Macron affirms Trump has ‘solid ally’ in France, urges realism from Ukraine over territory

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country was a “a solid ally” of President-elect Donald Trump on Monday as he outlined his vision for global diplomacy in 2025, while warning that France could lose the incoming U.S. leader’s respect by being “we…[Read more]

Former French president Sarkozy faces court over alleged €50 million Gaddafi pact

Former French President Nicholas Sarkozy goes on trial on Monday on charges he accepted some 50 million euros in illegal campaign financing from late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy, who has been twice convicted for separate crimes since leaving office, h…[Read more]

Iran nuclear programme nearing ‘point of no return’, France’s Macron says

French president says Paris will engage with the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump on the ‘Iranian question’.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called Iran the main “strategic and security challenge” for Europeans in the Middle East, raising…[Read more]

‘Out of kilter’: Indian migrants fuel surge as Labor struggles to rein in numbers

A massive surge in migrants from India is hampering efforts to rein in overall numbers, fuelled by a controversial pact signed by Anthony Albanese after Covid.

A massive surge in migrants from India that has continued since Covid is hampering the government’s effor…[Read more]

Relentless warming is driving the water cycle to new extremes, the 2024 global water report shows

Last year, Earth experienced its hottest year on record − for the fourth year in a row. Rising temperatures are changing the way water moves around our planet, wreaking havoc on the water cycle.

The 2024 Global Water Monitor Report released today s…[Read more]

Australia needs better ways of storing renewable electricity for later. That’s where ‘flow batteries’ can help

As more and more solar and wind energy enters Australia’s grid, we will need ways to store it for later.

We can store electricity in several different ways, from pumped hydroelectric systems to large lithium-ion battery systems. We can…[Read more]

USA: Jimmy Carter’s six-day state funeral begins

Six days of funeral events, observances and ceremonies are planned from Atlanta, Georgia, to Washington, DC, to reflect the life of former US President Jimmy Carter.

Six carefully choreographed days of funeral events in honor of former US President Jimmy Carter got underway on Saturday, starting…[Read more]

US cartoonist quits Washington Post over Trump, Bezos sketch

Illustrator Ann Telnaes has accused the Washington Post of censoring a cartoon in which she took aim at billionaire tech and media executives and their relationships with President-elect Donald Trump.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning American cartoonist has quit the Washington Post newspaper,…[Read more]

Trump must be sentenced in hush money case, judge signals no jail

President-elect Donald Trump will be sentenced on Jan. 10 in the criminal case in which he was convicted on charges involving hush money paid to a porn star, but is unlikely to face jail time or other penalties, a judge said on Friday.
Justice Juan Merchan’s ruling means Trump will…[Read more]

CDP chief Noda rejects grand coalition with LDP

Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, on Saturday rejected the idea of forming a grand coalition with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
“We want to focus on uniting the power of opposition parties to change the government,”…[Read more]

Biden blocks Japan’s Nippon Steel from buying US Steel

US President Joe Biden has blocked the takeover of US Steel by a bigger Japanese firm, delivering on a political promise despite fears the move could hurt Washington’s relations with Tokyo and scare off other foreign investors.

Biden cited threats to national security in rejecting the Nippon…[Read more]

World’s oldest person dies in Japan aged 116

Tomiko Itooka died on December 29 at a care home in Ashiya, Hyogo prefecture, in central Japan.

Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman who was the world’s oldest person according to Guinness World Records, has died at the age of 116.

Yoshitsugu Nagata, an official in charge of elderly policies, said Ito…[Read more]

Tesla cybertruck explodes outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas, killing one

A Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas killed one and injured seven, police said Wednesday. Tesla CEO Elon Musk attributed the blast to large fireworks or a bomb in the vehicle, clarifying it was not related to the truck’s design.

At…[Read more]

World leaders denounce New Year’s deadly truck attack in New Orleans

International outrage follows a New Year’s Eve attack in New Orleans’ French Quarter, where a suspect driving a truck killed at least 15 and injured dozens more. The FBI is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism.

International condemnation poured in Wednesday for the…[Read more]

US army veteran, IT specialist: What we know about the New Orleans truck attack suspect

The New Orleans truck attack suspect, identified by the FBI as 42-year-old US citizen Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was an army veteran who served as an IT specialist before earning a bachelor’s degree in computer systems. He was twice-married and experienced financial…[Read more]

Over 3,000 terrorists ‘neutralized’ in 2024: Spokesperson

“Our struggle will continue uninterruptedly until the last terrorist is no longer a threat to our country,” Aktürk told reporters during a press briefing in the capital Ankara.

In the past week alone, 49 terrorists were “neutralized,” Aktürk said, without specifying the organizations t…[Read more]

Tens of thousands of people in Istanbul protest Gaza war

Tens of thousands of people gathered on Istanbul’s Galata Bridge on New Year’s Day on Wednesday to express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Demonstrators waved Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanted “Free Palestine” in the protest, organized by the National Will Platform, a coaliti…[Read more]

The Erdoğan whisperer behind Turkey’s economic pivot

Vice-president Cevdet Yılmaz has played a crucial backstage role managing the turn to financial orthodoxy

When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed Cevdet Yılmaz as vice-president in 2023, the former bureaucrat’s eastern hometown of Bingöl burst into celebration: reveller…[Read more]

Five killed and emergency workers targeted as firework chaos mars Germany’s New Year celebrations

Five people have been killed and dozens of emergency workers were injured as a spate of incidents involving fireworks marred New Year’s Eve celebrations in Germany.

Despite calls for a nationwide ban on the private use of fireworks, they con…[Read more]

New Year’s fireworks accidents kill five in Germany

Five people died across Germany and a police officer was seriously injured from accidents linked to the powerful fireworks Germans traditionally set off to celebrate the new year, police said Wednesday.

Germans celebrate New Year’s Eve with a particularly intense usage of fireworks, which spurs…[Read more]