🇨🇦Ontario says it will slap a 25% surcharge on US-bound electricity
Canada's most populous province Ontario is slapping a retaliatory 25% surcharge on electricity it sends to US states in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods.
Ontario leader Doug Ford confirmed the move in a news conference on Monday morning, saying it will increase costs about $10 (£7.75) per megawatt-hour for US customers.
Roughly 1.5 million American homes in the northern border states of New York, Michigan and Minnesota will be impacted.
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🇵🇭Philippines ex-leader Duterte arrested on ICC warrant over drug killings
Philippine police have arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity over his deadly "war on drugs".
The 79-year-old was taken into police custody shortly after his arrival at Manila airport from Hong Kong.
He has offered no apologies for his brutal anti-drugs crackdown, which saw thousands of people killed when he was president of the South East Asian nation from 2016 to 2022, and mayor of Davao city before that.
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🇮🇱Israel cuts off electricity supply to Gaza, minister says
Israel ordered all of Gaza's electricity supply to be cut off on Sunday in an effort to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining Israeli hostages held in the territory.
Energy minister Eli Cohen's announcement came a week after Israel cut off all aid supplies to the territory, which has a population of more than two million people.
In a video statement on Sunday, Cohen said: "We will use all the tools at our disposal to bring back the hostages and ensure that Hamas is no longer in Gaza the day after [the war]."
The decision to cut electricity is expected to primarily affect the operation of desalination plants, which are crucial for providing clean drinking water.
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🇨🇦Canada's next PM Mark Carney vows to win trade war with Trump
Mark Carney has won the race to succeed Justin Trudeau as Canada's prime minister, vowing to win the trade war against US President Donald Trump as he takes charge of the country at a time of deep instability.
The former governor of the Canadian central bank and Bank of England beat three rivals in the Liberal Party's leadership contest in a landslide.
In much of his victory speech, Carney, 59, attacked Trump, who has imposed tariffs on Canada and said he wants to make the country the 51st US state. "Americans should make no mistake," he said. "In trade, as in hockey, Canada will win."
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🇰🇷South Korea's impeached president Yoon released from detention
South Korea's impeached president has been released from detention after a court in Seoul overturned his arrest on technical grounds.
Yoon Suk Yeol walked free on Saturday to cheers from his supporters - but still faces trial on insurrection charges after his failed attempt to impose martial law in December.
He was arrested in January in a dawn raid at the presidential palace after a tense fortnight where he had resisted being taken in and there were clashes between his security detail and police.
But he walked free on Saturday after 52 days in custody. "I bow my head in gratitude to the people of this nation," he said in a statement distributed by his lawyers following his release.
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🇺🇸Trump team hits pause on tariffs - but still sees them as vital tool
It may have been drowned out this week as US President Donald Trump walked back tariffs on his closest neighbours - and biggest trading partners - almost as soon as they were in place.
But despite the dizzying back-and-forth with Canada and Mexico, the White House made clear that it is serious about its economic vision. And it is willing to pay the price of some short-term economic harm to pursue it.
"There'll be a little disturbance," Trump warned in his address to Congress on Tuesday. "But we're okay with that."
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🇸🇸Several dead after UN helicopter shot at in South Sudan
Several people have died in South Sudan after an attempt by the UN to evacuate members of the national army came under fire, the UN has said.
One crew member died when a UN helicopter was shot at, a statement from its mission in South Sudan, Unmiss, said. It added that an injured South Sudanese general and several other troops were also killed during the evacuation attempt in Upper Nile state.
The UN said the attack on its helicopter "may constitute a war crime".
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🇩🇰Denmark postal service to stop delivering letters
Denmark's state-run postal service, PostNord, is to end all letter deliveries at the end of 2025, citing a 90% decline in letter volumes since the start of the century.
The decision brings to an end 400 years of the company's letter service. Denmark's 1,500 post boxes will start to disappear from the start of June.
Transport Minister Thomas Danielsen sought to reassure Danes, saying letters would still be sent and received as "there is a free market for both letters and parcels".
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🇰🇷Fifteen hurt after SK fighter jets drop bombs by accident
Fifteen people in South Korea were injured, two of them seriously, after a pair of fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs in a civilian district on Thursday during a live-fire military exercise, local media reported.
The incident involving the Air Force KF-16 aircraft, in the city of Pocheon near North Korea, was part of routine drills held by the South to maintain combat readiness against potential attacks from the North.
South Korea's Air Force said that it was investigating the incident and apologised for the damage, adding it would provide compensation to those affected.
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🇨🇳China targets 5% growth as it reels from Trump tariffs
China has set an economic growth target for this year of "around 5%" and pledged to pump billions of dollars into its ailing economy, which is now facing a trade war with the US.
Its leaders unveiled the plan as thousands of delegates attend the National People's Congress, a rubber-stamp parliament, which passes decisions already made behind closed doors.
But the week-long gathering is closely watched for clues on Beijing's policy changes - and this year is more significant than most.
