Storm Bert: forecasterse and politicians criticised after devastating floods

Critics claim warnings and defences were inadequate but Met Office says storm was ‘well forecast’

Weather forecasters and politicians have come in for strong criticism after hundreds of homes and businesses across the UK suffered devastating flooding in Storm Bert but the Met Office has said it issued sufficient warning.

There were growing complaints in south Wales, one of the areas most heavily hit, that the Met Office issued only a yellow warning, rather than an amber or red, and that not enough new defences had been put in place by the Welsh government since storms last wreaked havoc in the area four years ago.

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Iran’s Khamenei calls for death sentence for Israeli leaders, not arrest warrants – The Times of Israel

  1. Iran’s Khamenei calls for death sentence for Israeli leaders, not arrest warrants  The Times of Israel
  2. David Schoen criticizes 'corrupt' ICC over Netanyahu charges: 'Nothing legitimate'  Fox News
  3. G7 seeks unity on ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu  Reuters
  4. 'Rule of law disgraced by ICC': Alan Dershowitz to assemble team to defend Israel in The Hague  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Arrest warrants for Israeli leaders amplify Democratic rupture  Yahoo! Voices
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Philippines President Slams Vice President’s Assassination Plot – The New York Times

  1. Philippines President Slams Vice President’s Assassination Plot  The New York Times
  2. The Philippine vice president publicly threatens to have the president assassinated  The Associated Press
  3. Philippine VP Duterte denies assassination plot against President Marcos Jr  Al Jazeera English
  4. Philippines summons VP Duterte over threat to have Marcos killed  Reuters
  5. Philippine VP Sara Duterte Threatens to Assassinate Pres. Marcos During Live-Streamed Briefing  Democracy Now!
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Pakistani capital under lockdown to block rally by Imran Khan supporters

Government shuts down internet, blocks highways and brings in troops to stop protest by former PM’s supporters

Pakistan’s capital was put under lockdown as the government shut down the internet, blocked highways and brought in thousands of police and paramilitaries in an attempt to prevent supporters of the former prime minister Imran Khan protesting in Islamabad.

Khan, who has been in jail for more than a year facing hundreds of charges, had issued a “final call” for his supporters to descend on Islamabad to demand his release and protest against recent changes to the judiciary and constitution.

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Australian student injured in West Bank says life ‘flipped upside down’ as Palestinian community demands answers

Ranem Abu Izneid, injured by shrapnel in Israeli-occupied Abu Dis, says ‘there is no hope for me to regain my vision’

An Australian dentistry student has lost her vision after being struck by shrapnel in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, sparking outrage in the Australian Palestinian community.

Ranem Abu Izneid, 20, was studying in her room on 15 November at Al Quds University in Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem, when she heard bombs and soldiers shouting.

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Poland prepares for election crucial for ruling coalition and progressive reform

Next May’s presidential vote is effectively referendum on whether Donald Tusk’s government can rule freely

Donald Tusk’s government in Poland is gearing up for a crucial presidential election next year, after a first year in office that has been marked by clashes with the current president, Andrzej Duda, as well as splits within the ruling coalition.

Tusk took office as prime minister last December, ending eight years of rule by the populist Law and Justice (PiS) party. The change of government prompted celebrations from progressive Poles and relief in Brussels, where PiS had put Poland on a course of conflict with European bodies.

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Largest great white shark ever caught in Queensland control program was pregnant with four pups

Female almost the length of a shipping container was found dead on a drumline in August, primary industries department has revealed

The largest great white shark ever caught in Queensland’s shark control program died while pregnant with four pups, the primary industries department has revealed.

A female white shark was found dead on a shark-catching drumline near Gladstone in August. Queensland’s Department of Primary Industries took samples for research purposes and has been collaborating with researchers interstate, a spokesperson said.

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DHL plane crash in Lithuania may be result of sabotage, says German minister

Baerbock raises possibility of accident or ‘hybrid incident’ after Vilnius cargo plane crash kills one and injures three

The fatal crash of a DHL cargo plane as it approached Vilnius airport could have been the result of sabotage or an accident, Germany’s foreign minister has said.

