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Agreement comes after Wellington halted millions in aid to its former colony after Cook Islands formed strategic partnership with Beijing New Zealand and the Cook Islands have signed a defence and security declaration, ending a year-long diplomatic row that erupted after the Cook Islands struck strategic agreements with China.The Cook Islands was a dependent New Zealand colony from 1901-65 but has since operated as a self-governing nation in “free association” with New Zealand. Its roughly 17,000 citizens hold New Zealand citizenship. There are obligations between the two nations to regularly consult on matters of defence and security. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump gave NATO allies a stark ultimatum during his national address on Wednesday night. The speech was the first address Trump has given since the war in Iran started about five weeks ago. Trump addressed the progress of the war and claimed the U.S. is "nearing completion" of its objectives. He also told NATO allies that they have two choices to make when it comes to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that Iran has effectively shut down in retaliation for the continued bombing strikes. European countries account for roughly 4% of the oil imports and 10% of liquified natural gas imports that pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to data from the International Energy Agency. "The United States does not import any oil through the Hormuz Strait, and we won't be taking any in the future," Trump said. "We don't need it. We have completely decimated Iran, both militarily and economically, and every other way.""The countries that do receive oil through the Strait must take care of that passage; they must cherish it," he continued. "They must grab it and cherish it. They can do it easily. We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in defending the oil that they so desperately depend on.""So, to those countries who refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran - we had to do it ourselves - I have a suggestion: number one, buy oil from the United States. We have plenty. We have so much. And number two, build up some delayed courage ... and take it, protect it, and use it for yourselves."

MAGA influencer and former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon anticipated what President Donald Trump will announce during his address to the nation on Wednesday night. Trump was slated to speak to the American public at 9 p.m. ET about important updates related to the war in Iran, which has reached its fifth week since the United States and Israel began launching military strikes, according to Politico. Bannon expected that Trump would make the case that the U.S. has been victorious, describe the military achievements and what comes next before American troops leave the region. One of the largest issues Trump has faced amid the military conflict has been the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman where approximately one-third of the world's seaborne oil passes, making it one of the most strategically important maritime chokepoints globally. Bannon also said Trump would blame NATO allies for reopening shipping traffic in the region.According to Bannon, the president would talk about "dumping on the NATO allies – it’s their issue."“Two, three weeks, definable objectives. ‘I came, I saw, I conquered’ — and we are hanging around a couple of weeks to conquer some more — maybe even then a ceasefire, while reiterating that the Hormuz situation is the Gulf Emirates’ and the Europeans’ to solve, and declare victory,” Bannon said.

President Donald Trump's off-the-cuff statements about the Iran war have sowed confusion among foreign leaders and financial markets, and within his own administration.Some of the 79-year-old president's aides and allies confirmed to Axios that Trump has been improvising his plan for the war, saying he likes to keep his options open and spitball ideas for the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation with various audiences, and they said he has vacillated between a major escalation and a swift resolution."Nobody knows in the end what he's really thinking," said one senior adviser."They had a plan for the first week and since then, they are making the plan up as they go along," added a former U.S. official.Some administration officials and outside allies argue the ambiguity is intentional. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who recently spoke with Trump, told Axios: "That's the plan — for you to not have a clue." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed this sentiment, stating the objective is to remain "unpredictable." An unnamed official characterized the strategy as "12-dimensional" chess, claiming Trump deliberately contradicts himself to obscure his intentions.Current signals suggest Trump may be preparing to withdraw and declare victory within two to three weeks. He has repeatedly discussed U.S. success and potential exit scenarios. However, his private conversations increasingly focus on hawkish advisers like Graham and conservative commentator Mark Levin rather than those cautioning against escalation.The contradictions are apparent in simultaneous actions: Trump discusses exit strategies while simultaneously massing additional forces in the region, including potential invasion capabilities. Officials speculate that if an April 6 deadline passes without a negotiated settlement, Trump may authorize heavy bombing of Iranian infrastructure and nuclear facilities before withdrawing.Regional allies like Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates worry about leaving Iran weakened but unbowed."The Saudis sound like Mark Levin," one Trump adviser said. "They want the U.S. to finish the job by wiping Iran off the globe now. We don't want to."Additional complications include unresolved challenges regarding the Strait of Hormuz and potential ongoing "mowing the grass" operations — periodic strikes conducted after major combat concludes."The president said early on we might have to come back," another administration official said, "and we might have to. If we have to mow the lawn again, the grass won't be nearly as tall next time."Trump is scheduled to address the nation on Iran Wednesday evening, potentially offering the clarity his own advisers and international partners desperately seek.

