Top World News
Architect aims to rebuild a church and help restore a multicultural past
A Greek Orthodox church in Antakya, Turkey, lies in ruins three years after devastating earthquakes
NSW chief justice says Tony Abbott’s criticism of Harbour Bridge march judge ‘misconceived and ignorant’
Andrew Bell says it’s ‘regrettable’ that former PM suggested judge had made a ‘political judgment’ regarding pro-Palestine protest in AugustFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe chief justice of New South Wales has criticised former prime minister Tony Abbott for what he says was a regrettable, misconceived and ignorant attack on a judge’s decision regarding last year’s pro-Palestine Sydney Harbour Bridge march.Andrew Bell said in a speech on Thursday evening that Abbott’s post on X in August last year threatened social cohesion. Continue reading...
Andrew vouched for Epstein on state visit to UAE with queen in 2010
Emails appear to show Mountbatten-Windsor attempting to introduce Epstein to UAE crown prince via foreign affairs ministerAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor vouched for Jeffrey Epstein during a UK state visit to the United Arab Emirates with Queen Elizabeth II in 2010, according to newly released emails.The email was sent from “The Duke” to Epstein on 24 November of that year, with the subject listed as “Abdullah” – an apparent reference to the UAE foreign affairs minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Continue reading...
Most statin side-effects not caused by the drugs, study finds
While labels list dozens of possible risks only four are supported by evidence, say researchers Almost all side-effects listed for statins are not caused by the drugs, according to the world’s most comprehensive review of evidence.Other than the well-known risks around muscle pain and diabetes, only four of 66 other statin side-effects listed on labels – liver test changes, minor liver abnormalities, urine changes and tissue swelling – are supported by evidence. And the risks are very small, according to the systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Lancet. Continue reading...
US diplomat cuts ties with foreign official over 'unprovoked insult' on Trump Peace Prize
The American ambassador to Poland had a meltdown Thursday after the country's parliament speaker said President Donald Trump wasn't worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. Ambassador Tom Rose, a MAGA ally, raged over the comment Thursday in a post on X after Parliament Speaker Wlodzimierz Czarzasty did not agree that Trump was a good potential recipient of the famed prize, The Daily Beast reported."Effective immediately, we will have no further dealings, contacts, or communications with Marshal of the Sejm Czarzasty, whose outrageous and unprovoked insults directed against President Trump @POTUS has made himself a serious impediment to our excellent relations with Prime Minister Tusk and his government," Rose wrote. "We will not permit anyone to harm U.S.–Polish relations, nor disrespect @realDonaldTrump, who has done so much for Poland and the Polish people."Czarzasty had made clear that he would not support the campaign from House Speaker Mike Johnson and Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana’s to encourage world leaders to back Trump's latest bid for the prize. “In my opinion, President Trump is destabilizing the situation in these (international) organizations by representing the politics of force and using force to pursue a transactional policy,” said Czarzasty. “All of this means that I will not support President Trump’s Nobel Prize nomination because he doesn’t deserve it.”Trump has made it very clear — on multiple occasions — that he believes he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He has even "shared" the prize with another world leader, after Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado revealed that she "presented" Trump with the Nobel Peace Prize she won "for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela."
