Israeli forces bombed Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip overnight in retaliation for Palestinian rocket attacks, the military said Thursday. Hamas launched two rockets at Israel late Wednesday – bringing to six the number of strikes from Gaza in less than a week – the army said, adding that...

Iran displayed what it described as a domestically built long-range, mobile surface-to-air missile system Thursday, Iranian state media reported. The announcement comes at a time of rising tension between Iran and United States. Iran shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone in the Gulf...

Indonesia has blocked internet access in unrest-hit Papua over fears that a stream of offensive and racists posts online will spark more violent protests in the region, the government said Thursday. Riots and demonstrations brought several Papuan cities to a standstill this week, as...

Facebook's plan to hire professional journalists instead of relying solely on algorithms to deliver news is a positive step but is unlikely to shake up an embattled media industry, analysts say. The social media giant said Tuesday it would build a small team of journalists to select the top...

North Korea said Thursday it has "no interest" in dialogue unless Washington stops "escalating hostile military moves", as a senior US envoy visited Seoul with an eye on reviving nuclear talks with Pyongyang. Talks between Pyongyang and Washington have stalled since a second summit between...

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that if Europe does not take Daesh (ISIS) fighters held as prisoners, he will have to release them into the countries from which they came, such as Germany and France. Thousands of people, including men, women and children from more than 50...

Italian champions Juventus announced on Wednesday that they have opened a new branch in Hong Kong as the Serie A giants look to expand into the Asia-Pacific region. Juventus see the region as a major area of potential growth and are keen on "strengthening one's presence" in Asia as they...

Lionel Messi gave Barcelona a timely boost on Wednesday by returning to training with the rest of the squad after a calf injury. Messi trained alone in the morning before joining his team-mates in the afternoon, increasing hopes that Barca's captain could play a role against Real Betis in...

Although 50 years have passed since extremist Australian tourist Denis Michael Rohan set fire to East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque, Palestinians say the flames are still engulfing the flashpoint site. The 1969 fire has destroyed nearly third of the al-Qiblah mosque, including the 1,000-year...

The owner of a British-flagged tanker detained in Iran has met the country's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to make the case for the ship and its crew to be released. Erik Hanell, chief executive of Stena Bulk, met Zarif in Stockholm on Aug. 20 to ask for the Stena Impero to be...

 France believes 'no-deal' is now the most likely Brexit scenario after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson demanded the European Union reopen the divorce deal and drop the Irish backstop, an official in President Macron's office said Wednesday. Johnson said Tuesday that the backstop...

Iran-backed militias in Iraq have said they hold the United States responsible for a series of attacks targeting militia bases across the country. In a statement issued Wednesday, the deputy head of the militias known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, says the group...

Venezuelan officials reached out to the US behind President Nicolas Maduro's back solely to discuss his exit from power and free elections, National Security Advisor John Bolton said Wednesday. Bolton's comment came after Maduro said he had authorized the contacts with high level US...

Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has suggested that Renato Sanches and Jerome Boateng may be heading for the exit door at Bayern Munich, telling Sky Germany that both players will find it difficult to break into the first team this season. Portuguese midfielder Sanches and German...

Twitter have reacted to calls for more to be done in preventing racist abuse of footballers on social media platforms by agreeing to meet with representatives of Manchester United they announced on Wednesday. United executives were keen for a meeting with Twitter after their French World...

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday rejected accusations it supported Yemeni separatists in their seizure of the government's de facto capital Aden. "We regret hearing today allegations directed against the UAE regarding developments in Aden, which we categorically reject," the UAE's...

Italian President Sergio Mattarella begins two days of talks with parties on Wednesday to seek a way out of a political crisis that will lead to the formation of the country’s 67th government since World War Two or to early elections. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigned on Tuesday after...

 Alphabet Inc’s Google and Firefox browser maker Mozilla took action on Wednesday to block the Kazakhstan government from creating an internet surveillance system using their respective browsers. Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox will block a certain government certificate that allows...

 Danish leaders expressed shock and disbelief on Wednesday over U.S. President Donald Trump’s cancellation of a state visit to Denmark after its prime minister rebuffed his interest in purchasing Greenland. Trump’s proposal at first elicited incredulity and humor from politicians in...

If Iran’s oil exports are cut to zero, international waterways will not have the same security as before, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday at a meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Khamenei’s official website. “World powers know that in the case...