Family of British couple detained in Iran seek their return – The Washington Post
- Family of British couple detained in Iran seek their return The Washington Post
- British motorcycling couple detained in Iran charged with espionage The Guardian
- British couple charged with spying in Iran Financial Times
- Iran’s Judiciary Charges British Couple With Spying for West Bloomberg
- Craig and Lindsay Foreman were warned to not travel to 'unsafe' Balochistan Sky News
Santorini earthquakes are decreasing but outlook is uncertain, top Greek scientist says – The Associated Press
- Santorini earthquakes are decreasing but outlook is uncertain, top Greek scientist says The Associated Press
- Santorini waits as earthquake swarm leaves island tourism on shaky ground The Independent
- Santorini not facing new volcano Kathimerini English Edition
- Santorini Earthquakes: What’s Been Happening – And Why? IFLScience
- Quakes leave Greek tourist island on tenterhooks RTÉ News
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 17, 2025 – Institute for the Study of War
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 17, 2025 Institute for the Study of WarView Full Coverage on Google News
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels tighten their grip on second major city in eastern Congo – The Associated Press
- Rwanda-backed M23 rebels tighten their grip on second major city in eastern Congo The Associated Press
- Congo army retreat from Bukavu leads to clashes with allied militias Reuters
- Why have Rwanda-backed rebels seized 2 Congolese cities and is there an end in sight? The Associated Press
- M23 rebels are marching across eastern DRC: the interests driving players in the conflict The Conversation
- Rebels Take Another City in Mineral-Rich Congo The Wall Street Journal
Albanese says RBA rate cut ‘won’t have an impact’ on timing of federal election – as it happened
This blog is now closed
- Labor and Coalition welcome RBA interest rate decision as governor plays down chance of more cuts
- Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
The prime minister was also asked to weigh in on the ongoing dispute between the NSW government and rail unions – and whether the federal government plans to intervene.
But Anthony Albanese shot this suggestion down, saying this was “a state dispute of a state branch of a union over pay with a state government”.
I support very much the efforts of the Minns government to bring this dispute to an end, common sense has to apply here, and I think that the union needs to acknowledge that it is alienating people through these actions of not turning up to work. And there was hope on the weekend that it would be settled, [and] it should have been …
We’re getting to the point where the union needs to see common sense, settle this dispute with the Minns government. [The NSW premier] Chris Minns is working very hard to get an end to this dispute.
Continue reading...Gerald Ridsdale, Australia’s most notorious pedophile priest, dies in jail
The pedophile priest died in jail while serving time for the abuse of more than 70 children over three decades
- Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
- Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
A pedophile priest, convicted of abusing more than 70 children over three decades, has died.
Gerald Ridsdale, died on Tuesday morning in prison. He was 90.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email
Continue reading...E-scooters blamed for big jump in children caught in UK driving without insurance
Hundreds of teenagers have been given an IN10 police endorsement since 2020, says road safety charity
Electric scooters have been blamed for a surge in the number of children being penalised for driving without insurance.
Since the start of 2020 almost 800 children aged between 13 and 16 have been given an IN10 endorsement – the code used by the police for “using a vehicle uninsured against third party risks” – according to data obtained by a road safety charity.
Continue reading...Prison system crisis due to overreliance on long sentences, says Gauke review
Successive governments’ ‘penal populism’ has driven England and Wales justice system to brink of collapse, report finds
Successive governments’ overreliance on prison sentences and desire to seem “tough on crime” have driven the justice system in England and Wales to the brink of collapse, an official review has found.
A form of “penal populism” where longer incarceration is seen as the only effective means of punishment has contributed to the crisis in the prison system, according to the interim findings of a review led by former justice secretary David Gauke.
