Spotlight
Far-right parties made big gains in the European Parliament in election results that rattled the traditional powers and made French President Emmanuel Macron call snap legislative elections.
Macron's party suffered a heavy defeat from the far-right National Rally party, while in Germany support for Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democrats sank to a projected 14%, behind the extreme-right Alternative for Germany, which surged into second place.
Full StoryFresh from declaring victory in India's election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered few details on the agenda for his third term, but went out of his way to underline he would continue to focus on raising the country's military preparedness and clout.
That should come as good news to the United States and its other allies, as they focus increasingly on keeping China's sweeping maritime claims and growingly assertive behavior in the Indo-Pacific region in check.
Full StoryFederal prosecutors are wrapping up their gun case against Hunter Biden, with two more witnesses expected Friday in their effort to prove to jurors that the president's son lied on a mandatory gun purchase form when he said he wasn't "an unlawful user of, or addicted to" drugs.
Prosecutors were still planning to call a drug expert and an FBI chemist, capping a week that has been largely dedicated to highlighting the seriousness of his drug problem through highly personal and sometimes salacious testimony.
Full StoryU.S. President Joe Biden on Friday for the first time publicly apologized to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a monthslong holdup in American military assistance that let Russia make gains on the battlefield.
Speaking in Paris, where they both attended ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, Biden told Zelensky that he apologized to the Ukrainian people for the weeks of not knowing if more assistance would come while Congress waited six months before sending Biden a $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine.
Full StoryIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to address a joint meeting of Congress on July 24, setting the stage for what is expected to be a contentious speech at a crucial moment for the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Congressional leaders confirmed the date of the address late Thursday after formally inviting Netanyahu to come speak before lawmakers last week. It is the most recent show of wartime support for the longtime ally despite mounting political divisions over Israel's military assault on Hamas in Gaza.
Full StoryA contingent of U.S. lawmakers from the House of Representatives is preparing for a commemorative parachute jump at Normandy marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the historic assault that launched the end of World War II.
Organized by Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., the bipartisan group is expected to include 10 congressmen, all veterans themselves, making the trek to France to honor and pay tribute Friday to the U.S. and Allied troops at a defining moment at home and abroad.
Full StoryAs the sun sets on the D-Day generation, it rose again over Normandy beaches where soldiers fought and died exactly 80 years ago Thursday, kicking off intense anniversary commemorations against the backdrop of renewed war in Europe, in Ukraine.
Ever-dwindling numbers of World War II veterans who have pilgrimaged back to France, and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine that has dashed hopes that lives and cities wouldn't again be laid to waste in Europe, are making the poignant anniversary of the June 6, 1944, Allied landings even more so 80 years on.
Full StoryUkrainian drones struck an oil refinery and a fuel depot in Russian border regions, officials in the targeted areas said Thursday, in Kyiv's ongoing effort to disrupt the Kremlin's war machine and as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought further Western support in Europe's biggest conflict since World War II.
Zelensky was due to join world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, at D-Day commemorations in France on Thursday. On Friday, he was due to meet with French officials.
Full StoryPolls opened in the Netherlands on Thursday to kick off four days of voting in European Union parliamentary elections across the 27 member states that are expected to deliver gains for the hard right.
Geert Wilders, of the far-right Party for Freedom, or PVV, was among the first senior politicians to cast his ballot. Having sent shockwaves around Europe six months ago by becoming the biggest party in the Dutch national parliament, he now wants to build on that popularity and set the tone for much of the bloc, with calls to claw powers back to national capitals and away from the EU so member states have more autonomy on issues such as migration.
Full StoryThe U.N. nuclear watchdog's board has censured Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency, diplomats said, calling on Tehran to provide answers in a long-running investigation and reverse its decision to bar several experienced U.N. inspectors.
Iran's Foreign Ministry issued a late-night statement Wednesday in response to the vote, saying it "strongly condemns" the action taken by the IAEA's board of governors and called the move political.
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