Global Pulse

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  • China announces suspended death sentences for former defence ministers

    China announces suspended death sentences for former defence ministers

    In a landmark ruling that underscores China’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign targeting high-ranking military officials, two former national defense ministers have received suspended death sentences for conviction on corruption charges, according to Chinese state media reports.

    A military tribunal handed down the sentence on Thursday: both Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, who held the defense minister portfolio in succession, were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve. As outlined by China’s official news agency Xinhua, this sentence structure mandates that the capital punishment will automatically be converted to life imprisonment after the two-year probation period, with no eligibility for future sentence reduction or parole for either man.

    Court documents confirmed that both former top military officials were found guilty of accepting bribes. In addition to the prison sentence, the ruling ordered the full confiscation of all personal assets belonging to the two men.

    Li Shangfu, the most recent of the two to hold the defense minister post, served in the role from March 2023 to October 2023, before stepping down as part of a broader reshuffle that removed several senior military leaders from their positions. This latest verdict comes in the wake of a series of high-profile ousters of top military figures, all part of a wide-ranging anti-corruption crackdown that has reshuffled senior ranks of China’s armed forces in recent months.

    The case marks one of the most high-profile anti-corruption actions against former top national security officials in recent Chinese history, sending a clear signal of the ruling Communist Party’s commitment to rooting out graft within the military establishment.

  • Latest evacuee from hantavirus-hit cruise lands in Europe

    Latest evacuee from hantavirus-hit cruise lands in Europe

    A new chapter of uncertainty unfolded this Thursday when another symptomatic passenger from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius was evacuated to Europe, as the vessel makes its way toward the Spanish island of Tenerife and public health authorities around the world race to trace the spread of the rare, potentially fatal human-transmissible strain. Three deaths linked to the outbreak have triggered international alarm, though leading global health bodies have sought to reassure the public that a widespread global pandemic is highly unlikely, noting the virus is far less contagious than the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused COVID-19.

    Currently, people confirmed or suspected to have contracted the Andes hantavirus strain from the cruise are receiving medical care or completing isolation periods across five nations: Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and South Africa. The scope of potential exposure widened this week when Dutch flag carrier KLM confirmed one of its air stewards is undergoing testing for the virus after potential contact with an infected passenger on a commercial flight.

    Hantavirus is an uncommon respiratory pathogen that most often transfers to humans from infected rodent populations. It can trigger severe health complications including respiratory failure, cardiac impairment and hemorrhagic fever. Currently, no licensed vaccine exists to prevent infection, and there is no targeted cure for the disease — available care is limited to managing and easing symptoms as the body fights the infection. The variant detected on the MV Hondius, the Andes strain, is a particularly rare variation capable of spreading directly from person to person.

    Health investigators currently believe the index case, the first infected passenger, contracted the virus before boarding the vessel in Ushuaia, Argentina. The virus has an incubation period ranging from one to six weeks, allowing it to spread to other passengers and crew during the ship’s transatlantic voyage. According to a statement released by the cruise’s operator, Netherlands-based Oceanwide Expeditions, Thursday’s evacuation flight carrying the sick passenger landed in Amsterdam, 24 hours after three other infected passengers were evacuated from the vessel. The company also confirmed that no currently symptomatic individuals remain on board as the ship sails toward its scheduled stop in Tenerife.

    The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed two passengers who returned to the United Kingdom from the cruise are asymptomatic and have been instructed to self-isolate as a precaution. Officials emphasized the overall risk to the general UK public remains “very low.”

    Global health leadership has echoed this cautious optimism. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday that “the risk to the rest of the world is low,” and a full press briefing from Tedros was scheduled for Thursday. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoed the assessment, noting that “at this time, the risk to the American public is extremely low.”

    Back in Argentina, public health teams are preparing to test local rodent populations in Ushuaia, the coastal departure city where the MV Hondius began its voyage on April 1. The first death linked to the outbreak occurred on April 11, when a Dutch passenger who had boarded the ship with his wife died. At the time, the captain attributed the death to natural causes, so no public health alarm was raised, according to Ruhi Cenet, a Turkish travel vlogger who was a passenger on the voyage.

