LA police announce ‘mass arrests’ as Newsom intensifies criticism of Trump | First Thing

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Protesters defy overnight curfew as California governor issues searing rebuke of administration. Plus, who is behind the hedonistic party palaces of New York’s Fire Island?

Good morning.

Los Angeles police have announced they are making “mass arrests” in the city’s downtown area, as people gathered in defiance of an overnight curfew imposed after days of protests against Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and military deployment.

What has Newsom said? Trump’s decision to deploy the national guard in LA was “a brazen abuse of power”, that has “inflamed a combustible situation”, Newsom said in a searing rebuke of the administration.

What about Trump? In an address to troops at the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina yesterday, Trump spread conspiracy theories, maligned California’s Democratic leaders and misleadingly portrayed protesters as part of a “foreign invasion”.

Were they really armed by Israel? Yes. Israeli defence officials acknowledged last week that they had been arming the group, with the aim of undermining Hamas. Aid workers said the group had a long history of looting from UN trucks.

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Tasmania to hold early election after governor grants embattled premier Jeremy Rockliff’s request

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Barbara Baker agrees to poll despite ‘public interest in avoiding the cost’ because no possibility of alternative government forming

Tasmania will hold an early election on 19 July – just 16 months after last going to the polls – after the state’s governor agreed to a request from the Liberal premier, Jeremy Rockliff.

The announcement followed a dramatic week in which the parliament narrowly supported a no-confidence motion in Rockliff moved by the Labor leader, Dean Winter, and the state’s three main political parties each argued a fresh election could be avoided.

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Booster leak delays Ax-4 private astronaut mission to ISS – SpaceNews

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  1. Booster leak delays Ax-4 private astronaut mission to ISS  SpaceNews
  2. Live coverage: SpaceX to launch fourth commercial Axiom mission to the space station  Spaceflight Now
  3. NDTV Exclusive: Axiom-4 Launch Delays Unusual? Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains  NDTV
  4. NASA, Partners Delay Axiom Mission 4, Reviewing Launch Date  NASA (.gov)
  5. Propellant leak delays SpaceX launch of private Ax-4 astronaut mission to the ISS  Space
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Otters posing for selfies in Japanese cafes may be linked to illegal trade, experts warn

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The DNA of rare small-clawed otters in captivity in Japan has been matched to wild populations in poaching hotspots in Thailand

Posing for selfies on the laps of excited visitors, the otters of Tokyo’s animal cafes have learned to play their part in their online stardom. In thousands of social media videos, the aquatic mammals wriggle through the outstretched hands of adoring customers who reward their attention with food.

But the booming demand has raised major concerns among conservationists, with a study published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice linking the small-clawed otters in animal cafes in Japanese cities with wild populations in poaching hotspots in Thailand.

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Competition watchdog to investigate Evri merger with DHL’s UK parcel arm

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CMA to decide whether deal will substantially lessen competition in delivery market

The UK’s competition watchdog has announced an investigation into the proposed merger of the delivery company Evri with DHL’s UK e-commerce business, a deal set to create one of the biggest parcel couriers in Britain.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Wednesday it was investigating Evri’s purchase of DHL eCommerce UK, as well as the parent company DHL Group’s acquisition of a minority stake in Evri.

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Reefs made from human ashes could revive British seabeds, says startup

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UK company offers alternative to land-based burials after success of memorials in Bali made from remains of pets

Death is killing our planet. That is the stark assessment of a new business offering an innovative alternative: having your loved one’s ashes made into a reef and anchored to the British seabed.

There are increasing concerns about the environmental cost of traditional funerals: a single burial generates 833kg of CO2, while a typical cremation has a footprint of about 400kg of CO2. In the US alone, 1.6m tonnes of concrete and 14,000 tonnes of steel is used each year for building graves. Chemicals from embalming processes seep into the soil.

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BT considers takeover move for struggling rival TalkTalk

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TalkTalk has been hit by financial difficulties and customer exodus but it is thought no approach has been made

BT is weighing up a potential takeover of the rival telecoms and broadband company TalkTalk, which is struggling amid financial difficulties and a customer exodus.

The UK’s biggest broadband provider is understood to have discussed the strategic possibility of buying TalkTalk. However, it is understood no approach has been made or talks held with TalkTalk, and that bankers have not been asked to draw up takeover plans.

