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Death toll from Philippines ferry fire climbs to 35, with dozens still missing

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A stable Afghanistan post 9/11 is in US interests says former US diplomat
Former US diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad says Washington wants to prevent Afghanistan becoming a hub for anti-US groups.

Firewall compromised: has Friedrich Merz blown ‘democracy’s last shot’?
Many fear chancellor is wrong man for the job at a time when Germany’s defences against far right are crumbling A cataclysm. A 9.0 earthquake. A five-alarm fire. A bitter rejection of Germany ’s joyous reunification three decades ago, and a threat to the democratic postwar order. Sizing up the repercussions of last weekend’s win for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party in the former communist state of Saxony-Anhalt, German commentators expressed a sense of doom, panic and helplessness in the political establishment. Continue reading...
Mexican authorities rescue eight from violent cartel’s secret site
Rescue operation in Jalisco uncovers cartel's hidden clinic, illegal drugs and weapons; six suspected guards arrested.

Court case brought by Zionist federation against journalist Mary Kostakidis ended ‘by consent’
Former SBS newsreader had been accused by Zionist Federation of Australia of breaching Racial Discrimination Act when sharing X posts Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Federal court proceedings brought by the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) against journalist Mary Kostakidis have been discontinued “by consent” with “no order as to costs”. The former SBS newsreader had been accused by the federation of breaching the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) by sharing two X posts about a speech by the late Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah in January 2024. Continue reading...

Arrest made over the death of black woman found hanged from tree in Mississippi
Tasia Fortune's body was found in the lot of an abandoned home in Mississippi in August.
North Korea fires ballistic missiles off eastern coast, Seoul says
South Korea said it was closely exchanging information on the launches with the US and Japan.