South Korea sets snap election date after President Yoon’s removal from office | Yoon Suk Yeol

South Korea will hold a presidential election on 3 June, the country’s acting president said on Tuesday, after predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached and removed from office over a disastrous declaration of martial law. The government “is to set June 3 as the date for South Korea’s 21st presidential election”, prime minister Han Duck-soo … Read more

Northern Ireland faces court case over £300m north-south power pylon plan | Energy industry

An ambitious €350m (£300m) plan to connect electricity grids across the island of Ireland is heading for the high court after a challenge brought by campaigners claiming Northern Ireland was being used as a “whipping boy” to feed the republic’s energy-hungry datacentres. An estimated 150 landowners representing 6,500 residents have called on the Northern Ireland … Read more

Waqf Amendment Bill passed, aid to Myanmar as death toll surpasses 3,000, and more: The week in 5 charts

(1) Waqf Amendment Bill passes Parliament A Bill to improve the functioning of the Waqf Board and streamline the process of donating waqf properties passed both Houses of the Parliament on Saturday (April 5, 2025) after several hours of debate in the Lok Sabha. The controversial Bill was accused of allowing the government to interfere … Read more

Belgian prince loses legal battle to receive social security benefits on top of royal allowance | Belgium

A Belgian prince has lost a legal battle to claim social security benefits on top of his royal allowance, with a court ruling his claim – the first of its kind in the country’s nearly 200-year history – “unfounded”. Prince Laurent, the youngest of three children of the former king and queen, had argued that … Read more

China says it will not bow to US pressure after Trump threatens additional 50% tariffs – business live | Trump tariffs

Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Trump rejects EU ‘zero-zero’ tariff proposal The European Union said on Monday it had offered “zero-for-zero” tariffs to the US weeks before Trump’s tariff announcement and was in negotiations with the administration. But Donald Trump didn’t appear keen on the offer, … Read more

RFK Jr to tell CDC to end fluoride recommendation for drinking water | US news

Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, said he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide. Kennedy also said he’s assembling a taskforce to focus on the issue. Also on Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it was reviewing “new scientific information” on potential … Read more

Mother and three kids released by Ice after protests from US ‘border czar’s’ hometown | US immigration

A mother and her three children who were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents as part of a sweep in the tiny hometown of the Trump administration’s “border czar”, Tom Homan, have been released following days of outcry from community figures and protesters calling for their freedom. Over the weekend, about … Read more

Netanyahu discusses Gaza and tariffs with Trump at White House meeting | US foreign policy

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, met with Donald Trump Monday for the second time since the US president’s return to office, marking the first effort by a foreign leader to negotiate a deal after Trump announced sweeping tariffs last week. Speaking alongside Trump in the Oval Office, Netanyahu said Israel will eliminate the trade … Read more