Briefing

Singapore’s foreign minister said Donald Trump was not “completely wrong” to argue that Asian economies should shoulder more responsibility for keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. Those economies rely heavily on energy shipped through the waterway.

Strait of HormuzAsian energyDonald TrumpSingapore

US Vice President JD Vance says Iran must reduce its enrichment activities for the war to end.

JD VanceIranuranium enrichmentwar

Nearly 20 commercial vessels, most of them tankers, have been attacked over the past month while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf or waters off Oman. The attacks by Iran threaten a fragile rebound in oil exports.

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Three years to the minute after the start of the deadliest single day in Israel’s history, the country will hold ceremonies, memorials and protests at more than 400 locations to mark the somber occasion.

IsraelOctober 7 attackscommemorations

Ceremonies at the Nova festival site and Kfar Aza commemorated the third anniversary of the Hamas-led October 7 attack, which sparked the Gaza war.

IsraelHamasNova festivalcommemoration

Israel is holding memorials nationwide for those killed in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. Families gathered at the Nova music festival site and Kfar Aza, where more than 1,200 people in Israel were killed and 251 were taken hostage. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaffirmed support for Israel and backed a Palestinian state alongside it. Palestinian officials said new Israeli strikes in Gaza killed two people.

IsraelHamasOctober 7 attackGaza war

US soldiers stationed in Japan’s Okinawa have been placed under a month-long curfew and barred from drinking alcohol while undergoing discipline training after a Marine was alleged to have murdered and robbed a local woman.

OkinawaUS militarymurder case

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the Ansar Allah movement carried out two operations against Abha International Airport and Khamis Mushait Air Base in Saudi Arabia. He said ballistic missiles and drones were used, airport services were halted and the air base was damaged in a direct hit.

HouthisSaudi Arabiadrone attacks

The Houthis claim to have carried out drone and missile attacks against airports and military bases in Saudi Arabia. A file image shows a large plume of black smoke rising from the fuel storage area at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

HouthisSaudi Arabiadrone attacksmissile attacks

Russia’s Defence Ministry says its forces launched a “massive strike” on Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said an overnight attack caused a fire in the densely populated Darnytskyi district, where two people were killed. Moscow also said port facilities in Odesa and vessels serving Ukrainian forces were hit.

KyivRussian attackUkraine war

An estimated 250,000 people have protested across France, intensifying pressure on the government to pursue education reforms. The unrest has highlighted inequalities in the school system, especially in poorer, high-immigration communities where schools have fewer teachers and resources. Police conduct and the political debate around the movement are also facing growing scrutiny.

Francestudent protestseducation reformpolice response

Hundreds of French high schools were closed Tuesday as teacher unions joined a student-led movement that has spread nationwide and has occasionally become violent. Protesters are demanding more education funding, underscoring the government’s challenge of restraining public spending while maintaining essential services.

Franceschool protestseducation funding

French police used tear gas after protesters rallied nationwide over school funding. Officials put attendance above 250,000, while student unions claimed more than 450,000. The protests followed over two weeks of high-school blockades that began near Paris, with some universities joining. Students want more teachers, improved facilities and infrastructure, and lighter timetables. The day was mostly calm before tensions rose at the end.

Francestudent protestsschool fundingtear gas

Oil prices climbed on Wednesday as traders assessed potential supply constraints from a storm approaching U.S. oil-producing areas and attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen on Saudi Arabia, while also factoring in increased Middle Eastern crude supplies.

oil pricesoil supplystormsHouthis

Australia’s High Court has ordered the expansion of the Mount Pleasant coal mine in New South Wales to be halted, finding that planning authorities failed to require greenhouse-gas emissions to be minimised as far as practicable. Campaigners called the decision a binding national precedent requiring climate damage to be considered in fossil-fuel approvals. Mach Energy said it was disappointed but accepted the ruling.

Australiacoal mineclimate litigationgreenhouse gases

Australia’s High Court has rejected MACH Energy’s appeal and upheld the decision overturning the proposed expansion of the Mount Pleasant coal mine in Muswellbrook. A majority ruled that planners had to consider greenhouse gas emissions from coal exported and burned overseas, a decision advocates say creates a national precedent for fossil fuel projects in New South Wales.

climate changecoal miningHigh Courtfossil fuels

Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst describes the plague outbreak in Siberia as an “isolated incident”. He says plague cases are reported each year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar, but adds that the laboratory link makes this episode “a little more serious”.

Siberiaplaguepublic health

Russia is investigating the death of laboratory worker Darya Shipilova at a plague research centre in Siberia’s Irkutsk region. Nearly 200 contacts are being monitored and have tested negative for pneumonic plague. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Moscow to share more information, while Russian officials played down reports and denied claims of special measures.

RussiaplagueIrkutskpublic health

About 200 schools, kindergartens and nurseries in Batu Pahat, Johor, have been ordered to close as worsening haze pushed air quality close to the “very unhealthy” level on Wednesday. The district recorded Malaysia’s highest API reading, 197, at 6pm on Tuesday, while Johor remained among the states worst affected.

Malaysiahazeschool closures

Lionel Messi played his last match for Argentina as they defeated Benin 3-0. He received a full tribute both before and after the game.

Lionel MessiArgentinainternational football

Lionel Messi made his official farewell to Argentina a gala performance, scoring a penalty and providing two assists as Argentina defeated Benin 3-0 in an international friendly.

Lionel MessiArgentinaInternational friendly

Football icon Lionel Messi made an emotional farewell to international duty in Buenos Aires after leading Argentina to a 3-0 victory over Benin. In his final appearance for the white and blue shirt, he scored once and supplied two assists.

Lionel MessiArgentinainternational football

A new Dolly Parton hotel and museum in the heart of Nashville gives fans a window into the multifaceted career and legacy of the singer, actor, entertainer and philanthropist.

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