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Conservative political parties in New Zealand have put forward a new bill that would establish firm legal definitions for the words ‘man’ and ‘woman.’ The legislation successfully passed its first parliamentary vote in May and is now in a public comment period that runs through the end of this month.

The push comes as nations around the world are stepping back from earlier transgender policies. Public concern has been mounting over issues such as biological males using women’s restrooms and locker rooms, as well as boys competing on girls’ sports teams.

New Zealand’s move is part of a wider global conversation as governments reconsider how gender identity intersects with existing laws and public accommodations.

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — The government of Slovakia is scheduled to undergo a parliamentary confidence vote on Thursday, prompted by the country’s national debt climbing beyond limits established in its Constitution.

The vote was set in motion after the nation’s Constitutional Court — its highest legal authority — ruled on Wednesday that the government must seek a confidence vote without delay.

Prime Minister Robert Fico, a populist leader, said he would respect the court’s decision and proceeded to call for the vote.

Fico’s coalition government controls 78 of the 150 seats in the Slovak parliament, known as the National Council, giving it a majority and making it the strong favorite to survive the vote. Coalition members moved to cap the debate at 12 and a half hours.

Fico noted that his government had originally intended to tie the confidence vote to a separate vote on next year’s state budget, which was expected to take place later this year.

The opposition brought the matter before the court in November, following a determination by Eurostat — the European Union’s official statistics body — that Slovak debt had reached 59.7% of gross national product the prior month. That figure has since climbed to 61.4%, according to the Slovak Statistics Office. Despite the increase, Slovakia’s debt level remains below the average across EU member nations.

The constitutional threshold that triggers a mandatory confidence vote in Slovakia is set at 50% of gross national product.

Like many European nations, Slovakia ramped up government spending in response to the economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, which sent energy costs surging.

Slovakia’s Supreme Audit Office reported Tuesday that the country’s economy expanded by just 0.8% in 2025 — the weakest growth rate in three years — while government expenditures continued to rise at a faster pace, adding pressure to the country’s debt levels.

Fico has remained a controversial figure since reclaiming power in 2023. His pro-Russian positions and various policy decisions have sparked repeated protests across the country.

Governments around the world are taking aim at social media companies in an effort to protect children from potential harms online, with a growing list of nations either passing new laws or actively working toward restrictions.

Australia led the way, becoming the first country on Earth to ban social media for children under 16. The landmark legislation took effect December 10, 2025, blocking minors from platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram and Facebook. Companies that fail to comply could face fines as steep as A$49.5 million — roughly $34.9 million U.S. dollars.

In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on June 15 that a ban on social media for children under 16 is expected to be approved by Christmas, with the measure taking effect around Spring 2027. Starmer also said on June 8 that major tech companies must take action to stop children from sharing nude images on their devices, or face legislation requiring them to do so. Under those plans, companies like Apple and Google would need to build or activate tools on smartphones and tablets to detect and block such images for minors, while adults could still access that type of content through an age verification process.

China has already implemented what it calls a “minor mode” program, which places device-level restrictions and app-specific rules on screen time based on a child’s age.

Denmark announced in November it would ban social media for children under 15, though parents could grant access to certain platforms for children as young as 13.

France’s National Assembly approved legislation in January to ban children under 15 from social media, citing concerns about online bullying and mental health. The bill still needs to clear the Senate before a final vote in the lower house.

In Germany, children between 13 and 16 may use social media only with parental approval, though child protection advocates argue those controls do not go far enough.

Greece is reportedly very close to announcing a social media ban for children under 15, according to a senior government source who spoke to Reuters on February 3.

India’s chief economic adviser called for age restrictions on social media platforms in January, referring to them as “predatory” in how they keep young users hooked. That came just two days after the tourist state of Goa said it was considering restrictions similar to Australia’s.

In Italy, children under 14 must have parental consent to create a social media account, while no such consent is needed for those 14 and older.

Malaysia began blocking those under 16 from registering on social media platforms, its communications regulator announced on June 1.

Norway proposed in 2024 raising the age at which children can consent to social media terms of service from 13 to 15, while still allowing parents to give permission for younger children. The government has also started work on legislation to set a firm minimum age of 15.

Poland’s ruling party announced on February 27 that it is preparing legislation to ban social media for children under 15 and to make platforms responsible for verifying users’ ages.

Slovenia is drafting a law that would bar children under 15 from accessing social media, Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arcon announced on February 6.

Spain plans to move forward with rules making social networks and artificial intelligence safer despite pushback from the tech industry, according to Digital Transformation Minister Oscar Lopez, who spoke to Reuters in May. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had previously stated in February that Spain would ban social media access for minors under 16, with age verification required of platforms.

A government-appointed commission in Sweden recommended on June 2 that the country set a minimum age of 15 for social media use. Investigator Lisa Englund Krafft, speaking at a news conference alongside Social Affairs and Public Health Minister Jakob Forssmed, said a ban could be structured so that platforms themselves bear responsibility for verifying ages.

Turkey’s parliament passed legislation on April 24 banning social media use for children under 15 and introducing new rules for digital platforms, including companies that make game software.

The United Arab Emirates approved a resolution on June 18 setting the minimum age for social media use at 15, according to the government’s media office. The UAE became the first Arab nation to introduce such a measure. The resolution bars children under 15 from creating or using personal social media accounts and limits their access to platform features.

In the United States, legislation aimed at pushing social media companies to better protect young users cleared a significant hurdle after Republican Senator Ted Cruz announced on May 12 that he would support the bill. Cruz said he would back the Kids Online Safety Act, which would require social media companies to “exercise reasonable care” when designing features that could cause harm to minors. That bill is separate from the long-standing Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which prohibits companies from collecting personal data from children under 13 without parental consent. Several states have already passed laws requiring parental consent for minors to use social media, though those laws have faced legal challenges on free speech grounds.

At the European Union level, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on May 12 that the EU would pursue stronger protections for children from harmful social media features. She said the Commission would target what she called “addictive and harmful design practices” through its planned Digital Fairness Act, expected to be proposed later this year. The European Parliament also agreed in November on a resolution calling for an EU-wide ban on social media access for children under 16 without parental consent, and an outright ban for those younger than 13.

Meanwhile, major social media platforms including TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat say users must be at least 13 years old to sign up. Child protection advocates say those self-imposed rules are not enough, and official data from several European countries shows that large numbers of children under 13 already have social media accounts.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar declared Thursday that he is ending all communication with the European Union’s top foreign policy official, Kaja Kallas, citing statements she reportedly made likening Israel to the racist apartheid system that once governed South Africa.

Saar took to social media to announce the move, stating that Kallas had allegedly “compared Israel to the racist apartheid regime” during a trip to Mexico. He said contact would remain severed unless she walked back her remarks.

No statement from Kallas’ office was released in the immediate aftermath of the announcement.

In follow-up posts on X, Saar referenced a June 12 report published by the European news outlet Euractiv, which cited unnamed officials and diplomats. According to that report, Kallas made the comparison during a visit to Mexico the previous month, suggesting that Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza resembled the policies of apartheid South Africa — a system of legally enforced racial segregation.

The European Union has long criticized Israel’s expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, a practice widely considered illegal under international law and seen as a barrier to peace between Israelis and Palestinians and the creation of a Palestinian state.

Earlier this year in May, the EU imposed sanctions on three individuals and four organizations it held responsible for what it described as “serious and systematic human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank.” At the time, Saar responded by firmly rejecting the EU’s decision on behalf of Israel.

While the EU has also spoken out against Israel’s military conduct in the Gaza conflict, it has simultaneously affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself. The bloc’s 27 member nations remain divided on the issue, with some taking a strongly critical stance toward Israel while others maintain close diplomatic relationships with the country.

On Thursday, Saar went further in his criticism, accusing Kallas of “acting obsessively and with blatant unfairness toward the State of Israel.”

MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian carrier Qantas Airways is gearing up to introduce what will be the longest nonstop commercial flight on the planet, linking London and Sydney in a journey that could stretch up to 22 hours.

The Sydney-based airline revealed the first of its specially modified Airbus A350-1000 jets on Thursday. These aircraft are designed to regularly cover the 17,015-kilometer (10,573-mile) route beginning in October of next year. Depending on conditions, the trip between these two cities on opposite ends of the globe is expected to last anywhere from 19 to 22 hours.

