Trump to tour Texas flood damage as disaster tests vow to shutter Fema

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Since disaster that has killed at least 120 people, Trump has remained quiet about promises to axe relief agency

As Donald Trump heads to Texas on Friday for a firsthand look at the devastation caused by catastrophic flooding, he has remained conspicuously quiet about his previous promises to do away with the federal agency in charge of disaster relief.

The Washington Post reported on Friday that the Trump administration has backed away from plans to abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but administration officials continue to dodge questions about the agency’s future and many are still calling for serious reforms, potentially sending much of its work to the states.

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Bangladesh caretaker government overturns use of ‘sir’ to address female officials

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Protocol was ‘clearly odd’ relic of regime of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina, administration says in revision of directives

Bangladesh’s caretaker government has overturned a longstanding protocol requiring female officials to be addressed as “sir”, calling it an “odd” relic of the regime of the ousted leader, Sheikh Hasina.

The interim administration, headed by the Nobel peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus, took office last year after the former prime minister was overthrown by a student-led uprising, forcing her to flee to neighbouring India.

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US border czar says he doesn’t know fate of eight men deported to South Sudan

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Men from Mexico, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar were removed from the US and flown to the war-torn country

Tom Homan, the US border czar, has said he does not know what happened to the eight men deported to South Sudan after the Trump administration resumed sending migrants to countries that are not their place of origin, known as third countries.

“They’re free as far as we’re concerned. They’re free, they’re no longer in our custody, they’re in Sudan,” Homan told Politico on Friday. “Will they stay in Sudan? I don’t know.”

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Sumy, a center of Ukrainian culture, lives in the crosshairs of a new Russian offensive – NPR

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  1. Sumy, a center of Ukrainian culture, lives in the crosshairs of a new Russian offensive  NPR
  2. The Northern Front is heating up: what is happening now on the border of Sumy region  Прямий
  3. One person injured in shelling of Yunakivka community in Sumy region – RMA  Цензор.НЕТ
  4. Three killed and over 50 injured in latest Russian drone strikes on Ukraine  Новая газета Европа
  5. Russians attack Sumy community with drones  Українська правда
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Iran is holding a teenage French-German cyclist in custody – AP News

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  1. Iran is holding a teenage French-German cyclist in custody  AP News
  2. Iran says a young French-German cyclist is in custody, a French newspaper reports  ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
  3. Iran says French-German cyclist Lennart Monterlos detained for committing unspecified infraction  CBS News
  4. Iran confirms French-German teenage cyclist's arrest  France 24
  5. Iran confirms it arrested 16-year-old French-German biker last month  The Times of Israel
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Sports CEO Timothy Leiweke charged in Texas arena bid-rigging scheme

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Leiweke, ex-president of Denver Nuggets and former CEO of MLSE, which owns Toronto’s major sports franchises, indicted over $388m arena

A prominent sports executive has been criminally charged with organising a conspiracy to ensure his own company won the bid to build a $388m sports arena in Texas.

Timothy Leiweke, the former president of the Denver Nuggets basketball team and former CEO of MLSE, which owns Toronto’s major sports franchises including the Leafs and Raptors was charged on Wednesday by a federal grand jury. He resigned as chief executive of the company at the center of the case, Oak View Group (OVG), after the announcement.

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Paris rejoices as Moulin Rouge windmill sails turn again year after collapse

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Cabaret venue marks restoration of red-painted windmill with 90-strong troupe performing signature can-can dance

The sails of the red-painted windmill on top of the Moulin Rouge, the most celebrated cabaret in Paris, have begun turning again, restoring the home of French can-can to its full glory more than a year after they tumbled inelegantly to the ground.

In a profusion of red feathers, members of the Montmartre institution’s 90-strong troupe performed its signature dance on the road outside to mark the occasion on Thursday night, after the second of two daily performances that draw 600,000 visitors a year.

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Activist Narges Mohammadi reports threats of ‘elimination’ by Iran – BBC

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  1. Activist Narges Mohammadi reports threats of 'elimination' by Iran  BBC
  2. Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi says Iran issuing death threats  The Hindu
  3. Exclusive | Iranian Nobel Laureate Says War Dealt Big Blow to Fight for Democracy  The Wall Street Journal
  4. Iran is intensifying its crackdown on dissent, Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi says  PBS
  5. Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi warns Iran is increasingly repressing its own citizens  ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
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Shunned Myanmar leader thrilled at US contact after Trump tariff letter

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Min Aung Hlaing expresses ‘sincere appreciation’ for letter from US president threatening 40% tariff

Myanmar’s military leader has praised Donald Trump and asked him to lift sanctions, as the junta sought to capitalise on a tariff letter from the US president believed to be Washington’s first public recognition of its rule.

Min Aung Hlaing, who has been in power since a 2021 coup, expressed his “sincere appreciation” for Trump’s letter, which threatened a tariff of 40% on its goods, and commended the US president for his “strong leadership” and for guiding the US “toward national prosperity with the spirit of a true patriot”.

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Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with China’s Director of the Office of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang Yi – U.S. Department of State (.gov)

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  1. Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with China’s Director of the Office of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang Yi  U.S. Department of State (.gov)
  2. ‘High probability’ Trump and Xi will meet this year, Rubio says  CNN
  3. Rubio Says Xi-Trump Summit Likely After Meeting China Envoy  Bloomberg
  4. Rubio Walks Diplomatic Tightrope in Southeast Asia  Foreign Policy
  5. Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Traveling Press  U.S. Department of State (.gov)
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NATO needs more long-range missiles to deter Russia, US general says – Reuters

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  1. NATO needs more long-range missiles to deter Russia, US general says  Reuters
  2. NATO will need more long-range missiles to deter Russia, US general says  The Hill
  3. The Russian army is larger today than it was at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine  news.liga.net
  4. NATO is preparing to increase its arsenal of long-range missiles due to Russia's growing arms production  NEWS.am
  5. Evening Brief: NATO Needs More Long-Range Missiles to Counter Expanding Russian Arsenal, Nearly 10 Million Displaced by War in Ukraine  SOFREP
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US pollution measurement practices raise questions about reliability of data

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Guardian analysis heightens concerns on whether the air around many large factories is, or will be, safe to breathe

A Guardian analysis has raised fresh questions over the way regulators and corporations measure the air quality impact of planned factories that risk emitting dangerous levels of pollution.

Between 2014 and 2024, air pollution permit applications in Michigan – designed to gauge if proposed industrial projects would cause regions to violate federal pollution limits – did not meet data collection rules or best practices over 90% of the time. Some measurements were taken more than a hundred miles away from sites.

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