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Aug 30, 2026 - World

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee was condemned Saturday for ignoring a brutal attack on an American news crew that occurred earlier that same day.A crew of three NBC News correspondents was reporting from the occupied West Bank on Saturday near the Palestinian village of Jalud when a vehicle accelerated toward them with Israeli license plates, the outlet reported.“They jumped out, beat us, then jumped back in the car,” said NBC News correspondent Matt Bradley, who the outlet notes was “hit twice in the arm and later treated at a nearby clinic.” Aida Ahmed Abdullah, a Palestinian woman being interviewed by the NBC News crew, was also injured in the attack.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a vague statement Saturday condemning the attacks, calling them “acts of violence” that harm “Israel’s standing in the world,” though did not mention that Americans were attacked in the incident.Responding to Netanyahu and other Israeli officials’ remarks, Huckabee called them “strong statements,” but similarly made no mention of the attack on Americans. He also called on the Palestinian Authority to “join in condemning violence against Israel by Palestinians.”Huckabee's ignoring of an attack on Americans left several critics outraged.“There is literally nothing in this statement to indicate that it’s the U.S. ambassador to Israel talking about Israeli violence against Americans,” wrote Jasper Nathaniel, a journalist known for his coverage of the West Bank and Israeli settler violence, in a social media post on X. “Reads entirely like a statement by an Israeli official.”Journalist and NBC News contributor Hooman Majd further suggested Huckabee’s allegiance was stronger to Israel rather than the United States, and urged the Trump administration official to “protect American citizens.”“You're the American ambassador, not the spokesman for the Israeli government,” Majd wrote in a social media post on X. “Rather than congratulating the IDF and the Israeli FM, take a moment to protect American citizens trying to do their job.”Foreign policy analyst Trita Parsi went as far as to suggest that Israeli officials knew in advance that Huckabee “wouldn’t lift a finger” in defense of the victimized Americans.“When you read about [the] members of an NBC News Team being beaten by Israeli settlers today in the West Bank, it's important to note two things: The [settlers] wouldn't do this to Americans had they not received a green light from the Israeli gov,” Parsi wrote. “[And], Israel's gov would not have given such a green light unless it felt confident that the US gov — and Amb. Huckabee — wouldn't lift a finger to defend the Americans.”Huckabee has appeared to endorse the idea of “Greater Israel” in the past, with “Greater Israel” referring to the territorial aspirations of some Israelis to significantly expand the nation’s borders. Netanyahu — who was indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes — said as recently as last August that he “absolutely” subscribed to a “vision” for “Greater Israel.”So when you read about eight members of an NBC News Team being beaten by Israeli settlers today in the West Bank, it's important to note two things:1. The settler wouldn't do this to Americans had they not received a green light from the Israeli gov.2. Israel's gov would not… pic.twitter.com/UY5jX0CqgV— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) August 29, 2026

Aug 30, 2026 - World

The walls of a teaching hospital are filled with pictures of unidentified victims as authorities collect DNA samples and plan burials before morgues fill upFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSome of them are young, some old; most of them appear to be men. Some of them could be sleeping, except for the mud that covers their bodies. Some, it seems, would be impossible to recognise even if you knew them well.Every few hours Nepalese authorities hang pictures of the deceased, who have not been identified, on a wall at the back of a teaching hospital in Kathmandu. Continue reading...

Aug 30, 2026 - World

One Nation candidate Luke Herdegen secures 57% of the vote after preferences as Barnaby Joyce says ‘politics has changed’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBarnaby Joyce has declared “politics has changed” after One Nation claimed victory in the Secret Harbour state byelection in Western Australia.The One Nation MP celebrated the win on Sunday and said the results showed his party could convert high polling into on-the-ground votes. Continue reading...

Aug 29, 2026 - World

CIA Director John Ratcliffe raised eyebrows this week after secretly jetting off to Moscow, Russia, and while the Kremlin denied that any meetings between Russian officials and Ratcliffe took place, two insiders on Saturday revealed at least one apparent reason for the mysterious trip.Two sources briefed on the matter told Axios Saturday that while in Moscow, Ratcliffe proposed a “trilateral meeting” between President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in just the latest effort to end the Russo-Ukraine war. Since the beginning of his second term, Trump has struggled to bring about an end to the conflict despite his repeated efforts.“Ratcliffe's visit was partly aimed at determining whether Russia's heads of intelligence services could help convince Putin to move toward resuming U.S.-mediated negotiations with Ukraine, the sources said,” Axios’ Barak Ravid wrote in the outlet’s report.“On Friday, U.S. officials briefed Zelensky on Ratcliffe's talks in Moscow and the proposal for a trilateral summit.”Ratcliffe’s trip was so secretive that even top White House aides were “in the dark” about the expedition. The trip reportedly sent European officials “scrambling for information,” according to the Wall Street Journal.According to reports, Ratcliffe took a secretive route to Moscow aboard an unmarked U.S. C-17 military cargo plane flying out of Latvia. Trump, when asked about the trip by reporters, downplayed the mission as being “semi-routine.”“This was the first time Ratcliffe got personally involved in the diplomatic push to broker a breakthrough between Russia and Ukraine,” Axios’ report reads.“Ratcliffe met with his Russian counterparts: SVR foreign intelligence chief Sergey Naryshkin and FSB director Alexander Bortnikov. Trump told Axios that Ratcliffe's visit was ‘standard business’ and not intended to warn Russia against attacking NATO territory.”

Aug 29, 2026 - World

Plaskett fire has swept through more than 5,900 acres in Monterey county and remains un-contained, says Cal FireA fire in California’s Big Sur region doubled in size overnight, forcing the evacuation of nearby residents, in a coastal region where firefighters have battled another blaze for weeks.The Plaskett fire, which sparked on Tuesday, had swept through more than 5,900 acres (2,400 hectares) in Monterey county as of Friday, and remained un-contained, according to Cal Fire. Its cause is under investigation. Continue reading...