All posts tagged: US & Canada

North Korea fumes over upcoming US-South Korea military drills | Military News

North Korea fumes over upcoming US-South Korea military drills | Military News

Published by Sam Flores

Pyongyang has accused the US of pushing the world ‘to the brink of nuclear war’. Published On 14 Aug 202614 Aug 2026 North Korea has denounced major United States-South Korea military drills set to start next week as a provocation that heightens tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The US-Japan-South Korea military cooperation is turning into a nuclear alliance, and North Korea will respond to a new level of threat with a new level of deterrent, a spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday, according to Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Pyongyang routinely denounces military drills in the south as a provocation that heightens tensions. The drills – named “Ulchi Freedom Shield” – are due to start on August 17 and will last until August 27. They will incorporate exercises to counter drones, GPS disruption, and cyberattacks as the US and its allies adapt to North Korea’s evolving capabilities. “The US announced that the forthcoming exercises are quite different from the ones of the past …

Will all-out war in Yemen reignite as the Houthis escalate attacks? | Houthis News

Will all-out war in Yemen reignite as the Houthis escalate attacks? | Houthis News

Published by Sam Flores

A series of Houthi attacks in recent weeks, which are among the deadliest in years, is raising fears that Yemen could be sliding back towards all-out war as conflict spreads across the Middle East. A 2022 truce led to the end of heavy fighting between the pro-Iranian Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, which had been ongoing since September 2014. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list But a series of clashes over the last month between the two sides – intensifying in the last two weeks – has led to civilian and military casualties and threatened to reignite the war. Here is what we know. What are the latest attacks? The Houthis have killed a number of civilians in a series of attacks on the government-controlled west coast port of al-Makha, also known as Mocha. There was also an attack on a commercial vessel in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday, which Yemen’s coastguard said killed six people and injured 10 others. The Houthis said the vessel was carrying weapons. It followed the …

Paramount Skydance mulls CNN sale amid antitrust merger challenge | Media News

Paramount Skydance mulls CNN sale amid antitrust merger challenge | Media News

Published by Sam Flores

Paramount’s legal officer hints at CNN sale option as 12 states, led by California, file lawsuit to block merger. Paramount Skydance is reportedly considering the sale of CNN as part of an effort to resolve an antitrust lawsuit challenging its proposed $110bn merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. On Tuesday, at Politico’s Agenda California conference, Paramount’s chief legal officer, Makan Delrahim, said a potential sale was on the table as 12 states led by California sued to block the merger. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list He stressed that Paramount Skydance had been “transparent” and was willing to work with both Republicans and Democrats to move the merger forward. “We’re not naive to know that politics does not exist,” said Delrahim, who served as an antitrust official during US President Donald Trump’s first term. Editorial independence questioned The potential sale comes as Ellison faces scrutiny over his promises to preserve CNN’s editorial independence if the merger goes through. Ellison, whose father is Oracle cofounder and prominent Trump ally Larry Ellison, has sought to reassure …

Iran rejects Trump’s claim to ‘control’ Hormuz: What’s the latest in talks? | US-Israel war on Iran News

Iran rejects Trump’s claim to ‘control’ Hormuz: What’s the latest in talks? | US-Israel war on Iran News

Published by Sam Flores

Iran has dismissed President Donald Trump’s claim that Washington has “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz, saying the critical waterway will remain closed until the United States accepts its demands and changes its “behaviour”. According to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, Mohsen Rezaei, the newly appointed secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told China’s ambassador to Tehran, Cong Peiwu: “As long as America does not change its behaviour and does not accept Iran’s conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened.” Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global oil and natural gas is shipped during peacetime, has emerged as a key flashpoint in the US-Israel war on Iran, with peace talks stalled until the question of its management is resolved. Iran closed the strait shortly after US-Israeli bombing of Iran began at the end of February. (Al Jazeera) It currently says it is only talking to Oman, whose territorial waters the strait also passes through, about the future management of the waterway. …

Venezuela and Israel restore consular ties as relations warm | Gaza News

Venezuela and Israel restore consular ties as relations warm | Gaza News

Published by Sam Flores

Despite cutting diplomatic ties with Israel in 2009, Caracas has shifted alignment in wake of Maduro abduction. Published On 11 Aug 202611 Aug 2026 Venezuela and Israel have agreed to restore consular relations, in a major shift. The announcement by both Israel and Venezuela on Tuesday comes as the interim President Delcy Rodriguez has pursued a major realignment since the United States military abduction of leader Nicolas Maduro in January. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list That has included thawing ties with Israel, after Caracas severed ties 17 years ago in light of Israeli attacks on Gaza. Under Maduro, Venezuela had remained staunchly opposed to Israel, while aligning with regional foe Iran. In a statement on X, Felix Plasencia Gonzalez, Venezuela’s minister of foreign relations, said the decision to restore consular ties came after Israel deployed a team to Venezuela after twin earthquakes devastated the South American country. “The Governments of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the State of Israel report that they have agreed to continue bilateral technical cooperation derived from the …

US appeals court says social media addiction lawsuits can proceed | Social Media News

US appeals court says social media addiction lawsuits can proceed | Social Media News

Published by Sam Flores

The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected tech companies’ bid to stop more than 3,000 lawsuits over addictive platform design Published On 10 Aug 202610 Aug 2026 A federal appeals court in the United States has permitted thousands of lawsuits to move forward against Meta, Google, TikTok, Snapchat and other social media companies for allegedly designing addictive products that harm children, rejecting the companies’ initial bids to stop litigation before trial. The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the appeal came too early – most appeals are only filed after a case concludes with a ruling or verdict. The companies had argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act which generally shields online platforms from liability over user-generated and user-posted content, also protected them from claims that they failed to warn the public about the addictive design of their platforms. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The court disagreed, finding that Section 230 offers a defence to liability rather than blanket immunity from being sued, …