- Pakistan ends lockdown of its capital after dispersing Imran Khan supporters NPR
- Imran Khan: Pakistan opposition supporters end protest after crackdown BBC.com
- Pakistan Lifts Lockdown As Cops Crackdown Clears Supporters Of Imran Khan`s PTI Zee News
- Pakistan’s political tensions escalate after new violent clashes The Washington Post
- Nearly 1,000 held in Pakistan after pro-Khan protests Reuters
Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire begins after year of conflict
Attacks by both sides were recorded until shortly before fighting stopped at 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT).
Namibians await vote results as ruling party seeks to extend 34-year rule
The poll was marred by logistical issues with voting continuing for an unscheduled second day in some areas.
Seoul slows down under blanket of heaviest November snow in 100 years
First day of snowfall this season is heaviest on record, says weather bureau
South Korea’s capital has been blanketed by what the weather agency said was the heaviest November snowfall since records began over a century ago. It was the first snowfall of this year’s winter.
The Korea Meteorological Administration said 16.5cm (6.5 inches) of snow fell by 7am on Wednesday, compared with Seoul’s previous record of 12.4cm on 28 November 1972. It was the heaviest snowfall since records began in 1907, the KMA said.
Continue reading...Laos detains foreign hostel staff over backpacker methanol poisonings as families and travelers demand answers – Yahoo! Voices
Painting of Māori elder fetches record price in NZ auction
The NZ$3.75m ($2.2m; $1.7m) sale makes it the most valuable Māori portrait in New Zealand history.
British mother of Egyptian political prisoner to press Lammy to take action
Laila Soueif is to meet the foreign secretary, who in opposition called for the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah
The British-born mother of an Egyptian political prisoner who has been on hunger strike for 58 days is preparing to meet the foreign secretary, David Lammy, to urge him to secure her son’s release.
Laila Soueif’s son Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British and Egyptian dual citizen who wrote eloquently about the Arab spring and its aftermath, was jailed for five years for “spreading false news”. He was due to be released in September, but has not been freed.
Continue reading...Officer who Tasered 95-year-old guilty of manslaughter
Clare Nowland, who had symptoms of dementia, died of her injuries a week after being Tasered in Australia.
Australia politics live: Hanson fails in bid to refer Payman over citizenship; Thorpe withdraws ‘shut your mouth’ comment to Labor senator
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- Hanson alleging Fatima Payman in breach of section 44 ends with Thorpe giving Senate the finger
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Labour market steadying as latest monthly CPI result looms
The consensus for much of the year has been the Reserve Bank’s 13-year high interest rates would squeeze demand in the economy, nudge up unemployment and help bring down inflation. And then it could start cutting its cash rate.
And then more recently, we’re actually starting to see [the labour market] tighten.
Continue reading...UN chief says Lebanon ceasefire ‘first ray of hope amid darkness’ in conflict – as it happened
This live blog is now closed. You can read our latest full report here:
Down to the final half-hour before the ceasefire comes into effect and AFP is reporting strikes on south Beirut after the Israel army’s evacuation warning.
“Urgent warning to residents of the Beirut area,” army spokesperson Avichay Adraee had earlier said in a post on X, telling people in the Bachoura area in the city centre to leave, as well as “all residents in the southern suburb area”, specifically in Ghobeiry.
Continue reading...Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire comes into force with Biden insistent on ‘permanent cessation of hostilities’
Reports of cars heading south inside Lebanon despite Israeli army warning displaced residents not to return home immediately
A highly anticipated ceasefire aimed at ending the 14-month-old war between Israel and Hezbollah officially came into effect early on Wednesday morning, hours after Joe Biden hailed the “historic” moment.
The ceasefire officially began at 0200 GMT – 4am in Lebanon – after the heaviest day of raids on Beirut, including a series of strikes in the city’s centre, since Israel stepped up its air campaign in Lebanon in late September before sending in ground troops.
Continue reading...First Nations Voice makes history in South Australia: ‘We are determined to prove you wrong’
Inaugural address from Leeroy Bilney, outlining racist history of Australia and future challenges, greeted with acclaim
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The First Nations Voice has delivered its first message to the South Australian parliament: “We are determined to prove you wrong.”
MPs had to squeeze together to make room for all those who turned up to Wednesday’s special joint sitting to hear the Voice’s inaugural address.
