German Art Institutions Prepare for a Fight as Far Right Looks to Take Power – The New York Times

  1. German Art Institutions Prepare for a Fight as Far Right Looks to Take Power  The New York Times
  2. AfD surge in eastern Germany makes some immigrants question whether they still belong  reuters.com
  3. Here’s how Germany can defend its democracy. Banning the AfD isn’t the answer | Timothy Garton Ash  The Guardian
  4. The Rise of Germany’s Far Right Reflects a Systemic Crisis  Jacobin
  5. Merz Faces Party Revolt With Far Right Advancing in Germany  Bloomberg.com
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Poland’s prime minister warns of Russian ‘accidental’ attacks on Ukraine’s allies – NPR

  1. Poland's prime minister warns of Russian 'accidental' attacks on Ukraine's allies  NPR
  2. String of daring Russian plots is testing Washington’s restraint  The Washington Post
  3. Niall Ferguson: Is Peace at Hand in Ukraine?  thefp.com
  4. Poland warns Russia is planning drone or rocket strikes on NATO territory  militarynews.com
  5. Tusk: intelligence sees Russian plan for drone strikes on Poland, allies  Euronews
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‘We demand the truth’: Olga Tokarczuk and JM Coetzee lead calls for proof of life of disappeared Eritrean writers

More than 180 writers sign letter renewing calls for information on 12 authors detained incommunicado since 2001 crackdown on free speech by Isaias Afwerki

More than 180 writers have signed a letter to Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki calling for proof of life for 12 writers arrested in 2001.

Nobel laureates Olga Tokarczuk and JM Coetzee join prominent writers including Colm Tóibín, Elif Shafak, Isabel Allende, Ben Okri, Yann Martel, Kamila Shamsie and Tsitsi Dangarembga in signing the letter dated 18 September, marking 25 years since a government crackdown on the independent press. “Within days, Eritrea’s free press and the nation’s independent voices were systematically crushed,” opens the letter.

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Retail sales bounce back in Great Britain amid brighter signs for economy

Latest data to defy economic gloom shows 0.5% rise boosted by purchases of sports items, aircon units and fans during heatwaves

Retail sales across Great Britain unexpectedly rose last month, the latest economic indicator to defy gloomy forecasts as the chancellor, John Healey, prepares to present next month’s budget.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the volume of goods sold rose 0.5% month on month in August, defying analyst expectations of a 0.2% fall.

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A week after Houthis seized a Red Sea city, the Iranian-backed rebels eye the oil-rich east – AP News

  1. A week after Houthis seized a Red Sea city, the Iranian-backed rebels eye the oil-rich east  AP News
  2. Oil Prices Fall for Third Day as Saudi Supply Concerns Ease Slightly  WSJ
  3. A Spreading War Rattles Global Energy Markets  The Nation
  4. ‘They called us’: Has Trump abandoned Bab al-Mandeb to the Houthis?  aljazeera.com
  5. Three pumping stations along Saudi East-West Pipeline were hit in recent attack, sources say  reuters.com
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Twenty women had breasts removed unnecessarily during NHS cancer care

Patients among hundreds who suffered harm at County Durham and Darlington foundation trust’s breast unit

Twenty women had their breasts removed unnecessarily while being treated for cancer at an NHS trust in north-east England.

The County Durham and Darlington foundation trust (CDDFT) told the BBC that the women were among hundreds of patients who came to harm during treatment at its breast unit.

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Russians face mounting economic woes due to Putin’s war on Ukraine as country goes to polls – The Independent

  1. Russians face mounting economic woes due to Putin’s war on Ukraine as country goes to polls  The Independent
  2. Russia’s wartime economy faces long-term erosion from debt and military spending  AP News
  3. Putin Faces An Uncertain Future When the Ukraine War Ends  19FortyFive
  4. Russians make the best of a struggling economy before vote  reuters.com
  5. Russia Election Economy  gazettextra.com
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China vessel rams Philippine boat on refueling mission, coast guard says – NBC News

