Some US diplomats told to leave Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks - The Guardian

Propaganda loudspeakers aimed at South Korea will be ready to restart within days along the entire border, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has said amid a worsening of ties between the two countries. The statement, carried by the state news agency KCNA on Thursday, came a day after she said the loudspeakers would be in operation along the whole border from some time in October. Both North and South Korea have historically used giant loudspeakers to broadcast propaganda across the border, with the North in recent years playing haunting bestial howls, and the South opting for K-pop music ​and news criticising Pyongyang. If the broadcasts resume, they would be the first loudspeaker exchange across the border in 16 months. South Korean president Lee Jae Myung suspended broadcasts from the southern side just days into his presidency in June 2025 to ease tensions with Pyongyang, and the military dismantled the speakers that August. At a briefing on Thursday, a defence ministry spokesperson in Seoul said that if North Korea went ahead, “naturally there would have to be a proportional measure”, but made clear no decision had been made.

US federal judge blocked wall’s construction on Texas-Mexico border amid an ongoing legal battle. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow it to resume plans to build a border wall through the Big Bend region of West Texas, as part of its anti-immigration policy to strengthen security on the border with Mexico. The Justice Department filed an emergency request on Wednesday asking the court to lift a federal judge’s injunction in a lower court that has halted construction while a lawsuit against the project, brought by an environmental group and other challengers, plays out. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Landowners in Texas ask court to stop Trump border walllist 2 of 3Tree nearly as old as US torn down to expand Mexico border walllist 3 of 3ICE tactics spark debate before pivotal US midterm electionsend of listThe Department of Homeland Security plans include vehicle barriers, patrol roads, lighting and detection technology in and around Big Bend National Park. Big Bend has about 805km (500 miles) of border, and, according to opponents of the project who have sued the administration, accounts for about 1 percent of migrant arrests.

Czech President Petr Pavel said the U. S. diesel deal with Russia gives Moscow “new hope.” Czech President Petr Pavel speaks during a press conference at La Moneda Presidential Palace in Santiago on April 16, 2026. | Rodrigo Arangua/AFP via Getty Images

The Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar denied allegations of immigration fraud in a Wednesday appearance on MS Now, her first interview since federal agents raided her residence last week. Those in Donald Trump’s orbit – cabinet officials and rightwing influencers alike – have promoted baseless theories about the Democratic congresswoman, accusing Omar of being in a sham marriage with her brother and fudging details of her immigration paperwork. The brother rumors circulated on a Somali blog, Omar told MS Now host Chris Hayes, before it gained traction with rightwing conspiracy theorists in Minneapolis. She believes the raid was designed to appease Trump loyalists. “They kept alluding to the fact that something was going to happen to me,” Omar told Hayes. “They had to do something, I believe, to say, ‘Hey, look we raided her house.”The 12 October raid marked an escalation of a years-long feud between Omar and Trump. The president has repeatedly denigrated Omar’s character, faith and Somali heritage, most recently on Tuesday, when he called her a “sick, very dishonest person who hates our country” while answering reporters’ questions at the White House.