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Australia and Vanuatu have reached a ten-year, A$500m ($328m) agreement to boost security and economic cooperation. The Nakamal Agreement, set to be signed in September, includes funding for data centres, climate resilience projects, and security enhancements, according to BBC.

Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles highlighted the “shared destiny” of the two nations, while Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Jotham Napat called it a “win-win situation.” Visa-free travel for Vanuatu citizens will be covered in a separate subsidiary deal.

The pact follows similar agreements Australia has made with Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Papua New Guinea, BBC reported.

China has called on the United States to stop exaggerating security concerns and interfering with its global trade relations, Xinhua reported.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Lin Jian, responded Wednesday to US claims that Chinese companies are establishing a network of ports worldwide to exert control over trade and conduct espionage. Lin urged the US to halt its “so-called China threat” rhetoric and refrain from disrupting China’s economic and trade cooperation with other nations.

North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong rejected South Korea’s claim that Pyongyang removed propaganda loudspeakers along the border, saying the country “has never removed” them and “is not willing to remove them”, BBC reported.

South Korea’s military reported the removal days after dismantling some of its own. The broadcasts, including propaganda and K-pop from the South and disturbing noises from the North, have long drawn complaints from border residents.

According to BBC, tensions persist as North Korea warns of “resolute counteraction” ahead of joint US–South Korea drills.

Israel is now pursuing a comprehensive deal to release all hostages held by Hamas, moving away from earlier plans for a partial release and temporary truce. Hamas leaders are in Cairo for preliminary talks with Egyptian mediators, who see a limited window to advance a deal, BBC reported.

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continue across Gaza, hitting Gaza City and surrounding areas. The Hamas-run health ministry reports at least 123 deaths in the past day, including children. Israel has begun new operations in Zaytoun, with military plans approved for the wider Gaza offensive.

Netanyahu insists the war will end only when all hostages are returned and Hamas surrenders, while Hamas demands a full Israeli withdrawal, prisoner exchanges, and refuses to disarm without a Palestinian state.

Humanitarian conditions in Gaza are dire, with UN agencies warning of widespread famine and malnutrition amid ongoing strikes, according to BBC.

European leaders expressed cautious optimism after a virtual call with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, ahead of his Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a possible Ukraine ceasefire, BBC reported.

Trump said any agreement must involve Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and include security guarantees. European leaders welcomed the discussion but stressed Kyiv’s central role, wary that Trump might concede Ukrainian territory to Russia.

Russia continues its offensive and insists Ukraine withdraw from four occupied regions and abandon NATO ambitions—demands Europe and Kyiv reject.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described progress on security guarantees, while Zelenskiy urged more pressure on Russia, insisting sanctions are effective. Trump acknowledged that civilian casualties may continue despite diplomacy, according to BBC.

Patras, Greece’s third-largest city, is under threat from fast-moving wildfires as extreme heat and strong winds drive blazes across the country. Thousands of residents, including children in a hospital, have been evacuated, while nearly 10,000 hectares have burned in the surrounding region, destroying homes, businesses, and hundreds of vehicles. Over 4,800 firefighters are tackling more than 20 fires, with EU water bombers requested for support, according to BBC.

The heatwave is sweeping southern Europe. Spain reports two deaths amid temperatures reaching 45°C, while Portugal, Albania, and Italy battle multiple fires. Florence hit 39°C, prompting the Vatican to move a papal audience indoors. Britain faces its fourth heatwave, straining health services. Experts warn such extremes are intensifying due to human-driven climate change.

Peru's President Dina Boluarte has signed a law granting amnesty to soldiers, police, and civilian militias accused of crimes during its 1980–2000 conflict with Maoist rebels. The law, passed despite an Inter-American Court of Human Rights order to pause it, will also free those over 70 serving sentences, according to BBC.

Human rights groups warn the measure undermines justice, potentially halting hundreds of trials and overturning convictions. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission found state forces committed most documented sexual violence during the conflict.

Meanwhile, former President Martin Vizcarra was ordered held for five months over alleged bribery, becoming the fifth ex-president jailed for corruption, BBC reported.

Seventeen areas in Sudan, including Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, Khartoum, and Gezira, are now “at risk of famine,” the UN warns. Hunger, first confirmed in North Darfur’s Zamzam camp in 2024, has worsened, especially in El Fasher, where residents face extreme shortages and some survive on animal fodder, Xinhua reported.

The World Food Programme provides digital cash to 250,000 people, but aid access remains limited. The UN urged an end to fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions since April 2023.