World

Russia has moved to tighten its crackdown on LGBTQ activism, with a court declaring the country’s leading LGBTQ rights group “extremist” — a ruling that effectively bans the organisation and exposes its supporters to prosecution. The decision marks the latest step in a years-long campaign against LGBTQ organisations, one that has intensified sharply since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and deepened an already forceful conservative shift. A court in Saint Petersburg sided with a case filed by the…

As fallout mounted from the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington DC, US first lady Melania Trump called on ABC to act against host Jimmy Kimmel over a monologue he delivered before the violence erupted. "Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC's leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community," she said in a post on X. Kimmel's hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t…

Ireland plans to push maritime security higher up the European agenda when it takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 July, with Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence Helen McEntee saying she intends to place the country’s new maritime strategy front and centre. Speaking in Warsaw after bilateral talks with Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski and defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who both also serve as deputy prime ministers of Poland, Ms McEntee said the discussions…

A landmark Vatican meeting brought together Pope Leo and Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally for the first time, as the heads of the Catholic Church and the Church of England exchanged gifts and prayed side by side in a powerful gesture of unity. At the Vatican’s ornate apostolic palace, Pope Leo — the first US leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics — received Archbishop Mullally, the first woman to become spiritual leader of the world’s 85 million Anglicans, in his formal office. The pair, whose churches split…

Nedra Talley Ross, the final surviving member of 1960s pop trailblazers The Ronettes, has died aged 80. Talley Ross sang in The Ronettes with her cousins Ronnie Spector and Estelle Bennett, helping drive the group to major success with hits such as Be My Baby, Walking in the Rain, Baby, I Love You and (The Best Part of) Breakin' Up. News of the singer’s death was announced on the group’s Instagram account, which said: "It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Nedra Talley Ross’ passing. She was a light to those who…

Against a backdrop of mounting geopolitical strain, Britain’s King Charles arrives in the United States today for a state visit overshadowed by the Iran war and by a shooting at a dinner attended by US President Donald Trump just two days ago. The four-day journey by Charles and Queen Camilla is meant to celebrate the long-standing relationship between Britain and the United States as America commemorates its 250th anniversary, the British government said. During the visit, Charles is set to become the first British monarch…

Amid the wreckage of Gaza, Palestinians are turning the debris of war into the groundwork for recovery, crushing shattered concrete and twisted metal to repave streets destroyed during Israel's ⁠two-year assault in what they hope will be the first visible step toward restoring their battered cities. The effort, led by the United Nations Development Programme, comes as momentum fades behind US President Donald Trump's Gaza plan, which was intended to build on an October Israel-Hamas ceasefire by ramping up aid and launching a…

As diplomacy faltered and tensions in the Gulf remained high, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Russia on Monday blaming the United States for the collapse of peace talks in Pakistan ahead of a planned meeting with President Vladimir Putin. The previous round of negotiations had made progress but ultimately failed because of “excessive demands” from Washington, Mr Araghchi said, according to Iranian state media. “The US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach…

Hi, I’m Steve Clemens, and two questions are driving the conversation: can the United States and Iran turn renewed talks into a meaningful agreement, or is the conflict settling into a tense, frozen standoff? Here’s where things stand. Diplomatic contact between Washington and Tehran has resumed following President Donald Trump’s declaration of an open-ended ceasefire. Both governments insist time favors their position, not the other’s. Despite sharp rhetoric and military posturing, each side—for now—appears to prefer an…

Mali’s ruling junta came under intense strain after Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an attack on his home, while army forces battled for a second straight day against jihadist fighters and separatist rebels near Bamako and in other parts of the country. Camara, his second wife and two of his grandchildren were killed in a car bomb attack on his residence in the junta bastion of Kita, outside the capital, according to his family and an official. The coordinated assaults were carried out by Tuareg rebels from the…