Currently, the title of world’s longest regular nonstop route belongs to Singapore Airlines, which operates a flight between its home city-state and New York City — a distance of 15,349 kilometers (9,537 miles) completed in just under 19 hours. One major distinction, however, is that Singapore Airlines does not carry economy passengers on that particular route.

While a standard Airbus A350-1000 is capable of seating up to 480 travelers, Qantas has configured its customized A350-1000ULR to carry only 238 passengers. Of those, 140 seats will be in economy class for the London-Sydney service.

For now, the longest nonstop journey available to economy passengers worldwide is also operated by Qantas — between London and Perth on Australia’s western coast. That route covers 14,499 kilometers (9,009 miles) and takes between 16 and 18 hours. Sydney, by contrast, sits on Australia’s eastern coast.

Sharon Petersen, chief executive officer of AirlineRatings — an Australia-based website that evaluates airlines on their products and safety records — noted that economy seats on the London-Sydney route will offer more legroom than what most long-haul carriers provide. Economy travelers will also have access to a dedicated “Wellbeing Zone” positioned between the economy and premium economy sections, where passengers can stand, stretch, and grab drinks and snacks.

Qantas has acknowledged that tickets for the nonstop service, which go on sale in February, will cost more than fares for flights that stop in Singapore. The airline says the direct route will cut as much as four hours from total travel time.

Petersen said flying business class on the nonstop service is an appealing choice for travelers who might be able to sleep for eight hours straight without the disruption of stopping in Singapore. However, she personally would rather break up the trip than endure a 22-hour economy flight.

“The reason for that is 22 hours is really daunting. If you get sat next to someone who’s smelly, is perhaps really unwell and coughing, perhaps there’s a baby sitting next to you that’s having an uncomfortable flight or an oversized passenger who really needs two seats,” Petersen said.

She considers two shorter flights a safer bet for economy travelers. “If you’ve got it wrong on one flight, you might be okay on the next. You get a break,” she added.

Petersen explained that the aircraft’s reduced passenger count serves two purposes: improving overall comfort and making room for an extra fuel tank holding 20,000 liters (5,283 gallons). She also pointed out that ultra-long flights depend heavily on premium cabin bookings to turn a profit, since the weight constraints of such a journey leave little room for cargo revenue.

“Because the flight is so long, they can’t rely on cargo because of the weight. So it really is a passenger-heavy aircraft and a premium passenger-heavy aircraft at that to get the profit margin,” Petersen said.

After the Sydney-London route is up and running, Qantas says its next ultra-long-haul nonstop service will connect Sydney with New York City — a somewhat shorter distance of 16,013 kilometers (9,950 miles).

The governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, announced Thursday that 16 people sustained injuries during a significant Ukrainian drone offensive targeting the Russian capital and its surrounding area.

A large number of Ukrainian drones descended on Moscow and the greater Moscow region during the attack, striking the city’s oil refinery for the second time within the same week.

GENEVA — The United Nations nuclear watchdog is expressing support for the interim peace agreement reached between Washington and Tehran, announcing Thursday that it will now take part in technical talks to carry out the deal’s provisions.

“It is good that the memorandum is there. Now the technical work starts,” said Rafael Grossi, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, speaking to reporters in Geneva.

“Now it is for us to sit down with our American and Iranian colleagues and start formulating concrete steps that will have to be taken,” Grossi added.

The agreement, which consists of 14 points and was signed Wednesday evening, extends by 60 days a ceasefire that was first announced in April — including in Lebanon — giving both parties additional time to negotiate a permanent truce.

Both Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian have digitally signed the memorandum in both English and Farsi, according to officials from the United States and Iran. Iran’s foreign ministry stated the agreement took effect as of Wednesday.

Grossi emphasized the significance of the IAEA’s oversight role under the deal. “The fact that they are mentioning that this will be under the supervision and control of the IAEA is very important, because in our conversation, what we are going to be doing is defining what we need to see, what we need to access,” he said.

He noted that the full scope of the agency’s involvement will depend on the final terms of the agreement, and that upcoming technical discussions will work to translate broad principles into concrete actions.

The path to this agreement has not been smooth. Back in February, talks held in Geneva between Iran and the U.S. aimed at resolving their long-running nuclear standoff ended without a breakthrough. While an Omani mediator indicated that progress had been made and further technical talks with the IAEA in Vienna were planned for the following week, those efforts were derailed when the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes against Iran just 48 hours later, triggering a wider regional conflict.

Despite that troubled history, Grossi urged against letting past setbacks breed pessimism. “We have a chance and we need to seize it,” he said.

BRUSSELS — NATO’s senior nuclear deterrence body announced Thursday that member nations have reached an agreement to upgrade the alliance’s nuclear capabilities while also strengthening how it plans and manages its nuclear deterrence mission.

The announcement came from the Nuclear Planning Group, which serves as the alliance’s primary forum for consultation and decision-making on nuclear deterrence matters. All NATO member nations participate in the group with the exception of France.

Defense ministers who took part in the meeting emphasized the foundational importance of the alliance’s nuclear forces. According to the group’s statement, the ministers “recalled that the strategic nuclear forces of the Alliance remain the supreme guarantee of Allied security and underpin NATO’s extended deterrence architecture.”

The group outlined a clear path forward in its official statement: “NPG Ministers agreed to continue enhancing NATO’s nuclear deterrence mission by modernising NATO’s nuclear capabilities, strengthening its nuclear planning capacity, and adapting to achieve its security interests.”

BEIJING — China’s commerce ministry has unveiled a set of measures designed to bring artificial intelligence deeper into the everyday lives of consumers and businesses throughout the country, according to state broadcaster CCTV, which reported the announcement on Thursday.

The package consists of 17 specific measures focused on expanding the role of AI across both the goods and services sectors nationwide.

On the product side, the plan calls for shifting consumer electronics away from simply being functional devices toward becoming truly intelligent ones. Officials also identified the development of a new market for humanoid robots as a key goal under the initiative.

When it comes to services, the measures are designed to keep pace with AI’s rapid spread — moving beyond consumer retail into areas like public services and everyday lifestyle services.

Lin Jian, the deputy director of the international trade cooperation institute under the ministry, explained the broader significance of the effort. “The introduction of AI is expected to break through the bottleneck in service consumption constrained by high labour costs and low standardization,” he said.

A pair of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology believe they have cracked the mystery of how Russia’s Burevestnik missile actually works — and what they found is deeply concerning.

The two scientists conducted an analysis of the nuclear-powered weapon, which has been dubbed “Skyfall” by Western military observers. Their conclusion: the missile is both radioactively contaminating and poses serious dangers.

The Burevestnik is a nuclear-powered cruise missile that Russia has been developing as part of its advanced weapons program. Unlike conventional missiles, it relies on a nuclear reactor for propulsion, which raises significant questions about the radiation it leaves behind during flight.

The MIT researchers’ findings shed new light on the risks associated with the weapon, suggesting that its operation could spread radioactive contamination along its flight path — making it a hazard not just as a weapon, but as a source of nuclear pollution.

NEW DELHI — India quietly confronted Telegram over its failure to crack down on accounts allegedly distributing leaked exam questions, while Telegram fired back by accusing Indian officials of misrepresenting what was said in their meetings. The standoff ultimately resulted in an extraordinary government-ordered ban of the app, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government invoked emergency authority to shut down Telegram within India through June 22, citing concerns that the platform was being exploited to cheat candidates sitting for NEET — a high-stakes national entrance examination for medical school admission.

Telegram has taken the matter to the Delhi High Court, arguing the ban violates constitutional protections and freedom of expression. The conflict represents the latest confrontation between a major technology company and the Modi government, following a legal battle last year with Elon Musk’s X platform over content removal demands.

The app counts 150 million users in India — its largest market in the world. NEET exam results were thrown out in May after suspicions arose that test questions had been leaked in advance, and the exam was rescheduled for June 21. The controversy triggered a political uproar, including calls for the education minister to step down. More than 2 million students take the undergraduate medical entrance exam each year.

