Trump-Putin meeting: How much territory does Russia control in Ukraine?
Russia controls about 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory and wants full control of four eastern and southern regions.
Germany’s Renk plans to bypass embargo, export to Israel – The Jerusalem Post
- Germany's Renk plans to bypass embargo, export to Israel The Jerusalem Post
- Germany’s Merz faces conservative revolt over Israel arms suspension The Washington Post
- German Defense Contractor Mulls US Shift After Merz Israel Ban Bloomberg.com
- Germany Scolds Israel Not Because It Has Forgotten the Holocaust Haaretz
- Council of Europe calls on all 46 member states to halt arms for Israel New York Post
Women with AI ‘boyfriends’ mourn lost love after ‘cold’ ChatGPT upgrade
OpenAI's release of GPT-5 prompts backlash in online communities for people with AI companions.
Keir Starmer to host Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street – UK politics live
UK prime minister will be joined by Ukrainian president as he says Britain stands ready to ‘increase pressure’ on Russia if necessary
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has said it is a “day of celebration” for young people ahead of A-level results on Thursday.
Speaking to Times Radio, she said:
I’ll just start by saying that this is a really exciting day for young people. They’ve worked really hard. They’ve had brilliant support from their teachers and parents. It’s a day for celebration for our young people and there are lots of great routes out there.
University is one of them, but for young people who are considering other routes there are apprenticeships and plenty of other opportunities available too, and lots of advice available if you haven’t quite got what you needed, through Ucas and clearing, and also through the National Career Service.
I think it’s a matter of personal choice.
I do think it’s a good thing that more young people are studying subjects like maths. There are often great roots into careers. The same is, of course, true of subjects like languages, and that was my personal passion.
Continue reading...Judge criticises lawyers acting for boy accused of murder for filing misleading AI-created documents
Documents filed included references to nonexistent case citations and inaccurate quotes from a parliamentary speech, judge says
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A judge has criticised lawyers acting for a boy accused of murder for filing misleading information with the courts after failing to check documents created using artificial intelligence.
“It is not acceptable for AI to be used unless the product of that use is independently and thoroughly verified,” Justice James Elliott told the supreme court in Melbourne.
Continue reading...Albanese says ‘Hamas will engage in propaganda’ amid confusion over statements on Palestinian statehood
Hamas account claims quotes attributed to co-founder Hassan Yousef unlikely to be true given he’s been in jail since October 2023
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Anthony Albanese has warned media about Hamas propaganda, amid confusion regarding statements reportedly made by the terrorist group in relation to Australia’s pledge to recognise a Palestinian state.
Nine newspapers reported on Wednesday that the Hamas co-founder and senior official Hassan Yousef had welcomed the decision, praising Australia’s “political courage” and calling on other countries to follow its example.
Continue reading...Powerful sister of North Korean leader denies removal of front-line speakers – AP News
US warns of additional tariffs on India if Trump-Putin peace talks fail
US Treasury chief says Washington could increase secondary tariffs on India if talks don't go well in Alaska.
Lebanon’s wake-up call: Iranian officials meet a harsh new reality – Ynetnews
- Lebanon’s wake-up call: Iranian officials meet a harsh new reality Ynetnews
- No armed groups allowed in Lebanon, president tells Hezbollah's ally Iran Reuters
- Top Iranian Official Visits Lebanon as Hezbollah Bucks Calls to Disarm The New York Times
- Openly defying Iran, Lebanon’s Aoun says no armed groups allowed in country The Times of Israel
- Iran Scrambles to Shore Up Regional Clout as Domestic and Bilateral Crises Mount Haaretz
Baby Shark: South Korean court rejects US composer’s claim song was plagiarised
Ruling upheld that there was insufficient evidence of copyright infringement on song that is YouTube’s most viewed video
South Korea’s supreme court has rejected a US composer’s allegation that the producers of the catchy children’s song Baby Shark plagiarised his work, ending a six-year-long legal battle.
The court upheld two lower court verdicts in favour of Pinkfong, the South Korean company behind the tune with the famous “doo doo doo doo doo doo” refrain.
Continue reading...‘Censorship’: over 115 scholars condemn cancellation of Harvard journal issue on Palestine
In an open letter, writers denounced abrupt scrapping of a Harvard Educational Review issue dedicated to Palestine
More than 115 education scholars have condemned the cancellation of an entire issue of an academic journal dedicated to Palestine by a Harvard University publisher as “censorship”.
In an open letter published on Thursday, the scholars denounced the abrupt scrapping of a special issue of the Harvard Educational Review – which was first revealed by the Guardian in July – as an “attempt to silence the academic examination of the genocide, starvation and dehumanisation of Palestinian people by the state of Israel and its allies.”
Continue reading...Putin ready to make Ukraine deal, Trump says before Alaska summit
US president’s comment that Russian and Ukrainian leaders may have to ‘divvy’ things up likely to raise alarm
Donald Trump has said he believes Vladimir Putin is ready to make a deal on the war in Ukraine as the two leaders prepare for their summit in Alaska on Friday, but his suggestion the Russian leader and Volodymyr Zelenskyy could “divvy things up” may alarm some in Kyiv.
