Iranian officials continue to promise harsh punishments for “rioters” arrested during recent nationwide protests as they trade barbs with US President Donald Trump amid an ongoing digital blackout.

A Minnesota man told Reuters he felt fear, shame and desperation a day after ICE officers broke down his door with guns drawn, handcuffed him and dragged him into the snow wearing shorts and Crocs.

US President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace has got off to a rough start: questioned by Europe, criticised by Israel and celebrated by friends of the Kremlin.

Spain begins three days of national mourning for the 40 people killed in a high-speed train crash that the prime minister has vowed to investigate.

The leaders of Egypt and Sudan both welcome US president’s offer to mediate in the Nile dam dispute with Ethiopia.

Billionaire wealth surged at three times its recent pace in 2025 to reach its highest level on record, deepening economic and political divides that threaten democratic stability, anti-poverty group Oxfam said.

Prince Harry has had a turbulent relationship with the media and blames the press for the death of his mother, Princess Diana.

Thousands in the US staged large demonstrations denouncing the Iranian government’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters in the Islamic Republic.

Spain reeled from a collision between two high-speed trains in the southern region of Andalusia that killed 21 people and injured more than 70, with the prime minister lamenting a “night of deep pain”.

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine was under house arrest a day after elections in which early results showed a commanding lead for President Yoweri Museveni as he seeks to extend his 40-year rule.

A senior UN official warned that threats of military action against Iran, like those made by US President Donald Trump, increased “volatility” in the protest-torn country.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she “presented” her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Donald Trump, in a bid to win over the US president who had sidelined her since overthrowing Nicolas Maduro.

Libyan authorities have uncovered a mass grave containing the bodies of 21 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, local media reported on Thursday.

A US-backed plan to end the war in Gaza has entered its second phase despite unresolved disputes between Israel and Hamas over alleged ceasefire violations and issues unaddressed in the first stage.

The collapse of a highway construction crane killed two people near Bangkok, with a Thai minister saying the building firm was also involved in a crane failure the day before that left 32 dead.

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East has announced the launch of the second phase of a US-brokered plan to end Israel’s war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

US President Donald Trump said he had been told the killings of protesters in Iran had been halted, but added that he would “watch it and see” about threatened military action.

Veteran Spanish singer Julio Iglesias is preparing his defence against sexual abuse and human trafficking allegations by two women ex-employees, celebrity magazine Hola! reported.

Greenland’s residents expressed a mix of anxiety and relief after a meeting was held in the White House between officials from the United States, Denmark and the island at the centre of US President Donald Trump’s focus.

Germany will send 13 soldiers to ‌Greenland on Thursday as part of a reconnaissance mission with other European nations, the German government and defence ministry said on Wednesday, following demands by President Donald Trump ‍for Washington to have control of the island.

Some personnel have been asked to depart the United States’ Al Udeid military base in Qatar, two diplomatic sources told AFP on Wednesday, with the Gulf state saying “regional tensions” were behind the move.