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🇺🇦Mineral deal 'ready to sign', says Zelensky
President Zelensky has told the BBC the minerals deal between the US and Ukraine remains "ready" to sign despite the public showdown between him and the Trump administration on Friday.
He was asked about the future of the deal, which would grant the US access to Ukraine's rare mineral reserves, by Laura Kuenssberg.
"It is our policy to continue what happened in the past, we're constructive," he continues, "if we agreed to sign the minerals deal, we're ready to sign it."
"The agreement that's on the table will be signed if the parties are ready," he concludes.
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🇺🇸Former Governor Andrew Cuomo announces run for New York City mayor
Andrew Cuomo, who resigned four years ago as New York governor under a cloud of scandal, has declared he is running for mayor of New York City.
"Our city is in crisis," Cuomo posted in a 17-minute video on X, adding: "We need government to work. We need effective leadership."
It heralds a potential political comeback in this year's election for the Democrat, who quit in 2021 amid sexual misconduct allegations and scrutiny of his handling of the Covid pandemic.
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🇪🇺European leaders back Zelensky after Trump clash
European leaders have rallied behind Volodymyr Zelensky after Donald Trump's furious exchange with the Ukrainian president in the White House.
The leaders of Germany, France, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands were among those who posted social media messages backing Ukraine - with Zelensky responding directly to each one to thank them for their support.
The Ukrainian president has arrived in London to attend a summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer who "retains unwavering support for Ukraine", Downing Street said.
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🇺🇸🇺🇦How the Trump-Zelensky talks collapsed in 10 fiery minutes
Ukraine's president had been hoping to leave the White House on Friday after positive talks with Donald Trump, capped with the signing of a minerals deal giving the US a real stake in his country's future, if not an outright security guarantee.
Instead Volodymyr Zelensky faced an extraordinary dressing down in front of the world's media, after President Trump and his Vice-President JD Vance demanded that he show more gratitude for years of US support.
The Ukrainian president pushed back at suggestions from his more powerful partners that he should work harder to agree a ceasefire with Vladimir Putin. They responded that he was being "disrespectful".
Zelensky was eventually told to leave the White House early before he and Trump could even take the stage for a scheduled news conference.
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💵Crypto sleuths join hunt for $1.5bn stolen in biggest ever heist
Last week, hackers believed to be from North Korea's notorious Lazarus Group stole $1.46bn (£1.1bn) of cryptocurrency from ByBit, a crypto trading platform.
The criminals are trying to rapidly cash out the hoard through a complex online money laundering process.
ByBit is now offering cash rewards to anyone who spots and prevents them from cashing out.
"Join us on war against Lazarus" the company's CEO Ben Zhou posted online with a link to a new website offering a bounty to anyone who can help.
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🇺🇸Stocks fall in US and Asia over Trump tariffs concerns
Stocks markets fell sharply in the US on Monday over concerns about the negative economic impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs. In Asia, losses seen early in Tuesday's trading eased by the afternoon.
It followed the president saying in a TV interview that the world's biggest economy was in a "period of transition", when asked about suggestions of a potential recession.
Since those remarks were broadcast on Sunday, top Trump officials and advisers have sought to calm investor fears.
"The previous notion of Trump being a stock market president is being re-evaluated," Charu Chanana, an investment strategist at investment bank Saxo, told the BBC.
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🇸🇾Kurdish-led SDF agrees to integrate with Syrian government forces
A Kurdish-led militia alliance which controls north-eastern Syria has agreed a deal to integrate all military and civilian institutions into the Syrian state, the country's presidency says.
The agreement says the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will cease hostilities and hand over control of the region's border posts, airport, and vital oil and gas fields.
It also recognises the Kurdish minority as "an integral part of the Syrian state" and guarantees "the rights of all Syrians to representation and participation in the political process".
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🇰🇵North Korean hackers cash out hundreds of millions from $1.5bn ByBit hack
Hackers thought to be working for the North Korean regime have successfully cashed out at least $300m (£232m) of their record-breaking $1.5bn crypto heist.
The criminals, known as Lazarus Group, swiped the huge haul of digital tokens in a hack on crypto exchange ByBit two weeks ago.
Since then, it's been a cat-and-mouse game to track and block the hackers from successfully converting the crypto into usable cash.
Experts say the infamous hacking team is working nearly 24 hours a day - potentially funnelling the money into the regime's military development.
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🇷🇴Romanian far-right presidential hopeful barred from poll rerun
Romanian far-right populist Calin Georgescu has been barred from participating in May's presidential election rerun by the country's Central Electoral Bureau (BEC), triggering clashes between his supporters and police.
Last year, Romania's constitutional court annulled November's first round of the vote - in which he came first - after intelligence revealed Russia had been involved in 800 TikTok accounts backing him.
The BEC rejected his candidacy on Sunday, saying it "doesn't meet the conditions of legality", as he "violated the very obligation to defend democracy".
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🇲🇲Myanmar's military government says it will hold elections in next year
The head of Myanmar's military government has said the country will hold a national election in December 2025 or January 2026.
General Min Aung Hlaing said the elections would be "free and fair" - adding that 53 political parties had already submitted their lists to participate.
