Good afternoon.
Donald Trump engaged in some sabre-rattling before his long-awaited face-to-face with Xi Jinping, instructing the Pentagon to “immediately” start matching Russia and China in their testing of nuclear weapons. The US president had earlier greenlit South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine. It came after Vladimir Putin said Russia had successfully tested a Poseidon nuclear-propelled torpedo-drone.
All of this took place across the backdrop of the Apec summit in South Korea, where the leaders of the US and China met for the first time since 2019 in the hopes of hammering out a trade deal.
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In pictures
The war photographer Don McCullin has spent seven decades recording conflict and tragedy while escaping snipers, mortar fire and capture. He reflects on pain, pride, regret – and 19 of his greatest pictures.
What they said …
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life, brother – not even in the Gaza Strip does this happen … I can’t bear to see any more corpses.” – Erivelton Vidal Correia
Favela residents in Vila Cruzeiro are reeling from Rio’s deadliest police raid after more than 130 were killed in a pre-dawn assault. The head of the local residents’ association broke down describing his nocturnal hunt for the dead, after what is being called one of the biggest police massacres in modern Brazilian history.
Full Story
Australia’s growing cult crisis
Victorian state correspondent Benita Kolovos speaks to Reged Ahmad about why “modern” cults are using new methods to recruit and promising “simple answers to complex problems” – and whether the current laws are strong enough to help vulnerable people who might be lured in.
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Full Story
Australia’s growing cult crisis – Full Story podcast
Before bed read
“Nothing used to be off-limits when talking about sex,” writes Natasha Sholl. “Now I’m in a long-term relationship, why is it taboo?”
There’s an assumption sex in the throes of new lust is hot, but in long-term relationships it’s three humps in missionary. So … does married sex need a rebrand?
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: RISE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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