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Hong Kong police accuse mobile game of promoting ‘armed revolution’ – NPR

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  1. Hong Kong police accuse mobile game of promoting 'armed revolution'  NPR
  2. Hong Kong Bans Taiwanese Video Game for Promoting ‘Armed Revolution’  The New York Times
  3. Reversed Front: Bonfire: Hong Kong bans 'seditious' mobile game  BBC
  4. Hong Kong police accuse a mobile game app of promoting armed revolution  AP News
  5. Hong Kong Bans Video Game in Further National Security Push  Bloomberg
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Gisèle Pelicot settles claim for invasion of privacy against French magazine

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Paris Match agrees to pay €40,000 to two charities after publishing photos of Pelicot

Gisèle Pelicot, who survived almost a decade of rape involving dozens of men after she was drugged by her ex-husband, has settled an invasion of privacy case with the French magazine Paris Match.

Pelicot, who became a feminist hero after she decided to waive her right to anonymity in the trial of her former husband and 50 other men last year, took legal action against the publication in April.

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Ukraine’s defense industry says the fight against Russia has shown it that the West’s approach to weapons is all wrong – Business Insider

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  1. Ukraine's defense industry says the fight against Russia has shown it that the West's approach to weapons is all wrong  Business Insider
  2. Ukraine's defense industry says the fight against Russia has shown it that the West's approach to weapons is wrong  Yahoo
  3. Ukraine's Defense Industry Says It Can Make a Lot More Weapons With a Simple Fix  Business Insider
  4. Ukrainian arms exports: billion-dollar potential for the country and European security  VoxUkraine
  5. Gabrielius Landsbergis, ex-Foreign Minister of Lithuania  Ukrinform
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French doctor says Israeli authorities were ‘abusive’ to Greta Thunberg – politico.eu

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  1. French doctor says Israeli authorities were ‘abusive’ to Greta Thunberg  politico.eu
  2. Ignore the Greta Thunberg Circus, There’s a Real Path to Help Gaza  Bloomberg
  3. Israel holding two Gaza boat activists in solitary confinement, NGO claims  The Times of Israel
  4. Israel deports Greta Thunberg after Gaza-bound ship she was on was seized  AP News
  5. “They Kidnapped Us”: Deported Gaza Flotilla Activist Describes Israeli Interception in Int’l Waters  Democracy Now!
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Fire breaks out at Larne leisure centre as Antrim unrest enters third night

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Local MLA blames ‘masked thugs’ for attack on centre that had been hosting people in need after Ballymena rioting

A fire broke out at a leisure centre during a third night of disorder in Northern Ireland on Wednesday.

People wearing masks smashed windows at the Larne leisure centre in County Antrim and set fires outside which spread inside the building.

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‘The odds are astronomical’: Canadian man wins lottery jackpots four times

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Cancer survivor David Serkin won draws in August, November and May, and another more than a decade ago

How do you say “lottery winner” in western Canada? The answer is: David Serkin, the name of the cancer survivor from Alberta who won three separate lottery jackpots between August and May to accumulate about $2.5m in prize money.

According to officials, those lucky tickets marked the second, third and fourth times Serkin had won a lottery in his life, a feat that he had vanishingly small chances of pulling off and gained notice on corners of the internet dedicated to charming news stories.

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‘Win-win’: new maps reveal best opportunities for global reforestation

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New study shows regions with best potential to regrow trees and suck climate-heating CO2 from the air

New maps have revealed the best “win-win” opportunities across the world to regrow forests and tackle the climate crisis, without harming people or wildlife.

The places range from the eastern US and western Canada, to Brazil and Columbia, and across Europe, adding up to 195 million hectares (482 million acres). If reforested, this would remove 2.2bn tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, about the same as all the nations in the European Union.

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Trump administration slams UK over sanctions on Israeli ministers – politico.eu

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  1. Trump administration slams UK over sanctions on Israeli ministers  politico.eu
  2. U.K., Canada and Others Impose Sanctions on Far-Right Israeli Ministers  The New York Times
  3. US and Israel condemnation of sanctions on ministers is 'predictable', Australia says  Reuters
  4. United States Condemns UK, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, Australia Sanctions on Israeli Government Officials  U.S. Department of State (.gov)
  5. Who are Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli ministers facing sanctions?  The Guardian
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