- G7 to use Russian assets for $50bn Ukraine loan: How will it work? Al Jazeera English
- 'Russia has to pay': G7 taps Moscow's frozen assets in support of Ukraine CNBC
- The West and Russia's Frozen Assets - WSJ The Wall Street Journal
- Will Biden's Help for Ukraine Come Fast Enough and Last Long Enough? The New York Times
- Explainer: What is the G7's $50 billion loan plan for Ukraine? Reuters
G7 to use Russian assets for $50bn Ukraine loan: How will it work?
The funds could help Ukraine defend itself against Russia. But the plan carries risks — and the threat of retaliation.
India brings back bodies of 45 workers from Kuwait
The fire broke out on Wednesday at a residential building in Mangaf city where 176 Indian workers lived.
Australia’s south-east to endure more wintry weather after Melbourne records coldest day in five years
BoM says south-east can expect cold days and frosty nights with below-average temperatures continuing into the coming week
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Wintry conditions across south eastern Australia will continue into the weekend, with rain expected in parts of Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia.
Melbourne recovered slightly from a high of only 10.1C on Thursday, its coldest day in five years, reaching a maximum of 13C on Friday. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a frost warning for Victoria’s north-east and a strong wind warning for the East Gippsland coast.
Continue reading...Photos: State of ‘catastrophe’ as downpours hit Chile
Heavy rains lashed much of the country, damaging homes, flooding roads, knocking out power and causing mudslides.
Australian War Memorial allegedly defaced with pro-Palestine graffiti, police say
ACT police say man allegedly graffitied the outside of building and the ground with ‘pro-Palestine slogans’
The Australian War Memorial has been allegedly defaced with pro-Palestine graffiti, ACT police have said.
The police said a man allegedly graffitied three areas on the outside of the Canberra building and on the ground in a publicly accessible area about 1am on Friday morning. Police would not say what the graffiti said, only that it was “pro-Palestine slogans”.
Continue reading...Hamas official says ‘no one has any idea’ how many Israeli hostages are still alive – CNN
- Hamas official says ‘no one has any idea’ how many Israeli hostages are still alive CNN
- Hamas admits they don't know how many hostages are still alive The Telegraph
- Israel-Hamas War: Live Updates The New York Times
- Yahya Sinwar's aims in rejecting and amending Biden's hostage deal The Jerusalem Post
- US intel was secondary to Israeli info gathered in Gaza for hostage rescue — report The Times of Israel
The Russian military in Cuba — a crisis then and maybe now
The arrival of four Russian military vessels in Cuba has people wondering about a Cuban missile crisis 2.0.
Weather tracker: State of emergency in Florida as heavy rain causes flooding
Emergency services conduct at least 40 rescues and schools, courts and railways closed in some counties
Significant amounts of rain in the past two days have led the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, to declare a state of emergency for the counties of Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Sarasota, while the mayors of Miami-Dade, Miami and Fort Lauderdale also declared a state of emergency.
This has resulted in a number of closures for public schools, courts and Dania Beach’s city hall, where there were at least 40 rescues by emergency services. Rail routes across Miami and the surrounding area were also suspended. The flooding occurred after more than 380mm (15in) of rain fell on several southern Florida cities in just two days.
Continue reading...South Africa’s parliament choosing president amid uncertainty
Governing ANC is depending on former foes to give Ramaphosa a second term and extend its three-decade hold on power.
In the search for hostages, U.S. is Israel’s key intelligence partner – The Washington Post
- In the search for hostages, U.S. is Israel's key intelligence partner The Washington Post
- The US intelligence capabilities that Israel has been using since Oct. 7 The Jerusalem Post
- Israeli agents posed as Gaza families to gain intel on hostages New York Post
- Israeli Hostages Rescued From Gaza Detail Life in Hamas Captivity The New York Times
- Mother of rescued Hamas hostage says son described 'strange rules' while in captivity Yahoo! Voices
University of Sydney orders students protesting in support of Gaza to leave after almost two months
Spokesperson says ‘the encampment has taken over this shared space to the exclusion of others’
The University of Sydney has ordered students protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza to leave a controversial encampment that has been on the campus since April.
A university spokesperson said on Friday that it had told the encampment’s leadership “we require them to vacate the encampment to allow other students to use the space”.
Continue reading...Saudi robots join millions for the Hajj
Saudi Arabia has deployed robots in the holy cities of Medina and Mecca to help pilgrims undertaking the Hajj.
Hajj proves religion can inspire peace
We should take inspiration from the Islamic pilgrimage to pave a new, peaceful path forward for humanity.
A French ‘referendum’ on the far right: Will Macron’s risky gamble pay off?
President is trying to push back against Le Pen's party, but experts warn there is potential for strategy to backfire.
S Korea, US ‘closely monitoring’ potential Putin-Kim meeting in Pyongyang
Russia has promised Putin will visit North Korea after hosting its leader Kim Jong Un last September.
Seoul Says North Korea Sent Almost 5 Million Artillery Shells to Russia – Kyiv Post
- Seoul Says North Korea Sent Almost 5 Million Artillery Shells to Russia Kyiv Post
- Kim Sent Russia Millions of Artillery Shells, South Korea Says Bloomberg
- US and South Korea sound warning amid reports Putin is headed to North Korea The Guardian
- Brace for Kim Jong Un's Dazzling Date Night With Putin The Daily Beast
- South Korea, US sound alarm over North Korea-Russia ties ahead of Putin visit Reuters
Missile strike from Yemen’s Houthi rebels sets cargo ship on fire and injures sailor – NBC News
- Missile strike from Yemen's Houthi rebels sets cargo ship on fire and injures sailor NBC News
- How an Iranian-Backed Militia Ties Down U.S. Naval Forces in the Red Sea The Wall Street Journal
- Houthi Attacks on Red Sea Disrupt Global Trade, US Spies Say Bloomberg
- Ship hit twice in apparent Houthi cruise missile attack off Yemeni coast Fox News
- Houthi missile strikes set ship ablaze, injure one crew, US military says Reuters
Police investigate after pro-Palestinian slogans graffitied on Canberra war memorial – as it happened
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The education minister, Jason Clare, has said stricter regulations on social media for teenagers had bipartisan support.
Speaking to Channel 7’s Sunrise, Clare called social media a “cesspit”, and added that Labor’s age verification trial would be the first step to protecting young people.
I think we all agree that social media’s a cesspit. We all agree we don’t want our kids on it. It’s about how do you do it?
This should be something where the Labor party and the Liberal party can work together.
Continue reading...Prominent China #MeToo journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin sentenced to five years in jail, supporters say
Sophia Huang Xueqin, who reported on #MeToo movement and Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, sentenced along with labour activist Wang Jianbing
A Chinese court has sentenced the prominent #MeToo journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin to five years in jail and the labour activist Wang Jianbing to three and a half years, almost 1,000 days after they were detained on allegations of inciting state subversion, according to supporters.
On Friday, supporters of the pair said the court had found them guilty and given Huang the maximum sentence. The jail terms would take into account the time they had already spent in detention. A copy of the verdict said Huang was also deprived of political rights for four years and fined $100,000 RMB (£10,800). Wang faced three years of deprivation of political rights and was fined $50,000 RMB.
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