🇺🇸🇧🇷US condemns house arrest of Brazil's ex-president Jair Bolsonaro
Brazil's Supreme Court has ordered that the former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro be put under house arrest.
He is standing trial over allegations he plotted a coup, which he denies.
The judge in charge of investigating Bolsonaro, Alexandre de Moraes, said the decision was because Bolsonaro hadn't complied with restraining orders put on him last month.
In response to the order, Bolsonaro's legal team denied breaching any restraining order and said they would appeal the ruling, according to Reuters news agency.
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Mali charges ex-PM with undermining the state over post on X
A former prime minister of Mali, which is now under military rule, has been charged with undermining the credibility of the state over comments on social media.
After a prison visit to see detained opposition figures in July, Moussa Mara declared on X his "unwavering solidarity with prisoners of conscience".
Mara, who served as prime minister for nine months a decade ago, has been a recent outspoken critic of the military government.
The junta, in power since coups in 2020 and 2021, dissolved all political parties in May following rare anti-government protests.
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🇷🇺Putin not swayed by Trump's Ukraine war ultimatum
Russian President Vladimir Putin has voiced hopes for further peace talks with Ukraine - but stressed his troops were "advancing on the entire front line", despite the threat of looming US sanctions if a ceasefire was not agreed upon.
"All disappointments arise from inflated expectations," Putin said, in an apparent reference to Trump's "disappointment" with the Russian leader for not bringing an end to the war.
Speaking a day after one of the deadliest Russian air attacks on Kyiv, he repeated his demands for Ukrainian neutrality and recognition of the occupied territories, which Ukraine views as a capitulation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to meet Putin "any time".
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🇺🇸🇰🇷Trump announces deal to impose 15% tariff on South Korea
President Donald Trump says the US will charge a 15% tariff on imports from South Korea, in what he called a "full and complete trade deal".
It comes just a day before a 1 August deadline for countries to reach agreements with the US or be hit with higher tariffs. South Korea had been facing a 25% levy if it had not struck a deal.
Pressure on Seoul had been mounting after Japan, a key competitor in the car and manufacturing industries, secured a 15% tariff rate with the US last week.
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🇨🇦Canada follows France and UK with plan to recognise Palestinian state
Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Canada plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September, becoming the third G7 nation to make such an announcement in recent days.
Carney said the move depends on democratic reforms, including the Palestinian Authority holding elections next year without Hamas.
His remarks come a day after the UK announced it would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire and other conditions and a week after France unveiled a similar plan.
Israel's foreign ministry rejected Canada's announcement, calling it "a reward for Hamas". Most countries - 147 of the UN's 193 member states - formally recognise a Palestinian state.
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🇺🇸🇮🇳Trump says 'good friend' India may face up to 25% tariffs
India could face tariffs as high as 25% if it fails to finalise a trade deal with the US this week, President Donald Trump has said.
"Yeah, I think so," he told reporters on Tuesday when asked whether Delhi would face higher tariffs in the absence of an agreement.
The US has set a 1 August deadline for India and several other countries to either reach a trade agreement or face increased tariffs.
Indian and American officials have been negotiating a trade deal for the past few months, but officials have alternated between sounding optimistic and cautious about when it will be announced.
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🇨🇮Ivory Coast president, 83, says he will run for fourth term
Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has announced he will run for a fourth term in October's election.
In a statement, the 83-year-old said his health was not an issue and his candidacy was driven by a need to "preserve national stability amid ongoing security and economic challenges".
Ouattara argues a new constitution approved in 2016 reset his two-term limit, meaning he is allowed to stand.
He will be the poll's frontrunner, as several potential challengers have already been barred from the race.
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😭Malnutrition in Gaza at alarming levels, WHO warns as aid airdrops resume
The World Health Organization has warned malnutrition has reached "alarming levels" in Gaza with rates on a "dangerous trajectory", as aid airdrops resumed in the Strip.
