DR Congo opposition urges halt to constitution changes
A leading opposition figure in the Democratic Republic of Congo urged President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday to abandon proposed constitutional changes that coul…
Politics & Governance — August 2026
Israel recovers Altalena wreck after 78 years
Israel said Monday it had recovered the wreckage of the Altalena, an arms-smuggling boat whose sinking by Israeli forces in 1948 exposed political divisions th…
Iraq pushes back militia disarmament deadline
A senior Iraqi official has pushed back a September 30 deadline for pro-Iran armed factions to hand over their weapons, without giving a new date or an explana…
Netherlands pulls out of Eurovision over Gaza divisions
The Netherlands will not take part in next year's Eurovision Song Contest, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS said Monday, saying the competition can no longer be cons…
New Zealand social media ban for under-16s introduced
New Zealand's government introduced legislation on Monday to ban under-16s from using social media, with major platforms facing possible fines of up to 10 perc…
Sinaloa governor facing US drug charges seeks leave
Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya, who is wanted by the United States on drug trafficking charges, announced on Saturday that he was stepping down again, one day after returning to office. Rocha Moya shared a document on X asking the Sinaloa state congress to…
Trump starts Washington IndyCar race won by Kirkwood
US President Donald Trump rode a ceremonial lap in his armored limousine and waved the green flag as Kyle Kirkwood won Washington's first IndyCar race, the Fre…
Stars and Stripes leaders fired, CBS reports
Stars and Stripes editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and publisher Max Lederer have been fired, leaders at the US military newspaper told US media on Friday. Slavin…
Ruben Rocha Moya says he will leave office again
Mexican governor Ruben Rocha Moya says he is leaving office again after returning to lead Sinaloa state while facing US drug trafficking charges. Rocha Moya had announced on X on August 21 that he was resuming leadership of the state, a post he had stepped aw…
Bolivia fires economy minister amid economic crisis
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz fired Economy Minister Jose Gabriel Espinoza on Friday after legislators voted to remove him for failing to appear before Congre…
Pope Leo XIV urges courage at Rimini Meeting
Pope Leo XIV visited San Marino on Saturday, August 22, before addressing the Rimini Meeting in Italy and urging attendees to be “courageous pioneers” in confronting poverty and inequality. The one-day trip ended with an open-air mass at Rimini’s port, attend…
Prince Harry UK return spotlights William rift
Prince Harry is preparing to return to the UK in the coming weeks with Meghan and their two children, putting renewed attention on whether he and Prince Willia…
Cambodia Senate building opens with sanctioned donor
Cambodian leaders inaugurated a new Senate building on Friday funded by the country's top business people, including a tycoon sanctioned by the United States o…
Melania Trump jokes as she returns after month away
US First Lady Melania Trump returned to a public White House event on Thursday, opening remarks in the Rose Garden with a joke about speculation over her absen…
Syrian Democratic Forces integrate into Syrian state
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces are being integrated into Syrian state structures after their leader, Mazloum Abdi, announced the move on Aug. 20, ending the force's role as the de facto army of the Kurdish autonomous administration in Syria. The SDF…
Tunisia protests target Saied over water shortages
Hundreds of Tunisians demonstrated in the capital on Thursday against President Kais Saied, power cuts and drinking water shortages as the country faced high temperatures. Protesters held signs referring to “thirst” and “darkness” and chanted against governme…
Syrian Kurds hope for role after state integration
Residents of Qamishli, a Kurdish-majority city in northeastern Syria, voiced cautious hope that Kurds will have a role in building a post-war Syrian state after Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi announced the full integration of Kurdish-led institutions into the st…
Qatar refueling planes get $4.5bn US approval
The United States approved a potential $4.5 billion sale of refueling aircraft to Qatar on Thursday, the State Department said. Qatar asked to buy up to four KC-46A aircraft equipped with missile warning sensors. The proposed sale has been sent to Congress fo…
Bauhaus manifesto defends school from AfD attacks
Germany's culture minister and a group of art and design institutions voiced support Thursday for the Bauhaus art school, whose modernist legacy has come under…
Paul Biya returns to Cameroon after 73-day absence
Cameroon's President Paul Biya returned to the country on Thursday after 73 days abroad, an unusually long absence that had fuelled speculation about the 93-year-old leader's health and questions over who was running the country. Biya, the world's oldest serv…
GTA VI time off offered for US Army reenlistment
A US Army battalion commander is offering soldiers four days off for the November 19 launch of “Grand Theft Auto VI” if they reenlist for at least two more years. Soldiers in the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion, based at Fort Stewart in Georgia, qualify for th…
Sziget Festival organisers say Orban pressure has eased
Sziget Festival organisers in Budapest said this year's event ran without the political “headwinds” they felt under Viktor Orban's government, months after Pet…
