
Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has accused the US of "fabricating a new war", after it ordered the world's largest warship to be sent to the Caribbean.
The USS Gerald R Ford can carry up to 90 aircraft and its deployment marks a massive increase in US firepower in the region.
The first car I ever drove was my parents’ red and white EH Holden station wagon in which I started to learn to drive, with my father partly terrified in the front passenger’s seat. It had a radio which, when I could, was mostly tuned to whichever AM radio station played the music I liked (Beatles, Rolling Stones, and suchlike). My first car was a white second hand Mazda 1300 with whitewall tyres and rust in the bottom of all the doors. It had a very tinny radio (worse than that in the EH) but no cassette player.

In Asian media this week: Trump says he spoke to Modi but India denies call took place. Plus: Japan’s new coalition a shift to the right; Timor Leste finally gets seat at regional table; Life worse than death on Myanmar scam farm; Prabowo – control, populism and diminished accountability; Sri Lanka suffers from world’s worst plastics spill.

Ukraine’s European backers made no official statements on granting Kiev access to long-range weaponry following a meeting in London on Friday.
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Dutch and Danish counterparts Dick Schoof and Mette Frederiksen attended the meeting devoted to additional military support for Kiev.
The Albanese government launched its 5% deposit scheme for first-home buyers at the start of the month. The First Home Guarantee scheme allows an uncapped number of first-home buyers to purchase a home using only a 5% deposit, provided they do not exceed the generous price caps illustrated in the following table. For every home
International Reading: The Mother of All Corruption: Is $300 Million the Largest Bribe In Human History ?: White House releases donor list for Trump ballroom amid East Wing demolition – The Hill White House ballroom update: Trump raises price by $100 million – News Week Beyond Meat is falling back to earth after rallying 1,300%

US President Donald Trump has announced the suspension of all trade talks with Canada, accusing Ottawa of distributing fake ads against tariffs.
"Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs … Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED," Trump said on Truth Social on Thursday.
Risk markets are again pivoting on more tantrums from the Oval Office as the Trump regime lashes out at Canada and Venezuela via the usual online 12-year old boy tantrums from the Mango Mussolini. Asian share markets brushed off the histrionics and are seeing strong bids to finish the trading week but all eyes will
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