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A private letter from Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin to Benjamin Netanyahu gives Israel 30 days to actThe Biden administration has warned Israel that it faces possible punishment, including the potential stopping of US weapons transfers, if it does not take immediate action to let more humanitarian aid into Gaza.A letter written jointly by Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, and Lloyd Austin,...

European Commission president cites Italy-Albania deal as possible model for reducing irregular arrivals to EuropeThe European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has called for an exploration of “return hubs” outside the EU in a letter to the bloc’s national leaders on irregular migration, citing a deal between Italy and Albania as a possible model.EU leaders are to meet on Thursday and Friday for...

Date for official opening still not announced for $1bn-plus mega-project more than a decade in the makingEgypt’s vast and much-delayed antiquities museum will partly open its main galleries on Wednesday, including 12 halls that exhibit aspects of ancient Egypt.The Grand Egyptian Museum, a mega-project near the famed Giza pyramids that has cost considerably more than $1bn (£765m) so far, will open its halls to...

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said that Israel will decide alone on the form of any retaliation to Iran’s barrage of 180 missiles fired at the country earlier this month, although it would listen to advice from Washington.The comments came after US media reported that the Israeli prime minister had given an assura...

Mikhail Pichugin survived but the ordeal claimed the lives of his brother and teenage nephewA Russian man survived more than two months drifting in icy seas on an inflatable boat in an ordeal that claimed the lives of his brother and teenage nephew, officials and reports said.Mikhail Pichugin may have survived because of his 100kg (220lb) build, according to his wife. Media reports said...

Abrupt landing comes a day after flight from Mumbai to New York was diverted to Delhi after a false bomb threatAn Air India plane bound for Chicago has made an abrupt landing in the Arctic city of Iqaluit, after a false bomb threat. The emergency stop before sunrise on Tuesday, came less than a day after Canada and India expelled senior diplomats in a...

This year, 108 bodies have been found near the state’s US-Mexico border. Almost all of the deaths were heat-related.Ten times as many migrants died in New Mexico near the US-Mexico border in each of the last two years compared with just five years ago.During the first eight months of 2024, the bodies of 108 presumed migrants, mostly from Mexico and Central America, were found...

Gomorrah author and Meloni critic’s non-inclusion in Italy’s lineup angers writers amid claims of censorshipThe Gomorrah author Roberto Saviano will appear at the Frankfurt book fair this week despite being snubbed by the organisers of the official Italian delegation, setting the scene for a clash between the country’s far-right government and its most prominent writers.Saviano, one of Italy’s bestselling living writers and an ardent...

Foreign Office declines to penalise two Israeli ministers as ex-foreign secretary David Cameron had plannedUK politics live – latest updatesMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe UK Foreign Office has announced sanctions against seven organisations that support illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank, but held back from penalising two extremist members of the Israeli government as the former foreign secretary David Cameron had been...

Modi government agents alleged to have collaborated with syndicate run by mob boss Lawrence BishnoiCanadian police have accused the Indian government of working with a criminal network run by one of India’s most notorious gangsters, Lawrence Bishnoi, to carry out targeted killings of dissidents in Canada.A diplomatic row broke out between India and Canada on Monday after Canadian police accused Indian diplomats of “criminal”...

Italian PM demands security guarantees for her country’s Unifil troops after series of attacks by IsraelMiddle East crisis – live updatesItaly’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has said she will visit Lebanon on Friday as she demanded security guarantees from Israel for her country’s troops there just days after UN peacekeeper bases came under attack.Italy’s government has been a strong supporter of Israel in the...

Coverage with UK-European provider will be in place by end of month, says island’s main telecoms companyTaiwan is expected to have access to low earth orbit satellite internet service by the end of the month, a step the government says is crucial in case a Chinese attack cripples the island’s communications.The forthcoming service is via a contract between Taiwan’s main telecoms company, Chunghwa, and...

