Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Pentagon pick, sparks alarm over far-right extremism

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Experts concerned over the Fox & Friends host, his Christian nationalist ideology and militant language

Extremism experts are sounding the alarm about Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, whose writings and online presence reveal someone immersed in a culture of rightwing Christianity, political extremism and violent ideation.

The Fox & Friends host, who has served in the US army but has no experience in government, drew shock from Pentagon officials when Trump nominated him. Hegseth’s books on American culture and the military, his commentary on Fox and his frequent posts on social media showcase his far-right ideology. On these platforms, Hegseth telegraphs paranoia and anger toward “leftists”, an ultra-masculine Maga persona and apparent revulsion toward service members who do not fit his vision – including women.

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Prince Harry to continue lawsuit against Sun publisher, high court hears

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Duke is ‘one of two claimants whose claims are still live’ against NGN, court told, the other being ex-MP Tom Watson

The Duke of Sussex is continuing his lawsuit against the publisher of the Sun over allegations of unlawful information gathering, the high court has heard.

Prince Harry “is one of two claimants whose claims are still live” against Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN), his barrister David Sherborne said, with the other being the former deputy Labour leader Tom Watson. The court was told 39 cases had been settled since a previous hearing in July.

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Snow White star Rachel Zegler apologises for angry Trump post

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West Side Story actor soon to take on iconic Disney role backs down after re-election response led to backlash

The West Side Story and Snow White actor Rachel Zegler has apologised after criticising Donald Trump and his supporters.

The 23-year-old, currently starring in Broadway’s re-imagined Romeo + Juliet, had posted a lengthy response to the re-election of Trump and the “four years of hatred” he would bring about in America.

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Lebanon ceasefire talks intensify as Hezbollah considers new US-Israeli proposal – CNN

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  1. Lebanon ceasefire talks intensify as Hezbollah considers new US-Israeli proposal  CNN
  2. Netanyahu Plans a Big Gift for Trump—Two Months From Now  The New Republic
  3. The Price Israel and Lebanon are Each Paying for Their War on the Border  NPR
  4. Lebanon studying US plan to end Israel-Hezbollah conflict — officials  The Times of Israel
  5. Israeli Forces Push Deeper Into Lebanon in Widening War Campaign  The Wall Street Journal
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‘Ready for ceasefire, but Israel must respect proposal’, says Hamas – Hindustan Times

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  1. ‘Ready for ceasefire, but Israel must respect proposal’, says Hamas  Hindustan Times
  2. Hamas says 'ready for ceasefire' as Israel presses Gaza campaign  Yahoo! Voices
  3. Hamas urges Trump to pressure Israel to end Gaza war; PIJ releases hostage video  The Times of Israel
  4. Hamas official says group is ready for 'immediate' ceasefire - report  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Middle East crisis: Hamas ‘ready’ for Gaza ceasefire, says senior official – as it happened  The Guardian
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Frustration grows at fossil fuel influence and structure of UN climate talks. Some call for reform – The Associated Press

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  1. Frustration grows at fossil fuel influence and structure of UN climate talks. Some call for reform  The Associated Press
  2. Climate leaders were worried Trump would derail talks. They didn’t know their host would be the wrecking ball  CNN
  3. Cop summits ‘no longer fit for purpose’, say leading climate policy experts  The Guardian
  4. Climate summit veterans call for urgent reform amid COP29  Axios
  5. UN climate talks 'no longer fit for purpose' say key experts  BBC.com
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Tropical Storm Sara: Forecast cone, maps, models and plots – NBC2 News

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  1. Tropical Storm Sara: Forecast cone, maps, models and plots  NBC2 News
  2. Tropical Storm Sara Is A Dangerous Central America Flood Threat  The Weather Channel
  3. How Tropical Storm Sara's Impact on US Could Change  Newsweek
  4. Tropical Storm Sara to significantly weaken on path to Central Florida, drive up rain chances  WESH 2 Orlando
  5. Belize on alert as Tropical Storm Sara moves along Honduran coast bringing heavy rain  The Associated Press
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Netanyahu’s Aides May Have Doctored Phone Records on Israeli General’s Pre-Attack Warning on Oct. 7 – Democracy Now!

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  1. Netanyahu’s Aides May Have Doctored Phone Records on Israeli General’s Pre-Attack Warning on Oct. 7  Democracy Now!
  2. Investigators Assess if Netanyahu’s Aides Forged Oct. 7 Phone Records  The New York Times
  3. PM’s chief of staff questioned on suspicion of forgery, illegal altering of records  The Times of Israel
  4. Netanyahu aide questioned over alleged tampering with 7 October phone records  The Guardian
  5. Israeli police question Benjamin Netanyahu aide over alleged October 7 call tampering  Financial Times
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‘A fork in the road’: laundry-sorting robot spurs AI hopes and fears at Europe’s biggest tech event

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Humanoid called Digit fuelled boosterism at Web Summit, but also raised concerns about jobs, safety and climate

This year’s Web Summit, in Lisbon, was all about artificial intelligence – and a robot sorting laundry.

Digit, a humanoid built by the US firm Agility Robotics, demonstrated how far AI has come in a few years by responding to voice commands – filtered through Google’s Gemini AI model – to sift through a pile of coloured T-shirts and place them in a basket.

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A Ukrainian brigade armed with French light tanks, artillery, and heavy weaponry is about to enter the fight – Business Insider

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  1. A Ukrainian brigade armed with French light tanks, artillery, and heavy weaponry is about to enter the fight  Business Insider
  2. Ukrainian troops train for trench warfare near France's WWI battlefields  Fox News
  3. A Ukrainian brigade armed with French tanks, artillery, and heavy weaponry is about to enter the fight  Yahoo! Voices
  4. France Equips and Trains New Ukrainian Brigade at Critical Point in War  Newsweek
  5. Ukraine’s Anne of Kyiv Brigade completing training in France  Ukrinform
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Shrinking GDP forecast adds to German woes after coalition collapse

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European Commission figures predict German economy, usually the engine of the EU, will contract O.1% this year

Germany’s looming general election will be fought against the backdrop of a stagnating economy, the European Commission has forecast, with GDP expected to have contracted in 2024.

The commission’s quarterly forecast suggested Germany, traditionally the engine of the bloc’s economy, will be its weakest performer in 2025, notching up growth of just 0.7% after shrinking by 0.1% this year.

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