Pope Francis’ condition remains stable as recovery progresses – Vatican News

  1. Pope Francis’ condition remains stable as recovery progresses  Vatican News
  2. Catholics Around the Globe Heed Francis’ Call to ‘Pray for Me’  The New York Times
  3. In the hospital, pope celebrates anniversary of election with cake  USCCB
  4. Timeline of Pope Francis’ hospitalization for pneumonia at the 1-month mark  The Associated Press
  5. One month in the hospital: No news on Pope Francis is good news  National Catholic Reporter
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Canada ‘will never be part of the US’, says new PM Mark Carney amid trade war

Former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor sworn in and expected to call election soon

Mark Carney has said Canada will never be part of the US, after being sworn in as the country’s 24th prime minister in a sudden rise to power.

“We will never, in any shape or form, be part of the US,” the former governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England told a crowd outside Rideau Hall in Ottawa, rejecting Donald Trump’s annexation threats. “We are very fundamentally a different country.”

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Apple’s UK encryption legal challenge heard behind closed doors

Media organisations including the Guardian and the BBC fail to gain entry to proceedings

A hearing in Apple’s legal battle with the UK government over access to customer data was held behind closed doors on Friday after the press failed to gain entry to proceedings.

The US tech firm has launched an appeal with the investigatory powers tribunal after the Home Office demanded access to encrypted data stored remotely in Apple’s cloud servers.

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Hamas says it will release American hostage Edan Alexander – ABC News

  1. Hamas says it will release American hostage Edan Alexander  ABC News
  2. Hamas says it's willing to release the five American hostages in Gaza  NPR
  3. Hamas says it will only release Edan Alexander if ceasefire deal implemented  The Times of Israel
  4. US rebuts Hamas’s ‘entirely impractical’ ceasefire demands  The Guardian
  5. Hamas Says It’s Willing to Release U.S.-Israeli Hostage Edan Alexander  The New York Times
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Germany is back, says Merz after historic deal on defence and spending – BBC.com

  1. Germany is back, says Merz after historic deal on defence and spending  BBC.com
  2. A 3 a.m. Showdown Saved Merz’s Game-Changing Plan for Germany  Bloomberg
  3. Germans Reach Deal to Spend Big on Defense, Climate and More  The New York Times
  4. Europe stocks close higher led by Germany's DAX after lawmakers reportedly agree spending boost  CNBC
  5. Can Europe cope with a free-spending Germany?  The Economist
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Pakistan accuses India of sponsoring militant terror group after train hijacking

A spokesperson offered no evidence for the claim after 26 people were killed on a train that was hijacked in Balochistan province on Tuesday

Pakistan’s military has accused neighbouring India of sponsoring militant groups in the south-west of the country as survivors recounted their ordeal from an unprecedented attack that killed 26 passengers on a hijacked train.

The scope of the attack in Balochistan province underscores the struggles that Pakistan faces to rein in militant groups.

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US rebuts Hamas’s ‘entirely impractical’ ceasefire demands

Apparent rejection of new offer to free US-Israeli hostage dashes hopes of progress but will please Tel Aviv

The Trump administration has accused Hamas of making “entirely impractical” demands and stalling on a deal to release a US-Israeli hostage in exchange for an extension of the Gaza ceasefire.

“Hamas is making a very bad bet that time is on its side. It is not,” the office of Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and the US national security council said in a statement. “Hamas is well aware of the deadline, and should know that we will respond accordingly if that deadline passes,” it said, adding that Trump had already vowed Hamas would “pay a severe price” for not freeing hostages.

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30,000 jobs could go in Labour’s radical overhaul of NHS

Loss of staff will be at least twice as big as thought, as new NHS England chief tells regional boards to cut costs by 50%

The jobs cull from the government’s radical restructuring of the NHS will be at least twice as big as previously thought, with other parts of the health service now being downsized too.

The staff shakeout caused by NHS England’s abolition and unprecedented cost-cutting elsewhere will mean the number of lost posts will soar from the 10,000 expected to between 20,000 and 30,000.

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Pakistan links train hijacking to ‘Afghan handlers’ and Indian mastermind – Al Jazeera English

  1. Pakistan links train hijacking to ‘Afghan handlers’ and Indian mastermind  Al Jazeera English
  2. Pakistan train hijack: Baloch militants claim they escaped with 214 hostages, then executed them after ‘deadline’  Hindustan Times
  3. Pakistan accuses India of sponsoring militant terror group after train hijacking  The Guardian
  4. Death toll in Pakistan's train hijacking rises to 31, army says  Reuters
  5. 'Mistook us for dead': Pakistan train driver recalls 36-hour terror siege  The Times of India
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What Syria’s New Temporary Constitution Says – The New York Times

  1. What Syria’s New Temporary Constitution Says  The New York Times
  2. Syria’s leader proclaims ‘new history’ after signing constitutional declaration  The Guardian
  3. Kurdish-led Syrian group rejects Islamist authorities' new constitution framework  Reuters
  4. ‘Brighter future hangs in the balance’ in Syria after 14 years of war  UN News
  5. Syrian leaders sign landmark new constitution following decades of dictatorship  Semafor
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At G-7 Meeting, US Allies’ Top Diplomats Wonder Where Rubio Stands – Bloomberg

  1. At G-7 Meeting, US Allies’ Top Diplomats Wonder Where Rubio Stands  Bloomberg
  2. U.S. and Canada's clash over tariffs overshadows G7 meeting  NBC News
  3. Canada Finds Solidarity at G-7 in Push Against Trump’s 51st State Idea  The Wall Street Journal
  4. G7 warns Russia of expanded sanctions unless it backs ceasefire  Financial Times
  5. People Are Laughing At The Red Carpet Marco Rubio Got For His Canadian Visit  Yahoo Entertainment
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Actor said to have been groped by Noel Clarke tells court it did not happen

Louise Dylan speaks at Clarke’s libel case against Guardian about wrap party for 2012 film The Knot

An actor who was said to have been groped by Noel Clarke has told the high court that the incident never happened.

In a witness statement for Guardian News and Media (GNM), which is being sued for libel by Clarke, his former creative partner Davie Fairbanks said he saw the former Doctor Who star inappropriately touch Louise Dylan at the wrap party for the 2012 film, The Knot.

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