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Israel's 100-missile Lebanon strike killed 254 hours after US-Iran ceasefire ignited chaos; Iran retaliated with missiles and re-closed the Hormuz, leaving Trump with three options - resume the war, trust Vance in Pakistan, or restrain Netanyahu.

Trump has repeatedly called NATO a "paper tiger" and threatened to withdraw from the 32-member transatlantic alliance in recent weeks, arguing that Washington's European allies have relied on US security guarantees while providing inadequate support

Pastor Cheryl Bartley faces manslaughter charges after Robert Smith drowned in a fatal baptism ceremony in Birmingham.

Netanyahu, the first sitting Israeli prime minister to be charged with a crime, denies charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust brought in 2019.

IDF says it is continuing operations in south Beirut as Israel maintains Lebanon not part of US-Iran two-week ceasefireMiddle East ceasefire in serious doubt as Israel assaults Lebanon and Iran blocks oil tankersThe UK foreign minister, Yvette Cooper, has said Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire agreement. In other remarks now being reported by Reuters, Cooper added that shipping through the strait of Hormuz must be toll-free.Amid ceasefire talks, Tehran has proposed fees or tolls on vessels to safely pass through the strait. Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested the US and Iran could collect tolls in a joint venture, while the White House said the priority was reopening the strait without limitations.And my principles and values made sure that our decisions were that we wouldn’t get involved in the action without a lawful basis, without a viable, thought-through plan.” Continue reading...

Defence secretary says sanctions and warnings that shadow fleet vessels may be boarded are making it harder for Russia to sell oilIn interviews this morning Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, declined to confirm reports that a Russian warship has been escorting two sanctioned Russian ships through the English channel.Sanctioned Russian ships carry oil being sold to fund the war in Ukraine, and the UK government recently announced that the armed forces have been authorised to board these ships in British waters to stop them.What I can tell you is that we have given permission now for action to be taken against the Russian shadow fleet. Operational decisions then have to be taken in the right way by the military.There are indications of the way in which not just the Russian shadow fleet is operating, but also the way in which we are seeing increased Russian threats, not just to the UK, but across Europe as well. Continue reading...

Student Finance England tells about 22,000 students their universities wrongly told them they were eligibleMore than 20,000 university students in England who received government maintenance loans and grants worth thousands of pounds have been told they will have to pay them back because their universities wrongly told them they were eligible for the money.About 22,000 students studying for weekend courses at 15 universities and colleges have received letters from Student Finance England, part of the government-owned Student Loans Company, telling them they must hand back the money because their university “made an error when providing your course details to us. Unfortunately, they didn’t tell us you only attended on [sic] the weekend.” Continue reading...

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) accused Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) of not following the teachings of Jesus Christ because he had supported President Donald Trump after a threat to destroy Iran's entire civilization in one night.During an interview with CNN on Thursday, Greene called Trump's apocalyptic threat "insanity.""I really hope to see people in leadership in Washington, D.C., get back on track and care about regular Americans," Greene said. "I think I'm one of the few honest Republicans willing to talk about it. Everyone else is just afraid to speak out against the president because they're terrified of having an ugly Truth Social post dropped on them or a primary challenge.""They're cowards. And I really have to call out the speaker, Mike Johnson, who calls himself a Christian," she added. "I don't know how he can stand by those words. That's what was so offensive to me. Any Christian serving in Congress or serving in the Senate and serving in the administration really needs to take pause and ask themselves, as a Christian, do you really support the president calling for the annihilation, calling to wipe out an entire civilization of people? And I don't think you should because that's not what Jesus said and that's not what Christianity is all about."