  1. China vessel rams Philippine boat on refueling mission, coast guard says  NBC News
  2. Chinese ship rams Philippines gov’t vessel in South China Sea: Coastguard  aljazeera.com
  3. Philippines Says China Coast Guard Rammed Its Fisheries Boat  Bloomberg.com
  4. Collision near Sabina Shoal sparks fresh escalation between China and the Philippines  South China Morning Post
  5. CCG warns Philippines to halt provocations or face consequences after collision near Xianbin Jiao  Global Times
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Why Eurasia, Not the Indo-Pacific, Matters Most in Next Phase of Taiwan Deterrence – War on the Rocks

  1. Why Eurasia, Not the Indo-Pacific, Matters Most in Next Phase of Taiwan Deterrence  War on the Rocks
  2. Opinion | Weighing the ‘disastrous, cascading consequences’ if China takes Taiwan  The Washington Post
  3. China would face a “hellscape” in a war over Taiwan  The Economist
  4. Will Taiwan Fight? We Need Better Evidence.  The Diplomat – Asia-Pacific Current Affairs Magazine
  5. AIT head warns world economy needs Taiwan  taiwannews.com.tw
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Japan raises interest rates to 31-year high to curb impact of rising prices

Increase from 1% to 1.25% follows US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank tightening monetary policy

Japan’s central bank has increased interest rates to a fresh 31-year high as it attempts to combat global inflation linked to the war in Iran.

The Bank of Japan voted to raise its target interest rate from 1% to 1.25%, the highest level since 1995.

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Malaysia’s Former Prime Minister Can Serve Rest of 1MDB Sentence Under House Arrest – WSJ

  1. Malaysia’s Former Prime Minister Can Serve Rest of 1MDB Sentence Under House Arrest  WSJ
  2. Convicted of Theft, an Ex-Prime Minister Is Set to Swap Prison for Mansion  The New York Times
  3. Malaysia king permits ex-PM Najib Razak to serve term under house arrest  reuters.com
  4. Malaysia's king allows former leader Najib to serve rest of his graft sentence under house arrest  AP News
  5. Officials depart as FT Pardons Board meeting concludes at Istana Negara  Malay Mail
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‘Outright racist’ Daniel Thomas will face full force of law over any crimes, says home secretary

Shabana Mahmood says she wants to distinguish between far-right extremism and legitimate local concerns over asylum sites

Shabana Mahmood has described the anti-asylum activist Daniel Thomas as “a far-right and outright racist” who will feel “the full force of the law” if his organisation commits crimes near contested asylum sites such as Piddington.

In an interview with the Guardian, the home secretary also “wanted to reassure” concerned villagers that asylum seekers due to move in to a neighbouring former defence site would not put pressure on local resources because they would be given self-contained facilities.

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‘Run! Get away!’: witnesses recount Israeli ‘double tap’ strike that killed child and medic in Gaza – The Guardian

  1. ‘Run! Get away!’: witnesses recount Israeli ‘double tap’ strike that killed child and medic in Gaza  The Guardian
  2. Israeli attacks kill four Palestinians including son of Gaza’s health chief  Al Jazeera
  3. Israeli strikes kill three people in Gaza, medics say  Reuters
  4. Live updates • Reports: IDF vehicles open fire in north, south Gaza, at least one wounded  haaretz.com
  5. Israeli strikes kill three people in Gaza, local medics say  The Jerusalem Post
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South Korea will not send military to support US war on Iran, defying Trump pressure

Seoul resolves recent speculation over sending military to strait of Hormuz, saying ‘there won’t be deployment that would involve or enter war’

South Korea’s president, Lee Jae Myung, has said he will ⁠not deploy the military to the ⁠Middle East in a way ​that could draw the country into conflict, resisting calls from Donald Trump to support his war in Iran.

“There won’t be deployment that would involve or enter war. I can tell you that very clearly,” Lee said at a ⁠news conference on Friday. “We won’t deploy military assets in any form to that end.”

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The Houthis could tip the Iran war in Tehran’s favor – Responsible Statecraft

  1. The Houthis could tip the Iran war in Tehran's favor  Responsible Statecraft
  2. What do the Houthis want? The threat to Saudi oil may be about more than just helping Iran  NBC News
  3. Iran’s allies now menace a second maritime choke point  The Economist
  4. The Houthi Advance Is About More Than Just Iran  Foreign Policy
  5. Iran's 'new Hezbollah:' How powerful are the Houthis now?  DW.com
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