Israeli army demolishes homes in Jenin, continues raids across West Bank
Israeli forces demolish houses in Jenin refugee camp, local sources report, as assault continues for third week.
US-Panama relationship was ‘very strong’. Then Trump upended the diplomatic playing board
US had made inroads against Chinese influence in Panama, but Trump’s demands could help Beijing expand its regional power
When Panama’s then president Juan Carlos Varela was invited to the White House in June 2017, Donald Trump said the Panama canal was doing “pretty well” and described the bilateral relationship as “very strong”.
Just days earlier, Varela had broken ties with Taiwan to establish diplomatic relations with China, but there was no indication that this snub to a key US ally had clouded the meeting.
Continue reading...Teams pull out of Étoile de Bessège cycling race after car enters course
- Ineos Grenadiers among teams to withdraw in France
- Vehicle came towards the peloton at a roundabout
Several teams have pulled out of the Étoile de Bessèges cycling race in France after a car came towards the peloton at a roundabout during the third stage on Friday.
Ineos Grenadiers said: “The safety of our riders and staff is of paramount importance. Following multiple incidents of public vehicles entering the race course our riders, together with other teams, have decided not to complete today’s stage at #EDB2025.”
Continue reading...US job growth slows but unemployment stays low
Firms created 143,000 jobs last month, below analysts' forecasts, but December's figure was upgraded.
Two tourists died in Sri Lanka after hostel fumigated for bedbugs, police say – CNN
- Two tourists died in Sri Lanka after hostel fumigated for bedbugs, police say CNN
- Sri Lanka: British woman Ebony McIntosh, 24, dies after hostel fumigated for bed bugs, police say Sky News
- U.K. tourist among 2 found dead at Sri Lankan hostel, police investigating Global News Toronto
- British influencer dies in Sri Lanka after ‘pesticide poisoning’ The Times
- Influencer Dies at 24 After Developing Mysterious Illness at Hostel During ‘Dream’ Backpacking Trip to South Asia PEOPLE
“Dehumanisation of Palestinians is so normalised,” Poet Mohammed El Kurd
Marc Lamont Hill discusses the dehumanisation of Palestinians with author and poet Mohammed El-Kurd.
Sudanese military reports sweeping gains in battle for capital
Army making rapid advances across the country and closing in on RSF-held Republican Palace in Khartoum
Sudan’s brutal civil war appears to be approaching a decisive phase as the country’s military reported sweeping gains in the symbolic battle for the capital.
As a ruinous conflict, often characterised by bloody stalemate, nears its two-year anniversary, the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) declared a string of rapid advances across the country against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Continue reading...Baltics brace to cut decades-old ties to Russian grid – Reuters
- Baltics brace to cut decades-old ties to Russian grid Reuters
- Russia's Baltic neighbors are breaking away from its power grid — and they're braced for retaliation CNBC
- Baltic states sever last power links to Russia Financial Times
- Baltic states finally turn off Russian electricity DW (English)
- The Brief – The Baltics’ weekend plans EURACTIV
Rebuilding shattered Gaza may require a new Marshall plan
Palestinians face a mammoth task to rebuild homes and infrastructure – and Trump is unlikely to help
In the week that Donald Trump called for what has been described as an “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians from Gaza to rebuild it as a US “riviera” – an idea as unworkable as it is unhinged – the issues of how, if and when Gaza will be reconstructed have returned to the fore.
The reality is that, for all the promises to rehabilitate the coastal strip after previous conflicts, reconstruction – when it has happened – has at best been very partial and always subordinated to Israel’s demands.
Continue reading...Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events – day 1,079
Here are the key developments on the 1,079th day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
From caviar to the caravan, Dutton is doing everything he can to distract Albanese and voters from his detail-free plans | Josh Butler
With at most 12 weeks until election day, Dutton and the Coalition have announced few proactive ideas
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Caviar and a caravan.
Less than 100 days from an election, that’s what dominated probably the penultimate parliamentary week of this term – questions over finite numbers that both leaders know, but about which they’ve resisted answering questions.
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Continue reading...Australians rack up record credit card spending as growing numbers struggle to pay off debt
Reserve Bank statistics show the national credit card debt sits at $17.8bn, up $236m in December 2024 alone
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Australians racked up a record $28bn in personal credit card transactions in December, according to new data, leaving many households unable to clear debts and paying extreme interest charges.
The Reserve Bank statistics, analysed by financial comparisons site Canstar, show that Australians are struggling to clear purchases made on credit more than ever before amid persistently high living costs.
Continue reading...Sweden Plans Tighter Gun Laws After Orebro Mass Shooting – The New York Times
- Sweden Plans Tighter Gun Laws After Orebro Mass Shooting The New York Times
- Swedish school shooting victims were seven women and three men BBC.com
- Sweden to tighten gun control laws after mass shooting in Örebro Euronews
- Sweden's deadliest mass shooting leaves 11 dead, several injured: What we know USA TODAY
- Sweden shooting: 10 people dead after attack at education centre in Örebro, say police – as it happened The Guardian
Hungary to ban pro-democracy groups, media outlets receiving US aid
Under Orban, Hungary has for years enacted crackdowns on NGOs and the country’s independent media.
Plane crashes into bus on busy São Paulo street
Two people were killed in the accident, the Brazilian city's fire department said.
Sexual violence against children in Haiti rises by 1,000%, UN says
Unicef says gangs are inflicting "unimaginable horrors on children".
‘Staggering’ rise in sexual violence against children in Haiti – UN – BBC.com
- 'Staggering' rise in sexual violence against children in Haiti - UN BBC.com
- Children's bodies a 'battleground' in Haiti as sexual violence surges, UNICEF warns Reuters Canada
- UN report finds spike in gang murders, Haitian police violence WORLD News Group
- Haiti: A Deepening Public Health Crisis - January 2025 ReliefWeb
- Haiti: Armed attacks and displacements in the Metropolitan Area of Port-au-Prince - Situation Report #12 (11 - 24 January 2025) OCHA
River near Buenos Aires turns bright red after suspected industrial dye leak
Residents living near the Sarandí have long complained about pollution in the area
A small river in greater Buenos Aires was dyed a deep and worrying shade of red on Thursday after what is thought to have been a leak of dye from a nearby factory.
The violent hue of the Sarandí, which runs through the municipality of Avellaneda, six miles (9.6km) south of the Argentinian capital, alarmed local residents, who have long complained about industrial pollution in the area.
Continue reading...Frontline of Care
People & Power explores the role of Lebanese citizens in the absence of the state.
US demands Hezbollah be omitted from Lebanon government
Deputy Middle East Envoy Morgan Ortagus says armed group has been defeated and is no longer a threat.