Residents and marine scientists unable to identify pale masses, as myriad theories are blown out of the waterThey are slimy on the outside, firm and spongy on the inside and surprisingly combustible. And in recent months, they have been washing up on the shores of Newfoundland.The depths of the Atlantic have long held mysteries, but the riddle of the mysterious white “blobs” spotted on...

Men from countries deemed safe are transferred to Albania to have asylum claims processed The first people to be intercepted at sea by the Italian navy under a controversial migration deal with Albania are on their way to the Balkan nation to have their asylum claims processed.As part of the pact signed off by Italy’s far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, a navy ship set...

Image dispersed during Monday’s military drills likened to sexual harassment or abusive partnerA Chinese propaganda image dispersed during Monday’s military drills around Taiwan was supposed to send a positive message to the island’s people, but instead has been decried as weird, creepy, and akin to “sexual harassment”.On Monday China targeted Taiwan with major military exercises, surrounding its main island and outer territories with planes...

Roads have long been unused but destroying them sends clear message Pyongyang does not want to negotiate with Seoul, experts saySouth Korea has condemned North Korea after it destroyed roads linking the countries on Tuesday, in another blow to bilateral ties on the increasingly tense peninsula.The South Korean unification ministry, which overseas inter-Korean relations, described the North’s decision to blow up roads on its...

Fan, who disappeared after tax scandal, stars in thriller – but experts say she is unlikely to regain previous fame in increasingly authoritarian nationFan Bingbing, once one of China’s most famous film stars, is returning to the screen after a more than five-year hiatus following her alleged involvement in a massive tax evasion scandal.Fan stars in Green Night, a Hong Kong-produced neo-noir thriller set...

Accusations made hours after both countries expel senior diplomats in escalating row over killing of Sikh activistCanadian police accused Indian diplomats and consular staff of “clandestine” and “criminal” activities in the country on Monday night, hours after senior diplomats were expelled from both countries in an escalating geopolitical row.Speaking to reporters at a hastily organised press conference, the head of the Royal Canadian Mounted...

Wan Yee Ng was arrested in June with a bag of 29 turtles as she prepared to paddle across Lake Wallace, affidavit saysA woman who wanted to smuggle turtles across a lake and into Canada by hiding the creatures using socks in a duffle bag has pleaded guilty to a smuggling charge.Wan Yee Ng was arrested in June in Vermont as she was about...

PLA and Chinese coastguard approach Taiwan by sea and air in move linked by state media to ‘separatist’ National Day speechChinese military and coastguard personnel surrounded Taiwan’s main island on Monday for a day of large-scale drills that Beijing said were a warning against “separatist acts”, in the wake of a recent speech by Taiwan’s president.State media linked the drills to a National Day...

Muslim business owners in two states fear policy will lead to targeted attacks or economic boycottsMuslims in India say they have been fired from their jobs and face the closure of their businesses after two states brought in a “discriminatory” policy making it mandatory for restaurants to publicly display the names of all their employees.The policy was first introduced by Yogi Adityanath, the hardline...

Excavation of famous site solves 200-year mystery and sheds light on history of the growing cityFor more than 200 years, the creation of Edinburgh’s famous Mound has remained something of a mystery.Built on the boggy bed of a drained loch in the late 18th and early 19th century, the artificial mound connected the city’s medieval Old Town with the burgeoning prosperity of the New...

Exclusive: United Utilities and Severn Trent had four-star environment ranking but discharges breached permits, campaign group says• ‘Ankle deep in sewage’: English spring water village suffers supected unlawful spillsTwo of England’s biggest water firms dumped raw sewage into rivers across the country in suspected illegal breaches of their permits, despite being given the highest possible rating by the regulator for their environmental performance, the...

Republic movement hopes to reignite conversation, but monarchist league says current constitution ‘best protects our democracy’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDebates around Australia’s continued future under the British monarchy have flared ahead of King Charles’ first visit to the country since he ascended the throne.Charles and Queen Camilla will arrive in Australia on 18 October, with stops in Sydney...