Bailiffs board Ryanair plane after airline refuses to pay delayed flight compensation

Austrian officials took action after airline ignored court order to pay €890 to unnamed women

Bailiffs have boarded a Ryanair aircraft after the airline refused to pay compensation to a passenger whose flight was delayed.

Austrian officials took action after the budget carrier ignored a court order to pay the unnamed woman €890 (£742) in legal costs and compensation for a delayed flight two years ago.

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Patients face long journeys for medicines as pharmacies cut weekend hours

More than 20% of weekend availability lost in England since 2022, forcing some to turn to A&E, says national association

People who need to obtain medication at the weekend are having to undertake long trips because more pharmacies are cutting their opening hours on Saturdays and Sundays.

One in six pharmacies in England have reduced their hours at weekends since 2022, with some shutting altogether, as a result of “unsustainable” pressures on their budgets.

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Iranian attacks escalate across Middle East as container ship struck near Dubai – Fox News

  1. Iranian attacks escalate across Middle East as container ship struck near Dubai  Fox News
  2. Tracking Iranian attacks on civilian ships in the Gulf  Reuters
  3. Thailand’s Precious Shipping Falls To One-Month Low After Cargo Vessel Struck In Strait Of Hormuz  Forbes
  4. Strike on Thai tanker in Strait of Hormuz may be message to the U.S., analyst says  CBS News
  5. Tracking the wave of ship attacks that has choked off Strait of Hormuz  BBC
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‘We’re living in an Orwellian nightmare’: Grace Tame calls Anthony Albanese a ‘coward’ in scathing critique

In an essay for Crikey, the former Australian of the Year says the PM is a ‘turncoat’ who is ‘capitulating to foreign powers’ amid the US-Israel war on Iran

Grace Tame has said “we’re living in an Orwellian nightmare” in a scathing critique of the prime minister and his government’s position on the war in the Middle East.

In an essay published in Crikey on Friday, the advocate for sexual abuse survivors and human rights activist accused Anthony Albanese of being a “coward” and a “turncoat” for refusing to condemn the US-Israel strikes on Iran.

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Everything is a political weapon since Trump’s re-election, says Germany’s ex-economy minister

Robert Habeck says world has moved on from weaponising energy to using tariffs, technology and more to inflict harm

The weaponisation of energy when Russia invaded Ukraine has given way to “weaponising everything” since Donald Trump returned to the White House, Germany’s former economy minister has said.

Robert Habeck, the Green politician responsible for keeping the lights on during the last energy crisis, said the belief gas “would never be a political weapon” led successive German governments blindly into Putin’s trap by building the Nord Stream pipelines and selling strategic reserves to Gazprom, which Russia emptied before the invasion.

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Trump threatens Iran following new wave of attacks on Gulf states and Israel – AP News

  1. Trump threatens Iran following new wave of attacks on Gulf states and Israel  AP News
  2. Trump revels in killing of Iran's leaders as war nears two-week mark  Reuters
  3. Iran war disrupts energy supplies as Iran’s new leader resolves to keep fighting  AP News
  4. Trump vows to end war soon as Iran hits ships, threatens banks, and toll on U.S. forces emerges  CBS News
  5. Trump Warns Iran to ‘Watch What Happens’ Today  Bloomberg.com
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French soldier killed, others wounded in attack in Iraq, Macron says – Al Jazeera

  1. French soldier killed, others wounded in attack in Iraq, Macron says  Al Jazeera
  2. Several French soldiers wounded, one officer dead in Iraq after drone attack  Reuters
  3. French president says a French soldier has been killed in attack in Iraq  Politico
  4. French soldier killed and several wounded in attack in Iraq's Kurdistan region, confirms Macron  Le Monde.fr
  5. French soldier killed in drone attack in Iraq’s Kurdish region, Macron says  France 24
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Killing of Modi’s Invited Iranian Guests Strains US-India Ties – Bloomberg.com

