US sub sinks Iranian warship in Indian Ocean, Hegseth says
More than 100 personnel were thought to be aboard the vessel, which went down to the south of Sri Lanka.
Analysis finds urban areas in England where no one lives within 15-minute walk of nature
Government says it is working to solve ‘postcode lottery’ of access to green or blue spaces
There are urban areas of England where no one lives within a 15-minute walk of nature, government data shows, as ministers scramble to meet their access to nature targets.
While the data shows 80% of people live within walking distance of green or blue spaces such as a river, park or woodland, it also reveals a disparity between rural and poorer urban areas.
Continue reading...Head of carer’s allowance inquiry blames DWP ‘resistance’ for failure to fix crisis
Liz Sayce tells MPs some civil servants tried to minimise extent of problems and deflect blame
The head of an official inquiry into carer’s allowance has criticised “forces of resistance” inside the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that undermined ministerial attempts to fix longstanding problems with the much-criticised benefit.
Liz Sayce, whose review of carer’s allowance was published in November, said rather than owning the problems, some at the DWP had tried to “minimise” the extent of the department’s failures and sought to deflect blame for the crisis.
Continue reading...Berlin film festival head to keep job after Gaza free speech row
The German government convened a crisis meeting after several prize winners at this year’s event condemned Israel’s actions against Palestinians
The American head of the Berlin film festival, Tricia Tuttle, will keep her job after a free speech row over Gaza, but the event will have to consider a new code of conduct to “fight antisemitism”, the German culture ministry has said.
Tuttle’s position came under threat after an awards gala at the end of the 76th edition last month in which several prize winners condemned Israel’s actions against Palestinians from the stage.
Continue reading...Hardline cleric Arafi joins wartime leadership as Iran juggles conflict, succession – Reuters
- Hardline cleric Arafi joins wartime leadership as Iran juggles conflict, succession Reuters
- Iran's power vacuum and Democrats dominate in flipping state seats: Morning Rundown NBC News
- Iran Poised to Name New Supreme Leader With US Watching Closely Bloomberg.com
- The start of the Iran war was determined by spying success The Economist
- Opinion | We Are Finally Free From Khamenei’s Suffocating Gaze - The New York Times The New York Times
US and Ecuador forces launch operation to fight drug trafficking
Washington says the two countries are combatting 'designated terrorist organisations' in Ecuador.
House opens inquiry into Texas lawmaker over alleged affair with aide
Tony Gonzales allegedly had affair with Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who later died after setting herself on fire
The House ethics committee said on Wednesday that it has opened an investigation of Tony Gonzales, a Republican representative from Texas, over allegations that include having an affair with an aide.
The top Republican and Democratic members on the committee said in a joint statement that an investigative panel would look into whether Gonzales engaged in sexual misconduct toward an employee in his office and whether he discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges.
Continue reading...Gavin Newsom likens Israel to ‘an apartheid state’ and decries war on Iran
California governor, promoting his memoir in LA, was asked if US should rethink military partnership with Israel
Gavin Newsom, the Democratic California governor, likened Israel to “an apartheid state” on Tuesday in comments sharply critical of the country’s joint war with the US against Iran.
Newsom, seen as a frontrunner for his party’s presidential nomination in 2028, made the comment during an appearance in Los Angeles to promote his book, Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery. He was asked if the US should rethink its military partnership with Israel.
Continue reading...Regulator contacts Meta over workers watching intimate AI glasses videos
Videos, including of glasses-wearers using the toilet or having sex, are sometimes reviewed by a Kenya-based subcontractor.
Higher tariffs likely this week, says US Treasury
Scott Bessent says that "likely sometime this week" the US will increase its global tariff on imports from the existing 10%.
Nigeria halts Christian pilgrimages to Holy Land over Middle East conflict
NCPC say the measure is necessary to prioritise the "safety and comfort" of Nigerian pilgrims.
