US confirms it held direct talks with Hamas
The US confirmed it held direct talks with Hamas for the first time since 1997.
‘I was devastated’: MP hopes her story will help improve maternity care for disabled women
Exclusive: Marie Tidball tells of her experiences with NHS as report finds 44% higher risk of stillbirth for disabled women
When doctors tried to work out whether Marie Tidball would need a specially designed birth plan, one asked her to lie fully clothed on the bed and spread her legs in the air so they could see how far they could open.
The incident was one of several occasions when Tidball, now a Labour MP, felt neglected during her pregnancy and early motherhood because of the NHS’s failure to adapt on account of her physical disabilities. Tidball has physical impairments affecting all four of her limbs and had major surgeries on both her hips and legs as a child.
Continue reading...What pausing US intelligence means for Ukraine’s military operation
Without US intelligence, Ukraine will not be able to make such effective use of long-range Western weaponry, writes Paul Adams.
Serbia’s opposition under fire for smoke and flare protest in parliament
Police gather evidence against MPs who let off smoke bombs and flares in a protest over claims of corruption.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin moves to oust A-G, sparking fierce backlash – The Jerusalem Post
- Justice Minister Yariv Levin moves to oust A-G, sparking fierce backlash The Jerusalem Post
- Israel’s justice minister moves to oust attorney general amid allegations of political bias, opposition decries move CNN
- Daily Briefing Mar. 6: Day 517 – Who will man the attorney general’s firing squad? The Times of Israel
- Israel government takes first step to oust attorney general Reuters
- Step by Step, Israel's Government Is Pushing an Agenda to Completely Change the Country Haaretz
Man swallows stolen Tiffany earrings before police arrest him
The man allegedly swallowed two pairs of earrings worth $769,500 (£597,000) hoping to avoid being charged with theft.
US says some autos exempt from Canada, Mexico tariffs for one month
The US has said it will allow a one-month exemption from tariffs on auto imports from Canada and Mexico.
Child dies after car driven on to sports pitch in Cumbria
Man in his 40s arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving at rugby club in Kendal
A child has died and another has been injured after a car was driven on to a sports pitch in Cumbria, police said.
Cumbria police were called at 4.58pm on Wednesday to reports of a collision involving a black BMW and two children on a pitch at Kendal Rugby Union Football Club.
Continue reading...Trump temporarily spares carmakers from US tariffs on Canada and Mexico
After a call with top executives at GM, Ford and Stellantis, president approves one-month exemption from tariffs
Donald Trump has temporarily spared carmakers from sweeping US tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, one day after an economic strike on the US’s two biggest trading partners sparked warnings of widespread price increases and disruption.
The US president extended his aggressive trade strategy at midnight on Tuesday by targeting the country’s two closest neighbors with duties of 25%.
Continue reading...Can Friedrich Merz get Europe out of its funk? – The Economist
- Can Friedrich Merz get Europe out of its funk? The Economist
- Unpacking Germany’s election results and what they mean for Israel The Jerusalem Post
- Opinion | Friedrich Merz, Germany’s Next Chancellor, Is Yesterday’s Man The New York Times
- ‘People see it as invasive’: did anti-green feeling fuel the right’s rise in Germany? The Guardian
- The Man Who Would Remake Europe The Atlantic
European markets soar as Germany moves to lift ‘debt brake’ and raise defence spending
Berlin’s ‘big bazooka’ proposal sends industrial stocks surging but fiscal sea change also hikes borrowing costs
European financial markets have rallied sharply and German borrowing costs have soared after the country’s prospective leaders announced a historic deal to loosen its “debt brake” rule to boost spending on defence.
The yield – in effect the interest rate – on 30-year German government bonds rose by about 25 basis points to 3.08% in its biggest daily increase since October 1998.
Continue reading...Greek government to face no-confidence vote over 2023 deadly train crash
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis's government holds majority in parliament and is expected to survive Friday's vote.
Piglets Meant to Starve to Death in Art Exhibition Stolen – The Daily Beast
- Piglets Meant to Starve to Death in Art Exhibition Stolen The Daily Beast
- Three piglets stolen from art exhibit where they were meant to starve to death — until a 10-year-old girl spoke up New York Post
- Three piglets were left to starve in an art exhibition. Then they vanished. The Washington Post
- Protest art piece planned to starve 3 piglets to death. Then they escaped. USA TODAY
- 3 Piglets Were Left to Starve in a Shocking Art Exhibit. The Artist’s Friend Admits Hatching Plot to Steal Them Yahoo Entertainment
Canada goose fights off bald eagle in rare, symbolism-laden battle on ice
Photographer captures 20-minute clash between birds emblematic of Canada and US amid high trade tensions
For the second time in weeks, a Canadian icon has emerged as the unlikely victor in an existential battle on the ice.
Mervyn Sequeira, an Ontario photographer, was out with his family on a recent morning when they spotted a bald eagle descending towards a frozen lake.
Continue reading...Nine things about Lesotho – the country ‘nobody has ever heard of’
Lesotho is called the kingdom in the sky - it is the only country entirely above 1,000m.
Pope calls parish in Gaza as his condition remains stable on Ash Wednesday – Vatican News – English
- Pope calls parish in Gaza as his condition remains stable on Ash Wednesday Vatican News - English
- Pope Francis goes through day without any 'episodes of respiratory failure,' Vatican says ABC News
- Who's who at the Vatican? Here's what to know amid Pope Francis health concerns CBS News
- Pope resting after sleeping through the night with a ventilation mask as he battles pneumonia NBC News
- Pope Experiences Another Setback With Respiratory Crises The New York Times
Israel’s Shin Bet says Netanyahu policies helped pave way for 7 October – The Guardian
- Israel’s Shin Bet says Netanyahu policies helped pave way for 7 October The Guardian
- In Oct. 7 Report, Israeli Security Agency Puts Some Blame on Netanyahu Government The New York Times
- What went wrong? Israel's spy agency lists failures in preventing Oct. 7 attack NPR
- Israel’s cutoff of supplies to Gaza sends prices soaring as aid stockpiles dwindle The Associated Press
- Netanyahu's dirty war against the IDF and Shin Bet would shock even Orwell Haaretz
UK, France and Germany say Gaza aid freeze could breach international law
Ministers issue joint statement after Israel cuts off supplies in effort to push Hamas to accept change in ceasefire deal
Britain has joined Germany and France to warn that Israel could be in breach of international law by halting the entry of aid into Gaza, which is facing a “catastrophic” humanitarian crisis.
The foreign secretary, David Lammy, signed a joint statement with his French and German counterparts to urge Israel and Hamas to engage constructively to get ceasefire talks back on track.
Continue reading...Greenland politicians condemn ‘disrespectful’ Trump takeover claim
Prime minister says country not for sale after laughter in Congress at US president’s assertion ‘we’re going to get it’
Donald Trump’s claim in his address to Congress that the US will acquire Greenland “one way or the other” was widely condemned in Nuuk as “disrespectful” and was said to present an “unacceptable view of humanity”.
In his speech on Tuesday night, the US president was met with laughs, including from the vice-president, JD Vance, who was sitting behind him, when he said: “I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland.”
Continue reading...Israel new army chief Eyal Zamir says Hamas mission ‘not accomplished’
Outgoing military chief Herzi Halevi calls for a wider examination of the failures on October 7, 2023.