    The cruise operator confirmed the man’s body was removed from the ship on April 24 at the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, where 29 other passengers also disembarked. “These guests have all been contacted by Oceanwide Expeditions. We are working to establish details of all passengers and crew who embarked and disembarked on various stops of Hondius since March 20,” the company statement read.

    Public health officials only activated a full response after the man’s wife, who disembarked to accompany her husband’s body to South Africa, also fell ill and died 15 days later. Hantavirus was confirmed as the cause of her death on May 4. Argentine health officials note the couple had traveled through Chile, Uruguay and Argentina before boarding the cruise. The infected woman traveled on a commercial Airlink flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg while already showing symptoms. That flight carried 82 passengers and six crew, and contact tracers are working to reach every person on board to monitor for potential infection.

    KLM’s confirmation of a testing steward marked the latest development in contact tracing efforts. The airline previously confirmed that one of the deceased passengers had been briefly on an April 25 KLM flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam, but was removed from the aircraft before it departed. To date, there are still minor discrepancies in official counts of how many people were on the MV Hondius at different stages of the voyage. When the vessel anchored off Cape Verde, it carried 149 people including 88 passengers, according to the operator; however, the company confirmed that 114 passengers and an unspecified number of crew were on board when the voyage departed Argentina on April 1.

  • Nigerian army rescues 7 children and 2 women abducted from an orphanage last month

    Nigerian army rescues 7 children and 2 women abducted from an orphanage last month

    ABUJA, NIGERIA – In a recent operational breakthrough announced Thursday, Nigeria’s military has recovered nine additional hostages kidnapped by armed gunmen during a raid on an unlicensed orphanage in the country’s north-central region last month. The rescue operation, carried out in a dense forest within Kogi State, brings the total number of freed captives to 22, with one child still unaccounted for following the April 26 attack.

    The assault targeted an Islamic orphanage operating without official authorization in a remote outskirts of Lokoja, Kogi’s state capital. When gunmen stormed the facility, they abducted 23 pupils in total. Local security forces managed to free 15 of the captured children immediately after the attack, leaving eight captives still held by the assailants.

    Army spokesperson Hassan Abdullahi detailed the outcome of the follow-up mission in a statement dated Wednesday, which was publicly released one day later. According to Abdullahhi, troops intercepted the hostage group in the forest and successfully rescued all nine people held there. “The rescued victims comprised five boys, two girls, and two adult females, believed to be the wives of the proprietor of the orphanage,” the statement read.

    The recovery of these nine hostages leaves one remaining pupil unaccounted for, though the official military statement did not explicitly address the outstanding missing person or provide updates on efforts to locate the child. It also did not release information on any casualties among the attacking gunmen or Nigerian security personnel during the rescue operation.

    To date, no armed organization has publicly claimed responsibility for the orphanage attack. Security analysts who track kidnapping trends in Nigeria note that targeted assaults on educational and childcare facilities have become a common tactic for criminal armed groups in the region. Schools and orphanages are seen as high-value targets because abductions of children generate widespread public and government attention, creating leverage for groups to demand and extract massive ransom payments. Over recent years, hundreds of students have been kidnapped in coordinated attacks across different regions of Nigeria, creating ongoing national security concerns.

  • DR Congo president hints at extending his term and delaying polls

    DR Congo president hints at extending his term and delaying polls

    In a rare, wide-ranging press conference in Kinshasa this week, Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi has broken his public silence on two of the most contentious issues facing the Central African nation: his political future beyond 2028 and the years-long conflict destabilizing its eastern territories.

    Held at State House overlooking the Congo River and drawing more than 200 journalists and supporters, the three-hour briefing marked only Tshisekedi’s second press conference in the capital since he won re-election to a second five-year term in 2023. Addressing long-swirling opposition accusations that he has been plotting to extend his hold on power beyond the country’s constitutionally mandated two-term limit, the president confirmed he would be open to serving a third term – but only if the Congolese people express their support for the change through a national referendum.

