California governor signs bill making insurance companies pay for IVF treatment

California’s governor signed into law Sunday legislation requiring certain insurance providers to cover costs for infertility treatment and in vitro fertilization, his office announced.

“California is a proud reproductive freedom state – and that includes inc…[Read more]

What Israel’s ground operation into Lebanon drives home about America

Israel’s expected ground incursion into Lebanon will drive home a new strategic reality of a year of war — the once-mighty US is powerless to rein in its ally or to influence other major belligerents in a fast-worsening regional crisis.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netan…[Read more]

US election polls: Who is ahead – Harris or Trump?

Voters in the US go to the polls on 5 November to elect their next president.

The election was initially a rematch of 2020 but it was upended in July when President Joe Biden ended his campaign and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris.

The big question now is – will America get its first woman…[Read more]

Trump warned by US intelligence of Iran assassination threats – campaign

Donald Trump has been briefed by US intelligence on threats from Iran to assassinate him, his campaign said.

The Republican presidential candidate was briefed “regarding real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the…[Read more]

Storm Helene strengthens as it heads to Mexico and Florida

Tropical Storm Helene is strengthening in the Caribbean as it heads towards Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula.

Meteorologists warn Helene could turn into a category-three hurricane before hitting the US Gulf Coast in the coming days.

The US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that…[Read more]

At a ‘fighting antisemitism’ event, Trump says Jewish voters will bear ‘a lot’ of blame if he loses

Trump has for years criticized Jewish Democratic voters and has repeatedly referred to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as “like a Palestinian.”

In remarks ostensibly focused on combating antisemitism, former President Donald Trump q…[Read more]

North Carolina Republican denies calling himself Black Nazi, vows to stay in governor’s race

North Carolina’s Republican candidate for governor promised to stay in the race on Thursday after CNN reported that he once called himself a “black NAZI!” and proposed bringing back slavery in comments posted on a pornography website.
Mark Robinson, an…[Read more]

A Missouri death row inmate set to be executed in less than a week asks the US Supreme Court to halt his execution

A death row inmate in Missouri who has long claimed his innocence and is scheduled to be executed in less than one week asked the US Supreme Court on Wednesday for a stay of execution, arguing his due process rights were denied…[Read more]

Even before election, Trump, allies sue over claims that non-citizens might vote

Donald Trump and his Republican allies are ratcheting up baseless claims that the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election could be skewed by widespread voting by non-citizens in a series of lawsuits that democracy advocates say are meant to sow distrust.
At least eight…[Read more]

‘The end of Schengen’: Germany’s new border controls put EU unity at risk

Critics say tightened land border checks a ‘transparent’ bid to appease far right that breaches free movement rights

Germany’s decision to tighten controls at every one of its land borders seems driven chiefly by politics, is difficult to justify in law, deals a heavy blo…[Read more]

The German woman who helped build an Indian university

In a Muslim graveyard in Delhi, a tombstone stands out.
It has an inscription written in the Urdu language, but beneath it lies the name of a German-born Jewish woman – Gerda Philipsborn – followed by the epithet ‘Aapajaan’ or ‘elder sister’.
This is an unusual sight as the graves of the…[Read more]

Germany: Second explosion shakes Cologne

The explosion was the second in a week in Cologne’s city center. Police said it was still too early to say if there was a connection. Sniffer dogs were on the site as officers investigated.

The western German city of Cologne saw a small explosion for the second time in a week early on Wednesday.

The…[Read more]

Germany has stopped approving war weapons exports to Israel: Report

Germany faces mounting pressure from legal cases arguing that German weapons exports to Israel breach humanitarian law.

Germany has put a hold on new exports of weapons of war to Israel while it deals with legal challenges, according to the Reuters news agency.

A source close…[Read more]

German far right hails ‘historic’ election victory in east

Germany’s anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) is celebrating a “historic success”, with a big victory for the far-right party in the eastern state of Thuringia.
The AfD won almost a third of the vote, nine points ahead of the conservative CDU, and far in front of Germany’s…[Read more]

An ‘earthquake’ at Volkswagen – and a crisis for Germany?

The company is seen as crucial not just to local but national wellbeing – and never before have its workers been threatened in their own homeland like this

‘Earthquake at Volkswagen” ran the stark headline in the Wolfsburger Nachrichten, the newspaper serving the north German city that i…[Read more]

German Chancellor Scholz expands border checks to tackle immigration

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ruling coalition agreed to temporarily extend frontier controls to all nine of Germany’s land borders as part of a crackdown on irregular immigration and an effort to strengthen domestic security.

Germany already has temporary controls on its bor…[Read more]

CIA and MI6 heads discuss Gaza ceasefire efforts, Russian threat in unprecedented joint public appearance in London

CIA chief Bill Burns said Saturday he hoped to have a “more detailed” hostage and ceasefire proposal to put before Israel and Hamas negotiators in the coming days, but stressed that its success would come down to “political will”…[Read more]

Donald Trump’s debate plan is simple, but its execution is uncertain

Former President Donald Trump has a very basic plan for debating Vice President Kamala Harris – attack, attack, attack – but says he has no idea how it will play out in prime time on Tuesday.

Describing debates as spur-of-the-moment events, Trump braced supporters for the…[Read more]

US and Chinese commanders hold rare talks to dial down risk of ‘miscalculation’

American and Chinese military commanders spoke in a long-anticipated call Tuesday as the two powers seek to manage their intensifying rivalry in a contentious Asia-Pacific region – and repair lines of military communication severed more than two years ago.

US Indo-…[Read more]

California lawmakers pass just one part of reparations legislation

California lawmakers passed just one part of a three-bill package addressing reparations for slavery and racism in the waning days of their state house session, amid reports the governor had raised concerns.
Dozens of demonstrators arrived to support the measures proposed by…[Read more]