World

WASHINGTON – Israeli and Lebanese officials held their first direct talks in decades Tuesday, meeting in Washington to try to end a bloody conflict that has threatened to derail the broader ceasefire in the war between Iran and the United States.

When armed gangs shattered four months of relative calm in Haiti’s Lower Artibonite region last month, the violence didn’t just claim lives. It also added to the pressures of an already strained humanitarian system.

The U.S. and Iran are weighing a second round of peace negotiations, with Tehran considering a pause in shipments through the Strait of Hormuz to help ease the path toward further talks.

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea conducted another test of strategic cruise missiles and anti-warship missiles on Sunday as part of operational efficiency trials of its destroyer Choe Hyon, state media KCNA said on Tuesday.

Pope Leo XIV met with the president of the Republic of Algeria on April 13, in his first stop of a 10-day trip across Africa where he is set to visit four countries on an apostolic journey.

Hungary’s next leader will lay out his plans on Monday to shore up the economy and dismantle Prime Minister Viktor Orban self-styled illiberal system, a day after a landslide election win over the nationalist premier who had been backed by Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

HONG KONG – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday said China should take on a more substantial role with issues including climate change, security, defense and the fight against inequality, adding that Europe will also have to redouble its efforts as the U.S. withdraws from leadership roles on many fronts.

Taiwan will conduct new drills in coming weeks to ensure the island has access to critical supplies in the event of a Chinese blockade, a risk demonstrated by Iran’s closure of a global energy chokepoint. A senior Taiwanese official said the government will carry out its first-ever joint exercise between the Interior Ministry and other departments to escort ships carrying natural gas and oil ...

JERUSALEM – Israel launched new attacks on Lebanon on Sunday after the United States and Iran failed to reach a quick peace deal over the weekend. Last week, President Donald Trump asked Israel to scale back its attacks on Lebanon. The fighting in recent days, which Israel says is targeting the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, appears to be focused on southern Lebanon; Israel has not bombed the capital, Beirut, since an onslaught on Wednesday.

The UK will not take part in the proposed U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, setting up yet another point of contention between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the conflict in Iran. The British government said in a statement Sunday that it continued to call for freedom of navigation and the opening of the strait, following Trump’s announcement that the U.S. ...

Peruvians are heading to the polls Sunday to elect a new president from among a record 36 candidates and to overhaul the legislature, which for the first time in over three decades will return to a bicameral system. This is one of Peru’s most complex elections, with the largest and most expensive ballot sheets in its tumultuous history. With such a crowded field and many voters deciding at the ...

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Hungary’s veteran nationalist leader Viktor Orban lost power to the upstart center-right Tisza party in Sunday’s national election after 16 years in office, marking a setback for his allies in Russia and U.S. President Donald Trump’s White House.

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine on Saturday accused Russia of hundreds of violations of a Kremlin-declared ceasefire over Orthodox Easter. Ukraine’s general staff said attacks had continued, recording 469 breaches of the truce, including hundreds of drone strikes, 153 instances of shelling and 22 assault operations. The 32-hour ceasefire, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, went ...

DEBRECEN, Hungary — Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán made competing final pitches to voters on Saturday, a day before the country heads to the polls in what is seen as its most critical election since the transition to democracy. Magyar told supporters in the eastern city of Debrecen that Orbán, who trails in the polls, would be ejected from office. He ...