🇳🇿New Zealand and Cook Islands fall out over China deal

New Zealand has accused the Cook Islands government of a lack of transparency over its plans to strike a partnership deal with China.

The tiny Pacific Island nation's leader, Mark Brown, is this week making his country's first ever state visit to Beijing in order to sign the agreement.

However, New Zealand says it was not properly consulted over the plans, leading to what Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has described as a "dispute".

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🇺🇸Trump says no exemptions with metal tariffs to start in March

President Donald Trump has ordered a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminium entering the US in a major expansion of existing trade barriers.

The tariffs, which will increase the costs of importing the metals into the US, come despite warnings of retaliation from some political leaders in Canada - America's biggest supplier of the metals - as well as other countries.

US businesses dependent on the imports have also raised concerns, but Trump has said his plans will boost domestic production.

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🇨🇫CAR leader launches meme-coin 'experiment'

Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has launched a meme-coin in a bid to raise the profile of the country, which is one of the world's poorest.

Meme-coins are used to build popularity for a viral internet trend or movement and fans are inspired to collect and give them value, but they are extremely volatile investments.

Touadéra announced the launch, known as $ CAR, on his X account over the weekend and on Monday said it had been a "success". But the value of the coin had a significant price drop of up to 90%, according to specialist websites.

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🇺🇸Hegseth orders Fort Liberty be renamed Fort Bragg

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered military base Fort Liberty, located in North Carolina, be reverted to Fort Bragg.

The order contravenes a measure backed in Congress that led to the renaming of the army base in 2023, which was part of a wider initiative to rename military installations commemorating figures linked to the Confederacy.

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🇺🇸🇯🇴Trump insists US will take Gaza as he meets Jordan's King Abdullah

President Donald Trump has once again insisted the US will take control of the Gaza Strip, as he met Jordan's King Abdullah at the White House on Tuesday.

It was their first meeting since Trump announced his proposal to take over the enclave and move its population of two million Palestinians to other countries in the region, including Jordan.

Earlier this week, Trump suggested he could withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt unless they agreed to take in those Palestinians from Gaza.

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🇷🇺🇸🇩'No obstacles' to Russian Red Sea base - Sudan

Sudan has said a final deal has been agreed with Russia to establish a naval base on the war-torn country's Red Sea coast, saying there were "no obstacles" to it.

An agreement was discussed under former President Omar al-Bashir, but the military government that overthrew him had later said the matter was under review.

Sudan's Foreign Minister Ali Youssef said on Wednesday a deal had been signed and they were in "complete agreement" with Russia over the establishment of the port. He said what remained was only the ratification of the deal.

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🇮🇳🇫🇷India and France plan small modular nuclear reactors

India and France plan to work together on developing small modular nuclear reactors, India's foreign ministry said after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country.

Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron emphasised the importance of nuclear energy for "strengthening energy security" and transitioning towards a "low-carbon economy".

It comes days after Delhi announced plans to change its strict nuclear liability law, which holds operators accountable for accidents or incidents and has been blamed for delays to previous nuclear projects.

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🇬🇭Ghana's ex-finance minister declared a fugitive

Ghana's former finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta has been declared a fugitive by prosecutors over his alleged involvement in multiple corruption cases when he was in government.

Ofori-Atta had left Ghana to evade investigations, and all necessary steps would be taken to bring him back, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyabeng said.

Ofori-Atta has been accused of causing financial losses to the state, including over a controversial national cathedral, which remains a hole in the ground despite the alleged spending of $58m (£46.6m) of government money.

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🇺🇸🇷🇺Ukraine war talks start now, Trump says after Putin call

US President Donald Trump has said he had a "lengthy and highly productive" phone call with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in which the leaders agreed to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he and the Russian president had "agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately".

Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with Trump about a "lasting, reliable peace".

The calls with the warring sides came as both Trump and his defence secretary said it was unlikely Ukraine would join Nato, which will come as a bitter disappointment to Kyiv.

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🇱🇧Senior UN peacekeeper injured in convoy attack in Lebanon

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon says its outgoing deputy commander has been injured after one of its convoys was "violently attacked".

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) said in a statement that the convoy was taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport when it was targeted and one of its vehicles set on fire.

Protesters have been blocking the road to the airport following a decision by the Lebanese government to bar two Iranian planes from landing.

Both Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun and the country's army condemned the attack on Unifil, and said they would work to arrest those involved.

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🇪🇬🇺🇸Gaza plans put Egypt-US relations to tough test

In the bustling heart of Cairo, coffee shops teem with Gazans who managed to flee at the start of Israel's devastating war on Hamas. Although they have found safety, they remain worried about loved ones back home.

