🇦🇺Australia asks 🇨🇳China to explain 'extraordinary' military build-up
Australia's defence minister Richard Marles has called on China to explain why it needs to have "such an extraordinary military build-up".
He said Beijing needs to provide greater transparency and reassurance as it is the "fundamental issue" for the region.
Meanwhile, the Philippines defence minister Gilberto Teodoro Jr has called China "absolutely irresponsible and reckless" in its actions in the South China Sea.
The ministers had separately addressed reporters on the sidelines of an Asian defence summit held in Singapore.
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🇺🇸Joe Biden says he's 'feeling good' in first comments since cancer diagnosis
Former President Joe Biden has given his first public remarks since his office announced he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Speaking to reporters after an event marking Memorial Day, Biden said he's "feeling good" and he expects to "be able to beat this".
In the announcement of his diagnosis, the cancer was categorised as having a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5), meaning his illness is classified as "high-grade" and the cancer cells could spread quickly, according to Cancer Research UK.
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🇨🇳🇺🇸China hits back after Trump claims it is 'violating' tariff truce
US President Donald Trump has accused China of violating a truce on tariffs struck earlier this month, a claim China has responded to with its own accusations of US wrongdoing.
Washington and Beijing agreed to temporarily lower tit-for-tat tariffs after talks in Geneva.
But Trump said on Friday that China had "totally violated its agreement with us". He did not give details but US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer later said China had not been removing non-tariff barriers as agreed under the deal.
Beijing's response on Friday did not address the US claims directly but urged the US to "cease discriminatory restrictions against China".
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🇺🇸Trump administration to 'aggressively' revoke visas of Chinese students
President Donald Trump's administration says it will "aggressively" revoke the visas of Chinese students studying in the US.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move would include "those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields".
Relations between Beijing and Washington have plummeted in recent months as a tit-for-tat trade war erupted between the two superpowers sparked by Trump's tariffs.
There were an estimated 280,000 Chinese students studying in the US last year. It is not clear how many of them could be affected by the latest move.
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🇨🇦Carney says he wants Canada to join major European defence plan
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he wants his country to join a major European plan to bolster defences by 1 July.
Speaking to CBC on Tuesday, Carney said he hoped Canada would sign on to ReArm Europe - a plan to dramatically increase defence spending on the continent to in the next five years - in a bid to reduce reliance on the US.
"Seventy-five cents of every (Canadian) dollar of capital spending for defence goes to the United States. That's not smart," Carney told the public broadcaster.
His remarks come amid tension with the US after threats from President Donald Trump - though Carney has also previously said he is open to joining a missile defence project proposed by Trump.
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🇬🇭Ghana temporarily shuts embassy in US over alleged visa scandal
Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister has announced that the country has temporarily closed its embassy in the US capital amid an investigation into an alleged visa scam.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the embassy will be shut following the "damning findings" of an audit team he put together to investigate alleged corruption at the Washington diplomatic mission.
The statement added that the closure would last "a few days" until a "restructuring and systems overhaul" is finalised.
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🇺🇸Trump calls Putin 'crazy' after largest Russian attack on Ukraine
US President Donald Trump has said he is "not happy" with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, following Moscow's largest aerial attack yet on Ukraine.
In a rare rebuke, Trump said: "What the hell happened to him? He's killing a lot of people." He later called Putin "absolutely crazy".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier said Washington's "silence" over recent Russian attacks was encouraging Putin, urging "strong pressure" - including tougher sanctions - on Moscow.
At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured in Ukraine overnight Sunday after Russia fired 367 drones and missiles - the highest number in a single night since Putin launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.
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🇬🇧King travels to support Canada as it fends off Trump
King Charles III and Queen Camilla will arrive in Canada later, for a two-day visit seen as bringing a message of support for the country in the face of threats and taunts from US President Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who recently won a general election on a wave of anti-Trump sentiment, invited the royal couple and will hold a meeting with them during their stay in Ottawa.
The King will read the "Speech from the Throne" to Canada's Parliament on Tuesday, the first time a monarch has delivered this for almost 50 years.
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🇷🇺🇺🇦Russia launches major aerial attack on Ukraine capital
At least 14 people have been injured in a major Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv, city authorities say.
Russia launched 250 drones and 14 ballistic missiles against Kyiv, Ukraine's air force said, causing fires in residential buildings. It was one of the biggest combined aerial assaults on the city since the war began. The air force said it had downed six missiles and 245 drones.
"With each such attack, the world becomes more certain that the cause of prolonging the war lies in Moscow," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.
The barrage came hours after Russia and Ukraine took part in a prisoner swap agreed after talks between the two countries' officials in Turkey.
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🇨🇩DR Congo strips ex-leader of immunity over treason charges
The Democratic Republic of Congo's senate has stripped former President Joseph Kabila of his immunity, paving the way for his prosecution over his alleged backing of rebels in the east.
Authorities have accused him of treason and war crimes, saying there was a "substantial body of documents, testimony and material facts" linking Kabila to the M23 armed group, which has taken control of several towns in the mineral-rich east.
Kabila, 53, has not commented on the accusations but has in the past denied any connection with the insurgents.
