World

French voters deliver a win for the left, a blow for Le Pen and a hung parliament

By Juliette Jabkhiro, Layli Foroudi and Zhifan Liu PARIS (Reuters) -France faced potential political deadlock after elections on Sunday threw up a hung parliament, with a leftist alliance unexpectedly taking the top spot but no group winning a majority. Voters delivered a major setback for Marine Le Pen's nationalist, eurosceptic National Rally (RN), which opinion polls had predicted would win

Accused of witchcraft then murdered for land

A Kenyan coastal region has seen a spate of murders, supposedly over witchcraft but really over land.

Euphoria and rage in Bordeaux over shock poll result

There are mixed emotions in the southwestern French city after the far right's surprise defeat.

Marine Le Pen tries to not look deflated after exit poll

Supporters of Marine le Pen, president of the far-right National Rally party, gathered around her on Sunday after polling projections pushed her party into third place in France's elections.

French vote splits among left, center and far-right. With no majority, political paralysis threatens

PARIS (AP) — French voters divided their legislature among left, center and far right, with no single political faction getting even close to the majority needed for form a government. The risk of paralysis loomed Monday for the European Union's second-largest economy. President Emmanuel Macron gambled that his decision to call snap elections would give France a “moment of clarification," but the outcome showed the opposite, less than three...

Will NATO disappoint Ukraine again in Washington?

When NATO leaders welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to their summit in Washington this week, they will reaffirm that Kyiv will one day become a member and vow to keep arming its troops. But in Kyiv there is an acceptance that the Washington summit will not bring the country any closer towards NATO membership.

Hong Kong public housing rents to increase by 10%: source

Hong Kong public housing tenants are expected to see their monthly rent increase by 10 per cent, the maximum allowed under a government proposal, the Post has learned. A source familiar with the matter said on Monday the monthly rent rise proposed by the Housing Authority, the city’s major public rental housing provider, ranged between HK$49 (US$6.27) and HK$572. The insider said the average increase was HK$230, while around 60 per cent of the...

Ukrainian air defence engaged in repelling Russian missile attack on Kyiv, officials

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukrainian air defences were engaged on Monday in repelling a rare daytime Russian missile attack on the capital Kyiv and other cities across the country, local authorities said. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported explosions in the city and urged residents to stay in shelters. He said on the Telegram messaging app that ambulances were heading to one of the districts in central

Is this Australia's hottest criminal? Man's mugshot goes viral

An Aussie man whose handsome 'hot' mugshot sent social media alight has walked free from jail.

Starmer sets his sights on Scotland

Labour are already talking about repeating their electoral success at the Holyrood elections, James Cook writes.

French PM Attal: I will hand my resignation on Monday morning

PARIS (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on Sunday he will hand his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Monday morning, adding he will carry out his functions as long as required. Attal made the comments after France's left-wing New Popular Front coalition won the most seats in the second voting round of parliamentary elections, leading pollsters said on Sunday, putting

Argentina's Milei rails against socialism in first visit to Brazil as president

By Anderson Coelho BALNEARIO CAMBORIU, Brazil (Reuters) - Javier Milei, making his first visit to Brazil as Argentina's president, attacked socialism for curtailing liberties and creating corruption in a speech on Sunday to a conservative rally led by former Brazilian hard-right President Jair Bolsonaro. Reading from a prepared speech at the CPAC Brasil 2024 event, Milei made no mention of

Chinese risk perilous journey in search of ‘freedom’ in the United States

Thousands of middle-class Chinese are trekking thousands of kilometres through the Americas to the southern US border.

Riot scenes in Paris after France's left wins second round of election in surprise result

Footage shows people celebrating results, electric bikes on fire, and individuals and police firing tear gas and fireworks.

Archbishop claims he felt pressured to abort his disabled daughter

Justin Welby 's daughter, Ellie, who is now aged 32, suffers from dyspraxia - a condition which affects movement and co-ordination.

