Eurovision has updated its rules to prevent countries involved in armed conflicts or sensitive geopolitical situations from hosting the song contest, following controversies surrounding Israel's participation.
Russia has banned diesel exports to stabilize its domestic market following Ukrainian drone attacks on refineries, which have caused gasoline shortages and price spikes. Meanwhile, Russian missile and drone attacks killed at least three in Kyiv and four in Odesa.
Myanmar's tourism sector is seeing increased efforts to recover after the 2021 coup. The country welcomed over 973,000 foreign tourists last year and aims to nearly double this to 1.8 million in 2024, with a focus on Chinese and Thai visitors.
Le Burkina Faso a annoncé vendredi soir la rupture de ses relations diplomatiques avec la France, marquant une nouvelle dégradation des liens entre Ouagadougou et Paris sous le régime du capitaine Ibrahim Traoré.
O Equador intensifica a militarização da segurança pública e parcerias com os EUA, concedendo imunidade penal em meio a um estado de exceção. A oposição denuncia perseguição, enquanto movimentos sociais buscam a revogação do mandato do presidente Daniel Noboa, em um contexto de crescente violência e autoritarismo.
Moscow and Tehran held consultations focusing on a US-Iranian memorandum to end Middle East conflicts. Discussions covered a Lebanese-Israeli ceasefire, Israeli troop withdrawal from Lebanon, and a sustainable truce in Gaza, emphasizing humanitarian access and infrastructure restoration.
Colombians are voting in a presidential runoff election that could dramatically alter the country's approach to its armed conflict. The far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, who favors military confrontation, is leading polls against Iván Cepeda, the architect of President Petro's "total peace" plan.
The Guardian's investigation into a US airstrike in Somalia that killed 12 civilians, including 8 children, highlights challenges in reporting on covert conflicts. Lack of press freedom, journalist safety, and US opacity impede accountability.
Colombians vote Sunday in a presidential runoff that could dramatically shift the country's approach to its armed conflict. Far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella, vowing military confrontation, faces leftwing senator Iván Cepeda, who supports "total peace" negotiations.
Colombia's presidential runoff winner inherits a nation shaped by paramilitary violence. Candidates Iván Cepeda and Abelardo de la Espriella have intertwined histories with these criminal forces, advocating opposing strategies for crime and peace.
EU leaders convene in Brussels to tackle a packed agenda including Ukraine, the Middle East, the bloc's budget, China's economic influence, migration, defense, and narcotics. Key discussions will focus on trade practices with China, revamping the single market, and the €2 trillion long-term budget amid internal disagreements.
Russia's permanent delegation to UNESCO stated that Russia strictly adheres to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, responding to allegations of an attack on the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra complex. The Russian Defense Ministry previously reported the complex was hit by a Patriot missile, suggesting expired missiles supplied by Western countries could be a cause.
A 2025 study by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) reports a record 65 state-based armed conflicts globally, the highest since WWII. Battle-related deaths reached approximately 245,000, making it one of the deadliest years recently. Interstate conflicts doubled to eight.
Colombians are voting in a presidential election where candidates offer starkly different approaches to ending decades of armed conflict. The vote is seen as a referendum on outgoing President Gustavo Petro's policies, with key contenders debating negotiation versus a harder line on armed groups.
Civilian nuclear facilities are increasingly becoming targets in armed conflicts, raising concerns about potential radioactive releases and public health impacts. International efforts to protect these sites are underway, but a specific treaty is lacking.
India and the African Union postponed the India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi due to the "evolving health situation in parts of Africa," specifically the growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Since Ecuador declared an 'internal armed conflict,' security forces have been accused of widespread human rights abuses, including forced disappearances and torture, with victims detailing brutal treatment and families left searching for missing loved ones.
Oil prices surged Monday as President Trump warned Iran to "get moving" amid stalled peace talks. Record low global inventories and continued disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are also contributing factors to the price hike.
Oil prices surged Monday as President Trump warned Iran to "get moving" amid stalled peace talks and record low global inventories, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining largely closed.
Oil prices rose as Iran-U.S. talks stalled, fueling fears of a supply crunch. Record low inventories and potential conflict in the Strait of Hormuz contributed to the climb.
The number of armed conflicts worldwide has reached a historic peak since 1946, with intra-state conflicts in the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia being particularly significant. The proportion of the global population living in countries affected by conflict has also risen.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says the US and Iran are committed to ending the armed conflict despite complicated negotiations.
For most military powers, proving the success of one’s technology in real combat almost always requires undertaking the grave risks of war and human casualties. In the case of the People’s Liberation Army, Beijing continues to exercise great caution about joining any armed conflict, and the past few decades have brought astounding progress yet an extremely limited combat footprint for its weaponry. The Iran war could change that. As tensions around Iran persist, Pakistan, whose imported weapons...
The U.S. government deported 15 Latin Americans to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo on April 17 as part of a secretive migration deal—the first group to arrive under the agreement. The deportees from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru say they were chained during transport and didn't know their destination until on the plane. They are being held in a shabby hotel near Kinshasa's airport, cut off from a country whose language they don't speak, with limited water, rodents and mosquitoes. Several have pending U.S. court cases. The deal has sparked protests in Congo, where opposition politicians have condemned the policy.
