US, UK strike Houthi sites in Yemen amid surge in Red Sea attacks by the rebels – POLITICO

Earlier this week, the spokesperson for the Houthis said the militants shot down a U.S. drone and damaged a Belize-flagged, British cargo ship in their latest assaults against commercial vessels. “The ship suffered catastrophic damage and came to a complete halt,” Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sare’e said on social media. “As a result of the extensive damage …

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New Houthi attack risks ‘environmental disaster,’ US says – POLITICO

While the crew of 24 has been safely evacuated, the cargo of fertilizer “could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster,” it said. The attack has heightened concerns for the Red Sea’s unique coral reefs, which scientists have found to be so far resilient to climate change but at risk from other threats. …

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In Northern Ireland, ‘a Protestant state’ finally has a Catholic leader – POLITICO

Demands and priorities Britain is providing the executive an extra £3.3 billion to start patching holes in services and pay long-delayed wage hikes that just triggered the biggest public sector strike in Northern Ireland’s history. The trouble is, the head of Northern Ireland’s civil service, Jayne Brady, has already told the new leaders that these eye-watering sums are still …

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Trump’s ghost stalks Davos – POLITICO

DAVOS, Switzerland — World leaders gathered together in the Swiss Alps this week are nervous that Donald Trump will be even more anti-global if he returns as United States president. And they have good reason to be wary. If polls prove correct, the front-runner for the Republican nomination is set to be crowned winner of the …

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EU makes muddled response to crisis in the Red Sea – POLITICO

Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. While the U.S. and U.K. carried out airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Thursday — in a bid to deter attacks on ships in the Red Sea — it remains to be seen whether there will be a meaningful EU involvement in the growing conflict. So …

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Sinn Féin walks immigration tightrope toward power in Ireland – POLITICO

Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. DUBLIN – For Sinn Féin chief Mary Lou McDonald to become Ireland’s next prime minister, she will have to negotiate a delicate path over the newly hot-button topic of immigration. Tensions about Ireland’s overwhelmed refugee system have shot to the top of the political …

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What you need to know about the Red Sea crisis – POLITICO

Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. On October 7, Hamas fighters launched a bloody attack against Israel, using paragliders, speedboats and underground tunnels to carry out an offensive that killed almost 1,200 people and saw hundreds more taken back to the Gaza Strip as prisoners.  Almost three months on, Israel’s …

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Don’t accuse me of boosting Hamas with Qatari money – POLITICO

Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Paul Ronzheimer is the deputy editor-in-chief of BILD and a senior journalist reporting for Axel Springer, the parent company of POLITICO. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vehemently denied accusations he allowed Qatar to fund and strengthen the militant group Hamas in order to divide Palestinians …

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Anti-green backlash hovers over COP climate talks – POLITICO

This article is part of the Road to COP special report, presented by SQM. LONDON — World leaders will touch down in Dubai next week for a climate change conference they’re billing yet again as the final off-ramp before catastrophe. But war, money squabbles and political headaches back home are already crowding the fate of the planet from the …

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Musk threatens ‘thermonuclear lawsuit’ as X ad boycott gathers pace – POLITICO

Elon Musk said on Saturday that he will file a “thermonuclear lawsuit” against non-profit watchdog Media Matters and others, as companies including Disney, Apple and IBM reportedly have paused advertising on X amid an antisemitism storm around the social media platform. Media Matters, a U.S. group that describes itself as “a progressive research and information …

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