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American Arrested After Giving $1m in Aid to Palestine

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American Arrested After Giving $1m in Aid to Palestine

An American man arrested in Spain after allegedly providing material support for Hamas is being held without bail in Madrid as the US government seeks his extradition, prompting fresh concerns among leftwing supporters of Palestinian causes about “chilling effects” on humanitarian and political activity.

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Spanish authorities detained James “Fergie” Chambers on Friday in Ibiza. He is now in custody in the Spanish capital, where a hearing has been set for Thursday to decide whether he can be released on bail. The indictment against him has been sealed.
Spanish extradition process
The Spanish high court has 40 days to rule on the US extradition request submitted by the Trump administration. If the court rejects the bid, the proceedings end at that stage. If it approves the request, the Council of Ministers makes the final decision, according to a spokesperson for the court.
Stanley Cohen, an attorney with decades of experience in terrorism cases, said the case is the first known instance of the US pursuing extradition of a citizen who has been arrested and charged in connection with support for Hamas.
In comments reported by supporters, Cohen said the decision to seek extradition would “look good” politically, adding that he believed the move was made for “political purposes”. Chambers’s case, he suggested, could influence how other people and groups view the risks of involvement in pro-Palestinian work.
Donations and alleged links
Chambers, who describes himself as anti-imperialist, is the heir to a wealthy US family that owns Cox Communications. His legal team says he has funded progressive and humanitarian projects, including initiatives supporting children and other community efforts in the Middle East, and that he has donated more than $1m to humanitarian projects in Gaza.
His attorney, Llorenç Salvà, said in a statement that Chambers has long been known to US authorities and that the Trump administration, which has prioritised disrupting alleged terrorist-related funding, is now seeking his extradition. In statements about the arrest, Chambers’s partner, Stella Schnabel, said he was being jailed for using his wealth to support Palestine, characterising it as political persecution.
Chambers also said he had been on the US federal government’s radar for more than a decade. According to the account of his activities, he sold stock in mid-2023 worth around $250m as part of transactions within his family’s holdings, and later directed money towards causes he supported.
The case drew attention in the United States after Chambers was profiled in US media. In late 2023, he gave an interview on local television in New Hampshire about a direct action against Elbit Systems, described as an Israel defence contractor, which he said was carried out by a group that he had backed financially. He later moved to Tunisia, where he bought the football club Club Africain.
Leftwing concerns and legal precedents
Spanish politicians and lawmakers from left-of-centre parties have questioned whether the state is treating humanitarian or solidarity work as criminal support for terrorism.
Irene Montero, a member of Podemos and a Spanish representative in the European Parliament, posted on X on Monday that Spain should not collaborate with the Trump administration in what she described as the persecution of Palestinian solidarity, arguing the government should protect Chambers.
Separately, six members of Spain’s Congress from Sumar wrote that Chambers’s arrest occurred in the context of “growing repression” from the Trump administration against the Palestinian solidarity movement. They also pointed to Spain’s wider public critiques of Israel’s actions in Gaza and said that heightened tensions with the Trump administration form part of the background to the US request.
Trevor Aaronson, author of books on the FBI and terrorism, linked the Chambers case to arguments made within Trump-era counter-terrorism thinking that leftwing groups can be treated as part of a broader network connected to violence. He said the approach echoes legal reasoning developed in the post-9/11 “War on Terrorism”, including the mid-2000s Holy Land Foundation case, where prosecutors argued that money can be “fungible” and that support for governed areas could indirectly aid groups such as Hamas.
Aaronson said that such reasoning can create a “chilling effect”, discouraging people from donating to Palestinian groups or other leftwing organisations for fear their actions could be interpreted as terrorism-related support. He also criticised the timing, saying that humanitarian needs in Gaza are greater than ever and that linking aid to terrorism is significant.

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15 July 2026

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July 15Jul 15

Three Political Killings Highlight UK Political Tensions

UK

Three Political Killings Highlight UK Political Tensions

British lawmakers marked the deaths of three politicians over the past decade on Monday, using tributes in Parliament to highlight growing concern about security and the wider impact of violence on political life.

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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said MPs should be able to carry out their work without fear. “Politics is a calling for those of us here, but it should not be a dangerous one,” she told the House, adding that ministers and police must remain alert to “changing threats” as they develop.
The latest killing, of former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe, has drawn renewed attention to a period in which Britain has seen an unusually high number of political deaths in a short span. Widdecombe’s death came after the murders of sitting MPs Jo Cox in 2016 and David Amess in 2021.
Investigation into Widdecombe death
Police said Widdecombe was found dead at her home last week with “serious injuries”. She had previously served as an MP and later became the immigration spokesperson for Reform UK, a right-wing populist party.
Authorities initially said they had no information indicating her death was politically motivated. They subsequently announced that counter-terrorism police were leading the investigation.
A 28-year-old White British man was arrested, first on suspicion of murder and later on suspicion of “commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”. On Tuesday, the police said Widdecombe had been killed in a “targeted attack”. They have not given a motive but said one “line of enquiry” was whether the suspect was targeting Reform UK figures.
Calls to avoid simple links
Alan Renwick, a politics professor at University College London and director of the Constitution Unit, cautioned against connecting “the very extreme actions of a small number of individuals” to broader trends in society. He said, however, that the overall threat faced by MPs and others in public life has risen.
Renwick told CNN that threats are now directed at politicians “almost routinely”, which he said represents a shift from the past and “seriously impairs democracy”.
Threats and violence against MPs have increased sharply in recent years, according to reporting and parliamentary figures. The annual number of crimes against MPs reported to police reached almost 1,000 in 2025, nearly doubling from 2022, The Times reported in March. A parliamentary report said the number was 151 in 2017, describing it as a ten-fold increase since then.
Online debate and changing politics
Speakers linked the current risk environment to the political climate shaped by events earlier in the decade, including the period around the 2016 vote to leave the European Union. They also pointed to social media’s role in amplifying hostility.
Brendan Cox, Widdecombe’s predecessor Jo Cox’s widower, told Sky News he feels “much less optimistic” about political discourse than he did after his wife’s murder. He said the killing had initially prompted shock and unity across the political spectrum but that over time politics have moved further into opposing factions.
Cox said the “Wild West culture” online helps drive violence by making extreme content easier to spread and more likely to be treated as legitimate. He argued that regulators and the political system allow social media to continue promoting the most extreme material, often violent, content.
Diane Abbott, who has faced sustained abuse as the first Black woman elected to parliament, also drew attention to online activity, saying conditions have “got much, much worse” with the rise of online engagement.
While debate has focused on political attacks, officials noted that crime rates against individuals and households in Britain have generally fallen over the last decade.
Fears over constituent contact and Europe-wide pattern
Compared with many European countries, Britain’s number of murdered politicians is described as exceptional, although other parts of Europe have seen rising harassment and intimidation. The European Parliament has attributed that trend to increased political polarization.
In Britain, a parliamentary survey found that one in three MPs who took part were considering not standing for re-election, while many said their relationship with constituents had been affected.
Mahmood said security concerns have also changed how MPs interact with the public. When she was first elected in 2010, she held open constituency surgeries where residents could turn up. She said such sessions, where Cox and Amess were murdered, are now “no longer possible”.
“I still offer advice surgeries, but on terms that are very different from when I first became an MP,” Mahmood told MPs. “It is a tragedy because it does change the way we relate to our constituents.”

