Russia bars anti-war party from parliamentary election
SCMP •

Russia bars anti-war party from parliamentary election

Russia’s Supreme Court barred the liberal Yabloko party on Monday from contesting September’s parliamentary elections, sidelining the only officially registered party that opposes Moscow’s ‌war in Ukraine. More than four years after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the decision highlights the authorities’ intolerance of anti-war views and further narrows the already limited space for dissent in ...

Flip-flopping Netanyahu rejects Gaza plan but cannot placate all his allies
The Guardian •

Flip-flopping Netanyahu rejects Gaza plan but cannot placate all his allies

Israeli prime minister faces incompatible demands from his far-right government ministers and from Donald TrumpBenjamin Netanyahu’s public rejection of a US-backed deal for Gaza drew scepticism in Israel, amid reports he was personally hammering out details of a pilot military withdrawal days earlier.The Israeli prime minister is struggling to balance incompatible demands on Gaza policy from his k...

Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of US deal for Gaza is risky move
The Guardian •

Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of US deal for Gaza is risky move

Israeli prime minister’s unexpected comments blindsided IDF commanders and could alienate Trump, his main allyBenjamin Netanyahu’s public rejection of a US-backed deal for Gaza drew scepticism in Israel, amid reports he was personally hammering out details of a pilot military withdrawal days earlier.The Israeli prime minister is struggling to balance incompatible demands on Gaza policy from his ke...

Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of US deal for Gaza is a risky move

Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of US deal for Gaza is a risky move

The Guardian •

Israeli prime minister’s unexpected move blindsided IDF commanders and could alienate Trump, his main allyBenjamin Netanyahu’s public rejection of a US-backed deal for Gaza drew scepticism in Israel, amid reports he was personally hammering out details of a pilot military withdrawal days earlier.The Israeli prime minister is struggling to balance incompatible demands on Gaza policy from his key do...

Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of US deal for Gaza is a risky gamble

Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of US deal for Gaza is a risky gamble

The Guardian •

Israeli prime minister’s unexpected move blindsided IDF commanders and risks alienating Trump, his main allyBenjamin Netanyahu’s public rejection of a US-backed deal for Gaza drew scepticism in Israel, amid reports he was personally hammering out details of a pilot military withdrawal days earlier.The Israeli prime minister is struggling to balance incompatible demands on Gaza policy from his key ...

More than 70 dead and buildings collapsed after 7.4-magnitude earthquake shakes Colombia – latest news

More than 70 dead and buildings collapsed after 7.4-magnitude earthquake shakes Colombia – latest news

The Guardian •

More than a dozen buildings collapsed in aftermath of earthquake, which has also prompted evacuationsPeople remain trapped in Cali, one of Colombia’s largest cities, ​after more than two dozen structures ‌collapsed, mayor Alejandro Eder said. ‌He added that the city had asked authorities in Bogota and Medellin to send disaster teams ‌to support rescue efforts. Continue reading...

Drought declared in ‘almost three-quarters’ of England, government says

Drought declared in ‘almost three-quarters’ of England, government says

SCMP •

Some 71.3 per cent of England is in drought, the UK government said on Monday, after the nation experienced its driest July on record, with a fifth heatwave and scant rain forecast for the week ahead. Parks and fields that are usually green at this point in the year were parched and yellow, according to Agence France-Presse photos, as river levels dwindled and farmers battling low crop yields warn...

Police use teargas on young Indians as government jobs protest escalates

Police use teargas on young Indians as government jobs protest escalates

The Guardian •

Demonstrators accuse authorities of failing to tackle irregularities in exams for sought-after civil service jobsThousands of angry young job-seekers clashed with police in Jharkhand, one of India’s poorest states, on Monday as a weeks-long protest over alleged irregularities in recruitment drives for coveted government jobs escalated into a march on the state legislature.Police fired water cannon...

Indian police use force to disperse youth protesters calling for exam overhaul

Indian police use force to disperse youth protesters calling for exam overhaul

The Guardian •

Demonstrators accuse authorities of failing to tackle issues in exams for highly sought-after civil service jobsThousands of angry young job-seekers clashed with police in Jharkhand, one of India’s poorest states, on Monday as a weeks-long protest over alleged irregularities in recruitment drives for coveted government jobs escalated into a march on the state legislature.Police fired water cannon ...

Barack Obama launches podcast about books that ‘shaped his worldview’

Barack Obama launches podcast about books that ‘shaped his worldview’

The Guardian •

The former US president will host six episodes of A Great Book for Audible, discussing work from Toni Morrison and John le Carré to James BaldwinBarack Obama is set to host a podcast about books that have “profoundly shaped his worldview and our society”, from Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carré.The podcast, called A Great Book with Barack Obama, will lau...

More than 70 dead after powerful earthquake strikes western Colombia

More than 70 dead after powerful earthquake strikes western Colombia

The Guardian •

Quake of 7.4 magnitude collapses and severely damages buildings in several major cities, including Cali and PereiraColombia earthquake live – latest updatesMore than 70 people have died after a powerful earthquake struck western Colombia, collapsing and severely damaging buildings in major cities including Cali and Pereira.The US and Colombian geological surveys reported that a 7.4-magnitude earth...

At least 47 dead as powerful earthquake strikes western Colombia

At least 47 dead as powerful earthquake strikes western Colombia

The Guardian •

Quake of 7.4 magnitude collapses and severely damages buildings in several major cities, including Cali and PereiraColombia earthquake live – latest updatesAt least 47 people have died after a powerful earthquake struck western Colombia, collapsing and severely damaging buildings in major cities including Cali and Pereira.The US and Colombian geological surveys reported that a 7.4-magnitude earthq...

Three-quarters of England in drought as summer’s fifth heatwave looms

Three-quarters of England in drought as summer’s fifth heatwave looms

The Guardian •

Four more regions given drought status, putting 27 million people under restrictions on water useAlmost three-quarters of England is now in drought, as much of Europe braces for its fifth climate crisis-driven heatwave this summer.Four more regions of England have officially been declared to be in drought: the East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and East Sussex, and Solent and t...

Almost three-quarters of England now in drought ahead of summer’s fifth heatwave

Almost three-quarters of England now in drought ahead of summer’s fifth heatwave

The Guardian •

Four more regions given drought status, with 45 million people now living with restrictions on water useAlmost three-quarters of England is now in drought, as much of Europe braces for its fifth climate crisis-driven heatwave this summer.Four more regions of England have officially been declared to be in drought: the east Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and East Sussex, and Solen...

Reform donor Arron Banks urged to set out extent of surveillance of journalists

Reform donor Arron Banks urged to set out extent of surveillance of journalists

The Guardian •

Industry body says use of private investigators against reporters is ‘attack on our democracy’ after Banks apparently admitted doing soThe businessman and Reform UK donor Arron Banks is facing calls to lay out the extent of his surveillance of journalists, described by an industry body as an “attack on our democracy”.The News Media Association (NMA), which represents regional and national media, r...