U.S. reaffirms recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara Vanguard News
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03 World
DSA Members Sign Pledge to Support ‘Chinese Socialism’ – Charisma Magazine Online
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U.S. investigating if Iran was behind cyberattack on water systems in 7 states, including Minnesota and Michigan– www.cbsnews.com
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Malicious cyber activity affected technology at water systems in at least seven states this week, including Minnesota and Michigan, forcing some utilities to switch to manual operations as state and federal authorities dig into who is behind the attack, CBS News has learned.
Investigators are probing to determine whether the activity is the work of Iranian hackers, according to U.S. officials and sources familiar with the incident. Sources cautioned that since they had not definitively attributed the attack, their assessment could change as additional technical evidence is collected. They are also probing whether the actor could have attempted to appear Iran-based as a way of stirring the pot amid the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran.
The FBI reported incidents in “at least seven states” but didn’t identify them. On Saturday, Michigan joined Minnesota in reporting cyberattacks on the state’s water systems but an official said all systems were operating “safely.”
Dale George, the director of communications at the state’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, told CBS News in a statement that the state received “a small number of reports from Michigan communities indicating activity consistent with what federal agencies described.”
Why China Sees Trump’s Lebanon Strategy as a Threat to Its Middle East Ambitions – Modern Diplomacy
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Canadian Government Begins Arresting Citizens at Home for Sharing Wrongthink Online– slaynews.com
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Canadians are reportedly being arrested at their homes over social media posts written months or even years ago after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government enacted a sweeping new “hate speech” law that dramatically expands the state’s power to prosecute online expression.
The alarming reports were revealed by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF).
The JCCF says it has begun hearing from Canadians who have been visited at home by government officials and charged over historical online posts following the implementation of Bill C-9, the “Combating Hate Act.”
Many of those arrested now potentially face years in prison for sharing wrongthink on social media, even if the posts were made before the law came into force.
Trump denounces Justice Department decision to drop Reflecting Pool charges | Donald Trump News– www.aljazeera.com
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United States President Donald Trump has criticised his own Department of Justice after it decided to drop criminal charges against a former Olympic athlete for the alleged vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC.
Trump voiced his opposition to the decision on Saturday, a day after US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced she was dismissing the charges against 67-year-old competitive canoeist David Hearn.
Iran pledges Hamas support as Trump promotes Gaza disarmament plan– www.foxnews.com
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called Hamas’ newly elected leader to congratulate him and pledge Tehran’s continued support for the group’s cause, Hamas said Monday — as President Donald Trump promotes a landmark agreement intended to strip the terrorist organization of its weapons and power in Gaza.
Pezeshkian congratulated Khalil al-Hayya on his election as head of the group’s political bureau and told him Iran would continue supporting the Palestinian cause, according to a Hamas statement posted in Arabic, and reviewed by Fox News Digital.
“We are with you, and we support you in every action you take, despite the attacks we are facing,” Pezeshkian said, according to Hamas’ account of the call.
US-Iran war, Why Saudi Arabia Is Urging Trump To Step Back From Iran War, US-saudi arabia relation, donald Trump-Mohammed bin Salman– www.ndtv.com
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Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has asked US President Donald Trump to avoid launching more attacks on Iran, according to US officials. The latest episode of US-Israeli strikes on Tehran has led to fresh challenges for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s major economic plan, Vision 2030.
During a phone call on Saturday, MBS expressed concern over Trump’s plan for possible strikes on Iranian targets. The American President is considering attacks on Iran’s energy facilities after Iran’s missile strike on a US military base in Jordan and disruptions to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Axios.
Abdullah bin Farah al-Shaya, a retired brigadier general, told Newsweek, “The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 is not merely an economic plan, but a comprehensive national project to build a diversified and sustainable economy and strengthen the Kingdom’s position as a global hub for investment, energy, logistics, tourism, and innovation.”
US school suspends launch of humanoid robot teacher due to developer’s ties to sex doll manufacturer – dev.ua
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Uncertainty on Iranians’ minds as Trump fluctuates on war and talk | US-Israel war on Iran News– www.aljazeera.com
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Tehran, Iran – For months now, US President Donald Trump has been making nearly daily proclamations about the war on Iran – from threats of extensive bombing to claims of renewed negotiations. But Faezeh, a financial firm employee in Iran’s capital, says she has long stopped paying attention.