Nearly 90 senators on Thursday voted in favour of his treason prosecution, while five opposed it.
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🇬🇧🇮🇱UK steps up action against Israel over Gaza offensive
The UK has suspended talks on a trade deal with Israel, summoned the country's ambassador and imposed fresh sanctions on West Bank settlers, as Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the military escalation in Gaza "morally unjustifiable".
The move follows warnings of starvation in Gaza after Israel launched a new military operation over the weekend.
There were fiery exchanges in Parliament with Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel, who suggested the actions would be welcomed by Hamas, but also angry calls for the government to go further.
In response, Israel's foreign spokesman said external pressure would "not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence".
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🇬🇧University college to stop arms company investment
A college at a leading university has said it will no longer invest in arms companies following a number of student protests.
King's College, part of the University of Cambridge, said its governing body had voted to "adopt a new responsible investment policy" to align with the values of its community.
It comes after pro-Palestine protesters staged demonstrations and set up encampments against the war in Gaza at the university last year.
Stella Swain, youth and student officer at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said it was a "massive victory".
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🇺🇸Trump's call with Putin exposes shifting ground on Ukraine peace talks
Last year, Donald Trump promised he would end the Ukraine War in "24 hours".
Last week, he said that it would not be resolved until he and Russian President Vladimir Putin could "get together" and hash it out in person.
On Monday, the ground shifted again.
After a two-hour phone call with Putin, he said that the conditions of a peace deal could only be negotiated between Russia and Ukraine – and maybe with the help of the Pope.
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🇲🇽🇺🇸Two dead as Mexican Navy ship crashes into Brooklyn Bridge
Two people have been killed and at least 19 others injured after a tall Mexican Navy training sailboat crashed into New York City's Brooklyn Bridge, the city mayor has said.
Eric Adams said the Cuauhtémoc lost power before the collision on Saturday evening. US officials said 277 people were on board the vessel, which was on a goodwill visit.
Footage shows the Cuauhtémoc's towering masts clipping the bridge as the ship was passing under the famous structure on Saturday evening.
Crew members were standing on the masts at the time of collision, authorities said, parts of which reportedly fell on the deck.
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🇹🇩Former Chad PM arrested over alleged links to deadly clash
Chad's former prime minister and opposition leader, Succès Masra, has been arrested over alleged links to a clash which took place on Wednesday in the south west of the country, a public prosecutor has said.
He is suspected of spreading hateful messages on social media linked to the violence in which at least 42 people died, Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye said.
Masra's Transformers party said he had been "kidnapped" by military officers in the early hours of the morning" and denounced his detention, which it says was "carried out outside of any known judicial procedure".
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🇺🇸US sends nuclear deal proposal to 🇮🇷Iran
The US has sent Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington, the White House confirmed on Saturday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he had been presented with "elements of a US deal" by his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi during a short visit to the Iranian capital.
It comes after a report by the UN nuclear watchdog said Iran had further stepped up its production of enriched uranium, a key component in the making of nuclear weapons.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Saturday it was in Tehran's "best interest to accept" the deal, adding: "President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb".
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🇺🇸Supreme Court allows Trump to revoke legal status for 500,000 migrants
President Donald Trump's administration can temporarily revoke the legal status of over 500,000 migrants living in the US, the US Supreme Court ruled on Friday.
The ruling put on hold a previous federal judge's order stopping the administration from ending the "parole" immigration programme, established by former President Joe Biden. The programme protected immigrants fleeing economic and political turmoil in their home countries.
The new order puts roughly 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela at risk of being deported.
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🇮🇱Israel announces major expansion of settlements in occupied West Bank
Israeli ministers say 22 new Jewish settlements have been approved in the occupied West Bank - the biggest expansion in decades.
Several already exist as outposts, built without government authorisation, but will now be made legal under Israeli law, according to Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The issue of settlements - which are widely seen as illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this - is one of the most contentious areas of dispute between Israel and the Palestinians.
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🇨🇭Glacier collapse swallows part of Swiss village
A Swiss mountain village has been buried in a deluge of ice, mud and rock, after a big chunk of the Birch glacier collapsed into the valley below.
The village of Blatten, which was evacuated of its roughly 300 residents several days ago, was on Wednesday overwhelmed by thousands of tonnes of mud and ice.
Global warming is causing glaciers to melt more rapidly. Meanwhile, the permafrost – often described as the glue that holds high mountains together – is also thawing.
One person has been reported missing, and many homes have been flattened.
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🇮🇱Far-right marchers attack Palestinians as Israel marks taking of Jerusalem
Crowds of far-right Israelis chanted insults and assaulted Palestinians during an annual parade for Jerusalem Day on Monday.
Chants of "death to Arabs" and nationalistic slogans were repeated during the event, which commemorates Israeli forces taking Palestinian-majority East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Violence broke out as ultranationalist Jews streamed into Palestinian areas of Jerusalem's walled Old City.
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🇦🇹Austria's ex-chancellor has conviction quashed
Austria's former chancellor Sebastian Kurz has won his appeal against a conviction for giving false testimony to a parliamentary committee.
The court's ruling overturns last year's judgement and eight-month suspended prison sentence for the former political star.
