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What to know about Israel's plan to retake Gaza City Another major ground operation in one of the few areas of Gaza not already under evacuation orders would likely spark even more mass displacement and further disrupt efforts to deliver desperately…

The plan faces opposition within Israel from families of the remaining 20 or so living hostages held by Hamas and members of the security establishment who say there is little to gain militarily at this point.
religionnews.com/2025/08/08/w...

A photo of Donald Trump opening his new golf course at his Trump International Golf links resort on July 29, 2025, in Balmedie, Scotland, overlaid with the headline, "Donald Trump Is Mostly a Crypto Billionaire Now, Group Says."

Nearly 73% of Trump’s wealth — $11.6 billion of an estimated $15.9 billion — comes from crypto holdings that he built at record pace by misusing his office, the group claims. bit.ly/3JegGmF

Ella Baron on the Palestine Action arrests – cartoon More than 400 people were arrested at a protest in London in support of proscribed group Palestine Action

Ella Baron on the Palestine Action arrests – cartoon

17 children vanish into the night — 'Weapons' is terrific and terrifying Weapons is a story about a community recovering from an inexplicable trauma that arrives like a natural disaster, wreaks havoc, and then cannot be reversed, only survived.

Weapons is a story about a community recovering from an inexplicable trauma that arrives like a natural disaster, wreaks havoc, and then cannot be reversed, only survived.

The two Netanyahus in the face of famine and genocide One version of the Israeli leader is the amoral master tactician who has no permanent allies. Or the other more sinister character, whose goal has always been the removal of Palestinians from the…

Gwynne Dyer: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still in power because he’s now a war leader and the courts can’t hold an inquiry into his behaviour until the war is over.

www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/0...

Elon Musk’s Worst Nightmare About DOGE Is Starting to Come True Federal agencies are starting to admit that DOGE’s policies were trash.

The White House has finally decided some of its DOGE-directed firings were a mistake.

The National Weather Service has received permission to hire hundreds back—including 126 “front-line mission critical” personnel whose need became especially apparent in the wake of Texas' floods. trib.al/Uq6FaTk

UK government is reprehensible. UK used to be bastion of free speech, not any more.

Hundreds to risk arrest in defiance of Palestine Action 'terror group' ban

Pro-Palestine protestors are set to descend on Westminster today as hundreds risk being arrested for supporting Palestine Action - which was labelled a terror group by the UK government

Blame it on the moon. This year's Perseids meteors won't be as visible at their peak The Perseids meteor shower is the most popular one of the year. The meteors during this time are characterized by bright fireballs and long "wakes," the streak of light and color that follow behind.

The Perseids meteor shower is the most popular one of the year. The meteors during this time are characterized by bright fireballs and long "wakes," the streak of light and color that follow behind.

Middle East crisis live: Israel security cabinet approves plan to take over Gaza City amid reports of disagreements with military The announcement comes after Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intended to take full control of Gaza and hand over the territory’s governance to friendly Arab forces Welcome to our live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war. Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan to take over Gaza City after he earlier said the country planned to take full control of the Palestinian territory. Before the security cabinet meeting, Netanyahu was asked on Fox News if Israel would “take control of all of Gaza” and he replied: “We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza.” “We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter,” Netanyahu said. “We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life.” Israeli media reported that Netanyahu was hoping to obtain approval for fully controlling Gaza at the security cabinet meeting, the plan would mean sending ground troops into the few areas of the strip that have not been totally destroyed – roughly 25% of the territory where many of its 2 million people have sought refuge. Israel is reportedly preparing a two-phase operation aimed at seizing control of Gaza City, with plans to evacuate about 1 million residents – half of Gaza’s population – in what officials describe as a temporary measure to establish civilian infrastructure in central Gaza. The proposal is being framed as a limited operation rather than a full invasion, apparently to placate military chiefs wary of long-term occupation, according to Israel’s Channel 12. The chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, has reportedly warned that occupying Gaza would plunge Israel into a “black hole” of prolonged insurgency, humanitarian responsibility and heightened risk to hostages. At least 42 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes and shootings across southern Gaza on Thursday, according to local hospitals. Of the 42, at least 13 were seeking aid in an Israeli military zone in southern Gaza where UN aid convoys are regularly overwhelmed by looters and desperate crowds. The World Health Organization said on Thursday that 99 people were known to have died from malnutrition in Gaza this year and the figure was probably an underestimate, amid famine warnings from UN agencies. The families of the roughly 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza have called for Israelis to protest against the government and a decision they fear would endanger the lives of their loved ones. Continue reading...

Middle East crisis live: Israel security cabinet approves plan to take over Gaza City amid reports of disagreements with military

A doctor in Gaza describes the horror of starvation "I remember the first time that I saw a little girl, she was eight months old, brought to me—she was sticks and bones and she was dead."