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15 July 2026

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July 15Jul 15

UK Proposes Social Media Curfew for 16 and 17-Year-Olds

UK

UK Proposes Social Media Curfew for 16 and 17-Year-Olds

The UK government has announced plans for a midnight social media curfew for 16 and 17-year-olds, saying the measure will be switched on by default but can be avoided by changing account settings.

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Under the proposal, popular platforms including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube would be set to be unavailable between midnight and 06:00 for older teenagers. The government said the curfew would be paired with changes to “addictive” design features, including auto-play and infinite scroll, which it wants to disable during the same period.
The government argued that the combination would help improve teenagers’ sleep, attention at school and college, and family time. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the steps were designed to ensure young people “enjoy the benefits of technology” while having tools to help them “thrive” online.
Critics, however, said the approach was incomplete. Laura Trott, the Conservative shadow education secretary, described the plan as a “dog’s dinner”, arguing that it amounted to a curfew that can be bypassed. Child safety organisations and experts also raised concerns about whether a time-based restriction would protect vulnerable children.
Linked with wider online restrictions for children
The announcement comes after the government said in June that children under 16 in the UK would be barred entirely from a range of social media platforms.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said it intends to put the new proposals before Parliament by the end of 2026, with a goal of bringing them into effect next spring alongside the planned ban for under-16s.
Alongside the curfew, the government said it wants measures to improve the safety of children using AI chatbot services. It said providers should introduce regular breaks for under-18s.
Government cites curfew trials; critics question impact
The government said it had trialled several approaches, including overnight curfews, in households across the UK. It reported that 300 teenagers took part in tests in which social apps were disabled overnight from 21:00 to 07:00, or capped to one hour, while some participants saw no changes. The government said the tests lasted one month and were designed to compare experiences.
In a report published on Tuesday, officials said the overnight curfews produced the biggest gains in sleep, alongside more engaging family evenings and a lighter burden for parents. It added that the option was also the most manageable to enforce compared with the other interventions tested.
Kendall said the findings supported what parents have long told the government: reducing time on social media brings benefits.
However, Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said the plan was “piecemeal” and not the comprehensive child safety framework needed. Prof Sonia Livingstone, an expert in children’s digital rights at the London School of Economics, warned that a curfew could be harmful for vulnerable children if it restricts access to support at night.
“If it’s a curfew on companies using push notifications to wake someone up in the night, absolutely have a curfew,” Prof Livingstone told the BBC. She said a restriction that prevents a child in need of help or comfort from reaching trusted sources during the night could cause harm.
Ofcom powers, VPN concerns and Australia comparison
Dame Rachel de Souza, England’s children’s commissioner, said young people do not want a ban but do want protection from addictive features such as infinite scrolling. She said she wanted to understand how the policies would be delivered and said she would monitor whether they are effective while also urging Ofcom to use its powers to make online services safer for children.
The government’s moves have been framed as following steps taken in Australia, where restrictions on social media for under-16s began in December. In Australia, providers were required to close existing accounts and stop teens from opening new ones, but the measures have been criticised as ineffective, with many young people reporting they can still access sites that were meant to be blocked.
Questions have also been raised about the practicality of age checks for under-16s, and about how any UK regime might handle virtual private networks (VPNs). On Tuesday, the government said research it commissioned found little evidence that many children use VPNs to bypass age checks.

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15 July 2026

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July 15Jul 15

China Detains US Seismologist on Espionage Charges

China

China Detains US Seismologist on Espionage Charges

China has detained a US seismologist who studies nuclear test activity for nearly two years on espionage allegations, the man’s family said, while Beijing said the case is being handled under Chinese law.