Hong Kong ex-media tycoon Jimmy Lai will be sentenced Monday after national security conviction
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy former media tycoon Jimmy Lai will be sentenced Monday following his conviction in December under a Beijing-imposed national security law
Trump donor's private jet is now being used for deportations
A new investigation from The Guardian published Thursday has revealed that a friend and donor of President Donald Trump has been using his private jet for deportations. Gil Dezer, a Florida property tycoon and longtime friend of the Trump family, has now twice flown Palestinian men from Arizona to Tel Aviv, according to the report. Dezer has been a Trump donor and member of the Miami branch of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.Just Monday, the luxury jet was used to transport "another group of Palestinian deportees. They landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport and also appear to have been taken to the West Bank." In January 24-year-old Maher Awad was taken from Arizona to the West Bank. Awad has lived in the United States for for nearly a decade. Dezer's plane has apparently been contracted by U.S. agencies to charter flights. "His sleek Gulfstream jet – which he has called 'my little rocket ship' – was used to transport the men from an airport near a notorious removal centre in Arizona to Tel Aviv," The Guardian reported. "The jet made three refuelling stops en route: in New Jersey, Ireland and Bulgaria."The plane was seen landing at Israel’s Ben Gurion international airport and reportedly has the logo for Dezer Development, a real estate firm created by Israeli-American developer Michael Dezer and now run by his son, Gil Dezer. Since the early 2000s, the Dezer family has worked with the Trump to build six Miami residential towers. Filings show that the father and son have donated more than $1.3 million to the Trump campaigns. "A Guardian investigation has established the flight was part of a secretive and politically sensitive US government operation to deport Palestinians arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the Israeli-occupied West Bank," according to the outlet. It's unclear if several countries where the plane landed were aware of the deportations underway as the plane made fuel stops. "Aircraft tracking data shows that both the 21 January and 1 February flights to Israel made refuelling stops at Shannon airport in Ireland and at Sofia airport in Bulgaria," The Guardian reported. "Those stops may raise questions for the authorities in those countries about the legal status of the passengers transited through their territory.""The eight Palestinians had their ankles shackled on the 21 January flight, according to Awad and another man onboard, Sameer Isam Aziz Zeidan, a 47-year-old grocery worker. Awad said he was forced to wear a body restraint, with his wrists handcuffed to his stomach. Both men said the restraints made it difficult to eat, requiring them to bend their heads forward to put food in their mouths."
Cuba open to talks with US ‘without pressure’ after months of Trump threats
Miguel Díaz‑Canel says Cuba is willing to engage Washington amid the island’s deepening economic crisisAfter months of threats from Donald Trump, the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has said that his government is willing to talk to the United States, just so long as it is “without pressure”.Standing in front of a life-sized photograph of Fidel Castro carrying a rifle during the 1959 revolution, Díaz-Canel, the 65-year-old president, said on Thursday that his island nation had been subject to an “intense media campaigns of slander, hatred and psychological warfare”. Continue reading...
Trump backs down on dispute with ally while threatening to take another land mass by force
President Donald Trump walked back his criticism of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's agreement to transfer ownership of a strategically located island to Mauritius.The 79-year-old president has complained that the United Kingdom plans to decolonize the Chagos Islands, including the site of the U.S. military base on Diego Garcia, but he said Starmer had reassured him on the transfer of sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago."I have had very productive discussions with Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the Island of Diego Garcia," Trump posted on Truth Social. "It is the site of a major U.S. Military Base, strategically situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean and, therefore, of great importance to the National Security of the United States.""I understand that the deal Prime Minister Starmer has made, according to many, the best he could make," he added. "However, if the lease deal, sometime in the future, ever falls apart, or anyone threatens or endangers U.S. operations and forces at our Base, I retain the right to Militarily secure and reinforce the American presence in Diego Garcia."Trump vowed to keep the base at Diego Garcia no matter what Mauritius might decide in the future."Let it be known that I will never allow our presence on a Base as important as this to ever be undermined or threatened by fake claims or environmental nonsense," he posted. "Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP."
Shin Bet chief’s brother charged with ‘assisting enemy’ over cigarette smuggling in Gaza
Bezalel Zini accused of role in taking goods into the occupied Palestinian territory during an Israeli blockadeThe brother of Israel’s internal security chief has been charged with “assisting the enemy in wartime” for his alleged role in a smuggling network taking cigarettes and other goods into Gaza during an Israeli blockade of the occupied Palestinian territory.Bezalel Zini was one of more than 10 people charged in relation to the alleged network. His brother, David Zini, is the head of the Shin Bet, the domestic intelligence agency. He was appointed by the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, last May and began the job in October. Continue reading...
Eight current and former Toronto police arrested in organized crime inquiry
Investigation exposes ‘corrosive’ reach of organized crime in Canada, with links to bribes, drug trade and a murder plotAt least eight current and former Toronto police officers have been arrested following a sweeping investigation that officials say exposed the “corrosive” reach of organized crime into Canada’s largest municipal police service.Police allege fellow officers accepted bribes, aided drug traffickers, leaked personal information to criminals who then carried out shootings and helped members of organized crime in a plot to murder a corrections officer. Continue reading...
US announces $6M in aid for Cuba as island's leader accuses it of imposing an 'energy blockade'
The U_S_ has announced an additional $6 million in aid for Cuba as the island’s crisis deepens and tensions escalate between the two countries, with Cuba’s president accusing the U_S_ of an “energy blockade.”
