Iran's hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registers as a presidential candidate for the June 28 election

Jun 2, 2024

Iran's hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registers as a presidential candidate for the June 28 election

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registers as a presidential candidate for the June 28 election.

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US could strike Iran this weekend, envoy says

Oct 24, 2026

US could strike Iran this weekend, envoy says

JERUSALEM — The United States could strike Iran as soon as this weekend, a US envoy said Friday, after mounting threats by both Washington and Israel. “Could there be a strike this weekend? Absolutely,” Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and point man on Syria who does not have a direct role on Iran,

Trump's diesel price relief efforts grow costlier as election nears

Oct 24, 2026

Trump's diesel price relief efforts grow costlier as election nears

With the November midterm elections fast approaching, President Donald Trump is throwing an array of costly and politically fraught solutions at one stubborn problem: the price of diesel. His administration has offered billions of dollars to farmers, relaxed rules for truckers, eased sanctions on Russian fuel and pressured European allies to release emergency stocks. Yet diesel prices rose again last week, leaving Trump spending political and financial capital without delivering the relief his party wants as voters go to the polls. Republicans are defending narrow majorities in Congress, and high costs are a major concern for voters. Nearly 80% of Americans blame Trump for higher costs, according to an October Reuters/Ipsos poll. US diesel prices rose nearly 10 cents a gallon in the latest week to an average of $6.28, reversing two weeks of declines and remaining near record highs, according to the Energy Information Administration. Diesel in the last two months has become a central issue not only in the midterms but as a catalyst driving up already-elevated US inflation. The fuel is cri

US Justice Dept sues to block possible Alaska election of Democrat to Senate

Oct 24, 2026

US Justice Dept sues to block possible Alaska election of Democrat to Senate

The US Justice Department on Thursday sued to preemptively block Alaska from certifying the results of its US Senate race if the Republican incumbent candidate loses by a narrow margin, saying voters could be confused because two Republicans on the ballot have almost identical names. The lawsuit signals the willingness of President Donald Trump's administration to contest the results of the November 3 midterm elections that will decide control of the US Congress. Trump's administration has taken an increasingly aggressive approach to election oversight, pressing states for voter-registration data and arguing that stricter measures are needed to ensure public confidence in the vote. Critics, including both Democratic and some Republican election officials, view the moves as federal overreach. Control of the US Senate could come down to Alaska, where incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan is running a closely contested race against Democrat Mary Peltola. The Justice Department's lawsuit, filed in federal court in Anchorage, takes issue with the presence of a third contender in the ra

Trump at South Florida rally revives the idea of military intervention in Cuba after Iran

Oct 24, 2026

Trump at South Florida rally revives the idea of military intervention in Cuba after Iran

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday told a rally for candidates in South Florida that U.S. warships returning from the Middle East could stop over in Cuba on their way back from the Iran war, his latest suggestion of taking an interventionist approach to the nearby country. Trump first floated this idea earlier this year, but has not mentioned it in recent months. But he revived it in response to a shouted question from the crowd about the island nation. He was campaigning just days ahead of midterm elections in which voters have expressed concern about the impact the U.S. war on Iran has had on prices of goods from gas to groceries. “We’ll do a little stopover,” Trump said. “Actually, what we’re going to do with Cuba is, we’re going to come back from Iran. Those beautiful ships will pass Cuba. We’ll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They’ll raise up their hands. And then we’re going to send (Secretary of State) Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal.” Both Rubio and Trump have been bullish on action in Cuba, with Trump previous

US could strike Iran this weekend, envoy says

Oct 24, 2026

US could strike Iran this weekend, envoy says

JERUSALEM — The United States could strike Iran as soon as this weekend, a U.S. envoy said Friday, after mounting threats by both Washington and Israel. "Could there be a strike this weekend? Absolutely," Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and point man on Syria who does not have a direct role on Iran, told podcast host Mario Nawfal. President Donald Trump "is very clear. He's open and available and accessible to a deal and we've been at the table for months and months and months," Barrack said in an interview as he visited the Gulf. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections Tuesday, has in recent days repeatedly vowed to topple the clerical state in Iran, following two major bombing campaigns against it since last year. Trump has also signalled an openness to resuming strikes after a long deadlock in diplomacy, although he earlier said it would not happen before U.S. congressional elections on November 3. Barrack, in remarks that contradict Netanyahu, said the U.S. was not looking to topple the Islamic republic, a sworn enemy of the United States and Israel

Lee showed how he uses AI. Trump isn't telling

Oct 24, 2026

Lee showed how he uses AI. Trump isn't telling

SEATTLE — President Lee Jae Myung has come under fire for publicly sharing how he used Google's Gemini to support his position in a political dispute. Across the Pacific, U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a different approach: He acknowledges using artificial intelligence (AI) but won't say exactly how. Trump is hardly shy about AI-generated content. His social media accounts have featured a string of fabricated images and videos, including portrayals of himself as a pope and a king, as well as AI-generated content mocking political opponents. But when reporters asked Trump about his personal use of AI aboard Air Force One last month, he offered little insight. "I use AI. Yes, I do," Trump said. Pressed on how he uses the technology, Trump replied, "Well, I don't want to tell you that." The exchange illustrates a contrast with Lee, who publicly shared a Gemini-generated response to support his position on whether the heads of investigative agencies should attend Cabinet meetings. Lee's disclosure sparked criticism from opposition politicians, who questioned his reliance on a chatbot

UN official thanks S. Korea for helicopter donation to Kenya for peacekeeping operations

