Submit your Article

Hong Kong has revoked the passports of 12 overseas-based pro-democracy activists, accusing them of threatening national security through their involvement in the “Hong Kong Parliament” advocacy group, according to Al Jazeera.

The move comes after arrest warrants were issued for 19 activists last month. Authorities also barred financial and business dealings with 16 of them.

Critics, including the group itself, say the action is political persecution and part of Beijing’s growing cross-border repression. Since 2020, over 300 people have been arrested under the national security law, Al Jazeera reported.

Australia and Japan have signed their largest-ever defense agreement, worth A$10bn (US$6.5 bn), for the production of 11 Mogami-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy, Al Jazeera reported.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said the stealth warships will significantly boost naval capability, offering longer range and quadrupling missile capacity. Three frigates will be built in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, with eight to follow in Australia.

Marles called it a “very significant moment” in Australia-Japan ties. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said the deal is a “major step” in Japan’s defense cooperation, marking its biggest arms export since lifting its military export ban in 2014, according to Al Jazeera.

Israeli attacks on Gaza killed at least 74 Palestinians on Monday, including 36 seeking humanitarian aid, according to Al Jazeera.

Only 86 aid trucks are entering Gaza daily—just 14 percent of the 600 needed—worsening the crisis, Gaza’s media office said.

Hamas official Osama Hamdan accused Israel of “engineered starvation” and urged global action.

The war has killed over 60,900 in Gaza and wounded 150,000, Al Jazeera reported.

Russia has accused the United States of pursuing a “neocolonial” strategy through politically motivated tariffs, following President Donald Trump’s plan to raise duties on countries like India and Russia over oil trade, Firstpost reported.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Washington is using economic pressure to maintain global dominance and punish nations that follow independent policies. She warned such actions threaten global trade and national sovereignty.

Russia pledged to strengthen ties with BRICS and Global South partners to resist Western sanctions and promote a fairer, multipolar world order, according to Firstpost.

India has strongly objected to criticism from the United States and the European Union over its continued import of Russian oil, calling the targeting “unjustified and unreasonable.”

In a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, India clarified that its energy imports from Russia are essential for ensuring stable and affordable supplies for its population. The ministry pointed out that many Western countries, including those criticizing India, continue to trade extensively with Russia in areas such as energy, chemicals, and machinery.

It also highlighted that Europe’s trade with Russia, particularly in LNG and other sectors, remains significantly higher than India’s. The US too continues to import key materials like uranium and palladium from Russia for its industries.

India reaffirmed that it will continue to act in its national interest and take necessary steps to ensure energy security, the statement reads.

South Sudan has significantly improved exclusive breastfeeding, with rates rising to 73 percent in 2024 from 45 percent in 2010, according to UN News.

To reach the 2027 target of 80 percent, UNICEF urged collective action to address challenges faced by mothers, including lack of support, misinformation, cultural barriers, insecurity, and aggressive marketing of breastmilk substitutes.

Speaking at the launch of World Breastfeeding Week in Juba, UNICEF’s Noala Skinner and Health Minister Sarah Cleto Rial stressed the need for community-wide support and skilled healthcare workers to promote breastfeeding.

Despite progress, nearly 30 percent of infants still miss out on proper early nutrition, contributing to high infant mortality and malnutrition, UN News reported.

Russia announced on Monday that it no longer considers itself bound by a self-imposed ban on deploying medium- and short-range ground-based missiles. The Foreign Ministry cited growing Western missile threats near its borders and the collapse of conditions tied to the now-defunct Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

The US withdrew from the treaty in 2019, accusing Russia of violations. In response, Moscow suspended its participation but maintained a moratorium—now lifted due to what it calls rising regional security risks, according to Xinhua.

China launched a Long March-12 carrier rocket on Monday, sending a group of internet satellites into space, Xinhua reported.

The rocket took off at 6:21 p.m. (local time) from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in the southern island province of Hainan. It successfully deployed the payloads, the seventh group of low-orbit internet satellites, to their preset orbit.

The launch marked the 587th mission of the Long March series carrier rockets, according to the launch site.