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Ed Miliband’s intervention was inevitable after Israeli government and security failures, say former ministers and diplomatsProminent Israelis have welcomed new UK sanctions as a necessary response to settlement expansion and spiralling violence in the occupied West Bank.The president of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, a former prime minister, an ex-head of the army and former ministers and diplomats described the intervention as an “inevitable consequence” of Israeli government and security failures. Continue reading...

• Canada's Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc welcomed the U.S. decision to withdraw its objections regarding the French language and culture in ongoing trade negotiations. • U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer informed CBC News that Canada's streaming laws are no longer considered a "red line" for the American side. • This shift removes a significant cultural barrier in trade talks, signaling a more flexible approach from the U.S. toward Canada's linguistic protections.

Patrons at two of the chain’s London pubs were all for Tim Martin’s ban on playing music or taking calls on speakerThe terrace of the Moon Under Water Wetherspoons pub in Leicester Square was full of people enjoying the warm weather and chatting between tables – without a TikTok video or speakerphone call in earshot.At Wetherspoons, the convivial atmosphere can no longer be punctuated by rude customers taking phone calls on blast, or playing videos without headphones after Tim Martin, the owner of the pub chain, banned both actions on his premises. Continue reading...

New York mayor’s policy set to generate revenue and address housing crisis despite outcry in some quarters New York City’s introduction of a pied-à-terre tax has provided fodder for Zohran Mamdani’s critics, who accuse the democratic socialist mayor of attacking the rich – even as others welcome it as a much-needed effort to tax the wealthy in a city known for its yawning inequality and cost-of-living crisis.The tax, aimed at closing the city’s budget gap, covers people who own but do not live full-time in a house worth more than $5m or a condominium or cooperative unit worth at least $1m. Continue reading...

• POLITICO examines the tradition of the European Union effectively shutting down during August as officials take summer vacations. • The author highlights a pattern of postponing responses to major crises, citing events such as the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia and the 2016 Italian earthquake. • This systemic inertia suggests that EU governance often pauses regardless of the urgency of geopolitical or humanitarian emergencies, including recent migrant arrivals in Ceuta.

Chicagoans come together for cathartic and communal screaming experience as activity gains traction across USPeople strolling along North Avenue Beach, a sandy strip on Lake Michigan, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, are apt to see something unusual on Sunday evenings.That’s because Chicago’s “Scream Club” meets there every week during the city’s warmer months, bringing together a community of up to 300 people who like to scream out over the water – and it’s an activity that seems to be spreading across the US. Continue reading...

• Winston Duke is confirmed to return as M'Baku for the upcoming "Black Panther 3." • The film will introduce David Jonsson as a new star in the franchise. • This casting update marks a significant addition to the ensemble for the next installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Wakanda storyline.