INTERNATIONAL

The four Arab nations leading a boycott of Qatar are no longer insisting it comply with a list of 13 specific demands they tabled last month. Diplomats from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt told reporters at the UN they now wanted it to accept six broad principles. These include commitments to combat terrorism and extremism and ...

The head of the French armed forces has quit after a clash with President Emmanuel Macron over budget cuts. Gen Pierre de Villiers said in a statement he could no longer “guarantee the durability of the army model” that he considered necessary to ensure France’s protection. France’s government last week revealed major cuts to bring its budget deficit below the ...

Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull has said he will seek answers from US authorities over the “inexplicable” death of a woman shot by a policeman. Justine Damond, originally from Sydney, was killed in Minneapolis after calling police to report a possible crime. The incident is under investigation by US authorities, who say they cannot compel the officer to give a statement. ...

US President Donald Trump met Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin at a second, previously undisclosed meeting at this month’s G20, it has emerged. They held talks after a formal sit down but the White House has not revealed details of what they discussed. President Trump dismissed suggestions of a “secret dinner” as “fake news”. The two leaders’ relationship is under intense ...

President Donald Trump has said the new Republican healthcare policy should be to allow the current law to collapse. “As I have always said, let ObamaCare fail and then come together and do a great healthcare plan. Stay tuned!” he tweeted. Support for the Republican Senate bill fell apart on Monday when two more senators said they could not back ...

The president of the Spanish Football Federation and his son have been held as part of a corruption investigation, police in Spain say. Angel María Villar Llona was arrested on suspicion of embezzling funds, El Pais and Efe news agency reported. Mr Villar, a former Spain international footballer, has been president of the association since 1988. His son Gorka was ...

The “heartbroken” American fiancé of an Australian shot dead by a US police officer has said they have received almost no information from officials. Don Damond said his wife-to-be, Justine Damond, was gunned down after calling police to report a possible sexual assault in their quiet neighbourhood. He said they were “desperate” to find out how Saturday’s shooting in Minneapolis, ...

Two more Republican senators say they oppose their party’s replacement for President Obama’s health reforms, leaving leaders short of a majority. Mike Lee and Jerry Moran both announced they could not support the bill in its current form. Republicans hold 52 seats in the 100-member Senate, and with two other Republicans already against the bill they could not afford more ...

The United Arab Emirates has denied it was behind the alleged hacking of Qatar’s state news agency in May. The Washington Post cited US intelligence officials as saying the UAE had orchestrated the posting of incendiary quotes attributed to Qatar’s emir that he insisted were fabricated. The incident helped spark a diplomatic rift between Qatar and its neighbours. Qatar said ...

Russia is pressing demands that the US give it access to two diplomatic compounds seized in the US last year. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was unacceptable to set preconditions for returning the properties. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the move as “daylight robbery”. In December the US expelled 35 Russian diplomats and shut the compounds over suspicions of ...