China and Philippines unfurl competing flags on disputed South China Sea sandbars, reviving tensions

China and the Philippines have each unfurled their national flags on tiny sandbars in the South China Sea, staking competing sovereignty claims in strategic waters seen as a potential flashpoint for global conflict. The rival photo opportunities unfolded on Sandy Cay, a string of three uninhabited sandbars which lie near a Philippine military outpost in […]

Yemen’s Houthis claim dozens killed in alleged US airstrike on prison holding African migrants

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday alleged a US airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 68 people and wounding 47 others. The US military had no immediate comment. The strike in Yemen’s Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis, is the latest incident in the country’s decadelong war to kill African migrants […]

Why Pope Francis isn’t being buried in the Vatican

Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday, is breaking with tradition when it comes to where he will be laid to rest – choosing a light-filled basilica instead of the grottoes of the Vatican. Popes are usually buried within Vatican City, beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. But Francis will be the first pontiff in more than […]

Ukraine hit by another night of deadly Russian strikes despite Trump’s ‘Vladimir, STOP!’ plea

Moscow has inflicted another round of deadly strikes on Ukraine despite US President Donald Trump’s plea for Russian President Vladimir Putin to “STOP!” attacking its neighbor. At least eight people were killed in drone strikes across the country, a night after Russia launched its deadliest bombardment of Ukraine since the middle of last year. A […]

A tourist massacre in Kashmir is escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Here’s what we know

Relations between India and Pakistan are cratering following a deadly attack in the disputed Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir that left more than two dozen tourists dead, raising fears of another military escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals. New Delhi downgraded ties with Islamabad, summoned its top diplomat, suspended for the first time its involvement […]

Family demands release of hunger-striking activist held in Egypt as fears grow for his health

The family of a jailed Egyptian dissident has expressed renewed fears for his life as his health worsens more than 50 days after he went on hunger strike. Prominent government critic Alaa Abd El-Fattah, a 42-year-old dual Egyptian British citizen, has remained in prison despite completing his sentence last September, according to his family, which […]