Author Archives: Admin

More than 200,000 people flee or lock down as wildfires sweep France and Spain

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‘Highly unpredictable’ blaze forces evacuation of Cap Ferret on French coast and Spain declares national emergency

More than 200,000 people have fled or been ordered to lock down as huge wildfires swept Spain and France on Friday, prompting Madrid to declare a national emergency and the French authorities to order the total evacuation, by land and sea, of one of the country’s best-known holiday spots.

Authorities in south-west France ordered the Cap Ferret peninsula on the Atlantic coast to be evacuated “village by village” in the face of an “intense, highly unpredictable” wildfire that has burned through more than 19,000 hectares (47,000 acres) of forest.

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Indian Cockroach activist ends hunger strike after 26 days as protests spread

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Sonam Wangchuk secures ‘hard bargain’ with Delhi but talks between government and movement leaders stall

The Cockroach activist Sonam Wangchuk has ended a 26-day hunger strike, as youth-led protests continued to erupt across India and leaders of the movement said there was no breakthrough in talks with the government.

Wangchuk had been fasting since June in solidarity with the Cockroach Janata party (CJP), a new youth-led movement that has been holding mass protests calling for government accountability and the resignation of the education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, over exam paper leaks. The leaks affected 2 million students in May and have been linked to more than a dozen suicides.

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Trump administration drive to seize election powers sparking ‘chaos’ despite pushback

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US courts, state officials and Democrats warn that moves are endangering voting rights and the rule of law

The Trump administration continues to expand its authoritarian and radical drive to revamp voting rules and seize state election powers, though it faces growing resistance from US courts, state officials and Democrats, who warn the moves are sparking “chaos” and endangering voting rights and the rule of law.

Donald Trump’s unprecedented drive to change election rules, which states legally set, is fueled by his obsession with his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, which he falsely attributes to voting fraud, coupled with his fear that Democrats will “find a reason to impeach me” if they take control of the House in November’s midterms elections, say former election officials and legal experts.

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‘Forever chemicals’ linked to gut inflammation in children after early exposure

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Researchers tracked mother-child pairs for up to 11 years, finding Pfas mixtures may affect developing guts

Prenatal and early life exposure to Pfas mixtures is probably linked to higher levels of intestinal inflammation in children, new first-of-its-kind research shows. Intestinal inflammation can cause irritable bowel diseases, like ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and colorectal cancer.

While Pfas has been linked to irritable bowel disease and intestinal inflammation in adults, the new peer-reviewed Mt Sinai study is the first to look at how the chemicals impact children during a critical developmental phase.

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Southport killer Axel Rudakubana is manipulating system, victims’ families say

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Rudakubana moved to psychiatric hospital after it was concluded he could not be safely managed in prison

The Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been accused of attempting to “manipulate the system” by the families of his victims, after it emerged he had been transferred from prison to a psychiatric hospital.

Rudakubana, 19, was jailed for life in January last year, with a minimum sentence of 52 years, for the murders of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar.

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Head of Swiss euthanasia firm dies while climbing Mount Fuji; 99-year-old woman rescued – CBS News

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  1. Head of Swiss euthanasia firm dies while climbing Mount Fuji; 99-year-old woman rescued  CBS News
  2. Head of Swiss euthanasia firm dies after collapsing while ascending Mount Fuji  The Japan Times
  3. Helicopters and hashtags: Japan’s mounting problem with unprepared hikers  South China Morning Post
  4. 99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji  SoraNews24
  5. Mount Fuji claims second life just two weeks into 2026 climbing season  Lifestyle Asia
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First Thing: Trump imposes fresh tariffs on UK, EU and dozens of other trading partners

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Measures replace 10% global duty and come after supreme court declared many of the earlier tariffs illegal. Plus, how secondhand fashion got so expensive

Good morning.

Donald Trump has imposed a fresh round of tariffs on more than 80 countries to replace a 10% global duty that was due to expire, provoking a wave of criticism and protests from US allies and trading partners.

What is Trump’s justification for the tariffs? The newest tariffs, announced late last night by the US trade representative, Jamieson Greer, would fall under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, aimed against countries that engage in forced labor. Trump had said his administration would investigate unfair trading practices to impose permanent tariffs as soon as the February supreme court decision was announced.

How have the affected countries reacted to the news? The ‘forced labour’ rationale for Trump tariffs has been met with bewilderment, with some saying their labor laws are stronger than those in the US.

How are the authorities responding? Last week, Bill Essayli, an assistant US attorney, asked the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the cluster to determine if there is an environmental cause.

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Mass job cuts loom at VW as profits fall steeply on China sales slump

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Carmaker expects to sell 3% fewer vehicles this year as it pushes through a programme that could eliminate 100,000 roles

Volkswagen has reported a steep fall in profits and cut its revenue forecast amid a sales slump in China, as the German carmaker pushes through a brutal cost-cutting programme that includes axeing up to 100,000 jobs.

VW said it expects sales to fall by up to 3% this year, a reversal of a previous forecast for a 3% increase on last year’s €321.9bn (£275.3bn), because of a sales slump in the highly competitive Chinese market.

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Trump to speak at White House press dinner rescheduled after shooting

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Journalists urge attenders to confront president over media attacks, while Melanie Trump and JD Vance to be absent

Donald Trump will address a rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association (WCHA) dinner on Friday three months after the original event was abruptly halted after an armed assailant tried to storm it, with the alleged aim of assassinating him.

The rearranged dinner has been condemned as “hypocritical” by retired journalists and press freedom groups, who are urging the association to use it to confront Trump over his administration’s intensified attacks on the media.

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Record heat sends online retail sales to five-year high in Great Britain

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Soaring temperatures fuel demand for air conditioners and outdoor goods, helping retailers beat expectations in June

Online sales reached their highest share of retail spending in five years last month as record heat fuelled demand for air conditioners, outdoor products and clothing.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the volume of retail sales in Great Britain rose 1% month on month in June, beating analysts’ expectations of a 0.3% decline, helped by hot weather and World Cup spending.

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Things were looking up for Trump and Republicans on the high cost of living. Then he suddenly upended it all. – The Boston Globe

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  1. Things were looking up for Trump and Republicans on the high cost of living. Then he suddenly upended it all.  The Boston Globe
  2. Senate GOP expresses concern over Iran endgame after Hegseth hearing  The Hill
  3. Trump’s split screen: War and campaigning  Politico
  4. Trump faces a catch-22 on Iran because of midterms, says his former commerce secretary: Face inflation furor or withdraw and look weak  Fortune
  5. Trump’s war on Iran is unpopular and expensive. He’s perfectly OK with that  The Guardian
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Four Palestinians and one Israeli killed during West Bank settler attack – The Guardian

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  1. Four Palestinians and one Israeli killed during West Bank settler attack  The Guardian
  2. LIVE: Israeli settlers attack West Bank’s Nablus, shooting leaves six dead  Al Jazeera
  3. Northern West Bank in lockdown as clashes rock villages and Israel deploys troops in Nablus  PBS
  4. 5 Killed in West Bank Shooting, Officials Say, Among the Deadliest in Months  The New York Times
  5. Tensions Rise After Deadly Clash Near Palestinian Village in West Bank  WSJ
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