Russian forces advance and take first village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, state media say – Reuters

  1. Russian forces advance and take first village in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, state media say  Reuters
  2. Russia has taken first village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk, state media claims  The Guardian
  3. Russia Seizes Key Lithium Field in Challenge for U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal  The New York Times
  4. Russia captures village in eastern Ukraine near lithium deposit, Russian-backed official says  Reuters
  5. Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russia claims to take control of Ukrainian village in new advance  The Independent
Posted in Uncategorized

Jury deliberates whether Australian woman served deadly mushrooms with intent to kill her in-laws – AP News

  1. Jury deliberates whether Australian woman served deadly mushrooms with intent to kill her in-laws  AP News
  2. Australia mushroom poisoning case: Verdict due in murder trial  NBC News
  3. In a sleepy Australian town, court watchers bag spots for Erin Patterson’s mushroom lunch trial verdicts  The Guardian
  4. Jury deliberates for 2nd day in the triple murder trial of Australian accused of mushroom poisonings  ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
  5. Erin Patterson: Jury starts deliberations in mushroom murder trial  BBC
Posted in Uncategorized

After months of stalling, Russia blames Ukraine, US for slow pace of peace talks – The Kyiv Independent

  1. After months of stalling, Russia blames Ukraine, US for slow pace of peace talks  The Kyiv Independent
  2. Pace of Ukraine talks hinges on efforts of Kyiv, Washington, Kremlin says  Reuters
  3. Vladimir Putin says Moscow is ready for new round of peace talks with Ukraine  Euronews.com
  4. Moscow Signals Willingness for New Peace Talks with Kyiv Amid Defense Budget Highlights  UNITED24 Media
  5. Putin Says Russia and Ukraine Nowhere Close on Peace Terms  The Moscow Times
Posted in Uncategorized

Israel’s Attack on Evin Prison Killed 71, Iranian State Media Report – The New York Times

  1. Israel’s Attack on Evin Prison Killed 71, Iranian State Media Report  The New York Times
  2. Iran acknowledges death toll from Israel's strike on notorious Evin prison  Fox News
  3. Survivor of Israel’s attack on Iran’s Evin prison describes a ‘slow death’ after 12-day war  AP News
  4. A devastating toll: the human cost of Israel’s strike on Tehran's Evin Prison  ایران اینترنشنال
  5. Israeli strike on Iranian prison killed more than 70, says Iran state-affiliated media  CNN
Posted in Uncategorized

Monday briefing: How Budapest Pride became a huge show of anti-Orbán defiance

In today’s newsletter: Hungary has relentlessly cracked down on LGBTQ+ rights – but banning Pride proved a step too far, as European politicians joined its biggest ever crowd

Good morning. In 1997, Budapest became the first capital in central and eastern Europe to hold a Pride parade. Three decades later, the march is firmly established as Hungary’s biggest LGBTQ+ event, and, in the words of one opposition MP, “a vital expression of joy, resistance and visibility”.

On Saturday, Budapest Pride took on the illiberal ambitions of Viktor Orbán and, rainbow flags flying high under a cloudless blue sky, as many as 200,000 marchers from 30 countries – the biggest turnout ever – were there to say it won. At least, for the time being.

Welfare |Vicky Foxcroft, the Labour whip who resigned in protest against disability benefit cuts, has said Keir Starmer’s concessions do not yet go far enough to win her over, as No 10 launched a fresh attempt to stem the revolt against its welfare bill.

NHS | Britain’s health service is estimated to be spending £50m a year on the effects of poverty and deprivation. One senior NHS figure said there were “medieval” levels of illnesses among poorer communities

Glastonbury | The organisers of Glastonbury have said they are “appalled” by comments made by Bob Vylan after the punk duo appeared to incite violence, something the festival said went against its ethos of “hope, unity, peace and love”.

Environment | Wildlife activists who exposed horrific conditions at Scottish salmon farms were subjected to surveillance by private spies-for-hire, including being followed and photographed, the Guardian can reveal.

Weather | Today’s temperature in the UK is expected to rise to 34C, just short of the record for the hottest ever June day, 35.6C, recorded in Southampton in 1976.

Continue reading...

