US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that Australia and several other countries would participate in a meeting of G7 finance ministers he is hosting in Washington on Monday to discuss critical minerals. Bessent noted that he had been advocating for a dedicated meeting on this topic since last summer’s G7 leaders’ summit, and finance ministers had already held a virtual discussion in December.

India has also been invited, Bessent told Reuters during a visit to a Winnebago Industries engineering lab near Minneapolis, though he was unsure whether India had accepted. The other invited countries have not been disclosed. The G7 comprises the US, UK, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and the European Union. Many members rely heavily on China for rare earth supplies. Last June, the group agreed on an action plan to secure supply chains and strengthen their economies.

Australia signed a US-backed agreement in October to counter China’s dominance in critical minerals. This includes an $8.5 billion project pipeline and leverages Australia’s proposed strategic reserve to supply metals like rare earths and lithium, which are vulnerable to disruption. Canberra has said Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore have shown interest in participating.

China remains the dominant player in the critical minerals supply chain, refining 47% to 87% of copper, lithium, cobalt, graphite, and rare earths, according to the International Energy Agency. These minerals are essential for defense technologies, semiconductors, renewable energy components, batteries, and refining processes.

In recent years, Western countries have sought to reduce dependence on Chinese critical minerals, particularly after China imposed strict export controls on rare earths. Monday’s meeting follows reports that China recently restricted exports of rare earths and powerful magnets to Japanese firms and banned dual-use items to the Japanese military. Bessent added that China is still honoring its commitments to purchase US soybeans and supply critical minerals to US companies.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from Business Standard.

A serious health issue involving one of the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has forced Nasa to bring the affected astronaut and three fellow crew members back to Earth several months ahead of schedule, marking the first emergency return in the ISS’s 25-year history, according to senior agency officials.

Speaking at a hastily arranged press conference in Washington on Thursday (Jan 8), Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman explained that the decision was made because the necessary medical diagnosis and treatment could not be properly carried out in space. He declined to identify the astronaut or reveal the nature of the condition.

Nasa officials also withheld which of the four Crew-11 astronauts was affected, citing medical privacy. James Polk, Nasa’s Chief Health and Medical Officer, emphasized that the condition was not related to any operational activity, meaning it did not occur while the astronaut was working. The agency had already cancelled a planned spacewalk scheduled for Thursday after flagging a medical concern on Wednesday, later announcing that it was considering ending the astronaut’s mission early.

The crew consists of Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke from the United States, Kimiya Yui of Japan, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. They launched from Florida in August and were originally expected to return in May. Fincke, the station’s commander, and Cardman, the flight engineer, had been preparing for a 6.5-hour spacewalk to install equipment outside the station.

Medical matters aboard the ISS are typically treated with strict confidentiality, and astronauts rarely discuss such issues publicly. Spacewalks themselves are demanding and hazardous operations that require extensive preparation, bulky protective suits, and precisely coordinated procedures while astronauts remain tethered to the station. Nasa has previously cancelled spacewalks for health reasons, including one in 2024 due to spacesuit discomfort and another in 2021 when astronaut Mark Vande Hei withdrew because of a pinched nerve.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.

Major General Amir Hatami, Chief of the Iranian Army, responded to what Tehran perceives as hostile statements from abroad, particularly U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning that the United States is “locked and loaded” to act if Iranian forces violently suppress civilian protesters. Speaking to military academy students, Hatami framed such remarks as a direct threat to Iran’s national security, according to Fox News. He stated that the “intensification of such rhetoric against the Iranian nation… will not be left without a response,” highlighting that Iran’s military is now better prepared than in previous conflicts. “If the enemy makes a mistake, it will face a decisive response, and we will strike any aggressor,” he said, as reported by Fox News.

Hatami’s warning comes amid widespread domestic unrest fueled by economic difficulties, inflation, and public dissatisfaction with government policies, with protests spreading across much of Iran. Authorities have introduced limited economic measures, including new subsidies, but unrest has continued for over a week. Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, wrote to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council, calling for condemnation of what he described as Trump’s “unlawful threats” against Tehran.