“His words certainly impact our lives, but I try to escape this toxic environment of uncertainty by focusing on what I can control and protecting myself and my loved ones,” the 27-year-old told Al Jazeera.
She is not the only one to do so.
As the war approaches its six-month mark, a number of Iranians are opting against chasing the non-stop headlines in an effort to protect their mental health. This week, as the threat of large-scale US military action once again loomed large, the level of expectation and concern among Iranians appeared to be much lower than on April 7, when the US president warned that “a whole civilisation will die tonight”, only to announce a ceasefire shortly afterwards.
“The US used to have presidents who talked less and did more,” asserted Roham, a colleague of Faezeh at the financial company in central Tehran. “But now with the role of social media and other outlets in which Mr Trump is well-versed, he talks more and doesn’t have to do as much,” he told Al Jazeera.
Israel says it has serious concerns with Hamas disarmament deal– abcnews.com
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TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel has shared “serious security concerns” with the White House regarding the proposed disarmament deal with Hamas, an Israeli official said as Israeli strikes overnight and into Sunday evening killed at least 17 people, including children, in Gaza.
The remarks by Doron Spielman, spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, were some of the first public comments since U.S. President Donald Trump announced the agreement.
Spielman told The Associated Press that Israel’s intelligence assessment is that Hamas remains committed to rebuilding its military rather than genuinely demilitarizing. He said the Israeli military would not withdraw from Gaza — where it controls more than 60% of the territory — before Hamas disarms.
How to Stop China from Freeriding on American AI– warontherocks.com
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The release of the Chinese open-weight AI model Kimi K3 has compressed a year’s worth of unresolved AI policy debate into a single news cycle. On July 21, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened sanctions against Chinese labs found to have built their models on “theft,” reporting that the government is “finding watermarks of our U.S. large language models on many of the Chinese models.” The following day, White House science advisor Michael Kratsios clarified that the Chinese AI lab behind K3, Moonshot AI, had built a sophisticated platform to copy Anthropic’s Fable model while evading detection.
Industry has been vocal about its own views, with Nvidia’s Jensen Huang declaring that American companies should “absolutely” use Chinese models that outcompete American counterparts on price. In the Washington Post, investor Bill Gurley argued that treating open models as a danger to be licensed and contained runs afoul of the free-market principles that have long powered American innovation.
Iran furiously hits back at Donald Trump claim with ‘US aggression’ warning | World | News– www.express.co.uk
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Iran has furiously hit back at earlier claims from Donald Trump that new talks are imminent over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s foreign Minister, Esmaeil Baghaei said the regime was merely holding talks with Oman in order to establish a temporary safe route through the Strait of Hormuz.
He stated that there were no plans either to receive a delegation or to send one. He also noted that an agreement with Oman, despite its location along the strategic waterway, would not by itself be sufficient to facilitate the waterway’s reopening. Earlier, Donald Trump asserted that talks with Iran were scheduled to take place that day and claimed that Washington and Tehran had reached an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that Iran has largely restricted since the outbreak of the conflict.
Speaking on board Air Force One on Sunday, he said Iran “knew the extent of the attack because they saw it forming”, adding: “We are talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon.”
Japan, US confirm joint yen-buying intervention, signal more action– www.channelnewsasia.com
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Japan has been struggling to curb a relentless drop in the yen that pushes up import prices and stokes broader inflation, hitting households’ wallets and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s public approval ratings.
Tokyo’s solo intervention conducted between late April and early May caused only a brief yen rebound. The BOJ’s June rate hike to a 31-year high of 1 per cent also gave the struggling currency little lasting boost.
Friday’s joint intervention followed Tokyo’s solo intervention worth up to US$58.97 billion in New York markets a day earlier.
In a sign of further Japan-US coordination, Bessent said the United States would consider increasing in coming months the size of the Federal Reserve’s repurchase facility providing temporary dollar liquidity, calling the tool an “important backstop”.
