World

International affairs, events, and conflicts

World
Singapore cops can seize bank accounts to prevent scams
Singapore’s police are now able to seize bank accounts to protect residents from financial scams, under a new law. The country’s Protection from Scams Act, which entered into effect on 1 July, allows police to order banks to block access to money transfers and ATMs for up to 30 days when they suspect the account owner has been scammed. “The Act enables the Police to better protect targets of ongoing scams by empowering them to issue Restriction Orders to banks to restrict the banking and credit facilities of the individual, if there is reasonable belief that the individual will make money transfers to scammers, withdraw any money with intention of giving the money to a scammer, or apply for or draw down on any credit facility with the intention of benefitting a scammer,” according to Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs. Police can also issue restriction orders without the bank account owner’s consent. Account owners can continue to use their funds for daily expenses. "The RO [restriction order] will be issued only as a last resort, after other options to convince the individual have been exhausted,” wrote the Ministry of Home Affairs. The law has been criticised for its invasiveness. “One may be uncomfortable speci
World
Record level heatwave wreaks havoc across Europe
Outdoor work has been banned in over half of Italy during the hottest parts of the day as a heat wave sweeps through Europe. The massive heatwave has smashed the June temperature records in Spain, Portugal, and England. According to Spain’s weather service, Aemet, average temperatures for June “shattered records”, reaching 23.6°C. According to the weather service, this is even higher than the country experiences in July and August. The monthly average is also 3.5°C higher than the average over the period from 1991 to 2020. While monthly average data is yet to be released for Portugal, the country recorded a daily temperature for June of 46.6°C. The scorching temperatures are thought to have claimed three lives, and admissions to hospital units in parts of Italy have risen by 15-20%. In Turkey, many have been forced to evacuate from their homes due to wildfires, which have also forced the closure of schools in parts of France due to education unions warning that the classrooms were far too hot for students. The Education Ministry said around 1,350 schools will be fully or partially closed, up from 200 earlier in the week. The heat has also had an impact on tourism, with many of Europe’s most popular tourist
World
Royal train retired; King Charles pushes modernisation
The United Kingdom's King Charles is retiring the royal family's historic train as part of a broader push to modernise the monarchy and reduce operating costs. The royal train, in use since 1840, has reportedly become increasingly expensive to maintain, and its ageing 1980s rolling stock would require significant updates. It will be replaced by two new fuel-efficient helicopters. James Chalmers, the keeper of the privy purse, said, “The royal train, of course, has been part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved. But in moving forward we must not be bound by the past.” A permanent home is now being sought for the train’s historic components. However, the 2024–25 royal accounts, released Monday, show the sovereign grant will remain at £86.3 million (A$181.1 million) for the fourth consecutive year but will rise to £132 million annually from 2025 to 2027. This increase is partly funded by record offshore wind farm profits of £1.1 billion for the Crown Estate, and will also support the remaining £100 million cost of Buckingham Palace’s decade-long £369 million refurbishment. Travel costs for the royal household rose by £500,000 to £4.7 million, while payroll expenses grew by £2
World
UN flags Iran's possible uranium enrichment push
United Nations nuclear watchdog head, Rafael Grossi said Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, sparking speculation about how effective the United States' strikes to destroy Iran’s nuclear program have been. According to U.S. officials, their strikes obliterated key sites in Iran, and President Donald Trump said they would consider bombing Iran again if enriched uranium reached worrying levels. "The capacities they have are there. They can have, you know, in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that," Grossi told CBS News in an interview. This comes after Israel launched attacks on Iran earlier this month to prevent them from developing any nuclear weapons. The U.S. eventually joined the 12-day war, with Donald Trump bombing Iran and announcing a ceasefire. Grossi said that while the strikes significantly set back Iran’s ability to convert and enrich uranium, the country has gained plenty of knowledge, meaning that despite the bombings being a major setback, the advancements are permanent. "Iran is a very sophisticated country in terms of nuclear technology," Grossi said. "So you cannot disinvent this. You canno
World
Law changes could spare life of Vietnamese fraudster
Vietnamese property tycoon and financial fraudster Truong My Lan may be spared the death penalty under Vietnam law changes. Lan, 67, was found guilty of the nation's biggest ever financial fraud, which totalled $US12.5 billion ($A19 billion) for her personal involvement, and a total damage cost of $US27 billion (A$41 billion). For her role in the scam she was sentenced to death, which she tried to appeal after a month-long trial. The scam saw Lan swindle money from Saigon Commercial Bank, of which she owned just 5% of shares, but controlled more than 90% through family, friends and staff. Tens of thousands of people invested their savings in the bank and subsequently lost the money. Lan also faces charges in a separate US$17 billion money-laundering case, where her life imprisonment sentence was reduced to 30 years back in April. Now, the death penalty has now been lifted for eight crimes under new Vietnamese legal reforms, which will likely see her other sentences changed or reduced. The crimes that no longer carry the death penalty include damaging state infrastructure, the production and sale of fake medicine, spying, drug trafficking, embezzlement and taking bribes. Those hit with the death penalty for