Documents obtained by Reuters show the June 16 ban order came after roughly two weeks of back-and-forth communication between India’s IT ministry and Telegram representatives. The government accused Telegram of “inaction” regarding channels with names like “NEET PAPER LEAKED” and “Paper Leaked NEET,” saying the names alone made their purpose obvious. Some of those channels were allegedly soliciting money in exchange for a “full (exam) paper.”

Telegram pushed back in follow-up emails, stating it was “surprised at the suggestion that it has been inactive in addressing unlawful content” and insisting it does not allow its platform to be used for such activities.

India’s IT ministry and Telegram both declined to respond to questions from Reuters.

While WhatsApp dominates India’s messaging market with more than 500 million users, Telegram offers features that set it apart. Its group chats can accommodate up to 200,000 members — a far cry from WhatsApp’s 1,024-person limit — and users can communicate without revealing their phone numbers. Critics argue those same features have made it a haven for fraud and illegal activity, though Telegram rejects that characterization and says it moves quickly to address bad actors.

The Indian government has stated that fraudulent activity tied to the NEET exam is “most pronounced on Telegram.”

Telegram founder Pavel Durov publicly called the ban “a mistake,” arguing that it punishes ordinary users while those spreading leaked content can simply migrate to other platforms. The company also posted a pointed — if indirect — jab at the situation on its X account: “Over 300,000 people die of drowning each year. In order to protect society, it is now illegal to consume or possess water.”

The dispute between the two sides grew more contentious following a June 3 meeting, when Telegram emailed Indian officials to say the government’s written record of the meeting did not accurately reflect what was discussed. According to government notes, Telegram acknowledged having limitations in proactively detecting “more subjective” content related to exams, as opposed to clearer violations such as child sexual material and pornography.

Telegram disputed that account in a June 5 email, clarifying that it does have proactive measures for such content — but that exam-related material simply requires more intensive moderation than other categories.

In its formal court challenge, Telegram went further, describing the government’s meeting minutes as a “one-sided and inaccurate account of the discussions” that “deliberately” left out details of the company’s proactive efforts. The government has not yet filed a response to those claims in court.

TOKYO — The head of Japan’s leading banking industry group is warning that financial institutions across the country could be forced to take drastic steps — including shutting down ATMs and suspending online banking — if powerful artificial intelligence systems begin posing a serious threat to the banking sector.

Advanced AI systems, like Anthropic’s Mythos, have the ability to rapidly detect weaknesses within software platforms, raising widespread alarm about the possibility of a wave of highly sophisticated cyberattacks.

“There are concerns about an increase in sophisticated cyberattacks that go beyond what has been anticipated,” said Masahiko Kato, chair of the Japan Bankers Association and president of Mizuho Bank, speaking at a press briefing.

Kato added that banks may have to act decisively to shield customers from harm. “Certain services such as ATMs could be proactively suspended in order to protect customers’ assets,” he said.

When Anthropic introduced Mythos back in April, the company itself cautioned that the AI had already identified thousands of software vulnerabilities — including flaws found in every major operating system and web browser — and warned that the consequences of its widespread use could be significant.

In response to growing concerns, banks have been stepping up their scrutiny of such AI tools. Additionally, the U.S. government recently directed Anthropic to cut off access to its advanced AI models for foreign nationals, citing national security concerns.

Despite the alarm, not everyone in the cybersecurity field is convinced the threat is as dire as portrayed. Some experts argue that the reaction has been overblown, suggesting that access to a model like Mythos would not instantly give cybercriminals the ability to carry out attacks that were previously beyond their capabilities.

Three allied nations are joining forces to deliver a new round of military support to Ukraine, according to Sweden’s Defence Minister Pal Jonson, who made the announcement in Brussels on Thursday.

Sweden, Norway, and Canada plan to formally unveil what is known as a Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List — or PURL — package, which is designed to channel U.S. weapons to Ukraine.

Sweden’s defence ministry confirmed in an official statement that the Nordic nation’s share of the package will total $108 million. The contribution amounts from Norway and Canada had not been disclosed at the time of the announcement.

Witnesses in Niamey, the capital of Niger, reported hearing explosions and continuous gunfire early Thursday morning near the city’s airport and adjacent military airbase. A security source described the situation as what appeared to be a deliberate attack on the facility.

No group had immediately stepped forward to take responsibility for the incident, and a spokesperson for the Niger government had not responded to requests for comment as of early Thursday.

The airport has been targeted before. An affiliate of the Islamic State operating in the region claimed responsibility for a similar strike on the airport back in January. At that time, the group stated it had targeted air command headquarters and drone equipment, boasting that it had “delivered a direct blow” to the country’s efforts to fight insurgency.

Thursday’s incident began with the first explosions reported at approximately 6 a.m. local time, which is 5 a.m. GMT. A Reuters witness on the ground reported that sporadic gunfire could still be heard nearly two hours after the initial blasts. Security forces moved quickly to seal off the surrounding area.

Niger is no stranger to this kind of violence. Like its neighboring Sahel nations Mali and Burkina Faso, the country has been battling relentless attacks from jihadist organizations with ties to both al Qaeda and Islamic State. Those conflicts have claimed thousands of lives and forced millions of people from their homes across all three countries.

Looking back at the January attack, Niger’s Defence Ministry reported that militants had approached on motorcycles before being driven back by security forces. Four soldiers were wounded in that assault. The ministry also noted that a stockpile of ammunition caught fire during the attack and that several civilian aircraft sustained damage.

Niger’s military ruler, Abdourahamane Tiani, previously blamed the presidents of France, Benin, and Ivory Coast for sponsoring the January attack, though he provided no evidence to support the accusation. He also issued a warning of retaliation at that time.

The Swiss government announced Thursday that the United States and Iran are expected to hold initial talks at the Buergenstock mountaintop resort in Switzerland on Friday, coming on the heels of a ceasefire agreement reached between the two nations.

According to a statement from the Swiss foreign ministry, “As things stand, the plan is still for the U.S. and Iran, along with mediators Pakistan and Qatar and other involved countries, to meet tomorrow at Buergenstock for initial negotiations about implementing the agreement.”

Swiss officials offered little additional detail about the gathering, with the foreign ministry adding, “No further information is currently available regarding the schedule and details of this meeting.”

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — The scars of six decades of armed conflict in Colombia are still very much alive for those who lived through it — etched into their bodies and minds in ways that never fully heal.

For 67-year-old Blanca Nubia Monroy, that scar takes the form of a black-and-white scale of justice tattooed on her forearm — a replica of the tattoo that was used to identify the body of her 19-year-old son after he was kidnapped and killed by Colombian soldiers in 2008.

For Sigifredo López, 62, it comes in the form of haunting flashbacks from the seven years he spent as a guerrilla captive deep in the South American country’s jungle, and the lasting trauma of having survived while his fellow captives were massacred in 2007.

The two hold sharply opposing views on who should lead Colombia after Sunday’s election. Monroy is throwing her support behind peace advocate Iván Cepeda, while López is backing Trump-endorsed Abelardo de la Espriella, a lawyer who has pledged a sweeping offensive against crime. Yet despite their political differences, both share the same core fear: a return to the brutal violence of the past.

BRUSSELS — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stood before NATO defense ministers Thursday and delivered a clear message: European nations need to take responsibility for defending their own continent and help reshape the alliance into what he called a “real hard-line military alliance.”

Speaking at the ministerial gathering, Hegseth pushed for a fundamental transformation of the 32-member organization, framing it as a “NATO 3.0” upgrade designed to give the alliance stronger deterrence capabilities against any potential threat.

His remarks arrived just weeks after Washington informed its allies that the United States would no longer commit certain warships, aircraft, and other military assets to a crisis situation involving an attacked ally. European nations and Canada are now working to determine how to fill those gaps.

“NATO 3.0 is post-Cold War recognition that (NATO) needs to go back to a real hard-line military alliance that has real military capabilities capable of deterring right here on the continent and taking the lead for the conventional defense of Europe,” Hegseth said.

He also told reporters that the United States plans to invest $1.5 trillion in its own defense by 2027, describing it as a signal to the rest of the world that America is building what he called an “arsenal of freedom.”

