Israel blames Turkey after strike on Syria air base
France 24

Israel blames Turkey after strike on Syria air base

Israel on Tuesday accused Turkey of posing a threat by preparing to send troops to a base in Syria, which was hit in a strike condemned by the United States which blamed its ally. The strike marks extraordinary defiance by Israel of the United States, which has sought to support Syria's new government led by a former jihadist allied with Turkey.

Fractured opposition battles Nigeria's Tinubu as presidential campaign begins
France 24

Fractured opposition battles Nigeria's Tinubu as presidential campaign begins

Nigeria on Wednesday kicked off campaigns for the presidential election scheduled in January, with incumbent President Bola Tinubu seeking reelection against a fractured opposition. Africa's most populous country will hold the election against a backdrop of worsening economic and security crises that have caused anger among voters against Tinubu's government.

Australia mushroom killer's lawyers point to jury irregularities at appeal
France 24

Australia mushroom killer's lawyers point to jury irregularities at appeal

Australian mushroom killer Erin Patterson's lawyers said Wednesday the jury was not properly sequestered in her trial as they sought to overturn her conviction in a triple-murder case that sparked a worldwide media frenzy. The 51-year-old was found guilty last year of murdering her husband's parents and an elderly aunt in 2023 by serving them a beef Wellington lunch laced with lethal death cap mus...

Germany’s firewall was meant to hold the far right at bay. It may have done the reverse
The Guardian

Germany’s firewall was meant to hold the far right at bay. It may have done the reverse

An AfD win in ​next month’s state election in Saxony-Anhalt would shatter a decades-long political consensus and reverberate throughout the EU• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereIn just over two weeks’ time, Saxony-Anhalt – home to historic timber-framed houses, the dramatic Harz mountains and the birthplace of Martin Luther – will hold what could prove one of the most ...

4,000-year-old painted stone in Indonesia reveals art carried by ancient Austronesian voyagers

4,000-year-old painted stone in Indonesia reveals art carried by ancient Austronesian voyagers

Times of India

A painted stone found on Indonesia's Wetar Island offers ancient insights. This artifact dates back over 4,000 years and shows early artistic traditions. The artwork predates Neolithic pottery, revealing a significant cultural development. Portable symbols likely traveled with Austronesian voyagers across islands. This discovery reshapes our understanding of ancient maritime cultural exchanges.

British energy bills forecast to hit three-year high this winter

British energy bills forecast to hit three-year high this winter

The Guardian

Expected quarterly rise if 4% highest likely to wipe out Burnham’s VAT cut on electricity billsHousehold energy bills across Great Britain are expected to climb to a three-year high this winter as the impact of the Middle East war wipes out Andy Burnham’s tax cut on electricity bills.The government’s cap on energy prices is on track to rise by 4% from this October to the equivalent of £1,729 a yea...

Visitors return to Syria's Palmyra after years of war and destructions

Visitors return to Syria's Palmyra after years of war and destructions

France 24

After years of war and destruction, Syrians are trying to reclaim their heritage – not least in the ancient city of Palmyra, where night-time tours are now being organised. As FRANCE 24’s Dana Alboz reports, it is a way of reclaiming the country’s history, but also of reviving a site that fell into the hands of the Islamic State group in 2015, where the group committed one of its worst atrocities.

US justice department defends prosecution of James Comey over ‘8647’ seashell post

US justice department defends prosecution of James Comey over ‘8647’ seashell post

The Guardian

Justice department claims there’s ‘no dispute’ over whether ex-FBI head’s post could be read as a threat against TrumpThe US Department of Justice has defended its prosecution of former FBI director James Comey, claiming in new court documents there is “no serious dispute” that his social media post last year featuring a photo of seashells arranged to read “8647” could be interpreted as a threat a...

Andy Burnham calls on wider society to help end homelessness by Christmas

Andy Burnham calls on wider society to help end homelessness by Christmas

The Guardian

PM says public money alone won’t solve problem but ‘we did it in the pandemic, we can do it again’UK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has said government money alone may not be enough to get rough sleepers off the streets by Christmas, as he issued a “rallying call” for councils, charities and communities to help solve the problem.Speaking on a visit to the north-east of England, he said...

