Pact On Friday, the UK announced it has agreed to join an 11-country trans-Pacific trade deal, named the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) — a step PM Rishi Sunak's office called the biggest trade deal since Brexit.... Iran
EU Countries Seek to Weaken Livestock Emission Limits Member states of the European Union agreed on Thursday to attempt to curb the number of farms covered by proposed rules to slash pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from livestock, despite criticism from some countries.... Politics
Dutch Farmers Protest Party Wins Victory in Provincial Election The upstart Farmer-citizen movement (BBB) is set to become the largest party in the upper house of parliament following Dutch provincial elections on Wednesday.... Politics
Colombia: Mine Explosion Kills 21 On Thursday, Colombian Pres. Gustavo Petro announced that the death toll from a mine collapse on Tuesday had risen to 21 after rescue operations ended and failed to rescue 10 trapped miners.... Colombia
PRC Parliament Approves Changes to Speed Up 'Emergency' Laws According to Xinhua news agency, China's parliament on Friday approved changes to its Legislation Law, which dictates how laws are enacted, that will allow emergency legislation to be passed after a single review session.... China
Philippines: Oil Spill Impacts Marine Life, Human Health Last week, the MT Princess Empress — an oil tanker carrying 800K liters of oil — sank off the coast of the Oriental Mindoro province in the Philippines. The oil has now reached the shores of nearby areas including fishing villages, coating them in a thick and oily sludge.... Accidents
Turkey’s Opposition Names Kılıçdaroğlu as Presidential Candidate Turkey's six-party alliance has named Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), as their joint candidate for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14.... Earthquakes
Estonia's Pro-Ukraine PM Kaja Kallas Wins Election The Estonian National Electoral Committee announced on Monday that Prime Minister Kaja Kallas had won Sunday's election as her center-right Reform Party secured 37 seats in parliament, three more than it previously controlled.... Estonia