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- US envoy Jared Kushner links lack of Gaza progress to Israeli elections
- Floating island in British Columbia reservoir appears and disappears 20 miles away
- Eiffel Tower closes after staff walkout over treatment of women
- IAEA reports Syria’s Assad-era reactor configured for nuclear weapons
- Trump’s trade conflict with Canada becomes a key issue in U.S. midterms
- Congress not briefed on Hegseth leak investigation, says Rep. Jason Crow
- Vladimir Putin misled about military progress in Ukraine, experts say
- Latvia bans imports of Russian printed materials to safeguard security
A Black Lives Matters protest in London regarding Chris Kaba.
Looks like the white, middle class organisers forget to invite any black people.
In the wake of death of UK political prisoner, Peter Lynch, who was fast tracked into prison for essentially shouting in the street.
The grandfather was ultimately sentenced to death.
Pakistani family who attacked police at Manchester Airport, STILL haven't even been charged.
Tiny ‘Black Lives Matter’ crowd gathers outside the Old Bailey courtrooms to protest the not guilty verdict of the police officer who shot violent criminal Chris Kaba.
Kaba rammed his car repeatedly into armed police officers’ cars.
BLM is finished in the UK.
UK public borrowing exceeds official forecast in September
Government borrowing overshot official projections in September, which is a sign of the difficult fiscal position that the Chancellor faces as she puts the finishing touches on her first tax and spending budget.
September 7, 2026
11:00 pm
Get you up to speed: U.S. envoy Jared Kushner attributes the lack of progress on Gaza to upcoming Israeli elections: “Makes them a little irrational”
Jared Kushner, President Trump’s special envoy, linked the lack of progress on the rehabilitation of Gaza to the upcoming Israeli elections during a conference in Kyiv. U.S. efforts to advance the peace plan have stalled amid disagreements with Israel and Hamas, with Israel continuing airstrikes in Gaza.
U.S. officials are pressing for guarantees from Israel to establish a new police force in Gaza, which is essential for creating a security framework independent of Hamas. Despite the ongoing ceasefire, Israel has maintained airstrikes in Gaza, complicating the demilitarisation efforts outlined in the U.S.-backed peace plan.
Jared Kushner stated that the lack of progress in Gaza rehabilitation is linked to the upcoming Israeli elections, which he characterised as making “them a little irrational in certain regards.” In response, U.S. officials have highlighted that Israel is not meeting commitments necessary for reconstruction efforts, including the establishment of a new police force in Gaza, as tension continues over proposed disarmament plans.
What remains unclear — It is not specified how the Israeli government is impeding the Gaza peace plan.
US envoy Jared Kushner links lack of Gaza progress to Israeli elections
President Trump’s special envoy Jared Kushner directly linked the lack of progress on the rehabilitation of the war-torn Gaza Strip to upcoming Israeli elections.
Israel will hold elections in late October, and polls show it is a tight race between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponents.
“We’re working through some political issues in Israel. I think we agree with them on the end state,” said Kushner, who was speaking at a conference on Sunday in Kyiv, where he was holding talks to end the Russia-Ukraine war. “They just have a crazy election, and that makes them a little irrational in certain regards.”
Kushner’s remarks are a rare and candid criticism of Netanyahu’s government by a senior Trump administration official over the conservative Israeli leader’s Gaza policy.
U.S. efforts to advance plans to disarm Gaza militant group Hamas and open the way for investment into rebuilding the devastated Palestinian enclave have stalled amid disagreements with Israel and Hamas about the proposed roadmap.
Large parts of Gaza were destroyed during the war sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel nearly three years ago. Many Palestinians are still living in tent encampments a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
Kushner, who is Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, did not elaborate on how the Israeli government is impeding the Gaza peace plan.
“Gaza has not worked for a very, very long time. It was basically built by NGOs and terrorists,” he said, adding, “Now we have a plan to go forward.”
A U.S. official familiar with the matter told WTX US News one of the issues irking Washington is that Israel had not given guarantees needed to set up a new police force in Gaza. That police force is needed to create a security architecture independent of Hamas that could facilitate the entry into the Strip of a new technocratic government backed by Washington. Israel is also not meeting its commitments to allow in materials needed for certain reconstruction projects, the official said.
The Israeli prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Nickolay Mladenov, a senior diplomat on the Board of Peace, tasked with advancing the U.S. peace plan, said in remarks to the United Nations in late August that Israel’s continued airstrikes in Gaza impede getting Hamas’ fighters to give up their weapons.
“It only delays the demilitarization that would happen, and it obstructs the civilian transition that should take place to ensure that remilitarization will not be possible in the future,” Mladenov said.
Israel has continued to carry out near-daily airstrikes in Gaza since agreeing to a ceasefire in October. Israel says the strikes are aimed at preventing imminent threats to its soldiers and to foil efforts by Hamas to regroup and rearm. Israel has also continued an operation to kill those who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas into Israel that sparked the subsequent war.
While Israel retains the right to defend its troops in Gaza, U.S. officials see some of the Israeli airstrikes as going beyond that scope and perpetuating insecurity in the enclave, said the U.S. official familiar with the matter.
The peace plan negotiated by the Board of Peace in August calls for Hamas to gradually disarm while Israel simultaneously gradually withdraws from territory it controls in Gaza. Israel has controlled over half of Gaza’s territory since the start of the ceasefire.
Last month, Netanyahu rejected that plan, saying Israel would not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is “genuinely disarmed.”
