Deadly typhoon causes flooding across Philippines
[unable to retrieve full-text content] A powerful typhoon has caused extreme flooding across the Philippines, affecting millions of people.
Why is India’s Dharmasthala temple at the centre of a mass murder case?
NewsFeed A former cleaner claims he was forced to bury the bodies of hundreds of women and girls, on the orders of supervisors at one of southern India’s most revered temples. As Soraya Lennie explains, the case has shocked the country and sparked accusations of a three-decade old cover up. Published On 25 Jul 202525 Jul 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
India’s Pant defies injury but England control of fourth Test
India’s injured Rishabh Pant hits 54 after surprise return before England takes control of fourth test England might have thought it had seen the last of Rishabh Pant in this Test series against India. Pant had other ideas. After retiring early on Day One of the fourth Test at Old Trafford with a foot injury, Pant returned Thursday, albeit with a limp, and posted a half-century as India reached 358 all out, with England captain Ben Stokes taking 5-72. While Pant’s involvement came as a surprise and prolonged the visitors’ first innings, England went on to take control of the match with a blistering opening partnership of 166 by Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. The hosts reached 225-2 at stumps on Day Two at Old Trafford to trail by 133 runs, largely thanks to the explosive batting of Crawley (84) and Duckett (94), which included 26 fours between the pair – 13 each – and a six for Crawley. Ollie Pope (20 not out) and Joe Root (11 not out) are at the crease. England leads the five-match series 2-1. India resumed on 264-4 and England took the wickets of Ravindra Jadeja (20) and Shardul Thakur (41) in the morning session. But Pant’s return presented an unexpected obstacle for England when he came out to replace Thakur after overnight reports that he had sustained a fracture. Walking slowly and uncomfortably, he made his way to the crease to cheers from all around the stadium and resumed his innings on 37. India batsman Rishabh Pant sets off for his first run as Ben Stokes looks on during Day Two [Stu Forster/Getty Images] It was a gutsy display from Pant, who was hurt a day earlier when his showmanship got the better of him, and an attempted reverse sweep off Chris Woakes saw the ball deflect onto his right foot. He lay on the field in pain and had to leave on a cart, with his foot badly swollen. Advertisement He went on to add 17 more runs to get to 54 before being bowled by Jofra Archer, who sent the stumps crashing. England wasted no time in chasing down India’s total with Crawley and Duckett on a mission. The hosts were 77-0 at tea in reply, with Duckett hitting 43 off 41 balls with seven fours, while Crawley was 33 off 44. The pair kept on finding the boundary when play resumed, and both were looking on course for centuries until India’s breakthrough. Crawley was caught by KL Rahul at slip off Jadeja and Duckett was caught by substitute Dhruv Jurel off Anshul Kamboj. Duckett’s head dropped as the realisation sunk in that he’d fallen just six short of a test century. The England captain is now the leading wicket-taker for the series after his haul of five in the fourth test. Stokes added the wickets of Thakur (41), Washington Sundar (27) and Kamboj (0) to those of Shubman Gill (12) and Sai Sudharsan (61) on Day One. Stokes has 16 wickets for the series, and this was the first time he had taken five in a match for eight years. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli settler attacks show new level of violence, organisation
NewsFeed Israeli settlers are becoming more brazen and heavily armed, attacking Palestinians with impunity as the Israeli government and Palestinian Authority stand by. Saeed Al Umoor’s story exemplifies this desperate situation. Published On 24 Jul 202524 Jul 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
US, Israel recall teams from Gaza ceasefire talks after Hamas proposal
US special envoy Steve Witkoff accuses Palestinian group of showing ‘a lack of desire’ to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. United States special envoy Steve Witkoff has said he is cutting short talks aimed at reaching a truce in Israel’s war on Gaza, after the latest proposal from Hamas showed “a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire”. Witkoff made the announcement in a statement on Thursday, just hours after the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had also recalled its negotiating team from Qatar amid the latest diplomatic flurry. There was no immediate comment from Hamas. The group has repeatedly accused Israel of blocking a ceasefire agreement. Earlier in the day, Hamas had submitted its latest response to a ceasefire framework floated by mediators Qatar, Egypt and the US. Netanyahu’s office confirmed receipt of the response, and said it was under review. Neither side disclosed the contents. Both Israel and Hamas are facing growing international pressure to reach an agreement as the humanitarian and hunger crisis in the territory continues to deteriorate sharply amid Israel’s severe restrictions on the entry of aid. At least 115 people have died from malnutrition since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023, mostly in recent weeks, as the United Nations and aid agencies have warned that Gaza’s residents were facing mass starvation. “While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith,” Witkoff said in a statement. “We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza,” Witkoff said, without elaborating. Advertisement Witkoff, a businessman with no formal diplomatic experience prior to his appointment, said the US remains “resolute” in seeking an end to the war in Gaza, adding it was “a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way”. The current proposal under discussion has been reported to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living captives and the remains of 18 others. In turn, Palestinians imprisoned by Israel would be released and aid supplies would be ramped up as the two sides held negotiations on a lasting truce. Details of the current sticking point were not immediately clear, but officials from both sides have previously pointed to a dispute over what would happen in the wake of any new ceasefire. Israel has repeatedly said it plans to deploy the military long term in Gaza, seeking a complete defeat of Hamas, despite warnings that such a goal is unrealistic. Earlier this month, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz reportedly laid out a plan for the forced transfer of Palestinians to a “humanitarian city” within Gaza, a maximalist approach that critics say would violate international law. Israel’s government has also faced domestic pressure over the plan, amid fears it would foreclose ceasefire negotiations and block the release of captives still held in Gaza. Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi said it remained unclear whether the US withdrawal from the talks was a “negotiating tactic”. “It’s a very sternly worded tweet, talking about ‘alternative options for a more stable environment for the people of Gaza,’” he said. “We know that Trump simply hasn’t ruled out ethnic cleansing, so-called ‘self deportation’, in his words, of Palestinians.” “Right now, we simply don’t know whether it’s a negotiating position or the end of the negotiations,” Rattansi said. Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 59,587 Palestinians since it began in the wake of the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed at least 1,139 people. This week, more than 100 aid groups blamed Israel’s restrictions on aid for “mass starvation” in the enclave. Adblock test (Why?)
Thailand, Cambodian troops trade heavy fire in latest border dispute clash
DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, Two civilians reported killed in Cambodian shelling of Thailand as Southeast Asian neighbours clash over long-running border dispute. At least two civilians have been reported killed in Thailand and two Thai soldiers injured in heavy clashes with Cambodian troops at a disputed area of their shared border. Thailand’s military said on Thursday that Cambodian troops had opened fire earlier in an area near the disputed Ta Moan Thom Temple – located in a border area in northwestern Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province, and intense fighting was ongoing. Thailand’s military said Cambodia had deployed a surveillance drone before sending troops to the area, adding that Cambodian forces had then opened fire with heavy weapons, including artillery and long-range BM21 rockets. At least two Thai soldiers have been injured, Royal Thai Army spokesperson Richa Suksuwanon told reporters. Sutthirot Charoenthanasak, a district chief in Thailand’s Surin province, told the Reuters news agency that two people were killed and others injured by Cambodian shelling on Thursday morning. Some 40,000 Thai civilians from 86 villages along the border have also been evacuated to safer locations, the district chief said. Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence issued its own statement on Thursday, accusing Thailand of attacking first. According to the statement, Cambodian troops retaliated after coming under attack from Thailand’s army and had only acted in self-defence. The country’s influential former prime minister, Hun Sen, said in a post on social media that Thailand’s military had shelled two Cambodian provinces bordering Thailand, Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear. Advertisement Hun Sen said that “the Cambodian army has no choice but to fight back and counterattack”. He also called for the public to remain calm and not panic-buy rice and other food supplies. “Please carry on normal business in all sectors and everywhere except the border areas,” he said. The Royal Thai Embassy in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, said the situation on the border had “continuously escalated” and, with clashes likely to “be prolonged and expand”, urged its nationals to leave Cambodia “as soon as possible”, unless they had urgent reasons to remain. Shortly after the Thai embassy’s announcement, Thailand’s military said it had deployed an F-16 jet fighter for combat action against Cambodian forces along the border. Thai soldiers inspect an area in the Ubon Ratchathani province, which borders Cambodia, where the Thai army said two antipersonnel landmines were found [Handout/Royal Thai Army via AP] Thailand, Cambodia downgrade diplomatic relations The latest fighting comes after a Thai soldier sustained injuries on Wednesday and lost his right leg in a landmine explosion, which authorities in Thailand have blamed on Cambodia. Three Thai soldiers were also injured by a mine blast while on a patrol along the disputed border area on July 16. Cambodia has denied planting mines, and claims that Thai soldiers have veered off agreed jungle paths and triggered long-buried mines left behind from Cambodia’s decades of civil war. Following the latest landmine incident, Thailand’s governing Pheu Thai Party said it had recalled Thailand’s ambassador to Cambodia and would expel Cambodia’s ambassador from the country. Thailand has also downgraded diplomatic relations with Cambodia, the party said. In response, Cambodia said that it would withdraw all of its diplomats from Thailand and ordered all Thai diplomats to leave the country. The Cambodian government has also downgraded diplomatic relations with Thailand to the “lowest level”, reducing it to the rank of “second secretary”, according to local news outlet the Phnom Penh Post. In May, the long-running border dispute between the two countries boiled over into military clashes that left one Cambodian soldier dead. Border tension has soured relations between the Southeast Asian neighbours, with the two sides trading barbs and tit-for-tat retaliatory measures, including the closure of border crossings. Cambodia has also blocked imports of fuel and gas, as well as fruit and vegetables, from Thailand. Thailand and Cambodia have for more than a century contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817km (508-mile) land border. Adblock test (Why?)
