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Middle East crisis live: Pentagon reportedly requests $200bn in Iran war funds; Tehran retaliates after Israeli strike on gas field
Pentagon request could cause uproar in Congress, Washington Post reports; United Arab Emirates denounces Iran’s attacks targeting Habshan gas facility as a ‘dangerous escalation’Iran threatens Gulf energy facilities after Israeli attack on its largest gasfieldFighting intensifies between Israel and Hezbollah in southern LebanonIran is still exporting millions of barrels of oil, with about 90 ships, including oil tankers, having crossed the strait of Hormuz since the beginning of the war with Iran, according to maritime and trade data platforms reports.This is despite Iran saying it had closed the vital waterway to vessels from the US and its allies. Continue reading...
Hong Kong apartment fires: hearings to begin into Wang Fuk blaze that killed 168 people
Independent committee to investigate safety standards and whether building practices contributed to worst residential fires in decadesHow the Hong Kong fire unfolded – visual guidePublic hearings in Hong Kong begin on Thursday into a devastating fire that ripped through a housing complex last year, killing 168 people.A judge-led independent committee will investigate whether fire safety standards were inadequate, if construction practices contributed to the fire, and if there were failures on the part of government officers or contractors. Continue reading...
New York high school student released after 10 months in ICE facility
The detention of Dylan Lopez Contreras, 20, of Venezuela, a freshman in the Bronx, sparked national outrageA New York high school student who was detained at an immigration courthouse in May last year, sparking national outrage, was released on Wednesday.Dylan Lopez Contreras, 20, of Venezuela was a freshman at Ellis Prep academy, a Bronx public school dedicated exclusively to students who have recently arrived in the US. It was the first widely known instance of a public school student being arrested by federal immigration agents. Continue reading...
Pakistan Announces Eid Truce As Taliban Vows Kabul Attack Revenge
Pakistan announced on Wednesday a "temporary pause" in hostilities with Afghanistan to mark the end of Ramadan, after Kabul promised to avenge the deaths of hundreds killed in a strike on a Kabul drug treatment centre.
Senate Republicans vote down Democrats’ war powers resolution to check Trump on Iran – US politics live
Vote of 53-47 was unchanged from that on previous war powers resolution two weeks agoTrump news at a glance: president’s war on Iran is putting billions on the US tillSign up for Breaking US News US emailsRand Paul seemed immediately frustrated with Mullin as he opened the hearing. While he was speaking, he suggested that Mullin wasn’t listening to his remarks, during which he pushed Trump’s nominee on his vote against Paul’s amendment to stop all funding for refugee welfare programs.“You decided to transfer the blame. You told the media that I was a ‘freaking snake’ and that you completely understood why I had been assaulted,” Paul said, referring to when he was attacked by a neighbor in Kentucky in 2017, which resulted in Paul breaking several ribs and developing pneumonia. Continue reading...
Democrats walk out in protest over ‘outrageous fake’ Epstein briefing from Pam Bondi
Lawmakers leave closed-door meeting after AG refuses to commit to honoring subpoena to testify under oathDemocrats on the House oversight committee walked out of a closed-door briefing from attorney general Pam Bondi about the Jeffrey Epstein files on Wednesday, leaving what California congressman Robert Garcia called “an outrageous fake hearing” after Bondi refused to commit to honoring a subpoena to testify under oath.The committee voted to subpoena Bondi earlier this month, with five Republicans joining Democrats to demand that the attorney general answer questions about the justice department’s failure to properly release files from the federal investigations into Epstein. Continue reading...
Pakistan, Afghanistan Announce 'Temporary Pause' In Fighting Due To Eid
Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday announced a "temporary pause" in fighting in view of Eid-ul-Fitr and at the request of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.
Kim Jong Un Near-Perfect Win In North Korea Polls With 99.93% Mandate
In North Korea's 2026 parliamentary elections, Kim Jong Un achieved a landslide win as the Workers' Party of Korea and its coalition partners reportedly captured 99.93 per cent of the ballot and every available seat, according to Yonhap News Agency.
UK to double steel tariffs to 50% to save plants from collapse
Business secretary announces new ‘steel safeguards’ during visit to Tata’s Port Talbot plantThe UK is to double tariffs on Chinese and other foreign steel in a bid to save its remaining plants from collapse.The new “steel safeguards” came weeks after bosses at Tata Steel in south Wales warned the government they had just two months to be saved. Continue reading...
Ban corporate donations to UK political parties to protect elections, says thinktank
CenTax warns bill under debate in parliament has ‘easily exploitable’ loopholes and will not prevent foreign interferencePolitical donations by companies should be banned to protect UK elections from foreign interference, a thinktank has warned.In the first big overhaul of election funding in 26 years, ministers have pledged to “keep British democracy safe” by closing a loophole that allows individuals not eligible to vote in Britain to donate to political parties through UK-registered companies. Continue reading...
Crossbreed dogs show more behavioural problems than pure breeds, study suggests
Research finds cockapoo, cavapoo and labradoodle dogs display more undesirable behaviours than breeds they derive fromThe UK has oodles of doodles but a study might offer paws for thought: researchers have found some of these designer crossbreed dogs show more behavioural problems than the pure breeds from which they derive.Crosses between poodles and other dog breeds have become increasingly popular in the UK, with research suggesting the trend is – at least in part – driven by the expectation such dogs will be hypoallergenic, healthy and good with children. Continue reading...
Seoul raises terror alert as it prepares to host BTS comeback concert
Thousands of police prepare to deploy to South Korea’s capital ahead of K-pop’s most anticipated comebackSeoul has stepped up security ahead of BTS’s huge comeback concert on Saturday, which more than a quarter of a million fans are expected to attend, with authorities raising the terror alert in the area and preparing to deploy thousands of police to the capital.South Korean president Lee Jae Myung warned at a cabinet meeting this week that “the issue is safety” and urged heightened vigilance by the interior ministry and emergency services to prepare for every possibility. He described the concert as an important occasion to reaffirm the country’s global cultural standing. Continue reading...
