Singaporean climber dies on Nepal’s Mount Manaslu, first foreign casualty of season

🔮 US intelligence analysts have also raised the possibility that China could acquire F-35 technology through its partnerships with the kingdom The US has approved a US$24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 stealth warplanes to Saudi Arabia, the State Department said Thursday, the kingdom’s latest major arms purchase since the start of the Iran war.

🔮 “It is now the speaker of parliament who will lead the next steps on the path towards forming a new government.

🔮 UN says US strikes on Iran school that killed over 150 may amount to war crimes UN investigators also said Tehran had ramped up the use of ‘repressive laws’ and ‘lethal force’ to quell protests over rising living costs There are “reasonable grounds” to believe the US committed war crimes against civilians in Iran, who also face “gross human rights violations” from their own government, United Nations investigators said on Thursday.

🔮 Chancellor Friedrich Merz braces for potential double election blow this weekend as pressure mounts on his leadership Two German state elections Sunday could deal a double blow to embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz, two weeks after his party suffered a stunning defeat at the hands of the far-right AfD.

🔮 US House holds billionaire Leon Black in contempt over Epstein probe Lawmakers refer billionaire investor to Justice Department as his lawyers call contempt move ‘outrageous’ The US House of Representatives held billionaire investor Leon Black in contempt of Congress on Wednesday for defying subpoenas issued in its investigation into notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The resolution was adopted by unanimous consent, without a recorded vote, a day after the House Oversight Committee unanimously recommended the action. The matter will now be referred to the Justice Department, which will decide whether to pursue criminal charges. “No one is above the law.

🔮 “If they do that, if I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe, on many things.”

🔮 The powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un says ‘familiar silly talk’ about denuclearisation will not change the country’s status 2-MIN READ2-MIN 1 Listen

🔮 Trump says Kennedy Centre to close after judge bars name change The president says the venue’s board voted to shut the centre down for renovations, but it will not reopen unless the judgment is overruled US

🔮 Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in a concurring opinion with the majority, said Trump’s plan may ultimately be legal in the long run, but “state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections”.

🔮 Newsom won’t run for US president in 2028 if Harris does California governor says both he and former vice-president Kamala Harris campaigning would be a ‘gift’ to Republicans California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is widely considered a contender for the 2028 presidential election, will not enter the race if former US vice-president Kamala Harris runs again, he told CNN in a clip shared on Monday.