‘Bloodiest day’: How Gen-Z protest wave hit India’s Ladakh, killing four
Protesters, until now peaceful, have been demanding statehood and special protections for the region bordering China.
Low birthrates in England could lead to ‘closure of 800 primary schools by 2029’
Primary pupil numbers could fall by 4% over next five years leading to reduction of 162,000 pupils, study finds
Declining numbers of children across England could lead to the equivalent of 800 primary schools falling empty or being closed by the end of the decade, according to research by a thinktank.
The national decline in pupils at state primary schools is mainly driven by low birthrates but is magnified in London by increasing numbers of people moving out of the capital or leaving the state system to move abroad or send their children to private schools, according to the Education Policy Institute.
Continue reading...Social media and weight loss drugs drive UK rise in facelifts in men and people in their 40s
Number of procedures on men up by 26% as experts say cosmetic surgery has become normalised despite risks
Growing numbers of men and younger people are getting facelifts, a trend driven by social media, advances in surgical techniques and the rise of weight loss drugs.
Figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps) show facelifts are on the rise in the UK. In 2024 there were 1,882 procedures, up 8% from the previous year. Women accounted for the majority, with numbers rising by 7% to 1,742. But the steepest increase came from men: procedures grew by 26%, from 111 in 2023 to 140 in 2024.
Continue reading...Generational change or gender breakthrough, whoever Japan’s next PM is will have a mountain to climb
Two candidates have emerged as favourites to lead Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, ahead of the party vote next week
The next leader of Japan’s ruling party will either be the country’s first female prime minister or its youngest leader since the war. But the significance of those milestones will be quickly lost in the party’s attempts to rebuild after two bruising elections that have cast doubt over the future of one of the world’s most successful political machines.
Two of the five candidates vying to replace Shigeru ishiba – who announced his resignation earlier this month – as the next president of the Liberal Democratic party (LDP) have emerged as clear favourites in what analysts are describing as a last-ditch attempt to unify a party battered by a major funding scandal and the cost-of-living crisis.
Continue reading...NATO divided on how to respond to repeated Russian incursions – CNN
- NATO divided on how to respond to repeated Russian incursions CNN
- Why Russia’s Airspace Violations Are Pressuring NATO to Respond Bloomberg.com
- Is Russia testing NATO with aerial incursions in Europe? Al Jazeera
- German and Swedish jets intercept Russian military plane over Baltic Sea NPR
- Fighter jets waving at Nato and Alaska incursions: Every time Russia has tested the airspace of Ukraine’s allies The Independent
Colombia’s president calls US attacks on alleged drug boats ‘act of tyranny’
Gustavo Petro told the BBC that "there is no need to kill anyone" in efforts to crackdown on maritime drug smuggling.
‘Tunnel vision’: how Israel is using archaeology for political ends
Scientists say Netanyahu government and its US backers are trying to construct a history shorn of all complexity
When the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, visited Jerusalem this month, the itinerary his Israeli hosts laid on involved more archaeology than anything else. On his first day, Benjamin Netanyahu took Rubio underground to excavations near the Western Wall. On the second day, Israel’s prime minister gave his American visitor the honour of inaugurating a tunnel burrowed under a Palestinian district, along a Roman-era street nicknamed the Pilgrimage Road, in a “City of David” archaeological park established by an Israeli settler organisation.
Both events were intended to emphasise Jerusalem’s Jewish roots and its status, Netanyahu stressed, as “our eternal and undivided capital”.
Continue reading...Paris court to rule on Nicolas Sarkozy corruption charge
Former president and others accused of receiving millions of euros in illegal election funding from Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi
A Paris court is to rule whether the former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is guilty of receiving millions of euros in illegal election campaign funding from the regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, in the biggest political financing scandal in modern French history.
Judges will deliver their verdict on Thursday after the state prosecutor recommended a seven-year jail term for Sarkozy, who went on trial with 12 other people – including three former government ministers – accused of criminal conspiracy to receive funds from a foreign dictator. Sarkozy and the other accused have denied wrongdoing.
Continue reading...Fake Labubu dolls account for 90% of counterfeit toys seized at UK border
Many of the 236,000 imitations of the fluffy figures found this year contain banned chemicals or pose choking risk
Fake Labubu dolls accounted for 90% of counterfeit toys seized at the UK border this year, with many found to contain banned chemicals or pose choking hazards.
Border officials intercepted almost 259,000 counterfeit toys worth more than £3.5m, including 236,000 fake versions of Pop Mart’s toothy, fluffy Labubu dolls.
Continue reading...Yemen needs two-state solution as no prospect of ousting Houthis, says southern leader
Aidarous al-Zubaidi says Houthis will not be dislodged by bombing and path to political settlement is blocked
Yemen needs its own two-state solution, the president of its Southern Transitional Council (STC) has said, warning that there is currently no prospect of dislodging the Iran-backed Houthis from power in the north.
