Billion plastic pellets spilled into UK river after two ships collide

• Israeli PM Netanyahu has rejected a 15-point Gaza peace plan proposed by Donald Trump, while the NYT reports allegations of torture and abuse against Global Sumud Flotilla activists in Israeli detention. • In the Middle East, Iran is nearing a pact with Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but tensions remain high as Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked a Saudi Aramco refinery.

• Morocco and the United Arab Emirates are evolving their long-standing bilateral relations into a strategic geoeconomic alliance focused on trade, investment, and connectivity. • The partnership has strengthened significantly since the Arab Revolts of the early 2010s as both nations converged on their assessments of regional threats and international developments.

• Heightened insecurity caused by the shifting defense capabilities and regional ambitions of Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia has led to the formation of a new Islamic defense alliance. • This strategic pact involves Pakistan and Turkey, emerging as a response to regional instability and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's efforts to weaken Iran.

Ruling expands on earlier order that prevented implementation in 23 mostly Democratic-led statesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailA federal judge on Tuesday blocked ⁠the US Postal ⁠Service ​(USPS) from implementing part of Donald Trump’s executive order that aims ⁠to tighten rules for mail-in voting ahead of November midterm elections that ⁠will decide control of Congress.The ruling by ​US district ‌judge Indira ‌Talwani in Boston in effect expanded on an ‌earlier order she had issued in June that had prevented Trump’s administration from implementing it in 23 mostly Democratic-led states. Continue reading...

Brittany Boltinhouse’s attorney says removal of title and crown ‘another troubling example of cancel culture’A lawyer for beauty queen Brittany Boltinhouse, dethroned as Miss North Carolina USA last week, is threatening legal action, claiming the actions of pageant organizers were “wrongful and unjustified”.The attorney, Patrick Mincey, described the removal of her title and crown “another troubling example of cancel culture”. Continue reading...

Journalists and others were allowed to fly on presidential jet despite security threat while Trump was spirited awaySign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Democrats called on Tuesday for a congressional briefing over a stunning charade in which Donald Trump was secretly spirited to different plane than the one the public and press believed he was travelling on, an episode first reported by the Washington Post and also by the New York Times. Critics now question why reporters and the public had been deliberately misled.When US intelligence allegedly found a credible threat that Iran plotted to kill him last month, Trump left Air Force One in a catering truck. While the president was reportedly snuck out the side door of the plane, more than a hundred aides, officials and reporters, were kept onboard to fly towards Britain, without being told there was a threat to their lives. Continue reading...

Policy comes as debate continues over causes of and solutions to housing issues. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAre the Coalition 100% set on cutting net overseas migration to 180,000?Despite Andrew Bragg’s speech being sent to the media overnight, this morning the shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, doesn’t seem to want to lock in the 180,000 net overseas migration target.I don’t think you should bank that at all. Let’s just wait and see, firstly, what Senate Bragg’s saying in his speech and we haven’t made an announcement about where we’re going to be going into the next election, but our focus is actually about what we need to do to invest in the long-term growth and success of our country.A NOM reduction on this scale is manageable and in line with reductions we have managed in recent history – for example in 2009-2010 when the NOM declined from 300,000 to 175,000 in around 18 months.This will be achieved through a higher share of skilled migrant workers linked to jobs that meet Australian industry needs. This includes more reductions in other streams like family, international students and other temporary migrants. Continue reading...

Justice department is asked to weigh new charges against David Hearn after US attorney dropped vandalism chargesThe White House has asked the Department of Justice (DoJ) to weigh new charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, according to a person familiar with the matter, pushing to revive a case Donald Trump has fumed about ever since an ally dropped the case citing insufficient evidence.Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, dropped the charges against the man, David Hearn, on 31 July, blaming a contractor for a flawed installation. In a 20-page filing dismissing the charges, Pirro’s office said it had received evidence that damage to the pool occurred before Hearn visited it, and that “it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.” Hearn has maintained that he reached in the water to touch a piece of already detached lining while he was on bike ride in June. Continue reading...

Reform deputy leader condemned for seeking disclosure of documents that could reveal reporter’s sourcesRichard Tice has been accused of using “nasty tactics” in an attempt to intimidate journalists and deflect attention from his own financial affairs after issuing a legal threat to the Guardian.In a letter sent from his lawyers, a Guardian correspondent was singled out for her reporting on a series of Tice’s financial transactions that were referred to the National Crime Agency. Continue reading...

Star, 53, says disease has metastasised to her bones and it is too late for chemotherapyLucy Davis, the actor best known for playing Dawn Tinsley in The Office, has said she has incurable stage four breast cancer.The 53-year-old said she was diagnosed a year and a half ago and the disease had metastasised to her bones including her spine, right hip and ribs. She said it was too late for chemotherapy. Continue reading...

Mike Heard used his paddle to strike gator that had latched on to swimmer in Silver River after hearing yells of ‘Gator!’A Florida paddleboarder rescued a woman from an alligator attack in Marion county over the weekend.On Saturday, an alligator bit the woman on the arm while she was swimming in the Silver River, according to local reports citing Marion county authorities. Continue reading...

Napo members overwhelmingly back action after union had criticised prisons proposals as rushedProbation staff have voted overwhelmingly to go on strike, in a potentially serious complication to Andy Burnham’s plans to tweak an early release scheme for prisoners to try to exclude more serious offenders, among them the killers of PC Andrew Harper.While the vote by members of Napo was not directly connected to the early release plans, the probation officers’ union has previously criticised the proposals as rushed. The union said the 91% vote in favour of a strike would come as a blow to ministers as they put together the plan. Continue reading...