Hardline Republicans' hopes dashed as Congress pushes funding bill forward

U.S. Representative Chip Roy, one of the most prominent hardline Republicans in Congress, pulls no punches when it comes to how frustrated he is about the $1.2 trillion spending package that lawmak...

Israeli military says it is opening new aid routes into Gaza

Israel's military said it had opened a new entry point for aid to enter Gaza and was allowing unlimited supplies into the enclave, after a U.N.-backed report said there was an imminent risk of fami...

EU naval mission in Red Sea destroys missiles, Houthi seaborne drone

The EU's naval mission in the southern Red Sea said on Thursday it had destroyed three ballistic missiles and a Houthi seaborne drone to protect merchant ships. Tap for the full brief.

Lithuania pledges to spend at least 3% of GDP on defense

Lithuania's parliament on Thursday confirmed state budget guidelines which foresee an amount worth at least 3% of gross domestic product to be spent on defense from 2025 onwards. Tap for the full b...

Return of Somali pirates adds to crisis for global shipping companies

As a speed boat carrying more than a dozen Somali pirates bore down on their position in the western Indian Ocean, the crew of a Bangladeshi-owned bulk carrier sent out a distress signal and called...

Ukraine says Russia preparing 100,000 troops for potential summer offensive

Russia is preparing 100,000 troops who could be used for a possible new offensive push in Ukraine this summer or to replenish depleted units, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces said on Friday...

EU leaders will call for sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, Borrell says

EU leaders will call for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza at their summit in Brussels on Thursday, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. Tap for the full brief.

Iraq warm to Turkey's proposed anti-PKK joint ops center, says Turkish official

Turkey proposed to set up a "joint operation centre" with Iraq in order to fight the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and Baghdad responded "positively" in a meeting last week, a Turkish de...

Australia, Britain sign defense cooperation agreement

Australia and Britain have signed a new defense and security agreement that makes it easier for their defense forces to operate together in each other's countries and Australia chose BAE Systems to...

US says Arunachal Pradesh region is part of India, amid Indo-China tensions

The U.S. government recognizes Arunachal Pradesh as part of India and "strongly opposes" any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims in the northeastern Indian state that shares a border ...

Posterchild for Russia's removal of Ukraine orphans says he was coached, threatened

A teenage orphan who became a posterchild for Moscow's deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia said he was instructed by officials to recite pro-Russian talking points for television cameras an...

Israel determined to take Rafah despite “potential breach” with US, official says

Israel will take control of Rafah even if it causes a rift with the United States, a senior Israeli official said on Thursday, describing the Gazan city packed with refugees as a final Hamas bastio...

Hamas says Israeli response to its truce proposal was negative

A senior Hamas official said on Wednesday that Israel's response to the group's latest Gaza ceasefire proposal was negative after mediators handed it over. Tap for the full brief.

UN mission in Iraq probing Islamic State group crimes forced to shut down

A United Nations mission set up to help Iraq investigate alleged Islamic State genocide and war crimes is being forced to shut prematurely before it can finish its probes, following a souring of it...

US to lift Afghan visa limit under bipartisan deal

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has reached a compromise deal with Republicans in House of Representatives to lift the number of resettlement visas for Afghans who worked for the United S...