World must act to prevent ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Gaza, António Guterres warns

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Secretary general makes appeal as civilian casualties mount amid intensive Israeli strikes on north

The UN secretary general, António Guterres has warned Israel could carry out the “ethnic cleansing” of Gaza if the international community does not make a determined stand to prevent it.

Guterres made his appeal at a time of mounting civilian casualties from the Israeli bombardment of northern Gaza. A strike on Tuesday in Beit Lahiya district killed at least 93 people, in what the UN said was just one of at least seven “mass casualty incidents” across Gaza in the past week.

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Georgia must change course to open EU membership talks, says European Commission

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Western powers call for investigation into Georgian Dream party election win amid reports of voter intimidation and fraud

The European Commission has said it will not recommend opening EU membership talks with Georgia unless the country changes course, days after the increasingly anti-western Georgian Dream (GD) party won pivotal parliamentary elections amid reports of irregularities and voter intimidation.

The commission recommended that Georgia be granted EU candidate status last year – something Ukraine and Moldova had already achieved – but made clear at the time that this could be withdrawn if the government in Tbilisi did not follow through on agreed reforms.

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This is not a Budget we want to repeat, says Rachel Reeves – BBC.com

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  1. This is not a Budget we want to repeat, says Rachel Reeves  BBC.com
  2. Wages, stamp duty, tax: What does the Budget mean for your money?  BBC.com
  3. Budget 2024: Reeves crushes hopes of higher growth with record tax raid  The Telegraph
  4. UK Budget: Labour Party to Raise Taxes by 40 Billion Pounds  The New York Times
  5. UK borrowing costs spike after extensive tax hikes announced in budget  CNBC
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Palestinian student stripped of UK visa after Gaza remarks wins human rights appeal

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Home Office failed to show presence of Dana Abu Qamar ‘not conducive to public good’, according to tribunal ruling

A Palestinian student who was stripped of her student visa after remarks she made about the Israel-Gaza war has won a human rights appeal against the Home Office’s decision.

The Home Office failed to demonstrate that the presence of Dana Abu Qamar, 20, was “not conducive to public good” after the law student’s visa was revoked in December 2023, according to a tribunal ruling.

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Scientists rebuild the face of 400-year-old Polish ‘vampire’ – Reuters

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  1. Scientists rebuild the face of 400-year-old Polish 'vampire'  Reuters
  2. Archaeologists reconstruct face of 400-year-old "vampire" buried with iron sickle across her neck  CBS News
  3. A Gruesome Discovery in Rural Poland  PBS
  4. Exhuming Dracula’s Ancestors: What Vampires Reveal About Our Latent Fears  Literary Hub
  5. How Poland's mysterious 'vampire' spent her final moments: Wealthy 18-year-old dubbed 'Zosia' was pinned to th  Daily Mail
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US warns Israel over Gaza aid as deadline approaches – BBC.com

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  1. US warns Israel over Gaza aid as deadline approaches  BBC.com
  2. US struggles to get answers on 'horrifying' Israeli strike in northern Gaza  ABC News
  3. U.S. condemns Israeli airstrikes that killed dozens of civilians in Gaza  CBS News
  4. US says Israeli steps to address humanitarian crisis in Gaza minor and insufficient  The Times of Israel
  5. Gaza aid falls to lowest level since start of war despite US warning to Israel  Financial Times
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Five charged in Texas over alleged $1m ring to certify unqualified teachers

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Prosecutors say impersonators took tests on behalf of applicants, and testing proctor was allegedly bribed

Five people in Texas have been charged in connection with an alleged fraudulent teacher certification scheme, which prosecutors say was used to improperly certify hundreds of unqualified teachers to work in local school districts throughout the state.

At a press conference on Monday led by the Harris county district attorney, Kim Ogg, prosecutors said the alleged scheme generated at least a million dollars and was used to certify more than 200 unqualified teachers who are currently or have previously worked in Texas public schools.

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Recent whale deaths highlight risks from Antarctica’s booming krill fishery – The Associated Press

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  1. Recent whale deaths highlight risks from Antarctica’s booming krill fishery  The Associated Press
  2. China-Russia cooperation blocks Antarctic conservation proposals  VOA Asia
  3. Fighting for the Rights of . . . Antarctica?  National Review
  4. Antarctica’s Fate Will Impact the World. Is It Time to Give The Region a Voice at Climate Talks?  InsideClimate News
  5. Antarctica-Whale Deaths  guardonline.com
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Paramedic gave Sergei Skripal novichok antidote by chance, inquiry hears

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Knocked-over bag led to unintended use of drug to counter nerve agents, which may have saved former Russian spy

A paramedic has described the extraordinary moment he knocked over a drugs bag as he treated the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and then by chance gave him a nerve agent antidote that may have saved his life.

