US President Donald Trump has officially launched a new immigration pathway for wealthy foreigners, dubbed the "gold card", offering a route to permanent residency in exchange for a $5 million payment to the government.

The long-discussed program was unveiled on Wednesday through a new government-backed website, trumpcard.gov, where interested individuals can now register their details to join the waiting list.

"For five million $dollars, the Trump card is coming," the US President declared in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

"Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up to ride a beautiful road in gaining access to the Greatest Country and Market anywhere in the World," he added.

An Australian man is facing life in prison after being charged by federal authorities over his alleged involvement in a US drug trafficking operation.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF) said on Thursday that the 38-year-old man from Sydney has been charged with five offences relating to his alleged involvement in the US operation that imported 48 kg of illicit drugs into Australia.

The man was arrested on Tuesday following an investigation that began in December 2023 after ABF officers intercepted 24 separate consignments from the US containing illicit drugs over a three-month span, reports news agency.

A total of 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen killed in the conflict with Russia have returned home, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said Wednesday.

The repatriation of the deceased was made possible with the help of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other agencies, said the statement.

The agency also expressed gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross for its support in facilitating the return of the bodies, news agency reported.

The return is part of a deal made during the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey's Istanbul on June 2. Under the agreement, the first stage of the prisoner swap was carried out on Monday.

A limited curfew will come into effect from Tuesday in several areas of downtown Los Angeles, California, following several nights of unrest triggered by the Trump administration's immigration raids.

The announcement was made by Mayor Karen Bass, who said the city had witnessed escalating violence, arson, and looting in the wake of federal enforcement actions.

The curfew will be enforced from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and may continue for several days. However, Mayor Bass clarified that residents and people working in the area will be exempt.

She said the decision was made in light of mounting tensions and the need to prevent further disorder.

Masked looters targeted several businesses, including an Apple Store, where they smashed windows and made away with electronic products. They also defaced the building with graffiti.

Israel attacked Yemen's Red Sea ports in Hodeidah province on Tuesday morning, targeting facilities and docks, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV and residents said.

No casualties were reported yet as the Houthi rebel group, which controls much of northern Yemen, rarely discloses its losses.

The strikes came hours after the Israeli army issued advanced warnings, urging residents in three ports of Hodeidah province -- which includes the Hodeidah port city, the Ras Isa fuel port, and the As-Salif port -- to leave before the Israeli military conducts strikes, according to Israeli official media.

Russia's air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 102 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles overnight, the country's Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday via its official Telegram channel.

According to the ministry, the drones were neutralised between 9:50 p.m. Moscow time on Monday and 5:50 a.m. on Tuesday, across several regions in western and central Russia.

Forty-six unmanned vehicles were downed over Bryansk Oblast, 20 over Belgorod Oblast, nine each over Voronezh Oblast and Crimea, four each over Kaluga Oblast and the Republic of Tatarstan, three over Moscow Oblast, two each over Leningrad, Oryol, and Kursk Oblasts, and one over Smolensk Oblast, said the ministry, news agency reported.

Ukraine's overnight drone strikes have forced a temporary suspension of flights in all airports serving Moscow and the country's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, but caused no damage, Russian officials reported on Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a long-term strategy for the development of the Russian Navy through 2050, said presidential aide Nikolai Patrushev in an interview published on Monday.

"In this strategy, the Navy's current condition and capabilities have been assessed in light of operational experience gained during the special military operation," Patrushev, who is also the chairman of the Maritime Board, was quoted by Russian news outlet Arguments and Facts as saying.

He emphasised that a powerful and modern navy cannot be developed without a long-term understanding of the global maritime environment, the evolution of military threats, and clearly defined national goals, news agency reported.

The document, which Putin approved on May 30, includes an analysis of the international military-political situation, potential scenarios for armed conflicts, and the naval capabilities of major powers. It sets forth strategic objectives for Russia's naval forces in both peacetime and wartime, as well as key parameters for the fleet's future composition and modernisation.

Four members of Japan Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) were injured after an explosion occurred Monday near the US military's Kadena Air Base in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, the Japanese media reported.

The defence personnel were working at a depot, local and Defence Ministry officials said. At around 11:20 am local time, the fire department received reports about the explosion at the SDF-managed facility when the SDF personnel were preparing to carry out bomb disposal operations.

"The ministry officials said there was an unidentified explosion while SDF personnel were preparing for bomb disposal operations, causing those in close proximity to suffer finger lacerations and possible hearing damage. The explosion appears to have occurred at an SDF storage facility for unexploded bombs in the ammunition depot area of the base, a Defense Ministry source said," Japan's News reported.

The Seoul High Court said on Monday it has again postponed South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's retrial on election law violation charges.

The court said the first hearing scheduled for June 18 was postponed to an undetermined future date in accordance with Article 84 of the Constitution, which exempts a sitting president from criminal prosecution except in the case of insurrection or treason.

Lee was elected president on June 3 after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over his botched imposition of martial law in December.

Israeli naval commandos intercepted the British-flagged humanitarian yacht Madleen, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), as it attempted to breach Israel’s long-standing naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Among those aboard were renowned climate activist Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

In a series of posts on X, Hassan stated that Israeli forces boarded the vessel around 2 a.m. while it was sailing in international waters.

"The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2 a.m. Actions are coming -- stay tuned," she wrote on X.

One photo shared by Hassan showed individuals wearing life jackets, seated with their hands raised, suggesting they were detained.

The FFC confirmed via Telegram that all communication with Madleen had been lost and accused Israeli forces of "kidnapping" the activists.