POLITICS & POLICY

The United States and China slashed sweeping tariffs on each others' goods for 90 days on Wednesday, after a temporary ceasefire in a brutal trade war that roiled global markets and international supply chains.

According to analyst Hayley Channer, while Australian businesses, which is China-reliant, could manage around fixed import taxes, the deeper concern is the persistent uncertainty about Trump's next move. "That uncertainty is worse than the 10% tariff," he said.

Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" powers into the Cannes film festival for its premiere on Wednesday on a steamroller of hype, with the world asking if this will be the final curtain for agent Ethan Hunt.

Ko Min said he found his son and daughter's bodies in the ruins of a schoolhouse in central Myanmar, moments after a deadly air strike that witnesses said came as a military jet circled the village.

Tributes poured in from across Latin America on Tuesday following the death of Uruguay's former president Jose "Pepe" Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics.

Sean "Diddy" Combs's former partner Casandra Ventura told jurors at the music mogul's sex trafficking trial Tuesday how he subjected her to "disgusting" marathon group sex sessions.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would lift sanctions on Syria to offer it a chance for "greatness" after Bashar al-Assad's fall, as he cast himself as a peacemaker in the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military will enter Gaza "with full force" in the coming days, despite ongoing ceasefire efforts and the release of a US-Israeli hostage from the war-ravaged territory.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky urged Donald Trump to help secure a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday, accusing the Russian leader of not seriously wanting to negotiate an end to the war.

A Paris court on Tuesday handed French cinema icon Gerard Depardieu an 18-month suspended sentence after convicting him of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021.

Economic growth in Central Europe and the Balkans is expected to be strained this year by US President Donald Trump's tariff policies, Europe's development bank forecast Tuesday.

Ukraine said Tuesday that if Vladimir Putin skips talks in Turkey it would be a "clear sign" to the world the Russian leader is not serious about peace, and the West should reply with boosted military support to Kyiv.

"Like every other fund, we are questioning our exposure to the U.S. It would be fair to say that we've hit peak exposure and will be reducing over time," said John Pearce, chief investment officer of UniSuper, said.

Wang Dong hasn't worked for months and doesn't plan to, whiling away his days at a lakeside town as one of a growing number of young Chinese "retiring" in the countryside.

More than 350 figures from the cinema world including Hollywood stars Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon condemned "genocide" in Gaza in an open letter published Monday on the eve of the Cannes Festival.

Millions of Filipinos braved long lines and soaring temperatures Monday to vote in a mid-term election largely defined by the explosive feud between President Ferdinand Marcos and impeached Vice President Sara Duterte.

Donald Trump on Sunday defended plans to receive a new Air Force One as a gift, after reports he will accept a luxury Boeing jet from Qatar despite strict rules on presents for US presidents.

Pope Leo XIV called Monday for the release of jailed journalists and urged reporters against using words that fan hatred, as Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky invited him to the war-torn country.

Deep in the bowels of the UN headquarters, a pump sucks in huge amounts of water from the East River to help cool the complex with an old but energy-efficient mechanism.

Hamas said it would release a US-Israeli hostage held in Gaza as the group revealed it was engaged in direct talks with the United States towards a ceasefire in the war-battered territory.

The glitz and glamour of the Cannes film festival returns to the French Riviera on Tuesday.

Newcastle took a huge step towards qualifying for the Champions League with a vital 2-0 victory over top-five rivals Chelsea, while Arsenal fought back from two goals down to rescue a valuable 2-2 draw against Liverpool on Sunday.

Albanians were voting Sunday to decide whether to give Prime Minister Edi Rama a fourth term or side with his longstanding rival in an election seen as crucial for the country's European Union ambitions.

Iran and the United States wrapped up nuclear talks in Oman on Sunday with no apparent breakthrough in a public standoff over enrichment, but with both sides confirming plans for future negotiations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said that Kyiv would meet with Moscow for talks in Istanbul on May 15 but said that Russia must first commit to a 30-day ceasefire starting on Monday.

Pope Leo XIV will lead the Regina Coeli prayer from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica on Sunday, in his second official public appearance since becoming the leader of the Catholic Church.

Biliana, an international student at New York's Columbia University, is studying for exams but fears being arrested by immigration police.

Leo XIV visited an Augustinian sanctuary near Rome Saturday in his first outing since being made pope, after telling cardinals he intended to follow his predecessor's path as pontiff, praising Francis's "complete dedication to service".

Pakistan has warned it will "not de-escalate" a spiralling conflict with India, and blamed New Delhi for bringing the two nuclear-armed neighbours closer to a full-blown war, with the death toll from days of violence crossing 50.