- Lebanon ends executions: Where does the death penalty still exist in 2026? Al Jazeera
- Lebanon parliament votes to abolish death penalty BBC
- Lebanon passes a controversial general amnesty law AP News
- Lebanon takes step to become first Arab country to abolish death penalty The Washington Post
- Lebanon’s amnesty law allows families of former SLA fighters who fled to Israel to return The Times of Israel
Iran war and high living costs fuelling last-minute holiday bookings, Tui says
Geopolitics and cost of living crisis have cost Europe’s largest travel company €60m so far
Holidaymakers are waiting until the last minute to book their trips because of the continuing uncertainty caused by the war in Iran and the cost of living crisis, according to Tui, Europe’s largest travel company, which said the war had cost it €60m (£51m) so far.
In the weeks after the outbreak of the war at the end of February, Tui recorded a temporary drop-off in customers wanting to travel to Cyprus or Turkey, in what the company called a “volatile market”.
Continue reading...Immigration minister says poorer areas have taken ‘fair share’ of asylum seekers – UK politics live
Anna Turley backs up Andy Burnham’s suggestion that affluent areas should house more asylum seekers in future
Just 20 staff are working on climate adaptation within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the part of government tasked with protecting the environment and maintaining food security, a freedom of information request has revealed. Sandra Laville has the story.
On his visit to Stevenage, Andy Burnham also said he would visit the town on Remembrance Day to mark its 80th birthday.
I’m going to come back to Stevenage on 11 November. We will pay our respects for Remembrance Day around that time, but I’ll be here because if I’m right, that will be 80 years to the day that the post-war Labour government created the first new town right here in Stevenage.
Continue reading...Germany approves lifting curbs on spy agencies in security ‘revolution’
Reforms comply with wishlist of intelligence services which say Germany lags behind allies and enemies
The German government has approved a draft law aimed at lifting many of the restraints on its spy agencies imposed during the postwar period as the country reels from two attacks in a month that have exposed serious security gaps.
The controversial changes, which must still pass parliament, largely comply with a wishlist pulled together by the foreign and domestic intelligence services, which have long complained Germany lags behind its allies and enemies.
Continue reading...Andy Burnham to chair emergency Cobra meeting amid extreme heat
PM touts ban on disposable barbecues as areas hit by wildfires – but some Labour MPs will be hoping for more ambitious ideas to tackle crisis
Andy Burnham will chair an emergency Cobra meeting in response to extreme heat, which has caused wildfires and plunged many parts of Britain into drought.
The prime minister will meet ministers, officials and agencies as high temperatures continue across the UK, with temperatures of 33C forecast on Wednesday and up to 38C on Thursday.
Continue reading...Lebanon ends executions: Where does the death penalty still exist in 2026?
Three-quarters of the world has abolished the death penalty in law or in practice, according to Amnesty International.
Iran rejects Trump’s claim to ‘control’ Hormuz: What’s the latest in talks? – Al Jazeera
- Iran rejects Trump’s claim to ‘control’ Hormuz: What’s the latest in talks? Al Jazeera
- Gulf States Accept a New Normal in Hormuz: Iran Is in Control WSJ
- Hormuz Strait to remain closed unless U.S. meets Iran's conditions, Iranian security council says Reuters
- Iran demands U.S. pay for war damage before agreeing to reopen Strait of Hormuz PBS
- World in Brief: Iran threatens to keep Hormuz shut; rescue work continues in Colombia The Economist
Woman rescued after 36 hours under rubble in Colombia
A 32-year-old woman was rescued after 36 hours under rubble following a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Colombia.
Number of children injured in e-scooter crashes in England surges
Calls for speed limiters or mandated helmet use after research into injuries at three paediatric trauma centres
The number of children involved in crashes on e-scooters has soared in recent years, with some as young as nine involved in collisions, research has found.
Researchers carried out a review of injuries among the under-16s at three specialist paediatric trauma centres – Alder Hey in Liverpool, and Sheffield and Royal Manchester children’s hospitals – between January 2019 and December 2024.
Continue reading...At least 44 dead after overcrowded ferry capsizes on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe
Operation under way to rescue dozens missing after boat overturned by waves at world’s largest human-made lake
At least 44 people have died after an overcrowded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, police said.
The boat had a capacity of 90 people, but was carrying 114 adult passengers, five crew members and an unknown number of children, Zimbabwe’s civil protection unit (CPU) said earlier on Wednesday, citing ticket sales.
