Can diplomacy succeed in bringing peace to the Middle East?
World leaders meet at the United Nations amid growing fears of an all-out regional war.
IMF approves $7bn funding agreement for Pakistan
Approval comes more than two months after international lender and Islamabad said they had agreed on programme.
Justin Trudeau survives confidence vote but other problems still loom
Main political rival of Canada’s prime minister fails to gather enough support to end nine years of Liberal rule
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, has easily survived a vote of confidence after his main political rival failed to muster enough support to end nine years of Liberal party rule.
Legislators in the House of Commons voted 211-120 to defeat a motion by the official opposition Conservative party declaring a lack of confidence in Trudeau’s minority Liberal government.
Continue reading...Macron: We cannot have a war in Lebanon – The Jerusalem Post
- Macron: We cannot have a war in Lebanon The Jerusalem Post
- Macron urges end to Israeli ‘escalation’ and Hezbollah rocket fire Al Jazeera English
- Macron says France stands by Lebanon, calls to deescalate, doesn’t mention Hezbollah The Times of Israel
- Macron presses Iran president for Lebanon de-escalation The Courier=Times
- France to Send Foreign Minister to Lebanon in Bid to Stop War, Macron Says U.S. News & World Report
Comedian Janey Godley receiving end-of-life care for cancer
Scottish standup posts video saying she is getting palliative care and will be going into a hospice
The comedian Janey Godley has revealed she is receiving end-of-life care after her terminal cancer spread.
The 63-year-old announced she would be getting palliative care and going into a hospice in a video shared on social media on Wednesday.
Continue reading...Macron urges end to Israeli ‘escalation’ and Hezbollah rocket fire
"We are firmly calling on Israel to stop the escalation in Lebanon and Hezbollah to stop firing towards Israel."
Labour crackdown on non-doms may raise no money, officials fear
Exclusive: Watchdog may conclude that emigration of wealthy individuals could actually cost Treasury revenue
Keir Starmer’s promised tax crackdown on non-doms could yield no extra funds for the Treasury, leaving a £1bn hole in the government’s planned spending for schools and hospitals.
Labour planned to use the money raised from wealthy individuals who are registered overseas for tax purposes to invest in ailing public services.
But the Guardian understands that Treasury officials fear estimates due to be released by the government’s spending watchdog may suggest the policy will fail to raise any money because of the impact of the super-rich non-domiciles leaving the UK.
Continue reading...Keir Starmer under pressure to ‘get a grip’ on Sue Gray tensions
Exclusive: Some ministers have rallied around chief of staff while others accuse her of ‘control freakery’
Keir Starmer has become exasperated about in-fighting across government involving Sue Gray, with the prime minister under pressure from senior aides and cabinet ministers to resolve the row.
Sources said the situation would come to a head after he returned from his trip to the UN in New York, where he was joined by his chief of staff. Starmer is said to be dismayed at tensions inside the No 10 machine.
Continue reading...Israel prepares for possible ground assault in Lebanon, military chief says
At least 51 killed and 220 wounded in Israeli air raids, according to Lebanese health minister.
US announces $424m in Sudan aid amid pleas to stop ‘senseless’ war
American envoy to UN urges humanitarian pause and says international community ‘cannot simply look away’
The United States has announced $424m in new aid for displaced and starving Sudanese, with the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, saying all options for civilian protection must now be considered by the international community.
Describing the war in Sudan as horrific and shaming for the whole world, she said it was now necessary “to compel, insist and demand that the warring parties agree a humanitarian pause to allow aid to flow and for citizens to flee”.
