World

International affairs, events, and conflicts

World
PM’s resignation plunges France into crisis
The French Government has resigned, but Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has accepted a request from President Emmanuel Macron to find a solution to the political crisis. They resigned on Monday, only hours after Lecornu announced his cabinet line-up, making it the briefest administration in modern French history, but Macron urged Lecornu to hold discussions with other political parties within 48 hours to find a way forward. "The president has entrusted Mr Sebastien Lecornu, the outgoing Prime Minister in charge of day-to-day affairs, with the responsibility of conducting final negotiations by Wednesday evening to define a platform for action and stability for the country," the Elysee Palace said in a statement. Lecornu, France’s fifth prime minister in less than two years, tendered his resignation just 27 days after being appointed in the wake of threats to topple his new government. Lecornu said each political party was behaving like they had a parliamentary majority, and the “conditions were not fulfilled” to stay in office. “I was ready to compromise, but each political party wanted the other political party to adopt its entire program,” France 24 reported him as saying after his shock decision to step down.
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NZ plans to develop lethal weapons for export
New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins wants her country to develop lethal weapons for export with the help of technology companies. The Defence Industry Strategy involves plans to boost defence business and encourage technology companies to branch out into military technology . Collins said she would allow the New Zealand Defence Force (Defence) to partner with New Zealand’s advanced technology sector but also create technology that could be exported. "Defence is a great way through for that and if New Zealand Defence Force can help them to do that, that's really important because it's harder for our New Zealand Defence tech businesses to be able to sell into overseas markets like Australia or the UK if they don't have a New Zealand Defence Force brand on them as well,” she said. Collins also said it would be “irresponsible” for New Zealand not to catch up and manufacture lethal weapons. “When the world around us is changing at such a pace, we need to change our approach to how we equip our Defence Force, and we need to work in partnership with industry to be better together,” she said. The New Zealand Government will introduce a new NZ$100 million to NZ$300 million fund to develop advanced technologies for
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US offers Ukraine more intelligence on Russia
The United States will provide Ukraine with intelligence on long-range energy infrastructure deep inside Russia, in a move that would signal a significant shift in the White House’s support for Kyiv. This would mark the first policy change by U.S. President Donald Trump since his social media comments that Ukraine could win back all of the territory occupied by Russia in September. According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. is also calling upon NATO allies to provide similar support. Washington has long been offering intelligence to Kyiv. Still, the new data will make it easier for Ukraine to hit infrastructure such as refineries, pipelines and power plants with the aim of depriving the Kremlin of revenue and oil. “The US transmits intelligence to Ukraine on a regular basis online,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in response to the reports. “The supply and use of the entire infrastructure of NATO and the US to collect and transfer intelligence to Ukrainians is obvious.” This comes as the U.S. considers a Ukrainian request for Tomahawk cruise missiles, which have a range of 2,500km, that could easily hit Moscow and most of European Russia if fired from Ukraine.
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EU backs 'drone wall' to counter Russian incursions
European Union leaders have endorsed plans to establish a continent-wide defence network against Russian drones after recent airspace violations rattled Denmark and exposed Europe’s vulnerabilities. Meeting in Copenhagen on Wednesday, leaders signalled their support for a “drone wall” across the bloc, an initiative championed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and welcomed by NATO. "Europe must be able to defend itself", Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said. "We need to strengthen our production of drones, of anti-drone capabilities, and this includes building up a European network of anti-drone measures that can protect and, of course, also neutralise intrusion from outside." European officials have accused Moscow of brazenly testing the continent’s air defences, pointing to recent drone incursions over Poland and fighter jet flights over Estonia. Denmark has not formally attributed last week’s drone activity that disrupted several airports, but Frederiksen has hinted Russia was behind the episodes. Von der Leyen first floated the idea of a “drone wall” last month, just hours after around 20 Russian drones breached Polish airspace. NATO forces responded by deploying fighter jets, he
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Hegseth and Trump slam diversity in the military
United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed fat generals and diversity initiatives that he believes led to the decay of the military and told a rare gathering of commanders they should resign if they don’t support his agenda. President Donald Trump joined Hegseth at the gathering and told the military that dangerous cities where he has deployed the National Guard could be used as “training grounds” for troops. Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and Trump, a former reality TV star, summoned the military officials on short notice to the impromptu event. “Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading, and we lost our way. We became the ‘Woke Department,’” Hegseth said as he kicked off the event. “But not any more.” Hegseth has defended his firings of officers like the top U.S. general who is black and the Navy’s top admiral who is a woman, claiming they were part of a broken culture. During the event, Hegseth advised anyone who disagreed with his statements to resign. “If the words I’m speaking today are making your hearts sink, then you should do the honourable thing and resign,” Hegseth said. “I know the overwhelming majority of you feel the opposite. These words make your