    “I have not asked for a third term, but I’m telling you – if the people want me to have a third term, I will accept,” Tshisekedi told attendees on Wednesday.

    Current Congolese law caps presidential service at two consecutive terms, but a bill outlining procedures for a national referendum was tabled in parliament back in March. While supporters of the legislation frame it as a measure to strengthen democratic processes, critics argue it is a calculated step toward revising the constitutional term limit that would clear the way for Tshisekedi to run again. Opposition groups have already warned that any effort to amend the term limit provision would constitute a “constitutional coup.”

    Beyond his political future, Tshisekedi tied the timing of the 2028 presidential election directly to progress ending the ongoing M23 rebel conflict that has displaced millions and seized large swathes of the resource-rich North and South Kivu provinces in eastern DR Congo, including the major regional hubs of Goma and Bukavu. He stressed that free and fair voting cannot be conducted without full state control over the two Kivu regions, meaning the entire election schedule hinges on how quickly the conflict can be resolved.

    “If we cannot end this war, unfortunately, we will not be able to hold the elections in 2028,” he said.

    For nearly a decade, Congolese government forces have battled M23 and dozens of other armed factions in the eastern part of the country. Multiple independent investigations and international assessments have found overwhelming evidence that neighboring Rwanda provides military and logistical support to the M23 rebel group – a claim Rwanda has repeatedly denied, framing its cross-border military presence as a defensive measure to counter anti-Rwandan armed groups operating from Congolese territory.

    Tshisekedi used Wednesday’s briefing to double down on his accusations against Kigali, arguing that Rwanda has dragged its feet on implementing a U.S.-brokered peace deal signed in Washington last December because it profits from the illegal extraction of DR Congo’s rich mineral reserves. “It’s going to take time, because Rwanda has long profited by looting resources, and that’s why the negotiations are dragging on,” he said. Fighting has continued through 2025 despite the ceasefire agreement, and the U.S. imposed sanctions on multiple senior Rwandan military commanders in March this year for their role in fueling the ongoing conflict.

    The president also addressed a separate recent development: the U.S. decision to impose sanctions on his predecessor Joseph Kabila, over allegations that Kabila has backed anti-government rebel groups. Describing the situation as “a real mess,” Tshisekedi lamented that figures once celebrated as architects of democratic transition in DR Congo have now become “gravediggers” of that progress.

    Tshisekedi’s comments mark the first time he has publicly confirmed his willingness to pursue a third term, ending months of speculation and heightening political tensions across the country as the government continues its struggle to stabilize the volatile east.

  • Russia says Ukraine launched a major drone attack after Moscow shunned ceasefire offer

    Russia says Ukraine launched a major drone attack after Moscow shunned ceasefire offer

    In a sharp escalation of hostilities following a collapsed unilateral ceasefire bid from Kyiv, Ukraine launched one of its largest aerial assaults of the full-scale invasion overnight, with Russian defense officials confirming Thursday that air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 347 Ukrainian drones across more than 20 Russian regions, including the Moscow area.

    This drone wave marks the second-largest Ukrainian aerial attack since Russia launched its full-scale incursion more than two years ago, falling just short of a record 389-drone assault carried out in March of 2024. The strike comes just days ahead of Russia’s annual Victory Day holiday on May 9, the country’s most important secular celebration marking the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, which has been shrouded in heightened security threats this year.

    The cycle of escalating attacks followed a series of overlapping ceasefire announcements that quickly fell apart. Earlier this week, Russia declared a unilateral two-day ceasefire for Victory Day on Friday and Saturday. In response, Ukraine announced it would suspend its own offensive operations starting at midnight Tuesday, framing the move as a goodwill gesture. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia immediately ignored the gesture, continuing strikes across Ukrainian territory, and Kyiv would respond in kind.

