Iran says deal on Strait of Hormuz is close but will not open the waterway by itself – NBC News

  1. Iran says deal on Strait of Hormuz is close but will not open the waterway by itself  NBC News
  2. Iran war live: IRGC says Hormuz to open after US ‘fully’ accepts conditions  Al Jazeera
  3. Former Trump cabinet official says Iran-Oman Strait of Hormuz deal could be ‘very bad outcome’  Fox News
  4. Iran Sees an Opening to Kick the U.S. Out of the Gulf  WSJ
  5. What's holding up the Iran-Oman proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz  PBS
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Lion saved as cub from Ukraine war and brought to US battles rare fungal disease

Four-year-old Taras, who now resides at a Minnesota sanctuary, was diagnosed with an often fatal infection

A lion that escaped the war in Ukraine after being found as a four-month-old cub inside a duffel bag at Odesa railway station is facing an even greater battle for survival in his new home in Minnesota from a rare and often fatal fungal disease.

Taras, his two sisters Lesya and Stefania, and an unrelated, slightly older cub from Kyiv named Prada, were brought to the US in November 2022 by the Wildcat Sanctuary, a secluded private reserve near Sandstone, Minnesota, that arranged their rescue with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

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Trump loyalist Todd Blanche confirmed by Senate as US attorney general

Major win for president as former personal lawyer wins approval despite outcry over $1.8bn slush fund

The US Senate voted to narrowly confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general in a major win for Donald Trump, who will now have his one-time personal attorney sitting atop the nation’s law enforcement apparatus.

Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana cast the deciding vote in Blanche’s favor after two other Republicans – Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – voted against him. Every Democrat rejected Blanche’s nomination as the Republican-led Senate voted 50-49.

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Senate passes funding bill to prevent shutdown through US midterms

Bill must still be approved by House but would keep government running at current funding levels

The US Senate on Friday passed a government funding bill that will prevent a shutdown through the midterm elections, though it still must be approved by the House of Representatives.

The continuing resolution (CR) passed by a 90-6 vote will keep the government running at its current funding levels until 11 December, more than a month past the midterms in which Democrats are hoping to regain control of Congress and block Donald Trump’s legislative agenda for the final two years of his presidency.

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Families retrieve bodies after a 14-year-old killed at least 7 in a shooting outside Bangkok – AP News

  1. Families retrieve bodies after a 14-year-old killed at least 7 in a shooting outside Bangkok  AP News
  2. 12-year-old student among those killed in Thailand’s deadliest school shooting in years  CNN
  3. 'Mom, don't call me': Inside Thailand's deadly school shooting  Reuters
  4. Boy Kills Grandparents and Then Five Teachers, Thai Authorities Say  The New York Times
  5. Teen kills classmates, teachers, and his grandparents in Thai gun rampage, police say  Yahoo
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Ukraine Strikes Oil Refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Region in Drone Attack – themoscowtimes.com

  1. Ukraine Strikes Oil Refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Region in Drone Attack  themoscowtimes.com
  2. Ukraine Drone Strike Sparks Fire at Russia’s Ilsky Refinery  Bloomberg.com
  3. Live: Russian strikes kill four near Kyiv as Zelensky makes landmark visit to Serbia  France 24
  4. Fire caused by drones at oil refinery in Russia's Yaroslavl has been extinguished, governor says  Reuters
  5. Ukraine strikes more oil facilities deep inside Russia, Zelenskyy says  AP News
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