Hamas says it has taken ‘dozens’ of Israelis hostage (www.nbcnews.com)
An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that there were “hostage situations” in the southern city of Ofakim and the nearby kibbutz of Beeri....
Zelenskiy condemns attack on blood transfusion centre as ‘war crime’ (www.theguardian.com)
Canada: 14 whales have died at aquarium since 2019, exposé reveals (www.theguardian.com)
Nobel Prize for Medicine goes to Kariko and Weissman, pioneers of COVID vaccine (www.reuters.com)
[In Helsinki, Finland] Thousands march in antiracist protest against government, call for [far-right minister] Riikka Purra resignation (yle.fi)
“I would say this was one of the most important days of my life living in Finland,” Eugene Ufoka told the crowd of thousands from the steps of Parliament building in Helsinki on Wednesday evening....
The African Union is joining the G20, a powerful acknowledgement of a continent of 1 billion people (abcnews.go.com)
West urges Israel to show restraint amid escalation fears (www.politico.eu)
Ireland: Wind generation exceeds demand for electricity for the first time ever (www.euronews.com)
Disqualified Ukrainian fencer Kharlan reinstated, awarded Paris Olympics place (www.france24.com)
Ukrainian fencer Olha Kharlan was awarded a place in the 2024 Paris Olympics by the IOC on Friday after she was disqualified at the world championships for refusing to shake the hand of her Russian opponent.
Taiwanese man jailed in China for taking photos of police, freed after 1,400 days (www.bbc.com)
https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/75c6a20d-5dc0-4599-a10a-7afdc5626535.webp...
Israel formally declares war against Hamas as it battles to push militants off its soil (www.cnn.com)
Israel formally declared war on Hamas on Sunday, setting the stage for a major military operation in Gaza as fighting rages on Israeli soil. The declaration comes after Hamas, an Islamist militant group, launched a surprise assault this weekend that has so far killed over 600 Israelis....
UK parliament calls Taiwan ‘independent country’ as Cleverly visits China (www.politico.eu)
The British parliament has for the first time referred to Taiwan as an “independent country” in an official document, breaking a political taboo as Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visits China this week....
Japan marks 78th anniversary of Hiroshima atomic bombing (www.dw.com)
Japan on Sunday commemorated the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in the final phase of World War II....
South Korean teachers stage walkout over harassment by parents and students (www.theguardian.com)
Russians ask people not to burn down military enlistment offices, blaming Ukrainian scammers for it (www.pravda.com.ua)
Sinéad O’Connor, acclaimed Dublin singer, dies aged 56 (www.irishtimes.com)
Police in China rescue over 1,000 cats from being slaughtered and sold as mutton, pork (www.straitstimes.com)
Egypt official tells Europe to take in 1m Gazans if ‘you care about human rights so much’ (www.middleeastmonitor.com)
Lithuania deems 1,164 Belarusian and Russian nationals a threat, revokes residence permits and visas (www.lrt.lt)
Russia has likely suffered up to 480,000 soldiers killed or wounded in the war against Ukraine, says UK Ministry of Defence (www.yahoo.com)
Polish election: Right-wing ruling party to lose majority - exit poll (www.bbc.com)
New Covid vaccines are on the way as 'Eris' variant rises (www.reuters.com)
Zelenskiy secures $325m in new US aid even as Republican support wanes (www.theguardian.com)
Ukraine president delivers upbeat message on war progress during second White House visit since Russian invasion...
One Year On, Iranian Women Are Still Fighting (time.com)
The Islamic Republic of Iran was built upon bricks of patriarchal misogyny. One of the first acts of the revolution’s leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, when he took power in 1979, was to reverse women’s rights in marriage, child custody and divorce. This included lowering the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 9, and girls...
'No Possibility' of Gaza Cease-Fire, Biden Says as 500+ Former Staffers Demand One (www.commondreams.org)
“As the president of the United States, you have power to change the course of history, and the responsibility to save lives right now,” the staffers wrote.