Iranian helicopter confronts US warship approaching territorial waters
Iranian state media describe the confrontation as ‘tense’, while US military says the encounter was ‘professional’. Iran has said it warned a United States Navy destroyer to change course as it approached Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, but the US has claimed the confrontation was “professional” and had “no impact” on its naval mission. Iranian state media published video and images of Wednesday’s incident – the first direct encounter reported between Iranian and US forces since the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June – taken from a helicopter dispatched to confront the USS Fitzgerald guided missile destroyer. “US destroyer ‘Fitzgerald’ attempted to approach waters under Iran’s monitoring, in a provocative move”, Iranian state television said. In video footage of the reported encounter, a helicopter is seen flying in close proximity to the warship and an Iranian crew member can be heard issuing what appeared to be a radio warning in English to the warship, ordering it to change course as it was approaching Iran’s territorial waters at about 10am local time (06:00 GMT). Iranian state media have described the encounter as a tense exchange. IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News on Wednesday released footage it claimed showed an Iranian navy helicopter forcing the USS Fitzgerald, a US guided missile destroyer, to alter its course. The report said the warship had approached waters under Iran’s supervision in the Sea of Oman. pic.twitter.com/gcfMQ23K6f — Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) July 23, 2025 The US destroyer reportedly responded by threatening to target the Iranian aircraft if it did not leave. The vessel eventually departed the area upon continued warnings from the Iranian military. Advertisement US Central Command disputed the Iranian account of tension, calling the incident a “safe and professional interaction”. Asked about the encounter, a US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity with the Reuters news agency, also downplayed its seriousness. “This interaction had no impact to USS Fitzgerald’s mission, and any reports claiming otherwise are falsehoods and attempts by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to spread misinformation,” the official said. The official, who said the interaction took place entirely in international waters, identified the aircraft as an Iranian SH-3 “Sea King” helicopter. The US military inserted itself into Israel’s war against Iran last month when it bombed Iranian nuclear sites. US President Donald Trump hailed the strikes as a “spectacular” success that “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme. But media reports in the US, citing intelligence assessments, suggest the campaign was only partially successful, with just one of the three Iranian nuclear sites – the Fordow facility – reportedly destroyed. In an interview broadcast on Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran was committed to continuing its nuclear programme for peaceful purposes, and that his country is prepared for any future war that Israel might wage against it. He added that he was not optimistic about the ceasefire between the countries. Adblock test (Why?)