Speaking on the sidelines of the UN general assembly, Aidarous al-Zubaidi told the Guardian: “The best solution for Yemen and the best path to stability is the two-state solution, whether by referendum or agreement. The reality on the ground is that there are two states militarily and economically.”
Continue reading...‘Raring to go:’ the German remote-driving firm that hopes to make private car ownership redundant
Europe has been slow to embrace robotaxis but Germany will allow remote-controlled rental cars from December
Having been summoned by a few clicks in an app, the electric car slows to a halt outside the former cargo hall of Berlin’s now defunct Tegel airport. No one is at the wheel, but upon a passenger stepping inside, a voice announces: “This is Bartek, I am your driver today. Please buckle up and we can be on our way.”
The car emits a friendly jingle, then makes its way to the former runway, where it performs a fault-free manoeuvre around a route marked by traffic cones.
Continue reading...Drone fired by Yemen’s Houthis wounds 22 in southern Israel, in a rare breach of missile defenses – AP News
- Drone fired by Yemen's Houthis wounds 22 in southern Israel, in a rare breach of missile defenses AP News
- IDF Intercepts Yemen Missile That Triggered Sirens in Tel Aviv, Across Central Israel Haaretz
- Twenty injured in Yemen drone attack on Israel, rescuers and military say BBC
- Live Updates: Mahmoud Abbas speaks at UNGA The Jerusalem Post
- IDF says Houthi missile intercepted; no reports of injuries or damage The Times of Israel
Poland seeks to ditch NATO, EU approval to down objects over Ukraine – Euractiv
- Poland seeks to ditch NATO, EU approval to down objects over Ukraine Euractiv
- Poland scrambles jets as Russia launches massive aerial assault on Ukraine CNN
- UK and Poland vow to confront Russian aircraft violating Nato airspace The Guardian
- NATO’s Air Defense Dilemma War on the Rocks
- RAF flies first air defence mission over Poland after Russian drone incursion BBC
At least 20 people reported injured after drone strike on Israeli city of Eilat – The Guardian
- At least 20 people reported injured after drone strike on Israeli city of Eilat The Guardian
- Twenty injured in Yemen drone attack on Israel, rescuers and military say BBC
- Drone fired by Yemen's Houthis wounds 22 in southern Israel, in a rare breach of missile defenses AP News
- How did the Houthis evade Israel's air defense, hit Eilat? The Jerusalem Post
- IAF probing failure to intercept Houthi drone that hit Eilat The Times of Israel
Germany backs EU’s ‘creative’ plan to send frozen Russian cash to Ukraine – politico.eu
- Germany backs EU’s ‘creative’ plan to send frozen Russian cash to Ukraine politico.eu
- Europe wants to turn frozen Russian assets into Ukrainian firepower The Economist
- EU to Discuss €140 Billion Ukraine Loan Plan Using Russia Assets Bloomberg.com
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pushes for frozen Russian assets to be used for Ukraine CNN
- EU 'reparations loan' to Ukraine could be up to 130 billion euros, officials say Reuters
Trump demands inquiry over UN ‘triple sabotage’ after escalator and teleprompter mishaps
The US president called the incidents that included an escalator and teleprompter mishap "a real disgrace".
‘Anti-ICE’ message on ammunition at Dallas shooting that killed immigration detainee
The gunman fired at an unmarked van near the detention facility, before taking his own life, officials say.
China doubles down on climate, wind and solar pledges — a day after Trump called them a ‘scam’ – Politico
- China doubles down on climate, wind and solar pledges — a day after Trump called them a 'scam' Politico
- ‘Underwhelming’: China’s new climate target falls far short, experts say Al Jazeera
- China’s plans to cut emissions too weak to stave off global catastrophe, say experts The Guardian
- China, for First Time, Vows to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions The New York Times
- China makes landmark pledge to cut its climate emissions BBC
Wealthy investors from US, China and Hong Kong top applications for New Zealand’s ‘golden visa’ scheme
Since new rules for the Active Investor Plus visa came into effect in April, applicant numbers have almost tripled
Wealthy investors from the US, China and Hong Kong are the leaders in applications for New Zealand’s “golden visas” after the government relaxed the scheme’s requirements in a bid to boost the flagging economy.
The new rules for the Active Investor Plus visa came into effect in April and lowered investment thresholds, removed English-language requirements and cut the amount of time applicants must spend in the country to establish residency from three years to three weeks.
Continue reading...Rihanna gives birth to first daughter with A$AP Rocky
The celebrity pair announced the birth of Rocki Irish Mayers on Instagram in a post that included a miniature pair of boxing gloves.