    “Russia has not stopped any type of its military activity. Unfortunately, it has not stopped. Ukraine will act symmetrically,” Zelenskyy stated in his regular Wednesday evening video address to the nation.

    Tensions have built steadily in the lead-up to this year’s Victory Day, with U.S.-led international peace efforts remaining stalled and Kyiv expanding its long-range strike capabilities against targets inside Russia. In response to growing security risks, Russian authorities have implemented sweeping restrictions and scaled back traditional holiday festivities in the capital.

    On Thursday, Russian state media confirmed that all mobile internet and text messaging services will be shut down across Moscow on May 9, per an announcement from the country’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media. The blackout will only exempt a small pre-approved “white list” of state-run online services, while home wired internet and public Wi-Fi networks will remain operational, officials clarified.

    In a break from nearly 20 years of tradition, Moscow’s iconic annual Victory Day parade will also exclude the display of tanks, ballistic missiles, and other heavy military equipment for the first time this year. Russian defense officials cited the “current operational situation” as justification for the change, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov directly placed blame on Kyiv for the scaled-back celebrations and heightened security measures, accusing Ukraine of engaging in “terrorist activity” in reference to repeated cross-border drone strikes.

    As Ukrainian forces launched their massive overnight drone assault, Russia retaliated with its own wave of drone strikes on Ukrainian territory. Ukraine’s military reported early Thursday that its air defense systems had successfully downed 92 of the 102 Russian drones launched overnight. Russia retains a substantial numerical advantage in drone production, and regularly carries out mass attacks involving hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles against Ukrainian infrastructure and military targets.

    The latest escalation comes as both sides continue trading large-scale cross-border strikes amid a grinding frontline conflict, with no near-term prospect of a negotiated end to the war.

  • Driver arrested after chasing down child cyclist on footpath

    Driver arrested after chasing down child cyclist on footpath

    A frightening incident that unfolded on a public footpath in Washington State has resulted in the arrest of a driver, after video footage documented the individual chasing a young child riding a bicycle through the pedestrian space.

    Local law enforcement confirmed that the alarming encounter was captured on camera by a witness, showing the driver deliberately moving their vehicle onto the dedicated footpath – an area designed exclusively for walkers and non-motorized users – before pursuing the 10-year-old boy who was cycling along the route. The grainy but clear footage shows the young cyclist swerving to avoid the oncoming car, pedaling frantically to escape the advancing vehicle as the driver continues the pursuit through the path, which runs alongside a busy residential street in the suburban community.

    Witnesses who were present at the scene on Wednesday afternoon reported that multiple bystanders called 911 immediately after observing the incident, with several attempting to intervene to protect the child before the driver brought their vehicle to a stop. Local police arrived at the location within minutes, taking the driver into custody without further incident. The child was evaluated by emergency medical responders at the scene and did not sustain any physical injuries, though he was reported to be visibly shaken by the terrifying encounter.

    Authorities have not yet released a public motive for the chase, nor have they shared details of any prior connection between the driver and the child or his family. The driver is currently being held at a local county detention center, with charges pending as law enforcement completes their investigation into the incident.

    Community leaders in the area have issued statements calling for greater safety oversight of pedestrian footpaths, which are frequently used by local children cycling to school and families out for walks. “This is a reminder that even our quietest, most seemingly safe public spaces can become sites of danger,” said a local city council representative in a press briefing following the arrest. “We are reviewing our safety protocols to ensure that incidents like this do not happen again, and we are prioritizing support for the child and his family as they process this frightening experience.”

