Scholz under pressure to stand aside for Pistorius before German election

Posted on by

Senior SPD figures hold talks on candidate for chancellor amid speculation about switch to popular defence minister

Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, is under mounting pressure to step aside as his party’s candidate for the job in February’s snap election in favour of his defence minister, Boris Pistorius, the most popular politician in the country.

The top brass of the Social Democratic party (SPD) are planning crisis talks on their choice of chancellor candidate for the 23 February general election on Tuesday evening while Scholz is flying home from the G20 summit in Brazil, local media reported.

Continue reading...

‘First taste of winter’ snow in UK brings school closures and travel disruptions

Posted on by

Severe weather alerts in northern Scotland, Northern Ireland, central and southern Wales and eastern English counties

Large parts of the UK were blanketed with snow as the country got its “first taste of winter”, which brought school closures, train delays, difficult driving conditions and an appeal to check in on vulnerable people.

Met Office yellow severe weather alerts for snow and ice were in place across northern Scotland, Northern Ireland, central and southern Wales, and eastern counties from the Scottish Borders to Norfolk, with forecasters warning of potential hazards through this week.

Continue reading...

Some Relief for India Amid Trump’s Threats – M9

Posted on by
  1. Some Relief for India Amid Trump’s Threats  M9
  2. C Raja Mohan writes: In Trump 2.0, ‘the art of the deal’ may guide diplomacy  The Indian Express
  3. As US and India line up in a second Trump administration, China could be targeted  South China Morning Post
  4. India should prepare for Trumponomics  Semafor
  5. Trump claims he can bring peace to the world. In India, many believe him  NPR
Posted in Uncategorized

Italy Says Hezbollah Staged UN Base Attack It Had Blamed On Israel – Barron’s

Posted on by
  1. Italy Says Hezbollah Staged UN Base Attack It Had Blamed On Israel  Barron's
  2. Four UN peacekeepers injured by rocket fire in Lebanon  BBC.com
  3. IDF: Here's how Hezbollah rockets fell short and hit a UNIFIL base  The Jerusalem Post
  4. UN Force in Lebanon says four peacekeepers wounded, Israel blames Hezbollah rockets  Reuters
  5. Italy says 8 Hezbollah rockets hit its UNIFIL headquarters in south Lebanon; no injuries  The Times of Israel
Posted in Uncategorized

‘Underwhelming’: Poor countries push for way more climate funding than the EU is floating – POLITICO Europe

Posted on by
  1. ‘Underwhelming’: Poor countries push for way more climate funding than the EU is floating  POLITICO Europe
  2. Cop29 live: campaigners say talks are ‘reaching point of real emotion’  The Guardian
  3. Time ticks down for negotiators at UN climate talks to find deal to curb warming and its effects  The Associated Press
  4. Drill Baby Drill Returns as G20 Drops Fossil Fuel Phase-Out from Final Draft  OilPrice.com
  5. COP29 struggles to crack climate finance puzzle  Semafor
Posted in Uncategorized

Lucy Letby likely to have harmed other babies, doctor tells inquiry

Posted on by

Consultant who raised concerns says there could have been earlier victims she has not been convicted of killing

Lucy Letby was likely to have harmed more babies than those she has been convicted of murdering on a hospital neonatal unit, a senior doctor has told a public inquiry.

Dr Stephen Brearey, a consultant paediatrician who raised concerns about the nurse, told the Thirlwall inquiry he believed Letby “didn’t start becoming a killer” in June 2015 and that she may have had earlier victims.

Continue reading...

We assume damage to Baltic Sea cables was sabotage, German minister says

Posted on by

Boris Pistorius says ‘no one believes’ two undersea fibre-optic communications cables were cut accidentally

Germany has said it has to assume that damage to two undersea fibre-optic communication cables in the Baltic Sea since Sunday was an act of sabotage.

Two cables – one between Finland and Germany, the other between Sweden and Lithuania – were severed on Sunday and Monday, raising suspicions of a malicious attack, though authorities initially declined to speculate.

Continue reading...

Global stock markets fall and bonds jump as fears grow over Ukraine war

Posted on by

Investors dash to safe-haven currencies after Putin updates nuclear doctrine and Ukraine fires missiles into Russia

Global stock markets fell and bond prices have jumped after reports that Ukraine had fired a US-made long-range missile into Russia for the first time and Vladimir Putin approved changes to Moscow’s nuclear doctrine.

Investors dashed into safe-haven currencies such as the US dollar, the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc on Tuesday, after the RBC-Ukraine news outlet reported that Kyiv had carried out its first strike on Russian territory using western-supplied missiles.

Continue reading...

