Zelenskyy under growing pressure to reinstate sacked defence minister
The Guardian •

Zelenskyy under growing pressure to reinstate sacked defence minister

Campaigners in Ukraine pledge to continue nationwide protests until Mykhailo Fedorov gets his job back Volodymyr Zelenskyy was under growing pressure to reinstate his sacked defence minister on Wednesday, after campaigners said they would continue indefinite nationwide protests until Mykhailo Fedorov got his job back.On Tuesday, Zelenskyy bowed to public demands by firing Ukraine’s commander-in-ch...

Woman, 70, charged with murder of British expat Karen Carter in France
The Guardian •

Woman, 70, charged with murder of British expat Karen Carter in France

Public prosecutor for the region said suspect had been initially arrested shortly after the murder on 29 April last yearA 70-year-old woman has been charged with the murder of Karen Carter, the British expat found dead in south-western France last year, according to reports.According to the Dordogne Libre and others, the woman was charged on 2 July with Carter’s murder in Trémolat, in the Dordogne...

Tories ask HMRC to investigate whether Nigel Farage owes tax on £5m gift
The Guardian •

Tories ask HMRC to investigate whether Nigel Farage owes tax on £5m gift

Party chair queries status of funds Reform leader received from crypto billionaire Christopher HarborneThe Conservatives have asked HMRC to investigate whether Nigel Farage should have paid tax on the £5m gift her received from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.The party chair, Kevin Hollinrake, wrote to the tax authorities questioning whether it was a payment to compensate him for runni...

A tapeworm infects ants and makes them live several times longer by turning their bodies into...

A tapeworm infects ants and makes them live several times longer by turning their bodies into...

Times of India •

In Germany, tiny ants exhibit extended lifespans thanks to a parasitic tapeworm that cleverly alters their genetics to mimic queen ant biology. As these infected workers become less active and quieter in their nests, the parasite enhances its chances of survival by manipulating the ants' regulatory networks. This fascinating research sheds light on the complexities of genetic control related to ag...

Prosecutors argue D4vd had financial motive to kill Celeste Rivas Hernandez

Prosecutors argue D4vd had financial motive to kill Celeste Rivas Hernandez

The Guardian •

Details emerge about how much Interscope Records paid the singer at hearing to determine if there is probable cause for murder case to proceed to trialSinger D4vd had a multimillion-dollar recording deal, an executive at his former label testified on Wednesday, as prosecutors sought to establish the musician had a financial motivation to kill Celeste Rivas Hernandez.The scope of how much Interscop...

Prosecutors argue D4vd had financial motivation to kill Celeste Rivas Hernandez

Prosecutors argue D4vd had financial motivation to kill Celeste Rivas Hernandez

The Guardian •

Details emerge about how much Interscope Records paid the singer at hearing to determine if there is probable cause for murder case to proceed to trialSinger D4vd had a multi-million dollar recording deal, an executive at his former label testified on Wednesday, as prosecutors sought to establish the musician had a financial motivation to kill Celeste Rivas Hernandez.Details emerged around how muc...

Charles Gaines, whose book Pumping Iron helped to popularize bodybuilding, dies at 84

Charles Gaines, whose book Pumping Iron helped to popularize bodybuilding, dies at 84

The Guardian •

1974 book led to making of seminal documentary and introduced Arnold Schwarzenegger to the worldCharles Gaines, the author whose book and documentary Pumping Iron helped bring professional bodybuilding into the mainstream and introduce Arnold Schwarzenegger to the world, has died. He was 84.Gaines died Tuesday, according to Greta Gaines, the author’s daughter. She did not reveal a cause. Continue ...

Man killed in ICE ‘encounter’ was on vacation in US with tourist visa – reports

Man killed in ICE ‘encounter’ was on vacation in US with tourist visa – reports

The Guardian •

Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán ran into traffic and killed by semi after federal officials approached him at Florida gas stationThe Mexican man who was hit and killed by a semi-truck in Florida when running away from federal immigration officials was vacationing in the US with a tourist visa, according to news reports this week.The 28-year-old, Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán, was killed on 14 July after a...

Trump’s war on Iran is unpopular and expensive. He’s perfectly OK with that

Trump’s war on Iran is unpopular and expensive. He’s perfectly OK with that

The Guardian •

Trump’s response to the Iran war’s mounting death toll and astronomical costs? ‘It won’t have any impact on me’This was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every WednesdayCould it be … that Donald Trump isn’t a team player?The midterm elections are less than four months away, and Republicans in the House and the Senate – hampered by a deeply unpopula...

Segro board U-turns on £14bn takeover bid by US rival Prologis

Segro board U-turns on £14bn takeover bid by US rival Prologis

The Guardian •

UK warehouse landlord says board unanimous in recommendation to accept ‘best and final offer’ The board of the UK warehouse landlord Segro has U-turned and said it would be willing to accept a £14bn takeover by Segro’s bigger US rival, Prologis, in a deal that would be one of the largest foreign takeovers of a UK-listed company.In the latest blow to the troubled London stock market, Segro said in ...

Pakistan seeks $10bn lifeline – 'brokerage fee' after mediation role between US & Iran

Pakistan seeks $10bn lifeline – 'brokerage fee' after mediation role between US & Iran

Times of India •

Pakistan seeks a ten billion dollar financial lifeline from the Trump administration. This facility aims to strengthen its foreign exchange reserves and ease rupee pressure. The request follows Pakistan's diplomatic role in facilitating US-Iran contacts. Economic stakes are considerable as Pakistan narrowly avoided default in 2023. The US is considering the proposal, which involves strategic and f...

French modelling scout linked to Epstein found dead

French modelling scout linked to Epstein found dead

France 24 •

Daniel Siad, ⁠a modelling scout with ​ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been ​found dead at his home outside Paris, prosecutors said on Wednesday. Siad's body was discovered on Monday evening. An autopsy will be carried out ​to ‌determine the cause of death, the Nanterre prosecutor's ⁠office said. Siad's name appeared nearly 2,000 times in the Epstein files released by t...

Venezuela’s Maduro gets June 2027 trial date in US drug-trafficking case

Venezuela’s Maduro gets June 2027 trial date in US drug-trafficking case

The Guardian •

Venezuelan president and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been held at Brooklyn jail and both have pleaded not guiltyThe ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will go on trial on US drug trafficking charges starting on 1 June ⁠2027, a judge said ⁠on Wednesday.Maduro wore beige prison ​garb as he was led into a Manhattan courtroom by US marshals for a hearing before dis...

Ukraine’s strikes on ‘Russia’s Amazon’ bring war closer to ordinary citizens

Ukraine’s strikes on ‘Russia’s Amazon’ bring war closer to ordinary citizens

SCMP •

⁠From humble origins as a family business run out of an ⁠apartment near Moscow, Wildberries has grown in under two decades into Russia’s top online retailer and a key economic driver in the country. It has now become a target of strikes by Ukraine. Ukraine has attacked four Wildberries warehouses over the last week in a widening campaign of drone strikes against a company at the heart of Russia’s ...