US expects Iranian response to peace proposal on Friday, fighting flares in Gulf
WASHINGTON/CAIRO – The United States said it expected an Iranian response as soon as later in the day on Friday to its latest proposal to end the war in the Gulf, even as U.S. and Iranian forces clashed in the…
Rubio questions allies’ support on Iran following Italy talks
ROME – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday and afterwards questioned why allies including Italy were not backing Washington’s efforts to confront Iran and re-open the Strait of Hormuz. “I don’t understand why…
Experts race to write guidance to contain first ship-borne hantavirus outbreak
LONDON – As the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak sails towards Tenerife, World Health Organization officials are racing to draw up step-by-step guidance for what should happen next for the nearly 150 passengers when they finally reach land…
Rubio Responds After Trump’s Pope Leo Criticism Sparks Global Attention
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said the United States can have a productive relationship with the Catholic Church despite tensions over President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on Pope Leo. Rubio, who visited the Vatican on Thursday, told reporters on Friday…
US breach of commitments, blockade of ports main obstacles to ‘genuine negotiation’, Iranian president says
The U.S. breach of commitments and its blockade of Iranian ports and threats are the main obstacles to “genuine negotiations”, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday. “[The] world sees your endless hypocritical rhetoric and contradiction between claims and actions,”…
‘Ketamine Queen’ Gets 15 Years in Matthew Perry Death Case That Shook Hollywood
LOS ANGELES – A drug dealer dubbed the “Ketamine Queen” was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 years in prison in connection with the fatal overdose of “Friends” star Matthew Perry, including her role in supplying the dose of the powerful…
Trump Deploys Top Envoys to Pakistan for Iran Talks as Ceasefire Faces Test
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump is dispatching his Iran negotiating team, led by Vice President JD Vance, to Pakistan, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday, adding that the first round of talks would take place on…
Trump Claims “100% Victory” After Iran Ceasefire—But Big Questions Remain
U.S. President Donald Trump told AFP on Tuesday that the United States had won a “total and complete victory” after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire deal with Iran. “Total and complete victory. 100 percent. No question about it,” Trump told…
Israel Agrees to Iran Strike Pause—But Warns Lebanon Fighting Will Go On
Israel supports U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but said the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday. The office said Israel backed the U.S. move provided…
US Airports Could Close Over Funding Dispute
WASHINGTON- A senior Trump administration official said on Tuesday that if a government funding standoff continues, it may force the shutdown of some smaller airports in the coming weeks owing to a shortage of security personnel. The partial government shutdown,…
Trump: U.S. Doesn’t Need NATO Help in Iran War
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. had been informed by most of its NATO allies that they did not want to get involved with the country’s military operation in Iran. “Because of the fact that we have…
White House Eyes New Fertilizer Sources Amid Shortages
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is seeking other sources of fertilizer amid the ongoing Iran war’s shipping constraints, including from Venezuela and possibly Morocco, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Tuesday. “We’ve … established licenses for Venezuela to…
Big Money Deal Brewing in U.S. Wind Farm Case
U.S. officials are drafting agreements to pay nearly $1 billion to oil major TotalEnergies as compensation for the cancellation of leases for wind farms in federal waters off New York State and North Carolina, the New York Times reported on…
Trump’s Cuba Comment Triggers Swift Response From Russia
MOSCOW – Russia said it had unwavering solidarity with Cuba on Tuesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected to have the honour of “taking Cuba” and that “I can do anything I want” with the Communist-run island republic….
Senate Democrats Demand Answers on Iran School Strike
WASHINGTON – Nearly every U.S. Senate Democrat signed a letter sent to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday requesting a “swift investigation” of airstrikes on a girls’ school in Iran that killed scores of children and any other potential…
Trump Says He’s Not Worried About Iran Attacks in the U.S.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he was not worried about Iran-backed attacks on U.S. soil, as the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned of Iranian drones potentially striking the U.S. West Coast, ABC News reported. The U.S. and…
Iran War Toll Grows as US Troop Injuries Near 150
WASHINGTON- As many as 150 U.S. troops have been wounded in the 10-day-old war with Iran, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. The casualty figure has not been previously reported. Prior to Reuters’ publication of the…
NASA’s Artemis Moon Landing Timeline at Risk Due to Starship Delays
WASHINGTON – SpaceX’s Starship has accumulated at least two years of development delays since NASA picked the rocket as an astronaut moon lander in 2021, and is expected to require more time to clear remaining development hurdles before it can…
Heaviest Bombing Yet Hits Iran as Markets Bet War Ends Soon
DUBAI/TEL AVIV/WASHINGTON- The United States and Israel pounded Iran on Tuesday with what the Pentagon and Iranians on the ground said were the most intense airstrikes of the war, despite global markets betting that President Donald Trump will seek to…
Senate Vote Installs Permanent Leader at National Security Agency
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate confirmed General Joshua Rudd on Tuesday to lead the National Security Agency and the nation’s Cyber Command, filling a position that had been vacant since President Donald Trump abruptly fired his predecessor in a national…