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• Japan and South Korea formalized a expanded military cooperation agreement on Thursday, establishing joint command structures and coordinated response protocols to address escalating North Korean weapons development and missile tests. • The two nations agreed to share real-time intelligence on North Korean military activities and established a rapid-response task force designed to coordinate anti-missile defense systems within 48 hours of any provocation. • The agreement represents the strongest formal defense partnership between the two countries in over a decade and signals growing concern about North Korea's advancing intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities.

Talks, convened by the UK, will examine ‘all viable diplomatic and political measures’ to get critical waterway openFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia will join talks with 35 nations, convened by the United Kingdom, to explore ways to reopen the strait of Hormuz, the government confirmed on Thursday.The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, announced the meeting on Wednesday, which will exclude the United States, to discuss “all viable diplomatic and political measures” to secure the waterway and restore freedom of navigation. The meeting is expected to take place at about 10pm AEDT on Thursday. Continue reading...

The discovery of a medieval Scottish ferry with a roll-on, roll-off feature for carts also provided some much-needed levityThe media ecosystem may have changed since the BBC’s spaghetti harvest report in 1957 or the Guardian’s 1977 travel supplement about the island of San Serriffe, but April fool stories are still with us.Indeed, if you picked up Wednesday’s edition of the Guardian, you may have been taken in by our report that evidence had been found of coffee being consumed in England a couple of centuries before the first known examples, thanks in part to an expert called Macky Arto. Continue reading...

Some European countries have blocked Israeli and US planes from moving weapons through their airspace. Plus, a rocket heads to the moon on Wednesday for the first time since 1972Good morning.Donald Trump has launched a tirade against European countries that refused to join the Israel-US war against Iran, calling out the UK and France, as transatlantic relations continue their downward spiral and the war wreaks havoc on the global economy.What pushback has there been from Europe? France has blocked Israeli planes from flying weapons through its airspace, while Italy refused last-minute permission for US bombers to land in Sicily. Spain has already denied the US use of its bases and airspace. The UK, however, has allowed the US to use its bases for a war that its government says is illegal.For the latest updates, follow our live blog. Continue reading...

The new rules are the first major change to the country’s laws governing child-rearing in more than a centuryDivorced couples in Japan will be able to negotiate joint custody of their children from Wednesday, in the first major change to the country’s laws governing child-rearing in more than a century.Previously, Japan’s Civil Code required couples to decide which parent would take custody of their children when they divorce. Continue reading...

Many countries in Europe have called the conflict illegal, with some blocking Israeli and US planes from moving weapons through their airspaceDonald Trump has launched a tirade against European countries that refused to join his war against Iran, calling out the UK and France, as transatlantic relations soured from the spiralling conflict that has wreaked havoc on the global economy.On his Truth Social website, the US president told governments worried about fuel prices to “go get your own oil” by force from the Gulf, comments that sent oil prices even higher. Continue reading...

• Kosovo approved a plan to send soldiers to the Gaza Strip as part of a US-backed international security force, joining Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, and Albania in making similar commitments. • The deployment represents an expansion of the international coalition participating in the Middle East security operation. • Kosovo's participation demonstrates growing international involvement in establishing security frameworks in the Gaza region.