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Detained in Beijing visit
Chen Youlin, 54, was arrested in November 2024 while travelling to Beijing to visit family, according to Global Reach, a US hostage advocacy group. His relatives decided to speak publicly after they said they had not seen any indication that Chinese authorities would release him.
Chen’s wife, Rong Yufang—also a seismologist—said she has not been able to speak with her husband for more than 600 days and is concerned for his health and welfare. She said in a statement carried by Global Reach that he has been denied regular contact.
China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that judicial authorities handle cases according to law. Spokesman Lin Jian said there was “no such thing as so-called wrongful detention”. In China, he noted, espionage convictions can lead to life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Chen is currently the only US citizen designated as “wrongfully detained” by Global Reach.
Work focused on North Korea tests
Rong told Reuters that Chinese authorities questioned Chen more than 100 times about his research and that he was not allowed to see a lawyer for the first 13 months of his detention.
Chen, who was born in China and became a US citizen in 2011, lives in Boston, Massachusetts. His published work focuses on North Korea, a close Chinese partner that has been under long-running sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme and underground nuclear tests.
It is not clear, the reporting said, whether and how Chen’s research intersected with any nuclear activity by China. US intelligence has suggested that China is developing a new nuclear arsenal and has carried out secret tests, charges Beijing denies.
Rong said Chen worked with Chinese colleagues in ways she described as transparent, adding that his work was collaborative rather than secretive.
His research included a study in December 2020 that used seismic data recorded across Asia—including China—to improve nuclear test monitoring and estimate yields.
Treaty monitoring and US-funded projects
Chen’s work drew on seismological methods to detect nuclear explosions. He also undertook projects funded by the US government, according to Global Reach.
The advocacy group said there are “suspicions within the US government” that Chen’s arrest was linked to China conducting nuclear tests in violation of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The treaty aims to ban all nuclear explosion tests, but several “nuclear-capable” states have not ratified it, including the US and China. Both countries have observed voluntary moratoriums on explosive nuclear testing.
In June 2020, during Donald Trump’s first term, the US administration accused China of conducting a covert underground nuclear test at the Lop Nur facility in the country’s north-west. China rejected the allegations as unfounded and politically motivated.
Health concerns and US response
A separate US-based hostage advocacy group, the Foley Foundation, said Chen’s health is a concern and noted he has diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It said he needs reliable access to medical treatment that is not available while he is imprisoned.
US Senator Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said China’s handling of Chen “has undermined [its] partnership [with the US]” and could discourage other academics from working with Chinese counterparts. In a statement published on Tuesday, Markey said he hoped increased attention would lead to Chen’s release.
Details about Chen’s detention emerged about a month after China confirmed it had arrested another US academic, Min Zin, director of a Myanmar-focused think tank. Beijing has accused Min of spying and of endangering Chinese national security.

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15 July 2026

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July 15Jul 15

Trump Threatens to Bomb Iran’s Bridges and Power Plants

Iranian Conflict

Trump Threatens to Bomb Iran’s Bridges and Power Plants

US President Donald Trump said next week the United States would strike Iran’s bridges and power plants unless Tehran resumed talks, escalating pressure as fighting between the two countries entered its fourth consecutive day.

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The remarks were made in an interview on Fox News, in the same period that US and Iranian forces reported continued exchanges of fire.
Threat Linked to Resuming Negotiations
Trump said he warned Iranian authorities that “it gets really bad” unless Iran “gets to the table and negotiate”. He said the US would “knock out” power plants and bridges, repeating threats he had previously made and which were condemned at the time by UN officials.
In April, Trump threatened strikes on civilian infrastructure in Iran, including bridges and power plants. Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief, said deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure is prohibited under international law and amounts to a war crime. The Geneva Conventions, agreed in 1949, bar attacks on sites essential for civilians.
In Tuesday night’s interview, Trump also said US negotiators had told their Iranian counterparts that they needed to make a deal or “you’re not going to have anything left”.
US Says It Targeted Capabilities Used to Attack Shipping
The latest escalation in rhetoric coincided with a renewed round of US strikes. US Central Command said late on Tuesday that its forces began an additional round of strikes against Iran to degrade capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Admiral Brad Cooper said in a late Tuesday statement that Iran had “intentionally targeted civilians” by attacking seven commercial ships. Cooper said the attacks resulted in nearly a dozen civilian crew members killed, missing, or injured.
The United Arab Emirates said on Monday night that Iranian cruise missiles had hit two UAE tankers, killing one Indian crew member and wounding eight others, with four in serious condition.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later confirmed the strikes via Telegram, saying two tankers ignored warnings, switched off navigation systems and tried to pass through a mined route. Centcom did not specify which other incidents its statement referred to, and the IRGC did not immediately comment beyond its Telegram message.
In the early hours of Wednesday, Kuwait’s military said it was intercepting Iranian attack drones, while Bahrain activated air raid sirens. Kuwait’s army said air defences were engaging hostile drone attacks, and Bahrain’s interior ministry urged residents to move to safe places.
Tehran said on Tuesday it had targeted US military facilities in Bahrain and Jordan after earlier attacking two UAE tankers.
Fee Plan Row and Blockade Move
Trump’s comments came after he said a 20% fee he had threatened to impose on cargo moving through the Strait of Hormuz would be replaced by “massive” trade and investment deals with Gulf states. The announcement was made hours before the US resumed its blockade of Iranian ports.
On Truth Social, Trump said he had decided to replace the “United States Reimbursement Fee” with trade and investment deals to be made by Gulf states with the US, adding that the investments would be “MASSIVE” and “extraordinarily good” for them, without giving further details. He also said the strait was open to all ship traffic except for Iran and said oil was flowing “like never before”.
After talks in Washington with Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, Trump said he did not like the concept of a fee, but that it was “not fair” for the US to protect the strait for the entire world. He said he had adjusted his initial plan after receiving calls from Gulf leaders.
Iran said it would remain in control of the Strait of Hormuz. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state television that the decision to tighten measures, including a blockade, had “dismantled” an earlier agreed truce, according to AFP. Reuters reported him saying that if the US tried to squeeze Iran through military actions and an economic blockade, it would be a mistake.
The US imposed a naval blockade of all Iranian ports in April. About five weeks later, it said it had redirected 100 commercial vessels and disabled four. The US lifted the blockade in June as part of a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict, but a dispute over the strait remains a key point.
Shipping data shows traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed to a two-month low, while Brent crude prices have risen sharply.