USS George Washington reaches Middle East to relieve Lincoln
The George Washington Carrier Strike Group has arrived in the Middle East during a scheduled deployment, US Central Command said Thursday, as it prepares to relieve the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln. CENTCOM, which oversees US forces in the Middle East, s…
Hungary state TV news returns after July suspension
Hungary's state TV aired its first news bulletin since July on Thursday, ending a suspension imposed while Prime Minister Peter Magyar's new government began reforms aimed at restoring public media independence. The main public TV channel, M1, suspended all n…
Bangladesh elects Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir president
Bangladesh lawmakers elected Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as president on Thursday, filling a largely ceremonial office left vacant by Mohammed Shahabuddin's ea…
Trump aide Natalie Harp enters political spotlight
Natalie Harp, a 35-year-old executive assistant to US President Donald Trump, has drawn new attention after being identified as one of the people who switched…
UK homelessness plan targets rough sleeping by Christmas
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has set out a plan to help people sleeping rough in England move off the streets by Christmas, with emergency accommodation and…
Slovenia president denies Russian intelligence ties
Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar has denied links with Russian intelligence amid political controversy after she was involved in a traffic accident alongs…
Zelensky fires aide after anti-corruption raids
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired deputy chief of staff Iryna Mudra on Wednesday after the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine said it was ra…
Switzerland seeks 970m-franc air defence boost
Switzerland's government said on August 19 it would ask parliament for an additional 970 million Swiss francs for its 2026 budget to speed air defence acquisitions. The government said the money would go towards down payments for short-range and medium-range…
Rough sleepers in England offered help by Christmas
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has unveiled plans to offer people sleeping rough in England a way off the streets by Christmas, using emergency accommodation a…
Kem Sokha's daughter defends Cambodia government role
Kem Monovithya, daughter of Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha, defended her appointment as a special envoy to Prime Minister Hun Manet, saying the role had…
Quebec separatists rule out referendum under Trump
Quebec's separatist Parti Quebecois said Tuesday it would not hold an independence referendum while US President Donald Trump is in power, even as polls suggest the party is favored to win the Canadian province's October election. Party leader Paul St-Pierre…
Andy Burnham confirms hoax messages with fake Trump aide
New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham confirmed Tuesday that he exchanged messages with someone pretending to be US President Donald Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles. Politico reported Monday that Burnham sent a “few messages” through an unspecified comm…
Israel says it will counter Turkey 'destabilisation'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel would act against what it called Turkey's attempts to destabilise the region, adding to a dispute over Ankara's role in Syria. The statement followed exchanges between Israel and Turkey over Syria…
Zhu Rongji funeral attended by Xi Jinping in Beijing
Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji was mourned in Beijing on Tuesday as President Xi Jinping and other senior Communist Party leaders attended a farewell gathering before his cremation, state broadcaster CCTV said. Zhu, a major figure in China's economic restr…
FIFA divisions widen after Kevin Lamour exit
FIFA divisions have widened after Kevin Lamour left his role as chief operating officer following his public criticism of Gianni Infantino's abandoned plan to…
Ten Commandments school law challenged at Supreme Court
A group of Texas parents asked the US Supreme Court on Monday to block a state law requiring the Bible's Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups joined the parents, described as being o…
King Harald hospitalised as son becomes regent
Norway's 89-year-old King Harald was hospitalised Monday and placed on sick leave for two weeks, the royal palace said. The palace said Harald is suffering from haemolytic anaemia, a condition caused by unusually rapid destruction of red blood cells that can…
Greece calls Turkey marine parks illegal
Greece on August 17 condemned Turkey's creation of two marine parks as "illegal", accusing Ankara of encroaching on international waters and Greece's continental shelf. Turkey earlier announced two protected areas in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas to be de…
Senegal expands asset declaration law for leaders
Senegal's parliament passed a law on August 17 requiring the president, National Assembly speaker and prime minister to declare and publish their assets when they enter and leave office. The measure was adopted with the approval of 133 out of 165 deputies. As…
Andy Burnham messaged Susie Wiles imposter: reports
New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with someone posing as Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, several media outlets reported Monday. Politico, citing anonymous sources, reported that Burnham sent a few messages through an unsp…
Germany troop strength at 13-year high, ministry says