Israeli officials have expressed doubt that Hamas would relinquish all of its weapons unless Israel keeps the whole of its leverage over the group, including its military presence inside Gaza.
Hamas has agreed to the U.S.-backed plan but has resisted any steps to disarm. The group says Israel has failed to hold up its side of the bargain of the ceasefire.
September 7, 2026
11:00 pm
September 7, 2026
10:00 pm
Get you up to speed: Mysterious Canadian island ‘vanishes’ and then reappears 20 miles away | News World
An island, estimated to be about the size of 1.5 American football fields, was first spotted in the Williston Reservoir, northern British Columbia, in early August before it vanished and was later found approximately 20 miles away. BC Hydro has described the island as likely formed from driftwood that accumulated and supported plant life.
BC Hydro confirmed that satellite images taken before and after the island’s sighting corroborate its presence, with satellite footage updating its location to approximately 30 kilometres from the original spot. The utility company speculates that the island formed over time from driftwood accumulation and has warned against approaching the unstable surface.
BC Hydro spokesperson Bob Gammer confirmed that the floating island likely formed from driftwood accumulating in the reservoir, warning against attempts to walk on its unstable surface. Next, further monitoring of the area will occur to observe the island’s movements and stability.
What remains unclear — The exact mechanism of the floating island’s dislodgement and its subsequent movement within Williston Reservoir has not been confirmed.
Floating island in British Columbia reservoir appears and disappears 20 miles away
The island, in a Canadian reservoir, disappeared mysteriously (Picture: Facebook)
The world has no shortage of islands. There are over 900,000 of them, according to research, from officially inhabited islands through to tiny ones which exist purely as a dot of untouched land.
However, few are as mysterious as the one which has left folk in British Columbia baffled, after it appeared in the middle of a major lake, promptly vanished, and then showed up again 20 miles away.
The floating island in Williston Lake — the largest body of freshwater in British Columbia — was first spotted in early August by boaters.
But then, just days later, the island was nowhere to be seen, leaving locals wondering where it had got to and even speculating that the original image of the tree-filled stretch of land could have been AI-generated.
![A huge forested island mysteriously appeared in a Canadian lake, then suddenly vanished after initially skeptical officials confirmed its existence. The island, estimated to be about the size of two NFL football fields, was spotted floating in?the Williston Reservoir in early August. The enormous man-made body of water is the seventh-largest reservoir in the world and is located in a remote part of northern British Columbia. A local took an eerie photo from a distance that shows the mysterious landmass surrounded by open water before boating nearby to take a video of it. The stunning close-up footage shows trees at the edge of the island uncannily bobbing up and down in the water. The boater sent the photo and video to another local named Rocky Avery, who on August 12 posted them on social media where they soon went viral. Avery told Canadian outlet CBC : 'It was a pretty amazing sight to see, never seen anything like that in my 40 years in this country.' He said that he created the post to alert BC Hydro 'in case [the island] was floating down their way.'?The Canadian utility company produces hydroelectric power for British Columbia through the WAC Bennett Dam that created the Williston Reservoir.](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/SEI_310203363-080b.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646 "Floating island in British Columbia reservoir appears and disappears 20 miles away WTX News")
Now you see it…now you don’t (Picture: Facebook)
Bob Gammer, a spokesperson for government-owned utility firm BC Hydro, which is responsible for maintaining the reservoir, said in an interview: ‘We first heard about it from a member of the media in northern British Columbia who had seen a Facebook post.
‘Someone had been out on the reservoir in their boat and came across this island.
A satellite image which had been taken before this, at the end of July, confirmed its existence, showing the island floating in the middle of the lake.
However, by the time another image was taken on August 5, the island had disappeared, sparking speculation as to where it had got to.
It was only when further satellite footage, followed by eyewitness accounts from people flying overhead, emerged that the island was located — around 30km (18.65) miles from where it was first spotted, and far closer to shore.
The island was spotted drifting around Williston Lake (Picture: Shutterstock / wayne valiquette)
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BC Hydro has since said that the island likely measures around one hectare — making it roughly the same size as 1.5 American football fields.
As to where it might have come from, the company has some theories about that too, suggesting it was formed from accumulating driftwood, which allowed trees and plant life to blossom.
‘Our best understanding from simple observations is that this is probably an island that grew up on top of a bunch of woody debris that had been compressed together, crowded into a sheltered bay, along the shoreline of the reservoir for many, many years,’ Gammer explained.
‘And then, eventually, those logs started to decompose. And the trees grew up, and they’ve kind of knitted to hold all of these floating logs and woody debris together.
‘And at some point, when the reservoir rose, with the spring snowmelt filling up the reservoir, it may have dislodged this island of logs and vegetation up and away from the shoreline, and then the wind pushed it out into open water.’
He also warned people against actually trying to set foot on the island itself, as the surface appears to be unstable — although that hasn’t stopped people wanting to try.
Rocky Avery, one of the boaters who originally posted footage of the island to social media, said he would ‘totally jump’ on that island if he were able to, adding: ‘It’s probably a bit shaky on the outer sections, but with those huge trees in the centre, I imagine someone could walk on it.’
Forty Acre Bog on Lake Chippewa in Wisconsin has also attracted its share of attention (Picture: Google maps)
It’s not the first time that a floating, moving island has been spotted in a significant body of water.
Another, Forty Acre Bog on Lake Chippewa in Wisconsin is thought to have been formed by peat bogs breaking away from the bottom of the lake and rising to the surface.
That island is home to several small species of wildlife, including frogs and salamanders, and has previously been moved by local boaters to prevent it from colliding with a nearby bridge.
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