U.S. Senate panel backs ‘big hammer’ plan to seize Russian assets to help Ukraine

U.S. Senate panel backs ‘big hammer’ plan to seize Russian assets to help Ukraine

Reuters reports: A U.S. Senate committee approved legislation on Wednesday that would help set the stage for the United States to confiscate Russian assets and hand them over to Ukraine for rebuilding after the destruction of the nearly two-year-long war. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 20 to 1 in favor of the unprecedented “Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) for Ukrainians Act.” If it were to pass the full Senate and House of Representatives and be signed into law…

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Israeli demonstrators block humanitarian aid crossing into Gaza

Israeli demonstrators block humanitarian aid crossing into Gaza

i24News reports: As part of a day of action, Israeli demonstrators demanded an immediate deal to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza for over 100 days since the Hamas-led October 7 attack. Several streets and junctions across the country were blocked. At the same time, a demonstration was held at Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza. Families of hostages, fallen soldiers, reservists, victims of October 7 and the evacuated citizens themselves in protest prevented aid trucks from entering…

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Israeli war cabinet minister says Netanyahu is lying about defeating Hamas

Israeli war cabinet minister says Netanyahu is lying about defeating Hamas

The Daily Beast reports: Israeli war cabinet minister Gadi Eisenkot took direct aim at Benjamin Netanyahu in a televised interview late Thursday in which he accused the prime minister of not being honest about Israel’s wartime objectives in Gaza. Speaking with Israel’s Channel 12, Eisenkot addressed Netanyahu’s recent press conference, in which the prime minister publicly dismissed the U.S. push for a Palestinian state after the war is over—and reiterated his intentions to keep the war going until Israel achieves…

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Turkey’s parliament votes to let Sweden join NATO

Turkey’s parliament votes to let Sweden join NATO

The Associated Press reports: Turkish legislators on Tuesday endorsed Sweden’s membership in NATO, lifting a major hurdle on the previously nonaligned country’s entry into the military alliance. The legislators ratified Sweden’s accession protocol by 287 votes to 55, with four abstentions. The ratification will come into effect after its publication in the Official Gazette, which is expected to be swift. Hungary then becomes the only NATO ally not to have ratified Sweden’s accession. NATO-member Turkey had been delaying Sweden’s membership…

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A plurality of Americans are not affiliated with any religion

A plurality of Americans are not affiliated with any religion

NPR reports: When Americans are asked to check a box indicating their religious affiliation, 28% now check ‘none.’ A new study from Pew Research finds that the religiously unaffiliated – a group comprised of atheists, agnostic and those who say their religion is “nothing in particular” – is now the largest cohort in the U.S. They’re more prevalent among American adults than Catholics (23%) or evangelical Protestants (24%). Back in 2007, Nones made up just 16% of Americans, but Pew’s…

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U.S. states had an estimated 65,000 rape-related pregnancies after banning abortion

U.S. states had an estimated 65,000 rape-related pregnancies after banning abortion

NPR reports: As an abortion provider in Montana, Dr. Samuel Dickman has seen patients routinely who tell him they became pregnant after a rape. His sense was the patients who were telling him were only a fraction of the true number. “There are certainly far more survivors of rape who become pregnant as a result, who — for totally understandable reasons — don’t want to disclose that fact to a medical provider that they just met.” Dickman used to live…

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‘Showing the world what’s possible’: St Paul makes history with first all-female city council

‘Showing the world what’s possible’: St Paul makes history with first all-female city council

The Guardian reports: When Rebecca Noecker first decided to enter politics in 2016, she was a young mom with two kids and many questions. She had a background in education but no knowledge of how to run for office. “There were so many systems that I saw around me that just felt broken and people were in pain and I wanted to do something about that,” Noecker, 39, said. “And it felt like politics was a way to do it.”…

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Many but not all of the world’s aquifers are losing water

Many but not all of the world’s aquifers are losing water

Science News reports: The world’s precious stash of subterranean freshwater is shrinking — and in nearly a third of aquifers, that loss has been speeding up in the last couple of decades, researchers report in the Jan. 25 Nature. A one-two punch of unsustainable groundwater withdrawals and changing climate has been causing global water levels to fall on average, leading to water shortages, slumping land surfaces and seawater intrusion into aquifers. The new study suggests that groundwater decline has accelerated…

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American, British forces escalate strikes on Houthis in Yemen in order to ‘de-escalate tensions’

American, British forces escalate strikes on Houthis in Yemen in order to ‘de-escalate tensions’

Politico reports: The U.S. and U.K. conducted large-scale air and missile strikes on Houthi rebel facilities across Yemen on Monday, according to a joint statement, stepping up operations against the militant group as it vows to continue attacking ships in the Red Sea. The U.S. and U.K. militaries, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, hit eight Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the Houthis’ continued attacks, according to a joint statement from the countries involved. The…

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Israel’s spy chief proposed Hamas leaders leave Gaza as part of broader ceasefire talks

Israel’s spy chief proposed Hamas leaders leave Gaza as part of broader ceasefire talks

CNN reports: Israel has proposed that Hamas senior leaders could leave Gaza as part of a broader ceasefire agreement, two officials familiar with the ongoing international discussions told CNN. The extraordinary proposal, which has not been previously reported, comes as Israel has struggled to achieve its stated goal of completely destroying Hamas. Despite its nearly four-month war in Gaza, Israel has failed to capture or kill any of Hamas’s most senior leaders in Gaza and left around 70% of Hamas’…

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A Louisiana teen traveled to the West Bank to learn about his roots. He was shot dead

A Louisiana teen traveled to the West Bank to learn about his roots. He was shot dead

NBC News reports: Tawfic Hafeth Abdel Jabbar was born and raised in Louisiana, in the city of Gretna, across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. It’s a long way from the mountains of the occupied West Bank, but when Tawfic, 17, arrived in May, he was excited to properly explore the landscape of the village where his dad grew up, and to learn more about his roots as a Palestinian American. “He loved the outdoors,” his father, Hafeth Abdel Jabbar,…

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Greenland losing 30 million tonnes of ice an hour, study reveals

Greenland losing 30 million tonnes of ice an hour, study reveals

The Guardian reports: The Greenland ice cap is losing an average of 30m tonnes of ice an hour due to the climate crisis, a study has revealed, which is 20% more than was previously thought. Some scientists are concerned that this additional source of freshwater pouring into the north Atlantic might mean a collapse of the ocean currents called the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (Amoc) is closer to being triggered, with severe consequences for humanity. Major ice loss from Greenland…

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‘It’s not game over – it’s game on’: why 2024 is an inflection point for the climate crisis

‘It’s not game over – it’s game on’: why 2024 is an inflection point for the climate crisis

By Wesley Morgan, Griffith University In 2024, global climate trends are cause for both deep alarm and cautious optimism. Last year was the hottest on record by a huge margin and this year will likely be hotter still. The annual global average temperature may, for the first time, exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels – a threshold crucial for stabilising the Earth’s climate. Without immediate action, we are at grave risk of crossing irreversible tipping points in the Earth’s climate system….

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Pentagon says Ukrainian soldiers running out of ammunition without U.S. funds

Pentagon says Ukrainian soldiers running out of ammunition without U.S. funds

Politico reports: Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines are running out of ammunition and other weapons needed to fight the Russian invaders, a Pentagon official said Tuesday, now that U.S. funding to support the war has lapsed. Since December, Washington has been unable to send urgently needed military aid to Ukraine at the same levels as the previous two years, Celeste Wallander, the Pentagon’s top official overseeing international security affairs, told reporters. That’s because the Pentagon has used all of…

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