Germany's military had 186,700 servicemen and servicewomen at the end of July, the defence ministry said Monday, its highest level in roughly 13 years. The ministry said the figure was about two percent higher than a year earlier and within the Bundeswehr's t…
Tomahawk missiles: Pentagon awards $22.9bn Raytheon deal
The Pentagon announced a $22.9 billion contract with Raytheon for Tomahawk missiles on Monday, as US munitions stockpiles face scrutiny during the conflict with Iran. Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the deal would speed delivery of Tomahawk missiles to…
Kem Monovithya named Cambodian PM's special envoy
Kem Monovithya, the daughter of Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha, was appointed a special envoy to Prime Minister Hun Manet on Monday. A royal decree said she was appointed at Hun Manet's request and would have a rank equal to a government minister. Her…
Lev Shlosberg given 11-year Russian prison term
A Russian court in Pskov sentenced opposition politician Lev Shlosberg to 11 years and one month in prison on Monday over his criticism of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine. The court found the 63-year-old deputy head of the Yabloko party guilty of “public action…
Mali jails Ras Bath and Rokia Doumbia for seven years
A court in Bamako sentenced Malian broadcaster Mohamed Youssouf Bathily, known as Ras Bath, and influencer Rokia Doumbia to seven years in jail on Monday after convicting them of criminal conspiracy and discrediting the state. The court also gave both defenda…
Taiwan 2027 defence spending to hit $35.2bn, Lai says
Taiwan's government will propose record defence spending for 2027, President Lai Ching-te said Monday, with annual and special defence budgets reaching NT$1.1225 trillion ($35.2 billion). Lai said the total would exceed NT$1 trillion for the first time and ac…
Succes Masra urges unity after Chad presidential pardon
Chad opposition leader Succes Masra has called for reconciliation with President Mahamat Idriss Deby after being released from prison under a presidential pardon. “We need forgiveness, unity and peace,” Masra told hundreds of supporters at his Transformers pa…
Andy Burnham turns to TikTok and podcasts as UK PM
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is using TikTok, podcasts and creator-led social media appearances to broaden his audience, drawing praise from some communications observers and criticism from others. Burnham has posted videos on X and TikTok and has appeared…
Romania drone downed by Spanish F-18, officials say
A Spanish F-18 fighter jet shot down a drone that breached Romanian airspace near the borders with Ukraine and Moldova on Sunday, Romania's defence ministry and NATO said. The Romanian defence ministry said the drone entered from Moldova and was intercepted a…
Liechtenstein ends male priority for throne
Liechtenstein announced on Saturday that it has ended male-heir priority to the throne, allowing the first-born child of the ruling house to become heir regardless of sex. The House of Liechtenstein said the order of succession was being changed from male pri…
Taliban supporters mark five years in power in Kabul
Taliban government supporters rallied in central Kabul on Saturday to celebrate five years in power, gathering near the former United States embassy with music, dancing, selfies and white Taliban flags. Hundreds of Afghans joined the celebrations, with people…
Bondi attack spurs New South Wales gun buyback
New South Wales will start a gun buyback scheme on November 2, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Saturday, advancing a reform promised after last year's mass shooting at Bondi Beach. The scheme will offer cash for eligible handguns, shotguns and rifles to…
Kizza Besigye’s wife urges his release for treatment
Winnie Byanyima, the wife of jailed Ugandan opposition politician Kizza Besigye, urged authorities on Saturday to release him on bail so he can receive medical treatment. Besigye, 70, is in custody facing treason charges over an alleged plot against President…
Taliban marks five years in power amid Afghan curbs
The Taliban government marked five years in power in Afghanistan on Saturday with street rallies, flag-decorated convoys and ceremonies in Kabul and other cities, while the United Nations and rights groups warned of tightening restrictions across daily life.…
USS Abraham Lincoln crew concerns dismissed by Trump
US President Donald Trump dismissed concerns on Friday about living conditions and mental health aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier deployed during the confrontation with Iran, and said the ship would soon be replaced by another carrier. Aske…
Emmanuel Macron jet ski photo draws opposition criticism
French President Emmanuel Macron has drawn criticism from opposition figures after Paris Match published a photo of him riding a jet ski on the Riviera during France's summer break. The magazine placed the image on its cover while Macron was vacationing at Br…
Nigel Farage probe resumes after Clacton win
A UK parliamentary standards inquiry into a £5 million gift to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage resumed Friday after he won back his Clacton seat in a snap by-election. Farage took 63 percent of votes cast in the eastern English constituency, which he first won…
France under-15 social media ban struck down
France’s Constitutional Council struck down a planned ban on social media access for children under 15 on Friday, rejecting one of President Emmanuel Macron’s youth-protection reforms while leaving the government to draft a new version. The council found that…
France assisted-dying law upheld by top council
France's Constitutional Council on Friday upheld assisted-dying legislation that gives some adults with incurable conditions the right to assisted dying, while saying some provisions need clarification. The ruling by France's highest constitutional authority…
