Russia’s president says weapons will be in place from 7-8 July
Russian military bloggers are saying that overnight the Ukrainians were making another attempt to break through Russian lines in occupied Zaporizhzhia in the area of Orikhiv.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Continue reading...CNN reports audio recording of Trump talking about classified document; Trump rivals for Republican nomination defend him against indictment
A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump who last year drew scrutiny for a ruling that was seen as differential to the former president may oversee proceedings in the case over his possession of classified documents, a source familiar with the summons told the Guardian.
US district judge Aileen Cannon has been listed on the summons sent to Trump’s lawyers, the source said. You may remember the Florida-based juror’s name from last year, when she granted a request from Trump’s attorneys to appoint a special master to review the records federal agents seized from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in August.
Continue reading...Henri d’Anselme, who was seen on video trying to disarm man with bag before chasing him, says: ‘I didn’t even think about it’
He has been hailed in France as the “backpack hero”, a young man who challenged the knife-wielding attacker who stabbed four young children and two adults in a playground in Annecy.
Videos that circulated on social media before being removed as too distressing showed Henri d’Anselme, 24, chasing the man out of the park as parents screamed, and using his bag to try to disarm the knifeman before pursuing him.
Continue reading...John Finucane, North Belfast MP, due to speak at event honouring members of deadly South Armagh brigade
Political leaders and victims’ groups have accused Sinn Féin of glorifying murder at a planned commemoration in Northern Ireland for one of the IRA’s deadliest units.
John Finucane, the party’s North Belfast MP, is to address an event on Sunday honouring members of the IRA’s South Armagh brigade, which carried out attacks targeting civilians and security forces during the Troubles.
Continue reading...Finance minister reaches deal with 75 manufactures after signs of falling prices for raw materials
Big food manufacturers in France have pledged to lower prices on hundreds of products next month after pressure from the government.
The French finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, said he had reached a deal with 75 manufacturers after signs that the prices being paid by the industry for raw materials had been falling.
Continue reading...North-eastern states remain under air pollution alerts though National Weather Service says to expect ‘some improvement’
Millions of Americans remained under air quality warnings on Friday, even as smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires began to dissipate in the north-eastern US.
Moderate to unhealthy air quality continued to linger across a swathe of the country, from the midwest to the Atlantic coast, the National Weather Service said, although it said “some improvement” will continue this weekend.
Continue reading...At least four wire articles published by national broadcaster had been edited to add pro-Kremlin phrasing
New Zealand’s national broadcaster is conducting an internal investigation after evidence emerged that an employee had edited wire reporting on the Ukraine war to add Russia-friendly phrasing.
The state-funded RNZ published at least four articles attributed to the Reuters wire service that had been edited to add pro-Kremlin phrasing.
Continue reading...French president and wife also due to meet ‘backpack hero’, as suspect’s detention extended after psychiatric evaluation
Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, have visited preschool children and an elderly man who were badly wounded in a knife attack in the French Alps, as the suspect’s detention was extended after a psychiatric examination on Friday.
Four toddlers – one aged 22 months, two aged two and one aged three – as well as two men aged 70 and 78 were injured in the stabbing, which happened on Thursday morning in a children’s playground in the popular lakeside town of Annecy.
Continue reading...Parents say Hamdan Aslam found to have pre-existing heart condition and call for online speculation to end
A 14-year-old boy who died after an incident at a school in Blackburn, West Lothian, died from natural causes, police have said.
Hamdan Aslam’s family revealed he had a pre-existing heart condition that had never been detected, and said “sadly his death could have occurred at any time”.
Continue reading...Meeting is expected to discuss ‘internationally coordinated action’ to mitigate risks posed by artificial intelligence
Rishi Sunak has announced that the UK will host a global summit on safety in artificial intelligence in the autumn, as fears grow that the technology’s rapid advancement could spin out of control.
Safety concerns are mounting after breakthroughs in generative AI, which can produce convincing text, images and even voice on command, with tech executives such as Elon Musk among the figures expressing alarm. Here is a look at what the summit might achieve.
Continue reading...Senior party figures and Trump’s closest challenger in the GOP presidential race, Ron DeSantis, make supportive statements
Republicans, including some rivals for the 2024 presidential nomination, have rallied quickly to support Donald Trump, after news of the former US president’s indictment on several federal counts relating to his retention of classified documents.
The news was broken by Trump himself on his own social media platform Truth Social, seemingly pre-empting any announcement from the Department of Justice, and forcing many Republicans to flock to his defense.
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