Australian cockroach kingpin caught with 100,000 illegal insects in record bug bust – AP News

  1. Australian cockroach kingpin caught with 100,000 illegal insects in record bug bust  AP News
  2. Australia seizes 100,000 cockroaches in record bug bust  DW
  3. Giant hissing cockroaches among $200,000 worth of illegal insects seized in Australia  BBC
  4. More than 100,000 cockroaches worth $200,000 seized from NSW breeder in record-breaking bust  The Guardian
  5. Australia seizes 100,000 cockroaches in bug-breeder bust  Yahoo
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Putin says Russia will bolster air defenses in response to Ukrainian drone attacks – NPR

  1. Putin says Russia will bolster air defenses in response to Ukrainian drone attacks  NPR
  2. Putin faces Ukrainian drone threat and stagnating economy at ‘Russian Davos’  NBC News
  3. New Pantsir-SMD-E Air Defense Systems Installed on Rooftops of Civilian Buildings in Moscow  Мілітарний
  4. Russian region to create ministry to protect against Ukrainian drones  Українська правда
  5. Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia will strengthen its air defenses to counter Ukrainian attacks  ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
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Iran Strikes US Military in Kuwait, Major Media Fail to Provide Key Detail – CounterPunch.org

  1. Iran Strikes US Military in Kuwait, Major Media Fail to Provide Key Detail  CounterPunch.org
  2. Israel, Lebanon agree to renew ceasefire as Iran launches deadly attack on Kuwait airport  CBS News
  3. Iran's IRGC attacks US Fifth Fleet headquarters, airbase, local media reports  Reuters
  4. Israel and Lebanon Agree to Renew Cease-Fire  The New York Times
  5. Iranian attack leaves 1 dead, dozens injured in Kuwait  The Washington Post
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New claimants seek to sue Elon Musk’s xAI after Labour MP’s test case

Jess Asato’s lawyer says others want to take action over demeaning sexualised material created by Grok AI tool

New claimants have come forward to take legal action against Elon Musk’s company xAI after the Labour MP Jess Asato launched a test case against the firm over demeaning sexualised material created by its Grok AI tool.

A handful of complainants contacted Asato’s lawyer on Thursday in response to coverage of the MP’s decision to sue Musk’s company for damages over its creation and circulation of fake images of her in a bikini and an AI-created video that she said showed her “being chloroformed and prepared for a sexual assault”.

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Friday briefing: How Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have found themselves caught in an escalation without end – The Guardian

  1. Friday briefing: How Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have found themselves caught in an escalation without end  The Guardian
  2. Gaza, Iran, Lebanon: If ceasefires are in place, why do strikes continue?  Al Jazeera
  3. Opinion | End the Phony Cease-Fire With Iran  WSJ
  4. How Trump's ceasefires are failing to stop Middle East violence  Reuters
  5. There are supposed to be ceasefires across the Middle East, but the fighting is worsening  AP News
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All EU members greenlight first step in accession talks, Ukraine PM says – Reuters

  1. All EU members greenlight first step in accession talks, Ukraine PM says  Reuters
  2. Ukraine's Zelenskiy pledges clear timetable of talks on EU membership  Reuters
  3. Ukraine ready to close some accession chapters 'immediately': Costa  Euronews.com
  4. Hungary lifts block on Ukraine’s E.U. bid, but long timeline could put Kyiv at risk  The Washington Post
  5. Ukraine, Moldova To Start EU Accession Talks After Minority Rights Breakthrough  Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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Friday briefing: How Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have found themselves caught in an escalation without end

In today’s newsletter: ​Global powers​ are focused on oil markets and elections​ but those living through conflict in the Middle East feel abandoned

Good morning. It’s been another week of brinkmanship via Truth Social and ceasefires broken before they’ve been announced.

While US president Donald Trump claims an agreement with Iran could happen soon, for those living in the Middle East it does not feel like peace is anywhere near. People have seen more bombs dropped in Lebanon this week; and the death toll continues to rise, national economies falter, and displacement abounds.

UK politics | Andy Burnham has signalled he would begin transforming the broken social care system this year if he became prime minister, he has said in an interview with the Guardian, accusing Westminster of “flinching away” from tackling difficult policy problems.

Environment | Humanity can raise living standards, reduce inequality and keep global heating within a 2C rise, according to a sweeping vision for planetary survival.

Ukraine | The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has called for face-to-face negotiations in a public letter addressed directly to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

England news | The poorest and most nature-deprived communities in England will be further left behind in their access to green spaces if proposed changes to planning laws go ahead, a report finds.

UK news | Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received private income from subletting three cottages on his Windsor Royal Lodge estate while paying a “peppercorn rent” to the crown estate, a report into royal property arrangements has revealed.

