World’s longest-serving death row inmate acquitted in Japan
After more than half a century on death row Iwao Hakamada, 88, has been acquitted of murder.
Meryl Streep takes on the Taliban with a story about cats, squirrels and birds – CNN
- Meryl Streep takes on the Taliban with a story about cats, squirrels and birds CNN
- Meryl Streep: Today In Kabul A Female Cat Has More Freedom Than A Woman Forbes
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- Afghanistan: Cats have more freedom than women, says Meryl Streep BBC.com
Peter Dutton says if Mark Scott had ‘any shred of integrity’ he would resign as University of Sydney vice-chancellor
Call comes after Scott apologises for university’s handling of antisemitism complaints
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The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, has called for the University of Sydney vice-chancellor, Mark Scott, to resign, saying he would do so if he had “any shred of integrity”.
The university has come under fire for its handling of protest camps set up on campus in opposition to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza after Hamas’s October 7 attack.
Continue reading...US Hails China’s Advanced Notice of ICBM Test as ‘Good Thing’ – Bloomberg
- US Hails China’s Advanced Notice of ICBM Test as ‘Good Thing’ Bloomberg
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- China fires ICBM into Pacific Ocean in first such public test in decades as regional tensions flare CNN
Watch: Building collapses into river in India
No-one was injured in the incident, which occurred during heavy rains in Bihar state.
Japanese man who spent 46 years on death row cleared of murders
Iwao Hakamada found not guilty of 1966 murder of his boss and his family after a retrial was ordered a decade ago
A Japanese man who spent almost half a century on death row has been found not guilty of multiple murders, in a closely watched trial that has raised questions about Japan’s use of the death penalty.
Iwao Hakamada, 88, was sentenced to hang in 1968 after being found guilty of murdering his boss, his wife and their two teenage children, and setting fire to their home two years earlier.
Continue reading...Three charges including one of rape against high-profile Sydney man withdrawn during trial
The man is accused of raping five women, with charges regarding a sixth withdrawn on Thursday. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges
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A high-profile Sydney man has had three charges against him – including one count of rape – withdrawn for an undisclosed reason and the complainant will no longer appear before the court.
The complainant who alleged the man had assaulted her three times, which led to the charges, was set to be the sixth and final complainant to appear before the New South Wales Downing Centre district court.
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Continue reading...NSW MP Gareth Ward says he went to parliament in his underwear at 4am after being locked out of his apartment
Member for Kiama denies he was drunk at the time and says some media reports concerning the incident are ‘defamatory’
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New South Wales politician Gareth Ward has denied being drunk when he went to state parliament at 4am on a Sunday morning in July, insisting he was simply collecting a spare key after locking himself out of his apartment in his underwear.
The Kiama MP said he made the eight-minute trip to parliament on foot from his Potts Point apartment on the “freezing” morning because he’d been locked out without his phone.
Continue reading...RBA warns two factors risk increasing number of Australians caught in mortgage struggle
Vast majority of borrowers servicing their debts but arrears could grow if economy slows more than expected, bank says
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The number of Australians in financial stress is “small” but will be “magnified” if the economy slows more than expected or interest rates linger higher for longer, the Reserve Bank has warned.
While overseas challenges – including a faltering Chinese economy – could also upset forecasts, Australia’s financial system continued “to display a high level of resilience”, the bank said in its semi-annual financial stability review.
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Continue reading...Benin arrests three men over suspected coup plot
The accused include the head of the Republican Guard, who is accused of planning to allow the coup to proceed.
A zoo in Finland is returning pandas to China because they’re too expensive to keep – NPR
- A zoo in Finland is returning pandas to China because they're too expensive to keep NPR
- Zoo to send giant pandas back to China because they’re too expensive to keep CNN
- Finland Zoo To Return 2 Giant Pandas To China Because They Are Too Expensive To Keep NDTV
- Finland zoo will return its giant pandas to China, blaming inflation The Guardian
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France and US push for 21-day Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire in Lebanon as UN chief warns ‘hell is breaking loose’
Fresh initiative comes amid tensions between US and Europe on how to press Israel to end offensive on Hezbollah
The US and France have called for a 21-day temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah to make way for broader negotiations, as the UN secretary general, António Guterres, told a UN security council meeting that “hell is breaking loose” in Lebanon.
Israel’s top general has said the country is preparing for a possible ground operation into Lebanon after an intense three-day bombing campaign that has killed more than 600 people, further fuelling fears of a regional conflict.
Continue reading...Mexico’s snub to King Felipe rekindles colonialism row with Spain
President-elect refuses to invite Spanish king to her inauguration after lack of apology for crimes of conquest
A festering diplomatic row between Mexico and Spain has been reopened after the Latin American country’s leftwing president-elect refused to invite King Felipe to her inauguration because of his failure to apologise for crimes committed against Mexico’s Indigenous people during the conquest 500 years ago.
In 2019, Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador wrote to King Felipe and Pope Francis, calling for them to apologise for the “abuses” of the conquest and the colonial period.
Continue reading...Japan sails warship in Taiwan Strait for first time: reports
There has been a rise in patrols by the US and its allies who do not accept China's claims over the strait.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams indicted on federal charges
Adams, 64, is the first mayor in city history to face criminal charges while in office
Eric Adams, New York City mayor, reportedly indicted after corruption inquiry
Mayor says he will stay in his role after reports emerge that he may soon become the first sitting mayor of the city to be criminally charged
Eric Adams, the New York City mayor, has said he will stay in office despite reports emerging that he had been indicted following a federal corruption investigation.
It is still unclear what charges Adams, 64, will face but federal prosecutors are expected to layout the details of the charges Thursday, the New York Times reported.
Continue reading...Netanyahu’s war to end all wars – Asia Times
- Netanyahu’s war to end all wars Asia Times
- The Guardian view on Lebanon: hell is breaking loose – it can and must be reined back The Guardian
- Israel Is About to Embark on Yet Another Unavoidable 'War of Choice' - Opinion Haaretz
- Israel-Lebanon border warfare: what is the history? Reuters
- Hell Is Breaking Loose in Lebanon. Biden Could Stop It Democracy Now!
ADF may assist Australians in Lebanon but government warns it can’t help everyone flee
Defence force personnel already deployed to the Middle East may be called on to help in an evacuation operation after Israel said it was preparing for a possible ground operation
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Australian defence force personnel who are already deployed to the Middle East may be called on to help in an evacuation operation from Lebanon as fears of a regional war escalate.
Government-wide contingency planning and talks with allies have been under way for “many months”, but there is no indication that a major Australian rescue operation is imminent.
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Continue reading...Rwandan forces and M23 rebels shelled refugee camps in DRC, report claims
Human Rights Watch alleges potential violation of international human rights law on many occasions this year
Rwandan forces and M23 rebels have shelled refugee camps and other highly populated areas in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo on many occasions this year, Human Rights Watch has claimed.
The NGO also accused the DRC’s armed forces and its allied militias of putting the camps’ residents in danger by stationing their artillery nearby in its report alleging violation of international humanitarian and human rights law in the longstanding war in the central African country.
Continue reading...Zelensky warns U.N. that Russia is preparing to attack nuclear plants – The Washington Post
- Zelensky warns U.N. that Russia is preparing to attack nuclear plants The Washington Post
- Video: Zelensky warns Russia could cause a ‘nuclear disaster’ CNN
- Video: Zelensky Warns World Leaders of Continued Russian Threats The New York Times
- Zelenskyy questions China's 'true interest' behind plan to end Russia’s war Fox News
- Zelenskyy slams ‘colonial’ peace proposal to war with Russia in UN speech POLITICO