Notable People who died in 2024

Israeli tanks storm Gaza City districts, residents report heavy fire

By Nidal al-Mughrabi CAIRO (Reuters) - Israeli forces pounded Gaza City early on Monday, sending columns of tanks into the heart of the city from different directions in what residents said was one of the heaviest attacks since Oct 7. The Gaza Civil Emergency Service said they believed dozens of people were killed in eastern Gaza areas but emergency teams were unable to reach them because of

Hezbollah launches drone attack on Mount Hermon in Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights

AMMAN (Reuters) - The Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group said on Sunday it launched a drone attack on Mount Hermon in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights where Israel has a key surveillance centre. It said this was its first such bombing since it began trading fire with Israel on Oct. 8, a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas attacked southern Israel, sparking the Gaza war. Hezbollah

America's 'worst roommate's' jailhouse phone call is revealed

Janie Lynn Ridd's chilling jailhouse phone call has been revealed, more than two years after she was paroled for trying to poison her best friend, second from right, with a bacteria.

Caring China celebrity couple praised for ending lab ordeal of severely injured beagle

Breed with high pain threshold is widely used in for drug testing research and assessing sharpness of knifes A celebrity couple in China who adopted an injured laboratory dog have drawn attention to the plight of animals used for research. On June 23, Chinese actress Huo Siyan posted a video on Xiaohongshu, recounting how she and her actor husband ...

Xi calls on world powers to help Russia, Ukraine 'resume direct dialogue'

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday that world powers should help Russia and Ukraine re-start direct negotiations during a visit to Beijing branded a "peace mission" by the European leader. - EU presidency - Orban, the friendliest EU leader towards Moscow, held talks on Friday with President Vladimir Putin, who said Ukraine must withdraw its troops from regions that Russia has annexed if it wants...

Labour vows to 'immediately' scrap anti-strike laws

Jonathan Reynolds said that restrictions on strikes brought in by the last Conservative government would be 'removed from the statute book' straight away.

Fourth of July block party shooting in Detroit leaves two dead

Two people are dead and more than a dozen others have been injured in a Detroit shooting at a Fourth of July weekend block party.

Keir Starmer tells Netanyahu there is a 'urgent' need for a ceasefire

The prime minister spoke to the Palestinian president on Sunday about the 'ongoing suffering and devastating loss of life' in Gaza.

Uber passenger watches in shock as his ride takes unexpected twist

A passenger taking an Uber ride from Miami International Airport found themselves caught in the middle of a heated incident on Saturday.

Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi unleashes

Muslim voters have 'long been ignored', says Deputy Greens leader Mehreen Faruqi, amid expectations a grassroots organisation will field candidates in Labor-held seats.

QUOTES-French political leaders on how to find a government majority

PARIS (Reuters) - France will have a hung parliament after Sunday's parliamentary election, making it necessary for political leaders to figure out a path forward and potentially form a governing coalition, something seen as uncharted territory in French politics. The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) will have the biggest group of lawmakers, ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's centrists and the

Can an Israel-Hezbollah war be deescalated?

Every word and every second count; the time for a diplomatic solution is slipping away.

Couple's retirement dreams in ruins after major highway bypass upgrade

The couple bought 2.7 hectares at Korora on the outskirts of Coffs Harbour on the NSW north coast for $118,000 in 1988 with the view to subdividing it into 26 lots and selling it off in years to come.

‘Selfish’? South Korean woman who promotes unmarried, childless life becomes YouTube star

Seen Aromi is happy and carefree but her message has drawn backlash in South Korea, which has the world's lowest birth rate South Korea has declared its super-low birth rate a "national emergency" and poured billions into encouraging citizens to marry and reproduce, but one YouTuber has found happiness and success promoting the opposite ideal. At h...

Neighbour's 'entitled' parking act sparks outrage on their street

A resident has been accused of committing an 'entitled' parking act in Sydney's inner west.

India's Modi headed to Russia for first visit since Ukraine offensive

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was due to arrive in Russia on Monday, as the Indian leader treaded a fine line between maintaining a longstanding relationship with Moscow and courting closer Western security ties. From Russia, Modi will travel to Vienna for the first visit to the Austrian capital by an Indian leader since Indira Gandhi in 1983. bur/bc

Urgent warning over parasite spreading at alarming rate in Australia

Australia has been hit by one of its largest gastro outbreaks in 20 years with one group becoming sick at an alarming rate.

