US officials defend Venezuela oil deal amid questions over rebuilding plan

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Government talks up pact but Venezuelan opposition alarmed that democracy yet to return after Maduro exit

Trump administration officials on Tuesday defended a highly contentious deal giving the US control of a significant chunk of Venezuelan oil reserves, arguing that the sweeping agreement would help stabilize and rebuild democracy in the shattered South American country while giving Washington vital access to strategic crude reserves.

Last week, Donald Trump announced a “groundbreaking” deal that would give the US “majority” control over 65bn barrels – roughly one-fifth – of Venezuela’s oil reserves.

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Ousted Ukrainian defense chief lands Palantir CEO as first investor in new venture – Defense News

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  1. Ousted Ukrainian defense chief lands Palantir CEO as first investor in new venture  Defense News
  2. Palantir CEO Alex Karp backs ousted Ukraine defense minister's new defense tech startup  CNBC
  3. Ukraine's Fedorov says Palantir CEO will be first major investor in new defence company  Reuters
  4. Ukrainian Drone Mastermind, Fired by Kyiv, Will Advise Italy’s Defense Chief  nytimes.com
  5. Palantir’s Karp Will Back Startup by Ex-Ukraine Defense Chief  Bloomberg.com
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Fund defence spending from tax rise on middle earners, thinktank tells Healey

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Resolution Foundation argues that UK’s internationally low ‘tax wedge’ must rise to pay for defence ambitions

The chancellor, John Healey, must be prepared to raise taxes for middle earners if he wants to fund significantly higher defence spending, the Resolution Foundation thinktank has said.

Healey resigned from Keir Starmer’s government in June, protesting against what he argued was the then prime minister’s failure to adequately fund defence.

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Dozens arrested after fatal pre-dawn shootout in Dutch village – The Guardian

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  1. Dozens arrested after fatal pre-dawn shootout in Dutch village  The Guardian
  2. Police arrest 34 after a fatal shooting in a rural Dutch village  AP News
  3. Police arrest 34 after deadly gang shootout in eastern Netherlands  Al Jazeera
  4. Two police officers injured after fatal shooting in Dutch village  Euronews.com
  5. Police arrest 34 after deadly shooting in Gelderland village  DutchNews.nl
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Dozens arrested after fatal pre-dawn shootout in Dutch village

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Police urged people in Overasselt to stay indoors after one person died and 34 were arrested

Authorities have arrested 34 people, including French, Belgian and Algerian nationals, after a person died in a pre-dawn shootout in a Dutch village reportedly linked to a notorious drug lord.

Police urged people in Overasselt, near the German border, to stay indoors with doors and windows shut in case further suspects were on the loose.

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Two supertankers hit in the Strait of Hormuz — as Iranian president extends olive branch – New York Post

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  1. Two supertankers hit in the Strait of Hormuz — as Iranian president extends olive branch  New York Post
  2. Iranian attack on Saudi tanker killed two Filipino sailors, Saudi Arabia says  BBC
  3. Iranian media say Saudi oil tanker stopped in Strait of Hormuz, no Saudi confirmation  Reuters
  4. Tanker struck by three projectiles while sailing out of Strait of Hormuz, monitor says  timesofisrael.com
  5. Two Tankers Carrying Saudi Oil Attacked in Strait of Hormuz  gCaptain
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Peekaboo island: the floating forest confounding nature watchers in western Canada – The Guardian

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  1. Peekaboo island: the floating forest confounding nature watchers in western Canada  The Guardian
  2. Phantom Island Mysteriously Appears, Vanishes, Then Reappears on B.C. Reservoir  The New York Times
  3. Lost island in northern B.C. lake — that appeared then disappeared — located, says B.C. Hydro  CBC
  4. A Forested Island the Size of Two Football Fields Appeared Out of Nowhere in Canada. Then It Mysteriously Vanished  ZME Science
  5. A Canadian island appeared — then disappeared — before appearing again  The Independent
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Deported Milo Yiannopoulos says he is ‘ashamed’ of support for Trump

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British far-right pundit breaks silence on ICE arrest and deportation and says he was ‘really, really terrified’

Milo Yiannopoulos, the British far-right commentator who was arrested last week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Louisiana and deported to the United Kingdom, has broken his silence about the experience, saying that “for the first time I know what it feels like to be really, really terrified”.

Yiannopoulos on Tuesday appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored, a YouTube show presented by Piers Morgan, the British broadcaster and media personality. Yiannopoulos, 41, described the experience in the US as “humiliating and disorientating”, “physically degrading” and “frightening”.

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Police arrest 34 after deadly gang shootout in eastern Netherlands – Al Jazeera

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  1. Police arrest 34 after deadly gang shootout in eastern Netherlands  Al Jazeera
  2. Police arrest 34 after a fatal shooting in a rural Dutch village  ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
  3. Police investigate video threatening Overasselt resident; Photo circulated in underworld  NL Times
  4. In the Netherlands, 34 people were arrested following a shooting; one person was killed  UA.NEWS
  5. One dead, two police officers injured in Dutch shootout  Newswav
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Russia’s Starlink rival falters as latest satellite batch stalls in low orbit, ISW says – Euromaidan Press

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  1. Russia’s Starlink rival falters as latest satellite batch stalls in low orbit, ISW says  Euromaidan Press
  2. Russia's Rossvest Starlink Alternative Is Already Losing Satellites to Accidental Reentry  Yahoo
  3. Russia’s Starlink rival hits setback  TVP World
  4. Russia Wanted Its Own Starlink. Now Its Satellites Are Falling Before the Network Even Takes Off  UNITED24 Media
  5. Russia faces space setback in rapid deployment of Starlink analogue – ISW  Ukrinform
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Where and how Putin could expand his war in Europe beyond Ukraine – Atlantic Council

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  1. Where and how Putin could expand his war in Europe beyond Ukraine  Atlantic Council
  2. The Russian attack NATO expects is already here [ANALYSIS]  TVP World
  3. ICCT confirms 189 Russia-organized acts of sabotage in Europe — Yle News  UA.NEWS
  4. Russian External Operations in Europe Become Increasingly Brazen  The Soufan Center
  5. Russia to ‘move up escalation ladder’ unless Europe changes its approach, expert warns  TVP World
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