Two Ghanaian ministers die in helicopter crash, along with six others
The authorities have not confirmed the cause of the crash, described as a "national tragedy".
Man who killed woman in ‘vicious and brutal attack’ in Suffolk jailed for life
Victim’s family say Roy Barclay has given no explanation for what the judge called an ‘outburst of horrific violence’
A man who beat a woman to death in a “vicious and brutal attack” as she walked her dog, having previously been in prison for a similar assault on a man in his 80s, has been jailed for life.
Anita Rose, 57, was found grievously wounded on 24 July 2024 in Brantham, Suffolk, with her dog tied to her leg by its lead to stop it running off. Her attacker was Roy Barclay, 56, who had been living rough to escape capture.
Continue reading...Brazil judge eases Jair Bolsonaro house arrest to allow family visits
Ex-president can see children and grandchildren without prior court approval, but phone and video ban remains
A Brazilian supreme court judge has eased the terms of Jair Bolsonaro’s house arrest, allowing the far-right former president to receive visits from family members without prior judicial approval.
The former paratrooper turned populist has been under house arrest since Monday, when Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the measure on the grounds that Bolsonaro had allegedly violated court orders.
Continue reading...M23 rebels killed 319 civilians in east DR Congo in July, UN says
UN rights chief Volker Turk says the violence resulted in 'one of the largest documented death tolls' despite a truce.
Shooter in custody after five soldiers shot on Georgia military base, army says
Parts of base had been on lockdown earlier after shooter was reported, as base says all five were moved to hospital
Five soldiers were shot and wounded on Wednesday on the Fort Stewart military base in south-east Georgia before the shooter was taken into custody.
Parts of the base had been locked down earlier on Wednesday after a shooter was reported on the sprawling army post, a spokesperson said.
Continue reading...Bomb scare rattles Democrats who fled Texas amid showdown with governor
Lawmakers had been sheltering in Illinois after denying Texas Republicans quorum for gerrymandering scheme
Texas Democrats who fled the state say they experienced a bomb threat at their Illinois hotel on Wednesday morning amid an ongoing clash with Republicans over their effort to block a new congressional map from going into place.
John Bucy III, a Democrat who represents Austin in the state legislature, confirmed the threat on X on Wednesday and said the lawmakers were evacuated. “This is what happens when Republican state leaders publicly call for us to be ‘hunted down’. Texas Democrats won’t be intimidated,” he said.
Continue reading...Suspect in custody after five soldiers shot at US Army’s Fort Stewart
Authorities say they have arrested suspect in shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia that injured at least five people.
The secret system Hamas uses to pay government salaries
Observers are baffled at how Hamas can pay officials as Gaza is isolated and largely reduced to rubble.
US envoy Steve Witkoff meets Putin as Trump’s Ukraine deadline approaches
Talks between Trump’s negotiator and Russian president lasted about three hours as US pushes for peace deal
Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff spent three hours in the Kremlin talking to Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, two days before a deadline the US president set for Russia to reach a peace deal in the Ukraine war or face fresh sanctions.
It was not immediately clear whether any agreement had been reached during the talks, which Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov described as “useful and constructive”. Ushakov said that it was only after Witkoff reported back to Trump that it would be possible to say more about the outcome of the meeting.
Continue reading...Outrage as Spanish town bans Muslim religious festivals from public spaces
Conservative People’s party in Jumilla votes to stop civic centres and gyms being used for activities ‘alien to our identity’
A local authority in south-east Spain has banned Muslims from using public facilities such as civic centres and gyms to celebrate the religious festivals Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha.
The ban in Jumilla, in Murcia, is a first in Spain. It was introduced by the conservative People’s party (PP) and passed with the abstention of the far-right Vox party and the opposition of local leftwing parties.
Continue reading...Israel pushes for more illegal settlements in occupied West Bank amid raids
Plans to expand in the E1 area east of occupied East Jerusalem would bisect area and isolate Palestinian communities.
What Trump’s tariffs mean for Shein and Temu shoppers
US President Trump is ending a duty-free loophole used by Shein and Temu, signalling major changes to online retail.
Connected and Alone
We’re constantly online, but more disconnected than ever.
Starmer declines to rule out election pledge-breaking tax rises in budget after claim Treasury must fill £40bn deficit – as it happened
Prime minister defends government’s handling of economy but will not give assurances over not raising income tax, employee NI or VAT
Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, has urged Keir Starmer to call Donald Trump to encourage him to use his influence to block Israel’s plans for a “full occupation” of Gaza.
In a statement, Davey said:
[Israeli PM Benjamin] Netanyahu’s latest proposals for the occupation of all of Gaza are utterly horrifying.
If realised, they will only wreak yet more destruction on Gazans - while gravely endangering the lives of the hostages still held in Hamas’ captivity.
I see NIESR is talking today about a £41.2bn hole in the UK public finances
Two things are newsworthy:
Continue reading...US destruction of contraceptives denies 1.4m African women and girls lifesaving care, NGO says
Incineration of $9.7m of contraceptives to lead to 174,000 unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions, IPPF says
A decision by the US government to incinerate more than $9.7m (£7.3m) of contraceptives is projected to result in 174,000 unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions in five African countries.
More than three-quarters of the contraceptives (77%) were destined for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Mali, according to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), an NGO global healthcare provider and advocate of sexual and reproductive rights.
Continue reading...Shares in European drug companies hit four-month low as Trump tariffs loom
President repeats threat to bring in levies ‘within next week or so’ in attempt to get companies to move production to US
Shares in European pharmaceutical companies have sunk to a four-month low, after Donald Trump repeated his threats to introduce tariffs on drug imports “within the next week or so”.
Europe’s Stoxx Health Care index slid by 2.8% on Wednesday, falling to its lowest level since mid-April, shortly after the US president’s initial “liberation day” tariff announcements.
Continue reading...Ukrainian Drone Battalion Forms Fire Wall Against Russian Advance – Kyiv Post
- Ukrainian Drone Battalion Forms Fire Wall Against Russian Advance Kyiv Post
- On Ukraine’s front lines the kill zone is getting deeper The Economist
- Fibre-optic drones reshape Ukraine’s technological war Lowy Institute
- Ukraine bets big on interceptor drones as low-cost air shield Reuters
- Ukraine’s killer interceptors take aim at Russia’s Shahed drones politico.eu
White House says Apple to invest billions in US manufacturing
The White House is expected to announce the new deal as early as Wednesday.
New Paper Finds Something Very Weird About the Shroud of Turin – yahoo.com
- New Paper Finds Something Very Weird About the Shroud of Turin yahoo.com
- Jesus Probably Wasn’t Wrapped in the Shroud of Turin, 3D Analysis Says vice.com
- Image on The Shroud of Turin May Not Belong to a Real Human ScienceAlert
- Shroud of Turin center disputes new study that challenges authenticity of burial cloth catholicnewsagency.com
Four rare Barbary lion cubs born at Czech zoo
Lion that once roamed northern Africa has been extinct in the wild since 1960s
Four Barbary lion cubs were born recently in a Czech zoo, a vital contribution for the small surviving population of a rare lion that is extinct in the wild.
The three females and one male were seen playing in their outdoor enclosure at Dvůr Králové safari park on Wednesday under the watchful eye of their parents, Khalila and Bart.
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