Donald Trump has suggested he has no interest in continuing with NATO and may even pull the United States out of the intergovernmental organization. The president has done much to anger the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's members this year, strongly implying he would take Greenland by force if necessary. His administration's strikes on Iran last month marked another contentious point for the president and his relationship with NATO, as he called on member nations to back the war. Speaking to The Telegraph, Trump said, “Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way."Trump went on to use the war in Ukraine as an example of where he felt the US had been let down by NATO members and other governments. Trump added, "Beyond not being there, it was actually hard to believe. And I didn’t do a big sale. I just said, ‘Hey’, you know, I didn’t insist too much. I just think it should be automatic."We’ve been there automatically, including Ukraine. Ukraine wasn’t our problem. It was a test, and we were there for them, and we would always have been there for them. They weren’t there for us."The president's comments on NATO follow on from Secretary of State Marco Rubio denouncing the intergovernmental organization. In an interview with Hashem Ahelbarra of Al Jazeera, the Donald Trump appointee criticized the NATO alliance for not backing the US war on Iran, and then stated, “I think it was very disappointing. You have this – and again, look, the President and our country will have to reexamine all of this after this operation is over.""But one of the reasons why NATO is beneficial to the United States is it gives us basing rights for contingencies. It allows us to station troops and aircraft and weapons in parts of the world that we wouldn’t normally have bases, and that includes in much of Europe.”

Three world leaders have or will be addressing the nation on Wednesday regarding the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, news of which sparked an immediate online frenzy of speculation and fear.“Uh oh,” wrote progressive influencer Hasan Piker Wednesday in a social media post on X to their more than 1.6 million followers.“Uhhhhh guys. What's going on?” wrote another in response to the news, X user “Elections Joe,” a political commentator with more than 20,000 followers.Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in a “rare national address,” urged Australians early Wednesday morning to switch to public transport and to prepare for difficult times as a result of the ongoing Iran conflict, which has sent oil prices soaring. United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivered a similar address Wednesday, warning Britons of an impending “crisis.”And the White House revealed on Tuesday that President Donald Trump would be addressing the nation Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET to provide “an important update” on his administration’s war against Iran.“This seems coordinated,” wrote academic and author Sunny Singh in a social media post on X, reacting to the news of three world leaders issuing major addresses on the same day.“This reminds me of March, 2020,” wrote Aidan Simardone, a Canadian immigration lawyer, in a social media post on X, referencing the brief time period leading up to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.And X user “Rational Aussie,” a popular political commentator who’s amassed more than 33,000 followers, speculated that the multi-national address could be an effort to “get ahead of incredibly bad news that will follow shortly.”uh oh https://t.co/P3eMQHikCu— hasanabi (@hasanthehun) April 1, 2026

South Korea will delay the shutdown of coal-fired plants, while the Philippines also plans to boost the output of its coal-burning plantsGovernments across Asia are ramping up their use of coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, as they try to cover huge energy shortfalls triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran.The move has triggered warnings from climate experts who point to coal’s devastating environmental impact, and say the energy crisis should be a wake up call for governments to invest in renewables, which can offer a more stable supply that is not exposed to price shocks. Continue reading...