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15 July 2026

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July 15Jul 15

Starmer Receives France’s Legion d’Honneur at Paris Meeting

Report

Starmer Receives France’s Legion d’Honneur at Paris Meeting

Sir Keir Starmer has become the first serving prime minister of the United Kingdom to receive France’s highest award, the Legion d’honneur.

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He was presented with the decoration at the end of a meeting associated with the “Coalition of the Willing”, a group of countries set up with French President Emmanuel Macron to support Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Starmer and Macron helped establish the coalition, according to the account of the event.
Macron praises Starmer’s role
At the ceremony in the French presidential palace, Macron said he wanted to express gratitude for Starmer’s “years as prime minister”. He praised Starmer’s “human qualities” and described him as a “reliable and friendly partner”.
Macron also referenced commitments from the UK that, he said, supported not only the country but “the security of Europe” and Ukraine, alongside the bilateral relationship between France and the UK.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was among those attending to recognise Starmer ahead of his departure, also paid tribute to the outgoing prime minister. Starmer is due to leave office next week.
Zelensky and Merz thank the outgoing leader
During the event, Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz both publicly thanked Starmer. Zelensky’s comments were part of the acknowledgements made at the conclusion of the meeting in Paris.
Merz thanked Starmer in person at the French presidential palace, as did Zelensky, who was listed among those paying tribute.
What the Legion d’Honneur is
The Legion d’honneur is awarded each year to around 2,000 French people and 200 foreign nationals. Recipients are recognised for “outstanding merits”.
Among past honours in the order is Sir Winston Churchill, who received the highest rank of the decoration, known as Grand Croix (Grand Cross). That level is awarded for continued “outstanding merit” over an extended period.
A controversial decoration with notable recipients
The Legion d’honneur has faced criticism since it was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802.
Past recipients include leaders such as Nelson Mandela and former US President Dwight Eisenhower, as well as Zelensky. It has also been granted to figures including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, and earlier to Benito Mussolini of wartime Italy and Spain’s dictator Francisco Franco.
So far, only one foreign recipient has had the honour withdrawn: former Panamanian President Manuel Noriega.
Under Macron, French officials also removed the award from Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein following a series of accusations of sexual harassment and rape, according to the report of the decision.

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15 July 2026

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July 14Jul 14

Hormuz Tolls Suggest Trump Is Struggling to End Iran War

Iranian Conflict

Hormuz Tolls Suggest Trump Is Struggling to End Iran War

Donald Trump’s shifting demands over how the United States would secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have underscored how hard it is proving to end the war with Iran, which has now dragged on for more than four months.

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On Monday, the president announced on Truth Social that the United States would resume a naval blockade of Iranian-linked shipping and said all vessels passing through the strait, including ships from US allies, would have to pay a 20% fee. Trump said the charges were meant to reimburse the US “for any and all costs” tied to providing safety and security in what he described as a volatile area.
The proposal lasted a day. On Tuesday, Trump withdrew it, instead saying he would pursue “trade and investment deals” with Gulf allies. The message suggested Washington would offer them safe passage through Hormuz in exchange for cooperation on economic arrangements.
Hormuz proposal flips after short run
The abrupt change came as negotiations between Washington and Tehran, temporarily framed by a memorandum of understanding, failed to produce an enduring ceasefire.
The MOU had been meant to put a ceiling on hostilities and set out a path for further talks. Both sides had previously described it as a breakthrough, though key aspects were left for later negotiation.
Trump’s blockade announcement on Tuesday signaled the end of that framework. At 10:16 ET (16:16 BST), the MOU “died” on Truth Social, according to Trump’s post, as he also cited a wave of renewed US military strikes across Iran.
Blockade returns as attacks spread
Iran responded by intensifying attacks on US allies and on commercial shipping in the region. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz again slowed to near standstill, according to the report.
The renewed cycle of fighting followed weeks of stop-and-start diplomacy. Each time a ceasefire appeared to hold, occasional incidents tested the terms, leaving doubts about whether both sides were observing the same understanding.
Although the US had, in military terms, carried out strikes that it said achieved its immediate aims—destroying Iranian ships, aircraft and targets and degrading defence capabilities—the political track remained unresolved. The ability to deny Iran access to the strait was also not automatic, the article said, and without a major escalation by American forces in the region, the US could not fully prevent Iranian pressure on shipping.
Prior “tolls” criticism resurfaces
Trump’s latest Hormuz fee idea was not new, having been floated at various points during the war. But it collided with earlier US messaging from within the administration.
In a statement last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned an Iranian plan to impose “fees” on shipping through the strait, saying international waterways should not be subject to tolls and referring to existing international law and practice across global routes.
The memorandum’s text had also left room for Iran to play a role in managing the safe passage of commercial vessels through Hormuz. It stated that the Islamic Republic would make arrangements, using its best efforts, for safe passage “with no charge”.
Alongside that language, the MOU included promised investment in Iran and an end to international sanctions. Those elements had been treated by some as inducements aimed at reducing Iran’s incentive to use geography for leverage in the strait. The report said that assessment has proved wrong, at least for now.
Defense Priorities director Rosemary Kelanid said the MOU was effectively undone, with the commitments it described “completely” reversed.
Patience tested on both sides
With the blockade back in place, Iran faces renewed pressure as oil revenue—described as a lifeline for the regime—comes under strain again. Trump, meanwhile, is confronted with a recurring choice: expand the conflict further, or accept an outcome that leaves Iran in place despite the risk that the fighting could restart.
Elliot Abrams, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the two sides are again asking who can outlast the other, with Iran unable to export oil and the US and other customers dependent on Persian Gulf supply.
The dispute also leaves the underlying issues unresolved, including control of the strait, Iran’s nuclear programme, and Iran’s regional influence. Abrams said there could be room for negotiations over a Hormuz arrangement, but not a return to the earlier memorandum framework.
As the war approaches a fifth month, Trump pointed out that other US conflicts, including the Vietnam War, had lasted for years. The report noted that a prolonged conflict contributed to political damage for Lyndon Baines Johnson, and that Trump’s team is also mindful of the domestic backdrop heading into November’s midterm elections—especially given the concern that higher oil prices would reverse recent improvements in consumer inflation trends. After Trump’s Monday post, the price of a barrel of oil rose nearly 10%, the biggest one-day gain in six years.
With the MOU dismantled and hostilities resumed, the article said the war does not appear closer to resolution than it was in the early weeks of the conflict.