Continue reading...Meet Pesto, the 49-pound baby penguin going viral online – New York Post
- Meet Pesto, the 49-pound baby penguin going viral online New York Post
- Pesto the baby penguin is already taller than his parents. Now he’s a social media star CNN
- Why Is Pesto the Baby Penguin So Big? The Viral Bird's Aquarium Shares the Answer PEOPLE
- Meet Pesto the Penguin, Australia's nearly 50-pound baby penguin capturing hearts worldwide with its hefty fluff CBS News
- A massive baby penguin named Pesto is inhaling fish and winning fans NPR
The Dangerous Game – Current Affairs
- The Dangerous Game Current Affairs
- U.S. Intelligence Stresses Risks in Allowing Long-Range Strikes by Ukraine The New York Times
- Why long-range missiles could be either a silver bullet or a powder keg for Ukraine-Russia war USA TODAY
- Nevada Democrats add to calls for Biden to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles The Hill
- Debate over Ukraine weapons restrictions divides allies, administration The Washington Post
Is Israel about to invade Lebanon?
More than 550 Lebanese have already been killed and 90,000 displaced since Israel escalated air attacks a week ago.
Albanese government to launch storybook to teach children from culturally diverse backgrounds about consent
My Superhero Voice, which will be available online, is careful not to single out a particular religion or culture
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The Australian government will launch a storybook aimed at teaching children from multicultural backgrounds about body safety and consent on Wednesday, but experts say “there is still more to do”.
The book, titled My Superhero Voice, is part of the government’s One Talk at a Time campaign, aimed at preventing child sexual abuse. It was developed by the National Office for Child Safety and consulting agency Cultural Perspectives.
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Continue reading...4 Countries Are Taking the Taliban to Court – Newser
- 4 Countries Are Taking the Taliban to Court Newser
- Meryl Streep: ‘A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan’ CNN
- Taliban to be taken to international court over gender discrimination The Guardian
- Actor Meryl Streep shows solidarity at UN with Afghan women, girls Reuters
- Afghan women have less freedom than cats, Meryl Streep says at U.N. The Washington Post
Israel preparing for possible ground offensive in Lebanon, military chief says
Strikes designed to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure before possible incursion by troops, says Israel’s top general
Israel’s top general has said the country is preparing for a possible ground operation into Lebanon amid growing international pressure for a negotiated ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.
As an intense bombing campaign inside Lebanon stretched into a third day, Israel’s chief of staff, Maj Gen Herzi Halevi, said the airstrikes aimed to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure and prepare for the possibility of Israeli troops crossing the border.
Continue reading...Vladimir Putin warns west he will consider using nuclear weapons
Comments are strongest yet against allowing Ukraine to launch long-range missiles into Russian territory
Vladimir Putin has escalated his nuclear rhetoric, telling a group of senior officials that Russia would consider using nuclear weapons if it was attacked by any state with conventional weapons.
His remarks on Wednesday came during a meeting with Russia’s powerful security council where he also announced changes to the country’s nuclear doctrine.
Continue reading...Several arrested after American woman dies in first use of controversial suicide pod – CNN
- Several arrested after American woman dies in first use of controversial suicide pod CNN
- Reported "suicide capsule" death of U.S. woman in Switzerland prompts multiple arrests, launch of criminal case CBS News
- Several detained after American's 'suicide capsule' death in Switzerland: Police ABC News
- Swiss police make arrests after suicide capsule is used for first time USA TODAY
- American woman's death in suicide capsule leads to arrests in Switzerland NBC News
Israeli army boss tells troops to prepare for possible Lebanon push
Israeli general Herzi Halevi told soldiers in northern Israel that the air attacks on Lebanon would continue.
Eswatini opposition leader poisoned in South Africa, party says
Alleged poisoning follows last year’s killing of human rights lawyer and 2021’s pro-democracy protests
Eswatini’s main opposition party has alleged that its leader was poisoned in an assassination attempt, putting renewed scrutiny on the southern African country that is one of the last remaining absolute monarchies, where authorities have for years moved to quash pro-democracy movements.
The People’s United Democratic Movement party (Pudemo) said its president, Mlungisi Makhanya, was hospitalised after being poisoned in neighbouring South Africa on Tuesday. It said he was under security protection but gave no detail on his condition or the circumstances of the alleged poisoning. Makhanya had recently said there would be new pro-democracy protests in Eswatini next month. The Eswatini government spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo denied any involvement.
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