Tehran has tried to take some credit for the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel as part of revenge for the killing of a high-ranking Iranian official, but the terrorist group Hamas flatly denied the claims in a bizarre spat between close allies. “It’s natural for Hamas to deny any linkage…

A main opposition candidate in Congo accused police of using live bullets to break up a protest Wednesday in the capital, as demonstrators demanded a re-do of last week’s presidential election.Holding up a bullet, Martin Fayulu told The Associated Press that it landed near him while he was barricaded inside…

The newly-elected president of Argentina has announced he will be cutting 5,000 government jobs, refusing to renew the workers’ contracts.President Javier Milei will not continue the employment of anyone hired by the federal government in 2023 before his election earlier this month.Individuals hired by the government before 2023 will be…

The Eiffel Tower was shut down to visitors Wednesday because of a strike over contract negotiations, the day the Paris monument marks 100 years since the death of its creator, Gustave Eiffel.Tourists can still access the glass-enclosed esplanade beneath the tower, but access to the 984-foot landmark itself is closed…

Russian politician Yekaterina Duntsova, advocating for peace in Ukraine, lost her appeal against election officials’ rejection of her presidential nomination.Duntsova said she envisions a “humane” Russia that is peaceful, friendly and cooperative, based on respect.Putin’s 24-year control makes his reelection in the upcoming presidential vote highly likely, with key critics…

The North Korean regime hosted an expensive function this week to gather the country’s elites for a meeting. The Central Committee of the North Korean Workers’ Party gathered in Pyongyang on Tuesday for the plenary meeting to review policies leading into the new year.Officials arrived in luxurious Mercedes S-class vehicles, despite…

Nomadic herders in Nigeria killed at least 140 people during a Christmas Eve rampage through 15 villages, according to media reports. The hours-long attacks happened in the country’s central Plateau state as suspected nomadic herders used firearms and machetes on their victims, Reuters reported. “As I am talking to you, in Mangu…

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — One of Brazil’s top criminal leaders was locked up in a 6-square-meter (65-square-foot) isolation cell at a maximum security prison to avoid being killed by rivals, authorities said Tuesday.Luiz Antônio da Silva Braga, the boss of the largest militia group in the state of Rio…

The U.S. Navy fired anti-ship ballistic missiles on Tuesday against incoming Iran-backed Houthi missiles in the Red Sea, signaling a significant escalation in the region, a senior defense official told Fox News. The Navy engaged three ballistic missiles provided to Yemen’s Houthis by Iran. It was the first time the Navy…

Four children between nine months and 10 years old and their mother were killed in their apartment east of Paris, in what local authorities called an exceptionally violent crime. The children’s father was arrested Tuesday and is the primary suspect.Neighbors spotted a pool of blood outside the family’s door on…