- Putin welcomes Lukashenko to his private Valdai retreat just after Kyiv claimed the border relay stations helping direct Russian strikes on Ukraine had stopped working Meduza
- Putin, Lukashenko hold talks on Friday at tense point in Ukraine war Reuters
- Lukashenko Heads to Russia for Putin Meeting Amid Rising Tensions With Ukraine The Moscow Times
- Lukashenko and Putin Hold Unannounced Meeting Following Minsk Demands to Avoid War Involvement UNITED24 Media
- Putin and Lukashenko hold meeting in Valdai: no official statement issued afterwards Українська правда
Russia May Prepare Provocations Against Baltics or Poland as Ukraine Intensifies Deep Strikes – Kyiv Post
- Russia May Prepare Provocations Against Baltics or Poland as Ukraine Intensifies Deep Strikes Kyiv Post
- Russia preparing possible ‘provocation’ in Baltic states or Poland, sources say The Guardian
- Poland's deputy prime minister says Russia could launch a "false flag operation" to justify an attack on a NATO state CBS News
- Russia preparing hybrid attacks on NATO's eastern flank, intelligence warns Fox News
- Russia could resort to provocations if war front nears Moscow and St. Petersburg – The Guardian Ukrinform - Ukrainian National News Agency
Europe’s deadly heatwave breaks German record and halts public events
Germany's highest ever temperature of 41.3C is recorded provisionally in Saarbrücken, over the border from France.
UN calls for ‘prompt investigations’ of deaths in US immigration custody
High commissioner for human rights calls for ‘those responsible for violations of the law’ to be held to account
The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, on Friday raised the alarm internationally about deaths in US government immigration custody and called for “prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigations”.
Türk’s call came as the Trump administration faced investigations by watchdogs at its own Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into deaths and use of force against people detained in its expanding immigration detention system across the country.
Continue reading...Rescuers race to find survivors of Venezuelan earthquakes
Rescue teams in Venezuela are racing to find earthquake survivors as the critical 72-hour "golden window" nears.
Simmering tensions over ancient Jerusalem site nearing a boil – NBC News
- Simmering tensions over ancient Jerusalem site nearing a boil NBC News
- Inside look at the Christian and Jewish groups trying to build a temple at Al-Aqsa Compound Yahoo
- 60,000 worshippers perform Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa despite Israeli restrictions شبكة يافا الإخبارية
- The continuous presence of Palestinians in Al-Aqsa Mosque is the strongest bulwark against Judaization schemes taghribnews.com
- 75,000 Perform Friday Prayer at Al-Aqsa Despite Occupation Measures وكالة صدى نيوز
Forget Hormuz. The Shadow Fleet Is The Next Maritime Crisis. – Forbes
- Forget Hormuz. The Shadow Fleet Is The Next Maritime Crisis. Forbes
- French Seizes 5th Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker USNI News
- French Navy Escorts Seized Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker to Marseille for Investigation Kyiv Post
- Ukraine seeking extended detention of Russian shadow fleet tanker Deliver – Vlasiuk Ukrinform - Ukrainian National News Agency
- French Navy Boards Stateless Russian Oil Tanker Off Sicily SOFX
Israeli prosecutors charge six settlers after West Bank mosque attack
Israeli attacks on Palestinian villages have increased in the occupied West Bank, even as settlers charged.