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15 July 2026

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July 14Jul 14

Trump Makes $5M-Plus Payment to E. Jean Carroll

Trump

Trump Makes $5M-Plus Payment to E. Jean Carroll

US President Donald Trump has paid writer E Jean Carroll more than $5m (£3.7m) in damages, ending a three-year effort to delay a civil ruling that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming her.

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Her lawyers said the payment was made after a judge ordered it following the US Supreme Court’s decision last month to reject Trump’s bid to review the case.
Damages paid after judge’s order
Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for Carroll, said on Tuesday that Carroll had received the damages amount ordered by a jury.
“Today, we are pleased to report that she has received the damages payment the jury awarded her as a result of that verdict,” Kaplan said in a brief statement.
Trump had sought to postpone the payout so he could ask the Supreme Court to reconsider a ruling that declined to hear his appeal. The judge overseeing the case then directed him to pay the damages.
A representative for Trump’s legal team declined to comment on the payment.
Payment tops $5.62m with interest
Carroll’s legal team said she received more than $5.62m. The figure included the $5m awarded by the jury plus interest accrued during the appeals process.
After the verdict in 2023, Trump deposited the damages into a court-controlled account. The funds remained there while the legal challenges proceeded through the courts.
In seeking to avoid payment, Trump argued that the trial judge improperly allowed evidence that prejudiced jurors against him. He also described the case as politically motivated.
Trump challenges evidence and verdict
Lawyers for Trump criticised the judge’s decision to require payment. They characterised the lawsuit as a “hoax” and a “Witch Hunt”, arguing it had been supported by Democrats.
During the legal process, a federal appeals court upheld the jury’s finding last year. It said Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over the civil trial, did not make errors that would justify a new trial.
Trump had also repeatedly denied Carroll’s allegations.
Carroll, who is 82, has said Trump assaulted her in the mid-1990s in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan. She later alleged Trump defamed her in a 2022 post on his Truth Social platform, in which he denied her claims.
Supreme Court decision ends delay
Last month, the Supreme Court declined Trump’s request to consider the matter, removing a key barrier to payment.
Carroll marked the Supreme Court’s refusal at the time, posting on her Substack that the outcome meant “WE WON!” She also wrote that the result was “for every woman in the world”.
Trump’s legal team has continued contesting related decisions. He is also appealing a separate 2024 ruling in which another jury found him liable for defaming Carroll and awarded her nearly $84m.
A panel of federal judges rejected Trump’s appeal of that award last year.
Separate defamation case remains under appeal
The new payment resolves the damages component of the 2023 civil case in which the jury found Trump liable over Carroll’s claims of sexual abuse and defamation. The case began before Trump’s Supreme Court challenge, which ultimately failed.
The damages paid Tuesday conclude a process that began shortly after the jury verdict, when the money was set aside pending appeals.

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15 July 2026

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July 14Jul 14

US House Votes to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

USA

US House Votes to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent across the country, clearing a key step for the measure as it moves to the Senate.
House passes Sunshine Protection Act
In a vote of 308-117, the lower chamber approved the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025. If enacted, the bill would establish daylight saving time as the permanent standard time nationwide.
The legislation now goes to the Senate for further consideration.
Trump backs measure backed by Florida lawmakers
President Donald Trump said he supports the bill, posting on Truth Social that the change would help avoid the costs and disruption associated with switching clocks twice each year.
He argued that “Hundreds of Millions of Dollars are spent every year” by people, cities and states because they are “forced to change their Clocks,” and said he wants the measure signed into law.
The House bill was introduced by Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida and has been popular in the state. Supporters in Florida have said extending evening daylight could boost tourism and outdoor recreation.
Buchanan previously said Floridians and Americans are “tired of the biannual time change,” adding that he believes permanent daylight saving time can improve public health, reduce traffic accidents, lower crime and encourage more outdoor activity. He also described ending the clock change as a “commonsense reform” that would improve daily life for millions of Americans.
The top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey, has also backed the bill.
Senate consideration after 2022 push
The Senate unanimously approved a similar measure in 2022, but it stalled in the House. While this time around the House has advanced the new text, the legislation could still face resistance in the upper chamber.
Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, has warned that making daylight saving time permanent would “push winter sunrises to an absurdly late hour.” Cotton said the change could force children to walk to school in the dark, or that schools would need to move start times later.
As the process moves forward, lawmakers will consider whether any of those concerns could affect the bill’s prospects in the Senate.

