The World section brings together news from across the globe, covering conflicts, politics, diplomacy and daily life in countries far and near. Expect reporting on wars and ceasefires, elections and government decisions, migration and humanitarian crises, natural disasters and accidents, plus the diplomatic exchanges that shape international relations.
Coverage spans every region, from long-running crises to sudden breaking events, offering context on how global developments affect communities, governments and ordinary people trying to navigate them.
French president will decide on concrete ‘next steps’ regarding demonstrations on Friday as part of tough security response to recent rioting
Angry lawyers and bewildered defendants: the fallout from fast-tracking French rioting cases
Emmanuel Macron has said “illegitimate” demonstrations will be banned over the coming days as France seeks to get a grip on civil unrest after some of its worst street violence in years erupted on the fringes of cost of living protests at the weekend.
Speaking after a meeting with intelligence chiefs and senior ministers, the French president said on Thursday that demonstrations organised by recognised groups would be allowed to go ahead, although their routes could be changed.
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Iran’s security chiefs say there will be ‘zero red lines’ if Trump and Netanyahu attack again
Iran will strike oil facilities, undersea cables, datacentres and AI facilities across as many as seven countries in the Gulf in the event of a fresh US-Israeli attack, Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council, has said.
Mehdi Mohammadi, an adviser to Mohammad Ghalibaf, the hardliner who led Iran’s negotiations with the US to end the conflict between the two countries, said Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed in principle on an attack, but could not guarantee a successful outcome. He added: “We see the next conflict as an existential threat. The third war in two years means a threat to existence. Our strategy is ‘zero red lines’.”
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Facing US sanctions, the International Criminal Court was awarded the European Union’s top rights prize on Thursday, in a show of support that risks upsetting President Donald Trump.
“The European Union is built on respect for multilateralism and international institutions, and this prize recognises the important work of the court in upholding international law and justice,” said European Parliament chief Roberta Metsola, announcing the award.
The ICC thanked the European Parliament for giving it the Sakharov Prize “at a time when the Court and its officials face unprecedented challenges”.
“Against this backdrop, the Sakharov Prize carries particular significance, reaffirming the importance of independent judicial institutions and of those who work to uphold international law,” ICC President Tomoko Akane said.
This month, the United States announced sanctions against the ICC aimed at crippling the day-to-day operations of the court, which tries individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Trump’s administration has vowed to dismantle the court “brick by brick”, furious that judges have issued an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged crimes in Gaza.
The win comes after ex-ICC judge Navi Pillay, who also served as UN rights chief, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this month — a choice Trump slammed as “disgraceful”, arguing the award should have gone to him.
The EU has already thrown its support behind the ICC in the face of the US sanctions — which will come into force in six months — and has said it is “ready to take any necessary measures” to make sure the court can keep working.
“The International Criminal Court must be free to pursue its mission, independently, and without pressure or intimidation,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on social media after the prize was announced.
Brussels is hoping to use the delay before the sanctions are applied to try to talk the US down, but is also eyeing implementing a “blocking statute” to shield the ICC from Washington.
Three finalists
Set up in 1988 and named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, the EU prize is bestowed annually on individuals or organisations to recognise their fight for human rights or democracy.
The ICC was among three finalists this year, alongside Tanzania opposition leader Tundu Lissu and twin sisters Taraneh and Romina Rahimi, representing those prosecuted by the Iranian government.
The nominees are put forward by the political groupings in the EU, and the winner is chosen by senior lawmakers. An award ceremony will be held in December.
Lissu, head of Tanzania’s opposition Chadema party, was detained in April 2025. He faces a possible death penalty if convicted of treason for allegedly inciting the public to boycott elections last year.
Taraneh and Romina Rahimi, 21, have respectively been sentenced to death and 36 years in prison for having taken part in anti-government protests in Iran.
Other recent high-profile winners of the Sakharov Prize have been Venezuelan opposition chief Maria Corina Machado, deceased Russian Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and the people of Ukraine.
At one point a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, Champi weakened slightly on Thursday but was still packing gusts of more than 227 kmh near its centre.
Two people were killed and eight were injured in an attack on Wednesday evening on King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia's eastern oil city of Dammam, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said on Thursday.
Pope Leo XIV underwent successful surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital to remove a localised cancerous nodule from his right lung. Doctors confirmed the growth was completely excised, leaving the pontiff requiring no further therapy as he resumes his public schedule.
Pakistan, Qatar, Turkiye and Indonesia on Wednesday signed a multilateral pact to promote cooperation in defence production and capabilities, the Turkish defence ministry said.
The Foreign Office has yet to comment on the signing of the defence pact.
According to the Turkish ministry, the signing took place in Qatar, with ministers of the four countries attending the ceremony. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who was visible in pictures shared by the ministry, signed on behalf of Pakistan.
Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman, and Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Defence Yusuf Jauhari were the other signatories. Haluk Görgün, who heads Turkiye’s Secretariat of Defence Industries, was also present on the occasion.
Reuters quoted the Turkish ministry as saying that the pact, titled ‘Badr Memorandum of Understanding’, was aimed at defence cooperation and strengthening defensive capabilities.
The ministry said the accord would also support military exercises and training, cooperation on research and development, and contribute to joint efforts to improve the countries’ respective defence industries.
Meanwhile, Turkiye-based Anadolu Agency quoted the ministry as saying that the MoU would help develop solutions and industrial sectors aligned with advances in modern defence systems.
Pakistan has strong brotherly and historic ties with the three countries, with intense diplomatic engagement seen in recent months with Qatar and Turkiye particularly.
Pakistan and Turkiye, along with Saudi Arabia, are members of the Makkah Defence Alliance, under which they are to treat an attack against any of them as an attack against all.
Qatar had welcomed that pact as cooperation aimed at regional security and stability.
More to follow
