Two UK Jewish movements vote to become one progressive group

Posted on by

Merger of Liberal Judaism and Reform Judaism will be first in any major religion for more than half a century

Two Jewish movements in the UK have united to form Progressive Judaism, embracing female rabbis, same-sex marriage and mixed-faith couples and representing about a third of British Jews who are affiliated to synagogues.

Liberal Judaism and Reform Judaism took the historic step of voting to unite at parallel meetings on Sunday. Each vote easily exceeded the required 75% threshold for the move, with about 95% in favour.

Continue reading...

Elton John calls UK government ‘absolute losers’ over AI copyright plans

Posted on by

Songwriter says he thinks it is a ‘criminal offence’ to let tech firms use protected work without permission

Sir Elton John has called the UK government “absolute losers” over proposals to let tech firms use copyright-protected work without permission.

The singer and songwriter said it was a “criminal offence” to change copyright law in favour of artificial intelligence companies.

Continue reading...

Pope Leo XIV holds inaugural mass at St Peter’s Square

Posted on by

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and JD Vance among 150,000 present as Leo says he wants Catholic church to be ‘leaven of unity’

Pope Leo XIV said he wanted the Catholic church to be a “small leaven of unity” in a time of “too much discord and too many wounds”, during his inaugural papal mass attended by world leaders including the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the US vice-president, JD Vance.

Calling for more love and unity, Leo said the church’s “true authority” was the charity of Christ. He said: “It is never a question of capturing others by force, by religious propaganda or by means of power. Instead, it is always and only a question of loving as Jesus did.”

Continue reading...

Trump’s Gulf tour reshapes Middle East diplomatic map – Reuters

Posted on by
  1. Trump's Gulf tour reshapes Middle East diplomatic map  Reuters
  2. For Trump, Adulation and No Risk of Protests Made the Gulf a Dream Trip  The New York Times
  3. Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Secures Historic $600 Billion Investment Commitment in Saudi Arabia  The White House (.gov)
  4. Deals, disco and a baby blue carpet: Key moments from Trump's Mideast jaunt  USA Today
  5. Here are 5 takeaways from Trump's first major foreign trip to the Middle East  NPR
Posted in Uncategorized

One dead after ‘intentional’ explosion near fertility clinic in Palm Springs

Posted on by

FBI statement describes attack as ‘intentional act of terrorism’, adding that clinic was deliberately targeted

At least one person is dead after a car exploded near a reproductive facility in Palm Springs, California, on Saturday morning, according to local authorities.

An FBI statement described the attack as an “intentional act of terrorism”, adding that the clinic was deliberately targeted. But it declined to elaborate on how authorities had reached a conclusion on a motive.

Continue reading...

Cooking the books? Fears Trump could target statisticians if data disappoints

Posted on by

Proposed rule change could pave way for president to fire economists whose figures prove politically inconvenient

Summarizing his befuddlement with numbers, Mark Twain observed that there were “lies, damned lies and statistics”.

The acerbic phrase later become so deeply embedded in popular consciousness that it once formed the title to an episode of The West Wing, NBC’s portrayal of a fictitious US president played by Martin Sheen.

Continue reading...

EU ministers call for coordinated action on Russian ‘shadow fleet’ in Baltic Sea

Posted on by

Fleet of tankers sailing under flags of convenience estimated to carry up to 85% of Russia’s oil exports

Calls to step up and coordinate the interdiction of the unflagged Russian “shadow fleet” of oil tankers in the Baltic Sea were made this weekend before the EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday, which is expected to impose sanctions on 180 ships, taking the total number of ships sanctioned by the EU to 350.

The efforts to stop the fleet, estimated to be carrying as much as 85% of Russia’s oil exports and so funding roughly a third of Russia’s budget, is seen as a critical proof of the EU’s determination to keep the economic pressure on Russia.

Continue reading...

