Online forums debated whether criticising recent US military actions abroad, or sharing satirical posts about politicians, could fall within the new criteria.

Dozens of Microsoft employees staged an occupation at the company’s east campus in Redmond, Washington, protesting against what they claim is the use of its technology by the Israeli military in Gaza and the surveillance of Palestinians.

Moscow has insisted it must be part of any international discussions on Ukraine’s security, as the Kremlin continues to stall on Donald Trump’s effort to arrange a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking in Jordan on Wednesday, dismissed European diplomacy as “aggressive escalation” and “a clumsy effort to sway Trump”. He argued that talks on security guarantees without Russia were “a road to…

European leaders joined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington after Donald Trump’s Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin failed to deliver a ceasefire. While Trump struck an upbeat tone, his European counterparts were more cautious. By Monday evening, the talks had produced no concrete commitments on security guarantees or progress towards a peace agreement. Here are some key points worthy of being acknowledged and noticed. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest trip to Washington highlighted…

A Peruvian woman has been arrested in Bali after allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine and ecstasy into the Indonesian resort island by concealing the drugs in a sex toy and her underwear. The 42-year-old, identified by police only as NS, arrived at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport from Qatar on 12 August when her behaviour aroused the suspicions of customs officers. Following consultation with police, officers conducted a further search…

Men in the Malaysian state of Terengganu face up to two years in prison if they fail to attend Friday prayers without a valid reason, under new rules introduced this week. The legislation, announced on Monday by the ruling Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), allows first-time offenders to be jailed for up to two years, fined 3,000 ringgit (£527), or both. Previously, men who missed three consecutive Friday prayers risked a…

Donald Trump has ruled out deploying American troops to Ukraine as part of any future peace agreement with Vladimir Putin, tempering earlier pledges of security guarantees for Kyiv that European leaders had described as a breakthrough in efforts to end the war. Trump gives assurance In a telephone interview with Fox News, the US president was asked whether he could assure listeners that American soldiers would not be sent to…

Federal authorities have charged 50-year-old Nathalie Rose Jones of Lafayette, Indiana, after she allegedly travelled to Washington, D.C., with the intent to “kidnap and assassinate” President Donald Trump. In a statement released on August 18, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said Jones used Facebook and Instagram to post disturbing threats. One of the posts read: “I am willing to sacrificially kill this POTUS by disembowelling…

Israel has said it will deliver its response to international mediators by Friday regarding a new Gaza ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas.

Air Canada flight attendants have reached a tentative agreement with the airline to end a strike that disrupted travel for an estimated half a million passengers worldwide. Around 10,000 attendants walked off the job shortly after midnight on Saturday, demanding higher wages and compensation for unpaid ground duties, including time spent boarding passengers. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the attendants, defied two tribunal orders to return…

A speechwriter for the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has come under scrutiny after being linked to a series of online posts promoting hate speech and extremist views. Eric Lendrum, who joined the DHS in March under Secretary Kristi Noem, previously served at the Department of the Interior during Donald Trump’s first administration. In the intervening years, he was active online, hosting a podcast, posting on X and…

The administration of President Donald Trump has revoked more than 6,000 student visas, citing overstays and breaches of US law, with a small minority withdrawn over alleged links to terrorism, a State Department official confirmed yesterday. The decision, first reported by Fox Digital, forms part of the administration’s broader crackdown on immigration, which has seen tighter vetting of social media accounts and expanded screening measures. Directives issued this year instructed…