First Factor: Iran rejects US ceasefire plan and submits its personal | US information

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Iran dismissed a US ceasefire proposal on Wednesday and responded with its personal negotiation plan as intermediaries sought to maintain diplomatic channels between the warring nations open.

Iranian state TV quoted an nameless official as saying Tehran had rejected the plan it had obtained through Pakistan, saying it might “finish the conflict when it decides to take action and when its personal circumstances are met”, and till then would proceed preventing throughout the area. Iran’s international minister, Abbas Araghchi, later stated the proposals had been “handed on to the nation’s senior authorities” however Iran had “no intention of negotiating for now”.

Gulf states have expressed doubt over Donald Trump’s claims that talks are taking place. In a notable departure from Qatar’s role as chief mediator within the area, a Qatari authorities spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, stated on Tuesday that Qatar was not concerned in any mediation efforts, earlier than including: “In the event that they exist.”

What's the toll? The US-Israel conflict on Iran has killed greater than 1,000 folks in Lebanon, greater than 1,500 in Iran and 16 in Israel, based on every nation’s authorities. Greater than a dozen deaths have been reported within the West Financial institution and Gulf Arab states. Consultants warn there was a collapse in healthcare access .

This can be a growing story. Comply with our reside weblog for the latest updates .

Members of the family of victims react to information that the jury has discovered Meta and YouTube liable. {Photograph}: Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty Photographs Meta and YouTube have been found liable for deliberately designing addictive merchandise that hooked a younger person and led to her being harmed, a Los Angeles jury dominated on Wednesday.

The decision comes only a day after Meta was ordered to pay $375m in civil penalties in a separate lawsuit in New Mexico. The jury discovered the corporate had misled shoppers in regards to the security of its platforms and enabled hurt, together with baby sexual exploitation.

What did the Los Angeles plaintiff allege? The 20-year-old lady testified that she turned hooked on YouTube at age six and Instagram at 9, which she stated harmed her wellbeing. She blamed the platforms for her expertise of physique dysmorphic dysfunction and social phobia in her adolescence.

How a lot will the businesses pay the plaintiff? The jury awarded the plaintiff within the case damages of $6m, with Meta to pay 70% and YouTube the rest.

Epstein survivor who voted for Trump says she now fears ‘we’re not going to get justice’ Jena Lisa Jones holds a photograph of her youthful self throughout a information convention exterior the US Capitol in November 2025. {Photograph}: Bloomberg/Getty Photographs After backing Donald Trump in 2024 within the hope that he would bring transparency to the Jeffrey Epstein case , Jena Lisa Jones, an Epstein survivor, has stated she now fears “we’re not going to get justice in all of this”.

Jones criticized Trump for capitalizing on the case in his election marketing campaign however then dismissing some calls to launch extra Epstein recordsdata as a Democratic “hoax”. She added that she and different survivors had confronted backlash for talking out.

What has Jones stated in regards to the recordsdata launched? That she has but to search out her recordsdata among the many launched data. Some lawmakers and survivors say that supplies are nonetheless lacking.

What has the justice division stated? That each one paperwork have been launched, except they're “duplicates, privileged, or a part of an ongoing federal investigation”.

In different information … Nicolás Maduro gestures throughout a press convention on the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas in 2024. {Photograph}: Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Photographs The deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro will seem once more in a New York federal courtroom on Thursday in his “narco-terrorism” case after being kidnapped by US forces in January .

James Talarico , the Texas Democratic state consultant and Presbyterian seminarian, has stated he forgives Pete Hegseth’s pastor for praying for his dying, after the protection secretary’s closest non secular adviser stated: “We want him crucified with Christ” .

EU lawmakers will vote on the bloc’s tariff take care of the US on Thursday after months of delay .

North Korea and Belarus have signed a “friendship and cooperation” treaty on Thursday, after a gathering between their leaders in Pyongyang .

Stat of the day: As much as 50% of US federal taxes go in direction of army spending ‘Many conflict tax resisters by no means face penalties. Because the second world conflict, solely two people have served time for nonpayment of taxes in protest of US army interventions.’ {Photograph}: Spencer Platt/Getty Photographs With as much as 50% of US federal taxes going in direction of army spending, Clara Vondrich, senior coverage counsel on local weather at Public Citizen, argues that it’s time to revive the tradition of war tax resistance . Calling on others to take the risk and be part of her, Vondrich says that because the second world conflict, solely two folks have been imprisoned for non-payment of taxes in protest of conflict. “This conflict has short-circuited our democratic processes and our representatives weren't consulted – name it taxation with out illustration,” she stated.

The Filter recommends: The perfect bike lights within the US to see and be seen Bike owner using a mountain bike outside. {Photograph}: Anastasiia Stiahailo/500px/Getty Photographs/500px Plus Whether or not your bike is a part of your day by day commute otherwise you cycle for enjoyable on the weekends, proudly owning a high-quality mild is likely one of the most cost-effective investments you can also make into your security. Here are the best bike lights , examined by the Guardian in numerous highway and climate circumstances.

Don’t miss this: Marriage over, hospitalization … The AI customers whose lives had been wrecked by delusion ‘It needs a deep reference to the person in order that the person comes again to it’ … Dennis Biesma at dwelling in Amsterdam this month. {Photograph}: Jussi Puikkonen/The Guardian When Dennis Biesma, an IT marketing consultant, first determined to take a look at ChatGPT in 2024, he had no concept how it might derail his life. Inside months, Biesma had sunk €100,000 ($115,000) right into a enterprise startup based mostly on a delusion, been hospitalized 3 times and tried to kill himself. With the primary assist group for folks whose lives have been wrecked by AI psychosis fashioned final yr, Biesma describes how he fell down the rabbit hole .

Local weather verify: US has prompted $10tn price of local weather harm since 1990, analysis finds A brand new examine has tried to connect greenback quantities to local weather harm brought on by the US fossil gas business. {Photograph}: David McNew/Getty Photographs The US has prompted $10tn in global damages to the world since 1990 via its emissions, making it the biggest carbon emitter in historical past, researchers have discovered. This put it forward of China – at the moment the world’s greatest emitter – which has been answerable for $9tn in harm prior to now three many years. 1 / 4 of the harm wreaked by US emissions has been inflicted on itself, although the poorest nations have suffered disproportionate financial ache.

Final Factor: What to learn about ‘boy kibble’, the viral meal slop pattern The brown, lumpy concoction is praised by fitness center bros as a straightforward approach to get the carbs and protein wanted to maximise their exercise beneficial properties. Composite: Rita Liu/The Guardian/Getty Photographs In case you don't have any concept what “boy kibble” is, let me fill you in. It’s a time period utilized by health-conscious gen Z males on-line to describe a simple, protein-heavy meal made up of floor beef, rice, and typically a vegetable or fats. “That is primarily old-school bodybuilding diet repackaged,” one knowledgeable stated. However is boy kibble truly wholesome?

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