U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a blunt message to Iran on Monday: the United States will not accept any arrangement in which Tehran acts as gatekeeper to the Strait of Hormuz — demanding coordination, permission, or payment from vessels wishing to pass through what are, by international law, open waters.

Jailed former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has withdrawn an appeal against a court ruling rejecting his request to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, marking another setback in the long-running 1MDB corruption saga.

A period of mourning continued Monday in southwestern Colombia after at least 20 people were killed in a bus bombing along a key highway, officials said, in one of the deadliest recent attacks in the volatile region.

A part of northern Japan was hit by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake while elsewhere in the region wildfires were burning through more than 1,600 hectares of forest as of Monday morning, authorities and witnesses said.

Hungary’s outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has announced he will leave parliament after one of the longest continuous parliamentary careers in modern Hungarian politics, while seeking to retain influence over his party following a historic election defeat.

War-torn Ukraine is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster amid lingering fears that the tragedy could occur again as war continues.

German authorities have launched an investigation after a protester threw red liquid over Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi in Berlin, where he had denounced a ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

Authorities in the Philippines reported ash emission from Mount Kanlaon on Saturday morning, with volcanic ash drifting westward toward nearby communities.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump said Saturday he ordered his envoys not to travel to Pakistan for talks with Iranian officials.

Britain and France signed a new three-year agreement Thursday aimed at curbing migrants attempting the often deadly Channel crossing, as Europe faces a record influx of people fleeing war, persecution, and poverty.

Indonesia is reviewing a United States request for overflight access to its airspace, as the Southeast Asian nation grapples with the aftermath of a helicopter crash that killed eight people.

An investigation was underway Friday after two local trains collided head-on north of the Danish capital Copenhagen, injuring at least 18 people, five of them critically, emergency services said.

El Salvador has launched one of the largest criminal proceedings in modern history, placing 486 alleged members of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) on trial for a staggering 47,000 combined crimes.

President Donald Trump on Thursday issued a stark directive to the U.S. Navy, ordering forces to “shoot and kill” any vessels attempting to lay mines in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, signaling a sharp escalation in enforcement amid ongoing tensions with Iran.

Iran’s Islamic regime is facing growing scrutiny after partially restoring internet access — but only for select groups — raising concerns that the move is less about openness and more about tightening control over information.