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Kishida will not seek another term, meaning Japan will get a new prime minister in September
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ReutersHezbollah devices explode again in Lebanon, raising fears of wider Israel conflict
BEIRUT (Reuters) -Hand-held radios used by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah detonated on Wednesday across Lebanon's south, further stoking tensions with Israel a day after similar explosions hit the group's pagers. Lebanon's health ministry said 14 people were killed and about 450 injured on Wednesday in Beirut's suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, while the death toll from Tuesday's explosions rose to 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 injured. Israeli officials have not commented on the blasts, but security sources said Israel's spy agency Mossad was responsible.
- The Independent
Scientific American makes presidential endorsement for only the second time in its 179-year history
‘The US faces two futures,’ according to editors at top science magazine
- BBC
'Please save me': The Indians duped into fighting for Russia
Dozens of Indian men have been discharged from the Russian army and are making their way home.
- HuffPost
George Clooney Makes Donald Trump An Offer In Taunting Clapback: ‘I Will If He Does’
“That’s a trade-off I’d do,” the actor responded to the former president’s months-old demand.
- Reuters
China hits 9 US firms with property freeze over weapons sales to Taiwan
China announced steps against nine U.S. military-linked firms on Wednesday over U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan, freezing their property within China, in the latest move to put added pressure on the United States to halt its arms sales to the island. China has repeatedly called on the White House, an important international backer and arms supplier for democratically-governed Taiwan, to refrain from formal dealings with the island's leadership.
- The Independent
Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump? Latest poll updates
Here’s what the latest polls say about the 2024 presidential election, from The Independent’s data correspondent
- Reuters
Gold Apollo says Budapest-based BAC produces model of pagers used in Lebanon blasts
NEW TAIPEI, Taiwan (Reuters) -The model of pagers used in detonations in Lebanon were made by Budapest-based BAC Consulting, Taiwanese pager firm Gold Apollo said on Wednesday, adding it had only licensed out its brand to the company and was not involved in the production of the devices. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday. Images of destroyed pagers analysed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo.
- Rolling Stone
Judge Who Tossed Trump’s Docs Case Repeatedly Violated Disclosure Rule: Report
Florida Judge Aileen Cannon failed to disclose lavish trips hosted by influential conservative law school
- The Independent
Hillary Clinton condemns Elon Musk’s ‘creepy’ message to Taylor Swift: ‘Another way of saying rape’
The former US Secretary of State offered her view on Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris
- The Independent
Hezbollah vows to respond after multiple dead and thousands wounded in mass pager explosions
A Hezbollah official said the explosions were the biggest security breach the group had experienced in nearly a year
- South China Morning Post
Is Beijing about to 'play the Ryukyu card' over Tokyo's stand on Taiwan?
Chinese academics are calling for new emphasis on Ryukyu, linking the ancient kingdom that is now Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa with China's national security. Observers say the push could be part of Beijing's efforts to challenge Tokyo's position on Taiwan. But they believe Beijing is unlikely to dispute Tokyo's sovereignty over Okinawa. Ryukyu was a Chinese tributary state in the East China Sea for more than 500 years until it was annexed by Japan in 1879. Do you have questions ab
- HuffPost
'Daily Show' Uses Trump's Own Words To Nail His Biggest New Hypocrisy
Ronny Chieng has some receipts for the former president.
- The Telegraph
Ukrainian prisoner executed with sword inscribed with words ‘for Kursk’
A Ukrainian prisoner of war was executed with a sword inscribed with the words “for Kursk”, according to officials in Kyiv.
- Reuters
India condemns Iran supreme leader's comments on treatment of minorities
India has condemned comments made by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the treatment of Muslims in the South Asian nation, calling his remarks "misinformed and unacceptable". "We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in Myanmar, Gaza, India, or any other place," Khamenei said in a social media post on Monday. In response, India's foreign ministry said it "strongly deplored" the comments.
- The Independent
Brittany Mahomes now questioning her Donald Trump support after bestie Taylor Swift backed Kamala Harris
Sources said that Trump’s recent attacks on pop megastar – who last week officially backed Kamala Harris for president – has shaken Mahomes ‘to her core’
- France 24
Israel planted 5,000 pager explosives months before deadly blasts, Lebanese security sources say
Israel’s spy service injected explosive materials activated by coded messages into thousands of pagers during production, months before they were imported by the Lebanese group Hezbollah, a senior Lebanese security source said. Hezbollah fighters were using the low-tech devices, produced by the Taiwan-based company Gold Apollo, in an attempt to evade Israeli location-tracking, sources said. Gold Apollo said on Wednesday that the devices used in the blasts were manufactured by another company bas
- Reuters
Finland's president wants end of single state veto at UN Security Council
Finland's President Alexander Stubb has called for expansion of the U.N. Security Council, abolition of its single state veto power, and suspension of any member engaging in an "illegal war" such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Stubb, who leads the Nordic nation's foreign policy, said he would add his voice to reform calls at next week's U.N. General Assembly in New York which is to discuss composition of the global body's Security Council. Consisting of five permanent and 10 rotating member states, the council's brief is to keep global peace, but geopolitical rivalries have deadlocked it on issues from Ukraine to Gaza.
- HuffPost
Jimmy Fallon Highlights The Moment JD Vance Broke The 'First Rule Of Fake News'
The "Tonight Show" host mocked the Republican vice presidential nominee for making Donald Trump look like a "total fool."
- INSIDER
Hezbollah decided months ago to switch from risky cellphones to pagers for security. The low-tech devices just blew up.
Wireless pagers used by Hezbollah members simultaneously detonated across Lebanon, killing some people and injuring thousands more.
- The Daily Beast
Giuliani Takes Another L in Court as Judge Tosses His Suit Against Biden
Cash-strapped former Donald Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani’s defamation lawsuit against President Joe Biden has been dismissed after the judge handling the case determined that the former New York City mayor “utterly failed” to carry his burden.Last October, Giuliani sued Biden for saying during a 2020 presidential debate that Giuliani was a “Russian pawn.”Biden’s lawyers contended that the complaint was “utterly devoid of well-pled factual allegations,” and after Giuliani failed to respond to thei