Tense calm in far north as Israel prepares to ‘finish the job’ against Hezbollah
On the border with Lebanon, communities have started to return and rebuild – even though some are in no hurry to returnNoam Erlich looks out over what was his beer garden. Beyond the disordered chairs and tables and the sign instructing neighbours and friends to “pay whatever you like”, the ridge falls away to fields, then a fence, then hills littered with the skeletal ruins of shattered Lebanese villages.The 44-year-old brewer is standing in front of the house his grandfather built when the Manara kibbutz was founded in the 1940s in the very far north of Israel. The building was hit repeatedly by missiles fired by Hezbollah during the conflict, which ended a year ago, and will now almost certainly be demolished, along with most of the neighbouring houses. Continue reading...
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New Caledonia activist says France is impeding travel home after prison release
Exclusive: Kanak leader Christian Tein, who was freed from prison in June, says France is ‘deliberately dragging out’ re-issue of his passportA pro-independence leader from the French overseas territory of New Caledonia has accused the French government of “deliberately dragging out” his passport application, preventing him from flying home after his release from prison.Christian Tein, an Indigenous Kanak leader, was arrested in New Caledonia in June 2024 over allegations that he had instigated the deadly pro-independence protests that had taken place on the island a month earlier. Continue reading...
Beware buy now, pay later temptation on Black Friday, debt charities warn
Billions will be spent on credit over the discount weekend but experts say the payment option is ‘not risk-free’Black Friday bargain-hunters should be wary of the flood of “buy now, pay later” offers at the checkout, money experts have warned, amid record numbers of people seeking help with shopping debts.Billions of pounds will be spent online and in shops over the coming weeks, with more than one in three Britons said to be planning to use this form of credit to help stagger their Black Friday spending. Continue reading...
Ukraine’s allies to meet at G20 summit after Zelenskyy warns of ‘impossible choice’ over Trump plan to end war – live
Trump has demanded Ukraine accepts a ‘peace plan’ that would force it to give up territory to Russia and make other painful concessionsIn case you missed Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s reaction to the call yesterday with western allies including France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and the UK’s Keir Starmer, here is a post from my colleague Jakub Krupa:Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has posted his reaction to the call too, thanking the leaders for their “principled support for Ukraine and for all our people”.Vladimir Putin says Ukraine is being unrealistic if it does not accept the US plan to end the war, declaring: “Ukraine is against it. Apparently, Ukraine and its European allies are still under illusions and dream of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield”. The positive response from the Russian president adds weight to the views of European and Ukrainian officials that the deal amounts to a “capitulation”.Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reacted to the deal by saying Ukraine faces one of the most difficult moments in its history. Agreeing to the US-Russian plan, which would force it to give up territory and make other painful concessions, could leave Ukraine “without freedom, dignity and justice”, Zelenskyy said in a sombre 10-minute speech outside the presidential palace on Friday.EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that how the Ukraine war ends matters. She said: “Russia’s war against Ukraine is an existential threat to Europe. We all want this war to end. But how it ends matters. Russia has no legal right whatsoever to any concessions from the country it invaded. Ultimately, the terms of any agreement are for Ukraine to decide.”A Ukrainian drone attack targeted energy facilities in Russia’s Samara region, killing two people in the southern city of Syzran, the region’s governor said on Saturday. The attack was repelled by air defence forces, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev wrote on Russia’s state-backed Max messenger app.US officials and lawmakers are increasingly concerned about a meeting last month in which representatives of the Trump administration met Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian envoy who is under US. sanctions, to draft a plan to end the war in Ukraine, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The meeting took place in Miami at the end of October and included special envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Dmitriev, who leads the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), one of Russia’s largest sovereign wealth funds. Continue reading...
To Many Ukrainians, U.S. Peace Plan Looks Like ‘Capitulation’
While the White House has cautioned that the proposal is still in “flux,” its contours reflect maximalist demands made by Russia throughout the war that Ukraine has consistently rejected.
Epstein victims expect death threats to rise as US release of files nears
Abuse survivors urge accountability, support ahead of the release of the files related to the sex offender in the US.
Japan’s New Leader Mentions Taiwan, and Tanks Her Relationship With China
Facing reprisals from Beijing for a remark over Taiwan, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi must walk a fine line to prevent escalating the dispute without looking weak at home.
Jake Paul dwarfed by Anthony Joshua in heavyweight boxing face-off
Social media boxing star Jake Paul predicts big win over two-time heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua at official launch.
‘Who’s screenshotting our messages?’: how a WhatsApp saga spiralled into two parents’ wrongful arrest
When Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine posted complaints about their local primary school, they never expected six uniformed police officers to turn up at their doorBefore it catapulted a small school community in London’s commuter belt into the centre of a global news story, the year-four class WhatsApp group at Cowley Hill school in Borehamwood was unremarkable – a place of snide comments, reminders about non-uniform day and flustered messages about being late for the school run.“It was mum gossip, you know?” said one member, Sarah. “A bit juicy, but it wasn’t anything nasty.” Continue reading...
How the olive harvest in Palestine suffers under occupation
Palestine’s centuries-old olive groves have become a target under Israeli occupation.