World

Iran has prepared itself for a long war, unlike the United States, Ali Larijani, secretary-general of the Middle East nation's Supreme National Security Council, said on the third day of the US-Israel war against Iran. Larijani reiterated what other officials of the Islamic Republic have been saying since the military conflict began: "We will defend ourselves, whatever the cost." Since February 28, the US and Israel have been conducting a coordinated, massive military offensive against Iran, targeting in particular Iranian leaders as well as military and other government facilities. Even though several high-ranking Iranian officials have been killed, the Islamic theocratic regime remains intact, so far. And Tehran has responded by lobbing missiles and drones on targets in Israel and in...

When Donald Trump received Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House on Tuesday evening, the US president unleashed a tirade against Spain. He told reporters in the room that "Spain has been terrible," and that "we're going to cut off all trade" with the EU country. The reason is that Spain has opposed strikes on Iran from the very beginning and has expressed this view with greater vehemence than other any other European country. While Merz referred to US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran as a legal "dilemma," Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the attacks as a massive breach of international law. His government then banned the US from using the two jointly operated military bases in Andalusia, southern Spain, to wage war on Iran.Spain does not permit US w...

The United States and Venezuela's interim government have agreed to reestablish diplomatic and consular ties, the US State Department said. In a statement released on Thursday, the State Department said it was focused on creating "the conditions ​for a peaceful transition to ​a democratically government." It's a sign of thawing ties between the nations after the Trump administration captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January 2026 and brought him to the US to face criminal charges. During US President Donald Trump's first term in office, the US stopped recognizing Maduro and his administration as Venezuela's legitimate government. The US withdrew its diplomats and suspended operations at its embassy in Venezuela's capital, Caracas, in 2019. Venezuela will ensure security f...

India recently announced a two-decade tax break for foreign tech companies that use data centers in the South Asian country to provide services to overseas customers. The exemption, though, doesn't apply to services offered to Indian clients, which will continue to be taxed.  The move is part of India's efforts to draw investors into its fast-growing digital infrastructure sector and become a global hub for artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing infrastructure. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration has already rolled out a slew of incentives such as granting infrastructure status for data centers to accelerate their development. Some state governments have also eased land-use rules. New Delhi hosted a global AI summit last month, gathering those shaping the future of t...

India recently announced a two-decade tax break for foreign tech companies that use data centers in the South Asian country to provide services to overseas customers. The exemption, though, doesn't apply to services offered to Indian clients, which will continue to be taxed.  The move is part of India's efforts to draw investors into its fast-growing digital infrastructure sector and become a global hub for artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing infrastructure. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration has already rolled out a slew of incentives such as granting infrastructure status for data centers to accelerate their development. Some state governments have also eased land-use rules. New Delhi hosted a global AI summit last month, gathering those shaping the future of t...

A Greek appeals court Wednesday upheld the 2020 convictions of leaders and associates of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party. A Greek court in 2020 found the party guilty of running a criminal organization under the disguise of a political party in a major win for democracy in the country. In 2020, the party's leader, Nikos Michaloliakos, a Holocaust denier, and other top members were found guilty of running and participating in a criminal organization.  The decision came after a five-year trial. Golden Dawn convictions upheld by judges In a unanimous decision, a panel of five judges at the Criminal Appeal Court in Athens confirmed the 2020 convictions of 42 Golden Dawn members and associates who had appealed their sentences. They include party leader Nikos Michaloliakos, 68, who was sent...

The partner of a sitting Labour member of parliament was one of the three men arrested by British police on Wednesday, media reports say. British police said in a statement that three men were arrested on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service. That stood in violation of section 3 of the National Security Act, 2023, which was introduced to give authorities greater power to tackle foreign interference. In the statement, police confirmed that the country in question was China. The statement didn't name the men, in keeping with UK practice. All three men, aged 39, 43 and 68, remain in custody. UK media say partner of Labour MP among those accused of spying for China According to UK media reports, David Taylor, who is married to Joani Reid, the Labour lawmaker representing...

Just hours after Israeli and US bombs started hitting Tehran on Saturday, Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, called it an "unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent UN member state." Moscow is one of Tehran's few but staunchest allies, and a possible collapse of the Iranian regime could be a blow for its geopolitical and economic interests. Then why has it not come to Tehran's rescue? Russia-Iran partnership Moscow and Tehran have been cooperating on several economic projects vital to Russia, Nikita Smagin, an independent Azerbaijan-based expert on Russia and the Middle East, told DW. "The North-South transport corridor is one of them — especially since Russia was cut off from its traditional transit routes after starting the ful...

China has condemned the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran and the killing of  Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with Beijing calling it "a serious violation of Iran's sovereignty and security" which tramples "on the aims and principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms of international relations."    Naturally, Chinese concerns reach beyond the respect for international law — Iran is one of China's most important suppliers of oil and natural gas. According to estimates, as much as 90% of Iranian oil production is exported to China, most of it via third countries, to avoid tough international sanctions on Iran. And since April 2025, Iranian oil exports have even been settled in renminbi, the Chinese currency, due to Iran being excluded from the international SWIFT payment syste...

Pakistan has deployed the military and imposed a three-day curfew in the northern cities of Gilgit and Skardu. The deployment comes after deadly protests against the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli attack. At least 25 people have been killed and dozens injured across the country. Thousands of Shiite demonstrators attacked UN offices in Skardu, in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, on Sunday. In the city of Gilgit, protesters burned a police station and damaged a school, officials said. Police said at least 12 people were killed and 80 others wounded in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.Attacks on Iran trigger global Shiite protestsTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video UN spoke...