Taiwan 2026 budget passes after record delay
Taiwan’s lawmakers approved the government’s 2026 budget on Friday after the longest delay on record, clearing this year’s spending plan shortly before parliament is expected to receive the 2027 proposal. President Lai Ching-te’s government and his Democratic…
Trump orders future carriers to use steam catapults
US President Donald Trump has directed future aircraft carriers to use older steam catapult technology instead of advanced electromagnetic systems for launching warplanes. Trump announced the order on Thursday in a national security presidential memorandum on…
Boris Nadezhdin says peace push forced Russia exit
Russian anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin said he fled Russia for France after his calls for peace and attempts to contest elections put him at risk of imprisonment. Nadezhdin, 63, told AFP from a hotel near Paris that he left Russia through Kazakhstan on J…
Bhutan offers cash for third children as births fall
Bhutan is offering monthly cash payments to families with third or subsequent children as the Himalayan kingdom tries to respond to falling births and the emig…
Peter Magyar accuses Hungary president before vote
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar accused President Tamas Sulyok of misusing public funds as he increased pressure before an expected parliamentary vote on…
Swiss bars get all-night hours for World Cup quarter-final
Pubs and restaurants in many Swiss cantons and cities will be allowed to stay open overnight so fans can watch Switzerland's World Cup quarter-final against Ar…
Moldova nominates Vasile Tofan as prime minister
Moldovan President Maia Sandu nominated businessman Vasile Tofan as prime minister on July 11, putting his appointment before parliament after Alexandru Muntea…
Reports say Turkey arrests 27 in CHP-run Ankara district
Turkish media reports said 27 people were arrested in early-morning raids on Saturday in Cankaya, an Ankara district run by the main opposition CHP. The repor…
Havana Syndrome victims get first US payments
The US government has made its first compensation payments to personnel affected by so-called Havana Syndrome, the Department of Defense said Friday. The depa…
North Korea ousts military official over graft, KCNA says
North Korea's ruling party dismissed senior military official Pak Hui Chol from its central leadership body and referred him to law enforcement over alleged co…
Taylor Swift paid $160,000 New York wedding permit, mayor says
Taylor Swift paid more than $160,000 for a New York City permit for her wedding to NFL star Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Fr…
Mojtaba Khamenei absent from Ali Khamenei funeral
Mojtaba Khamenei made no confirmed appearance at the funeral ceremonies for Ali Khamenei, raising questions among analysts about his health, security and how I…
US housing bill set to become law without Trump signature
A bipartisan US housing bill is set to become law on Saturday without President Donald Trump's signature after he said he would not sign it in protest over a s…
Reform UK donations investigated by police
Reform UK faced fresh scrutiny after The Times reported that London's Metropolitan Police were investigating about £500,000 in donations to the party from Fion…
Albania defends €4m for Kanye West concert
Albania's government defended its €4 million payment to support an upcoming Kanye West concert in Tirana, after criticism from opposition figures and arts grou…
Japan imperial succession bill clears lower house
Japan's lower house passed a bill aimed at easing an imperial succession crisis as the royal family shrinks under a male-only succession rule. The future of t…
Netanyahu pushes disputed bills before Israel election
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition is trying to pass seven bills before the Knesset is due to dissolve on July 15, months before national el…
North Korea to expand nuclear force, KCNA says
North Korea has decided to expand its nuclear force “both in quality and quantity” as part of a military modernisation drive, state news agency KCNA reported Friday. KCNA said the decision was made at an enlarged meeting on Thursday of the ruling party's cent…
Andy Burnham urges more UK pressure on Israel
Andy Burnham, tipped to succeed outgoing UK leader Keir Starmer, said Britain should increase pressure on Israel over its actions in Gaza, in an interview published by The Guardian on July 9. Burnham said many people believed Starmer's government had not resp…
Zimbabwe opposition challenges Mnangagwa term extension
Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change asked the constitutional court Thursday to overturn a law extending President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s time in office. Mnangagwa, 83, signed the amendment into law on Tuesday after it was passed by parliament,…
DR Congo opposition calls protest over third-term changes
DR Congo opposition leaders called on Thursday for a July 22 protest against constitutional changes that could allow President Felix Tshisekedi to seek a third term. The opposition grouping C64 said at a Kinshasa news conference that it would continue mobilis…
Guinea opposition meeting canceled in Senegal
Senegalese authorities stopped a planned Dakar meeting by exiled Guinean opposition members on Thursday, with police citing diplomatic reasons. The meeting was intended to mark two years since the disappearance of Guinean activists Oumar Sylla, better known a…
World Bank presses Kenya on corruption reforms