  • About 40 passengers previously left ship hit by Hantavirus outbreak at island of St. Helena

    About 40 passengers previously left ship hit by Hantavirus outbreak at island of St. Helena

    THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Dutch government officials confirmed new details Thursday that add greater urgency to the global contact-tracing effort underway after a deadly hantavirus outbreak spread aboard an international cruise ship. Roughly 40 passengers left the vessel at the remote South Atlantic British territory of St. Helena following the death of the first recorded victim, a disclosure that the cruise operator had not made publicly until now.
    Among the passengers who disembarked at St. Helena was the wife of a Dutch man who lost his life to the virus. As previously confirmed by the cruise line, the woman accompanied her husband’s body off the ship before boarding a commercial flight to South Africa. Shortly after arriving in Johannesburg, she collapsed at the city’s airport and later died from the infection.
    This new confirmation that dozens of other passengers also left the ship at the South Atlantic stopover upends earlier incomplete information released by the cruise company, which had not acknowledged any additional disembarkations beyond the Dutch woman and her late husband. Contact-tracing teams across South Africa and multiple European nations have now launched urgent efforts to locate and monitor every passenger who got off the ship during the stop, to slow further spread of the virus.
    One case already linked to the outbreak has been confirmed outside of the vessel: on Wednesday, health authorities in Switzerland announced that a man who also disembarked at St. Helena and traveled back to Europe has tested positive for hantavirus. The full details of his travel route and interactions since leaving the ship have not yet been finalized by investigators.
    Dutch authorities have so far declined to share any information about the current locations of the other 39 passengers who got off at St. Helena, leaving public health teams scrambling to track down the potentially exposed group across the globe.
    Additional evacuation efforts have continued in recent days as the death toll from the outbreak has climbed. According to the cruise operator, a British passenger was medically evacuated from the ship to South Africa via Ascension Island just days after the first death was recorded. On Wednesday, three more people – including the cruise ship’s lead doctor – were pulled from the vessel off the coast of Cape Verde and airlifted to Europe for urgent medical care.
    As of the latest update, three passengers have died from the hantavirus infection, with multiple other people remaining sick with the disease aboard the ship and in medical facilities across multiple continents.

  • Top BJP leader’s aide shot dead in violence after Indian state election

    Top BJP leader’s aide shot dead in violence after Indian state election

    Fresh violence has rattled the eastern Indian state of West Bengal just days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, secured a historic, first-ever election victory ending 15 years of Trinamool Congress (TMC) rule, with the fatal shooting of a top BJP leader’s aide amplifying already soaring political tensions.

    Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to Suvendu Adhikari — the former TMC leader turned BJP heavyweight widely tipped to become West Bengal’s next chief minister — was gunned down Wednesday night while traveling home by car. Law enforcement agencies have launched a full homicide investigation, though no arrests have been announced as of the latest updates. West Bengal Police Chief Siddh Nath Gupta confirmed that investigators have recovered the getaway vehicle used by the attackers, as well as live ammunition and spent bullet casings from the crime scene. The vehicle’s license plate was found to be falsified, complicating initial tracking efforts. Eyewitness accounts have pointed to a shooter operating from a motorcycle, but police have not yet confirmed details of the attacker count or any potential suspects.

    Rath’s killing is the third confirmed fatality recorded in the state since election results were officially announced on Monday, marking an escalation of unrest that has followed the historic poll outcome. Even before the shooting, police had already taken more than 400 people into custody in connection with widespread reports of post-poll violence and voter intimidation across the state.

    Political violence in the wake of state elections is not a new phenomenon in West Bengal, where violent clashes between workers of rival political parties have become a recurring pattern. This cycle of violence is rooted in the state’s long-entrenched “party society” system, a concept first coined by political scientist Dwaipayan Bhattacharyya to describe how political affiliation became embedded in every aspect of daily life and livelihood during decades of Communist rule. Zaad Mahmood, a political science professor at Kolkata’s Presidency University, explained to the BBC that in recent decades, political identity has replaced caste and religion as the primary axis of conflict in many rural areas. For local residents, survival is often tied directly to loyalty to the ruling party, meaning a shift in political power feels like an existential threat to many. While the total number of fatalities in this election cycle is lower than in previous polls, Mahmood noted that violence extends far beyond reported deaths, creating a pervasive climate of fear that persists before, during and after voting.

