
Top Iraqi Shiite cleric dies in Najaf
Najaf, Iraq (AFP) Sept 3, 2021 - Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Said al-Hakim, one of Iraq's top Shiite clerics, died on Friday aged 85 in the holy city of Najaf after a heart attack, sources close to him said.
Editorial Team
The Space War Editorial Team produces Space War's coverage of military space and defense technology. We report on missile defense and space-based systems, nuclear weapons and arms control, drones and directed-energy weapons, and the great-power competition shaping security beyond Earth. Articles reflect our team's collective editorial process, source verification, drafting, technical review, and editing, rather than a single writer's work. Space War takes editorial responsibility for content under this byline. For more on how we work, see our editorial policy.

Najaf, Iraq (AFP) Sept 3, 2021 - Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Said al-Hakim, one of Iraq's top Shiite clerics, died on Friday aged 85 in the holy city of Najaf after a heart attack, sources close to him said.
Jun 25, 2026

Niamey (AFP) Sept 5, 2011 - Members of fugitive Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's entourage, including his internal security chief Mansour Daw, have crossed the border into Niger, sources told AFP Monday.
Jun 25, 2026

Tehran (AFP) Sept 30, 2019 - The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Monday that destroying arch-rival Israel has become an achievable goal thanks to his country's technological advances.
Jun 25, 2026

Beijing (AFP) Sept 19, 2023 - The European Commission's digital chief said Tuesday that murky Chinese laws were fuelling concerns among foreign firms in the country, following discussions with Beijing officials about critical areas such as AI and data governance.
Jun 25, 2026

Beijing (AFP) Sept 14, 2017 - One of the biggest bitcoin exchanges in China and the world announced Thursday that it would stop all trading following new Chinese government regulations clamping down on crypto-currencies.
Jun 25, 2026

Beijing (AFP) Sept 12, 2023 - A top official of China's Communist Party will lead a delegation this month to Cuba, Brazil and Egypt for goodwill visits, state news agency Xinhua reported Tuesday.
Jun 25, 2026

Beijing (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - China's Vice Premier Wang Qishan will visit the United States next week and will discuss bilateral trade issues with top US officials, the foreign ministry announced Tuesday.
Jun 25, 2026

Ottawa (AFP) Sept 13, 2019 - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Friday that they had arrested a senior intelligence officer for allegedly stealing sensitive documents.
Jun 25, 2026

New Delhi (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - Asian giants India and China held high-level talks on Monday amid tension over Beijing's purported reluctance to back New Delhi's civilian nuclear ambitions.
Jun 25, 2026

Washington (AFP) Sept 26, 2023 - Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton on Tuesday taunted her old nemesis, Russian President Vladimir Putin, over the expansion of NATO since his invasion of Ukraine.
Jun 25, 2026

Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI) Aug. 25, 2006 - The month-long war between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas has emboldened Syrian President Bashar Assad. Israel... was defeated... from the very beginning, he declared.
Jun 25, 2026

Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Sept 5, 2024 - The death toll from a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Poltava rose to 55 with over 300 wounded, Ukrainian officials said Thursday after a two-day search and rescue operation.
Jun 25, 2026

Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Sept 8, 2024 - Ukraine on Sunday said three more people wounded in a major Russian missile strike on the city of Poltava last week succumbed to their injuries, taking the death toll to 58.
Jun 25, 2026

Washington (AFP) Sept 17, 2017 - North Korea's latest missile launch over Japan set sirens blaring and triggered alerts telling people to seek shelter - yet neither Tokyo nor Washington tried to shoot the rocket down.
Jun 25, 2026

Washington (AFP) Sept 20, 2013 - After a flurry of diplomatic smoke signals, Iran and the United States are sizing up the gamble of a presidential close encounter at the UN next week that could open a first crack in 30 years of enmity.
Jun 25, 2026

Vienna (AFP) Sept 9, 2019 - The UN nuclear watchdog's acting head urged Iran Monday to respond quickly to its concerns as the country abandons further agreed limits to its nuclear activities.
Jun 25, 2026