Israel to call up around 60,000 reservists before planned offensive on Gaza City, says Israeli military official – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story here

Israel is “killing all prospects” for peace in the Middle East, Jordan’s foreign minister has said amid escalating international outrage over Israel’s plans for a new large-scale offensive in Gaza City and plans to massively expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Ayman Safadi made his remarks during a visit to Moscow on the same day that the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, approved a plan to conquer Gaza City, an urban area home to hundreds of thousands of people in the north of the Palestinian territory.

Continue reading...

Loan ‘irregularities’ led to collapse of Prax Lindsey oil refinery

Posted on by

Administrator was appointed after parent company State Oil was given new information about £783m loan

The Prax Lindsey oil refinery collapsed after “material irregularities” were discovered in a complex £783m loan facility that funded the wider group, it has emerged.

The refinery on the Humber estuary in northern England – one of just five left in the UK, – was suddenly plunged into administration in late June, prompting calls from furious government ministers for an investigation into Winston Soosaipillai, Prax Group’s oil tycoon owner.

Continue reading...

Archaeologists to excavate Glasgow skatepark – with help from skaters

Posted on by

Kelvingrove park is site of Scotland’s first skatepark, Kelvin Wheelies, which has been covered in rubble for decades

Scotland’s first outdoor skatepark – currently buried beneath rubble in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove park – will be excavated next week in an attempt to preserve its legacy.

Archaeologists at the University of Glasgow are inviting volunteers to join them as they begin their excavation and survey work at the former Kelvin Wheelies park, which has been underground for more than three decades.

Continue reading...

Japan proposes ‘economic zone’ linking Indian Ocean to Africa, seeks greater role in the region – AP News

Posted on by
  1. Japan proposes 'economic zone' linking Indian Ocean to Africa, seeks greater role in the region  AP News
  2. JICA to designate four Japanese cities as 'hometowns' for African nations  The Japan Times
  3. TICAD African development conference gets underway in Japan | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News  nhk.or.jp
  4. Japan eyes low-cost debt to mitigate Africa blow from aid cuts  Financial Times
  5. TICAD: In Japan, private-sector optimism over Africa is cautious but growing  The Africa Report.com
Posted in Uncategorized

Russia expects India to keep buying its oil and seeks China-India-Russia talks – Reuters

Posted on by
  1. Russia expects India to keep buying its oil and seeks China-India-Russia talks  Reuters
  2. "Perplexed At Logic": S Jaishankar On US Tariff Over Purchase Of Russian Oil  NDTV
  3. Russia Says It Will Keep Selling Oil to India Despite US Tariffs  Bloomberg.com
  4. India keen to expand trade with Russia despite US tariff tirade  Deccan Herald
  5. U.S. asked us to buy energy from Russia to stabilise global energy market: Jaishankar in Moscow  The Hindu
Posted in Uncategorized

Concern Australian doctor ‘pushed’ out as chair of medical insurer board over social media posts on Gaza war

Posted on by

Dr Stephen Parnis says public comments based on ‘my views and conscience’ in resignation email that has prompted letter writing campaign in his support

High-profile emergency physician Dr Stephen Parnis has stepped down as chair of the board of a leading medical insurance provider in an apparent response to concerns about statements he has made on social media opposing the war in Gaza.

Parnis, a former vice-president of the Australian Medical Association, announced in an email to members of the Medical Insurance Group of Australia (Miga) last Monday that he was giving up his role as chair of the board.

Continue reading...

Here is what actually needs to be done to address Australia’s childcare abuse crisis – and politicians can’t say they didn’t know

Posted on by

Review after review has made recommendations to government that have never been implemented. It’s time to take childcare safety out of the too-hard basket and commit to real reform

On Friday, state education ministers will meet Jason Clare to discuss the thorny and critically important issues facing the country’s childcare sector.

There could not be a more significant moment for the conversations that we are having about the safety of the more than 1 million Australian children who attend childcare.

Continue reading...

Imposing Further Sanctions in Response to the ICC’s Ongoing Threat to Americans and Israelis – U.S. Department of State (.gov)

Posted on by
  1. Imposing Further Sanctions in Response to the ICC’s Ongoing Threat to Americans and Israelis  U.S. Department of State (.gov)
  2. US imposes sanctions on international court officials in ‘flagrant attack’  The Guardian
  3. Trump administration imposes new sanctions on four ICC judges, prosecutors  Reuters
  4. The ICC strongly rejects new US sanctions against Judges and Deputy Prosecutors  | International Criminal Court
  5. Trump expands sanctions against ICC officials over Israel, U.S. investigations  The Washington Post
Posted in Uncategorized

Denmark to abolish VAT on books in effort to get more people reading

Posted on by

Culture minister says government will propose ending the 25% rate, the highest in the world, in its budget bill

Denmark is to stop charging VAT on books in an attempt to get more people reading.

At 25%, the country’s tax rate on books is the highest in the world, a policy the government believes is contributing to a growing “reading crisis”.

Continue reading...

India and China hail warming ties amid Trump-induced geopolitical shake-up

Posted on by

Countries agree to resume trade links and work to resolving border dispute after visit to Delhi by top diplomat Wang Yi

India’s prime minister and China’s foreign minister have hailed “steady” progress in their countries’ fractious relationship, agreeing to resume trade and other ties, as well as work towards resolving the long-running Himalayan border dispute, amid a global geopolitical shake-up instigated by Donald Trump’s tariff regime.

According to statements from China’s foreign ministry, the two sides agreed to resume direct flights – reiterating a pledge made in January – as well as issuing visas to journalists and facilitating business and cultural exchanges.

Continue reading...

Trump Calls Netanyahu A ‘War Hero,’ Adds: ‘I Guess I Am Too’ – HuffPost

Posted on by
  1. Trump Calls Netanyahu A ‘War Hero,’ Adds: ‘I Guess I Am Too’  HuffPost
  2. Trump Calls Netanyahu a ‘War Hero’ and Adds: ‘I Guess I Am, Too’  The New York Times
  3. Fox News’ Mark Levin defends Trump calling himself a ‘war hero’: ‘Let me educate the truly stupid’  The Independent
  4. Kinzinger: Trump claiming to be war hero ‘just nuts’  The Hill
  5. Trump’s ‘war hero’ comment is merely his latest flippant comparison of himself to troops  CNN
Posted in Uncategorized

Airbus workers vote to strike for 10 days next month in pay dispute

Posted on by

Unite says stoppages at Broughton and Filton factories could disrupt production of wings and delay deliveries

Thousands of Airbus workers in the UK are to go on strike for 10 days in September in a row over pay that threatens to disrupt the production of aircraft wings.

A series of two-day strikes are planned to begin on 2 September and continue throughout the month at the company’s factories in Broughton, north Wales, and Filton, near Bristol, according to Unite.

Continue reading...