Mitch McConnell announces he will not run for re-election
The Republican senator has spent 40 years in Congress, but said he has "unfinished business" before he goes.
US switches stance on Ukraine war, seeking $500bn in payback
A war of words has broken out between Trump and Zelenskyy, while Europe feels the US is no longer a dependable ally.
Trump’s savage attack on Zelenskyy shaped by pro-Russian coterie
‘Kremlin whisperers’ have the president’s ear and dissenters are few – but a thin skin and self-interest are also at play
Donald Trump’s tarring of Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator” who is to blame for the war with Russia, plunging Ukraine into a Darwinian struggle for its very existence, landed like a bombshell on the diplomatic landscape. But it did not come out of nowhere.
The US president has left the already badly frayed western alliance in disarray with a devastating social media attack on his Ukrainian counterpart, just hours after he had already implicitly blamed Kyiv for Russia’s invasion.
Continue reading...Writer quits Society of Authors over union’s ‘betrayal’ of Jerusalem bookshop raided by Israeli police
Matthew Teller, whose books include Nine Quarters of Jerusalem, said the society’s response to the event which saw two leading booksellers detained was ‘an abject failure’
A writer has left the Society of Authors (SoA) in protest after the UK’s largest writers’ body made a statement on a recent Israeli police raid on a Palestinian-owned bookstore without mentioning Israel, Palestine or the names of the booksellers who were arrested.
Matthew Teller, the author of books including Nine Quarters of Jerusalem, said the SoA’s statement “added insult to the injury” and was a “betrayal”, leading to him cancelling his membership on Tuesday.
Continue reading...ICC Champions Trophy 2025: India’s Gill steers nervy win against Bangladesh
Opener Shubman Gill carries his bat with a century to lead India to victory against spirited Bangladesh in Dubai.
Israel’s ‘hearts lie in tatters’ as Hamas hands over first dead hostages
They are believed to include the Bibas family, who for Israel have become a symbol of the captives.
‘One of the hardest days’ in Israel as Hamas hands over hostages’ bodies
Remains of two young children, an elderly man and an unidentified fourth person arrive in Tel Aviv after ‘cruel’ handover in Gaza
The remains of two young children and an elderly man who were taken hostage by Hamas, as well as a fourth person who remains unidentified, have been handed over to Israel in what onlookers described as one of the “hardest days” for Israelis since the Palestinian militant group attack that ignited the war in Gaza.
A convoy carrying what was thought to be the bodies of Shiri Bibas, 32, her sons Ariel and Kfir, four years and nine months old respectively, and 85-year-old Oded Lifshitz, all from the Nir Oz kibbutz, arrived at a forensics centre in Tel Aviv yesterday for DNA checks and autopsy procedures.
Continue reading...Next Likely Chancellor Promises a Tougher Germany – The New York Times
- Next Likely Chancellor Promises a Tougher Germany The New York Times
- Katya Adler: Far right looks for election breakthrough as Germany falters BBC.com
- A German election road trip with the far right on the up - podcast The Guardian
- Young voters are powering the rise of Germany’s far-right AfD party CNN
- Germany's Gen Z Leans Right As Nation Votes For New Government This Sunday NDTV
Bulldozers and trucks carrying mobile homes seen entering Gaza
Bulldozers, building materials and housing units have been seen at the Rafah crossing.
Mexico will not stand US ‘invasion’ in fight against cartels, president says
Claudia Sheinbaum’s warning follows Washington designating Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations
Mexico will never tolerate an “invasion” of its national sovereignty by the United States, Claudia Sheinbaum has warned after Washington designated Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations.
“This cannot be an opportunity for the US to invade our sovereignty,” the Mexican president said. “With Mexico, it is collaboration and coordination, never subordination or interventionism, and even less invasion.”
Continue reading...South Africa opens G20 talks but US snubs meeting
President Ramaphosa urges multilateralism as US secretary of state boycotts the meeting of foreign ministers.
Birkenstock sandals are not art, says German court
The firm wanted to claim protection under copyright law, to stop rivals selling copycat versions of its shoes.
Pope’s supporters gather outside hospital over health concerns
Supporters of Pope Francis gathered outside Rome’s Gemelli Hospital to pay tribute to the 88-year-old.
Saudi Crown Prince MBS Rallies Arab Leaders on Gaza Plan to Thwart Trump – Bloomberg
- Saudi Crown Prince MBS Rallies Arab Leaders on Gaza Plan to Thwart Trump Bloomberg
- Egypt and its neighbors working on alternative to Trump's Gaza plan that wouldn't displace Palestinians CBS News
- Arab leaders set to meet to counter Trump’s Gaza plan Al Jazeera English
- Trump says he has not seen Egyptian counter to his plan for Gaza Voice of America
- Alarmed by Trump’s Gaza Plan, Arab Leaders Brainstorm on Their Own The New York Times
South Africa urges cooperation at G20 meeting amid tensions over Ukraine
President Cyril Ramaphosa tells grouping international law is key to solving world crises.
Malcolm X assassinated 60 years ago redux
The Nation of Islam minister was a polarising figure who advocated for Black separatism, self-defence and cultural pride
Spain’s ex-football boss Luis Rubiales fined for World Cup kiss
Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent and fined €10,800.
Watch: Tourists warned to stay away from Mount Etna lava
Italian authorities say people have been injured after venturing too close to the red-hot lava.
BBC faces questions over Gaza film’s Hamas link
The documentary Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone was narrated by the son of a Hamas official.
Passengers on crashed Toronto plane offered US$30,000 each
The gesture to the affected travellers - all of whom survived - comes with no strings attached, the airline says.