Ethiopia: Wars, Strategic Rivalries and a Deepening Humanitarian Strain - allAfrica.com

• A dubious post on X (formerly Twitter) sparked a chain of misinformation that falsely suggested Iran's leadership had declared the country a nuclear power. • The false claim originated in India before ricocheting to Washington, influencing perceptions of Iran's strategic capabilities despite a lack of evidence.

• President Donald Trump announced the launch of "major combat operations" against Iran on February 28, involving massive joint strikes conducted by the U.S. and Israel. • In a related diplomatic effort, Jared Kushner, adviser and son-in-law to the President, is traveling to Egypt and Israel this week.

Thousands more houses could be built near transport hubs including on green belt sitesThe new national planning policy framework is aimed at providing clearer national policies for plan-making and decision-making, meaning that conflicting local policies will carry less weight when they are inconsistent with national policies.Other changes will include:Stronger support in principle for development, meaning a more explicit presumption in favour of building in sustainable locations.Pubs will get protection from being turned into housing or offices with developers having to prove there is no reasonable prospect of keeping a pub as a going concern, including evidence that it was marketed for sale for at least a year.A requirement for at least 40% of homes to be accessible on bigger developments and stronger protections for community facilities.Stronger support for growth and infrastructure including support for AI growth zones and datacentres. Continue reading...

Billionaire CEO of world’s biggest bank says any windfall tax on sector’s bumper profits could harm jobs in the CityJamie Dimon, the boss of the US bank JP Morgan, has urged John Healey not to use his first budget as chancellor to increase taxes on banks’ bumper profits.Speculation has been growing that a windfall tax could be imposed on UK lenders to fund Andy Burnham’s cost of living agenda, with campaigners estimating such a move could raise £19bn. Continue reading...

The leftwing commentator has been invited to appear on the Planet America program in Australia on Monday nightThe ABC is set to air the return of its Planet America program on Monday night as the US midterm elections gain steam, with a new episode featuring the leftwing commentator Hasan Piker.Host John Barron said the episode will focus on the “rise of Democratic socialists and the populist left”, with Piker speaking about “what it’s like in the eye of a political storm”. But the appearance quickly sparked the ire of conservatives in Australia. Continue reading...

Wildfire thought to be largest in Belgium’s history creeps closer to German border prompting evacuationsBelgium’s King Philippe will visit the area affected by what is believed to be the largest wildfire in the country’s history this morning, after a weekend of intense firefighting in the Hautes Fagnes nature reserve.The fire has been raging since Friday afternoon, burning more than 3,000 hectares of land, provisional figures show. Continue reading...

Salaries will rise 28.3% to 32.4% over four years, an outcome partly shaped by a rank-and-file rebellion within the Australian Education UnionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictoria’s school teachers are set to become the highest paid in the country, after accepting the state government’s latest pay and conditions offer after a year-long bargaining process.Australian Education Union (AEU) members voted 79% in favour of the offer on Monday, which will deliver total pay rises of between 28.3% and 32.4% over four years, plus a $2,000 bonus at the start of the agreement. The union also confirmed a planned strike will not go ahead on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Jared Kushner set to meet Netanyahu following talks with HamasJared Kushner meets with Hamas ahead of talks with Netanyahu on GazaWelcome to our live coverage of the latest in the continuing conflicts in the Middle East.Donald Trump’s envoys met with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators in Cairo on Sunday, a diplomatic source said, aiming to advance the US president’s Gaza peace plan, even as Israel pressed on with airstrikes ⁠in the territory.Israel resumed its airstrikes on Gaza in the past few days ‌after scaling back the attacks earlier this month. One of those wounded in the Khan Younis strike died from their wounds, medics at Nasser hospital said later. A separate airstrike, which the Israeli military said targeted another militant, hit an apartment in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, wounding several people, medics said.A senior Israeli official said on Sunday that Israel was concerned about Washington’s demand to end targeted assassinations of Hamas militants in Gaza as the group rebuilds its forces, Reuters reported. Trump’s peace ⁠plan calls for the immediate cessation of military operations in Gaza and foresees Hamas disarming as Israeli troops withdraw from the territory and Gaza is rebuilt.Several regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday condemned Israel’s rejection of the peace road map, saying the country is obstructing peace efforts.The top US military commander in the Middle East visited the USS Lincoln in the Arabian Sea amid reports of mental health and supply issues onboard. Adm Brad Cooper praised the leadership of the long-deployed aircraft carrier. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: The Spanish prime minister has remade himself as Europe’s leading leftwing standard-bearer. Could his success offer the UK’s PM a route forward?Good morning. To international onlookers, Pedro Sànchez appears to have achieved the impossible. Where other European leftist and left-ish premiers have flopped and flailed, the Spanish PM has endured.Since June 2018, Sánchez has ruled from Madrid, implementing a raft of progressive policies. More recently, he has emerged as a leading, and often lone, left-wing European voice on the global stage, striking a defiant tone on everything from the Trump administration’s war in Iran (“the smokescreen of war to hide their failure”) to Israel’s actions in Gaza (“exterminating a defenceless people”). The fact that the international press has nicknamed him El Guapo (the handsome one) can’t hurt.UK economy | The UK should expect to see a new cost of living crisis, with official figures released this week by the ONS expected to show how soaring energy bills drove up inflation close to 3% in July.Ceuta | Moroccan police arrested 111 people this weekend, who were trying to enter Spain’s north African territory of Ceuta, amid tightened security on both sides after social media posts called for another mass crossing.Jason Arday | The University of Cambridge has defended its mental health support for the academic Jason Arday.UK politics | Andy Burnham is being urged to protect 4 million gig economy workers, who thinktanks warn miss out on key statutory rights including: parental leave, redundancy pay and protection against unfair dismissal.Indonesia | Rescue crews dug through collapsed buildings and landslide debris in eastern Indonesia on Sunday, searching for bodies after a powerful earthquake killed at least 51 people, and injured more than 100.Sànchez understands that anchoring his party to the left … is where he can govern.Monday | Nominations close for candidates seeking to replace Anas Sarwar as Scottish Labour leader.Tuesday | Opening arguments expected to begin in a lawsuit brought by multiple US states against Meta about social media addiction.Thursday | Students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will receive their GCSE results. Continue reading...

The new measure falls short of calls for gambling ads to move to an opt-in model, or for an outright banFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Labor government has pledged a new single-service opt-out register for gambling ads - an idea similar to the Do Not Call register for spam calls - as part of amendments to its wagering ad bill, as well as restrictions on inducements and limiting commissions for agents.Communications minister Anika Wells has also confirmed gambling companies will face a new levy to pay for the register, a beefed-up measure to curb wagering ads, after concerns were raised through a Senate inquiry that Australians would struggle to find or complete individual opt-out options on each online service. Continue reading...

Parents of Michaela Hall, whose partner killed her after he left prison in 2021, say Probation Service cannot cope with mass releaseMore women will die if ministers include domestic abusers in the early prison release scheme, the parents of a woman murdered by her partner shortly after he was freed have warned.Michaela Hall, a 49-year-old charity worker, was killed in her home in Cornwall, by Lee Kendall in 2021 two weeks after he was released from prison, where he had been serving a sentence for assaulting her. Continue reading...