Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he hopes Iran-backed Hezbollah can be disarmed this year, following an Israeli military campaign that left the group decapitated and significantly weakened. “We hope that Hezbollah’s weapons will be withdrawn or that their possession will be restricted to the state in 2025, and this is what I am striving for,” the United States-backed president said ...

The Maldives has banned Israeli passport holders from entering its territory, the president’s office said on Wednesday, accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza war, an allegation Israel has repeatedly denied. Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu ratified an amendment to the country’s immigration law after it was passed by parliament on Tuesday, a statement from his office said. ...

Nora Aunor, who became one of the biggest stars of Philippine cinema during a career that spanned seven decades, has died. Aunor died Wednesday, according to social media posts from her children. She was 71. No further details on the cause or place of her death were immediately given. Filipina actor Lotlot de León said on Instagram that her mother ...

Epic things are coming to Orlando. In a little more than a month, Universal will officially open the doors of its newest theme park, the first major theme park in the Florida area in 25 years, spurring a major shift in Orlando’s tourism industry. Epic Universe is the largest of all Universal properties at 750 acres and features five themed worlds: The ...

Chinese online retailer Temu, whose “Shop like a billionaire” marketing campaign made its way to last year’s Super Bowl, has dramatically slashed its online ad spending in the U.S. and seen its ranking in Apple’s App Store plunge following President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on trade partners. Temu, which is owned by Chinese e-commerce giant PDD Holdings, had been on an online advertising blitz in recent ...

The proposal, received by Hamas on Monday, outlines an initial framework for a 45-day truce in the Palestinian enclave during which the two sides would aim to negotiate a permanent ceasefire, according to the official. The Israeli proposal also calls for the disarmament of Gaza, previously a red line for Hamas. It does not include a guarantee of a permanent ...

Israeli ministers have redoubled their attacks on the embattled head of the country’s security agency, claiming he is undermining the government with a politically motivated investigation into a Shin Bet agent. The agent, who has not been named, was arrested last Wednesday on suspicion of committing security-related offenses. Police say he used his position and access to Shin Bet systems ...

Police have arrested two people suspected of breeding and selling exotic cats in Spain. Officers detained the pair at a property in Manacor, on the island of Majorca, after finding 19 exotic cats including a desert lynx and two servals, according to a statement from the Guardia Civil on Monday. “The detainees sold different animal species such as white tigers, ...

Several French prisons were attacked overnight in response to government efforts to clamp down on drug trafficking, senior officials said on Tuesday, as authorities grapple with what they have called a “tsunami” of cocaine coming into the country. Unknown assailants fired automatic weapons at the prison in the southern city of Toulon, while vehicles were burned outside other lockups across ...

Four journalists linked to the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny were sentenced to spend five years and six months in a penal colony on Tuesday, after they were accused of working for a banned organization run by the Kremlin critic, Russian state media TASS has reported. The reporters – Antonina Favorskaya, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov and Artem Kriger – ...