Ecuador intel chief and 5 Americans killed in Kenya tourist helicopter crash

Ecuador intel chief and 5 Americans killed in Kenya tourist helicopter crash

SCMP

Ecuador’s intelligence chief and five US citizens died when a helicopter carrying tourists crashed in central Kenya on Wednesday, killing all seven people on board, officials said. The accident happened at 9.13am local time, in Samburu county, north of the capital, Nairobi, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), after the aircraft departed from the Loisaba wildlife reserve. Images...

7 killed in Kenya tourist helicopter crash

7 killed in Kenya tourist helicopter crash

SCMP

A helicopter carrying six tourists and a pilot crashed on Wednesday in Kenya’s Samburu county, north of the capital, Nairobi, killing all those on board, authorities said. The accident happened at 9.13am local time, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), after the aircraft departed from the Loisaba wildlife reserve. “There were seven people on board the helicopter, one pilot and s...

Ukrainian diver arrested in Croatia over Nord Stream pipeline bombings

Ukrainian diver arrested in Croatia over Nord Stream pipeline bombings

The Guardian

Berlin to seek suspect’s extradition for 2022 explosions that damaged gas pipelines to Russia A Ukrainian man has been arrested in Croatia as part of an investigation into the 2022 bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Germany and Russia.Undersea explosions in September 2022, just months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, damaged three of the four pipelines built to carry R...

SEC unveils new crypto rules hailed as a win for the digital asset industry

Euronews

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed a sweeping new framework for crypto assets, offering firms two clear paths to raise money without full securities registration. Industry groups have broadly welcomed the plan, calling its terms considerably more generous than anticipated.

Bangladesh’s energy crisis opens door for India to mend ties

Bangladesh’s energy crisis opens door for India to mend ties

SCMP

Bangladesh’s request for additional diesel from India has turned a growing power crisis into a potential opening for the two neighbours to repair ties strained in part by the continuous self-exile of ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi and Dhaka’s repeated requests for her extradition. India confirmed on Friday that it was examining Dhaka’s request for extra fuel as Bangladesh ordered sho...

Money and ‘a lot of noise’: how the US’ critical-minerals industry is vying with China’s

Money and ‘a lot of noise’: how the US’ critical-minerals industry is vying with China’s

SCMP

Patriot Critical Minerals of the US plans to dig into a long-abandoned mining site in the sparsely populated state of Nevada to extract tungsten, an important raw material with industrial uses ranging from aerospace gear to common cutting tools. The company, with only that single asset, is applying to the US departments of defence and energy for funding – now more readily available as President Do...

Calls for urgent law change as UK’s largest water reuse system cannot be switched on

Calls for urgent law change as UK’s largest water reuse system cannot be switched on

The Guardian

Recycling system in Cambridgeshire that could save thousands of litres a day is deemed not in line with rulesThe largest water reuse system in the UK, which could save thousands of litres of water a day for people living in one of the driest regions of the country, is not allowed to be switched on because of drinking water regulations.As water supplies in England reach critical levels, the Guardia...

China’s J-36 fighter jet designers report danger of military AI hallucinations

China’s J-36 fighter jet designers report danger of military AI hallucinations

SCMP

Large language models are expert in intelligence work, able to quickly mine key data and analyse weapons performance – tasks that once took analysts huge amounts of time and effort. But engineers at China’s AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Research and Design Institute, developer of the People’s Liberation Army’s backbone J-20 and next generation J-36 stealth fighters, have urged caution. In a paper publishe...

Firefighters sound alarm as US faces critical staffing shortage: ‘We don’t have enough people’

Firefighters sound alarm as US faces critical staffing shortage: ‘We don’t have enough people’

The Guardian

Firefighters describe being pushed to limit by a brutal wildfire season, with key leadership roles going unfilledThe US has faced a critical shortage of firefighters at the US Forest Service (USFS) this summer as thousands of fires erupted across the country.Despite officials’ claims that the firefighting workforce was stronger than ever, the agency has failed to keep pace with escalating conditio...