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In today’s newsletter: A Republican block on more aid for Kyiv could have an impact on its efforts to defend itself from Russian invasion
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Uncertainty chokes the resolve of western support for Ukraine after Republican senators blocked a $106bn bill that would have provided funds to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan – as well as bolstering security along the US-Mexico border. Although many Republicans are in favour of providing aid to Ukraine, the bill has become a lightning rod issue, as the GOP have realised they could use the bill as leverage to push through more hardline immigration policies.
Israel-Hamas war | The US has issued some of its strongest criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war against Hamas. US secretary of state Antony Blinken said there was a gap between the Israeli government’s declared intentions to protect civilians and the mounting casualties seen on the ground. The death toll in Gaza now stands at 17,000.
UK news | Police are still blaming child victims of sexual grooming gangs for the attacks they suffer, an official report has found. The report found that while the situation had improved over the last decade, progress was slow, and warnings from other official bodies had not been heeded. It also dismissed claims that one ethnic group posed more of a danger to children than any other.
Covid inquiry | Boris Johnson said there was nothing he could have reasonably done to stop lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street, calling media coverage and TV adaptations of these events “absurd” and “a travesty of the truth”.
Education | A “rude and intimidating” Ofsted inspection carried out inflexibly by poorly trained staff contributed to the death by suicide of the headteacher Ruth Perry, a coroner has concluded.
US news | Hunter Biden has been indicted on nine tax charges in California, in the second indictment against the president’s son, adding fuel to a scandal that Republicans have been seizing on in the lead-up to the 2024 election. The new charges include three felonies and six misdemeanor offences, and Biden faces a possible 17-year sentence if convicted.
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