Hegseth said that arsenal “first and foremost protects America and American interests but also backstops the strength of NATO and our allies.”

He made clear that he intends to tell U.S. allies they “have to be willing to stand up and do something in a strong way about” securing their own continent.

NATO’s supreme allied commander, who is American, has been developing contingency plans following the U.S. announcement on June 3 that it would pull back commitments including an aircraft carrier, support ships, aerial refueling planes, and dozens of fighter jets in the event of a crisis.

The Trump administration has stated it must be prepared to handle two simultaneous conflicts and wants to keep more military resources available in case a confrontation with China erupts in the Indo-Pacific region.

Under Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty — the alliance’s collective defense guarantee — all 32 member nations agree that an attack on one is considered an attack on all. However, the treaty does not legally require military assistance, though many allies would likely provide it.

In practical terms, the United States is reducing the level of military support it would provide if Article 5 were triggered. The U.S. holds by far the largest military force within NATO. Washington has indicated it does not plan to remove its nuclear weapons from Europe, which remain a cornerstone of NATO’s deterrence strategy.

China’s second-largest annual shopping festival is coming to a quiet close, shining a light on sluggish consumer spending and a broader move by the country’s government to rein in extreme discount competition among online retailers.

The 618 festival takes its name from the founding date of e-commerce giant JD.com — June 18. What once served as a showcase for explosive online retail growth has gradually expanded from a single-day event into a weeks-long sales period spanning all major Chinese shopping platforms.

That extended format has made it difficult to keep shoppers excited, especially as China continues to grapple with a prolonged crisis in its real estate sector and ongoing trade friction with the United States — both of which have shaken job security for many workers.

Yu Yang, an engineer at an internet company in Beijing, said she barely made any purchases during this year’s festival. “I bought some laundry detergent, but not because it was discounted, it’s just I ran out of it,” she said.

This year’s event on platforms including JD.com and Alibaba’s Tmall kicked off in mid-May and runs through June 20 or 21 — roughly 40 days in total, which is three to four shopping days longer than last year depending on the platform.

Last year’s 618 festival, itself about a week longer than the 2024 edition, saw combined gross merchandise value — a standard e-commerce performance metric — jump 15% to 855.6 billion yuan, equivalent to about $127 billion, according to retail data firm Syntun. However, daily spending figures actually declined during that period.

For this year, analysts are projecting overall revenue to grow by a single-digit percentage, largely due to the longer event window. Final data from this year’s festival is expected to be released next week.

With Chinese regulators pushing back against cutthroat pricing tactics, Alibaba described this year’s festival as a “decisive shift,” saying “brands prioritizing healthy margins over headline sales figures” defined the event.

JD.com, PDD, and ByteDance-owned Douyin — the Chinese counterpart to TikTok — did not respond to requests for comment on this year’s 618 performance.

Derek Deng, who leads consumer products for Bain and Co. in Greater China, offered a positive take on the subdued atmosphere. “This time around, we feel that it is quite quiet. I believe this is a good thing for the market. This shows that people’s consumption patterns are normalised, people don’t just stock up during shopping carnivals,” he said.

The muted festival comes as China’s retail sales dropped 0.6% compared to the same period a year ago in May — the first year-over-year decline since December 2022, when the country was still operating under strict COVID-19 restrictions. Government data released Tuesday showed notable declines in spending on vehicles, home appliances, furniture, jewelry, and building materials, even as state subsidies were in place to encourage large purchases.

Meanwhile, the use of artificial intelligence by e-commerce companies expanded significantly in the first half of 2026, and industry watchers are paying close attention to how widely consumers are actually engaging with these new tools.

Alibaba, for instance, has woven its AI model Qwen throughout its Taobao platform, enabling shoppers to browse, compare, and buy products simply by having a conversation with the AI rather than manually scrolling through listings.

Jason Yu, general manager at CTR Market Research, noted that all the major e-commerce players are using 618 as a testing ground for their AI capabilities. “So it’s not just a battleground for e-commerce, but also more of a technology battleground for all these big platforms,” he said.

HELSINKI — Finland’s defense ministry announced Thursday that the country intends to purchase GBU-53 SDB II glide bombs from the United States to arm its fleet of F-35 fighter jets.

The acquisition expands Finland’s air-to-ground combat capabilities and builds on the NATO member country’s existing $9.4 billion deal to purchase 64 F-35 aircraft from Lockheed Martin.

According to the defense ministry, the GBU-53 SDB II is a precision-guided weapon capable of hitting moving targets at medium range, even in poor weather. The bomb’s compact design allows an F-35 to carry several of them at once on a single aircraft.

Raytheon, which operates as a division of U.S. defense company RTX, will manufacture the munitions. The overall package also includes spare parts, technical documentation, transportation, training, and ongoing repair and support services.

Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said the purchase gives Finland a new capability that strengthens the country’s defenses “in demanding conditions.”

SEOUL — South Korea’s parliament voted Thursday to open a 45-day formal investigation into the National Election Commission following a ballot paper shortage that threw the country’s June 3 local elections into chaos.

The probe was approved at a full plenary session of the National Assembly. The ballot shortage fiasco has sparked public protests, led to the resignation of the election commission’s top official, and prompted President Lee Jae Myung to demand a thorough review of what happened.

A special parliamentary committee has been formed to scrutinize both the National Election Commission and regional election bodies. Lawmakers described the situation as a violation of citizens’ voting rights and said reforms to election management are urgently needed.

The investigation panel includes members from the ruling Democratic Party, the main opposition People Power Party, and several smaller parties. People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun is set to serve as the committee’s chair.

National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik addressed the significance of the inquiry, saying: “The fact-finding investigation is not the end, but the beginning.” He added, “The parliamentary investigation should identify the causes and lead to election management reform measures that the public can trust.”

On Wednesday, NEC acting secretary-general Kang Dong-wan met with university student representatives who had been staging protests. He told them the commission felt “devastated” over its failure to adequately prepare and pledged cooperation with the parliamentary inquiry, a joint police-prosecution investigation, and an internal audit.

An NEC official confirmed Wednesday that ballot shortages affected 91 polling stations across the country, with voting temporarily suspended at 26 of those locations during the local elections.

In Seoul’s Songpa district, one polling station was forced to halt voting at 4:46 p.m. It did not resume until 5:39 p.m. and ultimately stayed open until 10 p.m. to accommodate roughly 175 voters holding waiting tickets. However, 12 people who had received waiting tickets never came back to cast their ballots, according to the NEC official.

Residents of Makerfield, a former coal mining district near Manchester in northern England, cast their votes Thursday in a by-election that carries far-reaching consequences for British national politics.

At the center of the race is Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, 56, who is seeking to return to parliament. Should he win, political observers say he would be positioned to mount a challenge to deeply unpopular Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party — potentially making Burnham Britain’s seventh prime minister in just over ten years.

The by-election was triggered when a fellow Labour Party member resigned his parliamentary seat. The vacancy drew an unusual level of national attention to the area, given what the outcome could mean for the future of the country’s governing party.

Burnham has attempted to frame the race around local concerns, pointing to his personal ties to the region — he lives nearby and his three children attended school there. But rival candidates have accused him of treating the election as little more than a launchpad for national ambitions, particularly after he began offering hints about how he might lead the country.

Speaking to party supporters in remarks also broadcast on the social media platform X on Wednesday evening, Burnham declared: “Change is coming, but the question tonight is ‘what kind of change?’” He added, “A vote for me is a vote to end 40 years of trickle-down economics that didn’t trickle down much at all to people here.”

Labour flooded Makerfield with senior ministers and dozens of lawmakers in the run-up to the vote and is cautiously optimistic that Burnham can defeat Reform UK’s candidate, Robert Kenyon, a self-employed plumber who also hails from the area. Reform UK is the populist party led by Brexit advocate Nigel Farage. Polling shows Burnham ahead, though Reform’s support has been somewhat reduced by competition from a newer right-wing party called Restore Britain.

If Burnham secures a win, he has made clear he intends to enter any leadership race against Starmer, though he may not move immediately. Another potential challenger, former health minister Wes Streeting, has said he is ready to force a leadership contest if Starmer does not voluntarily step aside — something Streeting has publicly called for.

