Trump then lambasted what he called the "neo-cons" that oversaw bloody US military interventions in the region and beyond.

The downgrade to Aa1 from Aaa adds to the bad news for the US president

The Israeli military said Saturday it had launched "extensive strikes" in the Gaza Strip over the past day as part of the "initial stages" of a fresh offensive on the besieged Palestinian territory

The United States on Friday approved the first blood test for Alzheimer's, a move that could help patients begin treatment earlier with newly approved drugs that slow the progression of the devastating neurological disease

The first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in more than three years lasted well under two hours, with no apparent sign of progress so far in narrowing the gap between the sides, and a Ukrainian source called Moscow’s demands “non-starters”.

US President Donald Trump said yesterday “a lot of people are starving” in the besieged Gaza Strip, where rescuers reported more than 74 deaths in Israeli air strikes since midnight.

The United Nations expressed deep concern Thursday over new unrest in Libya’s capital, warning the clashes risk mass displacement and endangered civilians.

Ukraine’s air force said yesterday it lost another US-made F-16 fighter jet, a significant blow as the aircraft have provided precious help to Ukrainian forces fighting Russia’s invasion.

The UN rights chief yesterday called on Mali to immediately repeal a decree dissolving political parties and to “fully restore political rights in the country”.

More than 295 million people faced acute hunger last year, a new high driven by conflict as well as other crises -- and the outlook is “bleak” for 2025 as humanitarian aid falters, a UN-backed report said yesterday.

Paris has filed a case against Tehran at the top UN court over two French citizens who have been held in Iran for three years, the French foreign minister said yesterday.

A polio outbreak has been declared in Papua New Guinea, sparking concern about the disease’s spread in a country with low vaccination rates, health officials said.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group said yesterday that it was “concerned” over the challenges to global trade, as ministers from APEC countries met in South Korea in the shadow of growing woes from US tariffs.

A Swedish diplomat arrested over the weekend in Stockholm on charges of spying and released days later has been found dead, media reported yesterday, with the foreign ministry confirming an employee had died.

Russia has deliberately targeted hotels used by journalists covering its war on Ukraine, the NGOs Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Truth Hounds said yesterday, calling the strikes “war crimes”.

World Press Photo yesterday suspended the credit for who took one of the most iconic pictures in history, the Vietnam War image “Napalm Girl”, after doubts were raised over the photograph’s authorship.

More than 20 people have died after severe storms swept through the US states of Missouri and Kentucky, laying waste to local communities and cutting off electricity to nearly 200,000 people, authorities said.

The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen on Thursday evening and air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday accused Donald Trump of lying when the US president said during his Gulf tour this week that he wanted peace in the region.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran should make a quick decision on an American proposal for a nuclear deal or “something bad will happen”.