World
Special prosecutor fails to secure Yoon arrest warrant
An attempt to secure an arrest warrant for former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol has been rejected by a local court. Yoon is currently facing a criminal trial on a range of charges for declaring martial law in December last year, and then resisting authorities. He was arrested back in January, but later released on technical grounds after 52 days. The charges he faces include insurrection, which is punishable by death or life in prison in South Korea. On Tuesday, the nation's special prosecutor asked the court to issue an additional arrest warrant for Yoon, on a charge of obstruction and accused him of refusing to respond to a summons for questioning. However, the request was denied by the court but they said they would consider the warrant if Yoon fails to show up for questioning this coming weekend. His lawyers said the attempted warrant was "based on superficial and secondary matters that invited suspicion the probe was politically driven".
World
16 killed, hundreds injured in Kenyan protests
At least 16 people were killed and hundreds injured during nationwide anti-government protests in Kenya on Wednesday, according to Amnesty International and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). The unrest marks the anniversary of last year's deadly demonstrations against a controversial tax bill that ended in the storming of parliament. Some protesters clashed with police, and 16 people were "verified dead as of 8:30", Amnesty Kenya's executive director Irungu Houghton told Reuters, with the figures confirmed by Amnesty International and the KNCHR. Thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Nairobi and other major towns to commemorate the youth-led movement that began in 2023. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds in the capital, local media reported. This year’s protests are once again fuelled by public outrage over proposed tax increases amid a deepening cost-of-living crisis. Many demonstrators are also demanding the resignation of President William Ruto. Demonstrations have escalated over the past week and spread across cities and towns nationwide. The movement is largely driven by digital activism, with young Kenyans organising through social media pl
World
Florida developing Alligator Alcatraz detention facility
Florida is developing an immigration detention centre deep in the Everglades that will be known as “Alligator Alcatraz". Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier proposed the project on X in response to the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis asked leaders to identify places for temporary detention facilities. "This 30-square mile area is completely surrounded by the Everglades. It presents an efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don't need to invest that much in the perimeter," Uthmeier said. "If people get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons." Uthmeier got the green light within days, with the facility on track to open in the first week of July with 5,000 beds. “We are working on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations,” the Department of Homeland Security said on X. The facility is to be built at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport and is set to cost around US$450 million to run. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the facility will be largely funded by FEMA’s Shelter and Servi
World
Japan launches first missile test on own territory
Japanese defence forces have conducted their first missile test on home soil. The test was conducted by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) branch of the nation's army on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST), with 300 soldiers participating. The test saw a surface-to-ship short range missile fired at the Shizunai Anti-Air Firing Range, on the island of Hokkaido. The Type 88 guided missile was developed by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and has a range of approximately 100 kilometres. An unmanned boat off the island’s coast was the target of the test missile and the GSDF said officials were still studying the results. The exercise seemed to be a deliberate countermeasure to growing Chinese military presences. The marine branch of Japan's defence forces announced on the same day that it would be conducting a multi-week exercise with the United States Navy. The Trump administration has repeatedly expressed concerns about Chinese military activity in the Pacific region. It called on nations in the area to increase defence spending as a counter measure.