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Continue reading...‘Mr. Every Man’: The 50 Others Accused in France’s Mass Rape Trial – The New York Times
- ‘Mr. Every Man’: The 50 Others Accused in France’s Mass Rape Trial The New York Times
- Dominique Pelicot has split personality caused by trauma, defence argues The Guardian
- 51 men were charged with raping her: Gisele Pelicot gives closing statement in shocking French trial USA TODAY
- France unveils new measures to protect women in wake of Pelicot affair FRANCE 24 English
- Channel 5 to Air Documentary on Gisèle Pelicot and France’s Mass Rape Trial That Shocked the World Hollywood Reporter
UK sales of seasonal pet treats, toys and food rocketing
Sales of Christmas pet lines up 964% year-on-year at Waitrose online as people spend more on pet care
Unlike buying a present for a fussy father-in-law or an awkward aunt, a dog won’t complain if their treats aren’t the latest, and a cat is not likely to turn its nose up at a Christmas tree-shaped scratch tree.
Perhaps that’s why Britons are so happy to spend on their pets this Christmas, with sales of seasonal pet treats, toys and food booming.
Continue reading...Trump’s return raises questions over future of CIA’s Russian recruitment drive
Intelligence agency has been trying to entice Russians disaffected by invasion of Ukraine but president-elect is likely to want to make an ally of Kremlin
For the past three years, the CIA has run an unusually bold outreach programme. It targeted Russians within the country’s government and security services, attempting to turn them into double agents.
Slickly produced recruitment videos portrayed cooperation with the US secret agency as the patriotic choice for officials disaffected with Vladimir Putin’s regime and the war in Ukraine. The videos ended with instructions on how to contact the CIA in a secure manner.
Continue reading...Plan to cut Berlin arts budget will ‘destroy’ city’s culture, directors warn
Leading theatre figures warn ‘drastic’ reduction in funding will cause bankruptcy and harm city’s tourism appeal
Plans to slash Berlin’s culture budget by tens of millions of Euros have led to a huge backlash, with leading venues saying they have been forced to cut performances and others warning they will be pushed into bankruptcy.
About 450 institutes that are reliant at least in part on state subsidies, from theatres and opera houses to nightclubs and galleries, have formed an alliance in an attempt to force a rethink over the €130m (£108.6m) cuts. At around 12 to 13% of the current annual budget, they have been described even by those proposing them as “brutal”.
Continue reading...Rabbi Krinsky’s Message Following the Murder of Shliach in UAE – COLlive
- Rabbi Krinsky’s Message Following the Murder of Shliach in UAE COLlive
- NYT changes headline about murdered Dubai rabbi following public outcry: 'Call it for what it is' Fox News
- Turkey reportedly arrested suspects in Israeli-Moldovan rabbi's killing in UAE as they left airport The Associated Press
- Though broken from Rabbi Zvi Kogan's death, Chabad will march forward - opinion The Jerusalem Post
- U.A.E. Arrests 3 Uzbeks Linked to Murder of Israeli Rabbi The New York Times
Hanson alleging Fatima Payman in breach of section 44 ends with Thorpe giving Senate the finger
Hanson alleges Payman, who was born in Afghanistan, has not shown evidence she has revoked that citizenship
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An extraordinary row has erupted in the Senate as Pauline Hanson attempted to have Fatima Payman investigated for an alleged section 44 citizenship issue, with Lidia Thorpe throwing papers at the One Nation leader and flipping her middle finger as she stormed out of the chamber.
The Senate president, Sue Lines said, she had advised the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service of the incident between Hanson and Thorpe this morning, saying she was “incredibly disappointed” in the behaviour which she described as “physically threatening”.
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Continue reading...Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers file legal claim alleging substandard prison conditions
Lawyers for the disgraced movie mogul prepare lawsuit accusing Rikers Island jail of negligence and failing to provide adequate medical treatment
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers have filed a legal claim against New York City alleging he is receiving substandard medical treatment in unhygienic conditions while in custody at the Rikers Island jail complex.
The notice of claim – the first step in filing a lawsuit against the city – accuses the facility of failing to manage the former movie mogul’s medical conditions, which include chronic myeloid leukemia and diabetes, and negligence ranging from “freezing” conditions to a lack of clean clothes.
Continue reading...Zachary Rolfe’s ego played a part in Kumanjayi Walker’s shooting death, NT coroner told
Coroner urged not to ‘sugarcoat’ police officer’s actions as inquest nears end
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Zachary Rolfe’s ego “had a lot to do with” the death of Kumanjayi Walker, and the former police officer “invented” evidence about the Warlpiri man attempting to take his gun before the fatal shooting, a court has heard.
The inquest into the death of Walker is holding its final hearings, almost two years after it was due to be completed.
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