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15 July 2026

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July 14Jul 14

Buffett Skips Gates Foundation After Epstein Disclosures

Epstein Files

Buffett Skips Gates Foundation After Epstein Disclosures

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has said he will not include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in his annual charitable giving after new disclosures linked the Microsoft co-founder to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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In a statement released Tuesday, Buffett said he would donate about $6 billion to four foundations connected to his own family. He did not mention the Gates Foundation in the announcement, which follows renewed public attention on Epstein after the release of related court materials.
Donations and end-date for Buffett’s remaining shares
Buffett also outlined a change to how his remaining wealth will be given away. He said his remaining shares of Berkshire Hathaway, worth nearly $146 billion, will be donated to the four foundations by December 31, 2034.
He previously had planned for his three children to distribute his remaining fortune within 10 years after his death. Buffett said Tuesday that timing is uncertain, but insisted the donations would still be completed by the end of 2034.
“Of course, mortality is unpredictable, but my remaining shares will be donated to the four foundations one way or the other by December 31, 2034,” he said. He added that the aim is for grants managed by his children to grow year by year, and for the annual grant to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation to increase at a somewhat higher rate.
Buffett’s statement came as CNBC said he is scheduled to give the US business network an exclusive interview on the matter on Wednesday morning. The Gates Foundation and Buffett did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
Gates, Epstein and review of the foundation’s past
Buffett has long directed substantial parts of his giving to the Gates Foundation. Since he announced plans to distribute his fortune in 2006, more than $61 billion in gifts have gone to the Gates Foundation, including regular transfers of Berkshire Hathaway stock and donations from Buffett’s family foundations.
The relationship between Gates and Epstein has been scrutinised again following the disclosure of court materials. Gates has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and has not been accused of wrongdoing. He has said he met Epstein because he believed it would help him raise money for charitable causes.
Epstein, who was accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, was found dead at a Manhattan federal detention facility in August 2019. New York City’s medical examiner later ruled his death a suicide.
The Gates Foundation said it hired someone in March to assess its past engagement with Epstein and to review policies for vetting future partnerships. Gates and other board members are expected to receive an update on the assessment during the summer, the foundation said.
Court documents tied to a Justice Department investigation into Epstein include references to Gates, including email correspondence about philanthropic projects, calendar entries recording meetings, and photographs of Gates at events attended by the two men.
Buffett’s past comments and earlier dispute
Buffett previously said in 2024 that he would cut off donations to the Gates Foundation after his death, allowing his children to decide how to distribute the remainder of his fortune. The decision announced Tuesday accelerates the shift for the annual donations while he is still alive.
Buffett and Gates were close friends for years, speaking often, playing bridge online and taking vacations together. Gates served on Berkshire’s board for years, and Buffett sat on the board of the Gates Foundation. Buffett told CNBC in March that he had not spoken with Gates for months before the Epstein files were released in the autumn of 2025.
In earlier years, Buffett defended Gates publicly. Three years ago, Buffett cut off a man who tried to question Gates’ character during a Berkshire shareholder meeting, citing Epstein ties. The man, Peter Flaherty, was arrested for trespassing despite being approved to make the presentation; charges were later dropped, and a lawsuit stemming from the incident is still pending.
Buffett told CNBC in March that it was “astounding” how someone could succeed as a con person, adding that he did not want to be involved with anything that could be investigated later. He also said he was glad Epstein never came to Omaha, where he has lived for more than six decades.
Buffett stepped down as Berkshire Hathaway chief executive in January after 60 years at the helm, but remains chairman and the largest shareholder. Greg Abel is now CEO.

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15 July 2026

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July 14Jul 14

Hormuz Strait Dispute Tests US-Iran No-War Truce

Iranian Conflict

Hormuz Strait Dispute Tests US-Iran No-War Truce

A fragile arrangement between the United States and Iran, agreed last month and designed to prevent renewed conflict, has shown signs of slipping toward war, analysts and regional sources say. Efforts by Arab and Pakistani mediators to preserve the on-again, off-again calm may not be enough if tensions over maritime access around the Strait of Hormuz intensify.

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Officials in both capitals have also signalled they want to avoid a return to a prolonged, full-scale confrontation. But the central dispute concerns the status and management of the strategic strait, where Iran is pressing claims that it says cannot be overridden by military, economic or diplomatic pressure.
Strait of Hormuz becomes the key fault line
Iran’s lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said in a recent social media post that Iran would “keep your word or pay the price”, linking the warning to the agreement. Tehran points to the memorandum of understanding that was drafted rapidly in June and lays out a 14-point framework.
Iran argues that point five gives it scope to manage the corridor. The clause says Iran will “make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels”.
The US interpretation is broader, according to the article’s accounts: Washington reads the language as requiring Iran to allow the free flow of global oil and gas and other essential goods, including inputs used to produce fertiliser.
An Arab oil executive described the drafting as ambiguous, saying the wording could be interpreted in multiple ways.
Mistrust, internal splits and IRGC role
While Iran’s new leadership is described as aligned on its broad approach, there are growing signs of disagreements about how to proceed. Robert Malley of the International Crisis Group, who helped negotiate the 2015 nuclear deal that President Donald Trump withdrew from during his first term, said some in Tehran want to use battlefield gains as leverage through diplomacy, while others believe the ceasefire came before Iran had inflicted enough damage on the United States.
Recent attacks on three vessels, including a Qatari-flagged liquefied natural gas tanker sailing near Oman’s coastline, were described by a regional diplomatic source as the work of a “rogue unit” within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). With the IRGC playing a dominant role in Iran’s security system, Iran’s stated position is that ships must follow routes designated by Tehran.
Iran’s parliament also moved to codify control. A bill presented “last night” aims to govern the strait through the “Strategic Action for the Security and Sustainable Progress of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf”. The measure was posted on X by Ebrahim Azizi, head of the assembly’s national security commission. He said controlling the waterway is Iran’s “inalienable right”, and when asked when Iran would relinquish control, replied: “never”.
Iran views control of the corridor as both leverage and deterrence, as well as an economic fallback if sanctions remain in place and overseas assets continue to be frozen.
Neighbours raise objections; possible fee compromise
The push to reshape rules in the region has increased friction with neighbouring states, including Qatar, which has played a role in mediation. Tensions also extend to Oman, a longstanding ally that has acted behind the scenes for years.
The United Arab Emirates has indicated that Iran’s plans to charge “service fees” for shipping are unacceptable and would set a harmful precedent. A source familiar with the exchange also said Oman objected to including language in point five stating that Iran will hold dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define future administration and maritime services. Muscat, the source said, now finds itself balancing Washington’s expectations against Tehran’s aims for a discreet mediating role.
Some observers think an eventual compromise may still be possible. Simon Gass, a former senior British diplomat involved in talks on the 2015 deal, said a solution could involve no tolls for passage but allow shipping fees that demonstrate Iran’s authority.
Even if the truce survives, the underlying problem is a mismatch in how each side reads the other’s constraints. Each side, according to the accounts here, believes it has the upper hand and expects the opponent to back down first due to its own vulnerabilities. The piece notes that Iran was able to take advantage of a brief window when US sanctions on exports of its oil were waived, but that opportunity has since closed.
Recent reporting also points to pressure on Iran’s economy, including high inflation around 80% and widespread job losses, alongside internet disruptions. The crisis over the strait has further crowded out discussion of the core nuclear issue, while the memorandum’s 60-day period for intensive talks is described as unrealistic. Malley said he believes the truce may recover in some form, but added that given dysfunction on both sides, it cannot be assumed.

