World

Iran sought to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz by saying that ships need its permission and mandatory insurance in order to cross, even as the U.S. said that 20 ships had quietly sailed through overnight via a route along Oman’s coast.

The Russian central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 14.25% on Friday, a smaller move than the 50 bps that analysts had expected, citing risks stemming from soft budget policy and a decline in fuel production.

The U.S.-Iran interim peace deal took effect and shipping started returning to the Strait of Hormuz as the United States declared an end to its blockade and a complex negotiating period over Tehran’s nuclear program began in earnest.

Russia attacked Kyiv with missiles, local authorities said on Thursday, as they urged residents to take shelter hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump ​and European leaders.

Iran would be allowed to start oil exports immediately under an interim deal with the U.S. and gain access to a $300 billion economic development program following negotiations for a permanent peace that’s meant to address Tehran’s nuclear activities, according to a draft of their agreement.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – G7 leaders on Tuesday pledged to step up efforts to address high debt burdens among developing countries, including middle-income countries not currently eligible for a debt relief initiative launched by the broader Group of 20 large economies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

European officials are wary of committing naval ships that could be placed in danger because US President Donald Trump wants to open up the Strait of Hormuz as quickly as possible.

The U.S. and Iran are preparing to formally sign their interim peace deal in Switzerland on Friday, with both sides claiming victory and oil traders and shippers unsure over how quickly the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened.

BRUSSELS – Ukraine opened the first phase of membership talks with the European Union on Monday, a key step in Kyiv’s efforts to anchor itself in Western political structures as ​it fights Russia’s invasion.

The United States is spending almost $25,000 every month to store contraceptives in Belgium that were originally bought for use in poorer nations but are now mainly unusable, according to a report from officials reviewed by Reuters. 

President Donald Trump joined global leaders on Monday at the Group of Seven summit at a French lakeside resort, where he touted his preliminary deal to end the Iran war and said he would now seek to end the fighting in Ukraine and Lebanon.

President Xi Jinping is shifting tactics in his campaign to pressure Taiwan, ramping up diplomatic isolation of the island while dialing down provocative displays of military aggression. Taiwan recorded a daily average of five Chinese war planes crossing the Taiwan Strait’s buffer line with China through May this year — half the number logged in same period of 2025. In March, Beijing didn’t ...

LONDON – Britain’s banks recorded the sharpest increase in losses to certain types of fraud since the COVID-era boom in technology-enabled scams, renewing calls for government action against platforms such as Meta where many ​cases originate.

The cabinet director and inspector general at Haiti’s Defense Ministry was kidnapped this week, along with his wife and their 6-year-old U.S. citizen daughter while seeking medical care in Port-au-Prince for their ailing child, according to two sources familiar with the incident. James Boyard, a Haitian police officer and security expert, was abducted Thursday morning in Raimbol in the ...

Thirteen people were injured and the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, a symbol of Ukrainian spiritual and cultural history, caught fire following a major Russian air attack on the Ukrainian capital, authorities said early on Monday, urging residents to take ​shelter.

China’s consumer spending may have contracted for the first time since the pandemic, a setback that would extend a slowdown in an economy whose momentum is faltering despite booming trade. After a surprise acceleration to start the year, the world’s second-biggest economy is cooling rapidly, with investment resuming declines and consumption hobbled by a weak job market and faster inflation. ...

WASHINGTON – The United States and Iran have reached a deal to end their war and will hold an official signing ceremony on Friday in Switzerland, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on social media early on Monday.