User Articles

Israel deports Thunberg to France

Activist Greta Thunberg is being deported from Israel, Israel’s Foreign Ministry says, after the Gaza-bound ship she was on was seized by the Israeli military. Thunberg was one of 12 passengers on board the Madleen, a boat carrying aid destined for people in war-torn Gaza. The Gaza-bound aid boat arrived at an Israeli port after Israeli forces stopped and detained them – enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory.

Travel

Trump’s travel ban takes effect

US President Donald Trump’s new ban on travel to the US by citizens from a dozen countries has taken effect with relative calm, as some travellers with valid visas report extra scrutiny at American airports before being allowed entry. The ban targeting...

Security

Canada boosts defence spending

Canada will meet NATO’s military spending guideline by early next year and diversify defence spending away from the United States, Prime Minister Mark Carney said, asserting that Washington no longer plays a predominant role on the world stage. The announcement means Canada will achieve NATO’s spending target of 2 per cent of gross domestic product five years earlier than previously planned. ”Our military infrastructure and equipment have aged, hindering our military preparedness,“ Carney said. “Only one of our four submarines is seaworthy. Less than half of our maritime fleet and land vehicles are operational. More broadly, we are too reliant on the United States.“

Explainer

Can Israel storm an aid ship in the high seas?

Israeli naval forces, far from the country’s shores, intercepted and seized a Gaza-bound ship carrying international activists in an early morning raid. The operation sparked accusations that Israel’s actions, apparently in the high seas, were...

Ukraine

Military airfield struck as Russia launch biggest barrage

Russia has hit Ukraine overnight with its largest drone attack since the start of the war, causing some damage at a military airfield in the west of the country that was one of its main targets, the Ukrainian air force says. It was the latest in Russian onslaughts since Ukraine destroyed a number of Russian bombers in drone attacks on air bases deep inside Russia earlier this month.

Odd Spot

Quirky vegetable sculptures steal the show at Lambeth fair

Vegetable likenesses of US President Donald Trump and singer Dolly Parton and a papal “Cornclave” are on display at the Lambeth Country Show, an urban take on a country fair held annually in London’s Brockwell Park. The two-day show features sheep-shearing, livestock competitions, food, music and a vegetable sculpture contest that has attracted national renown for its quirky creativity. This year, several sculptures referenced the recent papal election or movie on the same subject, including one featuring cardinals made of maize, titled “Cornclave”.

Migration

Afghan family caught in travel ban

Mohammad Sharafoddin, his wife and young son walked at times for 36 hours in a row over mountain passes as they left Afghanistan as refugees to end up less than a decade later talking about their journey on a plush seat in the family’s three-bedroom suburban American home. He and his wife dreamed of bringing her niece to the United States to share in that bounty. Maybe she could study to become a doctor and then decide her own path. But that door slams shut on Monday as America put in place a travel ban for people from Afghanistan and a dozen other countries.

Politics

07 Jun 2025

Trump: Musk may face ‘consequences’

US President Donald Trump is not backing off his battle with Elon Musk, saying he has no desire to repair their relationship and warning that his former ally and campaign benefactor could face “serious consequences” if he tries to help Democrats in upcoming elections. Trump said in an interview that he had no plans to make up with Musk.

07 Jun 2025

Gaza

Israel ‘activates’ Palestinian clans opposed to Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel has “activated” some clans of Palestinians in Gaza that are opposed to Hamas, though it was not immediately clear what role they would play. His comments on social media were...

China

Panchen Lama pledges loyalty in meeting with Xi

The man picked by Beijing as the second highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism pledged adherence to the ruling Communist Party’s dictates during a rare face-to-face meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, state media reported. Gyaltsen Norbu, who is...

Retail

Amazon to step up fake-review fight

Amazon has pledged to beef up its fight against fake reviews, Britain’s competition regulator says after an investigation into whether big online platforms are doing enough to crack down on fake online ratings for products and services. The Competition and Markets Authority said it secured the “undertakings” from Amazon, after getting a similar agreement earlier this year from Google to clamp down on rogue reviews plaguing the internet.

New Zealand

05 Jun 2025

Record bans for parliament haka

New Zealand legislators have voted to enact record suspensions from parliament for three lawmakers who performed a Māori haka to protest a proposed law. Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke received a seven-day ban and the leaders of her political party, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, are barred for 21 days. Three days had been the longest ban from New Zealand’s Parliament before.

05 Jun 2025

Gaza

Aid delivery paused after shootings

An Israeli- and US-backed group has paused food delivery at its three distribution sites in the Gaza Strip after dozens of Palestinians were killed in a series of shootings near the sites this week. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it was in discussions with the Israeli military on better guiding foot traffic near the sites and enhancing military training procedures to promote safety. The move came a day after Israeli forces acknowledged opening fire as people headed toward a GHF distribution hub in the now mostly uninhabited southern city of Rafah, a military zone off limits to independent media.

South Korea

New president faces tough challenges

New South Korean President Lee Jae-myung takes the helm during a challenging time for the country, which has struggled to revive an economy battered by months of political paralysis. Here’s a look at the key challenges facing Lee’s government.

Iran

Khamenei critical of US nuke plan

Iran’s supreme leader has criticised an initial proposal from the United States in negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, though he stopped short of entirely rejecting the idea of agreement with Washington. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the US proposal as “100 per cent against the idea of ‘we can,‘“ borrowing from an Iranian government slogan. He also insisted that Tehran needed to keep its ability to enrich uranium.

Explainer

What made Mount Etna’s latest eruption so rare?

Mount Etna, the volcano that towers over eastern Sicily, has again captivated the world with a spectacular show, spewing smoke high into the sky. But the defining event the eruption was the more rare pyroclastic flow from the southwestern crater not...

Poland

Tusk sets confidence vote

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Poland’s parliament will hold a confidence vote on his government on June 11, as the country faces a “new political reality.“ He called for the vote after his political ally, the liberal mayor of Warsaw...

Explainer

What to know about Poland’s new president

The final result of Poland’s presidential election only became clear after a long, nail-gripping night of counting as both candidates were locked in a near dead heat in the first exit polls after voting ended. When Poles awakened, ballot counting...

Trade

China: US ‘seriously violates’ tariff war truce

China has criticized the US over moves it alleged harmed Chinese interests, including issuing AI chip export control guidelines, stopping the sale of chip design software to China, and planning to revoke Chinese student visas. “These practices...