MS NOW anchor Alex Witt to exit as network reduces live weekend programming – Los Angeles Times
- MS NOW anchor Alex Witt to exit as network reduces live weekend programming Los Angeles Times
- MS NOW Shaking Up Weekend Lineup in Shift Toward Podcasts and Partnerships The Hollywood Reporter
- MS NOW Will Expand Video Podcasts on Weekends, While Veteran Alex Witt Plans Exit Variety
- MS NOW To Move To Taped Podcast And Other Content On Weekend Nights, Alex Witt To Depart Deadline
- MS NOW Anchor Alex Witt Leaving the Channel After Nearly 30 Years People.com
Ukraine war latest: Ukraine brings home 160 POWs in new exchange with Russia – The Kyiv Independent
- Ukraine war latest: Ukraine brings home 160 POWs in new exchange with Russia The Kyiv Independent
- Russia and Ukraine Release 160 POWs Each The Moscow Times
- Ukraine returns 160 servicemen from Russian captivity, Zelenskiy says Reuters
- SSU releases exclusive footage of prisoner exchange Ukrinform - Ukrainian National News Agency
- Seven Ukrainian Civilians Held Since 2022 Returned from Russian Captivity Kyiv Post
Why did these World Cup ads strike a nerve in Egypt?
A viral World Cup campaign tapped into a familiar conversation among Egyptian football fans, prompting debate.
US announces framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced the deal after talks unfolded in Washington, DC.
Home secretary restricts minister’s access to documents as she calls for his sacking
Row between Shabana Mahmood and Mike Tapp broke out after he wrote unauthorised article about migration
The migration minister, Mike Tapp, is to be denied access to sensitive documents and meetings without approval from the home secretary, as she called for the prime minister to sack him.
Shabana Mahmood has demanded that Tapp be fired for writing an unauthorised article in the Times calling for overseas care workers to be exempt from changes to the immigration rules.
Continue reading...Nine people killed in building collapse in Lagos, Nigeria
Twenty seven people were rescued with injuries of varying severity; governor orders safety checks on surrounding area.
5 years after Portland’s deadly heat dome, is the city ready for the next one? – OregonLive.com
- 5 years after Portland’s deadly heat dome, is the city ready for the next one? OregonLive.com
- Seattleites experienced three days of record heat 5 years ago KING5.com
- Inside the Forecast: Five years since the 'Pacific Northwest Heat Dome' KATU
- Today is the 5-year anniversary of the historic 2021 PNW heat dome, could it happen again? MyNorthwest.com
- It has been 5 years since B.C.’s deadly heat dome when more than 600 died Global News
New York City freezes rents for one million regulated apartments
New York City's rent freeze fulfillls a key campaign promise from Mayor Zohran Mamdani
Now we know how much tax King Charles pays, and it is very little
The monarch’s declaration does not tell us much, except that his bill is lower than for people with much smaller fortunes
The veil of secrecy that surrounds the royal finances was nudged aside a little on Thursday to allow the release of a new piece of information. We learned for the first time how much the king’s annual tax bill comes to.
This was not a full tax return. It was a two-sentence declaration, stating his tax payable amounted to £12.9m in 2024-25, and a slightly smaller sum the year before. His total tax payable since accession comes to £30m.
Continue reading...Andy Burnham says he will give 15% of his MP’s pay to local causes
New member for Makerfield and expected next prime minister joins other MPs who donate some or all of their pay
Andy Burnham has said he will be donating 15% of his MP’s salary to local causes in his constituency of Makerfield.
An MP’s salary currently stands at £98,599 and a number of MPs donate all or part of their salary to charities and causes in the areas they represent.
Continue reading...State functions, offices and tourists: plans for revamped Buckingham Palace
Despite £369m upgrade, King Charles will never live in palace but aides stress it will remain ‘buzzing hive’ of activity
Not all modern British monarchs have viewed the prospect of moving into Buckingham Palace with unalloyed joy. So in announcing he will never live there, after the completion of its £369m upgrade next year, King Charles has at least grasped that nettle.
Queen Victoria was initially dismayed by the damp, dingy and disorganised building that greeted her and her husband, Prince Albert, in 1837. It was Albert who refashioned it into “Monarchy HQ”. After his death in 1861, Victoria retreated mainly to Windsor, Balmoral and Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.
Continue reading...DR Congo takes Rwanda to international court over decades of conflict
Kinshasa accuses its neighbour of committing various violations since the 1994 Rwanda genocide.