Embassies burned, looted in DRC capital Kinshasa
Protesters attacked several embassies in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital.
IS fighters in Syria could break free amid Trump aid cut, terrorism expert warns
Prediction by ex M16 counter-terror director comes as security paused around two main detention facilities
Donald Trump has thrown into doubt the security and administration of the main two detention facilities in north-east Syria that hold thousands of Islamic State fighters, the former counter-terrorism director of M16 Richard Barrett says.
The state of limbo has been caused in the short term by the US president unexpectedly suspending all USAid funding for 90 days, and by long-term uncertainty over his willingness to retain troops in Syria.
Continue reading...Israel carries out strike in Nabatiya, southern Lebanon – The Jerusalem Post
- Israel carries out strike in Nabatiya, southern Lebanon The Jerusalem Post
- Cease-Fires in Gaza and Lebanon Will Most Likely Hold for Now, Analysts Say The New York Times
- White House Statement on Agreement Extension Between Lebanon and Israel The White House
- IDF Says It Targeted Truck Carrying Hezbollah Arms in Lebanon; Reports of 14 Wounded Haaretz
- How many people has Israel killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire? Al Jazeera English
UN Security Council meeting addresses Israel’s UNRWA ban
The United Nations Security Council convened on Tuesday to address Israel’s UNRWA ban.
Israel says Netanyahu invited to meet Trump at White House next week
The 4 February meeting would come after comments from Trump on relocating Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan.
US judge temporarily blocks Trump administration’s federal funding freeze
The White House defended Trump's decision as Democrats and non-profit groups warned of 'devastating' consequences.
Louvre’s decision to move Mona Lisa is a misguided act of snobbery
Crowds give life to the Paris museum and the painting is a silent, compelling mystery at the heart of the hubbub
What a wonderful headache for a museum to have. The Louvre in Paris gets so many visitors it is taking drastic measures to cope, which include moving its most famous treasure to a dedicated space where fans can visit without entering the main museum at all. It will no longer suck the oxygen from other art.
Nearly 9 million visitors a year stream through the Louvre and it’s believed 80% of them are looking for Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, better known as La Gioconde, better still as the Mona Lisa.
Continue reading...Woman accused of stealing Ukrainian soldiers’ mobile numbers, court hears
Prosecutor at Old Bailey says Katrin Ivanova was only member of Bulgarian spy ring able to pull off plot
A lab technician has been accused of being the only member of a Bulgarian spy ring able to pull off a plot to steal the mobile numbers of Ukrainian soldiers training in Germany.
Katrin Ivanova, 33, was told by prosecutor Alison Morgan KC at the Old Bailey that she had been described by the plotters’ leader as the most technically adept member of the group and that she was necessary to the planned surveillance in Stuttgart.
Continue reading...GM stock slumps on tariff fears even as revenues exceed expectations
GM stock plunged 10 percent, putting it on track for its worst day since the COVID pandemic early days.
‘Don’t overdo it, Steve’: BBC journalist in testy exchange with Belarus president
After an election win which has been widely criticised as illegitimate, Alexander Lukashenko faced questions from the BBC's Russia editor Steve Rosenberg.
‘Don’t overdo it, Steve’: BBC journalist in testy exchange with Belarus president
After an election win which has been widely criticised as illegitimate, Alexander Lukashenko faced questions from the BBC's Russia editor Steve Rosenberg.
Canada subject to widespread political interference, probe says – Financial Times
- Canada subject to widespread political interference, probe says Financial Times
- Trudeau Government Left Canada Vulnerable to Foreign Interference, Report Finds The New York Times
- No 'traitors' in Canada's parliament, says foreign meddling inquiry BBC.com
- India Rejects Canada's Election-Meddling "Insinuations" NDTV
- India rejects Canada's report on election interference, accuses Trudeau government of 'consistently inter The Times of India
Palestinians reject Trump’s relocation plan as they return to Gaza’s north
Tens of thousands have moved back to Gaza's north this week, even as Trump suggests move to Jordan and Egypt.