Starmer, 63, has repeatedly pushed back against calls to resign, noting that he has “always battled against the odds” — pointing to how he guided Labour from its worst election defeat in 84 years in 2019 to a landslide victory in 2024. He has pledged to fight any leadership challenge.

Nevertheless, multiple senior Labour lawmakers suggest Starmer might be persuaded to hand power to Burnham voluntarily, given that Burnham appears to have strong support among Labour’s members of parliament. The thinking is that a negotiated transition could spare the party a drawn-out leadership contest that might further damage its standing with voters ahead of a general election scheduled for 2029.

One scenario floated by Labour lawmakers would have Burnham offering Streeting a prominent cabinet position in exchange for Streeting declining to formally trigger a leadership race. One senior lawmaker noted that a likely three-month summer leadership campaign would only hurt the party, and that members of parliament would probably favor a swift and orderly resolution.

KYIV — Four years after Ukraine’s Azov Regiment was forced to surrender the last remnants of the battered city of Mariupol to Russian forces, the reconstituted unit has turned its attention back to making Russia answer for that occupation.

That crushing defeat in May 2022 — during which hundreds of Azov fighters were either killed or taken prisoner — transformed the regiment into a symbol of resilience across Ukraine and set the stage for its return as a larger, more formidable force. The unit is now once again directing its efforts toward its home city on the Azov Sea.

Drones operated by First Corps Azov flew over the city’s strategically important seaport last week in a mission that struck electrical substations, repair facilities, and a sanctioned vessel, knocking out power to the port entirely, according to Ukraine’s military. Reuters was able to verify the location of portions of attack footage the corps posted publicly.

The strike was part of Ukraine’s growing campaign to hit Russian military supply lines far behind the front lines, with the goal of wearing down Moscow’s ability to wage war and shifting momentum in Kyiv’s favor.

Col. Arsen Dmytryk, First Corps Azov’s chief of staff, told Reuters that many more such operations are planned to demonstrate the unit’s capabilities, technology, and strategic thinking.

He acknowledged that pushing Russia out of Mariupol — which sits roughly 120 kilometers, or about 75 miles, behind front lines that have barely shifted — is a slow process he described as a “long game.”

“If it takes 20 years, we will spend 20 years planning, waiting, preparing,” said Dmytryk, 32, who was among those captured by Russia and later released. “But when the time comes, we must be ready. I believe we will return it (Mariupol). It’s just a matter of time.”

Russia’s defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

The port strike, conducted alongside Ukraine’s drone forces and the SBU security service, hit just a few miles from the steel mill where Azov fighters and other Ukrainian troops surrendered following a three-month Russian siege of the city.

It came after months of strikes on major roadways throughout Russian-occupied areas of the eastern Donetsk region, including in Mariupol itself, as part of a coordinated effort to disrupt Russian supply lines heading to the front.

Video footage released by the corps documents these operations: an April 16 clip shows drones flying over wide open fields and long stretches of highway around Donetsk before slamming into heavy military vehicles. A May 8 post features aerial footage sweeping over central Mariupol and the heavily damaged Azovstal Iron and Steel Works — the site of the Ukrainian garrison’s final stand in 2022. “Azov is already patrolling its home city of Mariupol. From the skies — for now,” the post stated.

Mariupol’s population has dropped significantly from its prewar total of more than 400,000. Today the city is the site of new infrastructure projects that are part of Russia’s effort to solidify its hold on occupied southern Ukraine, according to a Reuters investigation conducted earlier this year. In January, Kyiv’s foreign intelligence service reported that Russia is expanding Mariupol’s seaport as a major economic hub while pursuing high-profile construction projects at the expense of ordinary residents.

Within Ukraine’s broader “middle strike” campaign, Azov’s main objective is to cut off enemy cargo — particularly fuel — moving from Russia through key transit points like Mariupol and Donetsk city, according to a corps drone officer. He noted that the constant movement of supply trucks along wide, exposed roads makes them hard to protect. “There’s no way to hide a tanker carrying fuel … It’s just impossible,” he said.

The targeted routes include the M14 highway connecting Mariupol with the Russian city of Rostov to the east, the H20 running north from Mariupol to Donetsk, and a ring road around Donetsk city.

Ukraine’s military is also intensifying strikes on logistics across the Russian-occupied “land bridge” through southern Ukraine that links Russia with Crimea — attacks that have already caused fuel shortages on the peninsula. Ukraine’s top drone commander Robert Brovdi pledged last week to “isolate Crimea in the near future” through continued strikes on the key P-280 highway.

Azov’s strikes are “cumulative rather than decisive,” according to Franz-Stefan Gady, a Vienna-based expert with the Center for a New American Security. He explained that the strikes force Russian forces to spread their vehicles across longer alternate routes and rely more heavily on nighttime driving — which over time “degrades the offensive tempo Russia can generate” on the battlefield.

Russian forces are currently on the verge of capturing the city of Kostiantynivka, the southern anchor of what is known as the “fortress belt” in the Donetsk region that Moscow has demanded Kyiv hand over. Russian drone teams are also targeting Ukrainian battlefield supply lines. However, Russia’s overall rate of advance has slowed considerably in recent months, and Ukrainian forces have reclaimed ground in some areas along the front.

Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, said Kyiv’s mid-range strikes could “test the conditions” for Ukraine — and possibly Azov — to eventually launch offensive operations. “This is one of the big stories of this year: how does Russia deal with Ukraine’s middle strike campaign?” he said.

Among Azov’s primary weapons is an AI-assisted drone called the Hornet, produced by a U.S. defense-technology firm run by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt called Perennial Autonomy. Corps operators enhanced the drone by fitting it with Starlink internet terminals to extend its original 100-kilometer range — an innovation that highlighted the unit’s technical expertise. “Azov was responsible for a lot of the improvements to the Hornet,” Lee said.

By targeting roads into and out of Mariupol with drone strikes, the corps is working toward another critical goal, said chief of staff Dmytryk: speeding up an end to the war that he hopes would result in the release of more than 700 Azov fighters currently held in Russian prisons. Kyiv has made a full prisoner exchange a central demand in any peace negotiations. Frequent “Free Azov” rallies are held in Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities, reflecting the unit’s revered status in Ukrainian society.

Corps commander Denys Prokopenko wrote on X last month that freeing his fellow fighters was “my personal priority and a matter of honour.”

Despised in Russia due to its origins as a nationalist militia, today’s Azov is a far different organization from the small volunteer battalion that liberated Mariupol from pro-Russian separatists in 2014, or the fragmented regiment that fought in 2022. Now formally part of the National Guard, it is considered one of Ukraine’s top fighting units and among its “most advanced formations” in drone warfare, according to defense analyst Olena Kryzhanivska of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

Last year, the unit expanded into a full corps made up of six brigades, a drone regiment, and a special-purposes unit, and now numbers in the tens of thousands of troops, the unit says.

“When we were in captivity, the Muscovites told us that they wanted to destroy, destroy, destroy us,” said Dmytryk, whose call sign is “Lemko.” “But somehow their ‘destruction’ keeps scaling up Azov instead.”

ZURICH — Switzerland’s lower house of parliament has turned down a trade agreement with the South American trading bloc Mercosur, following pushback from lawmakers on both the political right and left.

The vote, which took place late Wednesday, resulted in the accord being rejected by a margin of 96 to 86, with nine abstentions. The agreement had been reached last year.

Opposition to the deal came from two very different directions. Conservative lawmakers, many representing agricultural interests, stood against it, as did left-leaning parties who raised concerns about labor standards and the ongoing destruction of the Amazon rainforest.

Despite the lower house rejection, the process is not necessarily over. The agreement will now be considered by the upper chamber of parliament, and if approved there, it could be sent back to the lower house for another vote.

Mercosur is a South American trade bloc made up of four nations: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Skyrocketing fuel costs linked to the ongoing Iran war are giving electric vehicle sales across Europe a significant boost, according to industry data obtained by Reuters — though some auto industry leaders caution that the momentum may not hold if gas prices retreat.

Experts in the field point to improvements in charging networks and a new wave of more budget-friendly EV models — including vehicles from Chinese manufacturers — as factors helping electric cars become more accessible to everyday consumers.

