User Articles

Kyiv derides Putin’s truce offer

President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian officials have scoffed at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ceasefire announcement, with Zelensky saying it is “another attempt at manipulation”, urging for a longer one, while the Kremlin said attempts to communicate on peace with Kyiv had been ignored. Ukraine questioned why Moscow would not agree to its call for a ceasefire lasting at least 30 days and starting immediately. “We value people’s lives and not parades,“ Zelensky said. Zelensky accused Putin of trying to string along the US.

AP/Reuters

Canada

Liberals win election beset by Trump

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party has won Canada’s federal election, and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has conceded defeat, capping a stunning turnaround in fortunes fuelled by US President Donald Trump’s annexation threats and trade war.

AP/Reuters

Russia

26 Apr 2025

Trump says Ukraine deal ‘very close’

US President Donald Trump has called for Ukraine and Russia to meet for high-level talks, saying they are “very close to a deal” on ending the three-year war. Trump posted on his Truth Social site shortly after arriving in Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral that it was a “good day” of talks and meetings between the two sides. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, had earlier made a visit to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. “They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off’,” Trump wrote.

AP/Reuters

26 Apr 2025

Defence

24 Apr 2025

NATO chief urges allies to do more

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has called for European countries and Canada to make a “quantum leap” in boosting their contribution to the alliance. Rutte, who is visiting Washington for talks with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, wrote in an...

AP/Reuters

24 Apr 2025

In Depth

22 Apr 2025

Cracks appear in administration as controversies add up

The infighting and backstabbing that plagued US President Donald Trump’s first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty. The latest turmoil threatens to...

AP/Reuters

22 Apr 2025

Defence

War details revealed in another chat

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is alleged to have shared details of a March attack on Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis in a second message group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer. The second chat on Signal — which is a commercially available app not authorised to be used to communicate sensitive or classified national defence information — included 13 people and was dubbed “Defense Team Huddle”.

AP/Reuters

South America

Bukele proposes prisoner swap

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has proposed a prisoner swap with Venezuela, suggesting he would exchange Venezuelan deportees from the US his government is keeping imprisoned for what he calls “political prisoners” in Venezuela.

AP/Reuters

Politics

16 Apr 2025

Biden back on stage with warning

Former Democratic US President Joe Biden has made his first major speech since leaving the White House in January, issuing a warning over Social Security as the Trump administration cuts agency staff and shutters some of its offices. The speech in Chicago to disability advocates was a major re-emergence by Biden onto America’s political landscape, as President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, run by tech billionaire Elon Musk, makes massive cuts to the federal workforce.

AP/Reuters

16 Apr 2025

Iran

12 Apr 2025

Trump opens door for Iran deal

US President Donald Trump is betting that a beleaguered Iran is so vulnerable after a tumultuous 18 months in the Middle East that it might finally be ready to abandon its nuclear program. The renewed push to solve one of the most delicate foreign policy issues facing the White House and the Mideast will begin in earnest on Saturday when Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi gather in Oman. Trump says he prefers a diplomatic solution, even as he warns that Iran will face “great danger” if talks don’t go well. But Iran’s nuclear advances since Trump scrapped an Obama-era agreement during his first term make finding a pathway to a deal difficult, and experts warn that the prospects of US military action on Iranian nuclear facilities appear higher than they have been in years.

AP/Reuters

12 Apr 2025

Russia

11 Apr 2025

Dual citizen freed in prisoner swap

A Russian-American who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in Russia for donating to a charity aiding Ukraine has landed in Washington after being freed in exchange for a man the US had accused of forming a global smuggling ring to spirit sensitive electronics to Russia’s military. The exchange, which took place on the tarmac of an airport in Abu Dhabi, indicates significant detailed contacts between President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin and the administration of US President Donald Trump, who says he wants to strike a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine.

AP/Reuters

11 Apr 2025

Cost of living

US egg prices crack record

US egg prices increased again last month to reach a new record-high of $6.23 per dozen despite US President Donald Trump’s predictions, a drop in wholesale prices and no egg farms having bird flu outbreaks. The increase reported in the Consumer...

AP/Reuters

Syria

Turkey, Israel talks aim to avoid military clash

Turkish and Israeli officials have begun talks aimed at preventing unwanted incidents in Syria, where militaries of the two regional powers are active, Turkish ministry sources and an Israeli political source said. The Turkish sources said the technical talks, in Azerbaijan, marked the beginning of efforts to set up a channel to avoid potential clashes or misunderstandings over military operations in the region.

AP/Reuters

Italy

King’s visit shores up Italy-UK ties

King Charles has underlined the importance of strong ties between Italy and Britain at a time of war in Europe as he delivered an historic speech to the Italian Parliament. Charles, on the third day of his state visit to Italy with Queen Camilla, became the first British monarch to address a joint session of the Parliament in Rome, switching between English and Italian and drawing warm applause from lawmakers.

AP/Reuters

Ukraine

More Chinese recruits uncovered

Ukraine has expanded on its allegations that significant numbers of Chinese nationals are fighting for Russia’s invading army, saying it had gathered detailed intelligence on more than 150 mercenaries Moscow allegedly recruited through social medi...

AP/Reuters