    Tensions have been building in West Bengal for weeks, with the election held against the backdrop of a controversial voter roll update that left millions of eligible voters removed from electoral registers. Outgoing TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, who was defeated by Adhikari in her own long-held stronghold constituency of Bhabanipur, has alleged the exercise deliberately targeted non-BJP voters to clear a path for the BJP’s landslide win, which delivered the party 207 of the state assembly’s 294 seats. Both the BJP and India’s national Election Commission have repeatedly denied these allegations.

    Both major political parties have condemned Rath’s murder and traded blame over the ongoing wave of post-poll violence. Adhikari called the killing “heartwrenching” and labeled it a premeditated “cold-blooded murder.” The TMC issued a formal statement rejecting political violence as incompatible with democratic governance, demanding an immediate, court-monitored investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable. Both parties claim their workers have been targeted: the BJP says two of its members have been killed, while the TMC puts its death toll at three. Police have only confirmed Rath’s BJP affiliation, with no verification of other victims’ party ties.
    BJP leaders have seized on the violence to criticize the outgoing TMC government, arguing that law and order collapsed during Banerjee’s 15-year tenure. Sukanta Majumdar, a junior federal minister from the BJP, told reporters that once the new BJP government is sworn in this Saturday, the party will work to restore public safety, though he acknowledged stabilizing the state will take time. Adhikari is still widely expected to be named chief minister when the new administration takes office this weekend, though the BJP has not officially confirmed his appointment.

    In addition to fatal clashes, widespread reports of arson, vandalism and intimidation have emerged from districts across the state, including Kolkata, Murshidabad, Birbhum and Howrah. The TMC has alleged that BJP workers have targeted TMC party offices, vandalizing properties and setting some ablaze — claims the BJP has repeatedly denied. The TMC also accused BJP supporters of using a bulldozer to demolish meat shops in a popular Kolkata market, an incident that takes on heightened political weight given that food choice was a core campaign issue in the election. The TMC framed the incident as part of a deliberate pattern of intimidation that sets a dangerous precedent for law and order under a BJP government. State BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya rejected the claims, saying the party does not endorse any form of violence, and a senior police officer noted that a victory rally was held in the market but no “untoward incident” occurred.

    The national Election Commission has already directed state police and district administrations to step up law and order monitoring across West Bengal, with orders to take immediate action against any acts of violence or vandalism. Rath’s assassination has amplified fears among observers and residents alike that post-poll unrest will grow in scale in the coming days, as the state transitions to its first ever BJP-led government.

  • Massive GST windfall fuels Western Australia’s $3.5bn budget surplus, new spending

    Massive GST windfall fuels Western Australia’s $3.5bn budget surplus, new spending

    Western Australia’s state Labor government has delivered its eighth consecutive annual budget surplus, marking the third surplus under Premier Roger Cook and Treasurer Rita Saffioti, alongside a suite of new spending measures designed to address soaring household costs, expand housing supply, and upgrade public health infrastructure. Bolstered by an expected $9.3 billion in goods and services tax (GST) revenue set to flow into state coffers in the coming fiscal year, the 2024-25 budget posts a $3.5 billion surplus, with state debt projected to hit $34.5 billion by the end of June 2024 — $4 billion lower than earlier forecasts, earning the state the title of Australia’s lowest-cost jurisdiction for public debt.

    State officials credit the private sector for driving Western Australia’s standout economic performance, noting that private activity accounts for 86% of the state’s domestic economic growth, which has expanded by 27% over the past five years. Cook emphasized that the budget is built on two core priorities: sustaining the state’s position as Australia’s strongest economy and delivering tangible support for households in key areas including jobs, healthcare, housing, and cost-of-living relief.

    “This is a responsible budget designed to keep Western Australia strong,” Cook said in remarks following the budget announcement. “We are delivering on our commitments to keep Western Australia the strongest economy in the nation and the best place to live, work and raise a family.”

    The centerpiece of the budget is a $1 billion cost-of-living support package, though the targeted structure of the aid means many households will not qualify for direct financial relief. Unlike in previous years following the COVID-19 pandemic, the state will not offer broad state-funded energy rebates for households this year, and motorists will face a 2.5% increase in driver license and vehicle registration fees, with no fee freeze in place. Instead, the largest share of relief is directed to drivers, with a one-time $100 fuel credit available to all licensed driver holders, part of a $198 million package to offset rising petrol prices.