In the past few days here, Egyptian intelligence officials have been meeting Hamas leaders to shore up the shaky ceasefire. Tens of millions of Egyptians - tuning into the constant news updates - already feel their country's intimate involvement in the war in Gaza.

But now - with President Trump's surprise post-war vision, which proposes displacing two million Palestinians to "a parcel of land" in Egypt and Jordan, so that the US can take over the territory - they fear an existential threat.

Egyptians flocking to Friday prayers say Trump's idea needs a reality check.

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🇳🇬🇨🇦Nigeria angered after military chief denied Canada entry

The Nigerian government has condemned Canada for denying visas to its senior military officers, including the head of the military.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Christopher Musa said half of his delegation, who were supposed to be in Canada for an official assignment on Wednesday, were left in Nigeria after not getting the correct paperwork.

Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo condemned the action by Canadian officials, terming it "disrespectful" to the West African country.

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🇸🇬Pritam Singh: Singapore opposition leader guilty of lying to parliament

Singapore's opposition leader Pritam Singh has been found guilty of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee.

A court imposed the maximum fine of S$7,000 ($5,223; £4,148) for each of two charges. Singh said that he would appeal against the conviction and sentence.

The charges relate to Singh's handling of Raeesah Khan, a former lawmaker from his party, who lied to parliament in a separate case.

The verdict in this high-profile trial comes as Singapore is gearing up for its next general election, which must be held by November.

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🇰🇷S Korea removes Deepseek from app stores over privacy concerns

South Korea has banned new downloads of China's DeepSeek artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, according to the country's personal data protection watchdog.

The government agency said the AI model will become available again to South Korean users when "improvements and remedies" are made to ensure it complies with the country's personal data protection laws.

In the week after it made global headlines, DeepSeek became hugely popular in South Korea leaping to the top of app stores with over a million weekly users.

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🇲🇺Mauritius ex-PM bailed after 'suitcases of cash' arrest

Mauritius' former Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has been released on bail following his dramatic arrest on Saturday on money laundering charges.

He had been detained along with three others after the anti-corruption agency said it had seized suitcases of cash and luxury watches in raids on 10 locations, including Jugnauth's home.

The former prime minister's lawyer said he denied the charges against him.

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🇮🇪🇺🇸Irish goods exports to US surge by 34%

Ireland's goods exports to the United States surged by 34% to €72.6bn (£60.4bn) in 2024 while its imports from the US fell slightly to €22.5bn (£18.7bn).

That meant Ireland had a goods-trade surplus with the US of just over €50bn (£41.6bn), according to the data from Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO).

These trade patterns have gained political significance since Donald Trump regained the US presidency.

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🇪🇺Watch: Why European leaders held emergency Ukraine summit

France's President Emmanuel Macron welcomed European leaders at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Monday for an emergency summit on the war in Ukraine.

Peace talks on ending the war are set to take place in Saudi Arabia between the US and Russia, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was no role for Europe in any peace talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv would not be taking part in the meeting between US and Russian officials on Tuesday.

Following the summit, German Chancellor Olaf Schloz said Europe and the US must work together on security, and Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said there should be no decisions about Ukraine without its involvement.

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🇦🇷Argentina president faces impeachment calls over crypto crash

Argentine President Javier Milei is facing impeachment calls - and legal action accusing him of fraud - over his promotion of cryptocurrency on social media.

Milei posted on X, formerly Twitter, about the $LIBRA coin on Friday, which he said would help fund small businesses and start-ups.

He shared a link to buy it, causing its price to shoot up. But within a few hours, he deleted his post and the cryptocurrency nosedived in value, losing investors most of their money.

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🇯🇵Man jailed for attempted murder of former Japan PM

A man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the attempted murder of Japan's former prime minister Fumio Kishida in 2023.

Ryuji Kimura, 25, hurled a pipe bomb at Kishida as the country's leader approached a crowd for a speech during an election event in the city of Wakayama.

Although Kishida was unharmed, the explosion of the homemade device caused minor injuries to a police officer and a member of the public.

The attack shocked Japan as it came less than a year after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead at an outdoor election campaign event.

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🇬🇧UK inflation rate jumps to 10-month high of 3%

The UK's inflation rate jumps from 2.5% to 3.0% in January, the highest level in 10 months.

It means that, on average, something which cost £1 a year ago now costs £1.03 - here's what else it means for your money.

Today's figure was driven in part by air fares, food and private school fees, the Office for National Statistics says.

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🇧🇷Brazil prosecutor charges ex-President Bolsonaro over alleged coup plot

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been charged by the country's chief prosecutor with attempting a coup after he was defeated in the 2022 presidential election.

The 69-year-old was handed five charges over the alleged bid to prevent his successor, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from taking office after a bitter election race.

The charges include allegations that he planned to poison Lula and shoot dead Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing and says he is the victim of political persecution.

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