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2021-11-04 13:15:12 Diwali Defiance: India Celebrates Festival of Light en Masse

Indians across the country have begun celebrating Diwali despite fears over coronavirus and rising air pollution. Last year a spike in Covid-19 cut short the festivities but huge numbers have turned out in 2021, ignoring govt pleas to avoid large gatherings.

Crowds were seen lighting oil candles, and buzzing around markets to buy flowers and lanterns - 900,000 were set free into the sky above the northern city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh state.

Spectacular images set the scenes along the Saryu River with thousands of visitors not exactly caring about social distancing.

They did keep the Guinness World Record for lamps lit though, so.... there's that!

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2021-11-04 12:30:08 Israel Passes First Budget in YEARS - Netanyahu Votes for Coalition by MISTAKE

A landmark moment as Israel has finally passed a budget for the first time since March 2018, with striking scenes of celebration in the Knesset. PM Bennett hailed the moment on Twitter, but it was one to forget for some - including Benjamin Netanyahu - who fluffed their votes!

Veteran Bibi accidentally raised his hand for one clause at around 1am local time, after rallying round MKs to help him bring down the govt. The vote passed 61-59.

Netanyahu wasn't the only one who lost at 'Simon Says' - swaying the budget in the coalition's favor. If the budget had failed to pass it would have triggered an election in February.

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2021-11-04 12:00:11 France accuses Australia of sinking to 'new low' in submarine scandal

Ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault said leaking his president’s text to Australian media was an “unprecedented new low” in the two nations’ long-running row over Canberra’s cancellation of a submarine deal with Paris in favor of an alliance with the US and Britain.

“Doing so… sends a very worrying signal for all heads of state: beware, in Australia there will be leaks,” Thebault said.

Following Thebault’s speech, Morrison commented by saying, “Claims were made, and claims were refuted.” It is time to end the split, he told reporters in the UAE, en route from global meetings. Morrison has denied lying previously, insisting at a separate press meeting that he had openly told Macron that conventional submarines offered by France do not meet Australia’s needs.

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2021-11-04 11:00:10 12 trans sex offenders moved to women’s prisons in Scotland over past 18 months

A dozen trans inmates sentenced for violent and sexual crimes have been serving time in women’s jails in Scotland, according to official data. One has completed gender transition, and the rest merely identify as female.

The figures were made public under the Freedom of Information Act. Another person, who is transitioning from female to male, is being accommodated in a men’s prison.

The revelation comes in the wake of a much-anticipated review of policy regarding transgender prisoners by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS). It was scheduled to begin in early 2021 but has been postponed several times due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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2021-11-04 10:00:13 Pentagon says world will have three ‘great powers’ – and US will be ‘challenged’

Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, admitted that the years of US domination may be over.

“We're entering into a tri-polar world with the US, Russia and China being all great powers. Just by introducing three vs two you get increased complexity,” Milley said.

Rapidly developing technologies also add up to the complexity, according to the general, with the world becoming "potentially much more strategically unstable than, say, the last 40, 50 or 60 years."

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