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UK shoppers return to high street as warm weather brings respite from shadow of war

British Retail Consortium figures show footfall rose in May, with consumer confidence improving after spending squeeze

Greater numbers of consumers went shopping last month as spring sunshine brought welcome relief to retailers, which have faced a squeeze on spending since the US-Israel war on Iran.

Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and a separate survey by the accountancy firm BDO showed a bounce-back in footfall during May, reversing a sharp decline in April.

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Why are European governments breaking up with Palantir? – Euronews.com

  1. Why are European governments breaking up with Palantir?  Euronews.com
  2. The Guardian view on NHS records: patients are not raw material for big tech | Editorial  The Guardian
  3. Real NHS delivery means sticking with Palantir  The Times
  4. Palantir’s £330 Million NHS Deal Under Fire From UK Lawmakers  Bloomberg.com
  5. Britain's reliance on US tech group Palantir is an 'unacceptable weakness," report says  Reuters
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EU summit with western Balkan leaders to reaffirm membership prospects

Macron, Merz and von der Leyen among those due to gather in Montenegro for talks on integration of six countries

European leaders will seek to show six western Balkan countries that they have a real chance of joining the EU one day, despite splits over how to handle enlargement of the 27-member bloc.

Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, Giorgia Meloni and Ursula von der Leyen are among more than 30 leaders expected to gather in the Montenegrin coastal resort of Tivat on Friday for summit talks. The focus will be on integrating the six Balkan countries – among them Montenegro and Albania – more deeply into the EU single market, paving the way for them to join the bloc.

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Divine intervention: why Pope Leo visit could be a godsend for Pedro Sánchez

Pontiff’s resolve to highlight plight of migrants has aligned him with Spanish PM, whose inner circle and party are mired in corruption allegations

While Pope Leo XIV isn’t due to touch down in Madrid until 10.30am on Saturday, his presence in the Spanish capital is already verging on the ubiquitous.

The smiling, avuncular face of the first US pontiff greets visitors from posters, from the sides of buses, from commemorative travel cards and even from the digital screens on the metro system, where it flickers up between adverts for sun cream and banking deals.

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Oman says Mina al Fahal terminal operations normal after reported oil export halt – Reuters

  1. Oman says Mina al Fahal terminal operations normal after reported oil export halt  Reuters
  2. Oil prices fall after Oman says Mina al Fahal operations proceeding normally  Reuters
  3. Main Oman Oil Terminal Delays Loadings After Blast, Traders Say  Bloomberg.com
  4. Oman Oil Terminal Attack Rattles the Market's Last Calm Corner  Crude Oil Prices Today | OilPrice.com
  5. Oman suspends oil loadings at Mina al Fahal terminal after explosion — report  The Times of Israel
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Zelenskyy calls for face-to-face Ukraine war negotiations in letter to Putin

Ukrainian president proposes meeting in neutral third country as Trump says both sides have to ‘make compromises’

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has called for face-to-face negotiations in a public letter addressed directly to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

The letter, the first Zelenskyy has publicly written directly to Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, was a sweeping criticism of the Russian leader’s 26 years in power.

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Chinese leader Xi Jinping visit to North Korea confirmed for next week – South China Morning Post

  1. Chinese leader Xi Jinping visit to North Korea confirmed for next week  South China Morning Post
  2. Why Xi Jinping Is Going to North Korea to Court Kim Jong-un  The New York Times
  3. Chinese leader Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea next week in first visit since 2019  NBC News
  4. Xi to visit North Korea, showing China’s importance to a nuclear-armed neighbor  The Washington Post
  5. Satellite Images Fuel Speculation of Xi Visit to North Korea  Bloomberg.com
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‘You can stop your war’: Zelenskyy’s open letter to Putin – in full

Russians are increasingly tired of the conflict and the time to end it is now, Ukraine’s president tells his Russian counterpart in an open letter

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an open letter to the Vladimir Putin, has called for a face-to-face meeting with the Russian president to end his war against Ukraine.

The letter sets out Zelenskyy’s view of the four-year-old conflict and says that while Ukrainians’ resilience remains intact, most Russians have grown weary of its effects and are ready for peace.

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Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s Albanian resort plan sets off days of protests – The Washington Post

  1. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s Albanian resort plan sets off days of protests  The Washington Post
  2. Protests grow over resort in Albania linked to Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner  PBS
  3. 'Albania is not for sale', protesters say over Kushner-linked luxury resort near a protected wetland  Reuters
  4. Edi Rama alleges 'hybrid war' over Kushner-linked Albania project  Euronews.com
  5. As bulldozers roll, ‘flamingo revolution’ erupts in Albania against Kushner-Trump luxury resort  Courthouse News
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