It would be the first vote since his military junta seized power in a 2021 coup, arresting and imprisoning democratically elected leader Aung San Sung Kyi and making unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the previous year's elections.
Since then, the country has been in turmoil, with a protest movement against the junta turning into an armed rebellion across the country.
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🇺🇸Trump pulls $400m from Columbia University, saying it failed to protect Jewish students
The Trump administration is immediately pulling $400m (£310m) of federal funding from Columbia University, saying it failed to fight antisemitism on campus.
A statement by four federal agencies said the funding cut was due to "continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students".
The New York college was the epicentre of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses last year against war in Gaza and US support for Israel.
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🇮🇪Irish economy grew at 'a solid pace' in 2024
The Republic of Ireland's domestic economy grew by 2.7% in 2024, official figures suggest.
Irish domestic output is estimated using a measurement called modified domestic demand (MDD).
The economic performance of most countries is measured using gross domestic product (GDP), but Irish GDP is heavily distorted by the activities of multinational companies.
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🇰🇵North Korea halts tourism just weeks after reopening
North Korea has stopped tourists from visiting, just weeks after the first Western tourists entered the country for the first time in five years.
North Korea sealed itself off at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, and started to scale back restrictions in the middle of 2023.
It opened up to Russian visitors in 2024, but it was only last month that Western tourists were allowed into the remote, eastern city Rason.
However several tour companies now say that trips to the reclusive country have been cancelled until further notice. Pyongyang has not given a reason for the sudden halt.
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🇭🇰Hong Kong billionaire to sell Panama Canal ports to US firm
A Hong Kong-based company has agreed to sell most of its stake in two key ports on the Panama Canal to a group led by US investment firm BlackRock.
The sale comes after weeks of complaining by President Donald Trump that the canal is under Chinese control and that the US should take control of the major shipping route.
Through a subsidiary, CK Hutchison Holding operates ports at the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean entrances to the canal.
It said Tuesday that it would sell its interests as part of a deal worth $22.8bn (£17.8bn).
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🇨🇦Ontario's Doug Ford says he could cut electricity to US over tariffs
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he's willing to cut off power supply to the US if President Donald Trump continues with tariffs against Canada.
Ford announced his retaliatory plans shortly after Trump implemented a 25% tariff against Canadian imported goods and a 10% tariff on Canadian energy.
He said he would implement his own 25% surcharge on Canadian electricity exports to three US states: Michigan, New York and Minnesota.
If the US tariffs are escalated, he said, he would consider completely cutting those states off from Canadian power.
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⚠️Starmer announces 'coalition of the willing' to guarantee Ukraine peace
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a four-point plan to work with Ukraine to end the war and defend the country from Russia.
The UK, France and other countries will step up their efforts in a "coalition of the willing" and seek to involve the US in their support for Ukraine, he said on Sunday - after calling a summit of 18 leaders - mostly from Europe and including Volodymyr Zelensky - three days earlier.
"We are at a crossroads in history today," Starmer said after the summit while Zelensky said Kyiv felt "strong support" and the gathering showed "European unity at an extremely high level not seen for a long time".
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🇳🇦'End of era' for Africa as Namibia buries founding father
Namibia's founding father Sam Nujoma was "a giant among leaders" and left behind "the most precious gift of… freedom", the country's President, Nangolo Mbumba, has said.
He was speaking in front of the large crowd at Heroes' Acre, where the country's most revered citizens are buried, before Nujoma was laid to rest in a mausoleum.
The leader of Namibia's independence struggle against apartheid South Africa died last month at the age of 95.
Nujoma was seen as the last of a generation of African figures who headed anti-colonial movements and fought for freedom.
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🇹🇷Kurdish group PKK declares ceasefire with Turkey
Outlawed Kurdish group the PKK has declared a ceasefire with Turkey after its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan called on the movement to lay down its arms and dissolve itself.
In a statement on Saturday, the PKK said it hoped Turkey would release Ocalan, who has been imprisoned in solitary confinement since 1999, so he can lead a process of disarmament.
It follows his call this week aimed at ending four decades of armed struggle in south-eastern Turkey in which tens of thousands of people have been killed.
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📱Microsoft announces Skype will close in May
Skype, the video-calling service that had hundreds of millions of users, is closing in May, its owner Microsoft has said.
It was once one of the world's most popular websites and allowed people to make voice calls via their computers to friends and family all over the globe for free.
Skype was not the first or only company offering this service but by allowing the public to make computer-to-computer calls free, it helped popularise the concept.
In an announcement on X, Skype said users can sign in to Microsoft Teams with their account to stay connected with all their chats and contacts.
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🇷🇴Romanian far-right presidential hopeful detained on street and indicted
Far-right populist Calin Georgescu, who came from nowhere to win the first round of last year's presidential election, has been detained by police and is facing criminal proceedings on a series of charges.
Georgescu was stopped in traffic in the capital, Bucharest, on his way to register as a candidate for new elections in May, after last December's second-round run-off was annulled by the constitutional court.
Prosecutors said one of the charges involved attempted "incitement to actions against the constitutional order".
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