The Israeli government announced on Tuesday that it had approved a budget of approximately 1.3bn shekels ($434m) to fund the establishment of 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.
According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, the decision was made by the security cabinet in June but kept under wraps over concerns about the US response.
The cabinet had separately approved the establishment of the 34 settlements in March, but the decision was not publicly announced until Tuesday.
The latest approval brings the number of settlements authorised under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current government to 104 since it took office in late 2022, Ynet reported.
Israel approves over $400m to fund 34 settlements in occupied West Bank
'Red Ribbons' campaign urges Red Cross be allowed access to Palestinians held by Israel
A global campaign in support of captive Palestinians has urged the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to immediately resume independent visits to Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, warning that Israel has yet to implement a Supreme Court ruling overturning its ban on humanitarian access.
The Red Ribbons campaign emerged last year as people started wearning red ribbons in support of Palestinian captives held in Israeli prisons at protests from New York to London.
In a statement, it called on the ICRC to “take immediate humanitarian action to ensure the practical implementation of the Israeli Supreme Court's ruling of 3 June 2026, which revoked the blanket prohibition on ICRC visits to Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in Israeli custody.”
An open letter sent last week also urged the Red Cross to “restore regular, meaningful and independent access to Palestinian hostages and prisoners in accordance with international humanitarian law and the ICRC's own established standards for detention visits.”
Israel’s Supreme Court unanimously struck down the ban on 3 June, ruling that the government had violated Israeli and international law and failed to prMore...ovide a legal basis for blocking visits since October 2023.
The rules bar visits to several categories of detainees, limit the ICRC to one visit every three months, and allow it to request meetings with no more than five prisoners.
Zelensky Honors Heroes, Medics, Energy Workers on Statehood Day, Awards 10 Young Ukrainian Passports
President Volodymyr Zelensky honored soldiers, medics, energy workers and other civilians with state awards on Ukrainian Statehood Day, personally presenting the Order of the “Golden Star” to the mother of a fallen Hero of Ukraine who received the title posthumously.
Zelensky announced the ceremony in a statement on Wednesday, listing former Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, French Ambassador to Ukraine Gaël Veyssière, historian Natalia Yakovenko, writer and serviceman Illarion Pavliuk, and publisher Anton Martynov among those decorated.
“On the occasion of Ukrainian Statehood Day, I honored our people whose work helps Ukraine hold its ground and preserve our independMore...ence,” Zelensky said, adding that “Ukraine stands on the people who defend, rescue, rebuild, and work for it every day.”
Mystery bidder buys T. rex nicknamed 'Gus' for a record $50 million
An imposing, 38-foot long Tyrannosaurus rex fossil sold for a record $50.1 million at auction on Tuesday. But its purchase — likely by a private buyer — is being criticized by paleontologists and other scientists.
The fossil nicknamed Gus is considered one of the largest and most complete T. rex skeletons ever discovered. Many hoped a museum would buy the impressive specimen but the Smithsonian and three other large natural history museums that NPR contacted said they did not bid on it. Because the fossil may not be available for public viewing or research, the sale has upset many in the scientific community.
The president of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, an advocacy group of scientists, openly criticized Sotheby's, which handled the sale.
"The auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's are complicit in removing data from the scientific process," Stuart Sumida told NPR. "And [they are] complicit [in] placing scientifically valuable specimens into the cabinets of curiosity of a few wealthy individuals and away from the eyes of children and adults alike for years to come."
Buffett omits gift to Bill Gates’ foundation after his Epstein ties disclosed
Buffett also said in his statement that he wants all of his remaining Berkshire Hathaway stock worth more than $140bn donated to charity by the end of 2034. Previously the plan was for his three children to distribute his remaining fortune within 10 years of the 95-year-old investor’s death.
Billionaire Warren Buffett omitted Bill Gates′ foundation from his annual donations this year after disclosures of the Microsoft co-founder’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Buffett will donate about $6bn to four foundations connected to his own family, but did not mention Gates in his announcement Tuesday.
“Of course, mortality is unpredictable, but my remaining shares will be donated to the four foundations one way or the other by December 31, 2034,” Buffett said in a statement. “The goal is to have the grants grow annually to each of the three foundations managed by each of my children and the annual grant to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation grow at a somewhat greater rate.”