Moment National Rally members react to shock French exit poll

Footage shows several members of the National Rally (RN) with champagne glasses in their hands as they watch the exit poll results being announced.

Fatal India gathering organiser 'surrenders' to police

Nearly 121 people died in a crush at a religious gathering in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

There are only one thousand Bornean elephants left

Britain's Defence Secretary hides from air raid in Ukrainian bunker

Mr Healey, who promised extra weapons and support for Ukraine immediately, dashed for cover as air raid sirens rang out across Odessa.

France's elections end up with no clear majority. This is what could happen next

PARIS (AP) — Election results show French voters have chosen to give a broad leftist coalition the most parliamentary seats in pivotal legislative elections, keeping the far right away from power. Yet no party won an outright majority, putting France in an uncertain, unprecedented situation. President Emmanuel Macron ’s centrist alliance arrived in second position and the far right in third — still drastically increasing the number of seats it...

North Korea's Kim Yo Jong accuses South Korean leader of using tensions as political distraction

By Joyce Lee and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) -Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol of generating tensions on the Korean peninsula to divert attention from problems at home, state media said on Monday. Tensions between the two Koreas are running high after Pyongyang signed a mutual defence pact with Russia and sent

'I still have hope': Voters react after far-right trail in elections

'I still have hope': Voters react after far-right trail left in French elections. National rally voters felt dissapointed as the leftist alliance unexpectedly took the top spot in the legislative elections.

Hungary's Orban unexpectedly visits China, backs Xi's peace plan

By Joe Cash and Anita Komuves BEIJING/BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday to discuss a potential Ukraine peace deal, paying the unexpected visit to Beijing days after his talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin angered some European Union leaders. Orban and Xi met at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, Chinese state media

Man sentenced to life for killing Hong Kong worker dies after being found hanged in cell

A 32-year-old man sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a Hong Kong convenience store worker over two cans of beer worth HK$31 (US$4) in 2019 has died after he was found hanged at a maximum-security jail. Former sailor Javed Iqbal Islam was discovered by a correctional officer inside his one-person cell at Stanley Prison at 8.44pm on Sunday. A source familiar with the case said on Monday the man was checked up on about 15 minutes earlier...

Ten die during a fire in nursing home in Uruguay

(Reuters) - At least 10 people died in a fire in a nursing home on Sunday morning in Treinta y Tres in eastern Uruguay, local authorities and media said, with the cause still unclear. The government of Treinta y Tres, a city of some 25,000 people, located 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the capital Montevideo, declared three days of mourning on social media. In its Facebook post, it specified

Spy unit 'to fight people traffickers' announced by new Home Secretary

Counter-terrorism-style laws to combat the Channel crisis are being drawn up by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, it was announced last night.

Woman stranded in Greece after quad bike crash

Courtney Boylan was seriously injured when she fell down a ravine and the bike landed on her.

Ukraine is fielding a century old machine gun and its proving quite effective

Sue Gray's son among dozens Labour MPs likely back pro-Brussels drive

Liam Conlon, whose mother is Chief of Staff to Sir Keir Starmer, became MP for Beckenham and Penge last week.

'A lot of hope': French left rejoices at unexpected election win

As the first projections showed the left in the lead of France's parliamentary polls, against all expectations, a large crowd of left-wing activists erupted in joy in Paris. We weren't expecting it."

Philippines, Japan sign defence pact amid South China Sea tensions

By Mikhail Flores and Karen Lema MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines and Japan boosted their defence ties and signed a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) on Monday, saying they were seeking stability in the region, amid rising tensions with China. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa described the pact, which eases the entry of equipment and troops for combat training and disaster response, as

Exclusive-NATO will need 35-50 extra brigades under new defence plans, source says

By Sabine Siebold WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NATO will need between 35 and 50 extra brigades to fully realise its new plans to defend against an attack from Russia, a military source told Reuters. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to provide any more detail about the plans, which are secret. A brigade consists of between 3,000 and 7,000 troops, so generating 35 to 50 more such