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15 July 2026

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July 14Jul 14

Trump Reverses 20% Hormuz Fee as US Resumes Iran Port Blockade

Iranian Conflict

Trump Reverses 20% Hormuz Fee as US Resumes Iran Port Blockade

President Donald Trump has backed away from a planned 20% fee on all shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, replacing the levy with trade and investment arrangements with Gulf states, even as the US moved to resume a blockade of Iranian ports.

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The decision came hours before the United States restarted the blockade, part of an effort to intensify pressure on Iran and weaken what Washington describes as Tehran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the key waterway.
Trump replaces fee with trade and investment deals
Trump said the proposed “United States reimbursement fee” would be replaced by trade and investment deals that Gulf partners would pursue with the US. In comments posted on Truth Social, he did not provide details of how such deals would work but said the investments would be substantial.
The US president also asserted that the strait would remain open to all ship traffic except that involving Iran. He further said oil was moving through the waterway, attributing that to US military power.
Trump previously said the US would act as the “guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz and announced the 20% charge on cargo shipments to help pay for protecting the route. He said later that he disliked the fee approach but that it was “not fair” for the US to protect the strait for the world. He also said he changed the plan after receiving calls from Gulf leaders.
US moves back to blockade amid renewed strikes
US Central Command (Centcom) said late on Tuesday that American forces began an additional round of strikes against Iran, aimed at continuing to degrade capabilities Iran uses to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Centcom said earlier in the week it had carried out a third night of attacks for the same purpose. Iran’s state media reported explosions in several cities, including Bushehr, where a nuclear power plant is located.
Iran said it targeted US military facilities in Bahrain and Jordan after previously hitting two oil tankers registered to the United Arab Emirates.
Iran says it retains control as traffic slows
Iran has said it will remain in control of the Strait of Hormuz, rejecting the US approach. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the blockade decision effectively dismantled an earlier truce arrangement between the countries, according to AFP.
The US first imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports in April to increase pressure on Tehran. About five weeks later, the US military said it had redirected 100 commercial vessels and disabled four ships under the blockade. The US later lifted the measure in June under a memorandum of understanding intended to end the conflict, but differences over control of the strait have persisted.
Shipping data indicates traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed to a two-month low. Brent crude prices have also risen sharply, amid concerns that tanker movement has been constrained.
Iran effectively shut down the waterway after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on 28 February, despite the strait’s role in global energy flows. The route previously carried about a quarter of the world’s oil and around a fifth of global liquefied natural gas.
Netanyahu warns of stronger response if attacked first
Separately on Tuesday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s retaliation against Iran would be “much more powerful” if Iran attacks first. He warned Iranian leaders not to expect continued quiet if they strike Israel, speaking in a video posted on social media.

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15 July 2026

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July 14Jul 14

ICE Agent Shoots Dead Colombian Man in Biddeford, Maine

USA

ICE Agent Shoots Dead Colombian Man in Biddeford, Maine

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot a Colombian national during an immigration enforcement operation in Biddeford, Maine, after a vehicle attempted to flee, the agency said.

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The incident comes about a week after ICE used deadly force in a separate case involving another migrant in a traffic stop in Texas.
Operation linked to final removal order
ICE said agents were surveilling an address in Biddeford for a person with a final order of removal at around 07:00 EDT (11:00 GMT) on Monday.
Agents attempted to stop a driver who was leaving the address. ICE said the vehicle tried to flee the scene, and that “fearing for public safety”, an officer discharged a weapon. ICE added that the driver was struck.
After the shooting, dozens of demonstrators gathered in Biddeford.
Prosecutor, lawmakers order investigation as officer placed on leave
Maine’s top prosecutor said the officer worked for ICE’s Enforcement Removal Operations and has been placed on leave while an investigation is carried out.
The state’s Attorney General, Aaron Frey, said initial information indicates the individual “attempted to flee in a vehicle in the direction of the officer and was fatally shot”.
Frey said the man’s name would not be released until he is formally identified and his family is notified.
The Department of Homeland Security inspector general office is taking over the investigation, Senator Susan Collins said, citing the agency overseeing ICE.
Collins and other Maine officials faced questions after reports that the circumstances of the operation changed. Fellow senator Angus King said he was first told by DHS chief Markwayne Mullin that the person shot was a target of an arrest warrant in an immigration operation. Hours later, King said Mullin told him the man was not the target of a warrant.
Governor Janet Mills said the death of someone the government was not seeking “makes this tragedy even more disturbing and infuriating”. She said it showed what she called the “reckless and haphazard manner” in which immigration enforcement operations are being conducted in Maine and across the country.
Embassy, rights groups confirm victim’s nationality; witnesses describe gunfire
Colombia’s embassy confirmed the deceased man was Colombian. The embassy said it has requested information and clarification from DHS about the circumstances and will follow the case as the investigation continues.
The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition said the man was a 26-year-old Colombian authorised to work in the United States, and said he was part of its community. The organisation did not identify him.
Protests also took place outside the office of Collins after she voted to fund ICE, with demonstrators calling for what King described as a “full and impartial investigation”.
Witness accounts to local and national media described the shooting and the response by federal agents. The Biddeford Gazette reported that around 07:20 local time, a resident saw flashing lights from an unmarked white SUV and at least two officers wearing green ICE vests. The witness said agents surrounded a white sedan and that at least four gunshots were heard.
Another witness speaking to the Associated Press said the victim lived nearby with his wife and daughter and described seeing his spouse fall to her knees and a child crying with a pink backpack.
King said Mullin told him the man was shot after attempting to drive his car at officers. King said that involved “weaponised” use of the vehicle, and that an ICE agent fired.
King also said officers did not wear body cameras and that officials would investigate whether deadly force was necessary.
The case has renewed attention on DHS and ICE operations. On 7 July, ICE officer Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old builder, was shot and killed in Houston while driving to a construction site. Federal officials later said he was not the intended target but that he tried to run over an ICE agent.
Mullin took over leadership of DHS in March, replacing Kristi Noem after she was fired by US President Donald Trump. Noem’s tenure followed fatal shootings by immigration officers of two protesters, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, both American citizens, after immigration enforcement surges were announced in Minnesota and other states.
A similar operation in Maine, launched in January and dubbed Operation Catch of the Day, has also drawn legal challenges. Civil rights organisations filed a lawsuit alleging aggressive tactics by federal agents during enforcement surges.


