President Vladimir Putin on Thursday reiterated Moscow’s long-held position that Russia is not planning to attack European countries but will respond to aggression with “all weapons” in its arsenal. In remarks at a foreign policy forum, Putin accused the West and Europe of escalating tensions by talking about preparing for a war with Moscow in the coming years, conducting military drills in the Baltic Sea, and seizing Russian vessels. His remarks followed Moscow’s warning to Nato that it would...

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Tehran was likely to be involved in an attack by a pilot on a flydubai flight to Israel and that Iran would be “hit very hard” if it was. The co-pilot allegedly assaulted the captain before passengers managed to save the plane from crashing. Israel’s prime minister said the man had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”. “I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes but we’re working on it right now,” Trump said when asked by...

Chinese President Xi Jinping has left Washington, but he still has a place at the White House. At least two, in fact. Two different photographs of Xi with US President Donald Trump feature on its walls: a handshake image that Trump showed his guest during last week’s state visit, and another beside a Palm Room doorway showing the presidents standing side by side. Journalist Jacqueline Alemany shared an image of the Palm Room display on social media, noting that photographs of Trump with Xi and...

Canada will fast track the approval process for a new proposed crude oil export pipeline to its west coast that could generate over C$20 billion (US$14 billion) a year in GDP, Prime Minister ‌Mark Carney said on Thursday. The pipeline, which was announced in July, is a crucial part of Carney’s bid to diversify the economy away from the United States and help lessen the effect of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Carney said Ottawa would officially list the Pacific Link pipeline as a project...

British counterterrorism police investigating ⁠a suspected plot involving ⁠an airbase used by the US ⁠to target Iran said on Thursday they had arrested a dual UK-Iranian national on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. In an incident which triggered a huge police response, raised alarm among Western allies, and remains largely unexplained, five British men in their 20s ‌were arrested on Sunday on suspected terrorism and explosive offences near RAF Fairford in western England. The men were...

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Artificial intelligence has rapidly evolved from an emerging technology into a cornerstone of Hong Kong's economic transformation strategy. Under the Government's AI+ initiative, further reinforced by the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the HKSAR (2026-2030), the city is stepping up efforts to integrate AI across industries, public services, scientific research, healthcare, finance and...

A protest by French secondary school students over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and crumbling facilities deepened on Thursday, with fires set outside schools and blockades in several cities. More than 160 schools were shut down on Thursday, while university students joined the protests in Paris and Marseille. The movement in the lycees, which students aged 15 to 18 attend for their final three years of secondary education in France, has seen hundreds detained. The government said...