The World Bank urged Kenya on Thursday to carry out anti-corruption reforms required under its latest $750 billion lending package. The bank approved the package on June 29 after it was stalled throughout 2025 because of delays over anti-corruption measures.…
EU child sex abuse reporting plan stalls in parliament
The European Parliament failed on Thursday to break a deadlock over rules for how tech companies report child sexual abuse material on their platforms. MEPs voted on a proposal that would have restored a voluntary reporting mechanism for online platforms and…
Peter Mandelson US envoy pick disastrous, MPs say
Peter Mandelson's appointment as UK ambassador to the United States was "nothing short of disastrous" and harmed Britain's international standing, a parliamentary committee said Thursday. The Foreign Affairs Committee said Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office…
Khamenei coffin escorted by fighter jet to Mashhad
Footage from the Iranian supreme leader's website showed at least one fighter jet escorting the plane carrying late Iranian leader Ali Khamenei's coffin to the eastern holy city of Mashhad for final burial on Thursday. Khamenei's coffin, along with those of f…
India opposition says $46m freeze is political vendetta
An Indian opposition party accused federal investigators of a politically motivated attack after $46 million was frozen in its bank accounts as part of a money-laundering probe. India's Enforcement Directorate said Wednesday it was investigating alleged illeg…
Peter Magyar rushes overhaul of Orban-era Hungary
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar is rushing to dismantle institutions built during Viktor Orban's 16-year rule, drawing both public support and warnings from rights groups and political experts. Magyar took office on May 9 after an election landslide and…
China tests nuclear-capable submarine-launched missile
China tested a long-range submarine-launched, nuclear-capable missile earlier in the week, drawing condemnation from countries in the region and concern from the United States over Beijing's nuclear buildup. Details of the weapon remain limited. Taiwan identi…
France to send troops to NATO mission in Finland
France will send ground forces to a Swedish-led NATO mission in Finland, France, Finland and Sweden said on July 8. The three countries said in a joint statement that France would contribute to rotations of Forward Land Forces Finland, including a battle unit…
Succes Masra pardon leaves conviction intact
Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby pardoned jailed former prime minister Succes Masra and eight other opposition leaders on Friday, but the pardon leaves their convictions and election ineligibility in place. A decree published by the presidency said the p…
Taiwan says US training coast guard amid China patrols
Taiwan said Friday that the United States is training its coast guard in maritime patrol and law enforcement skills as Chinese activity around the island increases. Taiwan's coast guard said the US Coast Guard training runs from August 10 to 21 and focuses on…
Pete Hoekstra ouster petition tops 116,000 in Canada
A Canadian parliamentary petition calling for the removal of US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra has passed 116,000 confirmed signatories, according to the Canadian parliament website. The citizen-led petition calls for Hoekstra to be declared persona non grata and r…
Raul Castro reappears after months out of public view
Raul Castro appeared in public on August 13 for the first time in months, attending an event in Havana marking the centenary celebration of his brother Fidel Castro's birth. AFP reporters saw the 95-year-old former Cuban president, who heads the country's arm…
Berlin Wall anniversary brings East German nostalgia warning
German officials used the 65th anniversary of the start of Berlin Wall construction on August 13 to warn against nostalgia for communist East Germany, weeks before state elections in eastern Germany where the far-right Alternative for Germany is expected to m…
USS Abraham Lincoln conditions draw Senate demands
US congressional Democrats demanded answers on Aug. 12 about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln after reports of food shortages, broken plumbing and mental health crises during the aircraft carrier's extended deployment. In a letter to Defense Secretar…
Venezuela talks end with justice and funds pledges
Venezuela's interim government and opposition representatives wrapped up a first round of talks Wednesday, saying they had agreed to start work on justice-system reform and seek access to frozen funds for earthquake recovery. A joint statement from the two si…
Karoline Leavitt to step down as Trump press secretary
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will step down at the end of the month, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday, saying she would remain one of his top outside advisers. Trump said on social media that Leavitt would leave the role to spend mor…
Venezuela talks protesters demand transparency
Dozens of protesters rallied outside a hotel hosting Venezuela transition talks in Caracas on Wednesday, demanding more transparency from the authorities and parts of the opposition as the first round of US-backed negotiations was wrapping up. AFP journalists…
Eurovision bars countries at war from hosting, raises age
Eurovision Song Contest organisers announced rule changes on Wednesday that would exclude a winning country from hosting if armed conflict or a sensitive geopolitical situation affects security, safety or stability, and raised the minimum age for competitors…
Zhu Rongji, China market reformer, dies at 97
