Is the risk of direct conflict between Russia and NATO increasing?
Russia promises to retaliate after several people in Crimea killed in missile attack.
Kenya tax protests turn deadly with parliament storming, police gunfire
Protests against a bill that would raise taxes turned deadly in Kenya as police fired on demonstrators.
US surgeon general declares gun violence a public health crisis
Surgeon general says widespread gun violence has led to 'unimaginable pain' for victims across the country.
Kenya’s Ruto says anti-tax protests “highjacked by organised criminals”
Kenyan President Ruto says anti-tax protests “hijacked by organised criminals”
Iraq to NSA spying: The biggest revelations by Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks unearthed documents ranging from conflicts within the US Democrats to toxic waste dumping in West Africa.
US sanctions ‘sprawling shadow banking network’ that helps Iran’s military
Those sanctioned are involved in the sale of Iranian oil and petrochemicals, money that pays for weapons, proxy groups.
A right to drink? Inside the debate to protect US workers against the heat
As summer intensifies, so too does the scrutiny over the US’s lack of workplace protections against environmental heat.
Pentagon chief calls for urgent diplomacy to avoid Israel-Hezbollah war
Meeting with Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, US Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin warns against 'catastrophe' of wider war.
UK general election live: Labour suspends candidate Kevin Craig over Gambling Commission probe
Party says it acted after being contacted by the regulator about the candidate for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
All along the course of the Thames, turning north, meandering south, passing through locks, historic landmarks, Richmond and Kew, swelling beneath the House of Commons with the turning tide, and on to Docklands and beyond – concern for the health of the Thames has led many other ordinary people, who live, work or play on the water, to take up the fight for the health of the river.
The last 15 years of decline in rivers suggests they have much to do. In 2009, a year before the Conservatives first took power in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, a quarter of English rivers were judged as being of good ecological standard, a marker which examines the flow, habitat and biological quality; by 2022 not one river was in a healthy state.
Continue reading...From a plea deal to a 2am prison call: how Julian Assange finally gained freedom
A lawyer’s offer, a judgment that foretold years of legal wrangling, and diplomatic pressure all played a part in the release of the WikiLeaks founder
• Julian Assange released from prison – live updates
It was, as his friends described it, the “last kick of the British establishment”. At 2am on Monday, Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, was woken in his small cell in the high-security Belmarsh prison, south-east London, and ordered to dress before being put in handcuffs.
It was the beginning of the end of Assange’s incarceration in Britain but it was going to be on his jailers’ terms.
Continue reading...Julian Assange en route to US Pacific island after accepting US plea deal – live
Julian Assange to be sentenced at a hearing on the US territory island of Saipan Wednesday; WikiLeaks founder’s wife says he will seek a US pardon
- Assange released from prison after striking deal with US
- Explainer: what are the details of the plea deal?
- Analysis: not a clear victory for freedom of the press
The plea agreement comes months after the US president, Joe Biden, said he was considering a request from Australia to drop the US push to prosecute Assange.
Assange was indicted during the former president Donald Trump’s administration over WikiLeaks’ mass release of secret US documents, which were leaked by Chelsea Manning, a former US military intelligence analyst who was also prosecuted under the Espionage Act.
Continue reading...Accused said Holly Willoughby attack was his ‘ultimate fantasy’, court hears
Jury hears of Gavin Plumb’s online searches and messages, including saying he didn’t ‘care about the consequences’
A man accused of masterminding a plot to kidnap, rape and murder the television personality Holly Willoughby searched on Google for “how to meet people who plan to kidnap celebrities”, a court has heard.
Gavin Plumb’s online searches were read to a jury at Chelmsford crown court along with messages in which he said attacking Willoughby had been his “ultimate fantasy” and that “fantasy isn’t enough anymore [sic], I want the real thing”.
Continue reading...At stake in Colorado primaries: Lauren Boebert’s seat and control of Congress – live
Lauren Boebert’s race will be one of several in Colorado that could decide whether Republicans are able to maintain their majority in the House
- Colorado’s primaries could determine control of Congress in November
- New York progressive Jamaal Bowman faces challenge from Democrat backed by pro-Israel groups
While his primary contest may be too close to call, the vote count thus far shows Republican congressman Bob Good trailing his challenger John McGuire by a small amount.
Good is now casting aspersions on the fairness of the election, NBC News reports:
Good claimed during an appearance on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast Monday that Lynchburg “did not secure their drop boxes.”
“There’s no accountability for when those boxes were opened,” Good said. “They were apparently left to be stuffed for two or three days after the election.”
Continue reading...EU centrists’ deal paves way for von der Leyen to return as commission president
Agreement between three pro-European blocks would make Estonian PM top diplomat and former Portuguese PM council president
Ursula von der Leyen looks likely to clinch the nomination for a second term as European Commission president under a deal by EU leaders from the three pro-European political groups that sews up the bloc’s top jobs.
According to the agreement made by the centre-right European People’s party (EPP), the Socialists and the Liberals, von der Leyen will be nominated for a second five-year mandate at the head of the EU executive at a Brussels summit on Thursday.
Continue reading...Experts warn Julian Assange plea deal could set dangerous precedent
Human rights organisations want the next UK government to seek assurances from the US that it will not pursue journalists publishing classified information
The next UK government must push the US for reassurance it will not pursue journalists for publishing classified information, human rights organisations and experts have argued after the release of Julian Assange.
Experts have warned that the plea deal struck between the WikiLeaks founder and the US authorities – which will see him plead guilty to one charge under the Espionage Act, but avoid serving any additional time in custody – could set a dangerous precedent.
Continue reading...Stonehenge likely to be put on world heritage danger list over tunnel plan
Unesco officials recommend adding Wiltshire stone circle amid fears road scheme would compromise its integrity
Stonehenge is likely to be put on a list of world heritage sites that are in danger because of the plan to build a tunnel under the precious landscape.
Unesco officials have recommended adding the Wiltshire stone circle and the area around it to the list because of concerns that the tunnel would “compromise the integrity” of one of the Earth’s great prehistoric sites.
Continue reading...Anti-DEI law forces closure of University of Utah LGBT center
News comes amid anti-diversity legislation that has gutted inclusionary programs at several public universities
After 21 years of service, the University of Utah’s LGBT Resource Center will close on Friday, as the second-largest public university in the state comes into compliance with HB 261, Utah’s version of the anti-DEI legislation that has swept the country and gutted inclusionary programs at several public universities.
“As we’ve evaluated how best to comply with the legislation, I want to be clear that we’ve faced very difficult decisions,” the vice-president for student affairs, Lori McDonald, said in a statement. “The law and subsequent guidance require a foundational change in how we approach student support, and we will follow the law. This isn’t about changing the words we use; we’re changing how we approach the work.”
Continue reading...As Biden and Trump prep for the 2024 presidential debate, what’s at stake?
After facing each other in two 2020 debates, Biden and Trump are set for a rematch as they seek to pull ahead in 2024.
In Kenya, tomorrow is here
We are witnessing the latest, and most glorious, stage of a revolution 40 years in the making.
Tesla recalls majority of Cybertrucks for fourth time
Windshield wiper and trunk bed trim problems cause more delays in the truck’s promised mass launch
Tesla said on Tuesday it was recalling most Cybertrucks in the United States over issues with their windshield wipers and exterior trim.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says Tesla has now issued four recalls for its 2024 Cybertruck.
Continue reading...