Burnham brings members of Socialist Campaign Group into government | Andy Burnham– www.theguardian.com
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Andy Burnham has appointed three new ministerial aides from Labour’s most leftwing faction, the first time members of the Socialist Campaign Group have been part of the government.
The new chief whip, Anneliese Midgley, has also promised MPs that the government will beef up the role of ministerial aides – known as parliamentary private secretaries (PPSs) – who traditionally go under the radar, allowing them to do more media appearances, take on parliamentary roles and contribute more directly to policy direction.
Burnham has said he wanted to end the Labour factionalism that divided the party under both Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer – and would seek to make appointments from the party’s left and centrist wings.
Though Burnham has returned several soft left ministers to key positions in the cabinet – such as Louise Haigh, Lucy Powell and Angela Rayner – there were no ministerial appointments from the party’s most leftwing caucus, the Socialist Campaign Group, which was the group affiliated with Corbyn.
North Korea’s ‘Victory Day’ takes place with Kim Jong Un’s power transformed – Chatham House
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Graphics card prices jump by up to 20% in China as shops stockpile Nvidia and AMD GPUs– www.techspot.com
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Ripple effect: Just when it seemed like graphics card prices couldn’t get much worse, the memory crisis has delivered another unpleasant surprise. Nvidia and AMD GPU prices have surged in China, with some models rising by as much as 20% in a single week and premium cards now selling for almost 60% above their official MSRPs.
Distributor lists from MSI and Colorful reveal the increases. MSI raised the RTX 5080 Shadow 3X OC and Ventus from 9,999 yuan ($1,477) to 11,999 yuan ($1,773), a 20% jump in seven days. Its RTX 5070 Ti Shadow 3X OC rose 19.5%, while the RTX 5090D V2 increased 13%. What’s worse is that these cards were already well above their suggested prices before the latest adjustment.
Comparing the new figures with Nvidia’s Chinese MSRPs makes the situation look even worse. MSI’s RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio OC is now 54% above the base MSRP, while the RTX 5080 Gaming Trio models are around 57% higher. Colorful’s RTX 5080 Vulcan W OC is priced at 13,199 yuan ($1,949), 59% above MSRP, and its RTX 5070 Ti Vulcan W OC carries a similar 58.7% premium.
The increases aren’t just limited to Nvidia. A market snapshot showed Radeon cards climbing across Chinese retailers, with some RX 9000 models seeing double-digit increases. AMD reportedly warned Asus, XFX, Sapphire, and other partners earlier this month that its GPU-and-memory bundles would become 10% more expensive.
The culprit is, of course, the continuing rise in GDDR6 and GDDR7 costs, combined with more expensive PCBs, coolers, and packaging. Nvidia supplies board partners with GPU and memory kits, so higher VRAM costs are passed directly to manufacturers. Reports claim the latest adjustment adds around 600 yuan ($89) to 8GB cards, 900 yuan ($133) to 12GB models, and 1,200 yuan ($177) to 16GB products.
Warnings that China’s AI Boom Could Swamp the Country with Misinformation as Disaster Lies Prompt Arrests – BBC
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China cracks down on sales of surplus military kit ‘to protect PLA’s image’ – South China Morning Post
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‘Cockroach Movement’ Forces Out India’s Education Minister– time.com
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Joshi addressed the exam leak in May, saying, “The reforms are needed, we are bringing them, but they cannot be done within a year. By next year, technology-driven examination will be there.”
CJP Spokesperson Saurav Das said in an interview with local media ANI following the president’s announcement that the party members will be meeting the new education minister “very soon.”
“Whoever becomes the Education Minister should know that the youth are watching. They will demand accountability,” Das said. “So, when the time comes, work in the interest of the youth. Stop paper leaks.”
Zelensky’s Political Storm Starts to Clear– warontherocks.com
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Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum only for War on the Rocks members. Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.American coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war.
AI Capability Races Ahead of the Business Payoff | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org
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The state of the AI revolution can be confusing. At times, it can seem as if the latest artificial intelligence models are showing huge capability increases. One example is when two OpenAI models broke out of the lab, accessed the internet, and broke into another AI company. Or, as a Wall Street Journal headline put it, “The Day the Bots Broke Loose.”