Zhu Rongji, the former Chinese premier associated with major market reforms and China's entry into the World Trade Organization, has died at the age of 97. Chinese state media said Zhu died of illness in Beijing late Wednesday morning after medical treatment…
Germany spy reforms clear cabinet, expand covert powers
The German government signed off on a major intelligence overhaul on Wednesday that would give its spy agencies wider powers to conduct covert operations and act against foreign threats. The reforms still need parliamentary approval before they can take effec…
New Zealand PM Luxon survives confidence vote
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Wednesday that he had survived an emergency confidence vote less than three months before a general election. Luxon told journalists in Wellington that the vote had been held at a caucus meeting that morning.…
Christopher Luxon survives challenge, fires defence minister
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon survived a National Party confidence vote less than three months before the November 7 general election and said Defence Minister Chris Penk, whom he identified as the challenger, had been fired. Luxon said the par…
Fidel Castro centenary finds Cuba in deep crisis
Cuba is marking 100 years since Fidel Castro's birth with official celebrations, but the anniversary comes during one of the country's worst crises in living memory, with acute shortages of food and water and chronic power cuts. Cuba's Communist Party has spe…
Trump confirms secret plane swap over threat
Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that he secretly switched planes because of a threat to his life, after reports that he was moved off Air Force One in Turkey while journalists and senior aides remained aboard the presidential aircraft. “They wanted me to go…
Hitler chancellery bunker at risk in Berlin housing row
A bunker beneath the site of Adolf Hitler's former chancellery in central Berlin could be destroyed for a housing project, a heritage association warned Tuesday. Berliner Unterwelten, which works to preserve the city's underground history, said the bunker is…
Turkey passes limited PKK amnesty law
Turkish lawmakers voted on Monday to approve a limited amnesty law for some Kurdish PKK militants who lay down their weapons, marking Turkey's first legislative step in a peace process aimed at ending decades of deadly violence. After 12 hours of debate, lawm…
Hungary media overhaul leaves news off air, jobs cut
Hungary's state media remains without its main TV news broadcasts a month after broadcaster MTVA suspended them, while private media companies are also cutting jobs and print editions during a wider post-Orban media shake-up. Reorganising state media was a ke…
Mohsen Rezaei named Iran security council chief
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has named Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guards, to head the country's Supreme National Security Council, the Iranian presidency said Sunday. Presidency spokesman Mehdi Tabatabaei said on X…
Gianni Infantino denies UEFA affair, favouritism claims
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has denied allegations reported by The Telegraph that he paid off an alleged lover and used his influence to help secure a promotion for the same UEFA employee while he worked at European football's governing body. The British…
Kosovo PM Albin Kurti egged as parliament suspended
Kosovo's parliament was suspended on Saturday after opposition lawmaker Time Kadrijaj threw eggs at caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti during a session linked to the country's political deadlock. Kadrijaj shouted “Shame on you!” as she threw the eggs at Kur…
Hungary swears in Orban critic Andras Baka as president
Hungary swore in former Supreme Court chief Andras Baka, a critic of Viktor Orban, as president on Tuesday after parliament approved him for the largely ceremonial post. Baka, 73, was elected by lawmakers after being nominated by Prime Minister Peter Magyar's…
Lise Klaveness floated as FIFA successor to Infantino
Lise Klaveness, the head of Norway's football federation, is drawing attention as a possible successor to FIFA president Gianni Infantino after years of public criticism of his leadership. Klaveness, a 45-year-old lawyer and former Norway footballer, called o…
India youth protests leave Modi facing pressure
India's youth-led protest movement has left Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government facing political pressure after demonstrations that began over exam irregularities widened into anger over jobs, opportunity and trust in public institutions. The online Coc…
Burrito price debate splits Trump Republicans
A debate over the price of a burrito has opened a dispute inside President Donald Trump's Republican Party as conservatives argue over how to respond to voter concerns about the cost of living before November's midterm elections. The argument began after Andr…
Abelardo de la Espriella takes office as Colombia's 'Tiger'
Abelardo de la Espriella has taken office as Colombia's president, using his inauguration speech to promise a hard line against crime and armed insurgents after a narrow election victory. Speaking at a military garrison in Cali on Friday, the millionaire lawy…
Lisa Cook given 21 days in Trump Fed removal bid
US Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook has been given 21 days to respond to unproven mortgage fraud allegations as President Donald Trump renews an attempt to remove her, according to a White House letter seen by AFP on Friday. The August 5 letter, signed by D…
Russia sanctions bill passes US Senate, heads to House
The US Senate passed a sanctions package targeting Russia's energy revenues on August 7, sending the bill to the House of Representatives, where a vote will not take place until at least early September because of the congressional summer recess. The bill wou…