Although the United States and Iran have agreed to an extended ceasefire, disruptions to shipping mean oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz could take weeks to return to normal levels, keeping fuel prices elevated for the foreseeable future.

Research group New Automotive and industry organization E-Mobility Europe shared data with Reuters showing new electric vehicle registrations climbed 34% compared to the same period last year in May, covering 17 markets that represent more than 90% of car sales across the European Union and European Free Trade Association.

Fully electric models made up nearly one out of every four new vehicle registrations in those markets.

Renault CEO Francois Provost told Reuters last week that the automaker’s EV order book has grown by 50% in certain countries since the Iran conflict began in late February. However, he predicted that growth “will decrease” should fuel prices come back down.

Ford’s Europe chief Jim Baumbick acknowledged that the war has “increased customers’ interest” in EVs, but urged caution about viewing the trend as a permanent change in consumer behavior.

The conflict has coincided with a broader push by automakers to introduce less expensive electric vehicles in Europe, tackling one of the biggest obstacles to wider adoption — the higher purchase price compared to traditional gas-powered cars.

Chinese automakers are moving beyond larger vehicle segments and into smaller hatchbacks aimed at European buyers. BYD launched its Dolphin G model in Berlin last week as part of that expansion.

Andy Palmer, a former Nissan executive who helped bring the mass-market Leaf EV to consumers, commented: “Consumer interest in EVs is clearly stimulated by low-cost, very good Chinese cars arriving on the market.”

The used EV market is also heating up. Online marketplace OLX reported that sales leads for Chinese-brand vehicles in France surged more than fourfold in May compared to a year earlier.

German online marketplace Carwow, which tracks both new and used vehicles, said consumer interest in EVs — measured through vehicle configurations and purchase inquiries — has leveled off at between 70% and 75%, a notable jump from roughly 40% earlier this year.

Philipp Sayler von Amende, managing director of Carwow Germany, said: “This development has long since evolved from a short-term effect to a sustainable trend.”

Used electric vehicles are also attracting buyers with their relatively low price tags. Tesla’s aggressive price cuts in 2023 significantly dragged down resale values across the used EV market, though those prices are now beginning to inch back up as demand grows stronger.

Danish used-car platform Bilbasen anticipates used EV prices will rise by about 10% this year.

At present, used electric vehicles remain less expensive than comparable gas-powered models. In Britain, two- to four-year-old EVs are selling for roughly 33% of their original purchase price, compared to 52% for fossil-fuel vehicles, according to dealer services firm Cox Automotive.

Cox’s insight director Philip Nothard said the growing availability of affordable new and pre-owned EVs should help keep demand strong even if fuel prices ease. “The market should stabilise,” he said. “I very much doubt that we’ll see a downturn.”

TAIPEI — Taiwan’s president addressed foreign journalists Thursday, expressing his desire for a new U.S. arms sale package to be approved without delay, while also defending his government’s right to protect itself from Chinese pressure.

President Lai Ching-te made the remarks at a gathering of the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Taipei, saying the United States’ commitment to Taiwan’s security remains intact — but that Taiwan itself must not waver in building up its own defenses.

“The key is that Taiwan must not change course in strengthening its own defence capabilities, nor can it slow its pace,” Lai said.

He added: “We will continue to maintain close communication with the U.S. government, and we also hope the arms purchases can be approved as soon as possible.”

The comments follow unease in Taiwan sparked by remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump last month. After meeting with China’s Xi Jinping in Beijing, Trump indicated he was still weighing whether to approve new arms sales to Taiwan, describing them as a “very good negotiating chip” with China.

Taiwan is a democratically governed island that China considers part of its own territory. Beijing has intensified both military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan in recent years.

China has labeled Lai a “separatist” and has rejected his repeated overtures for dialogue. Despite that, Lai said Thursday he still wants to engage in talks with China based on what he called “parity and respect.”

He also made clear that Taiwan’s people alone have the right to determine their own future, and he pushed back on the notion that Taiwan’s self-defense efforts are antagonistic toward Beijing.

“Taiwan’s safeguarding of its own national security and maintaining its democratic and free way of life, its refusal to accept unification, and its refusal to accept rule by the Chinese Communist Party should not be seen as a provocation against China,” Lai said.

A Thai fisherman named Chaiyaporn Arunrasamee was bent over his fishing nets along the Andaman Sea last month — waters that sit at the center of an enormous government infrastructure proposal that could reshape global shipping routes in Southeast Asia.

“Personally, I don’t want it to happen at all,” said Chaiyaporn, who has spent his entire 50 years fishing in the waters near Ranong, a coastal town on Thailand’s western shore.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has breathed new life into a long-discussed plan known as the “Land Bridge” — a massive logistics corridor valued at 1 trillion baht, or roughly $30.45 billion. The project gained renewed urgency following the conflict in Iran and the closure of the Hormuz Strait, events that underscored how dependent global trade is on a handful of critical sea passages.

The proposal calls for connecting two newly built deep-sea ports — one at Chumphon on the Gulf of Thailand to the east, and another at Ranong along the western Andaman coast — through a 90-kilometer (56-mile) standard-gauge railway capable of handling up to 20 million shipping containers per year. Additional infrastructure would include a meter-gauge rail link to Thailand’s existing national rail network, multi-lane highways, and local roads.

The goal is to give cargo ships an alternative to the Strait of Malacca, a 900-kilometer (550-mile) waterway bordered by Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore that serves as the primary sea route between East Asia and the Middle East and Europe. About 80% of container traffic at major ports along the Malacca Strait involves goods being transferred between ships rather than cargo headed to local destinations.

“We want to capture some of this 80% market, particularly the feeder segment,” said Jiraroth Sukolrat, Director-General of Thailand’s Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, referring to smaller freight vessels with a capacity of 12,000 containers or fewer. “We are not targeting giant mainline vessels.”

According to an internal government presentation reviewed by Reuters, the corridor could slash logistics costs by nearly 30% and trim transit times by up to 14 days for cargo traveling between southern China and Indian Ocean ports serving South Asia and the Middle East. Feeder-to-feeder shipments crossing the corridor could be around 10% cheaper and six days faster than comparable routes through Singapore, largely due to lower congestion.

Despite the ambitious projections, analysts are skeptical that the Land Bridge can truly rival the Malacca Strait as a global trade route.

“The land bridge may ultimately emerge as a modular national security asset aimed at securing local energy routes and boosting Thailand’s own western export capabilities,” said Eugene Mark of Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

Mark also noted that convincing shipping companies to unload cargo, haul it overland, and reload it onto another vessel remains a steep challenge. “Proving that this double-handling model can genuinely compete with the seamless transit through the Strait of Malacca remains a major hurdle,” he said.

The Land Bridge concept was first introduced around 2020 and is the latest in a string of similar infrastructure proposals that Thai governments have pursued over two decades, none of which came to fruition. Unlike earlier versions, the current plan does not include oil refineries or petrochemical facilities, focusing instead on ports, railways, and light industry.

“The concept hasn’t really changed. What has changed is the packaging,” said Wipawadee Panyangnoi, an independent researcher who wrote her doctoral dissertation on the Land Bridge proposal. “In the past they openly talked about industrial estates and petrochemicals, which people opposed. Today the project is framed as transport infrastructure and logistics because that language is easier for the public to accept.”

The Thai government says it has drawn lessons from past failures, with the state taking a regulatory and supporting role while private investors provide the bulk of financing. “It has to be a consortium involving shipping lines, port operators, financiers and land developers,” said Jiraroth.

So far, investor interest has been cautious. Mark noted that shifting policy frameworks and enormous capital requirements have kept major backers from making firm commitments. The project also carries geopolitical complexity, with neighboring countries watching warily. “Chinese state enterprises are unlikely to commit significant capital unless they secure strong operational leverage, which would trigger intense domestic political pushback in Thailand over foreign control,” Mark said. “Thailand must navigate a delicate diplomatic balancing act to prevent the corridor from becoming a geopolitical flashpoint.”

The Singapore foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

Meanwhile, communities along the proposed corridor are pushing back. In the fertile Phato district, where durian plantations and coffee farms generate significant income, residents are questioning the need for large-scale industrialization.

