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Labor to boost defence spending by $53bn over next decade – but plan still short of Donald Trump’s demands

The new strategy to be unveiled by Richard Marles will see defence spending rise to about 2.4% of GDP – but US president has urged allies to spend 3.5%Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor will spend an extra $53bn on defence over the next decade, using the nation’s latest military blueprint to create new special investment programs to fund increases in capability using private capital.The defence minister, Richard Marles, will unveil the new national defence strategy...

Given history of ceasefires, it’s no surprise US-Iran truce is fraying

The fraying of the ceasefire in the US-Israel war against Iran reflects grim patterns of history. Truces are often doomed because they focus on stopping battle-related violence and rarely begin to address the underlying struggles that ignited hostilities. A pause without a shared common endgame often resets the battlefield as reasons harden for prolonging warfare. Viable political solutions seldom follow and take hold for peace to endure. Over the past decade, we’ve seen the perils. The Minsk...

Trump declares Strait Hormuz 'permanently open' just hours after imposing Iran blockade as China intervenes: 'They want me to do it'

Trump declares Strait Hormuz 'permanently open' just hours after imposing Iran blockade as China intervenes: 'They want me to do it'By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 13:28, 15 April 2026 | Updated: 13:34, 15 April 2026 e-mail View comments

How Dalit outreach is peaking in Uttar Pradesh in run-up to 2027 polls

How Dalit outreach is peaking in Uttar Pradesh in runup to polls

US eases sanctions on state-run Venezuelan banks

US eases sanctions on state-run Venezuelan banks25 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleVanessa BuschschlüterLatin America online editorPhoto by YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty ImagesVenezuela's central bank has been under sanctions for yearsThe US has eased sanctions imposed on Venezuela's central bank in the latest sign of improving relations between the Trump administration and the interim Venezuelan government led by Delcy Rodríguez.The move comes just over three months after US...

Donald Trump expects 'big, fat, hug' from President Xi for opening Strait of Hormuz

Donald Trump expects 'big, fat, hug' from President Xi for opening Strait of HormuzUnited States President Donald Trump says that he and Xi Jinping are "working together smartly" and that China has agreed not to send weapons to IranCommentsNewsTim Hanlon News Reporter13:24, 15 Apr 2026Updated 13:31, 15 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesTrump is set to meet with Xi Jinping next month(Image: AFP via Getty Images)Donald Trump claims that Xi Jinping will give him a "big, fat hug" fo...

रूसी तेल से खत्म की छूट, अब ईरान की बारी! ट्रंप के कदम से भारत-चीन पर कितना होगा असर

रूस ने US को याद दिलाया दुनिया का कायदा-कानून, कहा- ये ईरान का अधिकार

US

اعزام هزاران نیروی آمریکایی دیگر به منطقه در چارچوب طرح ترامپ برای تشدید فشار بر تهران

هم‌زمان با چشم‌انداز مبهم مذاکرات تهران و واشینگتن و آتش‌بس شکننده میان دو طرف، روزنامه واشینگتن‌پست به نقل از مقام‌های آمریکایی گزارش داد پنتاگون در روزهای آینده هزاران نیروی دیگر را به خاورمیانه اعزام خواهد کرد.

Starmer says he disagrees with former Nato chief’s ‘corrosive complacency’ claim

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یک مقام ارشد آمریکایی: با تمدید آتش‌بس موافقت نکردیم و تلاش برای توافق ادامه دارد

یک مقام ارشد آمریکایی به رویترز گفت که این کشور رسما با تمدید آتش‌بس موافقت نکرده و تعامل با جمهوری اسلامی برای رسیدن به توافق همچنان ادامه دارد. اسماعیل بقائی، سخنگوی وزارت خارجه جمهوری اسلامی نیز روز چهارشنبه بحث تمدید آتش‌بس را رد کرده بود.

UK to send £752m and 120,000 drones to Ukraine to bolster defences against Russia

NewsWorldEuropeUK to send £752m and 120,000 drones to Ukraine to bolster defences against RussiaDrones now account for the majority of battlefield casualtiesChristopher McKeon Wednesday 15 April 2026 13:18 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2958133","arti...

Trump Says Iran War ‘Close to Over’ as Blockade on Hormuz Strait Tightens

Rabat – US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran is “very close to over,” signaling a possible diplomatic breakthrough as Washington prepares for a new round of talks with Tehran.  Speaking to Fox News, Trump said negotiations could resume soon in Pakistan, adding that Iran appears eager to reach a deal. His comments come as the US intensifies pressure on Iran, with the military saying it has “completely halted” maritime trade to and from the country. The naval blockade in the Stra...

Iran says exchanges with US via Pakistan continue after talks in Islamabad

Iran said on Wednesday that exchanges with the United States via Pakistan had continued following negotiations in Islamabad over the weekend that yielded no result. “Since Sunday, when the Iranian delegation returned to Tehran, several messages have been exchanged through Pakistan,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing. “Today, we are very likely to receive a Pakistani delegation as a continuation of the discussions in Islamabad,” he added. The development co...

Claims of Labour and Reform deal for Holyrood are ‘utter nonsense’ says Sarwar

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دونالد ترامپ: چین بسیار خوشحال است که من تنگه هرمز را برای همیشه باز می‌کنم

دونالد ترامپ در تروث سوشال نوشت: «چین بسیار خوشحال است که من تنگه هرمز را برای همیشه باز می‌کنم. من این کار را برای آنها و همچنین برای جهان انجام می‌دهم.این وضعیت دیگر هرگز تکرار نخواهد شد.»

Trump’s Iran war has left Gulf leaders keen to see the back of the US president

Donald Trump has tried to woo the Middle East with high profile visits and profitable business deals, but his chaotic Iran war has undone all that, leaving Gulf leaders keen to see the end of the conflict and the US president’s meddling, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley

Why Southeast Asian nations are hesitant to join major US-Philippine Balikatan drills

Balikatan, the flagship annual military exercise between Manila and Washington, begins in the Philippines this month without a single neighbouring Southeast Asian member taking part, despite the drills’ growing scale and multinational reach. Analysts say that hesitation helps explain Balikatan’s place in the region: for some Asean members, it is a reassuring sign of US commitment, but joining it risks looking like a strategic choice in the sharpening rivalry between Washington and Beijing. “To.....

China agreed not to send weapons to Iran: Trump amid reports that Beijing is providing arms to Tehran

China agreed not to send weapons to Iran Trump amid reports that Beijing is providing arms to Tehran

FLASHBACK: Swalwell was dubbed Hunter Biden's 'biggest cheerleader'

As now-former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., continues to face a reckoning over multiple sexual assault allegations and past scandals, his praise of Hunter Biden and Hunter's wealthy Hollywood "sugar brother" lawyer, who donated tens of thousands of dollars to Swalwell's failed gubernatorial campaign, has resurfaced"Eric Swalwell is literally Hunter Biden's biggest cheerleader – from reserving the Senate Swamp to defending the Biden Crime Family's litany of illicit activities," a longtime GOP str...