CIA Director John Ratcliffe held rare high-level talks with Cuban officials Thursday as protests erupted across Havana over the island’s worst rolling blackouts in decades, intensifying pressure on Cuba’s communist government amid President Donald Trump’s hard-line energy blockade.

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Donald Trump on Thursday that any mishandling of Taiwan could push the United States and China toward “clashes and even conflicts,” injecting a sharp geopolitical warning into a summit both leaders had hoped would steady relations between the world’s two largest economies.

The Pentagon has abruptly canceled the deployment of a U.S. armored brigade to Poland, marking another significant step in President Donald Trump’s effort to reduce America’s military footprint in Europe and shift greater responsibility for the continent’s defense onto NATO allies, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Iran’s ability to threaten Israel, America’s regional allies, and U.S. personnel across the Middle East has been dramatically reduced, according to Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, who told a Senate committee Thursday that Tehran’s military reach has been severely weakened after recent U.S. operations.

Japan’s prime minister confirmed Thursday that a Japanese supertanker emerged in the Gulf of Oman after apparently making a rare “dark transit” through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz without broadcasting its location.

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, urged the United States to become “partners, not rivals” Thursday as he welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump to Beijing for high-stakes talks overshadowed by tensions over trade, Taiwan, Iran, and technology competition.

Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar has vowed to return luxury government buildings from the Orbán era to “the Hungarian people,” after revealing that he found a highlighted Bible passage in former premier Viktor Orbán’s office declaring that “the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth.”

Saudi Arabia launched covert airstrikes inside Iran during the recent Middle East war, according to a Reuters exclusive citing two Western officials and two Iranian officials — a move that, if confirmed, would mark the first known Saudi military action carried out directly on Iranian soil. The reported strikes came in late March after the kingdom suffered Iranian attacks, including missile and drone strikes that exposed vulnerabilities in the U.S.-backed security umbrella protecting Gulf Arab states.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that Russia had successfully test-fired its new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile — nicknamed “Satan II” by NATO — declaring it the most powerful missile in the world and saying it would enter combat service by the end of 2026.

Hungary’s new government signaled Monday it will continue buying Russian energy despite European Union plans to phase out imports of Russian oil and natural gas, raising the prospect of an early confrontation with Brussels.

Israel and the United States have agreed to give Hamas a two-month window to disarm, according to a report by Israel Hayom, following an overnight meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

The Pentagon announced that Boeing has been awarded an $8.6 billion contract under the F-15 Israel Program following a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida.

President Donald Trump said Monday that he would support Israeli military action to prevent Iran from rebuilding its missile arsenal and warned that the United States would act “immediately” if Tehran attempts to revive its nuclear program.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Florida on Sunday ahead of a pivotal meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, amid growing Israeli concern that Washington may push forward with Phase II of the Gaza agreement without securing Israel’s core security demands.

Israel has officially deployed its Iron Beam laser-based air defense system in operational field use, marking a historic breakthrough in modern warfare, the Defense Ministry announced Sunday. The system has now transitioned from development and testing into active service with the Israel Defense Forces, becoming the world’s first high-power laser interception platform to reach full operational status.

Talks between Israel and Syria over a potential security agreement have advanced significantly in recent weeks and could be finalized soon, according to an exclusive report by i24NEWS citing a Syrian source close to Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa.

Israeli security forces announced Thursday that the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet eliminated a senior operative in Iran’s Quds Force during a strike in northeastern Lebanon.

A political standoff is brewing in Washington after President Donald Trump vowed not to sign new legislation until Congress passes the SAVE America Act, prompting warnings from Senate leaders that the move could trigger legislative gridlock.

The United States federal budget deficit totaled $1 trillion in the first five months of fiscal year 2026, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

President Donald Trump said Sunday he will refuse to sign any additional legislation until Congress passes the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, escalating pressure on lawmakers to advance the voter-identification bill that has stalled in the Senate.

Authorities say a suspect allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” before throwing an improvised explosive device during a protest near Gracie Mansion, triggering a major investigation involving federal and local law enforcement.

U.S. President Donald Trump arrived at Dover Air Force Base in the U.S. state of Delaware on Saturday to receive the remains of six American soldiers killed during the first days of combat operations linked to U.S. strikes on Iran, as tensions across the Middle East continued to escalate.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on after months of controversy, including the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal officers in Minneapolis and growing questions from lawmakers over spending at the Department of Homeland Security.

The U.S. economy unexpectedly lost 92,000 jobs in February, according to new data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, marking a sharp reversal from earlier forecasts that predicted modest job growth.

A Christian man who was released last week after 13 years in a Pakistani prison on false charges of blasphemy against Islam has died, his supporters told Worthy News Monday.

A Christian pastor has become the first person to be acquitted under the “anti-conversion” law of India’s state of Uttarakhand after a four-year legal battle, Christian sources confirmed Thursday.

Islamists are trying to take over a Christian school in Sudan despite hundreds of people displaced by war seeking refuge there, Christians said Thursday.

More than 8,000 college students filled the Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center Tuesday night for a UniteUS campus revival event, where worship, testimonies, and a call to faith in Jesus Christ led to hundreds of baptisms.

Evangelist Franklin Graham said Tuesday he was “encouraged” to learn that American actor, comedian, and bestselling writer Tim Allen has forgiven the man responsible for his father’s death in 1964.

Civil society groups in Rajasthan are raising alarm over a sharp rise in attacks on Christians just weeks after the state assembly passed one of India’s harshest anti-conversion bills.

Authorities in eastern China have carried out one of the largest crackdowns on unregistered Christian churches in recent years, arresting more than 70 people in a sweeping operation targeting Bible study groups and house church gatherings, according to Open Doors.