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Army Sergeant Matthew Blank's wife was arrested by ICE as soon as he reported to his Louisiana base.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement released 22-year-old Annie Ramos, the wife of Army Sergeant Matthew Blank who was arrested on April 2 after Matthew reported to his military base days after his wedding. Ramos was brought to the US as a toddler from Honduras and she is undocumented but her Green Card application was in the process when she got arrested. A DHS spokesperson said Ramos will wear a GPS monitor while she's free and the government will continue the removal proceedings against her. Ramos is eligible for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and but the program remains halted for new applicants over legal hurdles. Ramos received a scholarship from TheDream.US, which helps undocumented youth pay for school. Undocumented immigrants who marry US citizens are eligible for a marriage-based Green Card. Relatives of soldiers are also eligible for other benefi..

AdvertisementUS-China relationsChinaDiplomacyHow can Beijing prepare for Trump’s ‘drunken boxing’ style before he meets Xi in China?As Trump loomed large in both Iran war and subsequent pause, analysts weigh the importance of rhetoric vs results in his talks with China
4-MIN READ4-MIN2 ListenShi JiangtaoPublished: 10:00pm, 9 Apr 2026Updated: 10:11pm, 9 Apr 2026A temporary but fragile ceasefire is in place after US President Donald Trump pulled back from the brink of a wider Iran war.For Beijing, as it prepares for Trump’s high-stakes visit planned for next month, the key question is what the Iran crisis reveals about Trump’s governing style, and whether it has left him emboldened or simply more unpredictable and volatile.The episode is the latest example of what Chinese observers call Trump’s “split” style: abrupt swings between conciliatory talk of deals and de-escalation; and aggressive threats to “obliterate” Iran or push the Islamic Republic “back to the Stone Ages”.

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AdvertisementBritainWorldEuropeUS$3 million Faberge egg heist at London pub ends in jail for thiefThe rare item remains missing as police continue their investigation, urging anyone with information to come forward
2-MIN READ2-MIN1 ListendpaPublished: 9:15pm, 9 Apr 2026A thief who swiped a handbag from a London pub containing a Faberge egg and watch set valued at up to £2.2 million (US$3 million) has been jailed for more than two years.
Enzo Conticello, 29, took the Givenchy handbag belonging to Rosie Dawson as she stood in the smoking area of the Dog and Duck pub in Bateman Street on November 7, 2024.
Inside the £1,600 bag was an emerald-encrusted Faberge egg and Faberge watch belonging to Dawson’s employers at the Craft Irish Whiskey Company, as well as a £1,500 Apple laptop, Apple AirPods, a £350 store voucher, keys, Dawson’s three bank cards, £200 worth of make-up, a Mulberry card holder worth £150 and £20 in cash.
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“I am lucky to be alive,” said Rohit Singh after a morning walk in Melbourne’s west turned into a violent racist attack involving elderly Indian-Australians.A group of around 12 seniors who regularly meet for walks, coffee and conversation at Sanctuary Lakes Shopping Centre in Point Cook were subjected to days of racial abuse before the situation became worse. According to Rohit Singh, whose father is part of the group, the harassment had been building over several days.He told The Australia Today that a woman had repeatedly approached the elderly walkers, hurling insults such as “go back to your country” and telling them they “don’t belong here”. The group initially tried to ignore the abuse.However, Singh said that the woman returned again and continued the verbal abuse. When he stepped in to defend his father and others, the confrontation turned physical.The woman threw a bag of rubbish at the group before getting into her car and driving towards them. Singh claims she deliberately ..

Over President Donald Trump's last threat of 'whole civilization will die', Trump aide Laura Loomer and Democrat Congressman Ro Khanna engaged in a sharp exchange of barbs as Laura Loomer defended the president's threat even when several major MAGA personalities called for the invocation of the 25th Amendment to remove the president. Loomer said “bombing Muslim terrorists in 100% America First” to which Ro Khanna asked Loomer about her spiritual renewal in India. “Do you really believe wiping out an entire civilization is consistent with American values? I thought you had a spiritual renewal in India and actually was going to reach out about that,” Khanna said. Khanna got called out as a “bad actor” by Laura Loomer who also termed Ro Khanna as dishonest. “You’re a bad actor and being dishonest. President Trump is referring to the Islamic regime of Iran when he talks about an “entire civilization”. Islamic Iran is not Persia. How are you a US Congressman and you don’..

