Russia holds nationwide Duma elections as war in Ukraine reshapes vote

Euronews •

Russia’s parliamentary election is under way, with voting beginning in the Far East on Friday, 18 September before spreading across the country for three days. Polls will remain open until Sunday evening, when voters will have chosen all 450 members of the State Duma.

12-year-old rescued 114 thrift-store stuffed toys, repaired each by hand and gave them to fire victims

12-year-old rescued 114 thrift-store stuffed toys, repaired each by hand and gave them to fire victims

Times of India •

In a heartwarming initiative, a young girl from North Carolina took it upon herself to collect discarded stuffed animals from local thrift shops. After cleaning and lovingly restoring 114 toys, she donated them to children affected by home loss due to a fire. This project not only offered solace to struggling children but also emphasized the importance of recycling and giving toys a new lease on l...

UN mission says grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran

UN mission says grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran

France 24 •

A UN fact-finding mission on Iran said on Thursday it had reasonable grounds to believe the United States was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in February, and that these constituted war crimes. It also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. France 24’s Kethevane Gorjestani takes...

Burnham hosts Ireland’s taoiseach as he bids for UK exemptions from EU’s ‘Made in Europe’ plan – UK politics live

Burnham hosts Ireland’s taoiseach as he bids for UK exemptions from EU’s ‘Made in Europe’ plan – UK politics live

The Guardian •

It is the first time the PM has used No 10 North to host an overseas visitKemi Badenoch says the Conservative party has “instructed lawyers” to challenge government cuts to a Tory-run London council, which they say amounts to 40%.These cuts are forcing Wandsworth to increase its council tax by 94%, the Tory leader says.I think it is outrageous that Wandsworth council is having to put up council ta...

Why the ICC is cracking down on ‘fake news’ as Duterte trial looms

Why the ICC is cracking down on ‘fake news’ as Duterte trial looms

SCMP •

As Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes-against-humanity trial looms, an international tribunal faces the challenge of managing a sprawling prosecution case around the health of an 81-year-old former president of the Philippines, on top of shielding the proceedings from a highly charged media environment. Those pressures came into focus at an International Criminal Court (ICC) status conference on Wednesday, ...

‘We cried the whole way’: Refugees flee Yemen fighting

‘We cried the whole way’: Refugees flee Yemen fighting

France 24 •

An estimated 125,000 people, including more than 57,000 children, have fled since hostilities erupted in July between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the Yemeni government and its ally Saudi Arabia, with the UN calling it one of the most rapid and volatile waves of displacement in Yemen in years. Thousands have even been making the dangerous crossing across the Bab el-Mandeb strait to Djibouti, man...