US-Panama relationship was ‘very strong’. Then Trump upended the diplomatic playing board

US had made inroads against Chinese influence in Panama, but Trump’s demands could help Beijing expand its regional power

When Panama’s then president Juan Carlos Varela was invited to the White House in June 2017, Donald Trump said the Panama canal was doing “pretty well” and described the bilateral relationship as “very strong”.

Just days earlier, Varela had broken ties with Taiwan to establish diplomatic relations with China, but there was no indication that this snub to a key US ally had clouded the meeting.

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Teams pull out of Étoile de Bessège cycling race after car enters course

  • Ineos Grenadiers among teams to withdraw in France
  • Vehicle came towards the peloton at a roundabout

Several teams have pulled out of the Étoile de Bessèges cycling race in France after a car came towards the peloton at a roundabout during the third stage on Friday.

Ineos Grenadiers said: “The safety of our riders and staff is of paramount importance. Following multiple incidents of public vehicles entering the race course our riders, together with other teams, have decided not to complete today’s stage at #EDB2025.”

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Two tourists died in Sri Lanka after hostel fumigated for bedbugs, police say – CNN

  1. Two tourists died in Sri Lanka after hostel fumigated for bedbugs, police say  CNN
  2. Sri Lanka: British woman Ebony McIntosh, 24, dies after hostel fumigated for bed bugs, police say  Sky News
  3. U.K. tourist among 2 found dead at Sri Lankan hostel, police investigating  Global News Toronto
  4. British influencer dies in Sri Lanka after ‘pesticide poisoning’  The Times
  5. Influencer Dies at 24 After Developing Mysterious Illness at Hostel During ‘Dream’ Backpacking Trip to South Asia  PEOPLE
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Sudanese military reports sweeping gains in battle for capital

Army making rapid advances across the country and closing in on RSF-held Republican Palace in Khartoum

Sudan’s brutal civil war appears to be approaching a decisive phase as the country’s military reported sweeping gains in the symbolic battle for the capital.

As a ruinous conflict, often characterised by bloody stalemate, nears its two-year anniversary, the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) declared a string of rapid advances across the country against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

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Rebuilding shattered Gaza may require a new Marshall plan

Palestinians face a mammoth task to rebuild homes and infrastructure – and Trump is unlikely to help

In the week that Donald Trump called for what has been described as an “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians from Gaza to rebuild it as a US “riviera” – an idea as unworkable as it is unhinged – the issues of how, if and when Gaza will be reconstructed have returned to the fore.

The reality is that, for all the promises to rehabilitate the coastal strip after previous conflicts, reconstruction – when it has happened – has at best been very partial and always subordinated to Israel’s demands.

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From caviar to the caravan, Dutton is doing everything he can to distract Albanese and voters from his detail-free plans | Josh Butler

With at most 12 weeks until election day, Dutton and the Coalition have announced few proactive ideas

Caviar and a caravan.

Less than 100 days from an election, that’s what dominated probably the penultimate parliamentary week of this term – questions over finite numbers that both leaders know, but about which they’ve resisted answering questions.

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Australians rack up record credit card spending as growing numbers struggle to pay off debt

Reserve Bank statistics show the national credit card debt sits at $17.8bn, up $236m in December 2024 alone

Australians racked up a record $28bn in personal credit card transactions in December, according to new data, leaving many households unable to clear debts and paying extreme interest charges.

The Reserve Bank statistics, analysed by financial comparisons site Canstar, show that Australians are struggling to clear purchases made on credit more than ever before amid persistently high living costs.

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Sweden Plans Tighter Gun Laws After Orebro Mass Shooting – The New York Times

  1. Sweden Plans Tighter Gun Laws After Orebro Mass Shooting  The New York Times
  2. Swedish school shooting victims were seven women and three men  BBC.com
  3. Sweden to tighten gun control laws after mass shooting in Örebro  Euronews
  4. Sweden's deadliest mass shooting leaves 11 dead, several injured: What we know  USA TODAY
  5. Sweden shooting: 10 people dead after attack at education centre in Örebro, say police – as it happened  The Guardian
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‘Staggering’ rise in sexual violence against children in Haiti – UN – BBC.com

  1. 'Staggering' rise in sexual violence against children in Haiti - UN  BBC.com
  2. Children's bodies a 'battleground' in Haiti as sexual violence surges, UNICEF warns  Reuters Canada
  3. UN report finds spike in gang murders, Haitian police violence  WORLD News Group
  4. Haiti: A Deepening Public Health Crisis - January 2025  ReliefWeb
  5. Haiti: Armed attacks and displacements in the Metropolitan Area of Port-au-Prince - Situation Report #12 (11 - 24 January 2025)  OCHA
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River near Buenos Aires turns bright red after suspected industrial dye leak

Residents living near the Sarandí have long complained about pollution in the area

A small river in greater Buenos Aires was dyed a deep and worrying shade of red on Thursday after what is thought to have been a leak of dye from a nearby factory.

The violent hue of the Sarandí, which runs through the municipality of Avellaneda, six miles (9.6km) south of the Argentinian capital, alarmed local residents, who have long complained about industrial pollution in the area.

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