Jordan said it had worked with the United Arab Emirates and dropped 25 tonnes of aid into Gaza on Sunday after Israel began what it called a "tactical pause" in fighting.
Israel had said it would halt military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and allow aid corridors for UN convoys, to "refute the false claim of intentional starvation". Hamas accused it of "whitewashing its image".
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🇺🇸🇯🇵Trump says US has struck trade deal with Japan
President Donald Trump says the US has agreed to a "massive" trade deal with Japan, one of the country's largest trading partners.
Japan has agreed to invest $550bn (£407bn) in the US while its goods sold to America would be taxed at 15% when they reach the country - below the 25% tariff Trump had threatened.
Trump said on social media that Japan would open its economy to US goods, including cars, trucks, rice and certain agricultural products.
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🇳🇬Suspended Nigerian senator behind harassment claim refused entry to parliament
A Nigerian senator who was suspended after accusing the senate president of sexual harassment, which he denies, has been refused entry to the parliamentary complex.
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has linked the six-month suspension to her accusation but the senate leadership said it was because of "unruly and disruptive" behaviour during a legislative session.
On Tuesday, her convoy was halted at the outer gate of the National Assembly in Abuja. Continuing on foot she was stopped by security at the inner gate.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of just four women out of 109 senators, had vowed to return to work on Tuesday following a federal high court ruling that she said ordered the Senate to allow her to do so.
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🇮🇱World Health Organization condemns Israeli attacks on facilities in Gaza
The World Health Organization (WHO) says Israel's ground offensive in central Gaza has compromised its efforts to continue working, after its facilities came under attack.
The UN agency accused Israeli forces of attacking a building housing its staff and their families in the city of Deir al-Balah on Monday and mistreating those sheltering there. Its main warehouse was also attacked and destroyed.
The Israeli military has not yet commented.
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🇨🇩Hope for peace as DR Congo and M23 rebels sign deal in Qatar
The Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels have signed a ceasefire deal in Qatar to end fighting between the warring sides.
Dubbed the Declaration of Principles, Saturday's agreement seen by the BBC, says both sides must refrain from attacks, "hate propaganda" and "any attempt to seize by force new positions on the ground".
The declaration is intended as a roadmap towards a permanent settlement.
The two sides agreed to implement the deal's terms by July 29. A final peace deal is due by 18 August and must align with last month's US-brokered deal between DR Congo and Rwanda, which denies accusations it backs M23.
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🇰🇵North Korea bans foreigners from seaside resort weeks after opening
North Korea has announced that its newly opened seaside resort will not be receiving foreign tourists.
The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, opened on 1 July, has been touted as a key part of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's ambitions to boost tourism.
In the lead-up to its opening, the resort was promoted as an attraction for both locals and foreigners. But as of this week, a notice on North Korea's tourism website says that foreigners are "temporarily" not allowed to visit.
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🇺🇸Mike Waltz grilled over Signal leak at UN ambassador hearing
Donald Trump's former national security adviser Mike Waltz has faced scrutiny from US senators over his role in a sensitive Signal group chat in which officials discussed war plans.
Waltz appeared before a hearing on Tuesday seeking Senate confirmation as Trump's nominee for ambassador to the United Nations, following his removal from his former post in May.
Under questioning from Democrats, Waltz maintained he did not share classified information in the chat, which accidentally included a journalist.
The March incident, which became known as "Signalgate", threw the White House into turmoil and sparked a debate about the administration's cybersecurity.
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🇫🇷French PM looks to scrap two public holidays in bold bid to cut national debt
France's Prime Minister François Bayrou has proposed cutting two public holidays as part of a 2026 budget proposal to slash overall spending while also increasing defence expenses.
Bayrou suggested axing Easter Monday and 8 May, a day that commemorates the Allied victory at the end of World War Two in Europe.