A Spanish crew member was killed and three others injured when the German plane crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital on Monday.

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Israeli cabinet sanctions country’s oldest newspaper over critical coverage and publisher’s comments – CNN

  1. Israeli cabinet sanctions country’s oldest newspaper over critical coverage and publisher’s comments  CNN
  2. Likud minister asserts that government has right to enact ‘regime change’ in Israel  The Times of Israel
  3. Israeli government orders officials to boycott left-leaning paper Haaretz  The Guardian
  4. Israel sanctions Haaretz due to articles that ‘hurt’ Israeli state  Al Jazeera English
  5. Israeli Government Imposes Sanctions on Haaretz, Cuts All Ties and Pulls Advertising  Haaretz
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Child dies after being found unresponsive in a vehicle in north Queensland

Police are investigating after the child died in Innisfail on Monday

A child has died after being found unresponsive in a vehicle in north Queensland.

Police officers were called to a vehicle in Innisfail about 1pm on Monday after reports a child had been found unresponsive.

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Fire ant rafts could float down Queensland river after recent heavy rains, expert warns

Growing infestations along the Logan river pose ‘very high risk’ of spreading downstream, Invasive Species Council says

An increase in fire ant infestations along Queensland’s Logan River is raising concerns Australia’s worst invasive species could form floating rafts and spread downstream.

The Invasive Species Council advocacy manager, Reece Pianta, said governments should urgently ramp up eradication efforts along the Logan River, in south-east Queensland.

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Australian police offer to help Laos investigation into suspected methanol deaths as Melbourne teenagers mourned

Prime minister pays tribute to Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles while families vow to turn tragedy into ‘mission for change’

Australian federal police have offered to help the Laos investigation into multiple deaths linked to a suspected mass methanol poisoning event.

Melburnians Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, were among six foreign tourists to die.

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Palestinian artists plan Gaza Biennale as ‘act of resistance and survival’

Project involves showing work in Gaza but also sending works across Israeli siege lines for exhibiting worldwide

Palestinian artists in Gaza plan to stage a “biennale” exhibition as an act of defiance against Israel’s military onslaught and to focus attention on the plight of the territory’s 2.3 million people under more than 13 months of bombardment.

About 50 artists from Gaza will exhibit their work within the besieged coastal strip, and are looking for art galleries to host exhibitions overseas. But in order to hold their work to the eyes of the rest of the world, the artists are facing a unique challenge: how to get their art across Israeli siege lines.

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Turkish woman convicted under anti-terror laws for sharing Guardian article

Peri Pamir given suspended sentence after posting article about UK woman killed fighting with Kurdish forces in Syria

A Turkish woman who shared a Guardian article on social media about a British woman killed fighting with Kurdish forces in Syria has described how she was twice convicted of “sharing terrorist propaganda” in an Istanbul court.

“I am basically just an ordinary citizen, there is no reason why I should attract any special attention. This is the disturbing part,” said Peri Pamir, a 71-year-old retired researcher.

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Uruguay’s leftist opposition candidate becomes country’s new president – NPR

  1. Uruguay's leftist opposition candidate becomes country's new president  NPR
  2. Uruguay’s Center Left Reclaims Power in Presidential Election  The New York Times
  3. Who is Yamandu Orsi, Uruguay’s next president?  Al Jazeera English
  4. Is Uruguay too stable for its own good?  The Economist
  5. Uruguay ousts conservative government, elects leftist opposition candidate as turnout hits 90 percent  Fox News
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Hezbollah fires barrage of rockets into Israel after strikes on Beirut

Heavy attack launched in wake of deadly strikes on Beirut, and comes as talks for a ceasefire and hostage release deal have stalled

Hezbollah has fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said, wounding seven people in one of the militant group’s heaviest barrages in months, in response to deadly Israeli strikes in Beirut while negotiators pressed on with ceasefire efforts to halt the all-out war.

Some of the rockets fired on Sunday reached the Tel Aviv area in the heart of Israel.

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