" President Trump and everybody around him belongs in jail.  What they have done is to actively support and perpetuate a genocide," says a doctor on the ground.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that his government intends to take military control of the Gaza Strip. 🧵

Ex-lawmaker Au Kam San arrested in Macau's first national security case The EU condemned Au's arrest and stated that the application of national security law marks “the ongoing erosion of political pluralism and freedom of speech in Macau”.

The EU condemned Au's arrest and stated that the application of national security law marks “the ongoing erosion of political pluralism and freedom of speech in Macau”.

Stanford newspaper sues Trump administration over student deportations The lawsuit challenges Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s ability to revoke student visas and deem an individual deportable based on the content of their speech.

Stanford University’s student-run newspaper sued two senior Trump administration officials Wednesday, challenging Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s ability to revoke student visas and deem an individual deportable based on the content of their speech.

Lavish lifestyle of Virgin Atlantic yob who threatened to 'gang rape' stewardess

A thug who threatened to gang rape a Virgin Atlantic stewardess and set her alight is a "super flash" recruitment tycoon whose business went bust with £17million worth of debts, it has emerged.

Belarus targets dozens of government critics with raids, activists say Mass arrests and convictions of government critics have continued since Alexander Lukashenko was handed a sixth term as president in an election that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged.

Mass arrests and convictions of government critics have continued since Alexander Lukashenko was handed a sixth term as president in an election that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged.

Israel Deliberately Blocked Humanitarian Aid to Gaza, Two Government Bodies Concluded. Antony Blinken Rejected Them. Blinken told Congress, “We do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting” aid, even though the U.S. Agency for International Development and others had…

By spring 2024, the UN had already declared a famine in parts of Gaza. And USAID sent a memo to the Secretary of State that described Israeli interference with aid efforts, including killing aid workers, bombing hospitals and turning away trucks full of food and medicine.

From our Sept. 2024 story:

I lived on a debt-stricken estate as an anthropologist – this is what I learned

Anthropologist Ryan Davey spent 18 months living on an estate where debt is an omnipresent feature of everyday life. This is what he learned.

Isreal forced Hamas on the Gazans, Gazans don't want Hamas.

Chile's Codelco says two more trapped workers at El Teniente mine found dead Chilean copper miner Codelco on Sunday said two more workers trapped at its El Teniente mine were found dead, bringing the toll of fatalities from a collapse last week to four.

Chile's Codelco says two more trapped workers at El Teniente mine found dead reut.rs/451v8qL

How the Billionaires Took Over America Yes, Donald Trump is a threat to democracy. But the far bigger menace is the monstrous growth in wealth concentration over five decades that made a Trump presidency possible—and maybe inevitable. Here’s how we let it happen.

There aren’t enough billionaires in America to fill Carnegie Hall, but they own 3.8 percent of the nation’s wealth.

https://trib.al/RhBThm0

Why did Helsinki have zero road deaths in the last year - and could Ireland achieve the same? We spoke to a Helsinki traffic engineer about speed, infrastructure, and attitudes to road safety.

In the last year, not one person died in a road traffic collision in Helsinki, Finland. Could Ireland's cities achieve the same? http://jrnl.ie/6781664

The Opposition Report #4 A summary of July 2025 in the second Trump term.

"There are few outcomes worse than a personalized military force being used for domestic enforcement." www.liberalcurrents.com/the-oppositi...

Good brewery there as well

Disappointment mixed with cautious optimism, resolve in Manitoba as Trump makes good on tariff threat Manitoba business and labour leaders expressed disappointment Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump hiked his tariff on many Canadian goods to 35 per cent, bringing further economic uncertainty.

Manitoba business and labour leaders expressed disappointment Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump hiked his tariff on many Canadian goods to 35 per cent, bringing further economic uncertainty.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting to shut down after losing federal funds

CPB acknowledged the "difficult reality" of winding down its operations after losing federal funding from the Trump administration.

Canada promises new military housing on contaminated sites | The Narwhal National Defence is building homes for military families on bases across Canada known to have toxins in the soil and water. Will they be safe?

National Defence is building homes for military families on bases known to have toxins in the soil and water. Will they be safe? Our latest newsletter: thenarwhal.ca/newsletter-m...

Gaza’s cash crisis is a painful reminder of powerlessness Israel decimated the banking system, leading so-called cash brokers to charge exorbitant fees to access banknotes

The inability to access cash is the reality facing everyone in Gaza, despite cash being the only way to pay for food & medicine, reports Mariam Mushtaha. Israel decimated the banking system, making it harder for Gazans to stay alive during the famine.
prismreports.org/2025/07/30/g...

“Scientists have discovered a giant new species of stick insect in Australia, which is over 15 inches long and researchers say may be the heaviest insect in the country.”

Via ABC News