“My hometown’s durian industry alone generates around 10 billion baht a year without needing to build anything new,” said coffee entrepreneur Chalermchart Seekhiao, 30. “People need to understand: this isn’t an empty wasteland.”

Chaiyaporn, speaking from the small fishing village of Baan Hat Sai Dam on an island surrounded by mangrove forests, put the stakes simply: “This thing will be located in the area where we make our living. Where will we go?”

The project suffered a recent setback when regulators ordered a completely new Environmental and Health Impact Assessment after a significant gap was found between government and private research estimates on the density of marine life near the proposed port sites.

A government-appointed review panel is expected to submit its findings before the end of July.

“Local opposition alone rarely cancels a top-down mega-project in Thailand, but it acts as a powerful regulatory drag that compounds investor risk,” Mark said.

LONDON (AP) — One of England’s most iconic trees, long connected to the legend of Robin Hood, appears to have been killed by the very people who came to admire it.

The Major Oak, a 1,200-year-old giant in Sherwood Forest, is believed to have died after it failed to grow leaves this spring, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which announced the news Thursday.

The conservation organization explained that centuries of visitors coming to gaze at the tree’s twisted branches and wide-spreading canopy in Nottingham gradually packed down the soil around its base, preventing rainwater from reaching its roots.

The forest has faced threats for years, and rumors of the tree’s death had circulated before — only for the group to confirm each time that it had survived. This time, there is no such reassurance.

“The tree’s failure to produce leaves this year is heart-breaking for everyone,” said Hollie Drake of the RSPB in a statement confirming the tree’s death.

According to legend, Robin Hood — the fictional 13th-century outlaw known for stealing from the wealthy to give to the poor — used the forest as a hideout while evading the sheriff of Nottingham, and the Major Oak is said to have provided him shelter.

The tree earned its name after being featured in a book about oaks written by Major Hayman Rooke in 1790, which sparked the first surge of visitors flocking to the forest to see it.

Pinpointing a single cause of death is not possible, experts say, but the cumulative impact of millions of footsteps played a role, as did efforts to physically support the tree’s enormous limbs using cables and poles. Climate change, which has brought increasingly severe heat waves and drought conditions, was also cited as a contributing factor.

Specialists who examined the tree found its root system had been choked and deprived of nutrients.

“Ancient trees like the Major Oak are the ‘conservation white rhinos of the U.K.’ but their decline is far less visible,” said Ed Pyne of the Woodland Trust. “Saving them is vital to the health of the world we live in and yet most disappear quietly, without the recognition or care given to the Major Oak.”

Beyond its place in folklore, Sherwood Forest holds historical significance for another reason — its oaks were used to build the ships of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson’s Royal Navy during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and timber from the forest was used in the roof of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

The Major Oak was spared from being cut down and has been protected behind a fence since the 1970s.

“The Major Oak will continue to stand at the heart of Sherwood as a natural monument for visitors to come and see, living on in the legend of Robin Hood and continuing to provide as much support to the forest’s ecosystem in death as in life,” Drake said.

LONDON (AP) — UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer isn’t running in Thursday’s special election, but his political survival very much depends on its outcome.

Residents of the Makerfield district in northwest England are heading to the polls to choose a new member of Parliament, and the heavy favorite is Andy Burnham — the current mayor of Greater Manchester and the man betting markets consider most likely to become the country’s next prime minister.

Should Burnham beat out a challenger from the anti-immigration party Reform UK and secure the seat for the governing Labour Party, he is widely expected to mount a leadership challenge against the increasingly unpopular Starmer.

On the campaign trail, Burnham made a bold pledge: “If people put their trust in me, I will change politics” — a sweeping promise from someone who, if elected, would be just one of 650 members of the House of Commons.

Yet the extraordinary level of global media attention — with scores of journalists from around the world descending on Makerfield — signals this is anything but a routine by-election. Results are anticipated in the early hours of Friday morning.

Roughly 75,000 people are eligible to cast ballots in Makerfield, a constituency made up of several towns and villages on the outskirts of Greater Manchester, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of London.

Those voters effectively hold the fate of Starmer in their hands. His public approval has collapsed since he guided the center-left Labour Party to a sweeping election victory in July 2024.

Starmer’s government has stumbled in its efforts to deliver economic growth, fix deteriorating public services, and bring down the cost of living. A series of missteps has compounded his troubles, including his choice to name Peter Mandelson — a figure with a scandal-clouded past and ties to Jeffrey Epstein — as the UK’s ambassador to the United States.

A poor showing in May’s local elections prompted dozens of Labour lawmakers to call for Starmer’s resignation. He has refused to step aside, but senior party figures are pushing for a change at the top. Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting quit his Cabinet role in May, declaring that “where we need vision, we have a vacuum.”

Shortly after, Labour lawmaker Josh Simons resigned his Makerfield seat, deliberately triggering the special election to create a path for Burnham to return to Parliament.

Britain’s system of government allows a ruling party to swap out its leader mid-term, with the new leader automatically becoming prime minister — no national election required. Under Labour Party rules, a leadership challenge can be launched if one-fifth of the party’s House of Commons members back it, which currently means 81 lawmakers.

Streeting said Tuesday that he hopes Starmer will voluntarily step down, but warned that if he refuses, “there will need to be a contest, and I would be prepared to do that.”

While Streeting is seen as a capable communicator with allies in Parliament, Burnham is viewed as the more probable successor to Starmer.

The 56-year-old politician — often called the “King of the North” — has served as Manchester’s mayor since 2017, overseeing a significant revitalization of the city where the Industrial Revolution took root. He is now promising to bring his distinctive “Manchesterism” approach to the national stage.

“It’s not right, the way the country has been run,” Burnham said during a campaign appearance last week, arguing that “London-centric politics” has left other parts of the UK behind.

Starmer, for his part, has projected an image of calm resolve. At a G7 summit in France this week, he insisted he has no plans to resign.

“I will fight if there’s a challenge,” Starmer said. “We won a significant general election result in 2024, with a mandate to bring about change. I’m not going to walk away from that.”

Starmer has also floated the idea of bringing Burnham into his Cabinet if Burnham wins the seat, telling Sky News on Wednesday that “I want him to have a big role in government.” However, sources close to Burnham signaled he has no interest in that offer.

Rob Ford, a professor of political science at the University of Manchester, said a convincing Burnham win would make “the pressure on Starmer very hard to resist.”

“Starmer can say all that he likes that he wants to carry on,” Ford said. “But if the entire Cabinet turns around and says, ‘We’re not going to serve under you and we think you should go,’ then either he’ll go with dignity or go without dignity, but he’ll end up having to go quite quickly.”

Still, Burnham’s path to victory is not guaranteed. Makerfield has returned Labour lawmakers to Parliament for over a century, but Reform UK has made rapid inroads across post-industrial northern England, scoring significant gains in last month’s local elections.

Reform’s candidate, Rob Kenyon — a local plumber — is aiming to capitalize on voter anxiety about immigration, a concern frequently voiced by residents despite the area having relatively few immigrants. Reform also faces pressure from its right flank, from Restore, an even more hardline anti-immigration and ethnonationalist party.

A Burnham win would be damaging enough for Starmer. But Ford warned that a Reform victory in Makerfield would mean “Gotterdammerung, apocalypse, disaster, chaos” for Labour.

“Andy Burnham is miles more popular than every other (leadership) candidate available. Miles better known, miles better liked,” Ford said.

“If Reform take him out, then simultaneously you have a situation where the Reform threat looks much graver, and the best person available to combat the Reform threat has failed.”

North Korea has pulled its ambassador out of Britain just weeks after he arrived, scaling back diplomatic relations in retaliation for sanctions placed on a North Korean children’s camp, according to a report from NK News, a website that focuses on North Korean affairs.

The North Korean embassy in London issued a statement to NK News announcing the withdrawal of Ambassador Mun Myong Sin and said diplomatic ties would be reduced to the charge d’affaires level until Britain removes its sanctions against the Songdowon International Children’s Camp.

Britain imposed those sanctions in May, designating the camp as part of Kremlin-run youth programs connected to the deportation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children.

The North Korean embassy described Britain’s action as a “heinous, unethical, politically-motivated provocation,” accusing London of trying to damage North Korea’s reputation and weaken its relationship with Russia, NK News reported.

