Macrons to submit scientific evidence to US court to prove Brigitte was not born a man

French president and wife allege rightwing influencer Candace Owens is using defamatory attacks against them to boost media profile

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife plan to present scientific evidence to a US court to prove that Brigitte Macron was not born a man, the lawyer representing them in a defamation suit has said.

The couple filed the suit in July against Candace Owens, a rightwing influencer, and her business, alleging continuing defamatory attacks against them in order to boost the profile of her media platform, gain more audience and make money.

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EU floats plan to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine loan, bypassing a Hungary veto – Reuters

  1. EU floats plan to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine loan, bypassing a Hungary veto  Reuters
  2. EU explores using €170bn of Russia’s frozen assets to fund Ukraine  Financial Times
  3. Opinion | Put Vladimir Putin’s Frozen Assets to Good Use  The Wall Street Journal
  4. Germany Backs Further Use of Frozen Russian Assets for Ukraine  Bloomberg.com
  5. Spain backs EU efforts to use frozen Russian assets, cuts gas imports from Russia  TradingView
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First person removed to France under ‘one in, one out’ asylum deal, says UK

Agreement reached with France allows for removal of asylum seekers who arrive on small boats

The first Channel migrant has been deported to France under the controversial one in, one out deal, the Home Office has confirmed.

It follows three days of cancellations of tickets of asylum seekers due to fly and a high court challenge that halted the imminent removal of a 25-year-old Eritrean man to France on Tuesday evening. He was granted more time to gather evidence relating to his claim that he is a victim of trafficking.

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Italy first in EU to pass comprehensive law regulating use of AI

Legislation limits child access and imposes prison terms for damaging use of artificial intelligence

Italy has become the first country in the EU to approve a comprehensive law regulating the use of artificial intelligence, including imposing prison terms on those who use the technology to cause harm, such as generating deepfakes, and limiting child access.

Giorgia Meloni’s rightwing government said the legislation, which aligns with the EU’s landmark AI Act, is a decisive move in influencing how AI is used across Italy.

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Israel is waging a holocaust in Gaza. Denazification is our only remedy – +972 Magazine

  1. Israel is waging a holocaust in Gaza. Denazification is our only remedy  +972 Magazine
  2. The Survival of an Israeli Sparta Depends Upon a Permanent State of War  Haaretz
  3. Does Israel face a 'South Africa moment' over Gaza?  BBC
  4. Essay | Israel Is Winning the War but Losing the World  The Wall Street Journal
  5. Gaza is burning, Israel must put out the fire  Hindustan Times
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Picasso painting not seen for 80 years unveiled by Paris auction house

Portrait of Dora Maar completed in Paris during war had been in private collection since being bought in 1944

A newly discovered painting by Pablo Picasso of the French photographer and painter Dora Maar completed during the German occupation of Paris that has not been seen for 80 years, has been unveiled.

The work, Bust of a Woman in a Flowery Hat (Dora Maar), was finished towards the end of the couple’s turbulent nine-year relationship and shows Maar in a softer, more colourful light than Picasso’s previous portraits of his then lover.

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U.K. to Formally Recognize Palestinian Statehood After Trump Departs – The New York Times

  1. U.K. to Formally Recognize Palestinian Statehood After Trump Departs  The New York Times
  2. Trump Says He Disagrees With Starmer Bid to Recognize Palestine  Bloomberg.com
  3. LIVE: Trump says Putin let him down, calls for release of captives in Gaza  Al Jazeera
  4. Trump cites ‘disagreement’ with Starmer on Israel-Gaza during joint press conference  The Hill
  5. Trump holds UK news conference as Jimmy Kimmel eclipses trip: Updates  USA Today
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Trump cheers suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show after host’s Charlie Kirk comments | First Thing

The two largest Hollywood unions voiced support for Kimmel. Plus, Bernie Sanders becomes first US senator to say Israel committing genocide in Gaza

Good morning.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been suspended “indefinitely” after comments he made about the killing of Charlie Kirk, ABC has announced, hours after the Donald Trump-appointed chair of the broadcast regulator threatened broadcasters’ licenses if action was not taken against the late-night host.

