Top World News
Israel will buy two more squadrons of U.S.-built fighter jets amid war with Iran
The Israeli government has approved the purchase of two U.S.-built fighter jet squadrons for the Israeli air force.
Modi's party is set to take control of West Bengal in key election, a blow to opposition
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist party is poised to wrest control of the state of West Bengal, an opposition stronghold, in a key local election.
Japan and Australia agree to deepen cooperation on energy, defense and critical minerals
The prime ministers of Japan and Australia agreed to deepen cooperation in a wide range of areas, including energy security, defense and critical minerals, as the Iran war threatens global supply chains.
European leaders see Trump's troop drawdown from Germany as new proof they must go it alone
European leaders say President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Germany is fresh proof that Europe must take care of its own security
A European lawmaker is sentenced in a fraud case involving Czech populist leader Andrej Babiš
A Czech court has convicted a former associate of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš of fraud, giving her a three-year suspended sentence and a fine
Austria expels 3 Russian Embassy staff over suspected antenna spying in Vienna
Austria has expelled three Russian Embassy employees suspected of espionage using antennas on diplomatic buildings
A North Korean women's soccer team is set to play in a tournament in South Korea
A North Korean women’s soccer team is scheduled to play at a regional tournament in South Korea later this month
Japan sees largest protest in support of pacifist constitution as PM Takaichi pushes revisions
Japanese leader Sanae Takaichi has called for discussions to revise the constitution, saying it should ‘reflect the demands of the times’Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has called for “advanced discussions” on revising the pacifist constitution, as large demonstrations were held nationwide to oppose any changes to the country’s supreme law.Speaking during an official visit to Vietnam, Takaichi said the constitution, which was written by US occupation forces after the second world war, “should periodically be updated to reflect the demands of the times”. Continue reading...
Rare comet to flash through New Zealand skies – before it disappears for 170,000 years
Over the next two weeks stargazers have a chance to spot the blue-green orb and smudgy tail of comet known as C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS A comet formed on the edges of the solar system will grace southern skies over the next fortnight, giving viewers a rare chance to glimpse it before it disappears from view for another 170,000 years.The comet – known as C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS – had been travelling through the northern hemisphere but has “swung around the sun” and is now visible in the south, said Josh Aoraki, an astronomer at Te Whatu Stardome in Auckland, New Zealand. Continue reading...
What to know about the US military presence in Europe as Trump seeks drawdown of thousands of troops
U.S. President Donald Trump’s pledge to shrink America’s military deployment in Germany is putting a new spotlight on the U.S. military presence in Europe
Three passengers dead after suspected hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship
Dutch husband and wife and third unidentified person reported to have died, with three further people taken illWhat is hantavirus, the infection thought to have killed three on cruise ship?A suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus infection on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean killed three people – including an elderly married couple – and sickened at least three others, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and South Africa’s health department said on Sunday.The WHO said an investigation was under way but that at least one case of hantavirus had been confirmed. One of the patients was in intensive care in a South African hospital, the UN’s health agency said in a statement to the Associated Press, and the WHO was working with authorities to evacuate two others with symptoms from the ship. Continue reading...
'Is this the market calling?' Trump faces new market manipulation claims over war idea
President Donald Trump faced fresh market manipulation accusations on Sunday after he said the U.S. would guide "neutral and innocent" ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump wrote on Truth Social that "countries from all over the world" have asked him to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that accounts for 20% of the world's energy trade. The waterway has been shut down since late February, when the war in Iran began, and the Iranian regime has reportedly attacked merchant ships from the U.K. and other countries for trying to pass through. "I have told my Representatives to inform them that we will use [our] best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation, and everything else. This process, Project Freedom, will begin Monday morning, Middle East time."Political analysts and observers reacted to Trump's post on social media. "So, the blockade is bad again, or is this the market calling?" Tricia Hope, a self-described former January 6 participant, posted on X. "Big bet on oil was no doubt placed an hour before announcement," radio host Charlie Thompson posted on X. "It's Sunday evening again, so Trump is coming out with another 'breakthrough,'" political writer Maarten Verheyen posted on X.
