Former British soldier fighting for Ukraine captured by Russian forces

Man identifies himself in a video as James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, saying he joined the country’s International Legion

A British man has reportedly been captured by Russian forces while fighting for Ukraine.

In a widely circulated video on Sunday, first posted on Telegram, the man identifies himself as James Scott Rhys Anderson, 22, and says he is a former British army soldier.

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Musk argues social media bill may not be lawful – as it happened

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Does the delay on gambling ad restrictions have anything to do with the demands of lobbyists?

Clare O’Neil said it wasn’t about lobbying, but “about making sure that we get this right”.

And the minister has pointed to previous attempts to scale back gambling advertising that have actually resulted in more gambling advertising. This is a delicate area, and we’ve got to get the balance right, and that’s what the minister is seeking to do.

These complicated matters, they just are. You know, if this was a really simple problem to fix, then it would have been fixed a long time ago.

I would say our government deserves credit for stepping up and saying we’re going to take action on this, and the minister [Michelle Rowland] is doing what is appropriate, which is diligently working through what the proposals will look like.

The minister is working with people, experts, stakeholders, others who will be affected by this legislation, and the government has said will come forward with … proposals early next year.

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Republican senator: ‘We’ll have lots of questions’ for Trump’s controversial picks

Democrat Tammy Duckworth says Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard are unqualified for roles Trump wants them to fill

A prominent Republican US senator pledged on Sunday that Congress would not give blanket approval to Donald Trump’s controversial cabinet picks ahead of the congressional confirmation process, as a leading Democrat challenged the qualifications of some of them to serve.

Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma predicted lawmakers in the upper chamber will have tough questions in particular for the former Democratic congresswoman, Tulsi Gabbard, who was chosen by the president-elect as director of national security for his second administration.

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Israel investigating after Hamas releases photos purportedly showing body of female hostage – CNN

  1. Israel investigating after Hamas releases photos purportedly showing body of female hostage  CNN
  2. Rallies stress winter dangers to hostages, as Hamas claims female captive killed in Gaza  The Times of Israel
  3. Hamas says Israeli female hostage killed in north Gaza combat zone  The Guardian
  4. Video Hamas claims Israeli hostage killed in Northern Gaza  ABC News
  5. Hamas says female captive killed in Israeli strike in northern Gaza  Al Jazeera English
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More rain and snow in US could affect Thanksgiving travel, forecasters warn

One person found dead in submerged vehicle in California as storm warning issued for Sierra Nevada through Tuesday

Forecasters through the US issued warnings that another round of winter weather could complicate travel leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, while California and Washington state continue to recover from storm damage and power outages.

In California, where a person was found dead in a vehicle submerged in floodwaters on Saturday, authorities braced for more precipitation while grappling with flooding and small landslides from a previous storm.

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Government of Laos ‘saddened’ by deaths of foreign tourists – NBC News

  1. Government of Laos 'saddened' by deaths of foreign tourists  NBC News
  2. New Zealand Citizen Poisoned by Tainted Alcohol in Laos Returns Home  U.S. News & World Report
  3. Inside the chilling final hours of backpackers poisoned at Laos — who vomited blood for hours before their deaths  New York Post
  4. Sixth person dies after suspected mass drink-spiking in Laos  Yahoo! Voices
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Israeli government orders officials to boycott left-leaning paper Haaretz

Ministers also ban government advertising from critical newspaper that is widely respected internationally

Israel’s government is set to punish the country’s leading left-leaning newspaper, Haaretz, by ordering a boycott of the publication by government officials or anyone working for a government-funded body and halting all government advertising in its pages or website.

In a statement on Sunday, the office of Shlomo Karhi, the communications minister, said that his proposal against Haaretz had been unanimously approved by other ministers.

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Australia urged to do more on climate crisis after playing role in trillion-dollar Cop29 shortfall

Wealthy nations agree to take the lead in helping developing countries shift to a low-carbon economy

The Australian government has been urged to “step up” and do more to address the climate crisis after it played a role in a contentious deal on global finance to help poor countries deal with the problem.

The Cop29 UN climate summit in the Azerbaijan capital of Baku ended at 4am on Sunday with a consensus agreement that developing countries would be paid at least US$300bn (A$460bn) a year in global climate finance by 2035 to help them shift to a low-carbon economy and adapt to the impacts of extreme weather.