Continue reading...North Korea launches another missile toward sea ahead of US-South Korean military drills – AP News
- North Korea launches another missile toward sea ahead of US-South Korean military drills AP News
- North Korea fires missile ahead of major US-South Korea drills Reuters
- North Korea launches a suspected ballistic missile, Japan’s says ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
- North Korea launches another ballistic missile as US, South Korea prepare for military drills Fox News
- North Korea missile launch hints at upgraded weapons exports to Russia for Ukraine war South China Morning Post
At least 44 dead after overcrowded ferry capsizes on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe – The Guardian
- At least 44 dead after overcrowded ferry capsizes on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe The Guardian
- Survivors describe pleading to turn back before ferry capsized on Zimbabwe lake and killed 44 AP News
- At least 44 die as ferry sinks in Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba BBC
- At Least 15 Dead and Dozens Missing After Boat Carrying Over 100 People Capsizes on Lake people.com
- More Than 40 Dead After a Ferry Capsizes on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba The New York Times
Iran rejects Trump’s claim to ‘control’ Hormuz: What’s the latest in talks?
Iran says Hormuz stays closed until US meets its demands and changes its 'behaviour' as global energy prices rise.
China’s answer to Boeing and Airbus makes first international flight — could COMAC challenge the aviation duopoly? – CNBC
- China’s answer to Boeing and Airbus makes first international flight — could COMAC challenge the aviation duopoly? CNBC
- Passenger jet billed as China’s answer to Boeing and Airbus prepares to make first international flight The Guardian
- China's C919 makes 1st international flight in challenge to Boeing, Airbus Nikkei Asia
- China's homegrown C919 aircraft completes 1st intl. commercial flight news.cgtn.com
- China to launch first international commercial route for homegrown C919 jet Global Times
Indonesian rescuers evacuate dozens from a ferry fire that left at least 1 dead near Bali – AP News
- Indonesian rescuers evacuate dozens from a ferry fire that left at least 1 dead near Bali AP News
- One dead, 172 rescued after Indonesian ferry from Bali catches fire Reuters
- One dead, 172 rescued from Bali ferry fire in waters off Lombok ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- Indonesian ferry catches fire off Bali, survivors recount escape Yahoo
- Crews rescue 106 people and are trying to save more from a burning passenger ferry in rough seas off Bali, Indonesia KING5.com
Barnaby Joyce claims One Nation ‘one of the gayest parties in Australia’ as former candidate’s comments surface
One Nation MP says failed WA candidate’s comments describing same-sex attraction as a mental illness are ‘highly offensive’
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Barnaby Joyce has defended One Nation as “one of the gayest parties in Australia” after comments surfaced from one of its failed candidates describing same-sex attraction as a mental illness.
The former National turned One Nation MP was asked to respond to a series of homophobic comments made by a former Western Australian legislative council candidate for One Nation in a video last month, as first reported by ABC on Wednesday afternoon.
Continue reading...Putin Threatens Retaliation if Europe Seizes Russian Ships – The Moscow Times
- Putin Threatens Retaliation if Europe Seizes Russian Ships The Moscow Times
- UK defends seizing shadow fleet tanker after Putin threat BBC
- Putin threatens retaliation for Western seizures of Russian commercial vessels AP News
- Putin says Russia will start seizing European vessels if its ships targeted Reuters
- Putin warns of tit-for-tat seizures of European vessels Al Jazeera
‘The hardest mission of my life’: A rescuer’s loss in the Lebanon War
A Lebanon rescuer’s work is shaped by the daughter he lost in an Israeli attack on his station.
Trump’s secret flight switch indicates severity of assassination threat by Iran
Iran lost top leaders in the war and US ‘humiliation ... a form of revenge’, say experts, after administration’s flight ruse
Since the joint US-Israeli strikes in February that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and scores of other senior Iranian officials on the first day of the war, a revenge plot to kill Donald Trump should not have appeared far-fetched.
But the US administration’s elaborate ruse to spirit Trump off of Air Force One in Turkey last month indicates a credibility to the Iranian threat that has surprised many in Washington – including the Trump aides and journalists left on the jet that may have remained the target of an Iranian missile strike.
Continue reading...Drone footage shows rare bird’s-eye view of stingrays off New York coast
With wing spans up to 3ft, the shy cownose ray species typically arrive in Long Island waters in the warmer months
Drone footage of dozens of stingrays in the ocean off New York has captivated beachgoers and marine enthusiasts, offering a rare bird’s-eye view of a species that scientists say has visited the area for decades.
The footage was captured las`t Friday off the coast of Southampton on the Long Island peninsula by Joanna Steidle, a Hamptons-based professional drone pilot known for her aerial ocean shots. It shows cownose rays gliding through the water en masse near the surface.
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