  1. Killing of Modi’s Invited Iranian Guests Strains US-India Ties  Bloomberg.com
  2. Iran’s Frantic Attempt to Save Its Ships Before Torpedo Attack  The New York Times
  3. Australian submariners have a brush with Iran war  Defense News
  4. The Final Days of an Iranian Navy Crew Before the U.S. Torpedoed Their Ship  WSJ
  5. Armed or unarmed? US and Iran spar over status of Iranian warship sunk by a submarine  AP News
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Former Iranian diplomat was granted asylum in Australia after defecting

Mohammad Pournajaf, Tehran’s former charge d’affaires in Canberra, sought protection in 2023, government source confirms

One of Iran’s former top diplomats in Australia has defected from the theocratic regime, with the revelations only coming to light this week after six members of the Iranian women’s football squad were granted protection.

London-based news outlet Iran International, which is not tied to the Islamic Republic’s regime, reported on Friday that Mohammad Pournajaf, Tehran’s charge d’affaires in Canberra until at least 2023, had applied for asylum. Another Iranian diplomat had applied for asylum in Denmark, the outlet reported.

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Nepal ex-rapper’s party wins election in landslide after Gen Z protests – Reuters

  1. Nepal ex-rapper's party wins election in landslide after Gen Z protests  Reuters
  2. Nepal election: Balen Shah's RSP wins a huge mandate and country steps into unknown  BBC
  3. Ex-rapper Balendra Shah sweeps to power in Nepal landslide election victory  Al Jazeera
  4. Nepal’s new prime minister is a 35-year-old former rapper  The Economist
  5. Former rapper’s fledgling political party sweeps Nepal’s first post-revolt election  AP News
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The kill line v Chinamaxxing: a window into how China and the US see each other

In China, one social media trend hangs on the idea that a life in the US is always one step from disaster, while another in the US has gen Z revelling in Chinese lifestyle hacks

Across two online worlds that are normally splintered, over the last few months there has been a mirroring of sorts. On TikTok and Instagram, young people are diving into the joys of Chinese culture – from drinking hot water to playing mahjong – all under the banner of “Chinamaxxing”. On the Chinese internet, however, the US is losing its decades-long grip on soft power, and is instead being replaced by a darker trend: the kill line.

The kill line is a dangerous place to be. In gaming, the term refers to the point at which a player’s strength is so depleted that one more blow could lead to total wipeout. In China, the term refers to the risks that come with daily life in the US.

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China slams Trump’s trade investigation, as it approves a 5-year economic plan – NPR

  1. China slams Trump's trade investigation, as it approves a 5-year economic plan  NPR
  2. Trump Targets Forced Labor in Global Tariff Scheme  The New York Times
  3. US launches 'forced labour' probe against India and 59 other countries: What is Section 301?  The Times of India
  4. White House takes first step toward permanent fix for illegal tariffs  The Washington Post
  5. Trump raises the stakes on China with Section 301 trade probe, weeks before Beijing summit  CNBC
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Iran vows to fight on in first message issued in name of Mojtaba Khamenei – The Guardian

  1. Iran vows to fight on in first message issued in name of Mojtaba Khamenei  The Guardian
  2. Live updates: Iran's new supreme leader vows to keep blocking Strait of Hormuz as oil prices spike again  NBC News
  3. Iran's new supreme leader vows to keep Hormuz shut, Netanyahu issues threat  Reuters
  4. Iran’s New Supreme Leader Was Wounded Early in the War, Iranian and Israeli Officials Say  The New York Times
  5. Strait of Hormuz must remain closed as 'tool to pressure enemy,' Iran's new supreme leader says  CNBC
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Netanyahu says he doesn’t know if Iranians will oust regime, threatens new supreme leader – The Times of Israel

  1. Netanyahu says he doesn’t know if Iranians will oust regime, threatens new supreme leader  The Times of Israel
  2. Top Iranian nuclear scientists killed, Israel says – as it happened  The Guardian
  3. Netanyahu says Israel ‘stronger than ever’ in first speech since Iran war  Al Jazeera
  4. Netanyahu Says No Guarantee of Iran Regime Change After War  Bloomberg.com
  5. Netanyahu’s Very Useful War  The Atlantic
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