Gianni Infantino gets South American backing in FIFA crisis
FIFA president Gianni Infantino received support from several South American football figures on Friday as he visited Cali, Colombia, during a crisis over FIFA's abandoned plan to open the World Cup to private investment. CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domingue…
Ghana names Kenneth Gilbert Adjei defence minister
Ghanaian President John Mahama named Kenneth Gilbert Adjei as defence minister on Friday, nearly a year after former defence minister Edward Omane Boamah died in a military helicopter crash. Adjei, 47, had been housing minister. He previously served as deputy…
Merz fake video blamed on Russia-linked group, source says
A German security source told AFP that a Russia-linked group was probably behind a fake video claiming Chancellor Friedrich Merz planned to resign. The video used the branding of German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle and business daily Handelsblatt to clai…
Norway football federation to ask Infantino to resign
The Norwegian Football Federation will ask FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign, federation head Lise Klaveness said Friday, arguing that he no longer has the trust needed to lead world football's governing body. “He does not have the institutional trust…
Syria’s women MPs include actress and niqab wearer
Women hold 22 of the 207 current seats in Syria's first post-Assad parliament, with lawmakers including a television actress, a Christian engineer, a Kurdish leader, a novelist and Syria's first MP to wear the full-face niqab. The assembly held its opening se…
Colombia president vows hard line as US plans $1bn aid
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella used his first speech after taking office on August 7 to vow a hard line against armed and drug-trafficking groups, while the United States said it planned major security support for his new government. Speaking to…
Argentina property bill protest leaves at least 3 hurt
At least two police officers and one protester were injured as thousands of people protested outside the Argentine Senate on Thursday against a private property bill, according to Argentine media and AFP footage. The protest in Buenos Aires turned into clashe…
Bolivia's Rodrigo Paz defends economic plan
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz defended his economic recovery plan Thursday in his first address to the nation since taking office nine months ago, after protests against the country's worst economic crisis in decades. Speaking from Sucre on Bolivia's indepen…
Mitch McConnell returns home after medical absence
US Senator Mitch McConnell said Thursday, August 6, that he had been discharged from a rehabilitation center and would continue recovering at home after nearly two months in hospital and rehabilitation. The 84-year-old Kentucky Republican, a former Senate lea…
Trump backs FIFA's Infantino amid resignation calls
US President Donald Trump said it would be a “terrible mistake” to replace FIFA president Gianni Infantino, adding high-profile public backing for the football chief during a governance crisis. Infantino has faced a resignation call from Norwegian Football Fe…
Anthony Fauci contempt vote clears US Senate panel
A Republican-led US Senate committee voted on August 6 to hold Anthony Fauci, the former top US infectious diseases official, in contempt of Congress, advancing a Republican effort tied to scrutiny of Covid-19 pandemic decisions. The party-line vote followed…
UK Prevent referrals hit record high, Home Office says
UK Prevent referrals reached a record 10,293 in the year ending September 2025, the Home Office said, with extreme right-wing concerns making up the largest ideology-related category. The Home Office said the total was the highest for a single year since repo…
Australia to buy US missiles for fighter jets
Australia said Thursday it will buy long-range missiles for its fighter jets from the United States in an Aus$736 million ($518 million) deal, amid concerns about pressure on US missile stockpiles. Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australia would purchase…
Trump denies US munitions shortages, threatens leakers
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States has large supplies of munitions and threatened prison terms for people behind reports suggesting shortages. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the United States has "massive amounts" of munitions, espe…
Mark Parton admits 'my job is boring' text
Australian politician Mark Parton admitted on Thursday that he sent a private text saying his job was boring during a meeting, after local media reported a complaint about the message. Parton leads the opposition Liberal Party in the Australian Capital Territ…
Venezuelan leftists split over Delcy Rodriguez's US ties
Venezuelan leftists are split over interim leader Delcy Rodriguez's cooperation with Washington, with activists and some Chavistas opposing her Western-backed policies ahead of US-backed political transition talks. Rodriguez, who previously served as Nicolas…
FIFA apologises, backs Infantino over World Cup plan
FIFA's leadership apologised on Wednesday, August 5, over the controversy around a failed plan to open the World Cup to private investment, while reaffirming its full support for president Gianni Infantino after a crisis meeting in Rabat, Morocco. The FIFA se…
Trump-class battleships could cost $275 billion, CBO says
The US Navy's planned fleet of 15 Trump-class battleships could cost $275 billion to build, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. The CBO estimated that the first nuclear-powered battleship would cost about $23.4 billion in 2026 dollars.…
