Mali’s junta arrests generals and French national over alleged coup plot

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Development comes as the military continues to crack down on dissent after a pro-democracy rally in May

Mali’s military rulers say they have arrested a group of military personnel and civilians, including two Malian generals and a suspected French agent, accusing them of attempting to destabilise the country.

The security minister, Gen Daouda Aly Mohammedine, who announced the arrests on the local evening news on Thursday, told viewers an investigation was under way and that the situation was “completely under control”.

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UK rights watchdog warns against ‘heavy-handed’ policing of Gaza protests

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EHRC calls for clearer guidance for officers to avoid a ‘chilling effect’ on freedom of expression

The UK’s official human rights watchdog has written to ministers and police expressing concern at a potentially “heavy-handed” approach to protests about Gaza and urging clearer guidance for officers in enforcing the law.

In the letter to Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, and Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan police, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said the perception that peaceful protest could attract disproportionate police attention “undermines confidence in our human rights protections”.

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First Thing: Newsom says California hopes to redraw maps in response to Texas plan

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Republican redestricting move aims to win House majority in midterms. Plus, plastic pollution talks fail in Geneva

Good morning.

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has said lawmakers would proceed with a redistricting plan to counter the Republican-led map drawing effort in Texas aimed at securing a House majority after the midterm elections.

Will Newsom go ahead if Texas stands down? No. The California plan will only take place if Texas, or another Republican-led state, redraws its map in favor of the GOP.

What else do experts say about Bhattacharya’s “public trust” claims? That the issue is not whether the vaccines have public trust, but whether they are safe and effective, which they “clearly” are and this must be communicated.

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Hiker’s body found after bear drags him from trail into forest in Japan, officials say – CBS News

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  1. Hiker's body found after bear drags him from trail into forest in Japan, officials say  CBS News
  2. Hokkaido police identify dead climber attacked by bear | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News  nhk.or.jp
  3. Hiker found dead after bear attack on Mount Rausu in Hokkaido  朝日新聞
  4. Hiker missing after bear attack in Hokkaido's Shiretoko  毎日新聞
  5. Hiker Tried to Fight Off Bear Before Being Dragged into Forest, Friend Says. His Body Was Just Found  People.com
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How Decades of Folly Led to War in Ukraine – compactmag.com

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  1. How Decades of Folly Led to War in Ukraine  compactmag.com
  2. What to Know Ahead of the Trump-Putin Summit  The New York Times
  3. Democrats should give peace a chance in Ukraine  The Hill
  4. Why the Russia-Ukraine war isn’t just about NATO and Putin  The London School of Economics and Political Science
  5. In pictures: looking back on Ukraine war ahead of Trump-Putin summit in Alaska  South China Morning Post
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Trump says he hopes to ‘save’ Hong Kong democrat Jimmy Lai – Reuters

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  1. Trump says he hopes to 'save' Hong Kong democrat Jimmy Lai  Reuters
  2. Jimmy Lai: Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon’s national security trial adjourned over health issues  BBC
  3. Trump has vowed to free Jimmy Lai. A Hong Kong court is about to decide the media mogul’s fate  CNN
  4. Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai’s trial delayed over health concerns  Al Jazeera
  5. Jimmy Lai trial enters final stretch, Trump says he hopes to 'save' Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon  NBC News
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Suspended Labour councillor found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder

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Ricky Jones was filmed speaking at anti-racism rally after last summer’s far-right riots that followed Southport murders

A suspended Labour councillor who called at an anti-racism rally for far-right activists’ throats to be cut has been found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder.

Ricky Jones, 58, used the phrase “disgusting Nazi fascists” in a speech about last summer’s far-right protests after the Southport murders, his trial at Snaresbrook crown court heard.

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Countries can’t agree on how to stop plastic crisis – DW

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  1. Countries can't agree on how to stop plastic crisis  DW
  2. Global plastic talks collapse as countries remain deeply divided  BBC
  3. The Guardian view on the collapse of environmental talks: petrostates blocked a global plastics deal, but we must not despair | Editorial  The Guardian
  4. United Nations Plastic Treaty Talks End Without Deal  The New York Times
  5. Failed plastics negotiations in Geneva leave world few options to confront growing pollution crisis  AP News
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King Charles warns of war’s ‘true cost’ at VJ Day’s 80th anniversary – Reuters

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  1. King Charles warns of war's 'true cost' at VJ Day's 80th anniversary  Reuters
  2. King and Queen lead two-minute silence to mark 80 years since VJ Day  BBC
  3. King Charles leads 80th VJ Day commemoration in UK  The Guardian
  4. Kate Middleton and Prince William Release Emotional Message to Mark Poignant Anniversary amid Summer Break  People.com
  5. VJ Day tribute: Queen moved to tears as veteran comforts King over cancer diagnosis  The Telegraph
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USSR sweatshirt and chicken kyiv: Russia dials up trolling before Alaska summit

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Foreign minister’s attire and inflight menu for Russian media are latest in series of provocations towards Ukraine

In a not-so-subtle act of trolling, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, arrived in Alaska on the eve of the US–Russia summit wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with “USSR”.

Once seen in western capitals as a pragmatic and skilled diplomat, the 75-year-old has in recent years mirrored the Kremlin’s radicalised politics, adopting an increasingly combative tone and resorting to trolling and mockery.