Additionally, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, cautioned that U.S. interference could lead to “chaos across the entire region and the destruction of American interests.” International concern is growing, with Australia advising its citizens to leave Iran immediately due to the heightened risk of escalation from both internal unrest and external threats, according to Fox News. Trump’s earlier statements on Truth Social, warning of U.S. intervention if Iranian forces harmed peaceful protesters, appear to have prompted Hatami’s remarks.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.

Federal prosecutors said on Tuesday (Jan 6) that they had released transcripts of video recordings in which the man responsible for last month’s deadly shooting at Brown University acknowledged planning the attack months in advance before later taking his own life. According to prosecutors, four videos made by the suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, were discovered inside a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire. Valente was found dead there on Dec 18 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, bringing an end to a six-day manhunt.

Valente, 48, a Portuguese national and former Brown University doctoral student in physics, entered an engineering building on the campus on Dec 13 and opened fire with a handgun, killing two students and wounding nine others, police said. After fleeing the scene in Providence, Rhode Island, authorities determined that he later killed an MIT physics professor at the professor’s home near Boston in a separate attack.

Investigators revealed that Valente and the slain MIT professor, Nuno Loureiro, had been classmates years earlier in Lisbon, though a motive for either shooting has not yet been established. The newly released transcripts, obtained by the FBI from an electronic device and translated from Portuguese, are the first statements attributed to Valente since his death. While they confirm long-term planning of the Brown University shooting, they provide little additional insight into the reasons behind the violence.

In the recordings, which prosecutors described as disorganized and rambling, Valente said he had been planning the attack for more than six academic semesters. He spoke vaguely about events without directly mentioning firing a weapon or killing anyone and offered no explanation for what led to the violence. He expressed no remorse, stating that he did not regret his actions and refused to apologize, citing grievances he felt were never acknowledged during his life. Prosecutors said the investigation has found no indication of any ongoing public safety threat connected to the shootings, though efforts to determine Valente’s motive are continuing.
Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.

Protests have erupted nationwide following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during the Trump administration’s most recent immigration enforcement campaign. Footage of the shooting of Minnesota resident Renee Nicole Good has circulated widely on social media, triggering demonstrations and candlelight vigils. Lucy Hough discusses the incident with Oliver Laughland, the Guardian US southern bureau chief.
Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from The Guardian

Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was controversially taken into custody by US special forces and appeared in a Manhattan courtroom. The arrest followed months of US pressure on Maduro, including strikes against “narco-boats” and oil tanker blockades. Donald Trump has since asserted that the US plans to “take over” Venezuela—but how exactly would that happen?
Disclaimer: This Podcast is taken from The Guardian.

Jonathan Freedland and the Politics Weekly America team are on a break this week, so we’re revisiting a special summer series focused on the Trump family and the question of whether the president intends to hand over the political reins when his term ends. In the first episode, author Gwenda Blair along with reporters Rosie Gray and Ashley Parker introduce the family members who played key roles in Donald Trump’s rise to the White House and his tenure in office.

Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from The Guardian.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen, and Philippe Auclair to discuss the major stories from European football as winter breaks get underway. Listeners can rate, review, and share the podcast on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast, and Stitcher, or join the conversation via email. In today’s episode, Raúl Jiménez maintained his perfect penalty record to help Fulham secure all three points against Nottingham Forest at Craven Cottage, concluding the Premier League’s long weekend. The podcast also provides updates from Europe’s top leagues, including Xabi Alonso’s continued tenure at Real Madrid, the tight race at the top in Italy, and the surprising team leading Ligue 1 at Christmas—who isn’t PSG. Additionally, the hosts cover the latest from AFCON and answer listener questions. Support for The Guardian is welcome, and Football Weekly is also available on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from The Guardian