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Hegseth’s views on women in combat ‘flat-out wrong’, Senator Duckworth says

Democratic combat veteran says Trump’s pick for defense secretary is ‘inordinately unqualified’ for the job

Democratic US Senator Tammy Duckworth, who lost both her legs after the army Black Hawk attack helicopter she was piloting was shot down during the US war in Iraq, on Sunday ramped up criticism of Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary who argues women shouldn’t be on the front line.

Pete Hegseth is the former Fox News host and soldier tapped by the president-elect to lead the Pentagon and oversee the largest military force in the world, but he is steeped in controversy.

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China unnerved by Russia’s growing ties with North Korea, claims US official

Comments part of debate over whether Beijing backs Kim Jong-un’s decision to send troops to fight in Ukraine

China is increasingly uncomfortable about North Korea’s engagement with Russia and finds the growing cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow unnerving, Kurt Campbell, the US deputy secretary of state has said.

He was leaning into a growing debate among the US’s security partners in Asia on whether China supports the decision of North Korea’s Kim Jong-un to send 10,000 troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine. It is said the North Korean troops are now inside Russia.

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NHS bosses who silence whistleblowers face sack under government plans

Ministers to launch public consultation on regulating managers in effort to end ‘culture of cover-up’ in NHS

NHS managers who silence whistleblowers or endanger patients through misconduct face being sacked and barred from working in the health service for life under radical government plans to regulate thousands of bosses for the first time.

Ministers will begin a public consultation on Tuesday seeking views on the proposals, which they say are designed to eradicate a “culture of cover-up” in the NHS. It follows a series of scandals over the last decade at trusts including Morecambe Bay, East Kent and Shrewsbury and Telford.

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Several people killed amid ‘unprecedented’ flooding as Storm Bert batters Britain

Rhondda Cynon Taf declares emergency as at least four deaths reported across England and Wales

Several people have been killed as Storm Bert battered the UK, with a major incident declared in south Wales.

At least four deaths have been reported in England and Wales since the storm hit amid flooding brought by heavy rain and thawing snow. Thousands of homes have been left without power.

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A year since hostage deal, Herzog says not freeing remaining captives a daily failure – The Times of Israel

  1. A year since hostage deal, Herzog says not freeing remaining captives a daily failure  The Times of Israel
  2. Former Israeli hostages released in truce 1 year ago call for action to release those still held  CBS News
  3. Israelis again demonstrate for hostage deal  Yahoo! Voices
  4. Time to Stop Lying: Here Is How Israel's Hostages Can Be Saved  Haaretz
  5. Herzog: We're at critical moment, 'everyday hostages are not with us is a failure'  The Jerusalem Post
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Hezbollah fires hundreds of rockets, projectiles into Israel in retaliation for Beirut strikes – PBS NewsHour

  1. Hezbollah fires hundreds of rockets, projectiles into Israel in retaliation for Beirut strikes  PBS NewsHour
  2. Hezbollah Fires Waves of Projectiles Into Israel After Deadly Strike in Lebanon  The New York Times
  3. Hezbollah fires barrage of rockets into Israel after IDF targets Hezbollah command centers in Beirut  Fox News
  4. Casualties, severe damage in Israel as Hezbollah fires 340 rockets, drones  Al Jazeera English
  5. Hezbollah rockets land near Tel Aviv after large Israeli strike on Beirut  Reuters
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Hundreds flee north Gaza as IDF orders more evacuations amid intense airstrikes

Senior Israeli minister says the war is far from over and Israel will stay ‘for years’ in the territory

The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of new areas of northern Gaza, setting off a fresh wave of civilian displacements on Sunday as intense airstrikes continued across much of the territory.

In Jerusalem, a senior minister said the war in Gaza was far from over and that Israel would stay “for years” in the territory.

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Rabbi in UAE killed in ‘antisemitic terror incident’, says Israel

UAE says it has arrested three people over the killing of Zvi Kogan, who worked for an Orthodox Jewish group

Israel has said that an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates was killed in what it described as a “heinous antisemitic terror incident”.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement about the death of Zvi Kogan, who worked in the UAE for an Orthodox Jewish group called Chabad and had not been seen since Thursday.

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