US no longer ‘primarily focused’ on Europe’s security, says Pete Hegseth

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US defence secretary says Europe should lead in defending Ukraine and that restoring pre-2014 borders is unrealistic

Donald Trump’s newly appointed defence secretary told allies on his first international trip that the US was no longer “primarily focused” on European security and that Europe would have to take the lead in defending Ukraine.

Pete Hegseth, speaking to defence ministers at a lunchtime meeting in Brussels, said Europe had to provide “the overwhelming share” of future military aid to Kyiv – and recognise that restoring Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders was unrealistic.

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German far right wants to join forces with Orbán to dismantle EU from within – POLITICO Europe

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  1. German far right wants to join forces with Orbán to dismantle EU from within  POLITICO Europe
  2. AfD chief and Hungary's Orbán bond over migration during talks in Budapest  Euronews
  3. 'The AfD Is the Future': Hungary's Orban Hosts German Far-right Leader Ahead of Election  Haaretz
  4. Orban Chips Away at Germany’s Far-Right Firewall Before Election  Bloomberg
  5. Hungarian leader Orbán to meet with Germany’s AfD  Semafor
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‘Like finding gold’: plains-wanderers spotted in Melbourne’s west for first time in 30 years with help of AI

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Critically endangered bird detected after analysis of tens of thousands of hours of song meter recordings

Critically endangered plains-wanderers have been found living in Melbourne’s west for the first time in more than 30 years.

Notoriously elusive and difficult to spot, the rare birds were detected on two pockets of remnant grassland by Zoos Victoria, with the help of AI.

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Proposed ban on protest outside places of worship could prevent town hall rallies, Sydney mayor warns

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Clover Moore says police would have power to block peaceful demonstrations and warns against eroding civil rights

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Sydney’s mayor has warned that new laws proposed by the New South Wales government would give police powers to block peaceful protests at town hall – a regular site for demonstrations in the city.

The laws, introduced to parliament on Tuesday and carrying a maximum of two years in prison, are the first tranche of a suite of measures aimed at stemming antisemitism after a series of arson attacks and graffiti on synagogues and in Sydney’s suburban streets in recent months.

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Share of wealth held by Australia’s poorest falls by almost 30% since 2004 – report

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Study by Monash University recommends spending increase to fix inequalities in housing, health and education

The wealth held by Australia’s bottom 40% has declined by almost a third in two decades while 3.3m live below the poverty line, a damning report into Australia’s track record on quality of life shows.

Monash University’s third Transforming Australia report, released Thursday, shows progress on more than half of the 80 indicators has stalled or is in freefall, painting a deteriorating picture of the country’s social, economic and environmental wellbeing.

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Russian defense spending overtakes Europe, study finds – POLITICO Europe

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  1. Russian defense spending overtakes Europe, study finds  POLITICO Europe
  2. Russian defence spending exceeds all of Europe combined, study finds  Financial Times
  3. Russia overtakes all of Europe on defense spending in key metric: IISS military balance  Breaking Defense
  4. Trump announces first meeting with Putin to take place in Saudi Arabia.  Kyiv Independent
  5. The Military Balance 2025  International Institute for Strategic Studies
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South Sudan’s deputy president threatens to leave fragile peace agreement over fired officials – ABC News

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  1. South Sudan's deputy president threatens to leave fragile peace agreement over fired officials  ABC News
  2. South Sudan president sacks top leaders and spy chief  BBC.com
  3. Opinion | Kiir’s decrees: A soft coup with major implications  Radio Tamazuj
  4. South Sudan's Kiir replaces two vice-presidents, spy chief  Reuters
  5. Daybreak Africa: South Sudan’s President Kiir sacks spy chief, promotes ally  VOA Africa
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Israel and Hamas Are Teetering Toward War – The Wall Street Journal

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  1. Israel and Hamas Are Teetering Toward War  The Wall Street Journal
  2. Israeli Hostages’ Accounts of Abuse Raise Alarms for Remaining Captives  The New York Times
  3. Hamas to resume hostage release deal as previously agreed - report  The Jerusalem Post
  4. Relatives of Israeli hostages are terrified as the Gaza ceasefire teeters  The Associated Press
  5. Rubio: Israel can’t allow Hamas to use the ceasefire to rebuild itself  The Times of Israel
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Russia will not exchange Ukrainian land to reclaim parts of Kursk, Kremlin says

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Putin’s spokesperson rejects Zelenskyy’s plan for transfer of Kyiv-held pockets of Kursk to help end war

The Kremlin has said that Russia will never consider exchanging occupied Ukrainian land for parts of its Kursk region, dismissing a proposal outlined by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Guardian.

Zelenskyy revealed in an hour-long interview earlier this week that he intended to propose a straightforward territorial exchange with Russia to facilitate an end to the war, including the transfer of Ukrainian-held pockets of Kursk.

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Flight costs from France to rise as government more than doubles air tax

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‘Solidarity tax’ to go up in move criticised as ‘irresponsible’ by Air France, as Ryanair threatens to cut flights in country

The cost of flights from France will rise next month when the government more than doubles its “solidarity tax” on tickets.

The French government has said the increases are fair on ecological and fiscal grounds but critics say it will hit France’s ability to compete globally.

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Only One Big Economy Is Aiming for Paris Agreement’s 1.5C Goal – Slashdot

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  1. Only One Big Economy Is Aiming for Paris Agreement's 1.5C Goal  Slashdot
  2. Most of the world’s big polluters just blew off a major climate deadline  The Washington Post
  3. ‘Backsliding’: most countries to miss vital climate deadline as Cop30 nears  The Guardian
  4. Most countries miss UN deadline for new climate targets  Reuters
  5. Only One Big Economy Is Aiming for Paris Agreement’s 1.5C Goal  Bloomberg
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