China launches military drills in Taiwan Strait

An Israeli strike on south Beirut killed at least three people on Tuesday, Lebanon said after Israel announced its second strike on the country's capital in a fragile four-month truce.
Daria Kasatkina has said she "didn't have much choice" after the openly gay world number 12 switched allegiances from Russia to Australia.
Raise prices or cut into their margins, open or close factories: carmakers must soon make major decisions as the United States imposes stiff tariffs on imported vehicles.
China on Tuesday sent its army, navy, air and rocket forces to surround Taiwan for large-scale drills Beijing said were aimed at practising a blockade of the self-ruled island.
Whole herds of cattle have drowned in vast inland floods seeping across the Australian outback, officials said Tuesday as the muddy tide drenched an area the size of France.
Matches across South Korean baseball were cancelled on Tuesday after a fan died when a piece of metal at a stadium fell off and struck her.
Veteran Al Horford turned back the clock to help the NBA champion Boston Celtics notch a ninth straight victory and nab a franchise first with a 117-103 win over the Grizzlies in Memphis on Monday.
Prosecutors in Paris have called for German carmaker Volkswagen to face justice in France to compensate French consumers over the Dieselgate emissions fraud scandal, according to a court filing seen by AFP on Tuesday.
Sam Mendes will release four movies about The Beatles in the same month, the director announced Monday, with Paul Mescal playing Paul McCartney and Barry Keoghan portraying Ringo Starr in "the first bingeable theatrical experience."
Bangladeshi Junayed Akter is 12 years old but the toxic lead coursing through his veins has left him with the diminutive stature of someone several years younger.
South Korea's Constitutional Court will issue its long-awaited ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment Friday, months after he was suspended for declaring martial law.
An Israeli strike on Beirut killed at least three people on Tuesday, Lebanon's health ministry said after Israel announced its second strike on the country's capital in a fragile four-month truce.
Rohingya refugee Abdul Aziz was in high school when he first fled to Indonesia, but four years on, he remains in limbo, desperately missing home at the start of Eid al-Fitr festivities.
Sam Kerr should "definitely" remain skipper of the Australian women's football squad and has the full backing of her team-mates, the vice-captain said Tuesday after calls for the star striker to be stripped of the armband.
Asian markets mostly rose Tuesday, clawing back some of the hefty losses suffered in recent weeks, though sentiment remains sluggish and gold hit another record high as Donald Trump prepares to unveil sweeping tariffs.
Explosive young opening batsman Sam Konstas was on Tuesday awarded his first central contract by Cricket Australia for the 2025-26 season, which includes the World Test Championship final and the Ashes against England.
South Korea's Constitutional Court will issue its long-awaited ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment Friday, months after he was suspended for declaring martial law.
Myanmar will hold a minute of silence on Tuesday in tribute to victims of a catastrophic earthquake that has killed more than 2,000 people, buckling roads and flattening buildings as far away as Bangkok.
Prominent European far-right and nationalist figures as well as Donald Trump and Elon Musk on Monday rallied around Marine Le Pen after a French court sentenced her to a five-year ban on running for office.
SpaceX launched the first human spaceflight directly over Earth's polar regions on Monday -- a days-long, privately funded orbital mission involving four astronauts.
China on Tuesday sent its army, navy, air and rocket forces to surround Taiwan for drills Beijing said were aimed at practising a blockade of the self-ruled island.
Support for cryptocurrencies from US President Donald Trump or Argentine leader Javier Milei has seen investors lose billions of dollars and is damaging a sector struggling for credibility, researchers told AFP.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen fought Tuesday to keep alive her dream of winning the French presidency after a court handed her a five-year ban on running for office.
Chile's largest steel plant shut down last year, yielding to cheaper production in China.
Donald Trump loves few things more than talking about his affinity for tariffs, but it's nothing new: he's been saying the same thing for decades.
US President Donald Trump has made tariffs a cornerstone of his trade policy, insisting that they will revive American manufacturing while swelling government coffers.
Fearing a US immigration raid will separate her from her children, an undocumented Honduran immigrant hunkers down in her Washington home, anxiously scouring a WhatsApp group for real-time updates on nearby sweeps.
President Donald Trump has revoked the licenses that allowed several transnational oil and gas companies to operate in Venezuela despite the country being under US sanctions.
New Zealand Rugby said Tuesday it had reached a settlement with Ineos, the British chemicals giant, after earlier this year accusing the company of walking away from a sponsorship deal.
China's military on Tuesday said it had sent its army, navy, air and rocket forces to surround Taiwan for drills it said were aimed at practising a blockade of the self-ruled island.
Trophy holders Team New Zealand have failed in a bid to host the 2027 America's Cup, saying Tuesday they could not secure government backing for the prestigious yachting regatta.
US President Donald Trump said Monday he would be "very kind" to trading partners when he unveils further tariffs this week, risking global turmoil to address what he says are unfair trade imbalances.