Strike on Iran gasfield exposes US-Israel rift as Trump claims he did not know

Posted on by

US president says he told Netanyahu ‘don’t do that’ as he distances himself from attack that has angered Gulf allies

The US-Israeli war against Iran has exposed further divisions between the two countries after an Israeli strike on Iran’s largest gasfield angered US allies in the Gulf and prompted Donald Trump to say he knew nothing in advance about the attack – a claim that Israeli officials disputed.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said he had spoken to Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu following the strikes on Iran’s South Pars gasfield – part of a reserve shared with Qatar – and had told the Israeli prime minister to refrain from further attacks that could escalate a regional war on energy infrastructure.

Continue reading...

What constitutes victory in an ‘asymmetric’ war with Iran? – The Christian Science Monitor

Posted on by
  1. What constitutes victory in an ‘asymmetric’ war with Iran?  The Christian Science Monitor
  2. How America’s War on Iran Backfired  Foreign Affairs
  3. Russia, China and the US – the global winners and losers of the Iran war  BBC
  4. The US–Israel war with Iran will not end with a clear victor  Al Jazeera
  5. A Strategic Failure in Iran  Cato Institute
Posted in Uncategorized

U.N. nuclear watchdog chief says “a lot has survived” of Iran’s nuclear capabilities – CBS News

Posted on by
  1. U.N. nuclear watchdog chief says "a lot has survived" of Iran's nuclear capabilities  CBS News
  2. War can't entirely eliminate Iran's nuclear program, the U.N. atomic energy chief says  NPR
  3. Iran’s Highly Enriched Uranium Still Buried at Sites Attacked in June, IAEA Chief Says  WSJ
  4. IAEA does not know status of new Iranian enrichment facility in Isfahan, Grossi says  Reuters
  5. IAEA chief skeptical Iran’s nuclear program can be eliminated with just military action  The Hill
Posted in Uncategorized

Trump mocks Japan about Pearl Harbor in response to question about Iran war

Posted on by

US president was meeting with Japanese PM when he said: ‘Who knows better about surprise than Japan?’

It would be funny if it wasn’t so Trumpy.

Hosting the Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, in the Oval Office on Thursday, Donald Trump could not resist mocking Japan about its 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor during the second world war.

Continue reading...

Some of the world’s poorest countries to lose UK aid due to 56% budget cut

Posted on by

UK’s bilateral aid to African countries, which funds areas such as schools and clinics, to be cut by almost £900m by 2028-29

Some of the world’s poorest countries will lose out on UK aid that funds programmes such as schools and clinics, due to budget cuts set out by the foreign secretary.

The UK’s bilateral aid to African countries will be reduced by almost £900m by 2028-29 – a 56% cut – as part of more than £6bn in cuts which are funding an increase in defence spending.

Continue reading...

Cryptocurrency firms suffer heavy losses in Illinois primaries after spending big

Posted on by

Cryptocurrency’s biggest Pac spent more than $10m for their candidates, only to be defeated by those who are anti-crypto

The cryptocurrency industry spent big and lost often in this week’s Illinois primaries.

As the industry prepares to make massive donations in the 2026 midterm elections to replicate its success in 2024, the Illinois losses mark an early setback for firms that are trying to establish themselves as power players in American politics.

Continue reading...

Iran says it will show ‘zero restraint’ if energy infrastructure is targeted again – The Guardian

Posted on by
  1. Iran says it will show ‘zero restraint’ if energy infrastructure is targeted again  The Guardian
  2. Iran war live: Tehran warns of intensified strikes if energy sites targeted  Al Jazeera
  3. Iran war: Netanyahu denies Israel 'dragged' US into conflict  DW.com
  4. Iran FM says 'no restraint' if infrastructure hit again | Iran International  ایران اینترنشنال
  5. ‘Clumsy’: Tit-for-tat strikes on energy assets gift Iran another tactical lever  Middle East Eye
Posted in Uncategorized

Pope Leo announces October gathering for ‘synodal discernment’ on Amoris laetitia – The Pillar

Posted on by
  1. Pope Leo announces October gathering for ‘synodal discernment’ on Amoris laetitia  The Pillar
  2. Pope convokes presidents of Bishops’ Conferences for meeting on families  Vatican News
  3. Pope calls heads of bishops' conferences to Rome for summit on family  National Catholic Reporter
  4. Pope Leo calls bishops to Rome to discuss families, ‘Amoris Laetitia’ in October  EWTN News
  5. Pope Leo XIV convokes family ‘summit’ for bishops on 10th anniversary of predecessor’s ‘lightning rod’ document  Crux
Posted in Uncategorized

Peers vote to back clause pardoning women convicted over illegal abortions

Posted on by

House of Lords decision welcomed as ‘landmark moment’ after attempt to strike out amendment is defeated

Women who have been convicted, and in some cases jailed, over illegal abortions are set to be pardoned after a historic vote in the House of Lords.