Sister of Omagh bombing victim tells inquiry about ‘mind-blowing shock’
Paloma Abad Ramos thanks the inquiry chair for the only support her family has felt ‘for many, many years’
The sister of a 23-year-old Spanish visitor killed in the devastating Omagh bomb has said the public inquiry into the atrocity is allowing the family “to close a wound that has been open for 26 years”.
During the opening day of the resumed inquiry, Paloma Abad Ramos told of the “mind-blowing shock” she and her family felt in 1998 when they learned the youngest of three daughters, Rocio, had been caught up in a bomb in a foreign country.
Continue reading...11 Baltic cables damaged in 15 months, pushing NATO to boost security – Defense News
- 11 Baltic cables damaged in 15 months, pushing NATO to boost security Defense News
- Undersea infrastructure is Europe’s unexpected Achilles’ heel. What’s going on? CNN
- Exclusive: Baltic Sea shipping tax could pay for undersea cable protection, says Estonian minister Reuters
- Sweden seizes ship after suspected Baltic Sea cable sabotage BBC.com
- Suspected Sabotage of Deep-Sea Cable Triggers First NATO-Led Response The Wall Street Journal
AllBright, London’s women-only members’ club, enters administration
The networking and events business struggled with ‘rising rents’ and the aftermath of the pandemic
AllBright, the women-only members’ club with a five-storey townhouse in Mayfair, London, has entered administration, the Guardian can reveal.
The networking and events business – which was co-founded by the Telegraph Media Group’s chief executive, Anna Jones, and the co-chair of the Invest in Women Taskforce, Debbie Wosskow – emailed members last week to say it was closing the doors of its building just off Regent Street.
Continue reading...Cardiff University to cut 400 staff and drop subjects including nursing and music
Union describe reductions as ‘cruel’ as university says it will run out of money without changes
Cardiff University has announced plans to shed 400 academic staff – almost 10% of its total – and cut subjects including nursing, music and modern languages, saying it will run out of money in four years if no changes are made.
Academics, union representatives and students expressed shock and dismay at the scale of the cuts, which were announced at staff meetings at the Russell Group university on Tuesday.
A reduction of academic headcount by about 400 full-time equivalent (7% of total workforce), using compulsory redundancy only if absolutely necessary.
Ceasing subjects and programmes in ancient history, modern languages and translation, music, nursing, and religion and theology.
Increasing student-to-staff ratios across the university.
Bringing “complementary” disciplines together through school mergers. For example, the creation of the school of natural sciences (merging chemistry, Earth sciences and physics) and school of global humanities (merging English, communication and philosophy, Welsh, and remaining elements of history, archaeology and religion and modern languages).
Continue reading...Danish PM in whirlwind EU trip as Greenland unease grows
The Danish PM's tour of three capitals betrayed the nervousness felt in Denmark over Trump's repeated comments.
Canada report on foreign interference: no evidence of ‘traitors’ in parliament
Commission finds democratic institutions ‘robust in the face of foreign interference’ but some MPs behaved ‘naively’
Canada’s democratic institutions are “robust in the face of foreign interference” attempts and there is “no evidence of ‘traitors’” in the country’s parliament, a landmark report into election meddling has found.
But the commission’s lead said on Tuesday that the federal government should take steps to better safeguard democratic institutions and better inform the public of foreign interference threats.
Continue reading...US tech stocks partly recover after Trump says DeepSeek AI chatbot is ‘wake-up call’
Tentative rise comes after emergence of cheaper Chinese rival wiped $1tn off the value of leading US tech companies
- What is DeepSeek and why did US tech stocks fall?
- Who is behind DeepSeek and how did it achieve its AI ‘Sputnik moment’?
US tech stocks tentatively recovered on Tuesday after Donald Trump described the launch of a chatbot by China’s DeepSeek as a “wake-up call” for Silicon Valley in the global race to dominate artificial intelligence.
The emergence of DeepSeek, which has built its R1 model chatbot at a fraction of the cost of competitors such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, wiped $1tn (£800bn) in value from the leading US tech index on Monday.
Continue reading...