North Korea’s foreign ministry had already responded in May through state media, calling the sanctions a malicious act and warning that Britain would face consequences. The ministry dismissed the sanctions as baseless and argued they violated the rights of North Korean children, whom it described as receiving the “most precious” treatment.

Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office declined to comment to NK News about Ambassador Mun’s status or the circumstances of his departure.

Britain had appointed a new ambassador to North Korea last year, though its embassy in Pyongyang has remained shuttered since the COVID-19 pandemic. North Korea’s embassy in Britain did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

NICOSIA, Cyprus — The war involving Iran has rattled global fuel prices and strengthened Europe’s resolve to develop alternative trade and energy routes that don’t rely on the Strait of Hormuz.

Here’s a closer look at what the European Union is considering to strengthen its energy security and reduce vulnerability to future conflicts, as it deepens ties with Gulf nations and India.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has expressed fresh enthusiasm for a project known as the India-Middle-East-Europe Economic Corridor, or IMEC. Speaking to G7 leaders at this week’s summit, she noted that “alternative export routes have been created that are more resilient and offer choices” and added that “other routes will be built — for example, a typical one is IMEC.”

The corridor is viewed as a way to give the EU greater economic resilience, diversified supply chains, and stronger energy security — particularly at a time when Russia continues its aggressive posture and U.S. strategic commitments appear to be shifting.

While the EU has backed IMEC through a memorandum of understanding, only a small number of its 27 member states have formally signed on. Still, a senior EU diplomat — speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss confidential talks — said political support behind closed doors is strong.

“The focus now is on translating that vision into practical implementation across its three pillars: transport and trade connectivity, energy connectivity and digital connectivity,” the diplomat said, noting the initiative could include new pipelines and transmission cables.

The EU’s press office would not offer a timeline for when the project might move forward.

IMEC would run through Israel, which has voiced its support. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last year that he had spoken with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the corridor, describing it as “a very revolutionary and transformative development that we want to bring into place.”

Lianne Pollak-David, co-founder of the Israel-based Coalition for Regional Security, told a recent online briefing that U.S. leadership would be critical to advancing IMEC — particularly in helping normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a key player in the project.

“Without normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, IMEC cannot be truly realized,” she said.

Saudi Arabia has stated it will only normalize ties with Israel if there is a clear path toward Palestinian statehood — a position that Netanyahu has rejected.

It is still uncertain how the Iran war, which was launched by the U.S. and Israel and caused damage to Gulf Arab nations, may affect Saudi Arabia’s calculations going forward. Saudi officials declined to comment when asked about their stance on IMEC.

Von der Leyen has said the EU spent an additional 25 billion euros — roughly $29 billion — on oil and gas imports during just the first 54 days of the Iran war, while also facing the prospect of a prolonged jet fuel shortage.

She and European Council President Antonio Costa said during an EU leaders’ meeting in April that the bloc is “ready to team up with Gulf countries” to develop new energy infrastructure that avoids conflict zones like the Strait of Hormuz.

The importance of such alternatives is already on display. Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, which runs from its eastern oil fields to the Red Sea, saw Aramco ramp up transport to its maximum capacity of 7 million barrels per day after the Iran war began.

French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux told the Associated Press that G7 leaders are discussing ways to finance and build infrastructure — “sometimes on the terrestrial part” — that can route energy “outside of the track of the Strait of Hormuz.”

Von der Leyen and Costa have not spelled out specifics on EU-backed projects. However, an EU official who spoke anonymously said the bloc would encourage European companies to invest in Gulf renewable energy projects to meet EU energy demand.

Gabriel Mitchell, an analyst with the German Marshall Fund think tank, said getting European collaborative projects off the ground in Gulf nations will take time. He noted that oil and gas pipelines are the most likely near-term projects given their shorter construction timelines, along with subsidizing repairs at Gulf facilities that were targeted by Tehran during the war. Mitchell added that any new infrastructure would need to align with the EU’s green policies — meaning pipelines, for instance, would likely be designed with future “dual-use” capability to carry both gas and potentially hydrogen.

Another significant initiative is the Great Seas Interconnector — an EU-backed undersea electricity cable planned to stretch 1,208 kilometers, or about 750 miles, connecting continental Europe’s power grid with EU member Cyprus and eventually Israel. Known as GSI, the project is currently held up by financing red tape, but its potential goes beyond ending the energy isolation of Cyprus and Israel — it could also serve as an energy link to India and become part of IMEC.

Gallia Lindenstrauss, a senior fellow with the Israel-based Institute for National Security Studies, praised the GSI as a “very pragmatic solution for the modern energy needs” that helps pave the way toward green energy transition. “As energy security and grid backup move to the forefront of the global agenda, this project provides a flexible platform,” she said.

The United States is also working to strengthen energy ties among Greece, Cyprus, and Israel. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said last week that Washington views the Eastern Mediterranean as “an increasingly important region for global energy development.” Wright was in Houston to open the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center at Rice University, which is designed to boost cooperation on natural gas development, U.S. liquefied natural gas infrastructure, and energy transportation networks across the European region.

SEOUL — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung departed the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, carrying more than just diplomatic goodwill — he left with a pen from U.S. President Donald Trump and what appears to be a standing golf invitation.

Lee attended the summit as an invited partner and said Thursday that he and Trump sat down for an extended conversation during the leaders’ dinner.

“We had an in-depth conversation for about 90 minutes about peace on the Korean peninsula and South Korea-U.S. relations, and made significant progress,” Lee wrote on X.

The following day, Trump handed Lee the pen he had been using to sign documents at the summit. Lee noted the gesture mirrored their first summit, when Trump had received a pen from Lee.

The golf topic also came up during the dinner, with Trump reportedly raising it not once but twice. Lee said he initially brushed it off.

“I thought it was just a passing remark, but it seems I should prepare,” Lee said.

Lee recounted that Trump expressed interest in playing golf with both him and first lady Kim Hea Kyung, and that the promise became something of a formal commitment.

“He said he would play golf with my wife and me, and my wife even sealed the promise by hooking fingers,” Lee said. “Then, after today’s luncheon, he again said we should definitely play golf together.”

During a group photo session earlier at the summit, Lee asked Trump to take the initiative in working toward a peaceful resolution to ongoing tensions with North Korea, according to Lee’s office.

The presidential Blue House also said the two leaders talked about areas of mutual economic benefit, including shipbuilding, and agreed on the value of continued cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan.

Relations between Seoul and Washington have generally been strong, though they have faced occasional friction in recent years over issues including U.S. tariffs and how to divide the costs of maintaining a shared defense.

Trump referred to Lee as a “strong leader,” according to Lee’s office.

HSBC’s Australian banking arm has acknowledged major failures in keeping its customers safe from scams and now faces a potential penalty of A$35 million — roughly $24.59 million in U.S. dollars — pending a federal court’s approval, according to Australia’s corporate regulator.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission, known as ASIC, announced Thursday that it and HSBC will jointly ask the Federal Court to sign off on the proposed punishment.

According to ASIC’s investigation, HSBC failed to keep proper controls over its internal transfer systems during a 12-month window stretching from May 2023 through May 2024. That gap in oversight left customers more vulnerable to unauthorized transactions.

The investigation also revealed that the bank had been aware of a growing impersonation scam threat as far back as May 2021 — cases in which criminals posed as HSBC representatives to deceive customers.

ASIC Chair Sarah Court called the case a landmark moment: “This is one of the first cases of its kind globally and sends a clear message that protecting customers from scams is a core responsibility of banks.”

Beyond the lapse in controls, the regulator found that HSBC violated its financial services license obligations by failing to adequately stop scams from occurring and by taking an average of 144 days to follow up on customer-reported incidents.

The bank also lacked sufficient systems to help customers who were locked out of their accounts following scam-related incidents, ASIC noted.

An HSBC spokesperson responded to the findings via email, stating: “(We) have reached an agreement to resolve the proceedings with ASIC, which recognises our customer redress program and the significant enhancements made to our fraud and scam prevention, detection and response.”

The settlement is not yet final. The Federal Court must still review and determine whether the proposed penalty and any additional orders are appropriate before anything is officially decided.