But then you might come across another headline from the Wall Street Journal: “Big Companies Are Starting to Hire Again, Defying Predictions of AI Wipeout.” And from that piece:
The push to expand head count, at least modestly, is a reversal from the prevailing corporate messaging during much of the AI era. Major employers largely held back on adding people due to economic uncertainties or a belief that artificial intelligence could shoulder more tasks on the job. But some executives say the costs and limitations of AI now demand that more people be added; others want to hire people back following layoffs.
Venezuela Quake Toll Passes 5,500, Operation Blessing Provides 70,000+ Meals and More– www.cbn.com
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It’s been just over a month since the June 24 earthquakes devastated Venezuela. The death toll is now above 5,500 as teams removing debris continue to find bodies.
The government is estimating the total damage at $19.6 billion so far. That includes $9 billion in destroyed or severely damaged homes.
More than 23,000 people are living in temporary locations. CBN’s Operation Blessing is on hand to help those who’ve lost their homes.
Theiris Dellimore was living on the street after the quake. Authorities told her the home was too dangerous to live in, that parts of it could collapse.
The Operation Blessing team provided Theiris and her family with a tent, mattresses, food, and hygiene supplies. Now, she says, they’re safe from the rain and the cold at night.
“Gracias. First of all, thank you. May God continue to bless you so that you can continue to bless Venezuela so that you can continue to help us. We’re just getting started. We still have a long way to go. Don’t forget about us,” she said.
Iran publicly executes two men over anti-government protest violence – Firstpost
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UK report exposes sexual abuse of at least 250k girls that authorities, media ignored– www.lifesitenews.com
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While the world is full of troubles
And anxious in its sleep.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.
~The Stolen Child, by W.B. Yeats
(Elizabeth Yore) — In 2025, Independent MP Rupert Lowe initiated this independent, survivor focused, public crowdfunded investigation to examine systemic failures of UK police, and authorities into the sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs. The report entitled Rape Gang Inquiry Report was issued last month on June 16 with the critical involvement of Rotherham survivor, Sammy Woodhouse. The inquiry was crowdfunded with funding from over 20,000 UK citizens in the amount of 764,000 pounds, with a public hearing featuring testimony from survivors, whistleblowers, experts, and investigators. The 219-page document details decades of systemic child sexual exploitation of at least 250,000 girls across the United Kingdom who were subjected to gang rape, trafficking, and forced conversions by Pakistani grooming rape gangs.
Although the first grooming gang scandal was exposed in 2003, little was done for years to meaningfully address the child exploitation scandal until the 2014 Jay Report, which investigated child sexual exploitation in the city of Rotherham in north-central England and found that 1,400 children were sexually abused between 1997 and 2013 by Pakistani Muslim grooming gangs.
The First Waves of Amphibious Assault Will Be Unmanned– warontherocks.com
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In the Pacific War, the U.S. Navy’s underwater demolition teams prepared the way for U.S. and allied amphibious landings on enemy-held islands. Through beach reconnaissance, obstacle breaching, mine clearance, and other missions, these teams paved paths for the first waves of amphibious assaults conducted by naval task forces and subsequent landings by marines and soldiers throughout the island hopping campaign.
These critical first steps of an amphibious operation were incredibly risky in World War II. And the underwater demolition teams, which were the predecessors of the Navy SEALs, were understandably proud of their work. The Marine Corps prided itself on being first to hit the beach. And when marines did hit the beach, they often arrived to find signs left by the underwater demolitions team saying, “Welcome Marines.”
Precision strike weapons make such operations more perilous than ever. There may never be an American servicemember preparing or landing with the first wave of an opposed amphibious assault again. And it may be robots welcoming marines and soldiers to the beach in these future fights.
Firefighters in France hold back vast wildfire as heat returns to test their grip– abcnews.com
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Firefighters have kept a vast wildfire in southwest France from advancing overnight, extinguishing flare-ups near Atlantic coast dunes before returning heat and drier air threatens to test their hold on the blaze
LEGE-CAP FERRET, France — Firefighters kept a vast wildfire in southwest France from advancing overnight Tuesday, extinguishing flare-ups near Atlantic coast dunes before returning heat and drier air threatened to test their hold on the blaze.
