Japan approves record $785bn budget, boosts defence spending
Japan's cabinet has approved a record-high $785 billion budget for the next fiscal year - including the largest allocation for defence spending ever....
Israel has delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners until Hamas meets its conditions, highlighting tensions over the fragile Gaza ceasefire.
Israel said on Sunday it was postponing the planned release of 620 Palestinian prisoners until it received assurances from Hamas about the next hostage release and the absence of public ceremonies. The move follows concerns over Hamas’ recent handovers, which UN officials criticised as violating international law.
On Saturday, Hamas freed six hostages as part of the ceasefire agreement. These were the last living captives set for release under the first phase of the truce, with the bodies of four more hostages expected next week.
Hamas has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire by failing to release Palestinian detainees as scheduled, though the truce has held since its start on 19 January. Both sides have frequently blamed each other for breaches.
Talks on the next phase of the ceasefire continue, with mediators aiming to secure the release of all remaining hostages and a potential Israeli troop withdrawal. Over 60 captives remain in Gaza, fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive.
The war began with Hamas’ 7 October attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages taken, according to Israeli authorities. Israel’s subsequent military campaign has killed at least 48,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials, leaving much of Gaza in ruins.
A majority of Russians expect the war in Ukraine to end in 2026, state pollster VTsIOM said on Wednesday, in a sign that the Kremlin could be testing public reaction to a possible peace settlement as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict intensify.
Military representatives from Cambodia and Thailand met in Chanthaburi province on Wednesday ahead of formal ceasefire talks at the 3rd special GBC meeting scheduled for 27th December.
In 2025, Ukraine lived two parallel realities: one of diplomacy filled with staged optimism, and another shaped by a war that showed no sign of letting up.
It’s been a year since an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. Relatives and loved ones mourn the victims, as authorities near the final stage of their investigation.
The White House has instructed U.S. military forces to concentrate largely on enforcing a “quarantine” on Venezuelan oil exports for at least the next two months, a U.S. official told Reuters, signalling that Washington is prioritising economic pressure over direct military action against Caracas.
Israel’s military said it had killed a member of Iran’s Quds Force in Lebanon accused of planning attacks against Israel from Syria and Lebanese territory. The statement was issued on Thursday.
Russia must accept responsibility for the Azerbaijan Airlines crash near Aktau that killed 38 people, Azerbaijani MP Tural Ganjali has said. His comments come as Azerbaijan marks the first anniversary of the disaster, which occurred on 25 December 2024.
Azerbaijani non-governmental organisations have called on U.S. President Donald Trump to reject an appeal by the U.S.-based Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention. The appeal urges Washington to pressure Azerbaijan to release detainees of Armenian origin, including Ruben Vardanyan.
Kazakhstan has released an interim report into the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash near Aktau that killed 38 people, saying damage to the aircraft was consistent with impact from elements of a warhead, although the source could not yet be determined.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has welcomed remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicating progress in the normalisation process between Ankara and Yerevan, describing the moment as ripe for concrete steps.
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