House ethics committee deadlocked on whether to release Matt Gaetz report

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Panel met on Wednesday but didn’t reach a decision on releasing the report on Trump’s controversial AG pick

The House ethics committee deadlocked on releasing a report examining allegations of sexual misconduct against Matt Gaetz, the former Republican representative and Donald Trump’s choice to lead the US justice department, after the panel met behind closed doors on Wednesday.

Emerging from the meeting after roughly two hours, most members of the panel declined to offer details on their discussion, but the Republican chair, Michael Guest, told reporters that there was “not an agreement by the committee to release the report”.

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Police suspect arson behind overnight fire that destroyed Melbourne’s Lux nightclub

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About 50 firefighters and 15 fire trucks called to battle blaze at venue in Chapel Street, South Yarra

A Melbourne nightclub has been razed after a suspicious fire broke out in the middle of the night.

Lux nightclub on Chapel Street in South Yarra was engulfed in flames early on Thursday, with about 50 firefighters and 15 fire trucks called to battle the blaze.

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Biden urged to use clemency powers to tackle ‘crisis’ of US mass incarceration

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Members of Congress call on president to pardon or commute sentences before he leaves White House

More than 60 members of Congress have written to Joe Biden calling on him to use his presidential clemency powers to reunite families, address unfair sentencing policies, and begin to tackle the scourge of mass incarceration, which they said was eroding “the soul of America”.

Biden has 61 days left before he leaves the White House in which he could pardon or commute the sentences of incarcerated Americans. The letter, signed by a number of prominent Democratic politicians and spearheaded by the progressive politician Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, urges Biden to act while he still can.

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Canada’s employment minister resigns after shifting his claims of Indigenous ancestry

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Randy Boissonnault to ‘step away from cabinet’ after being accused of ‘pretendianism’ and improper business dealings

Canada’s employment minister has resigned from the cabinet after weeks of scrutiny over both his business dealings and his shifting claims of Indigenous ancestry.

Moments before question period on Wednesday, prime minister Justin Trudeau’s office said Randy Boissonnault would “step away from cabinet effective immediately” and will “focus on clearing the allegations made against him”.

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Ukraine fires UK-made missiles into Russia for first time

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Storm Shadow missile attack comes day after Kyiv used US-supplied long-range weapons to strike within Russia

Ukraine has fired UK-made Storm Shadow missiles into Russia for the first time since the beginning of the conflict, multiple sources have told the Guardian.

The decision to approve the strikes was made in response to the deployment of more than 10,000 North Korean troops on Russia’s border with Ukraine, which UK and US officials warned was a significant escalation of the near three-year conflict.

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US vetoes UN resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza because there’s no link to a hostage release – The Associated Press

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  1. US vetoes UN resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza because there's no link to a hostage release  The Associated Press
  2. US vetoes Gaza ceasefire resolution at UN as it didn’t condition truce on hostages’ release  The Times of Israel
  3. US vetoes Gaza resolution at UN again, drawing harsh criticism  Global Times
  4. U.S. Casts Sole Vote Against Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution  The New York Times
  5. Israel bombards Gaza as the US blocks another ceasefire  Al Jazeera English
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Document: Right-wing majorities in European Parliament will still be allowed – POLITICO Europe

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  1. Document: Right-wing majorities in European Parliament will still be allowed  POLITICO Europe
  2. EU party chiefs reach deal on von der Leyen's Commission nominees  Reuters
  3. For the first time in its history, we could be looking at a genuinely rightwing European Union  The Guardian
  4. European Parliament’s centrist groups agree to approve Commissioners  Euronews
  5. EU lawmakers seal a deal to rubber-stamp one of the bloc's most right-leaning executives  ABC News
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Swedish police focus on Chinese ship after suspected undersea cable sabotage

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Investigators gather evidence at two Baltic sites while Danish navy is shadowing Chinese cargo ship

Swedish police investigating the believed sabotage of two fibre-optic undersea cables in the Baltic Sea have said a Chinese ship off the coast of Denmark was “of interest” as Danish officials said its navy was shadowing a Chinese-registered cargo ship.

The ship, identified by Denmark as the Yi Peng 3, passed the two cables on Sunday and Monday about the time it is believed they were severed in a suspected malicious attack. The ship has been shadowed by a Danish navy vessel since it was located in waters between Sweden and Denmark.

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Biden Agrees to Supply Ukraine With Anti-Personnel Mines – The New York Times

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  1. Biden Agrees to Supply Ukraine With Anti-Personnel Mines  The New York Times
  2. Biden makes another Ukraine policy shift with approval of sending anti-personnel mines  Fox News
  3. The US is sending antipersonnel land mines to Ukraine. Here’s what it means  The Associated Press
  4. US approves landmine shipment for Ukraine after refusing for years  Al Jazeera English
  5. Ukrainian civilians will pay for Biden's landmine flip-flop  Responsible Statecraft
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