Islamic State lashes out at Syria’s president

BEIRUT (AP) — The Islamic State group has blasted Syria’s interim president calling him a “puppet without a soul” controlled by Western countries, adding that his fate eventually will be similar to that of ousted leader Bashar Assad. In an audio message released late Saturday by the group’s spokesperson, who identifies himself as Abu Huzaifa al-Ansari, he called on IS followers around the world to attack Jewish and Western targets as they have in past years. Al-Ansari sent greetings to IS fighte

Feb. 22, 2026

Iranians chant anti-government slogans

Iranian students chanted anti-government slogans and scuffled with counterprotesters on Saturday in the latest display of anger at the country's clerical leaders, who also face a US military build-up aimed at pressuring them into a nuclear deal. The gatherings at universities, which were reported by both local and diaspora media outlets, followed a mass protest movement that was met with a government crackdown last month that left thousands dead. The crackdown had prompted US President Donald Tr

Feb. 22, 2026

Ukraine hits key site deep inside Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces struck an industrial site deep inside Russia on Saturday, which Ukraine and unofficial Russian news channels say was a key state-owned missile factory. The attack in Russia’s Udmurt Republic left 11 people wounded, three of whom were hospitalized, according to a Telegram post by Sergei Bagin, the local health minister. “One of the republic’s facilities was attacked by drones” launched by Ukraine, regional head Alexander Brechalov said in another Telegram pos

Feb. 22, 2026

British royal family faces worst crisis

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III’ s brother was under arrest. Police were searching two royal properties, and news commentators were endlessly discussing the details of a sex scandal with tentacles that stretched to the gates of Buckingham Palace. So how did Britain’s royal family spend Thursday afternoon? The king sat in the front row on the first day of London Fashion Week. Queen Camilla attended a lunchtime concert, and Princess Anne visited a prison. The decision to continue normal royal dutie

Feb. 22, 2026

Hundreds march in Lyon to protest killing

LYON, France (AP) — About 3,000 people joined a march organized by far-right groups on Saturday after a nationalist activist died from a beating in the French city of Lyon, in an incident that highlighted a climate of deep political tensions ahead of next year's presidential vote. French President Emmanuel Macron called for calm ahead of the tribute to Quentin Deranque, 23, who died of brain injuries in a hospital. The demonstrations took place under heavy police scrutiny, with no major incident

Feb. 22, 2026

Hezbollah vows resistance after Israeli strike

Hezbollah warned Saturday that it would have no choice but to fight on after an Israeli strike on targets in Lebanon killed eight of its operatives. Lebanon's government has vowed to disarm Hezbollah, but Israel insists it retains the right to defend itself by striking the Iran-backed militant group. On Friday, the Israeli military said it had hit Hezbollah command centres in eastern Lebanon and targets linked to the Palestinian group Hamas in the south. Hezbollah said Saturday that eight of its

Feb. 22, 2026

Galapagos park releases 158 juvenile hybrid tortoises on Floreana to restore the ecosystem

FLOREANA ISLAND, Ecuador (AP) -- Nearly 150 years after the last giant tortoises were removed from Floreana Island in Ecuador's Galapagos archipelago, the species made a comeback Friday, when dozens of juvenile hybrids were released to begin restoring the island's depleted ecosystem. The 158 newcomers, aged 8 to 13, have begun exploring the habitat they are destined to reshape over the coming years. Their release was perfectly timed with the arrival of the season's first winter rains. "They are

Feb. 22, 2026

The bones of St. Francis are going on public display, a mixed blessing for Assisi

ASSISI, Italy (AP) -- The bones of St. Francis of Assisi, the medieval friar who inspired Pope Francis and generations of Christians before him, are going on public display for the first time, giving his hilltop Umbrian hometown yet another reason to welcome pilgrims. That's a mixed blessing for Assisi Mayor Valter Stoppini, residents and the Franciscan friars who are organizing the monthlong display of relics to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the saint's death this year. Already, nearly 4

Feb. 22, 2026

Pope laments 'ashes of international law'

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV opened the church’s penitential Lenten season by presiding over Ash Wednesday and lamenting the “ashes of international law and justice” that have been left by today’s wars and conflicts. Leo revived the traditional prayer and procession that Pope Francis largely delegated to others in his final years. He walked with dozens of monks, priests, bishops and cardinals from one Roman church to another and then sprinkled ashes on the heads of cardinals during Mass. Ash Wednesd

Feb. 19, 2026

Major US naval, air buildup sets stage for potential Iran war

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The massive US military buildup in the Middle East, including warships, fighter jets, and refueling aircraft, lays the foundation for a potentially sustained campaign against Iran -- should US President Donald Trump give the order. Trump -- who ordered strikes on Iran last year -- has repeatedly threatened Tehran with further military action if ongoing talks do not reach a replacement for the nuclear deal the US president tore up in 2018, during his first term in office. CNN

Feb. 19, 2026

Greece to claim Nazi atrocity photos found on Ebay: minister

ATHENS, Greece (AFP) -- Greece will claim a World War II photo trove posted for sale online believed to show for the first time one of Nazi Germany's worst atrocities in the country, the Culture Ministry said Wednesday. The ministry said the photographs appeared to show "the last moments" of 200 Greek Communists executed by the Nazis on May 1, 1944. Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said an "entire collection" of photographs apparently taken by a German army lieutenant serving in wartime Greece had

Feb. 19, 2026

Israel conducting 'gradual de facto annexation' of West Bank: UN official

A top UN official warned Wednesday that steps by Israel to tighten control of areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority amount to "gradual de facto annexation." Since last week, Israel has approved a series of initiatives backed by far-right ministers to consolidate control over the West Bank where the Palestinians exercise limited autonomy under past deals. "We are witnessing the gradual de facto annexation of the West Bank, as unilateral Israeli steps steadily transform

Feb. 19, 2026

Study finds warming world increases days when weather is prone to fires around globe

The number of days when the weather gets hot, dry and windy — ideal to spark extreme wildfires — has nearly tripled in the past 45 years across the globe, with the trend increasing even higher in the Americas, a new study shows. And more than half of that increase is caused by human-caused climate change, researchers calculated. What this means is that as the world warms, more places across the globe are prone to go up in flames at the same time because of increasingly synchronous fire weather,

Feb. 19, 2026

Police assess if flights trafficked Epstein victims

LONDON (AFP) -- UK police said Tuesday they were "assessing" information in the Epstein files that women were trafficked by plane into Britain, as pressure grows to probe ex-prince Andrew's links to the flights. "We are assessing the information that has emerged in relation to private flights into and out of Stansted Airport following the publication of the US DoJ Epstein files," Essex police said. The short statement, referring to the late convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the Depar

Feb. 18, 2026

Zelenskyy says Trump exerting undue pressure

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said US President ​Donald Trump was exerting undue pressure on him in trying to secure a resolution to the nearly four-year-old war pitting Kyiv ‌against Moscow. Zelenskyy, in an interview with US website Axios published Tuesday, also said any plan requiring Ukraine to give up territory that Russia had not captured in ‌the eastern Donbas region would be rejected by Ukrainians if put to a referendum. Axios quoted Zelenskyy as saying it was "not fair" that T

Feb. 18, 2026