Mojtaba Khamenei meets Iran president, office says
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian recently met Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Khamenei's office said Sunday, in a rare official statement about a leader who has not appeared in public since taking the post early in the Middle East war. T…
Turkey PKK amnesty may release 3,500, lawmakers say
Turkish lawmakers passed a limited amnesty law for Kurdish PKK militants on Monday, with lawmakers saying it is expected to involve the release of around 3,500 PKK-linked detainees in an initial phase. The bill passed by 468 votes to 88, with six abstentions.…
Ethiopia arrests opposition figures over terror claims
Ethiopian authorities arrested two opposition members and a lawyer close to their party, accusing them of planning terrorist acts, while defence representatives rejected the allegations as false. Yisak Wolday, head of public relations for the Ethiopian People…
Paul Biya appoints generals to security team amid absence
Cameroon's President Paul Biya has made new appointments to his personal security structure, including naming General Raymond Jean Charles Beko'o Abondo to head the presidential guard, as debate continues over the 93-year-old leader's absence from the country…
Sri Lanka adds 98 sites to gambling ban
Sri Lanka has added 98 online betting sites to a list of portals to be blocked as part of a crackdown on unauthorised gambling, the Digital Economy Ministry said on Friday. The latest additions came two days after the government banned 24 major gambling sites…
Meta apologises over Modi video removal in India
Meta apologised to India's information and broadcasting minister after Facebook and Instagram temporarily removed a video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as an Indian parliamentary panel called for Mark Zuckerberg to apologise within three days. Joel…
Sheikh Hasina return vow draws Bangladesh rebuke
Bangladesh's government rebuked ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina after she said she would return from exile in India in December even if she was jailed. Hasina, 78, spoke in an audio broadcast to a packed press club in New Delhi on Wednesday, the se…
New Zealand councillor joins meeting from bathroom
New Zealand councillor Jo Galer joined a Dunedin City Council meeting from a bathroom, with laundry visible behind her during a discussion on local government reform. Mayor Sophie Barker told Galer during the Monday meeting: "You might want to move your camer…
Trump Truth Social paid access draws scrutiny
Trump Media and Technology Group's paid Truth API service has drawn scrutiny from US lawmakers and market watchers because it offers subscribers rapid access to President Donald Trump's Truth Social posts before the general public sees them. The company launc…
Nigeria military salaries to rise by up to 80%
Nigeria will raise military salaries by between 30% and 80% from September, presidential media adviser Bayo Onanuga said, as the government seeks to boost morale among troops facing widespread insecurity. Onanuga said officers above colonel will receive a 30%…
India E20 petrol protest stopped by police
Police stopped Indian opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday as he marched towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence with petitions signed by more than 200,000 people demanding a rethink of E20 petrol. E20 is petrol blended with 20 percent ethano…
Guinea opposition calls for end to 'dictatorship'
Guinean opposition parties and civil society organisations on Monday called on Guineans to “put an end to the dictatorship” as President Mamadi Doumbouya left the country on holiday. Doumbouya's office said he was travelling to Greece with his family “for a f…
Denmark starts 11-month conscription for 1,600 youths
About 1,600 young Danes began 11 months of military service on Monday, the first intake under Denmark's extended conscription system. Princess Isabella, 19, was among the new conscripts. She joined the Guard Hussar Regiment at Antvorskov Barracks in Slagelse.…
Boris Nadezhdin says he has left Russia for France
Russian anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin said on Monday that he had left Russia, posting a video from Paris after recent pressure on his parliamentary campaign. “I have some good news: I'm alive and free. Unfortunately, not in Russia,” Nadezhdin said in a…
FIFA's Gianni Infantino loses Mark Carney's confidence
Gianni Infantino faced new pressure on Wednesday after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he no longer had confidence in the FIFA president's ability to lead world football's governing body. “Certainly I don't have confidence in Mr Infantino, after this…
Todd Blanche says Senate deal scraps $1.8bn fund
Todd Blanche, the US acting attorney general, said he had reached an agreement with senators and issued an order scrapping a $1.8 billion compensation fund that had threatened his Senate confirmation. Blanche's announcement followed a Senate Judiciary Committ…
Aung San Suu Kyi meeting is proof of life, UK says
Britain's foreign ministry called Aung San Suu Kyi's meeting with an International Committee of the Red Cross representative in Myanmar “long overdue proof of life” and repeated its call for her release. An ICRC spokesperson said Arnaud de Baecque, the organi…
UK written constitution: Burnham signals support
Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has signalled support for a written UK constitution, linking the idea to his plans to devolve more power to regional authorities. Burnham said his devolution plans “point towards a new constitutional settlement” and c…