Last June, the House of Commons voted to end the criminalisation of women who terminate their pregnancies outside of the legal framework, while keeping the existing framework in place. Doctors and others who act outside of the law could still face the threat of prosecution.

Continue reading...

Archaeological site in Chile upends theory of how humans populated the Americas … again

Posted on by

Discovery at Monte Verde puts north-to-south expansion theory back at centre of heated debate on continent’s human history

A groundbreaking new study may have once again upended our understanding of human prehistory in the Americas.

For years, the predominant theory of how humans arrived in the western hemisphere centred around the Clovis culture, which crossed the Beringia land bridge from Asia between 13,400 and 12,800 years ago, and spread south.

Continue reading...

Farage backs Tory attack on Muslim iftar event, saying public prayer ‘was a shock’ – UK politics live

Posted on by

Nigel Farage echoed Nick Timothy’s comments after he said public prayer for Ramadan was an ‘act of domination’

Cleverly is trying to show a video, but it is not working. So he just invites Kemi Badenoch to start her speech.

The Conservatives are launching their local elections campaign. There is a live feed here.

Continue reading...

Joseph Duggar, former reality TV star, arrested on child molestation charges

Posted on by

Duggar, 31, was taken into custody in Arkansas and was awaiting extradition to Florida, where he faces charges

Former reality TV star Joseph Duggar is facing a child molestation charge in Florida, almost five years after his brother Josh, who also starred in the TLC show 19 Kids and Counting, was convicted of downloading child sexual abuse images.

Joseph Duggar, 31, was arrested in Arkansas, where he lives, and was awaiting extradition to Florida on Thursday. Duggar is charged with lewd and lascivious behavior toward a child under 12 years old, according to an arrest affidavit from the Bay county sheriff’s office in Panama City, Florida.

Continue reading...

Targeting of energy facilities turned Iran war into worst-case scenario for Gulf states – The Conversation

Posted on by
  1. Targeting of energy facilities turned Iran war into worst-case scenario for Gulf states  The Conversation
  2. The oil logic behind Trump’s war on Iran  Al Jazeera
  3. Iran war leaves deep, costly scar on Mideast energy  Reuters
  4. Newspaper headlines: Iran war unleashes 'world energy shock' and 'King of the coast'  BBC
  5. Why the Iran war energy shock is different  Atlantic Council
Posted in Uncategorized

Tropical Cyclone Narelle Is Expected to Hit Northern Queensland – The New York Times

Posted on by
  1. Tropical Cyclone Narelle Is Expected to Hit Northern Queensland  The New York Times
  2. Afternoon Update: Tropical Cyclone Narelle makes landfall; PM heckled at mosque; and stadium injures NRL coach  The Guardian
  3. 'She's Here!': Australian Man Braves Tropical Cyclone Narelle's Strong Winds  Yahoo
  4. Cyclone Narelle: Australians told to shelter as intense wind and rain hits Queensland  BBC
  5. Live: Resident says roofs lost, trees felled as severe Cyclone Narelle tears into Queensland coast  ABC News
Posted in Uncategorized

Indian film board blocks release of Oscar-nominated Gaza drama The Voice of Hind Rajab

Posted on by

Distributor says authorities warned screening Tunisian film-maker Kaouther Ben Hania’s docudrama could harm India–Israel relations

The Indian release of The Voice of Hind Rajab, the Oscar-nominated Tunisian film about the death of a five-year-old girl during the Israel-Gaza war, has been blocked by the country’s ratings body, according to the film’s Indian distributor.

In a report by Variety, Manoj Nandwana of Mumbai-based Jai Viratra Entertainment said that he was told that if the film was released, it would “break up” India-Israel relations.

Continue reading...

Viktor Orbán refuses to agree to €90bn loan for Ukraine as EU leaders accuse him of betrayal

Posted on by

German chancellor Friedrich Merz described Orbán’s U-turn on the loan Hungary had agreed to in December as ‘a gross act of disloyalty’

EU leaders fumed after Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, refused to drop his opposition to a vital €90bn (£78bn) loan for Ukraine, accusing him of betrayal and acting in bad faith.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz described Orbán’s U-turn on the loan Hungary had agreed to in December as “a gross act of disloyalty” adding: “I am firmly convinced that it will leave deep marks.”

Continue reading...

Concerns raised over ex-Putin interpreter’s key role in monitoring Hungary vote

Posted on by

Daria Boyarskaya coordinating OSCE mission overseeing vote in which pro-Moscow Viktor Orbán could lose power

Hungarian rights groups have raised concerns over the appointment of Vladimir Putin’s former interpreter to a key role in an international election monitoring mission, amid fears of Russian interference ahead of Hungary’s crucial vote next month.

Daria Boyarskaya, who worked for many years for Russia’s foreign ministry and interpreted in numerous high-level meetings including one between Putin and Donald Trump, is now a senior adviser at the parliamentary assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE-PA), based in Vienna. She is coordinating the body’s mission to monitor next month’s parliamentary election in Hungary.

Continue reading...