Gisèle Pelicot condemns rape accused and says French society must change – BBC.com

Posted on by
  1. Gisèle Pelicot condemns rape accused and says French society must change  BBC.com
  2. As Pelicot Rape Trial Nears End in France, Wife Speaks of ‘Banality’  The New York Times
  3. Gisèle Pelicot's Sons Say Their Dad Should Be 'Punished' for Drugging Her So Dozens of Men Could Rape Her  PEOPLE
  4. Gisèle Pelicot rape trial: children tell of ‘devastation’ caused by their father  The Guardian
  5. Gisele Pelicot rape case: Victim accuses dozens of men alleged to have raped her of 'cowardice'  Sky News
Posted in Uncategorized

Trump reportedly doubts senators will back Matt Gaetz but still lobbies hard

Posted on by

President-elect’s nominee for attorney general is dogged by sexual misconduct allegations

Donald Trump has reportedly told associates that Matt Gaetz, his nominee for attorney general, has a less than 50-50 chance of being confirmed by the Senate, even while pushing forward with his nomination amid damaging sexual misconduct allegations.

The president-elect has continued making calls in support of his beleaguered nominee despite resistance from Republican senators because he is confident his insistence will alter the standard for acceptable cabinet choices even if Gaetz fails, the New York Times reported.

Continue reading...

IDF intensifies operations in Gaza and Lebanon, kills hundreds of Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists – The Jerusalem Post

Posted on by
  1. IDF intensifies operations in Gaza and Lebanon, kills hundreds of Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists  The Jerusalem Post
  2. Israel at War Day 411 IDF Kills Two Senior Hezbollah Commanders Behind Rocket Attacks on Israel  Haaretz
  3. Israel-Gaza-Lebanon live updates: Israel kills 5 in central Beirut, officials say  ABC News
  4. Israeli Strikes in Beirut’s Center Shatter a Tenuous Sense of Security  The New York Times
  5. IDF kills Hezbollah anti-tank missile commanders, says group's firepower 'dramatically reduced  The Jerusalem Post
Posted in Uncategorized

International outrage over sentencing of 45 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong

Posted on by

Human rights groups concerned after handing down of sentences of up to 10 years

Governments and human rights groups have expressed concern and outrage at the sentencing of 45 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong after the city’s largest national security trial.

On Tuesday, a court handed down sentences, ranging from four years and two months to 10 years, to activists, former legislators, councillors and academics, who with two people acquitted in May made up a group known as the Hong Kong 47.

Continue reading...

Nearly a hundred aid trucks looted in Gaza, as UN warns of ‘collapse of law and order’ – CNN

Posted on by
  1. Nearly a hundred aid trucks looted in Gaza, as UN warns of ‘collapse of law and order’  CNN
  2. Gangs looting Gaza aid operate in areas under Israeli control, aid groups say  The Washington Post
  3. After 97 UN aid trucks in Gaza are ‘violently looted’ by armed men, food prices soar  Fox News
  4. Hamas-linked security forces kneecap suspected profiteers in Gaza  Financial Times
  5. Cigarettes for $1,000: regulated aid in Gaza leads to rise in looters, smugglers  The Jerusalem Post
Posted in Uncategorized

Police, residents kill dozens of Haitian gang members after attack in Pétion-Ville – Miami Herald

Posted on by
  1. Police, residents kill dozens of Haitian gang members after attack in Pétion-Ville  Miami Herald
  2. At least 28 suspected gang members killed in Port-au-Prince, say Haiti police  The Guardian
  3. More than two dozen killed after attempted attack on Haiti suburb  Yahoo! Voices
  4. Haitian authorities say 28 alleged gang members killed by police, residents  Al Jazeera English
  5. Residents in Haiti’s capital stand with police in a battle to repel the latest gang attack  The Associated Press
Posted in Uncategorized

Onslaught of Online Hate for Israeli Arab Woman Killed in Hezbollah Barrage – Haaretz

Posted on by
  1. Onslaught of Online Hate for Israeli Arab Woman Killed in Hezbollah Barrage  Haaretz
  2. Tel Aviv suburb hit by rocket fired from Lebanon  Al Jazeera English
  3. Israel at War day 408: What's happening in Gaza, Lebanon?  The Jerusalem Post
  4. Woman killed in Hezbollah attack on north; 5 hurt by missile fragments near Tel Aviv  The Times of Israel
  5. At least 5 people wounded as rocket shrapnel falls on Israeli city  NBC News
Posted in Uncategorized

Video Of Māori Lawmakers Performing Haka To Protest Anti-Indigenous Bill Has Internet Cheering – Comic Sands

Posted on by
  1. Video Of Māori Lawmakers Performing Haka To Protest Anti-Indigenous Bill Has Internet Cheering  Comic Sands
  2. Why are New Zealand’s Maori protesting over colonial-era treaty bill?  Al Jazeera English
  3. Massive crowds march on New Zealand parliament protesting Māori bill. Here’s what to know  CNN
  4. Watch: New Zealand's Māori protests explained  BBC.com
  5. Tens of thousands rally at New Zealand Parliament against bill to alter Indigenous rights  NBC News
Posted in Uncategorized