WORLD

JERUSALEM | Xinhua |  Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said that Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib was killed in an overnight Israeli strike in Tehran, according to a statement issued by Katz’s office. Katz said, during a situation assessment with senior military officers, that “Khatib was in charge …

Island economies need about US$12 billion a year for climate adaptation but receive just over US$2 billion in international public finance   SPECIAL FEATURE | RONALD MUSOKE | Across the turquoise lagoons and coral-fringed shores of the world’s small island nations, nature is both a lifeline and a vulnerability. From the …

BEIJING | Xinhua | The 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) will be a crucial stage for China to consolidate foundations and make all-round efforts in advancing Chinese modernization, as the country moves toward its goal of basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035, experts have said. In the latest episode of China …

WASHINGTON, the United States | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has “demanded” several countries heavily reliant on Middle East oil join a coalition to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil passes. A …

Through trade, defense, and infrastructure, Turkey is building an enduring influence across Africa. From ports to schools, Ankara is embedding systems that could shape Africa’s economic and geopolitical future. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Turkey is courting African countries with a strategy aimed at expanding its footprint on a …

LONDON, UK | Xinhua | Oil prices surged as global markets opened on Monday amid growing concerns that escalating tensions in the Middle East could disrupt energy supplies and ripple through global financial markets. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 2.5 percent to 105.61 U.S. dollars per barrel in early …

PARIS | Xinhua | The Chinese and U.S. delegations held candid, in-depth and constructive exchanges and consultations here from Sunday to Monday on economic and trade issues of mutual concern, including tariff arrangements, promoting bilateral trade and investment, and maintaining existing consultation consensus. During the talks, which are guided by the …

WASHINGTON | Xinhua |  U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday complained that U.S. allies are reluctant to answer his call to join a White House-proposed multinational mission to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. “We’ve protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren’t that enthusiastic. And the …

Ukraine has become the world’s premier testing ground for AI weapons on Russian troops, foreign mercenaries   COVER STORY | AGENCIES | The Phantom MK-1 looks the part of an AI soldier. Encased in jet black steel with a tinted glass visor, it conjures a visceral dread far beyond what …

SPECIAL REPORT | THE INDEPENDENT | Women remain vastly underrepresented in political leadership worldwide, according to the latest “Women in Politics: 2026” map, prepared by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women. The findings reveal that men continue to dominate executive positions and parliamentary seats, with women far from achieving …