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For the first time in more than a year, there is a peace of sorts on the Israel-Lebanon border, but there are still huge questions about whether it can hold and what it means more broadly for the region.The ceasefire is in its infancy as it came into effect at 4am local time. On the streets of Beirut, there was celebratory gunfire as the deal was welcomed - and there is reason for optimism that it will succeed.Over the last few months, Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah has been severely degraded.Latest updates from the Middle East Much of its arsenal has been destroyed and its leadership, including Hassan Nasrallah, eliminated.Hezbollah had miscalculated it would be able to fight a limited war against Israel in solidarity with Hamas, the militant group ruling Gaza, without suffering major...

An Australian police officer who Tasered a 95-year-old great-grandmother in a care home has been found guilty of manslaughter.Kristian James Samuel White was found guilty of killing Clare Nowland, who had dementia and used a walking frame, by a jury in Sydney who deliberated for 20 hours before convicting the 34-year-old. Senior Constable White, who could face up to 25 years in prison after his conviction at the Supreme Court in New South Wales, used the weapon against her in May 2023 after she reportedly refused to put down a steak knife.Ms Nowland, a resident of Yallambee Lodge, a nursing home in the town of Cooma, fell backwards after being Tasered and died a week later in Cooma Hospital.Police said at the time that Ms Nowland sustained her fatal injuries from striking her head on the f...

The alliance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk framed the 2024 election and their bond has only deepened since.Musk has been a regular fixture at the president-elect's Florida mansion and the pair have introduced their families. He has been privy to phone conversations with world leaders, consulted with Trump on his cabinet picks and even hosted him at Space X for the launch of the Starship rocket.Musk will co-chair the new Department of Government Efficiency, charged with cutting government spending.But how might the entrepreneur's other views affect Trump policy? Image: Elon Musk secured the confidence of Donald Trump during his election campaign. Pic: Reuters The cause closest to Musk's heart is pronatalism, a pro-birt...

China has warned Donald Trump a new trade war "will leave no party unscathed" as the incoming US president's new tariff threats provoke an angry reaction.The response by the world's second-largest economy to Mr Trump's promise of additional 10% tariffs on all goods from China into the US, came via state media. "There are no winners in tariff wars. If the US continues to politicise economic and trade issues by weaponising tariffs, it will leave no party unscathed," the China Daily said in an editorial.Money latest: UK pension scheme slammed over Bitcoin investmentMr Trump announced late on Monday that he would also target neighbours Mexico and Canada. He pledged 25% tariffs on goods coming from both nations due to excessive migration.Mexico and China, however, are also in his sights for ano...