El Salvador holds mass trial for 486 alleged members of notorious MS-13 gang

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Human rights groups have warned that the collective prosecutions violate due process and block defendants from accessing legal counsel

A Salvadoran court on Tuesday began a collective trial of 486 alleged gang members, in one of the biggest mass trials under president Nayib Bukele’s crackdown on gang violence through controversial emergency powers.

Prosecutors say the charges against alleged members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, or MS-13, span more than 47,000 crimes committed between 2012 and 2022, including a weekend that was El Salvador’s bloodiest since its civil war.

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Mexico to beef up security at tourist sites after shooting at pyramids – NPR

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  1. Mexico to beef up security at tourist sites after shooting at pyramids  NPR
  2. Gunman who fired on tourists at Mexican pyramid carried materials related to 1999 Columbine massacre  Dallas News
  3. Julio César Jasso Ramírez: The Teotihuacán shooter who celebrated the Columbine massacre and the fascist far right  EL PAÍS English
  4. Tourists describe terrifying moments during deadly shooting at Mexico pyramid site  NBC News
  5. Teotihuacán Pyramids Shooting: Gunman Carried Notes on U.S. Mass Shootings  The New York Times
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Military planners set to bypass the clowns and reopen the Strait of Hormuz themselves – investingLive

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  1. Military planners set to bypass the clowns and reopen the Strait of Hormuz themselves  investingLive
  2. Europe Wanted a Say on the Iran War, but It’s Still on the Sidelines  The New York Times
  3. Military planners to discuss Hormuz reopening in London  Reuters
  4. UK and France to lead defensive mission in Strait of Hormuz  BBC
  5. UK, France Convene Fresh Hormuz Summit on Re-Opening Planning  Bloomberg.com
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Heatwaves, floods and wildfires pose rising threat to democracy, report finds

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Research shows natural hazards linked to climate crisis disrupted 23 elections in 18 countries in 2024

Democracy is under mounting threat from the climate crisis, with new analysis documenting how elections are increasingly shaped not only by political forces but also by floods, wildfires and extreme weather.

At least 94 elections and referendums across 52 countries have been disrupted by climate-related impacts over the last two decades, researchers found.

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Ukraine war briefing: Quick loan in pipeline as Druzhba reopens – The Guardian

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  1. Ukraine war briefing: Quick loan in pipeline as Druzhba reopens  The Guardian
  2. Contested Druzhba pipeline resumes operations with EU close to signing off on €90bn loan for Ukraine – Europe live  The Guardian
  3. Ukraine to restart oil flows via Druzhba pipeline on Wednesday, source says  Reuters
  4. Ukraine says Druzhba pipeline running Russian oil to Europe can resume work  Al Jazeera
  5. Ukraine reopens Russian oil pipeline to get €90B EU loan  Yahoo
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Millions in India stripped of vote before critical state election, as government seeks to ‘purify’ electoral roll

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Experts say Muslims and other minorities have been disproportionately deleted from the electoral roll ahead of the West Bengal elections this week

Millions of people in the Indian state of West Bengal have been stripped of their vote ahead of a critical state election this week, after a controversial electoral revision described by critics as a “bloodless political genocide” and mass disenfranchisement of minorities.

In West Bengal, a total of 9.1 million names have been deleted from the register, more than 10% of the electorate. While many were dead or duplicates, about 2.7 million people have challenged their expulsions, but still been removed.

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EU aims to ease energy blow from Iran war with tax cuts, gas coordination – Reuters

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  1. EU aims to ease energy blow from Iran war with tax cuts, gas coordination  Reuters
  2. $28 billion and counting: Europe tallies the cost of another energy crisis  CNN
  3. EU proposes steps to deal with energy crisis amid Iran war  dw.com
  4. EU eyes options as Iran conflict threatens jet fuel shortages  Al Jazeera
  5. EU plans to cut electricity taxes to shield households from Iran war energy crisis  The Guardian
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China praises blocking of Taiwan president’s Africa trip, Taipei defiant – Reuters

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  1. China praises blocking of Taiwan president's Africa trip, Taipei defiant  Reuters
  2. Lai Ching-te: Taiwan president cancels trip after African countries revoke flight permits  BBC
  3. Does William Lai’s cancelled eSwatini trip show Beijing’s reach in Africa?  South China Morning Post
  4. Taiwan Abruptly Cancels Lai Trip, Citing China’s Interference  Bloomberg.com
  5. Taiwan president blames China for forced cancellation of Eswatini trip  The Guardian
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Virginia voters approve new congressional maps in blow to Trump

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Governor called referendum after president urged GOP-led states to redraw maps to protect House majority

Voters in Virginia on Tuesday approved new congressional maps intended to boost Democrats’ chances of retaking the House of Representatives, in the latest blow to Donald Trump’s effort to use mid-decade redistricting to preserve his control of Congress.

The tit-for-tat redistricting battle began last year after Trump pressed Texas’s Republican-controlled legislature to redraw that state’s congressional maps in a bid to oust as many as five Democratic House lawmakers in the November midterm elections.

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SpaceX secures option to buy AI startup Cursor for $60bn or partner for $10bn

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Cursor is aSilicon Valley startup using AI to automate coding as Elon Musk’s firm seeks foothold in the AI market

SpaceX said it has secured an option to either acquire code-generation startup Cursor for $60bn later this year, or pay $10bn for their new partnership, as it pushes deeper into the lucrative market for AI developer tools.

Along with OpenAI and Anthropic, Cursor is one of several Silicon Valley startups that has drawn waves of developers by using artificial intelligence to automate coding, a business where AI companies have found early commercial traction.

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