The White House is holding direct talks with Hamas over the return of the Israeli hostages held since 7 October, breaking decades of precedent by engaging with the militant group without intermediaries. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said on Wednesday that officials had held “ongoing talks and discussions” with Hamas officials, as the … Read more
Death by firing squad could become Idaho’s primary method of execution under a bill headed to the governor’s desk this week. The Idaho senate passed the bill on Wednesday, and it will take effect next year if it is signed by the state’s governor, Brad Little. Firing-squad executions have been a back-up method in Idaho … Read more
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has condemned a past social media post by Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson that disputed the innocence of Leo Frank, a Jewish businessman whom most historians agree was wrongfully convicted of killing a 13-year-old factory worker and lynched in 1915 during a wave of antisemitism in the US. “Leo Frank raped & … Read more
A suspected thief gulped down two pairs of diamond earrings during his arrest on the side of a Florida Panhandle highway last week, detectives say, leaving them with the unenviable task of waiting to “collect” the Tiffany & Co jewelry worth nearly $770,000. An X-ray of the suspect’s torso showed what the Orlando police department … Read more
Jack Daniel’s maker Brown-Forman’s CEO Lawson Whiting said on Wednesday Canadian provinces taking US liquor off store shelves was “worse than a tariff” and a “disproportionate response” to levies imposed by the Trump administration. Several Canadian provinces have taken US liquor off store shelves as part of retaliatory measures against Donald Trump’s tariffs. “I mean, … Read more
A congressional hearing designed to criticize sanctuary city policies unexpectedly shifted on Wednesday, as a planned attack by Republican lawmakers instead dissolved into a platform that amplified Democratic mayors’ arguments about immigration and urban safety. Before a packed room on Capitol Hill, the House oversight committee, led by its Republican chair, James Comer of Kentucky, … Read more
Mehdi Yarrahi, a well-known Iranian protest singer who spoke out against the country’s strict dress code for women, has been given 74 lashes as part of an agreement to end a criminal case against him. Yarrahi was initially convicted in January 2024 of acting unlawfully by releasing a protest song in September 2023 entitled Your … Read more
Emmanuel Macron will make a televised address to France on Wednesday night as he tries to calm voters’ concerns over Donald Trump upending the international order and EU leaders prepare for a special summit on defence. Macron’s pre-recorded speech on primetime TV will address the Ukraine crisis, European security and the threat of a transatlantic … Read more
When doctors tried to work out whether Marie Tidball would need a specially designed birth plan, one asked her to lie fully clothed on the bed and spread her legs in the air so they could see how far they could open. The incident was one of several occasions when Tidball, now a Labour MP, … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Welcome Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories before Emily Wind picks up the slack. We’ve got another blog going with all your latest Cyclone Alfred updates – you can find … Read more