France’s Macron and Donald Trump meet in Washington: Four key takeaways

United States President Donald Trump welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron to the White House on Monday for discussions on Ukraine, European security and trade.

Macron, who has built a cordial rapport with Trump, was the first European leader to visit him since the b…[Read more]

Wary of Trump, Germany’s Merz warns it’s ‘five minutes to midnight for Europe’

Germany’s election winner Friedrich Merz warned the United States on Monday against turning its back on allies but also urged Europeans to build up their own defence capabilities, saying it was now “five minutes to midnight for Europe”.
His comments underscored the…[Read more]

UN general assembly backs resolution condemning Russia for Ukraine war

US, Russia, Belarus and North Korea vote against resolution as 93 countries vote in favor, spurning rival US resolution

The United Nations general assembly has backed a resolution drafted by Ukraine and the European Union condemning Russia on the third anniversary of its…[Read more]

A country divided: Five key takeaways from the German election

A detailed look at the results reveals a divided nation increasingly drifting to fringes as dissatisfaction with mainstream parties mounts

German voters yearning for a steady hand in troubled times handed a clear victory to the conservative opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, in…[Read more]

Taiwan weighing multi-billion dollar arms deal with US

Taiwan is considering a multi-billion dollar arms purchase from the U.S., sources say, seeking support from the new Trump administration amid rising military pressure from China.

Three sources familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity, given the sensitivity of the…[Read more]

Can Europe afford its own defense as Trump spurs budget reckoning?

European leaders have long been aware that the region is exceeding the capabilities of its aging and sluggish economy. The question now is whether the disruptions caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House will prompt them to take action.

Less than a…[Read more]

Egypt mulls rebuilding Gaza to counter Trump’s depopulation plan

Egypt is working on a plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing Palestinians, countering U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to depopulate the area for U.S. control.

The state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported that the plan includes creating “secure areas” within Gaza for…[Read more]

Jim Chalmers welcomes RBA’s first rate cut in four years, mum on effect on election date

While the Treasurer welcomed the RBA’s decision to cut rates, he sidestepped questions on how it could affect when Aussies will go to the polls.

Jim Chalmers says Treasury will continue preparing for a March 25 budget despite suggestions Anthony Albanese cou…[Read more]

Claims daycare worker was reported three times before sexual touching of young child

A group of parents say they were left in the dark by a Sydney early education centre, which allegedly knew about the sexual touching of a young child for eight days before it stood down the worker involved.

Multiple parents say they still haven’t been reassured…[Read more]

Australian central bank cuts rates for 1st time since late 2020

Australia’s central bank lowered its benchmark interest rate on Tuesday for the first time since October 2020 as the inflation continues to cool.

The Reserve Bank of Australia reduced the cash rate by a quarter percentage point from 4.35% to 4.1% at its first board meeting for the y…[Read more]

Israel rules out Hamas or Palestinian Authority governing post-war Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he would not permit Hamas or the Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza following Tel Aviv’s war on the enclave.

“As I promised, the day after the war in Gaza, neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority will be there,” Net…[Read more]

Zelensky meets Turkey’s Erdogan amid US shift on Ukraine

Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ankara on Tuesday, as Kyiv seeks to shore up its position in response to US-Russia talks.

Zelensky flew into the Turkish capital from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) late on Monday, saying on Telegram he would…[Read more]

Erdogan says Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and sovereignty indisputable for Turkey

Erdogan also said that US President Donald Trump’s recent diplomatic initiative to seek an end to the Ukraine-Russia war aligned with the Turkish policy since the start of the conflict three years ago.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that…[Read more]

Turkey arrests 282 despite reconciliation bid with PKK

Turkish police have detained 282 suspects in the past five days in a large-scale operation targeting the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.

Turkey has detained 282 people in a nationwide swoop on those with suspected “terror” ties, the interior minister said Tuesday, despite a p…[Read more]

Japan targets 60% emissions cut by 2035 from 2013 levels

Japan set fresh climate targets on Tuesday, pledging to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent in the next decade from 2013 levels.

Under the Paris Agreement, each country is supposed to provide a steeper headline figure to the UN for cutting heat-trapping emissions by 2035, and a…[Read more]

Mizuho Bank says worker stole safe-deposit box valuables in 2019

Mizuho Bank said Tuesday safe-deposit box valuables worth tens of millions of yen belonging to two customers were stolen in 2019 by an employee, following a similar incident reported by another Japanese megabank last year.

Mizuho Bank had not made the incident public “in…[Read more]

Frozen in time: Hospital room preserved since 1945 Tokyo firebombing

Time seems frozen in this severely charred hospital room in Tokyo, left much as it was almost eight decades ago after U.S. B-29 bombers unleashed a firestorm that incinerated vast areas of the Japanese capital.

While workers bustle outside, the small, drafty room remains eerily…[Read more]

Gaza: The Trump family’s Middle East business interests

US President Donald Trump’s comments about developing Gaza for real estate purposes are not new. For years, his family has viewed the Middle East as key to its business ambitions.

US President Donald Trump’s comments on February 4 about Gaza revived an idea previously touted by both him…[Read more]

US: Private jets’ collision at Scottsdale, Arizona kills 1

Two business jets collided on the runway at Scottsdale airport. The US Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the collision.

Two private jets collided at Scottsdale Airport’s runway in the US southwestern state of Arizona on Monday, killing at least one person and injuring…[Read more]

Will Donald Trump’s tariff gamble pay off?

The US president’s tariff strategy has so far forced Mexico, Canada, Colombia and Panama to toe the line. But with America’s economy and reputation at stake, how long can such a coercive approach work?

Barely two weeks after Donald Trump returned to the White House, four allies of the United States have…[Read more]