    Additional support is targeted at families with school-aged children, with $90 million allocated for student assistance payments. Eligible families will receive $150 per child enrolled in kindergarten or primary school, and $250 per high school student. A further $70 million funds expanded free public transport initiatives: students will receive free travel to and from school, all passengers will access free rides on Sundays, and senior citizens will pay no fares for off-peak and weekend travel. State officials estimate that a two-child family can receive more than $2000 in combined assistance from the full suite of cost-of-living measures.

    Housing affordability and supply, one of the most pressing issues facing Western Australian households, received a $4.7 billion total investment to unlock new land and deliver thousands of new dwellings across Perth and regional areas. More than $1 billion of that funding will go toward developing core infrastructure including roads, water networks and power connections for new residential areas. A joint federal-state $2 billion commitment will build 34,000 new homes, 11,000 of which will be allocated to first home buyers in areas close to metro train stations, new greenfield residential developments and regional hubs.

    Frontline workers in seven major regional centers — Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Port Hedland, Broome, Geraldton and Albany — will benefit from a $692 million regional housing program that will deliver 500 new dwellings over four years, alongside additional funding for local infrastructure, job creation, healthcare and essential services. The state also expanded tax concessions for first home buyers: the stamp duty exemption threshold has been raised from $500,000 to $600,000 for completed homes, and from $400,000 to $450,000 for vacant land, with partial concessions available for homes valued up to $800,000. The property cap for the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant has also been increased from $750,000 to $800,000. While fewer than 320 homes under $600,000 and just 52 vacant lots under $450,000 are currently listed for sale in Perth, the government projects the changes will support roughly 25,000 first home buyers over time. An additional $1.5 billion will boost social and affordable housing, delivering thousands of new affordable rental units and public housing dwellings, including 1,426 new social dwellings delivered through the federal Housing Australia Future Fund partnership.

    Public health also received a historic $9 billion investment over the next four years, with funding allocated for new hospital construction, hundreds of additional hospital beds, and expanded capacity across the public health system. A key project is a new state-of-the-art cancer center in Perth, modeled on integrated treatment-research facilities already operating in Sydney and Melbourne that combine clinical care, cutting-edge research and clinical trials. The state’s Building Hospitals Fund will receive an extra $500 million, bringing total investment in hospital infrastructure to $2 billion by 2026-27 and $5.5 billion over the four-year funding period.

    To rebalance state spending and redirect funds to frontline services, the government will cut 1,500 back-office public sector roles, a move Treasurer Saffioti framed as a necessary adjustment to shifting policy priorities. “We considered all factors and tried to get the balance right,” Saffioti said. “You can always do more, and there are people who want more, but we’ve done our best to support families.”

    The budget has drawn sharp criticism from the state opposition, led by Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas, who argued the $100 fuel credit is a superficial distraction that fails to address the core crises facing Western Australian households. “The people of Western Australia are hurting, and nothing that we’ve seen in today’s budget has changed that,” Zempilas said. “To the people of Western Australia in the middle of this cost of living and housing crisis, the $100 fuel smoke screen will do nothing to help the people camped in their cars or on the side of road. It will do nothing to alleviate the stress and pressure that comes on families.”

    Zempilas added that the small one-time fuel credit pales in comparison to recent increases in water, electricity and vehicle registration costs, and argued the government has failed to address the root causes of household financial stress. “This is a government that has forgotten the here and now, and for all of those people in our community, for all of those people hurting, what changes today? And the answer is very, very little,” he said. “This is not a budget that addresses the absolute fundamental concerns of West Australians who are hurting and buckling under the pressures of our housing crisis and this cost of living and household stress crisis.”

