U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday via a Truth Social post that he held a two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he claims will lead to immediate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine toward a ceasefire and an end to the war.

U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said Sunday that the Trump administration’s nuclear talks with Iran hinge on a single non-negotiable condition: Tehran must abandon all uranium enrichment.

Ukrainian authorities announced Saturday that nine people have been killed in a Russian drone attack on a minibus that Kyiv said was evacuating civilians. The latest attack overshadowed talks in Turkey on ending the more than three-year Russia-Ukraine war.

Political earthquakes marked Europe’s “Super Sunday” of elections in Romania, Poland and Portugal, with a pro-Russian candidate being beaten in the Romanian presidential vote.

The mayor of the Dutch coastal town of Katwijk banned a pro-Palestinian protest late Sunday following days of unrest when Christians were threatened for expressing support for Israel.

A former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine has revealed that she resigned last month because President Donald J. Trump had pressured “victim Ukraine” rather than “aggressor Russia” to end their war.

Europe’s “Super Sunday” of elections was underway with a pro-Russia nationalist victory a real possibility in Romania on the same day voting was underway in Poland and Portugal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday he is open to a ceasefire with Russia but warned that Moscow seems “not serious” about peace talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States is close to reaching a new agreement with Iran over its nuclear program, expressing optimism about a diplomatic solution that could avert a military confrontation.

The United Nations has called for calm after the worst fighting in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, in years.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the US Congress in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, marking his first appearance since the severe Hamas attacks on southern Israel last year. He declared that Israel would continue fighting until a “total victory” over Hamas was secured. Netanyahu emphasized that the root of the conflict lies with Iran and its proxies, framing the global situation as a critical historical crossroads and a “struggle between those who glorify death and those who cherish life.”

Israeli archaeologists excavating in Jerusalem’s City of David announced Sunday that they have uncovered a 3,000-year-old moat that dates back to the time when Jerusalem was the capital of the Kingdom of Judah under King Josiah, The Media Line reports. The discovery was made by researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University.

With much of the Middle East in turmoil. U.S. presidential nominee Donald J. Trump confirmed he will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday at his resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Israel said Tuesday it killed an important commander of Hamas as part of a broader operation targeting fighters of the group that it designated as a terrorist organization.

China became involved in the future of Israel on Tuesday as it announced that more than a dozen Palestinian factions agreed on “ending division and strengthening Palestinian unity” in Beijing.

Israel was taking the next step Tuesday on declaring the leading United Nations relief organization for Palestinians a “terrorist organization” after several of its workers were linked to the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7.

The Israel Antiquities Authority announced last week that archaeologists excavating in the Judean Desert have uncovered a tiny 3,800-year-old dyed-red textile of the type that was used in the Biblical tabernacle and the Israelites’ priestly garments, the Jewish News Syndicate reports.

Seven US pro-life activists are facing up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine after being convicted last week (August 20) of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) and engaging in a “Conspiracy Against Rights”, Christian Post (CP) reports.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s family members have condemned his decision to suspend his 2024 presidential election campaign and endorse Republican Donald J. Trump, with whom he appeared at a political rally for the first time.

Kamala Harris has told Americans that voting for her will turn a fresh page in the country’s politics and keep an “unserious man” out of the White House while trying to receive the support of pro-Palestine protesters by embracing “Palestinian self-determination.”

Kamala Harris was to tell Americans that voting for her would turn a fresh page in the country’s politics and keep an “unserious man” out of the White House, according to excerpts of her speech released by her campaign.

The US Supreme Court last week (August 16) rejected a request by the Biden administration to enforce a new federal rule that Title IX’s prohibition of discrimination in public schools “on the basis of sex” includes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, Reuters reports.

The Democrats for Life anti-abortion organization has vehemently condemned the Planned Parenthood abortion provider for offering free abortion pills from a mobile van parked near the ongoing Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, the Christian Post (CP) reports. Abortion giant Planned Parenthood Great Rivers in St. Louis announced last week that its mobile van would be parked near the DNC on Monday and Tuesday, the first two days of this week’s convention.

The government acknowledged that job creation was significantly slower than initially reported on Wednesday, cutting over 800,000 jobs from previous figures. This admission came just 24 hours before Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for president.