What did Kimmel say? During his opening monologue for Tuesday night’s show, Kimmel said: “Many in Maga-land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.” He accused the US vice-president, JD Vance, of blaming the left for Kirk’s death without evidence. “Here’s a question JD Vance might be able to answer: who wanted to hang the guy who was vice-president before you? Was that the liberal left? Or the toothless army who stormed the Capitol on January 6?” Kimmel said.

How are people reacting? Trump celebrated the suspension on social media, calling it “great news for America”. But the two largest Hollywood unions – the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild – as well as several Democratic lawmakers voiced support for Kimmel.

What’s the context? It comes after an independent UN commission of experts concluded that Israel’s actions “meet the criteria set forth in the genocide convention”. It said: “Explicit statements by Israeli civilian and military authorities and the pattern of conduct of the Israeli security forces indicate that the genocidal acts were committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as a group.”

What’s the latest in Gaza City? The Israeli ground operation, which began on Tuesday morning, continues with Israeli troops pressing ahead yesterday, making further efforts to force more people to flee their homes and travel to overcrowded and unsafe areas in the south of the devastated territory. Read our coverage here.

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Jimmy Kimmel Live! suspended over Charlie Kirk comments after US government pressure

Removal of late-night show criticised as part of Trump administration’s attack on critical voices in media, academia and business

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show has been suspended “indefinitely” after the US government put pressure on broadcasters to crack down on the comedian, who had accused Donald Trump’s political movement of exploiting the killing of Charlie Kirk.

ABC, which Disney owns, announced on Wednesday night that it would remove Kimmel’s show from its schedule for the foreseeable future.

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Australia sanctions 95 Russian ‘shadow fleet’ vessels, lowers oil price cap – The Kyiv Independent

  1. Australia sanctions 95 Russian 'shadow fleet' vessels, lowers oil price cap  The Kyiv Independent
  2. Russia says it will answer Japan's new sanctions  Reuters
  3. Japan Pushes Back on US Call for Tariff Hikes Over Russian Oil  Bloomberg.com
  4. Australia takes further action to constrain Russian oil revenue  Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs
  5. Japan expands sanctions against Russia  The Japan Times
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Russia-backed network behind detonating parcels in Europe, Lithuania says – Euronews.com

  1. Russia-backed network behind detonating parcels in Europe, Lithuania says  Euronews.com
  2. British police arrest three on suspicion of spying for Russia  CNN
  3. Britain arrests trio of suspected Russian saboteurs  Al Jazeera
  4. UK police make arrests for spying as Lithuanian prosecutors target Russia-linked arson network  ABC News
  5. Two men and a woman arrested in Essex on suspicion of spying for Russia  The Guardian
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How vulnerable are Australia’s cities to extreme heat? Explore our maps

Exclusive: Residents of western Sydney and outer suburbs of Melbourne are at particular risk of high temperatures, data shows

As the federal government warns the climate crisis will increase heat-related deaths, with the impact disproportionately borne by the already vulnerable, data obtained exclusively by Guardian Australia shows the parts of Australia’s major cities that are most vulnerable to heat.

The new measure, called the Heat Vulnerability Index and compiled by researchers at RMIT, combines temperature readings from satellites, with data on populations particularly susceptible to heat (such as older Australians and those with disabilities), the built environment and green space, and socioeconomic factors like income and education.

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Trump tells aides Netanyahu ‘f—king me,’ but won’t break publicly with him – report – The Times of Israel

  1. Trump tells aides Netanyahu ‘f—king me,’ but won’t break publicly with him – report  The Times of Israel
  2. How Israel is losing America  The Economist
  3. Trump’s Laissez-Faire Stance Gives Netanyahu Free Pass for Gaza Escalation  The New York Times
  4. Live updates: Humanitarian aid driver kills IDF soldiers  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Trump said to tell top aides Netanyahu is ‘f–king me’ but won’t break publicly with PM  The Times of Israel
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Mayor of London Sadiq Khan describes Gaza situation as genocide – BBC

  1. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan describes Gaza situation as genocide  BBC
  2. It Is Genocide  U.S. Senate (.gov)
  3. For the first time, Bernie Sanders calls Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide  The Washington Post
  4. Vermont’s congressional delegation, for the first time, calls Israel’s war in Gaza a ‘genocide’  VTDigger
  5. Shaming Israel for Gaza genocide could embolden it, unless it is punished  Al Jazeera
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