  • Iran reviewing US proposal as Trump pressures Tehran for agreement on deal to end war

    Iran reviewing US proposal as Trump pressures Tehran for agreement on deal to end war

    Nearly two months after the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran, a fragile ceasefire has held for more than a month, but intense diplomatic wrangling and lingering military tensions are keeping the global community on edge. As U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark ultimatum that new, intensified bombing would resume unless Tehran agrees to a deal that reopens the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, Iran confirmed it is reviewing Washington’s latest proposal, injecting cautious optimism into markets even as a fresh military confrontation took place just hours before.

    The conflict, which began on February 28, has upended global energy markets and disrupted critical supply chains: Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint through which roughly 20% of the world’s traded oil flows, while the U.S. imposed a full naval blockade on Iranian ports. This standoff sent fuel prices soaring, roiled the global economy, and imposed heavy costs on international businesses: major shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd estimates the closure is costing the firm approximately $60 million per week, driven by spiking fuel and insurance premiums. By Thursday, Brent crude prices stabilized around $100 per barrel as traders bet on a diplomatic breakthrough, lifting sentiment across international markets.

    Hours before markets reacted to the prospect of a deal, the U.S. military struck an Iranian oil tanker attempting to breach the American blockade in the Gulf of Oman, damaging the vessel’s rudder, according to U.S. Central Command. The clash follows the Trump administration’s messy, contradictory messaging on its Iran strategy in recent days, with shifting narratives that have left both allies and markets uncertain about Washington’s end goals.

    Pakistan, which hosted in-person talks between U.S. and Iranian delegations last month that ultimately failed to produce an agreement, has emerged as a key mediator in the negotiations. On Thursday, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters that Islamabad expects a peaceful settlement “sooner rather than later,” adding that a durable agreement would benefit not just the region, but global peace and security. He declined to share specific timelines or details of ongoing diplomatic backchannels, however, noting that Pakistan would keep sensitive negotiations confidential. “We remain positive, we remain optimistic, and we hope the settlement will be soon rather than later,” Andrabi said.

    In a series of social media posts, Trump laid out his stark terms for ending the conflict. “The two-month war could soon end and oil and natural gas shipments disrupted by the conflict could restart,” he wrote, adding that the entire process hinges on Iran accepting an agreement that he did not publicly detail. “If they don’t agree, the bombing starts… and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.”

    According to Axios reporting, the White House believes it is close to finalizing a one-page memorandum of understanding with Tehran that would end the conflict. Key reported provisions include a moratorium on Iranian uranium enrichment, the lifting of U.S. economic sanctions on Iran, the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, and the mandatory reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to international commercial shipping. The White House has not officially confirmed the details of the proposed agreement. For its part, Iran pushed back on earlier reporting of the draft deal: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told state television that Tehran “strongly rejected” the terms outlined by Axios, but confirmed that it is still reviewing the newest U.S. proposal delivered through diplomatic channels.

    Just this week, Trump called off a short-lived U.S. military operation dubbed Project Freedom, which aimed to forcibly open a protected corridor for commercial shipping through the strait. The operation lasted less than 48 hours: only two U.S.-flagged commercial vessels traversed the U.S.-guarded route, and the U.S. military sank six small Iranian boats it said threatened civilian shipping during the operation. Hundreds of commercial ships remain stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to exit to open waters without passing through the closed strait.

    Major global powers have begun positioning themselves to respond to the ongoing crisis. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that a French aircraft carrier strike group is moving toward the Red Sea to prepare for a potential joint Franco-British mission to restore maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow. China, which maintains close economic and political ties with Iran and holds unique influence in Tehran, has also stepped into the diplomatic fray. Ahead of a scheduled high-profile summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14-15, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Beijing to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. During the talks, Wang called for an immediate comprehensive ceasefire, noting that China is “deeply distressed” by the ongoing conflict. The Trump administration has publicly pressured Beijing to use its influence to push Iran to agree to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program, a core U.S. demand in the negotiations. Araghchi confirmed to Iranian state media that the talks covered all key sticking points, including the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear program, and ongoing U.S. sanctions.