Tens of thousands of women in Iceland are due to take part in the country’s first day-long strike in almost 50 years to raise awareness of gender-based violence and the gender pay gap. Katrin Jakobsdottir, Iceland’s prime minister, will participate in the protest which will involve women and non-binary people stopping paid and unpaid labour on Tuesday. Teachers, nurses and fishing industry workers have said they will take part in the women’s strike which is the first day-long protest since 1975 when women also downed tools and stopped work. The original protest, dubbed “Women’s Day Off” or “Kvennafrí” in Icelandic language, brought the nation to a standstill due to women refusing to work, do childcare, or cook. Some 90 per cent of Icelandic women are estimated to have stopped work for the day - with schools shut down and flights cancelled due to a dearth of staff. While children were brought to work by their fathers due to a lack of childcare. The protest triggered far-reaching change in the country - with Iceland subsequently electing the first woman to be an elected president in the world and rolling out its first Gender Equality Act. BSRB, the country’s biggest federation of public worker unions, as well as 31 associations, are taking part in the strike, according to local publication Mbl.is. “First and foremost, I am showing solidarity with Icelandic women with this,” the country’s PM told the news outlet. The protest’s organisers want the strike to raise awareness of sexual violence and domestic abuse as well as the undervaluing of sectors where women are over-represented. Campaigners hope more people will take part in Tuesday’s protest than those who took part in the 1975 strike. The World Economic Forum recently declared Iceland as the world’s most gender-equal nation for the 14th year in a row. Read More ‘18 more months, baby. Then I’m in Iceland’: The group helping trans people to leave the US

The Department of Justice is preparing to ask a Washington, DC grand jury to indict former president Donald Trump for violating the Espionage Act and for obstruction of justice as soon as Thursday, adding further weight to the legal baggage facing Mr Trump as he campaigns for his party’s nomination in next year’s presidential election. The Independent has learned that prosecutors are ready to ask grand jurors to approve an indictment against Mr Trump for violating a portion of the US criminal code known as Section 793, which prohibits “gathering, transmitting or losing” any “information respecting the national defence”. Mr Trump reacted to the news on Wednesday, saying “No one has told me I’m being indicted, and I shouldn’t be because I’ve done NOTHING wrong”. This comes as Mr Trump’s former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has reportedly agreed to plead guilty to several federal charges. A separate grand jury that is meeting in Florida has also been hearing evidence in the documents investigation. Meanwhile, the former president is facing more competition in his quest to return to the White House in 2024. Read More Prosecutors ready to ask for Trump indictment on obstruction and Espionage Act charges Trump reacts with fury at news of possible indictment in classified documents case: ‘I’ve done NOTHING wrong’ Trump has been indicted: Here are the other major lawsuits and investigations he is also facing

As China's navy grows and its land-based missile systems expand, the United States is reworking its strategy in the Indo-Pacific, particularly as it relates to the defense of Taiwan

Veteran forward Marta will lead a fresh-faced Brazil looking to pull off an upset to win its first women's World Cup when the tournament kicks off next...

Ryan Poles once again demonstrated he has no earthly idea how make a trade in the NFL. What the Chicago Bears gave up for Washington Commanders edge rusher Montez Sweat was absolutely lunacy.

Asian markets mostly rose Wednesday following a Wall Street rally as investors grow increasingly optimistic that the Federal Reserve will soon end its interest rate hiking cycle and the US...

An Exxon Mobil executive who heads up the business unit that's involved in a potential $60 billion mega-merger with Pioneer Natural Resources was arrested last week in Texas for allegedly committing sexual assault.

The United Nations food agency says millions of hungry people in West Africa are left without aid because it is struggling with limited funding to respond to the region's worst hunger crisis in 10 years

The Boston Red Sox could reportedly consider trading one of their prized young outfielders this offseason in order to address the team's dire need for pitching.