Union tries to seize control of works council at Tesla’s German factory
Lawsuits and slander claims fly in IG Metall’s battle with Elon Musk over employment rights and conditions
Europe’s largest trade union is trying to gain control of the works council at Elon Musk’s Tesla gigafactory near Berlin, in an industrial relations showdown marked by lawsuits and mutual accusations of slander.
The works council, an elected body of employees that negotiates everything from working hours to pay deals with a company’s management, is considered an entrenched aspect of the German corporate world, particularly in the car industry.
Continue reading...South West Water admits criminal offence over Devon parasite outbreak
Firm admits supplying water unfit for human consumption after nearly 150 people fell ill
A major utility company has admitted supplying water unfit for human consumption after a parasite outbreak in Devon made almost 150 people sick.
South West Water (SWW) pleaded guilty to the criminal offence relating to the cryptosporidiosis outbreak in Brixham, Devon, which affected 2,500 homes.
Continue reading...Macron: Next 50 Years ‘Will Be an Age of Nuclear Weapons’ – Newser
- Macron: Next 50 Years 'Will Be an Age of Nuclear Weapons' Newser
- Emmanuel Macron spelled out a pivot in France's nuclear strategy. Here's why it's so significant CNBC
- France to expand nuclear arsenal as Europe’s trust in U.S. falters The Washington Post
- What France’s new nuclear-arms doctrine means for Europe The Economist
- Russia says France's plan to expand its nuclear arsenal is destabilising Reuters
NATO shoots down Iranian missile approaching Turkish airspace, Turkey says – Stars and Stripes
- NATO shoots down Iranian missile approaching Turkish airspace, Turkey says Stars and Stripes
- NATO Air Defenses Shoot Down Iranian Missile Headed Toward Turkey - The New York Times The New York Times
- US submarine sank Iranian warship, Hegseth says – as it happened The Guardian
- Turkey says NATO defences destroyed Iran missile, risking war expansion Reuters
- Key Turkish Base Hosting U.S. Troops Was Target of Iranian Missile WSJ
Here are all the countries now involved in the Iran conflict – Axios
- Here are all the countries now involved in the Iran conflict Axios
- Why did US and Israel attack Iran and how long could the war last? BBC
- Videos Show Homes and Businesses Across Mideast Caught Up by War The New York Times
- Israel hammers Iranian internal security command centers to open door to uprising Fox News
- Inside the Operation That Killed Khamenei WSJ
Pete Hegseth says US is ‘investigating’ deadly strike on girls’ school in Iran
US defense secretary was evasive when asked about the airstrike that Iranian officials say killed at least 165 students
Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, offered few details and was evasive when asked about the deadly strike on a girls’ school in Iran, saying only that the US was “investigating” the incident.
Iranian officials say the attack, which happened on Saturday, killed at least 165 students.
Continue reading...Israel strikes Tehran and Beirut as Iran vows ‘complete destruction’ in region
Rapidly escalating war enters fifth day and spreads as far as Indian Ocean with sinking of Iranian vessel off Sri Lanka
Israel has carried out a wave of airstrikes on Iranian security targets and Hezbollah in Beirut as Tehran threatened the “complete destruction of the region’s military and economic infrastructure” as the rapidly escalating war entered its fifth day and reached as far as the Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka.
The Israeli military said it had hit buildings in Iran belonging to the Basij, the volunteer police arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), and buildings belonging to internal security forces. Police stations and IRGC headquarters in the Kurdish regions of north-western Iran were also razed by strikes, Kurdish media reported.
Continue reading...Watch: Heavy gunfire heard as BBC reports from border of Israel and Lebanon
From the Israeli town of Metula on the border with Lebanon, the BBC's Jon Donnison heard what sounded like a full-on gun battle.
Britain not ruling out future strikes on Iran missile sites, officials indicate
‘We just don’t know what will happen,’ western officials say, as UK bases prepare for arrival of US heavy bombers
Britain has not ruled out participating in future strikes against Iranian ballistic missile launch sites, officials have indicated.
US heavy bombers are expected to reach UK bases at Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands and Fairford in Gloucestershire in the next few days, from where they are expected to attack Iran’s underground “missile cities”.
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