Donald Trump looking for ‘fighter’ as Republican running mate

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Sources close to ex-president say gender and race irrelevant over pick who’s ‘America first’ and believes in agenda

Donald Trump is looking for a “fighter” as his running mate in this year’s presidential election and regards factors such as their gender or race as irrelevant, according to sources close to the former US president.

Conventional wisdom used to hold that Trump was likely to choose a woman or a person of color as his potential vice-president in an effort to broaden his appeal. But aides close to the presumptive Republican nominee currently say he will not take so-called identity politics into account.

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Benjamin Netanyahu dissolves Israeli war cabinet

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Move is apparent rebuff to far right and attempt to tighten grip on decision-making over Hamas and Hezbollah

Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved the Israeli war cabinet that had been overseeing the conflict in Gaza, rebuffing his far-right allies who had been seeking seats, and apparently moving to solidify his grasp on decision-making over the fighting with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah across the Lebanese border.

The prime minister announced the move to ministers, saying the war cabinet had been established as part of an agreement in which the moderate politician Benny Gantz and his National Unity party joined an emergency coalition last year.

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First Thing: Global spending on nuclear weapons up 13% in record rise

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World’s nuclear states on course to spend $100bn in 2024. Plus, Benjamin Netanyahu dissolves war cabinet

Good morning.

Global expenditure on nuclear weapons is estimated to have risen by 13% to a record $91.4bn in 2023, according to calculations from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican), propelled by a sharp increase in US defense budgets.

Which nuclear powers have increased spending? All nine: US, China, Russia, the UK, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, and North Korea.

What does Ican say about this trend? With funding forecast to hit $100bn in 2024, Susi Snyder, one of the research’s authors, argued that it could be spent instead on environmental and social programmes.

What will Netanyahu do after dissolving the cabinet? Netanyahu is expected to hold consultations about the war with a small group of ministers.

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Tactical voting could defeat Tories in once safe seats, campaigners say

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Senior Tories such as Liz Truss and Jeremy Hunt could be for chop as well as once safe seats such as Maidenhead

The Conservatives could lose once safe constituencies such as Theresa May’s former seat in the coming general election, with nearly 40% of people willing to vote tactically to oust the Tories, a campaign group has said.

Setting out its recommendations for how people could maximise their chances of not electing a Conservative, Best for Britain said particularly efficient tactical voting could even unseat Liz Truss and Suella Braverman.

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Ukraine peace summit: Diplomatic support and political snubs – DW (English)

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  1. Ukraine peace summit: Diplomatic support and political snubs  DW (English)
  2. Ukraine peace summit ends, many hope Russia join in on a road map in future  The Associated Press
  3. Ukraine peace summit: Why some countries refused to sign the plan  Al Jazeera English
  4. 78 countries at Swiss conference agree Ukraine's territorial integrity must be basis of any peace  Yahoo! Voices
  5. Putin's bid to undermine global Ukraine support seems to be working  Business Insider
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Killer of former Fettes College teacher sentenced to life in prison

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Paul McNaughton must serve 22 years in jail after admitting to murdering Peter Coshan in Leith flat in 2022

A 29-year-old man who admitted murdering a retired Fettes College teacher in a catfishing plot has been sentenced to life in prison with a recommendation that he serve at least 22 years.

Paul McNaughton killed 75-year-old Peter Coshan in a flat in Leith on either 11 or 12 August 2022, after using a fake profile on a gay dating site to lure him to the address.

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Israel warns of ‘devastating consequences’ as spike in fire with Lebanon risks wider conflict – CNBC

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  1. Israel warns of 'devastating consequences' as spike in fire with Lebanon risks wider conflict  CNBC
  2. Military experts concerned Hezbollah is worse than Hamas  Fox News
  3. Israel-Hamas War Day 255 | IDF: Assassinated Senior Hezbollah Member in Strike on Vehicle in Southern Lebanon - Israel News  Haaretz
  4. Hezbollah terrorist Muhammad Mustafa Ayoub killed in IAF strike  The Jerusalem Post
  5. IDF warns Hezbollah is bringing Israel to the brink of a ‘wider escalation’  The Times of Israel
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Netanyahu reportedly criticises military tactical pause in Gaza amid divisions with IDF – The Guardian

