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South Korea, US scale back annual military drills after Trump’s order

Seoul says the duration of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise has been reduced from 11 days to five.

No 10 North to oversee economic growth | Zelenskyy faces calls for election

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NSW judge says anti-Israel graffiti case went ‘haywire’ when vandalism was labelled antisemitic

Mohommed Farhat spray-painted slogans and torched a car in Woollahra. He pleaded guilty but supreme court judge says case appears to be a ‘miscarriage of justice’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFor almost two years, Mohommed Farhat has been in prison after he pleaded guilty to 15 offences in connection with property damage, including spray-painting “Fuk Israel” on cars i...

EU-backed electricity link to Cyprus stalls amid regional tensions

The nearly €2 billion Great Sea Interconnector subsea cable would connect Cyprus to the EU's electricity system and end Nicosia's energy isolation. However, Turkey's maritime ambitions and financing issues have been stalling the project, which was meant to become operational in 2024.

Australia politics live: Coalition accuses Labor of treating veterans ‘with contempt’; Victorian Liberals pledge to ‘throw open doors to gas’

Follow today’s news liveFollow our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast‘Collapsing confidence’ in housing market, Wilson saysTim Wilson has jumped on that reporting around rent increases and says there has been a collapse in confidence since the budget which is hurting renters.We’ve had, since the budget, collapsing confidence, a lack of will to invest in housing that is going to be...

Trump says last minute deal reached with Canada to delay 50% US tariffs on imports from Ottawa

The two allies traded goods and services worth close to $1 trillion despite their strained relations last year, as US President Donald Trump continues his relentless push to enforce tariffs and levies on his northern neighbours.

Palestinian-American citizen raises US flag over besieged West Bank home

A Palestinian-American has raised the US flag on his home besieged by Israeli settlers, as the United States renewed criticism of the siege that has generated condemnation around the world.

Palestinian-American raises U.S. flag over besieged West Bank home

A Palestinian-American has raised the US flag on his home besieged by Israeli settlers, as the United States renewed criticism of the siege that has generated condemnation around the world.

Southeast Asia’s landmine clearers face closure as global aid shifts to new wars

En Poy was minding cattle in a former Khmer Rouge stronghold in Cambodia when he set off his first landmine. The blast from the rusty relic he picked up cost him an arm and an eye. It also inspired his career with non-profit organisation Cambodian Self Help Demining, which clears landmines and unexploded ordnance across the country, deadly remnants of wars from the last century. Groups like Poy’s ...

John Irvin, British film-maker who directed Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, dies aged 86

The director’s BBC hit opened the door to Hollywood action films including Hamburger Hill, The Dogs of War and Raw DealJohn Irvin, the British film-maker who directed the Bafta-winning BBC miniseries Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, as well as films including Hamburger Hill, The Dogs of War and Raw Deal, has died aged 86.Irvin died “peacefully at home” on 11 August, surrounded by his family, his produce...

Attackers go ‘house to house’ killing 25 villagers in central Nigeria

An attack on a village in Nigeria’s central Plateau state has killed at least 25 people.

15,000 years ago, humans in Israel were eating snakes and lizards

Next for Hong Kong’s exchange: ‘more products on our shelf’, HKEX boss pledges

Hong Kong’s bourse operator will focus on diversifying into multiple asset classes and extending its trading hours to serve international investors, in support of the city’s five-year-plan goal to strengthen its role as an international financial centre, according to its CEO. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) in the coming years would introduce a wide range of products and platforms in fixed...

HKEX profit jumps to record high on surging IPOs and turnover, beating market estimates

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) profit jumped to a record amid a boom in initial public offerings (IPOs) and sizzling stock market turnover in the second quarter, according to a stock exchange filing on Wednesday. Quarterly net profit for the operator of Asia’s third-largest stock market soared 21 per cent year on year to HK$5.38 billion (US$683.4 million), or HK$4.26 per share, higher tha...

Imran Khan’s sister meets him after 9 months as Pakistan SC orders hospital transfer for jailed ex-PM

Noreen Niazi met her brother Imran Khan in Adiala Jail after nine months. The Supreme Court ordered weekly family meetings and his transfer to a hospital. Imran also met his wife, Bushra Bibi, for a longer duration. Medical reports indicated fluctuating blood pressure and anxiety for the former prime minister. The court stressed family access as a fundamental right, not a concession.

Camilla found it ‘difficult’ keeping king’s cancer diagnosis private before announcement

In video celebrating Maggie’s cancer charity, queen recalls ‘longing to let it out’ on visit to centre in 2024The queen has spoken for the first time of how difficult she found it to keep King Charles’s cancer a secret before it was announced publicly.Camilla found herself “longing to let it out” during an official visit to a Maggie’s cancer support centre in 2024, after Charles had received his d...

US defence chiefs tour Asia to calm fears as Trump’s drill remarks sow doubts

Senior US defence officials have fanned out across Asia in recent weeks to reassure allies of Washington’s commitment to the region, even as the war with Iran strains American resources and President Donald Trump fuels doubts by criticising joint combat drills with South Korea. The visits by Admiral Frank Bradley and Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Elbridge Colby were intended to show that W...

Tourists on pastry quest overrun scenic spot in Italian mountains

Alpine communities hit out after influencer videos draw huge queues to Friedrich August refuge in DolomitesHundreds of people overwhelmed a mountain hut in the Italian Dolomites, not for the panoramic views but in search of a creamy pastry, reigniting the debate about social-media-driven tourism.The visitors ventured en masse to the Friedrich August refuge – perched at 2,300 metres (7,500ft) above...

North Korea slams joint US-South military drills as 'open threat' to regional security

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump stunned regional allies by ordering the Pentagon to scale back the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, just a day before they were due to start.

US and South Korean militaries agree to shorten drills days after Trump ordered reduction in joint exercises

The sudden announcement comes just days after Trump wrote a fiery social media post slamming the joint drills as “hostile” and ordering Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to scale back future exercises.

Trump pauses new tariffs on Canada for three days, saying deal close

The US president says the two sides are finalising documents to avert import taxes targeting a range of Canadian goods.

Trump pauses new tariffs on Canada for three days, saying countries close to a deal

The US president says the two sides are finalising documents to avert import taxes targeting a range of Canadian goods.

Trump pauses Canada tariffs threat, and hints at revival of Keystone XL pipeline

US president delays 50% tariffs by three days, and says contentious oil project ‘may be awoken from the grave’Canada has temporarily avoided a bruising 50% US tariff, reaching a Tuesday-evening agreement with Trump administration officials hours before a hike that would have affected $20bn worth of goods was set to take effect.Donald Trump posted late on Tuesday on social media that he had paused ...

Bali gym owner kicks out three Israeli tourists for links to ‘IDF’

A gym owner in Indonesia has posted a video on social media explaining why he refused service to three Israeli tourists.

Owner of dog in deadly pet maulings charged with failing to properly control animal

Hong Kong authorities have charged the owner of a large dog that mauled two smaller pets earlier this week with failing to properly control the animal, which is currently under government custody. The Agriculture, Fisheries, and Conservation Department (AFCD) said on Wednesday that it had charged the owner, 52, with failure to properly control a large dog under the Dangerous Dogs Regulation, and t...