World

Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov and US counterpart Marco Rubio discussed preparations for a coming summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in a call on Monday, both sides said. Rubio “emphasised the importance of upcoming engagements as an opportunity for Moscow and Washington to collaborate on advancing a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war”, Tommy Pigott, principal deputy spokesman …

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been accused of waging a campaign against political dissent Armenian law enforcement has detained the mayor of the country’s second-largest city along with several municipal staff and dozens of locals, sparking protests. Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan and seven others now face corruption charges. The arrests come amid an ongoing political standoff in the country between …

As Moscow faces growing economic challenges to fund its war against Ukraine, Russia is expected to be in a nearly £75 billion deficit by next year. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the news on Sunday, speaking at a briefing attended by the Ukrainian news outlet Kyiv Independent. “We already believe that next year Russia will have a significant deficit – almost …

Argentina on Monday formalised a currency swap agreement with the United States for up to US$20 billion aimed “at contributing to Argentina’s economic stability,” the South American country’s central bank said. The deal is part of huge financial support from the administration of Donald Trump, a strong backer of Argentine President Javier Milei, who is under pressure ahead of midterm …

African policymakers see Sarkozy’s trial as a reminder of selective justice where Western leaders can face consequences for domestic corruption, yet avoid accountability for foreign interventions October 20 marks 14 years since Libya’s revolutionary leader, Muammar Gaddafi, was violently murdered in broad daylight – a grim anniversary that annually prompts his supporters around the world to reflect on the NATO-led …

Taiwan has for the first time formally outlined the circumstances under which its troops can shoot down incoming drones. The new procedures, disclosed in the recently released National Defence Report 2025, set out a four-step standard operating procedure – identification and monitoring, alert and notification, safety confirmation and defensive firing. The report said the guidelines aimed to improve troops’ readiness …

Advances in artificial intelligence are helping scientists explore the most remote parts of the ocean in Antarctica. Researchers at British Antarctic Survey have harnessed the latest technology to detect “strange creatures” in photos and videos of the seafloor. AI has dramatically accelerated the time to detect animals from several hours to a few seconds per image, and can be used …

The German carrier has cited a doubling of state-imposed costs since 2019 in explaining the move Rising German aviation taxes and fees will force national flag carrier Lufthansa to cut about 100 domestic flights from its forthcoming summer schedule, the company’s chief executive, Carsten Spohr has said. Government-imposed costs for airlines in Germany have roughly doubled over the past six …

Mainland Chinese homebuyers remain a strong driving force in Hong Kong’s residential property market, spending HK$38 billion (US$4.9 billion) to account for 25 per cent of the city’s total home transactions in the third quarter, according to Centaline Property Agency. Buyers with names in pinyin – the mainland’s system of romanisation of Chinese script – registered 3,797 deals between July …

Belarus’ security service chief says he aims to assist President Alexander Lukashenko in reopening dialogue with Kiev The chairman of the Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB) has said his agency is seeking to support efforts to restart talks between Russia and Ukraine. Speaking to national television on Sunday, Ivan Tertel said the KGB is working to assist President Alexander Lukashenko’s …