Whittlesea council election in Melbourne overturned over ‘fraud’ votes: VCAT

A local election in one of Australia’s biggest cities has been overturned over concerns about fraudulently completed ballots.

Voters will be forced to return to the polls in Melbourne’s outer suburbs after a local election was voided over concerns about fraudul…[Read more]

White House comes out with sharp spending cuts in Trump’s 2026 budget plan

President Donald Trump’s 2026 budget plan would slash nondefense domestic spending by $163 billion while increasing expenditures on national security, according to White House statements Friday.

The plan shows a desire to crack down on diversity programs and initiatives…[Read more]

Trump says U.S. kids may get ‘2 dolls instead of 30,’ but China will suffer more in a trade war

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday acknowledged that his tariffs could result in fewer and costlier products in the United States, saying American kids might “have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,” but he insisted China will suffer more from his…[Read more]

Trump says he’s unsure whether people in the US are entitled to due process

President Donald Trump said he was unsure whether people in the U.S. are entitled to due process rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution as his administration pushes aggressively to deport immigrants who are in the country illegally and other non-citizens.
Trump made…[Read more]

Japan wants all tariffs reviewed to reach deal with U.S.: negotiator

Japan has no intention of striking a trade deal with the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump unless all of its new tariffs are reviewed, top negotiator Ryosei Akazawa indicated Saturday as he returned to Japan following the second round of ministerial-level tariff…[Read more]

Japan ranks worst among G7 in 2025 world press freedom rankings

Japan trailed other members of the Group of Seven countries in the 2025 world press freedom rankings as government pressure on news outlets has become common practice, a media freedom group said Friday.

Of the 180 countries and regions surveyed, Japan moved up four places from last…[Read more]

Ishiba vows to work to revise Constitution; yet momentum low

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has expressed his desire to seek the country’s first-ever revision of the pacifist Constitution, as Japan marked the 78th anniversary of its coming into force with no clear political momentum toward such a move.

In a video message to a pro-reform…[Read more]

Germany hits back at Marco Rubio after he panned labeling of AfD as ‘extremist’

Far-right German party was labeled a ‘confirmed rightwing extremist group’ by country’s domestic intelligence service

Germany’s foreign ministry has hit back at the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, following his criticism of Germany’s decision to label the far-rig…[Read more]

Europe marks VE Day with Trump on its mind

“Celebration? What celebration? It feels more like a funeral” – the damning words of a former senior Nato figure to describe this week’s ceremonies marking Victory in Europe Day.

The top-level diplomat who spent years at the transatlantic defence alliance asked not to be named in order to speak freely,…[Read more]

Germany updates: Almost 50% of Germans back AfD ban — poll

Forty-percent of respondents to an INSA survey were in favor of banning the far-right party. Meanwhile, Germany’s incoming interior minister has vowed tighter border controls.

German Air Force receives Israeli air defense system
The chief of the German Air Force was in Israel this w…[Read more]

Türkiye Maarif Foundation hosts Africa’s largest youth science festival

High school students from across Africa convened in Abidjan this week for the continent’s largest science and technology festival, organized by the Türkiye Maarif Foundation (TMV).

The event, organized by TMV’s Côte d’Ivoire Maarif Schools, brought together participan…[Read more]

Hunger silences Gazan children crying out against Israel’s aid block

In a devastated Gaza neighborhood where rubble replaces homes and walls gape open to the sky, hungry and trembling children begged for food and medicine – supplies Israel has withheld for two months amid its 19-month campaign that Palestinians call a genocide.

With sunken eye…[Read more]

Hundreds arrested in crackdown on May Day protests in Istanbul

Hundreds of people have been arrested in Istanbul, with 50,000 police officers deployed to the city as authorities attempt to crack down on May Day protests.

Public transport was shut down to stop people reaching Taksim Square, where demonstrations have been banned since…[Read more]

French left divided over the term ‘Islamophobia’ after the murder of a Muslim in a mosque

United in condemning the murder of Aboubakar Cissé at the mosque in a small southern French village, the radical left La France Insoumise and the Socialists are split over the use of a term that reignites tensions in France.
At Place de la République in P…[Read more]

Mates in banger rally to Spain in memory of friend

Two friends will embark on a 2,000-mile journey (3,220km) from Birmingham, through Europe to Benidorm in an “old banger” in memory of their friend who passed away.

Simon Lewis, 57, from Gloucester, and Kevin Paskin, 53, from Worcester, are taking part in Benidorm Bangers charity road trip…[Read more]

Donald Trump is looming over Australia’s election

In Western Sydney, an audience of Stetson-wearing Australians are sitting in their fold-up camping chairs, swigging beers and eating a spiralled fried potato on a skewer known as a ‘chip on a stick’.

People here are enjoying bull rides, barrel racing and bucking broncos. It feels like a slice of…[Read more]

Why Australia’s opposition is vying for votes on Chinese social media

With days left to the election, Australian opposition candidates have been wooing a crucial group that turned its back on the conservative Liberal-National coalition in the last election: Chinese Australian voters.

And they are trying to reach them on platforms that their…[Read more]

Trump spares smartphones, computers, other electronics from China tariffs

President Donald Trump’s administration granted exclusions from steep reciprocal tariffs to smartphones, computers and some other electronics imported largely from China, providing a big break to tech companies like Apple that rely on imported products.

In a notice to…[Read more]

Iran, U.S. hold ‘positive’ talks in Oman; agree to meet again

Iran and the U.S. held “positive” and “constructive” talks in Oman on Saturday and agreed to reconvene this week, both sides said, a dialogue meant to address Tehran’s escalating nuclear program with President Donald Trump threatening military action if there is no deal.

“I think we…[Read more]

Coalition pledges mortgage interest rate relief, tax cut during campaign launch

The Coalition has kicked off its 2025 federal election campaign in Sydney with several major cost-of-living measures announced.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton today already unveiled his plan to deliver a once-off $1200 tax relief and used the campaign launch to a…[Read more]