AdvertisementChina consumptionEconomyChina EconomyXi Jinping backs services sector to power China’s next growth phaseBeijing is counting on services to rebalance growth as it faces economic headwinds and demographic challenges
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenFrank Chenin ShanghaiPublished: 9:30pm, 8 Apr 2026President Xi Jinping has signalled a renewed focus on China’s services sector, calling for a demand- and tech-led strategy to reshape growth and create jobs, as policymakers met to chart the path forward.
“The focus must be on demand-driven development and reforms as well as empowerment by technologies,” Xi said in a message to a two-day conference on the sector that concluded on Wednesday, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.
Highlighting the role of services in tackling some of China’s biggest challenges, Xi said the sector had grown in scale and quality in recent years, supporting upgrades and people’s livelihoods and stabilising employment.
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AdvertisementUS, Israel war on IranChinaDiplomacyWho is Asim Munir and why are Trump and Iran praising him?After stepping into the domestic spotlight last year, the Pakistani military chief is now emerging as a player in world affairs
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenOrange WangandVanessa Caiin ShanghaiPublished: 9:18pm, 8 Apr 2026Updated: 9:53pm, 8 Apr 2026As the United States and Iran agree to a two-week ceasefire, Pakistan’s strongman military chief is emerging as a major diplomatic player on the international stage.When announcing the truce, both US President Donald Trump and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed appreciation for the diplomatic efforts of Asim Munir.Munir, who last year became Pakistan’s first ever chief of defence forces, is widely seen as the most powerful man in the country.
AdvertisementAccording to one prominent Chinese analyst, Munir’s close ties with Trump gave him a unique advantage in de-escalating a conflict that has threatened to shake the global econom..

Kharg island
US-Israel targeted Kharg Island in a fresh wave of attacks on Tuesday, striking Iran’s key oil export hub as the conflict intensifies. Multiple explosions were reported on the island, with US officials indicating that military targets were hit, even as the strikes came just hours ahead of a deadline set by Donald Trump for Tehran to meet his demands or face broader action.The development marks a significant escalation in the ongoing confrontation involving Iran, the United States and Israel, with critical infrastructure increasingly coming under direct threat. Several key bridges were also targeted in the latest strikes.Why Kharg Island mattersLocated in the Persian Gulf, Kharg Island is the backbone of Iran’s oil export system, handling nearly 90 per cent of the country’s crude shipments. Oil is transported from mainland fields through pipelines and stored in large tank farms before being loaded onto very large tankers at the island’s deep-water jetties, an advantage Ira..

A Florida man who sold his home over a year ago was left stunned after discovering he was still being charged hundreds of dollars each month for insurance on the property.Eugene Boykins Jr., a resident of South Florida, continued paying around $600 a month in home insurance premiums for more than a year after selling his house in Miami Gardens. Despite informing his insurer at the time of the sale, the charges continued and cost him thousands of dollars.Boykins had lived in the house for three decades and said the property held deep personal meaning. “I raised my children there. My wife died in it … Great memories.” However, rising costs forced him to sell and move into a rental property on a fixed income. “I downsized plus the mortgage was getting so high. So I sold it,” he said.Although he moved on, the financial link to his old house remained. “I sold the house 13 months ago and I’m still paying insurance on it,” he said. He added: “I mean it’s just like me throwing my money up in t..

AdvertisementUS-EU relationsChinaDiplomacy‘Paper tiger’: what’s behind Donald Trump’s renewed Greenland threat?Europe is likely to stay neutral in the Iran war and could even benefit if America fares poorly in its military campaign, analyst says
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenFan ChenPublished: 10:00pm, 7 Apr 2026US President Donald Trump’s renewed threat to take Greenland when America is bogged down in a war with Iran will only deepen the fracture with Washington’s European allies, according to analysts.Trump has repeatedly criticised Europe since returning to the White House. He has derided Nato as a “paper tiger” that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not afraid of” and last week threatened to withdraw the US from the transatlantic security alliance.Europe, meanwhile, has pushed back and kept a distance from Trump as the US-Israel war on Iran continues in its sixth week, having plunged the world into an energy crisis and leaving European countries among the hardest hit.AdvertisementAccord..