World

The US has officially withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO), a year after President Donald Trump announced he was putting an end to America's 78-year-old commitment to the health agency. Trump notified the United Nations health agency a year ago when he signed an executive order on the first day of his office in 2025. There's a one-year waiting period before the withdrawal is finalized. The US president cited the organization's alleged "mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic" and "other global health crises" among reasons to quit the body. He also said that US membership in the organization required "unfairly onerous payments." "Today, the United States withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO), freeing itself from its constraints," said a joint statement from US Secr...

Using slides showing images of gleaming skyscrapers and apartments, Jared Kushner presented a Trump-backed "master plan" for the rebuilding of Gaza. Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, said during Thursday's presentation at the World Economic Forum in Davos that postwar Gaza would become "a place that the people … can thrive, have great employment." "In the Middle East they build cities like this, you know for 2 or 3 million people, they build this in three years," said Kushner, who has no official title but has been part of the US-backed Gaza peace negotiations. "And so, stuff like this is very doable if we make it happen," he said, speaking immediately after Trump presented his ambitious "Board of Peace" designed to oversee the Gaza truce and Strip's reconstruction. Kushner...

European Council President Antonio Costa has said that the EU leaders believe "it's very important to preserve and cherish our transatlantic partnership." He made the comments after chairing an emergency summit in Brussels late on Thursday. The evening meeting was called to reassess ties with United States over President Donald Trump's treats to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland and impose tariffs on select EU nations. But on the eve of the summit, while attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump suspended his tariff threats and said he wouldn't use force to take the Arctic island. EU leaders to turn focus on implementing trade deal with US The summit didn't make any decision. But Costa said the priority now must be to implement the EU-US trade deal agree...

Israel's decision on December 26, 2025 to recognize Somaliland as an independent state sent shockwaves across the Horn of Africa and beyond. Diplomatic pushback from Somalia and concern within the African Union (AU) followed over regional stability and territorial integrity. Somaliland, a self-governing region in northern Somalia, declared independence in 1991 following the collapse of Somali ruler Siad Barre's military regime. Tens of thousands of people were killed in the late 1980s as Barre's forces pursued rebel groups in the territory. Many Somalilanders argue the union with Somalia was unlawful and had failed, fuelling demands for self-rule and a separate, stable state.Somaliland: Somalia's breakaway 'nation'To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a we...

The European Parliament voted on Wednesday for a legal check of the EU's trade deal with four members of the Latin American Mercosur bloc, a move that could severely delay or even derail the deal.  German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took to social media soon after news of the vote, calling the result "regrettable" and saying it "misjudges the geopolitical situation."  The EU signed the deal with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay on Saturday, after a quarter of a century of negotiations. But it still requires approval from the European Parliament before it can formally take effect. Farmers protested outside the parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, after clashes with police the previous dayImage: Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa/picture alliance Razor-thin margin in vote, amid massive prote...

Announcing the EU's Anti-Racism Strategy for 2026-2030, European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib faced a barrage of questions from the press: Had the EU watered the proposal down over fears it might worsen the relationship between the EU and the US? Back in April 2025, the Trump administration torched America's diversity, equity and inclusion ,or DEI, polices, branding them "woke ideology.” It prompted scores of companies and universities to wind back commitments to anti-discrimination. "When it comes to the Americans, they do what they want," insisted Lahbib, the bloc's commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management, during the press conference at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. "They can mock, but we are not like this. These are our values. This is who we are .When they...

"My friend, we are totally in line on Syria. We can do great things on Iran. I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland." This message from French President Emmanuel Macron to US President Donald Trump were intended to remain confidential, but Donald Trump published the short message on his Truth Social network on Tuesday night. "He will soon be leaving office," the US president went on to joke about Macron in front of reporters. Just as Emmanuel Macron is trying to keep the dialogue going, Trump publicly embarrasses the president. Trump regularly imitates Macron's accent in public appearances. The rift is also likely deepening after a documentary that aired on France 2 on Tuesday evening. It shows a private phone call during Macron's visit to Kyiv on May 10, 2025, apparently wi...

"My friend, we are totally in line on Syria. We can do great things on Iran. I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland." This message from French President Emmanuel Macron to US President Donald Trump were intended to remain confidential, but Donald Trump published the short message on his Truth Social network on Tuesday night. "He will soon be leaving office," the US president went on to joke about Macron in front of reporters. Just as Emmanuel Macron is trying to keep the dialogue going, Trump publicly embarrasses the president. Trump regularly imitates Macron's accent in public appearances. The rift is also likely deepening after a documentary that aired on France 2 on Tuesday evening. It shows a private phone call during Macron's visit to Kyiv on May 10, 2025, apparently wi...

"Iranian Patriots, KEEP ‍PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!... HELP IS ON ITS WAY," Trump posted on Tuesday, 13, 2026, on his Truth Social platform. However, after a week of ongoing demonstrations, help is yet to be seen. In fact, the US president has backtracked from his capital-letters pledge. He said he had been informed that the killings were subsiding and he did not believe mass executions were currently planned. 'Alarming violence' However, other UN member states apparently do not share this assessment. At their request, the UN Human Rights Council will hold a special session on Friday to discuss the "alarming violence" in Iran. Rights group Human Rights Watch has also called for a special session. The US-based Iranian human rights organization Human Rights Activists (HR...