Pro

Mediators want both sides to agree to suspend hostilities but Tehran warns peace talks ‘incompatible with threats’Middle East crisis – live updatesProposals for an immediate ceasefire have been circulated to Washington and Tehran in an attempt to halt the five-week-old war and stave off an extraordinary threat issued by Donald Trump to bomb Iran’s power plants.Mediators from Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey want both sides to agree to suspend hostilities and reopen the strait of Hormuz, to be followed by a period of detailed negotiations intended to reach a more complete peace agreement. Continue reading...

Leaders say automated mowers’ blades threaten nocturnal animals as studies highlight risks to wildlifeGerman mayors have called for a nationwide ban on night-time use of robot lawnmowers to protect hedgehogs and other small nocturnal animals from being killed or maimed in the dark.Recent studies have highlighted the threat lawnmower blades pose to wildlife active between dusk and dawn, prompting growing calls for regulation. Hedgehogs also tend to curl into a ball when threatened rather than running away, making them harder for a robot mower’s sensors to detect. Continue reading...

Tennessee leads way but experts say offender registry could provide a false sense of security – and identify victimsWhen Amanda Martin started dating Christopher Cendroski, whose family has described him as “big-hearted”, she had no idea he had been arrested for domestic assault. Had she known, she said she never would become involved with him.A few months into their relationship, which began in 2011, Cendroski started beating Martin, and in May 2012, he nearly choked her to death, she said. Police arrested Cendroski and helped both Martin and her children get to a shelter. Continue reading...

It is clear among top officials in the Trump administration that the Israeli president overpromised in his pitch to the USMiddle East crisis – live updatesWhen Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, arrived at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on 29 December last year, he came with an ask – and a not so subtle inducement.After months of restocking air defence and other missiles after June’s 12-day conflict in which the US joined in to bomb Tehran’s nuclear facilities, Israel was ready to go again, this time with more substantial objectives. Continue reading...

Rally met with bipartisan support after US border patrol revealed plans for steel wall across parts of beloved parksThousands of people gathered at the steps of the Texas capitol on Saturday to protest against the construction of a border wall through Big Bend, in a show of bipartisan opposition to the White House’s plans.More than 2,000 people attended the rally, according to Texas Public Radio, holding signs with slogans such as “No Big Bend NP Wall,” “Big Love for Big Bend” and “No al Muro” – Spanish for “No to the Wall.” Organizers gathered postcards from protesters to deliver to Greg Abbott, the Texas governor who has yet to weigh in publicly on the border wall expansion plans at Big Bend. Continue reading...

Protesters held on Sunday after joining a Lakenheath Alliance for Peace encampment outside airbase in SuffolkSeven people have been arrested under suspicion of supporting banned group Palestine Action after a protest in Suffolk.They were arrested on Sunday morning after joining a peace encampment to create a blockade outside the main gate of Lakenheath airbase. Continue reading...

Donald Trump will claim rescue as a triumph but 48-hour drama should be a caution against launching ground operationMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump will inevitably claim the rescue of the second crew member of the downed F-15 fighter as a propaganda triumph, though the 48-hour drama is a reminder that an undefeated Iran is able to fight back and inflict costs on the US.It also ought to be a caution for a White House still contemplating a ground operation in Iran whether to seize an island in the Persian Gulf – particularly if there a serious ambition to extract Iran’s highly enriched uranium from deep underground. Continue reading...

Clause says those aged up to 45 may need permission from armed forces to leave country for more than three monthsA little-noticed clause in sweeping changes to Germany’s military service policy has caused uproar after it emerged that the law requires men aged up to 45 to get permission from the armed forces before any significant stay abroad, even in peacetime.The legislation, which went into effect on 1 January, aims to bolster the the military and demands all 18-year-old men fill out a questionnaire to gauge their suitability to serve in the armed forces, but stops short of conscription. Continue reading...

Cultural figures sign open letter asking government for clarity on how long landmark collection will remain abroadOne of the world’s most important collections of 20th-century Mexican art, including works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to be exported to Spain under an agreement with Banco Santander, sparking outrage among Mexico’s cultural community.Nearly 400 cultural professionals have signed an open letter calling on the Mexican government to offer greater clarity on what the deal means for the masterpieces, particularly the works by Kahlo, which the Mexican state has declared an “artistic monument”. Continue reading...

Astronaut calls fellow Canadian Ryan Gosling’s movie ‘extraordinary’ ahead of Artemis II crew’s lunar fly-aroundThe new space movie Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling has gotten a rave review from more than halfway to the moon.Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said on Saturday that he and his Artemis II crewmates got to watch the film with their families before launching on the lunar fly-around. He said it was “a real treat” to view the movie while getting ready for his own space adventure. Continue reading...