Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte was &abducted& before being taken to The Hague to face murder allegations and is too ill to give evidence, his lawyer told International Criminal Court judges at his initial appearance yesterday.

The United States drew closer to its G7 allies yesterday, at least momentarily, to back Ukraine&s territorial integrity and warn Russia to follow Kyiv in accepting a ceasefire or face possible further sanctions.

Ex-central banker Mark Carney was sworn in as prime minister of Canada yesterday and immediately said he could work with US president Donald Trump, who is promising tariffs that could devastate the Canadian economy.

US president Donald Trump urged Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to spare Ukrainian troops that Russia is pushing out of its Kursk region & an appeal Putin said he would honour if they surrendered.