US credit rating downgrade could add to pressure on government debt

Posted on by

Loss of Moody’s triple-A rating comes amid concerns about fiscal trajectory and widening budget deficit

US government debt may come under more pressure this week after the credit rating agency Moody’s stripped the US of its top-notch triple-A credit rating.

Moody’s dealt a blow to Washington last Friday, when it downgraded the US and warned about rising levels of government debt and a widening budget deficit. Moody’s cut its credit rating on the US by one notch to Aa1 from Aaa, becoming the last of the big three agencies to downgrade the US.

Continue reading...

Russia warned Ukraine of ‘endless war’ at Turkey peace talks: Kyiv – TVP World

Posted on by
  1. Russia warned Ukraine of ‘endless war’ at Turkey peace talks: Kyiv  TVP World
  2. Kremlin Sets Conditions for Putin-Zelenskiy Meeting: Interfax  Bloomberg.com
  3. Ukraine calls on allies to keep pressure on Russia after talks yield no ceasefire  Reuters
  4. May 15, 2025 - Zelensky to send Ukrainian team to Istanbul for Russia peace talks  CNN
  5. Putin skips Ukraine talks in Turkey as Russia shirks pressure from Trump, hurls insults at Zelenskyy instead  CBS News
Posted in Uncategorized

Labour must not rubber-stamp torture policy, say campaigners

Posted on by

Policy review of intelligence-sharing with foreign countries risks leaving ‘very serious flaws’, say NGOs and MPs

Labour has been accused of rubber-stamping torture policy it criticised while in opposition for enabling UK complicity in serious human rights abuses overseas.

The policies regulating British support for foreign security and intelligence services were blamed for facilitating injustices in cases such as those of Jagtar Singh Johal and Ali Kololo, and it was hoped Labour would strengthen them in government.

Continue reading...

Doctor criticises ‘lightweight’ assessment of impact of assisted dying

Posted on by

Palliative care consultant says insufficient consideration given to how disadvantaged communities may be affected

Ministers have not adequately considered how assisted dying would affect disadvantaged communities, a palliative care doctor and clinical academic has said.

Bradford-based Jamilla Hussain said the equality impact assessment for the assisted dying bill was “lightweight”, and her own research had highlighted concerns that had not been reflected in the document.

Continue reading...

Foreign office supporting British woman after reports of drug-smuggling arrest in Sri Lanka

Posted on by

Former cabin crew member Charlotte May Lee, 21, reportedly accused of trying to bring 46kg of cannabis strain kush into country

UK officials have said they are supporting a British woman arrested in Sri Lanka amid reports a former cabin crew member has been accused of smuggling cannabis into the South Asian country.

MailOnline and the Sun reported that Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Coulsdon, south London, was detained at the main airport in the country’s capital, Colombo, on Monday after arriving on a flight from Bangkok.

Continue reading...

World leaders descend on Rome for Pope Leo’s inauguration – politico.eu

Posted on by
  1. World leaders descend on Rome for Pope Leo’s inauguration  politico.eu
  2. Pope Leo Snubs JD Vance After Inaugural Mass  The Daily Beast
  3. Pope Leo, Taking Helm of a Divided Church, Urges Unity  The New York Times
  4. JD Vance's Vatican visits center his Catholicism in his vice presidency  NBC News
  5. Pope Leo XIV calls for unity and 'missionary spirit' during inaugural mass at Vatican  ABC News
Posted in Uncategorized

Gaza ceasefire talks continue as Israel carries out fresh wave of strikes

Posted on by

Netanyahu signals openness to deal but lays out conditions while territory’s hospitals ‘overwhelmed’ with casualties

Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have been continuing in Qatar for a second day as Israeli warplanes and artillery launched a fresh wave of strikes across Gaza, killing at least 130 people, according to health officials in the Palestinian territory.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, signalled on Sunday that Israel was open to a deal with Hamas that would include “ending the fighting” in Gaza, but laid out conditions that have been repeatedly refused by the militant Islamist organisation.

Continue reading...