Articles from ‘Independent News Roundup’ in ‘World News’

RT gets exclusive access to the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran makes its control of the waterway official with clear boundaries overseen by the Persian Gulf Waterway Management. · Russia and Belarus conduct joint military exercises involving the countries' tactical nuclear forces. That's as the Belarusian Foreign Ministry summons the Lithuanian ambassador over recent airspace violations by Ukrainian drones. · A video of far-right Israeli Security…

The existential crisis that recently engulfed the British Labour Party has intensified over the past week, and it is now clear that the party is facing political extinction. By Graham Hryce, an Australian journalist and former media lawyer, whose work has been published in The Australian, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age, the Sunday Mail, the Spectator and Quadrant. · Two weeks ago, British voters showed their contempt for Labour, after…

Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson has called for the United States to immediately end all aid and special arrangements with Israel, arguing that Washington's relationship with the country is damaging America's international standing. The comments were made during an interview with Israeli Channel 13. · Carlson said: · "I think we should stop all aid to Israel, all special deals for Israel. Tomorrow." · He also argued that the United…

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has summoned Israel’s ambassador in Rome after condemning the treatment of pro-Palestinian activists detained during Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. In a sharply worded statement on Wednesday, Meloni described footage showing Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting the detainees as “unacceptable.” · "It is inadmissible that these demonstrators, including many Italian…

Former Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller has accused senior European Union figures of causing what he described as “unimaginable damage” to the European project, directing criticism at European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Miller, who oversaw Poland's accession to the European Union in 2004, made the remarks following a ceremony in Strasbourg where Merkel received the newly created…

President Donald Trump and pro-Israel groups have helped unseat Representative Thomas Massie, a hardline conservative who broke with the president over Israel, Iran, and the Epstein files, in what became the most expensive US House primary in history. Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL and farmer who previously ran unsuccessfully for the Kentucky state Senate in 2024, defeated Massie after pro-Israel groups poured more than $10 million into…

President Putin and Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, sign a series of bilateral documents, including an objection to 'forcing sovereign states to renounce neutrality', adding that hegemony must be eliminated. · Despite outside pressures the links between Russia and China are strong and the two countries are working hand in hand to counter global coercion. An Iranian MP lashes out at what he calls Donald Trump’s ‘unbalanced character’, saying the US…

On May 12, 2026, Russia carried out the second successful launch of its newest heavy liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile, the Sarmat. The launch marked another major milestone in the flight-testing program for Russia’s next-generation strategic missile system. Following the test, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the first regiment equipped with Sarmat ICBMs would officially enter combat duty by the end of 2026. By…

The Russian ruble has become the world’s best-performing currency against the US dollar in the second quarter of 2026, boosted by a surge in oil revenues, Bloomberg has reported. Data compiled by the outlet showed the ruble had climbed about 12% since the start of April to around 72.6 per dollar, its strongest level since February 2023. · For a second straight year, the currency has diverged from official and market forecasts that predicted…

Drone chaos grips the Baltics. Latvia is on high alert while a Ukrainian UAV is shot down over its neighbor, Estonia. · It comes as Moscow intelligence reveals that Kiev is planning to use those territories to launch attacks on Russia. 'Our people should grow closer' - President Vladimir Putin addresses the Chinese people shortly before touching down for his state visit to China and meetings with president Xi Jinping. · Four people killed…