The fire remained stabilized at 6 a.m. after a calm night and the burned area was unchanged at 420 square kilometers (162 square miles), the Gironde prefecture said.
Several flare-ups were detected overnight north of Le Porge and in dune land north of Cap Ferret but were brought under control by firefighters, authorities said.
The areas lie along the Atlantic coast west of Bordeaux, where crews have battled the blaze since it erupted near Saumos last week.
US, Gulf Allies Launch Strikes On Iranian Proxies Following ‘Surprise’ Attack On US Base– trendingpoliticsnews.com
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The United States and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday evening conducted joint precision airstrikes targeting Iran-backed militias in Eastern Iraq. The strikes follow a “surprise” missile attack on a U.S. base in Jordan earlier in the day.
According to a statement from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), U.S. and Saudi fighter aircraft struck multiple logistics and weapons sites. CENTCOM described the targets as belonging to Iran-aligned groups that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had directed to carry out attacks on U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.
Tuesday’s operation was launched in response to more than 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks over the preceding 72 hours. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense stated that its air defenses had intercepted and destroyed several drones launched from Iraqi territory that targeted petroleum facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh regions.
Saudi Arabia’s statement framed the strikes as precise and targeted actions against objectives linked to those attacks, conducted in coordination with CENTCOM, and emphasized the kingdom’s right to self-defense while stating it does not seek escalation.
Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), an umbrella organization that includes Iran-backed groups integrated into Iraq’s security structure, reported that the strikes hit headquarters and facilities in multiple locations, including Baghdad and sites in other provinces. The PMF said at least 20 of its members were killed and 32 wounded, with damage to buildings and facilities.
Hundreds of Ukrainian Drones Target Moscow in Overnight Blitz– www.themoscowtimes.com
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Nearly 400 Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow and the surrounding region overnight, local authorities said Tuesday morning, as a separate strike in the southwestern Belgorod region injured at least 19 people, according to officials.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 390 drones had been tracked in the skies above the wider Moscow region since Monday night, noting that “most” of them were intercepted. He did not report any damage or injuries.
Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said an apartment building in the town of Chekhov, located around 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of the Russian capital, was hit in a drone attack. Local authorities said the building’s facade and two apartment units were damaged, but added that there were no casualties.
Air defense systems downed “a few dozen” Ukrainian drones elsewhere in the Moscow region, including in Podolsk, Domodedovo and Kolomna, Vorobyov said.
A new bill has been introduced in Britian that will legalize euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide. The bill is the same as the one that failed in 2024. This is just the latest effort to legalize the creation of a suicide industry that eventually enables the state to nudge economic liabilities towards death.
The Radical Bill to Legalize Assisted Suicide in Britain is Back– www.lifenews.com
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The following message was sent out by Not Dead Yet UK:
By now you’ll know that the assisted dying bill is back.
On 17 June, Labour MP Lauren Edwards introduced a new version of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. MPs will vote on whether it should proceed at its second reading on 11 September 2026. That’s less than two months away.
So what’s new?Honestly? Not much.
This is the same bill Kim Leadbeater brought forward in 2024 — the one that spent months being picked apart in the House of Lords, generating more than 1,300 amendments before running out of time in April. The bill fell not because it was defeated, but because Parliament was prorogued. Now it’s back, with two minor Lords amendments incorporated.
The first is a technical Wales amendment. Because delivering health services is devolved to the Welsh Government, the bill now requires the Senedd to give its approval before Welsh Ministers can set up the regulations for assisted dying in Wales. It’s a constitutional housekeeping change. It doesn’t alter what the bill actually does.
The second concerns people with eating disorders. This one is more serious. During the Lords debates earlier this year, peers raised concerns that someone with anorexia could potentially stop eating — deliberately — in order to reach the six-month terminal threshold and qualify for an assisted death. A minor amendment was added in the Lords to address this. But experts who work with people with eating disorders say it doesn’t go far enough. The loophole, they argue, remains. We agree.