Columbia University to pay $200m to settle anti-Semitism claims
Settlement marks victory in US President Donald Trump’s efforts to exert greater control over third-level education. Columbia University, one of the top educational institutions in the United States, has agreed to pay $221m to settle claims by US President Donald Trump’s administration that it failed to police anti-Semitism on campus. Under the agreement announced on Wednesday, Columbia will see the “vast majority” of $400m in federal grants frozen by the Trump administration reinstated, the New York-based university said. Columbia will also regain access to billions of dollars in current and future grants under the deal, the university said. Columbia said the agreement formalised reforms announced in March to address harassment against Jews, including the hiring of more public safety personnel, changes to disciplinary processes, and efforts to foster “an inclusive and respectful learning environment”. The agreement also commits Columbia to maintaining merit-based admissions and ending programs that promote “unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotas [and] diversity targets”. Under the agreement, Columbia will pay the federal government $200m over three years, in addition to a $21m payment to settle claims by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Claire Shipman, Columbia’s acting president, said that while the settlement was “substantial”, the university could not continue with a situation that would “jeopardize our status as a world-leading research institution”. “Furthermore, as I have discussed on many occasions with our community, we carefully explored all options open to us,” Shipman said in a statement. Advertisement “We might have achieved short-term litigation victories, but not without incurring deeper long-term damage – the likely loss of future federal funding, the possibility of losing accreditation, and the potential revocation of visa status of thousands of international students.” Shipman said Columbia did not accept the Trump administration’s findings that it had violated civil rights law by turning a blind eye to the harassment of Jews, but acknowledged the “very serious and painful challenges our institution has faced with antisemitism”. “We know there is still more to do,” she said. The settlement marks a victory in Trump’s efforts to exert greater control over third-level education, including campus activism in support of Palestine and other causes. Trump hailed the settlement as “historic” in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Numerous other Higher Education Institutions that have hurt so many, and been so unfair and unjust, and have wrongly spent federal money, much of it from our government, are upcoming,” Trump wrote. Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a student activist group, slammed the settlement as an effective bribe. “Imagine selling your students out just so you can pay Trump $221 million dollars and keep funding genocide,” the group said on X. Columbia was among dozens of US universities that were roiled by protests against Israel’s war in Gaza throughout the spring and summer of 2024. Many Jewish students and faculty complained that the campus demonstrations veered into anti-Semitism, while pro-Palestinian advocates have accused critics of often wrongly conflating opposition to Israel with the hatred of Jews. On Tuesday, Columbia University’s Judicial Board announced that it had finalised disciplinary proceedings against students who took part in protests at the university’s main library in May and the “Revolt for Rafah” encampment last year. CUAD said nearly 80 students had been expelled or suspended for between one and three years for joining the protests, sanctions it argued “hugely” exceeded the precedent for non-Palestine-related demonstrations. Adblock test (Why?)
Swedish neo-Nazis are using MMA to recruit new members
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Neo-Nazis in Sweden are using mixed martial arts events to try to attract new followers.
Thailand recalls ambassador to Cambodia amid border tensions
Governing party says it has downgraded ties with Cambodia after a landmine incident that injured a Thai soldier. Thailand has recalled its ambassador to Cambodia and will expel Cambodia’s ambassador, the governing Pheu Thai Party said, following a landmine incident that injured a Thai soldier along the disputed border between the two countries. The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged a formal protest with Cambodia, saying the landmines found in the area were newly deployed and had not been encountered during previous patrols, the party said on social media on Wednesday. Thailand has downgraded diplomatic relations with Cambodia, it said. Thailand’s foreign ministry said it had yet to be informed of the decision to recall the Thai envoy and the plan to expel Cambodia’s ambassador. The government has also ordered the closure of all border checkpoints under the jurisdiction of Thailand’s Second Army, the Pheu Thai Party said. “Tourists are strictly prohibited from entering these border areas,” it said. A long-running territorial row in an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet, boiled over into military clashes in May that left one Cambodian soldier dead. Since then, the two sides have traded barbs and tit-for-tat retaliatory measures. In the landmine incident on Wednesday, the Thai soldier sustained injuries and lost his right leg, the Pheu Thai Party said. Earlier, Thailand accused Cambodia of placing landmines on the Thai side of the disputed border area after three soldiers were injured, but Phnom Penh denied the claim and said the soldiers had veered off agreed routes and triggered a mine left behind from decades of war. Advertisement Thai authorities said the soldiers were injured, with one losing a foot, by a landmine while on a patrol on July 16 on the Thai side of the disputed border area between Ubon Ratchathani and Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Province. Cambodia’s foreign ministry denied that new mines had been planted, and said in a statement on Monday that the Thai soldiers deviated from agreed patrol routes into Cambodian territory and into areas that contain unexploded landmines. The country is littered with landmines laid during decades of war. The continuing border dispute has soured relations between the two countries, prompting the closure of border crossings, and Cambodia blocking imports of fuel and gas, as well as fruit and vegetables, from Thailand. It also triggered a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her conduct during the row. A diplomatic call between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, Cambodia’s former longtime ruler and father of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, was leaked from the Cambodian side, prompting a judicial investigation. Last week, Hun Manet announced that Cambodia would start conscripting civilians next year, activating a long-dormant mandatory draft law. He said the tensions with Thailand meant conscription was needed, and the defence budget may also be increased. Adblock test (Why?)