Narendra Modi will arrive in China this weekend for his first visit in seven years, placing him alongside Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at a moment of deepening strains between Delhi and Washington. The Indian prime minister is due in Tianjin on Sunday for a regional security summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), just days after the United States doubled tariffs on Indian exports to 50%. Washington cited India’s…

Seven people have been flown to Rwanda under a new agreement with the United States to take in deportees, the Rwandan government has said, in a move that has reignited debate over the ethics of third-country resettlement schemes. Yolande Makolo, a government spokesperson, confirmed on Thursday that the first group arrived in mid-August. “Three of the individuals have expressed a desire to return to their home countries, while four wish…

Kim Jong Un will travel to Beijing next week to attend a major military parade alongside China’s president, Xi Jinping, and Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, state media in Pyongyang and Beijing have confirmed. The event, which marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, will bring together 26 foreign leaders. No representatives from the United States or western Europe are expected. It will be Kim’s first…

The United States’ top public health body has been thrown into turmoil after the Trump administration moved to oust the head of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Susan Monarez, less than a month after she was sworn into office. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Wednesday evening that Monarez was no longer serving as CDC director, though it gave no explanation for her…

Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, was attacked by demonstrators while campaigning near Buenos Aires on Wednesday, as protests over a corruption scandal engulfed his government. The far-right leader was unhurt after his motorcade came under a hail of stones, bottles and plants in the city of Lomas de Zamora, 20km south of the capital. His security detail swiftly removed him from the scene, presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni confirmed on social media.…

At least 12 people, including three children, have been killed in a succession of Russian airstrikes on Kyiv, in the most lethal assault on the Ukrainian capital for several weeks. More than 40 people were wounded in the overnight barrage, which struck residential buildings and other sites across the city. The bombardment began shortly after 3am, with further strikes reported around 5.30am. Explosions reverberated through the city centre as officials…

By Eniola Amadu  A gunman dressed in black opened fire on students attending Mass at a Minneapolis Catholic school on Wednesday, killing two children and injuring 17 others before taking his own life. The attacker, identified only as a man in his early 20s, opened fire through the church windows during the service at Annunciation Catholic School, a private elementary school linked to a Roman Catholic parish in a residential…

Deforestation has caused the deaths of more than half a million people in tropical regions over the past two decades by intensifying heat-related illness, according to new research. The study, published in Nature Climate Change, found that widespread clearance of trees in the Amazon, Congo basin and south-east Asia has driven localised temperature rises by reducing shade, cutting rainfall and increasing fire risk. Researchers estimated that between 2001 and 2020,…

SpaceX’s Starship megarocket finally roared into the skies on Tuesday evening after two aborted attempts earlier in the week, marking a major step forward for the spacecraft that underpins Elon Musk’s ambitions of reaching Mars and aiding Nasa’s return to the moon. The 403ft (123-metre) stainless steel rocket lifted off from the company’s Starbase site in southern Texas at 6.30pm local time (11.30pm GMT), drawing cheers from SpaceX engineers as…

Botswana’s president has declared a public health emergency following severe shortages of essential medicines and equipment, as a prolonged slump in the diamond market and cuts to US aid strain the country’s finances. The announcement came after the Ministry of Health suspended non-urgent surgeries on 4 August, citing shortages of drugs for hypertension, diabetes, cancer, asthma and eye conditions, as well as a lack of bandages, sutures and supplies for…

An initiative intended to strengthen ties between Japan and African nations has descended into controversy after misleading reports fuelled claims that the project would bring an influx of immigrants. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) this month named four Japanese cities, Imabari, Kisarazu, Sanjo and Nagai, as “Africa hometowns” linked with Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania. The scheme, unveiled at the close of an international conference on African development in…

Donald Trump has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on most United States imports from India, escalating a trade dispute over New Delhi’s purchases of discounted Russian crude. The duties, which came into force just after midnight on Wednesday in Washington, are expected to deliver a heavy blow to the Indian economy and heap further strain on global supply chains. Earlier this month, the White House raised tariffs on Indian goods…