Newly shared Signal messages show Trump advisers discussed Yemen attack plans

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The Atlantic releases more text from chat after Trump officials claimed none of it was ‘classified information’

The Atlantic magazine has published fresh messages from a group chat including top US officials where they discuss operational details of plans to bomb Yemen.

The initial revelations by the magazine and its editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, who was accidentally added to the chat on the messaging app Signal, have sparked a huge outcry in the US, with the Trump administration facing withering attacks over the disastrous leak of sensitive information.

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Europe wants to pour billions of dollars into its own defense companies — but market watchers say it may not be able to shut American firms out – CNBC

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  1. Europe wants to pour billions of dollars into its own defense companies — but market watchers say it may not be able to shut American firms out  CNBC
  2. Europe Talks Tough on Military Spending, but Unity Is Fracturing  The New York Times
  3. Southern Europe rebuffs von der Leyen’s debt-based defense plan  POLITICO Europe
  4. EU not ready for Eurobonds to boost defence spending, says Commissioner Kubilius  Euronews
  5. 'War economy:' Is the European 'peace project' at risk?  DW (English)
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Iowa law banning books including 1984 and Ulysses blocked by US federal judge

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Judge rules that law banning school libraries and classrooms from carrying books depicting sex acts had been applied unconstitutionally

A lawsuit brought by publishers and authors including John Green and Jodi Picoult has led to a portion of a law banning Iowa school libraries and classrooms from carrying books depicting sex acts being halted.

On Tuesday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the measure, writing that it had been applied unconstitutionally in many schools and that books of “undeniable political, artistic, literary, and/or scientific value” had been caught up in it, including Ulysses by James Joyce, Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, Beloved by Toni Morrison and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

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Woman tells court Gérard Depardieu groped her buttocks and breasts on set

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Film assistant says actor groped her several times in three incidents while filming Les Volets Verts

The French actor Gérard Depardieu sexually assaulted an assistant director on three occasions while she was working with him on a film shoot, placing his hands on her buttocks and breasts, leaving her feeling “petrified”, the woman told Paris’s criminal court on Wednesday.

Depardieu – the biggest French cinema star to face trial for sexual assault since the #MeToo movement – is charged with sexually assaulting the assistant director three times during the shooting of the feature film Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters) in Paris in 2021.

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Israel embraces France’s far-right, turning a blind eye to its Nazi past – CNN

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  1. Israel embraces France’s far-right, turning a blind eye to its Nazi past  CNN
  2. How Antisemites Got Invited to an Antisemitism Conference  Haaretz
  3. Israel's antisemitism strategy: Picking political allies over Diaspora Jews - opinion  The Jerusalem Post
  4. Israel’s antisemitism confab to start amid controversy over far-right invitees  The Times of Israel
  5. Israel's antisemitism conference kicks off amid criticism  DW (English)
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Hegseth Addresses Indo-Pacom Partnerships During First Trip to Region – Department of Defense

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  1. Hegseth Addresses Indo-Pacom Partnerships During First Trip to Region  Department of Defense
  2. Tokyo frets about durability of US alliance ahead of visit by Pete Hegseth  Financial Times
  3. Hegseth to fly to the Philippines and Japan in first visit to Asian treaty allies at odds with China  The Associated Press
  4. China Sends Ominous Warning to US Ally: 'Playing With Fire'  Newsweek
  5. Hegseth’s Asia Tour Won’t Fix US Credibility Crisis  Bloomberg
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Former Citibank exec settles maternity discrimination case for £215,000

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Maeve Bradley, who worked for Citibank in Belfast, lost out on expected promotion after having a baby

A former Citibank employee has received £215,000 in a discrimination settlement after she lost out on an expected promotion when she returned from having a baby.

Maeve Bradley, who had worked at the American bank’s offices in Belfast as an assistant vice-president of derivatives since March 2021, took maternity leave in 2023 and said she was devastated to be offered a different role on her return.

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NATO leader warns Russia to expect a ‘devastating’ reaction if it ever attacks Poland – ABC News

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  1. NATO leader warns Russia to expect a 'devastating' reaction if it ever attacks Poland  ABC News
  2. 'This is not the time to go it alone,' NATO's Rutte tells US and Europe  Reuters
  3. NATO to Putin: Attack Poland and our response will be ‘devastating’  POLITICO Europe
  4. NATO chief appeals for unity as Europe builds its armies and the US eyes security threats elsewhere  The Associated Press
  5. NATO leader warns Putin against attacking Poland, says retaliation would be 'devastating'  Fox News
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California Uber and Lyft drivers push for settlement in wage theft claims

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Ride-share drivers held demonstrations from San Francisco to San Diego amid ongoing negotiations affecting 250,000

Ride-share drivers in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego held demonstrations in front of city hall buildings on Wednesday as California state attorney General Rob Bonta, city attorneys and attorneys representing ride-share drivers continue negotiations next week with Uber and Lyft to settle thousands of claims of wage theft for drivers.

At least 250,000 individual ride-share drivers in California who drove for the apps between 2016 and 2020 are estimated to be eligible for the settlement for wage theft claims of tens of billions of dollars, according to Rideshare Drivers United in California.

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Proposal to automatically give babies mother’s surname ignites row in Italy

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Politician says idea would be ‘compensation for centuries-old injustice’ of children being assigned father’s name

An Italian politician has proposed a law that would make it automatic for babies to be assigned their mother’s surname at birth, a step that would mark a rupture with a centuries-old tradition and has sparked a fiery debate.

Dario Franceschini, a former culture minister from the centre-left Democratic party, argues that such legislation would “right a historic wrong”.

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UK’s Prince Harry quits his African AIDS charity in dispute with leader – Reuters UK

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  1. UK's Prince Harry quits his African AIDS charity in dispute with leader  Reuters UK
  2. Prince Harry Steps Down as Patron of Charity He Founded  The New York Times
  3. According to Source, Prince Harry’s Relationship With Sentebale Began to Deteriorate Months Ago  Vanity Fair
  4. Prince Harry ‘in shock’ after quitting his African AIDS charity  CNN
  5. Accusations and resignations mark remarkable 24 hours at charity founded by Prince Harry  The Guardian
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Controversial bill to protect Tasmanian salmon industry passes despite environmental concerns

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Critics say industry threatens the endangered Maugean skate and laws were rushed through with ’no proper process’

Controversial legislation to protect the Tasmanian salmon industry has passed parliament after the government guillotined debate to bring on a vote in the Senate on Wednesday night.

Government and Coalition senators voted in favour of the bill, which was designed to bring an end to a formal reconsideration by the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, into whether an expansion of fish farming in Macquarie harbour in 2012 was properly approved.

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