87 m. ago Tensions rise as New Zealand freezes millions of dollars in aid to Cook Islands over China deals

New Zealand says funding won’t resume until Pacific nation takes ‘concrete steps to repair relationship and restore trust’

Economics

3 h. ago New Zealand freezes millions in aid to Cook Islands over China ties

New Zealand has halted millions of dollars in funding to the Cook Islands over agreements the smaller Pacific nation made with China, officials in Wellington said Thursday

Politics

13 h. ago New Zealand halts millions of dollars in aid to Cook Islands over deals struck with China

Wellington says it has paused payment of some funding until Pacific island nation takes steps to ‘repair the relationship and restore trust’New Zealand has halted millions of dollars in funding to the Cook Islands over the “breadth and content” of agreements the smaller Pacific nation made with China, officials from the New Zealand foreign minister’s office has said.New Zealand, which is the Cook Islands biggest funder, won’t consider any new money for the nation until the relationship improves, a spokesperson for foreign minister Winston Peters told the Associated Press on Thursday. Cook Islands prime minister Mark Brown didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Continue reading...

Economics

14 h. ago New Zealand, the Cook Islands' biggest funder, halts money to the Pacific nation over its China ties

New Zealand has halted millions of dollars in funding to the Cook Islands over agreements the smaller Pacific nation made with China, officials in Wellington said Thursday

Economics

22 h. ago The new luxury hotel drawing tourists to one of the driest places in the world

A multi-million dollar renovation of the Tierra Atacama hotel has transformed one of the driest places on earth into a high-end destination.

Society

25 h. ago The Love Island stars are using this handheld clothes steamer in the villa – and it’s now 30% off

Amazon has slashed 30% off the handheld clothes steamer that this year’s Love Island contestants have been using on repeat in the villa, and it’s perfect for taking on holiday

Politics

46 h. ago Fact check: China has made only one public statement on Chagos Islands deal

Different claims have been made as to whether or not China supports the deal between the UK and Mauritius.

Economics

3 d. ago Entain shares surge on earnings upgrade for US joint venture

FTSE 100 listed Entain said it now expects BetMGM to deliver full-year underlying earnings of at least 100 million US dollars (£73.8 million).

Politics

4 d. ago Missouri governor signs stadium aid package intended to keep the Chiefs and Royals in the state

Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a legislative package on Saturday, approved by Missouri lawmakers earlier in the week, that includes hundreds of millions of dollars of financial aid intended to persuade the Chiefs and Royals to remain in the state

Politics

5 d. ago Law firm claims Pete Davidson and Colin Jost stiffed them in deal to buy Staten Island Ferry

Exclusive: ‘We tried to obtain payment from them without resorting to litigation, but our efforts were unfortunately unsuccessful,’ attorney Val Wamser told The Independent

Economics

5 d. ago Law firm claims Pete Davidson and Colin Jost’s company stiffed them in deal to buy Staten Island Ferry

Exclusive: ‘We tried to obtain payment from them without resorting to litigation, but our efforts were unfortunately unsuccessful,’ attorney Val Wamser told The Independent

Economics

6 d. ago Love Island's Blu dealt crushing blow just hours before brutal show dumping

Blu Chegini's time in the Love Island villa was at risk as he and bombshell Shea were left single and face being dumped from the ITV Island in the latest episode

Economics

7 d. ago Missouri approves stadium aid for Kansas City Chiefs and Royals and disaster relief for St. Louis

Missouri lawmakers have approved hundreds of millions of dollars of incentives to try to persuade the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to keep playing in Missouri

Events

7 d. ago The Guardian view on Trump and deportation protests: the king of confected emergencies | Editorial

Strongmen love inventing or exploiting crises to justify extreme measures and extended power. The US is taking another step towards authoritarianismDonald Trump will celebrate his birthday with a North Korean-style military parade costing tens of millions of dollars this weekend. He has gratefully accepted the early gift of the demonstrations, which have spread across the country, with more scheduled for Saturday. The president’s immigration crackdown spurred overwhelmingly peaceful protests in Los Angeles. Ordering in troops, over the governor’s head, then inflamed the situation and allowed the agent of chaos to portray himself as its nemesis once more.Mr Trump has diverted attention from his rift with Elon Musk, the stalling of his “big, beautiful” tax and spending bill, the court-ordered return of the wrongly deported Kilmar Ábrego García and the impending impact of tariffs. But underlying the manufactured crisis is a deeper agenda: reigniting fear of undocumented migrants, deleg...

Politics

8 d. ago Mauritius 'will use cash from Labour's Chagos Islands deal to scrap income tax for 81% of its population and help pay off its national debt'

The Prime Minister last month signed an agreement to cede sovereignty of the stretegically-important Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius.

Economics

8 d. ago Beauty of Joseon's viral new tinted sunscreen has made it into the Love Island villa

Love Island is back on our screens for another season, and we've already spotted a viral tinted sunscreen in the beauty room

Politics

8 d. ago UK should renegotiate Chagos Islands deal to allow islanders to return, UN argues

Chagossians were expelled from the islands between 1965 and 1973 to make way for a joint UK-US base

Economics

8 d. ago US says it struck framework deal with China to restore trade war truce

Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick says he will present plan to Donald Trump

Economics

8 d. ago UN experts urge UK to negotiate new Chagos deal that allows islanders to return

The deal returns sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, but will see the UK lease back a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands.

Economics

8 d. ago ITV Love Island stars dealt devastating blow hours before new episode airs

There is no shortage of twists in this year's series

Economics