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  1. Netanyahu reportedly criticises military tactical pause in Gaza amid divisions with IDF  The Guardian
  2. Middle East Crisis: Israel Says It Will Reduce Fighting in Part of Southern Gaza  The New York Times
  3. Israel’s plan for ‘tactical pause’ for aid raises questions and deepens rifts. Here’s what we know  CNN
  4. The 7 things you need to know for Monday, June 17  The Washington Post
  5. Lazzarini says Gaza conflict still ongoing despite pauses  The Jerusalem Post
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At least 14 pilgrims die during hajj pilgrimage amid soaring temperatures – The Guardian

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  1. At least 14 pilgrims die during hajj pilgrimage amid soaring temperatures  The Guardian
  2. 14 Jordanians Die in Intense Heat During Hajj Pilgrimage  The New York Times
  3. Jordanian pilgrims die of heatstroke during Hajj pilgrimage  The Washington Post
  4. Fourteen Jordanians die during haj in Saudi Arabia, some succumb to heat  Reuters
  5. 14 die in extreme heat during Muslim Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia  Yahoo! Voices
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US envoy due in Israel for talks aimed at averting deeper conflict with Hezbollah

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Negotiator Amos Hochstein dispatched by Washington amid anxiety that deepening conflict could trigger war

A senior envoy from the Biden administration is due in Israel for talks aimed at averting a deepening conflict with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, after Israel warned over the weekend that the country was on the brink of a “wider escalation”.

Amos Hochstein has spent months in largely behind-the-scenes diplomacy in an attempt to quieten tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. Since the war in Gaza began in October, there have been worsening daily exchanges of fire, and tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced on both sides of the “Blue Line” between Israel and Lebanon.

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Indian suspect in plot to kill Sikh separatist extradited to US

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Nikhil Gupta accused of plotting to kill US resident who advocated for sovereign Sikh state in northern India

An Indian man suspected by the US of involvement in an unsuccessful plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil has been extradited to the US from the Czech Republic, the Czech justice minister said.

Nikhil Gupta has been accused by US federal prosecutors of plotting with an Indian government official to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US resident who has advocated for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India.

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US soldier tells Russian court he did not threaten to kill his girlfriend – Reuters

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  1. US soldier tells Russian court he did not threaten to kill his girlfriend  Reuters
  2. Trial of US soldier Gordon Black begins in Russia  CNN
  3. US soldier detained in Russia pleads partially guilty in court, local media reports  ABC News
  4. It was another day in court for a U.S. military serviceman who faces charges in Russia  NPR
  5. US soldier held in Russia pleads not guilty to threat charges, RIA reports  The Jerusalem Post
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Chinese officials’ attempt to ‘block’ formerly detained journalist mars Australia goodwill tour – CNN

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  1. Chinese officials’ attempt to ‘block’ formerly detained journalist mars Australia goodwill tour  CNN
  2. Cheng Lei wanted to do her job. A Chinese embassy official had other ideas  Sydney Morning Herald
  3. Australian reporter detained in China says diplomats tried to 'block' her at event  South China Morning Post
  4. Chinese officials appear to block freed journalist Cheng Lei at press event — as it happened  ABC News
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China’s Nuclear Weapon Stockpile Grew Rapidly Last Year, Report Says – Forbes

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  1. China's Nuclear Weapon Stockpile Grew Rapidly Last Year, Report Says  Forbes
  2. Chinese nuclear arsenal undergoing 'significant' growth, report says - The Washington Post  The Washington Post
  3. What Are China's Nuclear Weapons For?  Foreign Affairs Magazine
  4. China expanding its nuclear arsenal: Report  The Hill
  5. First Thing: Global spending on nuclear weapons up 13% in record rise  The Guardian US
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Australian federal politicians awarded 3.5% pay rise by independent tribunal

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Anthony Albanese will take home $607,471 a year from July – up from $586,929 – while Peter Dutton will receive $432,239

Members of Australia’s federal parliament and other public officer holders will pocket thousands more each year from July after the independent remuneration tribunal announced a 3.5% wage rise.

The decision by the Remuneration Tribunal, an independent body that determines the pay of federal politicians and bureaucrats, will mean backbench MPs will now take home about $233,643 a year – up from $225,742 the previous year – or about $4,493 a week before tax.

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Curfews on released detainees are not punitive and less onerous than Covid restrictions, commonwealth says

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Ankle bracelets only ‘produce slight discomfort or embarrassment’ and can be hidden under clothes, commonwealth tells high court

Curfews imposed on non-citizens released from immigration detention are not punitive because they are less “onerous” than the Covid-19 curfews in Victoria and New South Wales, the federal government has suggested.

The commonwealth makes that claim in its defence to a legal challenge against the electronic monitoring and curfews imposed on people released as a result of the high court’s ruling that indefinite detention is unlawful.

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