He said the various bank holidays had turned the month of May into a gruyère - a Swiss cheese full of holes - although he added he was open to other suggestions.
Bayrou runs the risk of having his budget voted down in parliament in the autumn, which could eventually cause his government to collapse.
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⚠️Hamas refuses to disarm until Palestinian state established
Hamas has reaffirmed that it will not agree to disarm unless a sovereign Palestinian state is established, in response to one of Israel's key demands in talks about a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Palestinian armed group said it was responding to remarks it attributed to US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff that Hamas had "expressed its willingness" to lay down its weapons.
Israel considers the disarmament of Hamas one of several key conditions for any deal to end the conflict.
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🇨🇴Twelve years house arrest for Colombian ex-leader Álvaro Uribe
Colombian former President Álvaro Uribe has been sentenced to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and a fraud charge.
The 73-year-old is the first former president in the country's history to be convicted of a crime. He has also been barred from public office and fined $578,000 (£435,000).
Uribe, who maintains his innocence, told a judge in Bogotá he would appeal against his conviction. He said the case was meant to "destroy a voice for the democratic opposition".
He was president from 2002-2010 and remains popular in Colombia, despite being accused of working with right-wing paramilitaries to destroy leftist rebel groups. A claim he denies.
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🇦🇫Top MoD civil servant to leave in wake of Afghan data breach
The chief civil servant at the Ministry of Defence will be replaced in the wake of the Afghan data breach, the department has announced.
The move follows one of the worst UK data breaches for decades being revealed to the public last month, in a major embarrassment for defence and intelligence services.
The leak, which went undetected for months and was then subject to a super-injunction, put the identities of British spies, soldiers, and vulnerable Afghan allies at risk.
Permanent Secretary David Williams will leave this autumn and recruitment for his successor has started, the MoD confirmed.
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🇺🇸Trump signs order ending global tariff exemption for low-cost goods
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending a global tariff exemption used by shoppers of low-cost goods.
The order, signed on Wednesday, comes into force on 29 August and broadens earlier presidential action that specifically targeted cheap products from China and Hong Kong to now cover the rest of the world.
The de minimis exemption had allowed goods valued at $800 or less to enter the US without paying any tariffs. US consumers relied on the exemption to buy cheap clothes and household items from online commerce sites like Shein and Temu.
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⚠️What does recognising a Palestinian state mean?
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced the UK will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel meets certain conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza and reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted furiously to the announcement, saying the decision rewarded "Hamas's monstrous terrorism".
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⚠️Tsunami warning sparks evacuations in Japan and US after powerful Russia earthquake
A powerful earthquake off the coast of Russia has triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific, prompting emergency evacuations in Russia's far-east, northern Japan, Hawaii and the US west coast.
The 8.8 magnitude quake struck near Russia's far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula at 11:25 local time on Wednesday (23:00 GMT on Tuesday).
It is one of the 10 most powerful earthquakes ever recorded, the US Geological Survey said.
In Russia, the tremor triggered tsunami waves of up to 5m (16ft) in some areas. Pictures showed waves surging through the port town of Severo-Kurilsk, home to around 2,000 people, but no serious injuries or damage has been reported.
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💶🇺🇸EU and US agree trade deal, with 15% tariffs for European exports to America
The United States and European Union have agreed a trade deal, ending a months-long standoff between two of the world's biggest economic partners.
After make-or-break negotiations between President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland, the pair agreed a US tariff on all EU goods of 15%.
That is half the 30% import tax rate Trump had threatened to implement starting on Friday. He said the 27-member bloc would open its markets to US exporters with zero per cent tariffs on certain products.
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🇨🇦Carney says Canada won't settle for a 'bad deal' on US tariffs
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his country "will not accept a bad deal" simply to reach a trade agreement with the US, as a deadline of 1 August looms before US President Donald Trump begins to impose new tariffs.