Once hailed a wunderkind of Europe's conservatives, the 38-year-old resigned as chancellor in 2021 and quit politics amid a series of allegations.
Monday's acquittal removes a key obstacle to a potential political comeback, but he still faces investigation on separate corruption allegations.
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🇰🇵North Korea arrests senior official over warship launch failure
North Korea has arrested a fourth official over the failed launch of a new warship that has enraged the country's leader, Kim Jong Un.
Ri Hyong-son, deputy director of the ruling Workers' Party's Munitions Industry Department, was "largely responsible for the serious accident" last week, state-run news agency KCNA said on Monday.
The 5,000-ton destroyer had tipped over and damaged its hull, in what Kim described as a "criminal act" that "severely damaged the [country's] dignity and pride".
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🇨🇩DR Congo ex-leader lashes out after immunity lifted for treason charges
Joseph Kabila, the ex-president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has lashed out at the government of his successor - calling it a "dictatorship".
The 53-year-old made a 45-minute speech live on YouTube on Friday evening from an unspecified location a day after the Senate lifted his immunity from prosecution.
DR Congo's authorities intend to charge the former president with treason and war crimes, linking him to the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, who have taken control of several towns in the east.
Kabila, in power between 2001 and 2019, said he had broken his silence because he felt the unity of the country was at risk.
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🇦🇺Moment Australian politician signs off career with a 'shoey'
An outgoing state MP caused a scene in Western Australia's parliament after he ended his valedictory speech with a shoey - the act of having a celebratory drink, typically alcohol, out of a shoe.
Kyle McGinn ended his farewell address by cracking open a beer and drinking it from his removed shoe, which he says he became known for doing by his constituents.
McGinn told local media he did it to show there were normal people in parliament and to celebrate in his own way.
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🇨🇩Former DR Congo PM sentenced to hard labour on corruption charge
A former prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been sentenced to a decade's forced labour for corruption.
Augustin Matata Ponyo was found guilty of embezzling about $245m (£182m) of public funds by the Congolese Constitutional Court on Tuesday, alongside Deogratias Mutombo, the former governor of the DR Congo's central bank.
Matata's lawyer told Reuters news agency that the ruling was unfair and politically motivated.
Part of the funds were taken from a major agricultural development intended to tackle the country's chronic food shortages.
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🇺🇸Trump unveils plans for 'Golden Dome' defence system
The US has selected a design for the futuristic "Golden Dome" missile defence system, says US President Donald Trump, adding that it will be operational by the end of his time in office.
Just days after returning to the White House in January, Trump unveiled his intentions for the system, aimed at countering "next-generation" aerial threats to the US, including ballistic and cruise missiles.
An initial sum of $25bn (£18.7bn) has been earmarked in a new budget bill - although the government has estimated it will end up costing much more than that over decades.
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🇦🇺Australia's Liberal-National coalition splits after election thrashing
Australia's conservative Liberal-National coalition - the nation's main opposition political party - has split after a partnership lasting almost 80 years.
The move marks a seismic change in the country's political landscape and comes just weeks after a federal election that saw Labor win a second term in a landslide victory.
Nationals leader David Littleproud on Tuesday said his party was not re-entering a coalition agreement, amid policy disagreements with the Liberal Party as it goes on a journey of "rediscovery" following the emphatic loss.
Littleproud added that the Coalition has been broken and repaired before, and he hoped that - with time - the parties could reconcile again.
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🇺🇸US Supreme Court lets Trump end deportation protections for 350,000 Venezuelans
The US Supreme Court has said it will allow the Trump administration to terminate deportation protections for some 350,000 Venezuelans in the US.
The ruling lifts a hold that was placed by a California judge that kept Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in place for Venezuelans whose status would have expired last month.
Temporary Protected Status allows people to live and work in the US legally if their home countries are deemed unsafe due to things like countries experiencing wars, natural disasters or other "extraordinary and temporary" conditions.
The ruling marks a win for US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly tried to use the Supreme Court to enact immigration policy decisions.
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🇺🇦🇷🇺Ukraine and Russia far apart in direct talks, but prisoner swap agreed
More than three years into Europe's deadliest war since 1945, there was a small step forward for diplomacy on Friday.
Delegations from Ukraine and Russia came face-to-face for talks for the first time since March 2022 – one month after Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbour. The setting was an Ottoman- era palace on the shores of the Bosphorus in Istanbul.
Pressure and encouragement from Turkey and the US helped get the warring parties there.
There were no handshakes, and half the Ukrainian delegation wore camouflage military fatigues – a reminder that their nation is under attack.
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🇮🇱Nearly 100 people killed in Israeli attack on north Gaza, rescuers say
Nearly 100 people, including children, have been killed in a large-scale Israeli ground, air and sea attack launched early Friday in north Gaza, the Hamas-run civil defence and residents have said.
The civil defence said at least nine homes and tents housing civilians had been bombed overnight and it had received dozens of calls from people trapped.
Witnesses also reported smoke bombs, artillery shelling and tanks in Beit Lahia.
This marks the largest ground assault on north Gaza since Israel resumed its offensive in March.
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