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UN Security Council backs U.S.-led Gaza peace plan The United Nations Security Council voted 13-0, with Russia and China abstaining, to endorse a U.S.-authored Gaza peace plan that creates a transitional authority for the territory and calls for an international stabilisation presence. The resolution marks a rare Council alignment behind a U.S. blueprint after intensive diplomacy and textual changes that reference a "credible path" to Palestinian statehood. The vote authorises a Board of Peace and an International…

Trump urges House Republicans to release Epstein files President Donald Trump publicly called on House Republicans to vote to release Justice Department documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein, reversing an earlier resistance and framing the move as a way to clear his name. The appeal, posted on his Truth Social platform, comes as Capitol Hill debates broader disclosure and as investigators and lawmakers sift through newly revealed material. Trump’s reversal is presented as an effort to rebut allegations linking him to…

Overview: Asbestos contamination in children's play sand forces school checks Authorities in New Zealand and Australia are investigating decorative play sand found to contain asbestos, prompting dozens of school and daycare closures as officials trace affected batches. The disruption has focused attention on imported classroom materials and the potential health risk to children and staff. Forty schools and daycare centres in New Zealand closed temporarily while decorative sand was located and removed. More than 70 schools…

Somalia's New Cargo Tracking System Shakes Port Management Landscape Mogadishu, Somalia — In a significant shift aimed at consolidating federal control over maritime operations, Somalia's Ministry of Ports and Marine Transports has enacted a mandatory Electronic Cargo Tracking Number (ECTN) for all its ports. This action, highlighted in an official notice released late September, comes as a challenge to the historically autonomous port administrations of North Western State of Somalia, Puntland State, and Jubbaland, which…

House to vote on release of Jeffrey Epstein investigative files The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is scheduled to vote today on a resolution to compel the release of investigative records related to Jeffrey Epstein, a move expected to pass after President Donald Trump abruptly abandoned his opposition. The change clears a major political hurdle and shifts control of the timing to House leaders. The vote follows a successful petition that forced consideration by the full House, an unusual instance of…

Pope Leo XIV and the State of Cinema: A Vatican Appeal Pope Leo XIV used a rare audience at the Vatican with leading actors and filmmakers to cast cinema as a cultural bulwark at risk. He warned that theatres are dwindling and urged creative communities to defend the shared experience of film against digital homogenization. Addressed a gathering of prominent actors and directors, including Cate Blanchett, Monica Bellucci, Chris Pine and Spike Lee. Framed cinema as a “workshop of hope” and a space where imagination and…

Ukraine says it struck a Russian oil refinery in the Ryazan region near Moscow, a day after Russian strikes on Kyiv that left several dead. The moves come amid an unfolding corruption scandal in Ukraine’s energy sector and continued frontline incidents with power infrastructure at risk. Attack near Moscow Ukrainian forces reported hitting a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region, saying the strike aimed to reduce Moscow’s ability to launch missile and bomb strikes. Russian officials said air defences intercepted a large number…

Summit on African soil, diplomacy in disarray The G20 meeting in Johannesburg marks the first time the leaders’ summit is held in Africa, a symbolic milestone intended to center the continent’s priorities on the global stage. Instead, the event has been overshadowed by a high-profile boycott from the United States, raising questions about the summit’s ability to produce consensus and meaningful outcomes. The US decision to skip the leaders’ session — announced by President Donald Trump after public accusations against…

Overview: a surge in Irish passport applications from the UK Nearly a quarter of a million people living in the United Kingdom applied for Irish passports in 2024, the highest number recorded since the UK formally left the European Union. The wave of applications cuts across Britain and Northern Ireland and reflects both practical responses to Brexit and longer-running family ties. Department of Foreign Affairs figures show 242,772 applications in 2024. Just over half (53%) of those applications came from people living…

Summary Former US president Donald Trump has announced plans to sue the BBC for up to $5 billion after the British broadcaster apologised for a misleading edit of his remarks that aired in a documentary about the 6 January 2021 Capitol assault. The dispute has produced high-level resignations at the BBC and a public standoff over whether the edit amounts to defamation. Trump says he will file suit “anywhere between a billion and five billion dollars” and signalled legal papers could follow within days. The BBC…