The US president, who left the White House on Friday at 7.30am, implied there was a 75% chance of the Alaska meeting succeeding, and that the threat of economic sanctions may have made Putin more willing to seek an end to the war. “HIGH STAKES!!!” he posted on Truth Social as his motorcade idled outside the White House shortly after sunrise in Washington.
Continue reading...Israeli airstrikes on Tehran killed inmates in ‘apparent war crime’ – report
Human Rights Watch also finds that Iran abused survivors of June attack, which killed 80 people
Israeli airstrikes on Tehran’s Evin prison in June killed scores of detainees, visitors and staff in what Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called an “apparent war crime”. Iranian authorities have since subjected survivors to abuse, enforced disappearances and inhumane detention conditions, the rights group said.
HRW’s investigation, based on satellite imagery, videos and witness accounts, found the 23 June Israeli airstrikes destroyed visitation halls, prison wards, the central kitchen, the medical clinic and administrative offices. No evident military targets were identified in the facility, which held more than 1,500 prisoners at the time, many of whom had been jailed for peaceful activism.
Continue reading...Russia–Iran–China Alliance Signals Deep Shift in Global Power – Counterpunch
New Israeli rules stopping critical aid getting into Gaza, charities say
More than 100 aid organisations say they are increasingly being told they are "not authorised" to deliver supplies.
Childcare workers with ‘red flags’ should be on database to prevent them ‘shopping around’ for lax centres, inquiry told
Head of NSW police child sex abuse squad also advises parents to report concerns directly to police – not their childcare centre
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The head of the New South Wales police child sexual abuse squad has called for the creation of a national database of childcare workers who have had “red flags” raised that fall short of criminal prosecution.
Giving evidence before a government inquiry into the early childhood education sector in NSW, Det Supt Linda Howlett said such a database would allow centres to share intelligence about former employees who have faced serious allegations that didn’t result in criminal charges. They are still allowed to work with children.
Continue reading...Thursday briefing: How the colonial legacy has created a toxic beauty industry
In today’s newsletter: Doctors are sounding the alarm over a surge in cancers and irreversible skin damage linked to bleaching creams, as colourism continues to shape beauty ideals from Africa to Asia
Good morning. The slogan “black is beautiful” rang out from civil rights marches in the US and UK during the 1960s and echoed through liberation struggles across the global south. It became a rallying cry against racist beauty standards that had long cast Black skin, facial features and hair as undesirable.
These movements urged pride in what had been denigrated for centuries, and their message was not limited to people of African or Caribbean heritage. Calls to embrace natural beauty resonated across Asia and much of the global south, directly challenging the colonial belief that lighter skin conferred greater worth.
Ukraine | Donald Trump told European leaders on Wednesday he would be seeking a ceasefire in Ukraine at his summit with Vladimir Putin on Friday and gave reassurances that he would not make any territorial concessions without Kyiv’s full involvement.
UK news | David Lammy has referred himself to the environment watchdog after going fishing with JD Vance without the required licence during the US vice-president’s trip to the UK.
Immigration | At least 20 people have died after a boat capsized off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, a United Nations agency and local media reported on Wednesday.
UK politics | Keir Starmer is to formally revive Northern Powerhouse Rail this autumn with an announcement expected before the Labour conference.
Palestine | The United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied territories has warned that moves to recognise a Palestinian state should not distract member states from stopping mass death and starvation in Gaza.
Continue reading...Europe expresses hope after call with Trump on Putin summit
Trump, who described the call as "a ten", was urged to keep Ukraine's interests at the forefront when he meets Putin on Friday.
‘No country is safe’: deadly Nordic heatwave supercharged by climate crisis, scientists say
Historically cool nations saw hospitals overheating and surge in drownings, wildfires and toxic algal blooms
The prolonged Nordic heatwave in July was supercharged by the climate crisis and shows “no country is safe from climate change”, scientists say.
Norway, Sweden and Finland have historically cool climates but were hit by soaring temperatures, including a record run of 22 days above 30C (86C) in Finland. Sweden endured 10 straight days of “tropical nights”, when temperatures did not fall below 20C (68F).
Continue reading...‘Final nail in coffin of Palestinian state idea’: Smotrich okays controversial settlement expansion plan – Ynetnews
- 'Final nail in coffin of Palestinian state idea': Smotrich okays controversial settlement expansion plan Ynetnews
- Smotrich to approve West Bank settlement, ‘burying Palestinian state’ Al Jazeera
- ‘Burying a Palestinian state’: Smotrich to approve 3,401 homes in controversial E1 settlement project The Times of Israel
- Bezalel Smotrich says he approves E1 settlement plan in West Bank The Jerusalem Post
- Far-left enraged: Thousands of new units to be built in Ariel and Maale Adumim Israel National News