Lecornu bemoans lack of compromise across political spectrum as he resigns as French PM – Europe live

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Departure after less than a month follows fierce criticism of Macron’s new cabinet

Lecornu’s resignation means that Macron has three possible courses of action and all of them are hazardous, notes Mujtaba Rahman, the managing director for Europe at the Eurasia Group.

In an analyst note, Rahman writes:

He can appoint a new prime minister, possibly a senior non-political figure or technocrat, to try to push through a budget for next year to cut France’s ballooning budget deficit.

He can call a new parliamentary election.

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Gaza ceasefire talks live: Israeli airstrikes continue with negotiations due to begin in Egypt

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Negotiators from the US, Israel and Hamas are set to begin talks, as the US president said the first phase should be completed this week

The UN commission of inquiry, several human rights groups and the world’s leading association of genocide scholars have concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.

Despite the evidence, Israel denies the accusation and says it has only acted in self-defence.

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Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin withdraws from Irish presidential race

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Election becomes unpredictable two-horse contest after political novice quits over debt revelations

One of the three main candidates in Ireland’s presidential election has quit the race in a bombshell announcement that has upended the contest.

Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin withdrew on Sunday night after revelations about an unpaid debt to a former tenant, turning the election into an unpredictable two-horse race between a centre-right former government minister and an independent leftwing member of parliament.

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Eswatini confirms arrival of 10 more people as part of US deportation deal

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African kingdom receives second group of third-country nationals in what NGOs and lawyers say is violation of human rights

Ten people deported by the US have arrived in Eswatini, its government said, the second group of third-country deportees to be sent to the southern African kingdom by the Trump administration in what lawyers and NGOs have described as violations of their human rights.

A statement by the Eswatini government posted on social media before their arrival on Monday said: “The individuals will be kept in a secured area separate from the public, while arrangements are made for their return to their countries of origin.”

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Eswatini confirms arrival of 10 more people as part of US deportation deal – The Guardian

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  1. Eswatini confirms arrival of 10 more people as part of US deportation deal  The Guardian
  2. Eswatini receives 10 third-country deportees from US  CNN
  3. Trump administration sends another third-country deportation flight to Eswatini  Reuters
  4. 10 more deportees from the US arrive in the African nation of Eswatini  ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
  5. US deports 10 more migrants to Eswatini  The Hill
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US supreme court begins new term with nation’s democratic governance at stake

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Scrutiny on the nine justices is about to reach a new level of intensity as Trump aggressively asserts executive power

Context may be everything in the precedent-shattering era of the current US supreme court.

For several years – since conservatives, gained a six-three majority on the bench thanks to Donald Trump’s nominations during his first presidency – the court has been delivering transformative rulings that have reverberated across the social and political landscape.

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Nobel prize in medicine awarded to scientists for immune system research

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Mary E Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi worked on how the immune system can be prevented from harming the body

The Nobel prize in physiology or medicine 2025 has been awarded to three scientists for their work on how the immune system is kept in check and prevented from attacking our own body.

Mary E Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi have been awarded the prize “for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance”.

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Jilly Cooper, author of Rivals and Riders, dies aged 88

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The author of 18 ‘bonkbuster’ novels including Riders, Rivals and Bella has died following a fall

Jilly Cooper has died at the age of 88, her agent has confirmed.

The author, whose 18 novels include Riders and Rivals, “defined culture, writing and conversation since she was first published over 50 years ago,” said her agent Felicity Blunt. “You wouldn’t expect books categorised as bonkbusters to have so emphatically stood the test of time but Jilly wrote with acuity and insight about all things – class, sex, marriage, rivalry, grief and fertility.”

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Political waves send Nikkei, bitcoin, gold soaring to record highs – Reuters

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  1. Political waves send Nikkei, bitcoin, gold soaring to record highs  Reuters
  2. Japan’s New Leader Gets a Volatile Greeting From Markets  The New York Times
  3. Takaichi Win Sends Yen Plunging With Bonds as Stocks Jump  Bloomberg.com
  4. Morning Bid: Politics dominate markets, from Japan stocks to bitcoin  Reuters
  5. Japan’s ruling party elects Sanae Takaichi as leader, likely to become first female PM  NPR
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He-Man poised to be next retro name to join UK toy ‘newstalgia’ trend

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Films of old favourites help lift toy sales 8% this year, with 2026 Masters of the Universe movie tipped for similar

A wave of “newstalgia” has fuelled a step up in growth of UK toy sales, with the muscle-bound 80s hero He-Man the latest retro name tipped for a revival thanks to the big screen.

After falling almost 4% in 2024, UK toy sales are up 8% so far this year, buoyed up by the Minecraft and Lilo & Stitch films as well as parents rebuying toys they once owned as children such as Care Bears and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, according to new data.

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VIP appearances, books and beer: what Valerie the dachshund is up to after her Kangaroo Island adventure

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‘Australia’s bravest sausage dog’, who was lost in the wild for more than 500 days, now has an ambassadorial role, merchandise and an Australian Story episode

World-famous dachshund Valerie, who was lost in the wild for more than 500 days, now has merchandise, an ambassadorial role, a public relations representative and a spot on Australian Story.

In November 2023 Valerie’s owners, Georgia Gardner and Josh Fishlock, were visiting Kangaroo Island in South Australia with Valerie in tow. But she escaped from her pen and bolted.

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Trying to Survive Gaza’s War-Torn Present, and Hoping for a Future – The New York Times

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  1. Trying to Survive Gaza’s War-Torn Present, and Hoping for a Future  The New York Times
  2. We Tried to Reach Gazans We Interviewed Over Two Years of War. Here’s What Happened to Them.  The New York Times
  3. In Gaza, Can There Be Peace Without Trust?  Foreign Affairs
  4. A ‘magic pill’ made Israeli violence invisible. We need to stop swallowing it | Diana Buttu  The Guardian
  5. Is Israel’s war in Gaza actually about to end?  vox.com
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‘I Am Lucky’: In a New Memoir, a Former Israeli Captive Looks Ahead – The New York Times

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  1. ‘I Am Lucky’: In a New Memoir, a Former Israeli Captive Looks Ahead  The New York Times
  2. Opinion | What my captivity taught me about Hamas and its hateful ideology  The Washington Post
  3. ‘Hostage’ Review: From a Place of Darkness  The Wall Street Journal
  4. 'Our happy life turned into hell,' says released hostage as Israel marks 7 October anniversary  BBC
  5. Israeli who was captured on Oct. 7 pleads for return of other hostages: "Until they come back … I cannot live"  CBS News
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Erin Patterson: Australian prosecutors appeal mushroom murderer’s ‘inadequate’ sentence – BBC

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  1. Erin Patterson: Australian prosecutors appeal mushroom murderer's 'inadequate' sentence  BBC
  2. Prosecutors appeal for longer sentence for Erin Patterson in mushroom poisoning murders  Yahoo
  3. Breaking: Prosecutors to appeal 'manifestly inadequate' sentence for Erin Patterson  Australian Broadcasting Corporation
  4. Victorian DPP confirms it will appeal Erin Patterson’s sentence on the basis it ‘is manifestly inadequate’ – as it happened  The Guardian
  5. Australia prosecutors appeal 'inadequate' sentence for mushroom murderer: media  swiowanewssource.com
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Mount Everest hikers describe ‘extreme’ conditions as huge rescue effort continues

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At least 200 people still stranded after unseasonally heavy snowfall during China’s Golden Week holiday

Trekkers have described facing “extreme” conditions after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China’s busiest holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, prompting a massive rescue effort.

Chinese authorities said about 350 people had made their way down but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

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