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Israeli minister posts video online confronting Palestinian detainee in his prison cell – as it happened

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Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir posts video showing him confronting Marwan Barghouti, who has spent more than 20 years in Israeli custody

At least 16 Palestinian people, including five aid seekers, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn, Al Jazeera is reporting, citing medical sources.

Here are some of the latest images being sent to us over the newswires from Gaza:

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Explosion at Russian gunpowder plant kills at least five – Meduza

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  1. Explosion at Russian gunpowder plant kills at least five  Meduza
  2. A fire at a Russian industrial plant kills 11 and injures 130  ABC News
  3. Explosion Rocks Military Factory in Ryazan, Killing Four Russian Soldiers and Injuring Dozens  UNITED24 Media
  4. Blast in Russian factory injures 130  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Explosion at Russian gunpowder factory kills 5, as fighting continues in Ukraine ahead of Alaska summit  New York Post
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Column | Trump’s big boost to Russia and China – The Washington Post

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  1. Column | Trump’s big boost to Russia and China  The Washington Post
  2. China eyes Trump-Putin meeting, gauges West’s resolve on Ukraine  Fox News
  3. China Can Help Trump and Putin End the War in Ukraine  Foreign Policy
  4. Why Xi Is Closely Watching The Trump-Putin Summit In Alaska  Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
  5. China Has Most To Gain From Trump-Putin Talks in Alaska: Analyst  Newsweek
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Democrats are fighting fire with fire over redistricting – but will democracy burn?

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Trump’s plan to boost Republican House seats in the midterms through gerrymandering has provoked a reaction

The mid-decade redistricting war looming between Republicans and Democrats is exposing an idea that’s corroding American democracy – voters may not matter that much in determining who controls the US House.

After Texas Republicans unveiled a Donald Trump-fueled plan to pick up five additional US House seats last month, the California governor, Gavin Newsom, unveiled a plan on Thursday to throw out districts drawn by an independent commission and put in place new ones that would add five Democratic seats in response. Republicans are also expected to push ahead with plans to redraw maps in Ohio, Missouri, Florida and possibly Indiana, in their favor.

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Texas legislature to end special session without passing new electoral maps

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Governor Greg Abbott said he will immediately call another session as Democratic lawmakers signaled return to state

Texas lawmakers will adjourn their first special session without passing new congressional maps on Friday, though Governor Greg Abbott has said he will immediately call another session and Democratic lawmakers signaled they are likely to return to the state.

Abbott has pledged he will call consecutive special sessions until Democrats have returned. More than 50 Democrats left the state last month in order to deny a quorum in the legislature after Republicans announced plans to redraw the state’s congressional maps, at the request of Donald Trump, in order to gain five Republican seats.

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Collision of Chinese vessels in waters near China’s Huangyan Dao likely caused by avoiding hitting Philippine Coast Guard Ship: expert – Global Times

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  1. Collision of Chinese vessels in waters near China’s Huangyan Dao likely caused by avoiding hitting Philippine Coast Guard Ship: expert  Global Times
  2. China's catastrophic South China Sea crash shows how dangerous high-risk moves at sea can be  Business Insider
  3. US warships sail in vicinity of disputed shoal where Chinese ships collided  CNN
  4. Scarborough Shoal Incident 2.0: The PLAN Inches Closer to War  U.S. Naval Institute
  5. Beijing slams Philippine ships in first comment on South China Sea collision  South China Morning Post
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Global plastic treaty talks end in failure as countries remain bitterly divided over how to tackle the crisis – CNN

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  1. Global plastic treaty talks end in failure as countries remain bitterly divided over how to tackle the crisis  CNN
  2. Global plastic talks collapse as countries remain deeply divided  BBC
  3. Once Again, Oil States Thwart Agreement on Plastics  Yale E360
  4. The Guardian view on the collapse of environmental talks: petrostates blocked a global plastics deal, but we must not despair | Editorial  The Guardian
  5. Plastic pollution treaty stalled as Geneva talks end without deal  Reuters
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Guardian Australia wins Kennedy awards for outstanding digital innovation, photography and columnist

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Leaving Gaza interactive, a portrait by Carly Earl, and columnist Ranjana Srivastava claim media accolades

Guardian Australia has won three Kennedy awards for outstanding digital innovation, outstanding portrait photography and outstanding columnist at an industry event in Sydney.

The Leaving Gaza interactive, which showcased text messages exchanged between Palestinian friends – one in Gaza, one in the US – in the opening days of the Israel-Gaza war, won the innovation category.

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French prime minister condemns cutting down tree planted in memory of murdered Jew – Ynetnews

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  1. French prime minister condemns cutting down tree planted in memory of murdered Jew  Ynetnews
  2. Emmanuel Macron decries ‘antisemitic hatred’ after memorial tree cut down  The Guardian
  3. Macron vows to punish act of ‘hate’ after memorial tree for slain French Jew cut down  The Times of Israel
  4. French leader Macron vows justice after unknown attackers chop down tree honoring murdered Jew  AP News
  5. Macron vows to punish 'hatred' after olive tree honoring Jewish victim is cut down  Le Monde.fr
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