Texas puts to death man who beheaded three children, hours after Oklahoma execution

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Oklahoma man, 73, executed for killing ex’s estranged husband, as US nears 40 executions for second straight year

A Texas man convicted of fatally stabbing and beheading his three young children in a squalid, windowless apartment in 2003 was recently executed.

John Allen Rubio, 46, was pronounced dead at 6.47 pm on Thursday after a lethal injection at the state prison in Huntsville, Texas. His killings of his baby girl and two toddlers so rocked the city of Brownsville on the US border with Mexico that the apartment building was later demolished – and the land turned into a park and community garden.

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Trident nuclear submarine concludes record underwater deployment

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HMS Vengeance’s seven-month patrol prompts concerns about slow pace of maintenance of ageing fleet and impact on crew

A Trident nuclear submarine has concluded a record seven-month deployment, returning to the Faslane naval base in Scotland where its crew was greeted by the defence secretary, Wes Streeting.

HMS Vengeance began its patrol on 12 April and spent 217 days submerged before returning on Sunday, having left the country when Keir Starmer was in Downing Street and Manchester United were third in the Premier League.

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Senator-elect Scott Colom vows to ensure Trump follows through on his promises

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Mississippi Democrat points to commitments Trump made: lower prices, halt endless wars and release Epstein files

After recently becoming the first Mississippi Democrat elected to the US Senate in more than four decades, Scott Colom pledged to try to ensure Donald Trump “follows through on the commitments” he made while successfully running for a second presidency in 2024.

Colom, while being interviewed by CNN host Dana Bash on Sunday, alluded to various campaign promises made by Trump – including lowering consumer prices, halting the seemingly endless wars waged under other presidential administrations, and fully releasing files related to the prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein, the late accused sex trafficker whose social circle encompassed the US and global elite.

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Chris Van Hollen says he has path to win Senate leader over Chuck Schumer

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Progressive US senator calling for more inclusion within Democratic caucus cites openness to change among peers

Democratic US senator Chris Van Hollen on Sunday escalated his bid to lead his party’s incoming Senate majority rather than Chuck Schumer, asserting that he has a path to victory amid a dedicated campaign that includes a series of television appearances.

Van Hollen, a Maryland progressive, appeared on Sunday on CNN, ABC and Fox News as he continues to make his case for why his peers in the Senate should reject Schumer, who has led the Democratic caucus for nearly a decade.

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Labour rebellion over Rosebank oilfield expected to top 100 MPs

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Total of 75 have already signed letter to Burnham opposing plans as discontent also grows over Europe and welfare changes

As many as 100 Labour MPs could sign a letter opposing the giant Rosebank oilfield, as discontent among backbenchers looks likely to surge this week, with rebellions also brewing over Europe and welfare changes.

A total of 75 MPs have already signed the private letter, which is expected to be delivered in the next fortnight to Andy Burnham as part of a campaign in which Labour MPs from the party’s 2024 intake are playing a significant role.

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Hundreds of thousands of Czechs protest in Prague over media freedom

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Estimated 350,000 people rally against plan to scrap licence fees and fund broadcasters from state budget

Hundreds of thousands of Czechs have rallied in Prague to protest against a perceived government attempt to stifle media freedom.

The gathering on Sunday to save the mandatory licence fees that fund Czechia’s public broadcasters drew more than 350,000 people, making it one of the biggest in the country’s history, organisers said.

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Planned asylum seeker detention centre next to Oxfordshire sewage works criticised

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Thames Water says detainees at proposed accommodation should expect to experience insect swarms and strong smells

A Home Office plan to build asylum seeker detention facilities next to a sewage pump is facing objections after water company officials warned that detainees should expect to experience insect swarms and strong smells.

Proposed secure accommodation blocks at Campsfield House immigration removal centre in Oxfordshire will be 20 metres from a sewage pumping station, according to a written submission from Thames Water.

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Transportation secretary Sean Duffy blames prior presidents and Congress for flight stoppage

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Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen says Trump administration hasn’t properly invested existing funds

Donald Trump’s administration on Sunday blamed the travel chaos stemming from Friday’s four-hour nationwide flight stoppage on prior presidents as well as a lack of congressional funding – though a Democratic senator argued that the Trump administration hasn’t properly invested all of the funds it has already been given to implement needed air travel infrastructure upgrades.

“I take responsibility for what was given to me by prior administrations,” the US transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, told CNN’s Dana Bash, a day after he said routine but necessary maintenance botched by a contractor had caused Friday’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop, leading to the delay or cancellation of thousands of flights.

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Two planes collide on taxiway at Miami airport one day after national grounding

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Two people injured after wingtip of Copa Airlines Boeing 737 struck nose of United Parcel Service Boeing 767

Two planes collided with one another on a taxiway at Miami’s international airport on Saturday night – a day after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an hours-long nationwide ground stop due to communication issues affecting multiple air traffic control centers.

In a statement, the Trump administration-led FAA said the wingtip of a Copa Airlines Boeing 737 struck the nose of a United Parcel Service Boeing 767 “while the airplanes were taxiing at Miami International Airport”.

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