Harry Maguire has hit out at the minority of supporters who jeered Jordan Henderson over the international break – insisting “proper England fans don’t boo players”. Henderson was booed off the Wembley pitch during Friday’s 1-0 friendly win over Australia, admitting it was “disappointing” to be on the receiving end of a negative reaction. Eyebrows were raised when the 33-year-old swapped his role as Liverpool skipper for the Saudi Pro League, joining Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq in a controversial £12million deal during the summer. The midfielder had been a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield and last month apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal. There were murmurs when Henderson’s name was read out before the Australia clash but a vocal minority very audibly jeered when he was replaced in the second half and a smattering of boos were heard as he came off the bench in Tuesday’s 3-1 Euro 2024 qualifying win over Italy. Maguire, who himself has been targeted by jeers while playing for his country in the past, said those who did turn on Henderson “aren’t England fans”. You heard a lot of cheers and yes, a few jeers, but they aren't England fans Harry Maguire “Proper England fans don’t boo players,” he told Sky Sports. “Don’t boo players who dedicate their life to play and do everything they can to make this country have good memories and special moments for them and the fans and their families. “I know a lot of top, top England fans and I know the England fans who have been with me ever since my debut. “They’re right behind me and they’re right behind Jordan as well. “You heard a lot of cheers and yes, a few jeers, but they aren’t England fans.” Henderson – who was named captain against the Socceroos – and Maguire are likely to retain the faith of Gareth Southgate despite some negative reactions as the England boss said on the eve of the Italy game he could not pick his team on a “popularity contest”. Read More Revenge no motivation for England’s semi-final with South Africa – Ollie Chessum Euro 2024 qualifying – who has reached Germany and who still has work to do? Paula Dunn named interim head coach of UK Athletics after Stephen Maguire exit Goalkeeper Liam Kelly says Scotland debut was “the best moment” of his life South Africa’s Handre Pollard expecting to face ‘ruthless’ England in semi-final Four out of five players want more done to keep them safe on the pitch

Elon Musk's rebranding of Twitter to X is complete. The app’s icon now sports a

A top EU official has asked X/Twitter owner Elon Musk to “walk the talk” when it comes to curbing fake content and the glorification of violence following the terror attack against Israel by Hamas. EU commissioner Thierry Breton wrote in an open letter shared on X that illegal content and disinformation were being shared via the social media platform about the Hamas incursion into Israel, which began on Saturday. He warned the EU could punish X for failure to comply with its obligations to moderate content under the Digital Services Act, and gave Mr Musk 24 hours to give a “prompt, accurate and complete response”. “You need to be very transparent and clear on what content is permitted under your terms and consistently and dingently enforce your own policies,” Mr Berton said, adding that the social media company “must be timely, diligent and objective” in taking action and removing relevant content when it receives warranted notices of illegal content in the EU. “I therefore invite you to urgently ensure that your systems are effective, and report on the crisis measures taken to my team,” the EU commissioner said, calling for Mr Musk to respond within 24 hours. Replying to the statement, the Tesla chief called on the commissioner to “list the violations”. “Our policy is that everything is open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports. Please list the violations you allude to on X, so that that the public can see them,” the multibillionaire posted on X. “You are well aware of your users’ – and authorities’ – reports on fake content and glorification of violence. Up to you to demonstrate that you walk the talk,” Mr Breton said in response to Mr Musk’s tweet. While X has claimed it was treating the ongoing crisis in Israel with its highest level of response, watchdog groups and the EU said misinformation and harmful content continue to flourish on the microblogging platform. X’s own safety team acknowledged there had been an increase in daily active users on X in the conflict area in the past couple of days, saying that there have been more than 50 million posts globally focusing on the weekend attack. “As the events continue to unfold rapidly, a cross-company leadership group has assessed this moment as a crisis requiring the highest level of response,” the team said. The struggle to find reliable news on the platform was exacerbated when Mr Musk himself flagged two accounts as “good” for “following the war”. Journalists, however, pointed out that these accounts had previously shared a fake AI-generated image of an explosion at the US Pentagon, and that one of them had also posted antisemitic comments. Mr Musk’s posts recommending them have now been deleted. Users on the platform also pointed out that old videos are being repackaged and circulated on X as if they are from the most recent attack. One widely shared video falsely claimed to show a Hamas militant shooting down an Israeli helicopter, but was later found to be a clip from a video game. “Public media and civil society organisations widely report instances of fake and manipulated images and facts circulating on your platform in the EU, such as repurposed old images of unrelated armed conflicts or military footage that actually originated from video games,” the Eu commissioner said in his letter addressing Mr Musk. X has not immediately responded to The Independent’s request for comment. Read More X promises 'highest level' response on posts about Israel-Hamas war. Misinformation still flourishes Holocaust survivor among hostages and ‘several Americans’ may have been killed or kidnapped, says Blinken Musk begs Twitter users to stay ‘as close to the truth as possible’ as fake news about Gaza war proliferates