Syria will seek Israeli withdrawal from Golan Heights as part of any future peace deal, officials say – Ynetnews

  1. Syria will seek Israeli withdrawal from Golan Heights as part of any future peace deal, officials say  Ynetnews
  2. Report: Syria not demanding Golan Heights as part of deal with Israel  The Times of Israel
  3. Israel eyes ties with Syria and Lebanon after Iran war  Reuters
  4. Report: Syrian Government Divided on Whether to Sign Peace Deal With Israel  Haaretz
  5. Gideon Sa'ar says Israel wants diplomatic ties with Syria, Lebanon  The Jerusalem Post
Posted in Uncategorized

Seoul wrestles with how to handle invasion of ‘lovebugs’

Swarms in South Korean capital trigger heated debate over pest control as experts say rising temperatures partly to blame

Seoul residents are grappling with an invasion of so-called “lovebugs” that have swarmed hiking trails and urban areas across the South Korean capital, with experts debating how to handle the infestations that are surging as the climate crisis draws them further north.

Viral footage shared on social media shows Gyeyangsan mountain in Incheon, west of Seoul, with hiking trails and observation decks carpeted black with the insects.

Continue reading...

Hong Kong’s security net extends beyond arrests as small businesses pressured – AP News

  1. Hong Kong’s security net extends beyond arrests as small businesses pressured  AP News
  2. Hong Kong: National Security Law analysis shows vast majority unjustly arrested  Amnesty International
  3. China: Building a ‘Patriots Only’ Hong Kong  Human Rights Watch
  4. How China’s Crackdown Has Reshaped Hong Kong  Foreign Policy
  5. Five years of a strict national security law in Hong Kong  WKMS
Posted in Uncategorized

A week into the fragile Israel-Iran peace agreement, here’s what we still don’t know – AP News

  1. A week into the fragile Israel-Iran peace agreement, here’s what we still don’t know  AP News
  2. Nuclear enrichment and weaponization are US red lines on Iran, Witkoff tells CNBC  Reuters
  3. Trump seizes momentum from ceasefire deal to expand peace in Middle East  Washington Times
  4. Witkoff: US, Iran seeking ‘peace deal,’ strikes set Tehran’s nuke program back years  The Times of Israel
  5. A week into the fragile Israel-Iran peace agreement, here's what we still don't know  Temple Daily Telegram
Posted in Uncategorized

Pioneering project releases more lost Irish records spanning 700 years

Newly restored material from vast archive destroyed in civil war takes in Anglo-Norman conquest and 1798 rebellion

Seven centuries of lost historical records covering espionage, political corruption and the lives of ordinary people in Ireland have been recovered and are being released.

A pioneering project to fill gaps in Irish history is making 175,000 more records and millions more words of searchable content freely available to researchers and members of the public.

Continue reading...

Lesotho activist arrested after video on unemployment rates angers prime minister

Tšolo Thakeli had long campaigned on youth joblessness, but a post questioning Sam Maketane’s promises on work creation landed him in prison

It took a single video complaining about Lesotho’s unemployment rate to turn Tšolo Thakeli into the prime minister’s enemy. Within a day of posting there were armed police at his door.

It was Father’s Day, and the 31-year-old father of two was in his pyjamas when they arrived. He had no idea his post would land him in trouble; after all, he had campaigned for a long time, under different governments, for action on jobs for young people.

Continue reading...

‘Goodbye Trump, hello Asia’ is the EU’s new trade strategy. Will it work? – politico.eu

  1. ‘Goodbye Trump, hello Asia’ is the EU’s new trade strategy. Will it work?  politico.eu
  2. EU leaders on WTO: We need to ‘come up with something else’  CNN
  3. Let's create a new World Trade Organization - Von der Leyen  Euronews.com
  4. EU’s Pacific alliance would not replace WTO, officials say  Honolulu Star-Advertiser
  5. The EU's Pacific Pivot: How Strengthening Trade Ties Reinforces the WTO and Opens New Investment Frontiers  AInvest
Posted in Uncategorized

Chilean left picks communist presidential candidate in face of far-right surge – Financial Times

  1. Chilean left picks communist presidential candidate in face of far-right surge  Financial Times
  2. Chile picks Jeannette Jara to face off against right-wing presidential field  Reuters
  3. Chile communist Jeannette Jara to lead beleaguered ruling coalition at election  The Guardian
  4. Chilean Communist Jeannette Jara Scores Blowout Win in Presidential Primary  Bloomberg.com
  5. Chilean Peso's Resurgence: Political Shifts and Currency Valuation in an Uncertain Landscape  AInvest
Posted in Uncategorized