COMM111 - Fundamentals of Public Speaking: Find Topics

The White House says it's working on a ceasefire deal for Gaza and that Israel has agreed to the proposal. Hamas is reportedly reviewing the offer, which would include a temporary truce and the release of Israeli hostages. Also, the UN has proposed a plan to do away with physical passports, replacing them with facial recognition technology. This, in a bid to streamline air travel. Also, as Voice of America wanes, Russian state media fills the void. And, a museum exhibit sheds light on Vincent Van Gogh's friendships with his portrait subjects.

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Poland’s presidential election this weekend is more than just a vote — it’s a pivotal moment for the country’s democracy. At stake is the future direction of Poland, with voters choosing between two starkly different candidates: a right-wing populist opposing abortion and LGBTQ rights, and a pro-European liberal who has marched in Warsaw’s pride parade. Also, how a drop in the number of international students would impact Harvard's athletic dominance. And, the UN's plan to make passports a thing of the past.

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Mexico is set to become the first country in the world where every single judge is elected by popular vote. But as the country prepares for its first nationwide judicial election, concerns are mounting about many of the candidates. Activists say they have not been properly vetted, and numerous candidates have alleged ties to organized crime and religious groups. Also, Myanmar junta and rebels are facing political pressure from neighboring countries to end the civil war there. And, why many Palestinians are suspicious of the aid group that just began distributing food aid inside Gaza.

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Russia's military captured four Ukrainian border villages in the Sumy region of Ukraine on Tuesday. It follows an intense bombing campaign of Ukraine's cities and towns over the weekend by Russian drones. It also comes as Moscow holds a major security conference over the next two days. Also, a US-backed aid group has begun distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. But Hamas has warned Palestinians to stay away from distribution sites, claiming that the aid group is using those sites to gather intelligence for Israel. Many Palestinians have heeded those warnings — meaning food is still not getting to people in the territory who need it. And Turkey's president calls for a new constitution against a backdrop of protests over the jailing of an opposition leader.

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In one of its biggest operations of the kind, Ukraine has used drones to hit dozens of Russian strategic bombers. The drones took off from inside Russia, hitting targets in Murmansk in the Arctic and Irkutsk in Siberia, as well as two airfields closer to Moscow.

Also in the programme: Medics in Gaza say they've treated dozens of casualties, amid conflicting reports of an Israeli attack near an aid distribution centre; Mexicans are voting in the first election to choose the entire judiciary - from magistrates to Supreme Court judges - by direct vote; and ABBA honours sound engineer, Michael Tretow, who has died at the age of 80.

The attack took place near to a US-backed aid distribution centre in Rafah. The IDF said it was currently unaware of casualties caused by its shelling.

Also on the programme: Russian authorities have blamed sabotage for the collapse of two bridges near the border with Ukraine; and ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus pays tribute to the band's "fifth member," the sound engineer Michael Tretow who has just died.

(Picture: Palestinians in mourning near Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Credit: Getty Images)

Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.

The US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has warned that the threat from China to Taiwan could be imminent at a major security gathering in Singapore. Mr Hegseth has called on US regional allies to help increase defence spending as he believes Beijing is seeking regional domination.

Also in the programme: We discuss the latest on the humanitarian situation in Gaza as the United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA says 2 million Palestinians are being left to either starve or be killed by Israel.

(Photo: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers his speech during Shangri-la Dialogue Defence Summit in Singapore, 31 May 2025. CREDIT: Photo by HOW HWEE YOUNG/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)