Buffett and the Gates Foundation did not immediately respond on Tuesday to questions. CNBC said Buffett is scheduled to give the channel an exclusive interview on this topic Wednesday morning.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Rips 'Warmonger' Lindsey Graham's Legacy: ’He Was A Murderer’
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) tore into the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) legacy on Monday, saying that while he “was funny, fun-loving” he was also a “murderer” who demanded war.
“I disagreed wholeheartedly with many of his policies,” Greene said on progressive news show The Young Turks. “He was a neocon warmonger. He was a murderer. He wanted to wipe out and kill many innocent people in Iran, in Gaza, in Lebanon. He supported war more than anything.”
She told host Cenk Uygur that Graham, who died Saturday at the age of 71, “never wanted peace” and “the only time he may have been interested in peace was because this war is hurting the midterms” for President Donald Trump and the Republicans.
Greene called Graham a “dedicated Zionist,” and bashed his foreign policy positions, claiming that he worked “diligently” to “send as much money as possible, weapons as possible for Israel.”
She expressed her agreement with some voices on the left who have criticized Graham in the wake of his death, including Uygur’s cohost Ana Kasparian, who simply wrote on X, “Good riddance.”
More Than 100 Democrats Vote Against Aid To Israel In Big Symbolic Vote
A plurality of House Democrats voted to discontinue sending military aid to Israel in a symbolic vote on Wednesday, showcasing how thoroughly much of the party has turned against the country since its brutal assault on Gaza began nearly three years ago.
The House ultimately rejected the amendment to discontinue aid by a vote of 314–104, with 103 Democrats in favor, 98 against and 10 voting “present.” Even if the measure had passed the House, it would have stood little chance of approval by the Senate.
Still, the vote is a rebuke of Israel’s government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and a signal support for the country may no longer be an unquestioned bipartisan proposition. Israel’s assault on Gaza in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel has killed more than 81,000 people and been labeled a genocide by most major human rights organizations.
The vote was on an amendment by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) that would bar aid to Israel, including nonmilitary aid, meaning it went farther than some past proposals to bar only weapons. Massie was the only Republican who voted yes.
Hegseth says Pentagon will begin testing testosterone of US service members
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military will begin testing the testosterone levels of troops 30 and older, telling service members the new screening measure is another way to "optimize your performance" on the battlefield.
Hegseth, who as a Cabinet secretary has embraced masculinity and what he calls "warrior ethos," said he's authorized a new screening program for testosterone deficiency.
"It's well-established since that, as we age, testosterone levels naturally drop," Hegseth said in a short video announcing the plan. "Under the supervision of our world-class medical professionals, war fighters age 30 and older are going to be tested annually as part of their periodic health assessments."
U.S. troops younger than 30 can choose to have their testosterone checked during their annual assessments, the secretary added.
Where are wildfires in Canada? See tracker, smoke and air quality maps
More than 830 wildfires are burning across Canada, with over 100 considered out of control, as smoke from the blazes in northwestern Ontario and neighboring regions spreads into parts of the Midwest and Northeast.
Millions of Americans are under air quality alerts through the end of the week, with officials warning that smoke could reach unhealthy levels in several major cities.
The 2026 wildfire season has been less active than the record-breaking seasons of 2023 and 2025 overall, but CanadMany of the wildfires affecting air quality concerns in the Northeast are burning in Ontario, Canada, as well as Minnesota and nearby regions, according to AccuWeather and Canadian wildfire maps. Smoke from those fires has spread across the Great Lakes and is forecasted to move toward New Jersey and the Northeast.ian officials say fire danger is expected to increase as summer continues.
Many of the wildfires affecting air quality concerns in the Northeast are burning in Ontario, Canada, as well as Minnesota and nearby regions, according to AccuWeather and Canadian wildfire maps. Smoke from those fires has spread across the Great Lakes and is forecasted to move toward New Jersey and the Northeast.
Air quality conditions are expected to gradually improve across parts of the U.S. as wildfire smoke shifts and disperses. Some areas of the Midwest and Great Lakes could see relief by Friday, while smoke may continue affecting parts of the Northeast into Friday and Saturday. Communities near the Canadian fires could see lingering impacts into the weekend as long as fires continue burning and winds keep transporting smoke south.
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