"Our objective is not to reach a deal whatever it costs," Carney told reporters in Ontario. "We are pursuing a deal that will be in the best interest of Canadians."
US importers buying in goods from Canada will face a 35% tax if no deal is reached before the deadline.
The neighbours are among each other's largest trading partners, but have been in a standoff after Trump returned to the White House earlier this year and unleashed a sweeping programme of tariffs.
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🇺🇸🇵🇭Philippines goods to face 19% tariff, Trump says
The US will levy a 19% tax on imports from the Philippines, US President Donald Trump has announced after meeting with the country's president at the White House.
Trump wrote on social media on Tuesday that the new tariff was part of a wider pact, in which the Philippines would remove duties on US goods and the two countries would cooperate militarily.
"It was a beautiful visit, and we concluded our Trade Deal," he wrote on social media, offering no further details about the apparent agreement.
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🇮🇳Indian vice president's resignation sparks speculation
The sudden resignation of India's Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday night has sparked speculation about what prompted the move.
Dhankar, also the chairman of the upper house of the parliament, announced his resignation on the first day of the monsoon session, citing health concerns.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had nominated him for the post, has yet to comment on his resignation.
But many opposition leaders have expressed surprise at the move, with one MP saying there was more to it "than meets the eye".
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🇺🇦Ukraine seeks new round of talks with Russia
Ukraine has proposed a new round of peace talks with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, in a move aimed at restarting negotiations that halted last month.
Senior security official Rustem Umerov has offered to meet the Russian side next week, Zelensky said in his evening address, adding that everything had to be done to get a ceasefire.
Zelenksy also repeated his readiness to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin face-to-face. "A meeting at the leadership level is needed to truly ensure peace," he said.
The proposal came hours after Ukraine was hit with another widespread air bombardment by Russia, which killed three people.
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🇸🇾Syrian presidency to send new force to halt clashes in south
The Syrian presidency says it will deploy a new force to halt the deadly sectarian clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters in the south of the country.
Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's office urged "all parties to exercise restraint", amid reports of renewed fighting near the city of Suweida on Friday.
Almost 600 people are reported to have been killed since the violence erupted on Sunday. Government troops deployed to the area were accused by residents of killing Druze civilians and carrying out extrajudicial executions.
Israel later struck targets in Syria to force the troops to withdraw from Suweida province. On Friday, the US ambassador to Turkey said that Israel and Syria had agreed a ceasefire.
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🇺🇸US passes first major national crypto legislation
Lawmakers in the US have passed the country's first major national cryptocurrency legislation.
It is a major milestone for the once fringe industry, which has been lobbying Congress over regulation for years and poured millions into last year's election, backing candidates that included Donald Trump.
The bill sets up a regulatory regime for so-called stablecoins, a kind of cryptocurrency backed by assets seen as reliable, such as the dollar.
Trump is expected to sign the legislation into law on Friday, after the House passed the bill on Thursday, joining the Senate, which had approved the measure last month.
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🇺🇸🇮🇩Trump claims tariff deal with Indonesia
US President Donald Trump said he has settled on another tariff deal - this time with Indonesia.
Trump said he had agreed to lower tariffs he had threatened on goods entering the US from Indonesia to 19%, in exchange for what he called "full access" for American firms.
Terms of the deal were not immediately confirmed by Indonesia but the country's President Prabowo Subianto said it marked a "new era of mutual benefit" with Washington.
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🇨🇲World's oldest president to seek eighth term
The world's oldest head of state, Cameroon's President Paul Biya, 92, has said he will run once more for re-election in October aiming to extend his 43 years in power.
"Rest assured that my determination to serve you matches the urgency of the challenges we face," he said in a post on X.
He added that his decision to go for an eighth term came after "numerous and insistent" calls by people from all regions in Cameroon and the diaspora.
Biya's administration has faced criticism over corruption, embezzlement, bad governance and failure to tackle security challenges. There have also been concerns about his health and ability to govern.
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