A hardline general wanted by Interpol emerges as a key player in Iran war – CNN

  1. A hardline general wanted by Interpol emerges as a key player in Iran war  CNN
  2. Who Runs Iran Now? A Hard-Line Military Band of Brothers.  The New York Times
  3. This hard-line Iranian general is a major player in talks with US over war  AP News
  4. Interpol-wanted Iranian war strategist: Who is General Ahmad Vahidi?  Euronews
  5. A Shadow Conflict Is Growing Inside Iran’s Armed Forces  الحرة
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Bodies of divers who died in Maldives scuba accident returned to Italy – CBS News

  1. Bodies of divers who died in Maldives scuba accident returned to Italy  CBS News
  2. ‘If something goes wrong, you can’t simply surface’: Maldives tragedy shines light on dangers of cave diving  The Guardian
  3. Five cave divers slipped beneath the waves in the Maldives. Why didn’t they resurface?  CNN
  4. After 6 Dead in a Maldives Scuba Tragedy, the Safety Lessons We Need to Take Away  Outside Magazine
  5. Maldives cave divers died after ‘taking wrong turn’  Yahoo
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Senegal’s President Faye sacks PM Sonko and dissolves government – Al Jazeera

  1. Senegal’s President Faye sacks PM Sonko and dissolves government  Al Jazeera
  2. Senegal president sacks PM Sonko, dissolves government after months of friction  Reuters
  3. Senegal’s president fires prime minister after months of tensions  AP News
  4. Senegal President Faye sacks prime minister Sonko after months or tensions  BBC
  5. Senegal President Prime Minister  Dayton Daily News
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Three months in, is Trump losing the war against Iran? – The Times of Israel

  1. Three months in, is Trump losing the war against Iran?  The Times of Israel
  2. Three months in, is Trump losing the Iran war?  Reuters
  3. An ever-expanding catastrophe over Iran is not inevitable. Trump can and must be stopped | Simon Tisdall  The Guardian
  4. The Key Sticking Points for a US-Iran Peace Deal  Bloomberg.com
  5. Donald Trump’s risky military options to break Iran deadlock  Financial Times
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UK needs ‘national consensus’ over rejoining EU, David Miliband says

Ex-foreign secretary urges reset at ‘higher dosage’ after officials revealed to have pitched single market for goods

Britain needs a “national consensus” about rejoining the European Union, David Miliband has said, in response to revelations that the UK government pitched the creation of a single market for goods with the EU to the bloc.

The former foreign secretary, who is now president of the International Rescue Committee, said he thought the UK needed a reset of its relations with the EU at “a much higher dosage” than the government was planning.

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The remains of 4 Italian divers killed in a Maldives cave dive have been repatriated – AP News

  1. The remains of 4 Italian divers killed in a Maldives cave dive have been repatriated  AP News
  2. Dead Maldives divers were just minutes away from reaching surface as tragic new details emerge  New York Post
  3. After 6 Dead in a Maldives Scuba Tragedy, the Safety Lessons We Need to Take Away  Outside Magazine
  4. Divers killed in Maldives cave may have taken wrong tunnel, recovery firm CEO says: "No way out"  CBS News
  5. Five cave divers slipped beneath the waves in the Maldives. Why didn’t they resurface?  CNN
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Pope Leo decries ‘dizzying’ profits earned by companies that pollute – Reuters

  1. Pope Leo decries 'dizzying' profits earned by companies that pollute  Reuters
  2. Pope decries ‘unscrupulous’ polluters at deadly, mafia-linked dumping ground  The Guardian
  3. Pope Leo meets families of youth lost to illegal toxic waste dumping in Italy’s ‘Land of Fires’  NBC News
  4. Pope to visit Italy’s ‘Land of Fires,’ victims of Mafia’s toxic waste dumping  EWTN News
  5. Pope Leo in Acerra: 'Let us take responsiblity and serve life'  Vatican News
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Reeves’s tax cut on children’s meals a political ‘soundbite’, say restaurateurs

Chancellor’s measure to help families save money during summer holidays ‘won’t make any difference’

Cutting tax on children’s meals is a political “soundbite” that will make little difference to families or businesses, restaurateurs have said.

This week, Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, announced a temporary reduction in VAT on the children’s menu in restaurants from 20% to 5% between June and September, in order to help families with the cost of living crisis and offer a boost to the hospitality sector.

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Board of Peace focus on Hamas risks return to war in Gaza, critics say

US-backed board has put sole blame for stalled ceasefire on militant group despite Israel not fulfilling its obligations, analysts say

The top diplomat from the Board of Peace has blamed Hamas for the stalled ceasefire, but critics have said the US-backed board’s lack of even-handedness in implementing the truce risks a return to war.

The “high representative for Gaza”, Nickolay Mladenov, told the UN security council on Thursday that Hamas was the “principal obstacle” to the ceasefire’s continued implementation because “it refused to accept verified decommissioning, relinquish coercive control and allow a genuine civilian transition”.

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China mine explosion: death toll leaps to 90 after gas blast

Xi Jinping urges authorities to ‘spare no effort’ in rescue operation after blast in northern Shanxi province

At least 90 people have been killed in a gas explosion at a coalmine in China’s northern Shanxi province, the country’s deadliest mining accident since at least 2009.

The gas explosion occurred late on Friday at the Liushenyu coalmine in Qinyuan county, with 247 workers on duty underground, the state news agency Xinhua reported.

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Fraudster trying to sell fake ancient statues to Sotheby’s foiled over bogus invoices

Paperwork supplied by Andrew Crowley, 46, found to be made using printing methods 25 years too modern

A fraudster who tried to sell fake ancient statues to Sotheby’s was foiled when his bogus accompanying paperwork was found to be written with printing methods that were 25 years too modern, a court has heard.

Andrew Crowley, 46, asked the auctioneers to value three Cycladic figures and one Anatolian stargazer statuette that he had inherited from his grandfather, Southwark crown court in London was told on Friday.

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Iran war day 85: Tehran says major gaps remain in US talks – Al Jazeera

  1. Iran war day 85: Tehran says major gaps remain in US talks  Al Jazeera
  2. Iran war live: Tehran sends ‘mixed’ messages as mediators depart Iran  Al Jazeera
  3. Araghchi tells UN chief that US is making ‘repeated excessive demands’  The Times of Israel
  4. Iran says talks not necessarily close to agreement despite Munir's visit  ایران اینترنشنال
  5. Middle East live: Iran in ‘final stage’ of drafting framework for US deal, state media reports  France 24
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Albanese joins coalition of nations calling for an end to Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank

Australia joins the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands and New Zealand in condemning illegal settlements

The Israeli government is undermining stability in the West Bank as settler violence reaches unprecedented levels, a coalition of western countries says, as its leaders call for an end to construction of Israeli settlements it says breach international law.

In a joint statement issued on Friday, Anthony Albanese and the leaders of the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands and New Zealand said:

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Jacinta Allan launches state-sponsored apprenticeships at Victoria’s Labor conference ahead of election

The premier is offering 2,000 apprenticeships at the revived State Electricity Commission as part of a pre-election push

Jacinta Allan has used Labor’s final state conference before the election to announce a plan for a government-owned electricity body to hire apprentices to address significant workforce shortages and job insecurity.

The Victorian premier announced the plan in a speech that drew on her father’s experience as a linesman at the State Electricity Commission (SEC), which was revived by Daniel Andrews in 2023 after being privatised by former premier Jeff Kennett in the 1990s.

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