Emergency services workers who went to help Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, after they were poisoned with the nerve agent novichok, initially suspected they may have been experiencing the effects of a recreational drugs overdose.

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Some US states have firearm death rates comparable to countries in conflict, report says

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Mississippi’s firearm-related violence rate nearly double that of Haiti, which is plagued by political and gang strife

A new report by the Commonwealth Fund finds some US states have firearm death rates comparable to countries in conflict, and even states with the fewest firearms deaths are far higher than peer developed democracies.

For instance, Mississippi’s rate of firearm-related violence (28.5 per 100,000 people) was nearly double that of Haiti (15.1 per 100,000) in 2021, when mercenaries assassinated the country’s president, unleashing a fresh round of gang warfare which pushed the country into a state of civil war.

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US sanctions 398 firms in more than a dozen countries, accusing them of helping Russia’s war effort – The Associated Press

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  1. US sanctions 398 firms in more than a dozen countries, accusing them of helping Russia's war effort  The Associated Press
  2. Putin’s cash crunch  POLITICO Europe
  3. US cracks down on Russia’s facilitators worldwide  Financial Times
  4. US Sanctions 398 Firms in Multiple Countries for Allegedly Aiding Russia  Newsweek
  5. US cracks down on Russia sanctions evasion in fresh action  Reuters
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Hundreds of damaged ballots saved following fire at drop box in Washington

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FBI is investigating and workers are contacting voters about new ballots after incendiary devices were put in drop box

Officials in south-west Washington were able to salvage almost 500 damaged ballots from a ballot box that was set on fire on Monday in what officials have called an attack on democracy ahead of a contentious US election.

An unknown number of ballots were destroyed when someone placed incendiary devices in a drop box in Vancouver, Washington, while three ballots were damaged in a fire at a box in nearby Portland, Oregon. Those fires and one other are linked, officials have said.

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Scientists discover oldest ever giant tadpole fossil in Argentina

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Tadpole that wriggled around 160m years ago surpasses previous record holder by about 20m years

Scientists have discovered the oldest-known fossil of a giant tadpole that wriggled around over 160m years ago.

The new fossil, found in Argentina, surpasses the previous ancient record holder by about 20m years.

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The world braces for the fallout of next week’s US election – Semafor

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  1. The world braces for the fallout of next week’s US election  Semafor
  2. US election: what a Trump victory would mean for the rest of the world  The Conversation
  3. As Election Nears, Foreign Leaders Fear ‘a Vacuum’ in American Leadership  The New York Times
  4. IR Experts See Glaring Differences Between Harris and Trump  Foreign Policy
  5. How this US election could change state of the world  BBC.com
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Israel cease-fire plan for Lebanon seeks to bypass UN, as US mediators travel to Jerusalem for talks – Fox News

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  1. Israel cease-fire plan for Lebanon seeks to bypass UN, as US mediators travel to Jerusalem for talks  Fox News
  2. New Hezbollah chief: We hit Netanyahu’s home, he ‘survived this time’ but may yet be killed  The Times of Israel
  3. Lebanon, Israel could agree to ceasefire within days, Lebanese prime minister says  Reuters
  4. Biden advisers to visit Israel to try to seal a deal to end war in Lebanon  Axios
  5. A new push to wind down the Middle East wars faces familiar challenges  The Associated Press
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Arnold Schwarzenegger endorses Kamala Harris: ‘I will always be an American before I am a Republican’

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The former Republican governor said that he was backing the Democrat because a Trump victory would mean ‘four more years of bullshit’

The former Republican governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced that he is backing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in next week’s election.

In a long post on X, Schwarzenegger, 77, said that while he doesn’t “really do endorsements” … “hate[s] politics” and doesn’t “trust most politicians”, he felt compelled to formally endorse Harris and her pick for vice president Tim Walz.

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IDF official: Deadly Gaza strike targeted spotter, wasn’t aimed at collapsing building – The Times of Israel

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  1. IDF official: Deadly Gaza strike targeted spotter, wasn’t aimed at collapsing building  The Times of Israel
  2. More than 90 killed in north Gaza strike as Israel bans U.N. relief agency  The Washington Post
  3. Israeli strikes in northern Gaza kill at least 88, officials say  The Associated Press
  4. Updates: Deadly new Israel attack on north Gaza as south Lebanon targeted  Al Jazeera English
  5. ‘Who is going to take them out of here?': Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza kills over 90 people  CNN
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