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Trump gives Hamas deadline to accept Gaza peace plan
United States President Donald Trump has given Hamas three to four days to accept a U.S.-backed peace plan for Gaza, warning of "a very sad end" if the Islamist group rejects the proposal, which he said was close to ending the two-year-old conflict. The 20-point plan was delivered to Hamas late on Monday by mediators Qatar and Egypt, following a White House meeting where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed the document, saying it met Israel’s war objectives. Hamas was not involved in the negotiations. The plan calls for Hamas to disarm, a demand it has consistently opposed. An official briefed on the talks told Reuters the group "would review it in good faith and provide a response". Trump told reporters in Washington that Israeli and Arab leaders had already endorsed the plan, saying "we’re just waiting for Hamas" to respond. He gave the group "three or four days" to make its decision. "Hamas is either going to be doing it or not, and if it’s not, it’s going to be a very sad end," Trump said before leaving the White House. The proposal outlines an immediate ceasefire, the exchange of all hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Ha
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Russia warns US missiles to Ukraine risk escalation
Russia has warned that escalation will occur if the United States supplies Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles. This update came from the Kremlin just one day after U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that Washington was weighing up a request from Ukraine for the missiles. A final decision is still to be made by President Donald Trump, who has been showing increasing frustration with Russia over the ongoing refusal of a ceasefire. Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2,500 kilometres, which, if fired from Ukraine, would have the ability to strike Moscow and most of European Russia. "The question... is this: who can launch these missiles...? Can only Ukrainians launch them, or do American soldiers have to do that?" Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about Vance's remarks on Monday, saying that "a very in-depth analysis" was needed. Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Russian parliament's defence committee, also said that U.S. military specialists who helped Ukraine to launch Tomahawks against Russia would become targets. "And no one will protect them. Not Trump, not Kellogg, nor anyone else," he said. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Washington to sell Tomahawks to European n
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Pentagon pushes missile makers to boost output: WSJ
The Pentagon has urged American missile manufacturers to accelerate output of 12 critical weapons systems amid heightened concerns over a possible future conflict with China, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Citing people familiar with the matter, the report said United States defence officials have called on manufacturers to “double or even quadruple” production at a “breakneck schedule”, amid worries over the adequacy of U.S. ammunition stockpiles should tensions with Beijing escalate further. The initiative is being spearheaded by Deputy Defence Secretary Steve Feinberg, who is overseeing the effort through the newly established Munitions Acceleration Council. The council has been tasked with fast-tracking production timelines and removing bottlenecks in the supply chain. Feinberg is reportedly holding weekly calls with senior executives from leading U.S. defence contractors to push progress and maintain momentum on the ramp-up. The move marks one of the most aggressive Pentagon efforts in recent years to expand domestic weapons manufacturing capacity, underlining concerns in Washington over long-term strategic competition with China. The push comes as the U.S. has already increased defence
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Russia launches massive drone, missile assault on Kyiv
Russia has unleashed one of its heaviest overnight assaults on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, pounding Kyiv and other regions with drones and missiles in a barrage that lasted more than 12 hours. Ukraine’s military reported that Moscow launched 595 drones and 48 missiles early on Sunday, with air defences intercepting 568 drones and 43 missiles. The capital Kyiv was the primary target, with strikes leaving at least four people dead, including a child, and injuring 80 more. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said two of the fatalities occurred at a cardiology clinic in Kyiv. He added that residential buildings, factories and power generation facilities were among the damaged sites. Russia’s defence ministry confirmed it had carried out what it called a “massive” strike using long-range air- and sea-launched weapons, claiming military infrastructure such as airfields was targeted. Moscow has consistently denied deliberately striking civilian areas, despite repeated attacks that have destroyed housing blocks and killed thousands. Neighbouring Poland temporarily closed airspace near two southeastern cities as a precaution and scrambled fighter jets until the danger had passed.