Oct 24, 2026

UN official thanks S. Korea for helicopter donation to Kenya for peacekeeping operations

WASHINGTON — A senior United Nations official expressed gratitude to South Korea on Friday for donating eight military helicopters to Kenya to support U.N. peacekeeping operations. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, U.N. under-secretary-general for peace operations, made the remarks in a post on X following a ceremony marking the handover of eight refurbished MD 500 Defender helicopters to Kenya. "Grateful to the Republic of Korea for donating eight helicopters to enhance U.N. Peacekeeping's air mobility," Lacroix wrote. "Refurbished with U.S. support, they were handed over to Kenya," he added, describing the donation as a "concrete example" of how U.N. member states invest in peace. South Korea pledged to provide choppers to U.N. peacekeeping operations across Africa during the U.N. peacekeeping ministerial meeting held in Seoul in 2021. The United States vowed to conduct maintenance work on the helicopters and help transport them to the East African country. The decommissioned helicopters underwent repairs and refurbishment in the U.S. for approximately two years before arriving in Kenya last mont

Melania Trump helps broker ceasefire for aid delivery in occupied Ukraine

Oct 24, 2026

Melania Trump helps broker ceasefire for aid delivery in occupied Ukraine

WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump has brokered a coming ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the ravaged, Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, the White House announced on Friday. The localized ceasefire is set to begin Thursday, with the American first lady saying in a written statement that the situation there is “on the brink of disaster.” The White House said Melania Trump had initiated discussions after learning about the situation during an event she held during the U.N. General Assembly session last month. It said she and a representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire. Ukraine’s lead negotiator for the agreement thanked Melania Trump for her involvement and said the deal would be tough to accomplish. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, said the agreement calls for a ceasefire, followed by the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid. Lastly, civilians will be allowed to leave Oleshky, he said in a video message posted onl

US Treasury proposes expanding tech investment restrictions to N. Korea

Oct 24, 2026

US Treasury proposes expanding tech investment restrictions to N. Korea

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department has proposed expanding restrictions on American investments in sensitive technologies to include North Korea and several other countries, as Washington seeks to prevent adversaries from using U.S. capital to develop advanced military capabilities. The proposed regulations, detailed in a notice scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Thursday, would expand the existing Outbound Investment Security Program, which currently covers China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to include North Korea, Russia, Iran and Cuba, according to the Treasury Department. The proposal seeks to implement the Comprehensive Outbound Investment National Security Act, enacted in December last year as part of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. Under the proposal, certain investments by U.S. persons involving covered foreign entities engaged in specified sensitive technologies would be prohibited, while other transactions would be subject to notification requirements. The regulations would cover specified activities in key technology sectors, in

France to deploy 70,000 police ahead of new protests

Oct 24, 2026

France to deploy 70,000 police ahead of new protests

PARIS — France will deploy some 70,000 police nationwide as it braces for new protests this weekend after some of the worst urban violence in years erupted on the sidelines of demonstrations a week ago, the government said Friday. President Emmanuel Macron, who according to aides is postponing a visit later this month to Nigeria and Senegal amid the crisis, held a meeting of his defence council of top ministers and officials and was to meet security forces. He also hosted for the first time representatives of high school pupils, whose protests over conditions at their schools sparked the movement that has broadened into a nationwide show of anger against the government at the rising cost of living. Some 70,000 security personnel will be deployed on Saturday, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said at a press conference in Paris, warning that calls for violence and looting were circulating on social media. The protests have come at a critical moment for France six months ahead of elections to replace Macron, with a new poll underlining far-right candidate Marine Le Pen as the frontrunner a

Many feared trapped as a tall building collapses in Kenya

Oct 24, 2026

Many feared trapped as a tall building collapses in Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya — Many people were feared trapped as a tall building collapsed Friday in Kenya’s capital, leaving a huge mound of concrete and more than a dozen floors stacked like pancakes, with little space between them. The building was under construction when it collapsed at about 1 p.m. along a busy commercial street in Nairobi's Eastleigh area, which is often crowded with thousands of traders and residents. Nairobi police chief Issa Mohamud said the building had more than 10 upper floors under construction. Rescue operations were complicated, with police firing tear gas at people who had begun looting neighboring shops, as officers sought to clear the area and provide access to emergency response teams. Joseph Kaula made it out just in time. A plasterer working on the fifth floor, he said he heard screams and spotted other workers rushing outside, shouting that the building was collapsing. “I was the last person to walk out before it collapsed and the whole area was filled with dust,” Kaula said. Kaula suspects a few of his colleagues were trapped in the basement. One injured

US consumer sentiment near record low ahead of midterm elections

Oct 24, 2026

US consumer sentiment near record low ahead of midterm elections

U.S. consumer sentiment edged down to near a record low in October as rising prices because of the Middle East conflict soured households' views of the economy on the doorstep of midterm congressional elections centering on affordability issues, a survey showed on Friday. The University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers said its Consumer Sentiment Index dropped to 48.0 this month from a final reading of 48.1 in September. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index at 46.3, which had also been the index's preliminary reading for October. October's reading marked the second-lowest on record after the all-time low of 44.8 set in May, not long after the Iran war began. "Purchasing power continues to dominate consumer views of the economy," said Joanne Hsu, the director of the Surveys of Consumers. "Sentiment is now 10 percent below a year ago and 15 percent less than February, just prior to the Iran conflict." The survey results dovetail with political polling data showing voters have a dim view of the economy and President Donald Trump's and the Republican Party's stewardship over

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