Continue reading...European countries clash over sending troops to Ukraine – Financial Times
- European countries clash over sending troops to Ukraine Financial Times
- Europeans explore troops for Ukraine ceasefire — and want U.S. support The Washington Post
- U.K., Sweden say troops could head to post-war Ukraine as Trump fuels a European "collective security" drive CBS News
- What might a European military force in Ukraine look like? The Guardian
- UK 'ready' to put troops in Ukraine to support Russia peace deal, PM says ABC News
Major world city melts under staggering heatwave that smashes all records – Daily Express US
- Major world city melts under staggering heatwave that smashes all records Daily Express US
- Rio de Janeiro beachgoers cool down during dangerously hot summer Yahoo
- Rio de Janeiro’s hottest day in at least a decade sends residents to the beach The Associated Press
- Intense heatwave in southern Brazil forces schools to suspend return The Guardian
- Rio de Janeiro's hottest day in at least a decade sends residents to the beach ABC News
Trump Shocks Europe – The New York Times
- Trump Shocks Europe The New York Times
- Trump stuns Europe with opening Ukraine-Russia gambit The Hill
- Europe and US at a crossroads after trans-Atlantic rift WTOP
- Under Trump, a U.S. that once united Europe now divides it The Washington Post
- ‘It’s Trump’s world’: European leaders divided on how to navigate ‘cacophony’ The Guardian US
Watch: Why European leaders held emergency Ukraine summit
European leaders met at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Monday for an emergency summit on Ukraine.
Hamas set to release bodies of four hostages on Thursday, officials say – New York Post
- Hamas set to release bodies of four hostages on Thursday, officials say New York Post
- After 500 days, a father reunites with his son who was taken hostage by Hamas NPR
- Israel and Hamas in talks to double the number of hostages released this weekend NBC News
- Israel and Hamas complete their latest exchange as ceasefire's first phase has just 2 weeks left The Associated Press
- Hamas frees 3 more hostages, including American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, as Gaza ceasefire endures CBS News
Trump team converges on Riyadh ahead of Ukraine talks with Russia – The Washington Post
- Trump team converges on Riyadh ahead of Ukraine talks with Russia The Washington Post
- February 17, 2025: Donald Trump presidency news CNN
- U.S. and Russia to hold talks over ending war in Ukraine NBC News
- Rubio Meets Saudi Crown Prince for Talks on Gaza and Ukraine The New York Times
- US and Russia set to begin high-stakes talks over Ukraine's fate ABC News
Arson attack that killed innocent Melbourne woman linked to tobacco wars, police say
Katie Tangey, 27, died after arsonists hit the wrong address while she was house-sitting her brother’s home in Truganina in January
- Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
- Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
A house fire which killed a “completely innocent” woman is a case of mistaken identity linked to Melbourne’s tobacco wars, police say.
Katie Tangey, 27, died after arsonists hit the wrong address while she was house-sitting her brother’s home in Truganina, in the city’s west, in the early hours of 16 January.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email
Continue reading...Why are Israel’s deals to exchange hostages so lopsided? – NPR
- Why are Israel's deals to exchange hostages so lopsided? NPR
- If the Price of Unity Is Sacrificing the Hostages in Gaza, Israel Cannot Afford to Pay Haaretz
- Most Israelis prefer sticking with hostage release deal's 2nd phase over returning to war — poll The Times of Israel
- Rules of engagement: Should Israel pull out of the hostage agreement? Cleveland Jewish News
- 500 days later: Could we have kept more hostages alive? - opinion The Jerusalem Post
Hair: ‘It’s just thrown away but it’s gold’
India is the world's biggest exporter of human hair but it wants more of the lucrative wig market.
Chiltern Firehouse luxury hotel blaze caused by falling wood from pizza oven
Fire broke out on Valentine’s Day, partially destroying London venue that had been due to host Bafta party
A fire that tore through a luxury London hotel popular with celebrities was caused by wood falling from a pizza oven.
The Chiltern Firehouse, which had been due to host a post-Bafta film awards party on Sunday evening, was partially destroyed by the fire on Friday
Continue reading...US ‘backstop’ vital to deter future Russian attacks on Ukraine, says Starmer
British prime minister says force would need protections such as air cover that only US can provide
Keir Starmer has urged Donald Trump to provide a US “backstop” to a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine, saying it is the only way to deter Russia from attacking the country again.
The UK prime minister’s appeal to Trump came after an emergency summit in Paris that heard widespread calls by European leaders for a large boost in defence spending.
Continue reading...