Colombia’s elephant-costumed anti-corruption activist sworn in as senator

Luis Carlos Rúa revealed himself to be Elefante blanco just three days before election for ‘his own safety’. Now he is tackling graft from senate floor

When 102 senators were sworn in for Colombia’s latest parliamentary session, they included 32 women, 69 men – and one cartoon elephant.

He had some difficulty making his way down the narrow central aisle of Congress’s ceremonial chamber, weaving past fellow senators in sharply tailored suits and dresses, before taking the oath in his pot-bellied white plush costume.

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A New Lethal Front in Ukraine: Its Beloved Gas Stations – nytimes.com

  1. A New Lethal Front in Ukraine: Its Beloved Gas Stations  nytimes.com
  2. Russia’s new target: Ukrainian civilians filling up at gas stations  CNN
  3. Russia targets hundreds of Ukrainian petrol stations  Financial Times
  4. Attacks on Fuel Infrastructure: Over 200 Gas Stations Destroyed in Ukraine  Dengi.ua
  5. Russia destroys 37 Naftogaz petrol stations in 2026  Українська правда
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Did Russian air defenses bring down the Ukrainian drone that killed seven on a Black Sea beach? – Meduza

  1. Did Russian air defenses bring down the Ukrainian drone that killed seven on a Black Sea beach?  Meduza
  2. Russia says seven killed as Ukrainian drone hits crowded Russian beach  CNN
  3. The real worry for Ukraine’s allies as beach strike on Russian civilians marks a shift in the war  independent.co.uk
  4. Video shows moment drone burst into fireball on Russian beach  NBC News
  5. Nine killed in escalating long-range strikes between Russia and Ukraine  Al Jazeera
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Ukrainian drone strike on Russian warehouses in Moscow region kills 5, local official says – CBS News

  1. Ukrainian drone strike on Russian warehouses in Moscow region kills 5, local official says  CBS News
  2. Ukraine hits more Wildberries sites as strike kills five in Moscow region  BBC
  3. Ukrainian Drone Barrage Sets Wildberries Sortation Center in Tula Region Ablaze  The Moscow Times
  4. Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow region kills 5, governor says  ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
  5. Ukraine is hammering Wildberries warehouses. What is its strategy?  The Times
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As confusion reigns over Hormuz talks, Fortune gets exclusive access to a UN-backed plan to reopen the strait – Fortune

  1. As confusion reigns over Hormuz talks, Fortune gets exclusive access to a UN-backed plan to reopen the strait  Fortune
  2. Iran Is Staking Everything on Controlling the Strait of Hormuz  WSJ
  3. How long can Iran weaponise Hormuz?  The Economist
  4. With Hormuz in the spotlight, the Navy can do better  Breaking Defense
  5. Iran Found a ‘More Powerful Weapon Than a Nuclear Bomb’—And It’s Working  Newsweek
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Calls for UK bank tax to fund cost of living help as HSBC profits hit £7.5bn

Levy could raise £19bn to help pay for Andy Burnham’s support for those struggling with bills, say campaigners

Campaigners have renewed calls for a windfall tax on UK banks that could raise £19bn towards Andy Burnham’s cost of living agenda, after HSBC raked in $10.1bn (£7.5bn) worth of profits in the second quarter of the year.

Bosses at HSBC reported on Tuesday that profits rose 60% year on year in the three months to the end of June, helped by fees from wealth management and insurance business, as well as higher interest rates, which allow the bank to charge more for loans and mortgages.

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Ukrainian drones hit Wildberries warehouses in overnight strikes – Financial Times

  1. Ukrainian drones hit Wildberries warehouses in overnight strikes  Financial Times
  2. Ukraine strikes 3 more Russian warehouses and kills 5 people in overnight attacks, officials say  Reuters
  3. Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow region kills 5, governor says  ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
  4. Ukrainian drone strike on Russian warehouses in Moscow region kills 5, local official says  CBS News
  5. Burn Warehouses, Crash Banks?  Riddle Russia
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Trump accuses oil companies of ‘making too much money’ from his war on Iran

US president hits out at ExxonMobil and Chevron, saying they should ‘give some of that back to the public’

Donald Trump has criticised oil companies for “making too much money” from the global energy market disruption caused by his war on Iran.

Brent crude had been trading at about $70 (£52) a barrel before the first US-Israeli strikes at the end of February, but by the end of April it had soared as high as $126 and is now trading at about $85 a barrel.

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About 1,000 fewer prisoners to get early release as Burnham tightens rules

Justice secretary says blocking more would have caused prison system to ‘break’ but admits impact on grieving relatives such as those of PC Andrew Harper

About 1,000 fewer prisoners will be released early after Andy Burnham’s intervention to exclude those convicted of rape, serious child sexual offences and grooming from the scheme.

The justice secretary, Alex Norris, said 5,000 prisoners would be released over 10 months from October in England and Wales, down from the government’s original plan for 6,000 from September.

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How India’s Gen Z movement of ‘Cockroaches’ dented Modi’s political image – AP News

  1. How India’s Gen Z movement of ‘Cockroaches’ dented Modi’s political image  AP News
  2. What Do India’s Gen Z Protests Mean for Modi?  newyorker.com
  3. India’s Political Atmosphere Has Changed  Foreign Policy
  4. CJP protest destroyed PM's public image of more than 2 decades in just 2 weeks: Arundhati Roy  The Hindu
  5. Revolt of the Cockroaches: How India’s Gen Z Humbled Modi  Time Magazine
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US targets 25 naturalised citizens in historic crackdown; Indian man among accused – Firstpost

  1. US targets 25 naturalised citizens in historic crackdown; Indian man among accused  Firstpost
  2. Trump DOJ unleashes largest denaturalization effort in department history — and says it’s ‘only the beginning’  Fox News
  3. Department of Justice seeking to denaturalize Conway man for alleged immigration fraud  KARK
  4. Government sues to revoke Conway man’s citizenship, says he lied about identity during naturalization process  The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
  5. US revokes citizenship of Indian-origin man accused of child sex abuse  The Indian Express
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