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14 July 2026

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July 14Jul 14

Elderly Death Row Inmates Set for Florida Executions

USA

Elderly Death Row Inmates Set for Florida Executions

Florida is set to carry out executions of three prisoners scheduled to die by the end of the month, underscoring how the death row population has aged in the United States.

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The state last week executed Dusty Ray Spencer, 74, becoming Florida’s oldest prisoner put to death in modern times. Two more men, both in their late 70s and 80, are next in line, with their dates set closely together.
Elderly prisoners scheduled for death in Florida
On June 25, Spencer was executed after being convicted of fatally stabbing his wife in 1992. The US Supreme Court rejected his appeal, which argued that liver disease would make him especially vulnerable to severe pain during lethal injection.
Florida’s next scheduled execution is for Dennis Sochor, who was convicted of killing Patricia Gifford, 18, hours after meeting her at a New Year’s Eve party in 1982. Family members have said they plan to attend. Sochor is 79, and his attorneys had argued against execution based on his age and health, leaving him nearing his 80th birthday.
Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, is scheduled to die on July 28. He was sentenced in the murders of his ex-girlfriend’s parents and has spent nearly four decades on Florida’s death row. If executed, he would be the second-oldest person known to be put to death in the US, behind Walter Moody Jr., who was 83 when he was executed in Alabama in 2018.
Florida has three inmates older than Occhicone on its death row.
Questions raised as appeals and sentencing run long
The coming executions are reviving debate over whether capital punishment can be carried out humanely when inmates are elderly and medically frail, and about whether long appeals processes, intended to protect constitutional rights and guard against wrongful executions, also contribute to delays.
Rev. Dustin Feddon, a Catholic priest who has ministered to Florida death row inmates since 2013, said the issue raises the question of whether the system is effectively waiting out a natural death. He added that executing those who are the most frail and elderly would be especially harsh.
Marilyn Gifford, whose sister was killed by Sochor, said she does not view the age factor as a reason to stop the process. She told reporters she is “happy it’s happening” during her lifetime.
Governor controls execution dates in Florida
It is not clear why Florida scheduled three executions in close succession. Legal advocates say the state’s system gives the governor broad authority over timing.
Maria DeLiberato, legal director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, said Florida’s governor largely determines when executions occur, while in many other states the courts play a bigger role in setting schedules.


Picture courtesy of Miami Herald

About half of Florida’s 242 death row inmates have exhausted their appeals and could receive death warrants at any time. The family of Michael Sheridan spent about a year calling and writing to Republican Governor Ron DeSantis to request that he sign a death warrant before Sheridan’s killer was executed earlier this year. DeSantis’ office did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment.
DeSantis oversaw a record 19 executions in 2025, more than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The state has carried out nine executions so far this year.
In a statement last year, DeSantis said his goal is to deliver justice for victims’ families who waited for decades, arguing that delays deny justice.
Age alone is not a bar under court precedent
The average age of inmates executed in the US has risen from the 30s to the 50s over the past half-century, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. In many cases, decades on death row can lead inmates to develop medical conditions that may complicate attempts to carry out lethal injections.
Occhicone’s attorneys said he has age-related ailments, including kidney and prostate problems, and requires assistance getting in and out of the shower.
Under Supreme Court precedent, people cannot be executed for crimes committed before age 18. But court officials and attorneys say advanced age alone does not provide a basis to stop an execution. Gerod Hooper, a lawyer with Florida’s Capital Collateral Regional Counsel, said a legal challenge would have to show that the inmate lacks execution capacity or that specific medical conditions would make the injection process unconstitutional because of undue pain.
Similar issues have arisen in other states. In cases involving inmates with dementia in Utah and Alabama, execution was avoided and the prisoners later died of apparent natural causes. In Idaho, an inmate received at least one stay connected to cancer and other health problems, though state officials continued to seek the death penalty.
Frank Frandel, who grew up near Sochor in Portland, Michigan, said he opposes leniency based on age, noting Sochor’s father is expected to turn 99 this year and arguing that Sochor could live for many years.

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14 July 2026

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July 14Jul 14

UK Home Office Asylum Hotel Closures Face Legal Action

UK-Asylum crisis

UK Home Office Asylum Hotel Closures Face Legal Action

Families staying at a London hotel have been moved to other accommodation after the Home Office closed asylum hotels, prompting legal challenges over whether the government assessed people’s individual needs before relocations.

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Staycity closure and relocation plan
Huda, 41, and her two children, aged 10 and 12, had lived in two rooms in a London hotel for six months before being told they would be moved with a few days’ notice. The engineering graduate from Tunisia said she fled death threats from extended family and is awaiting a decision while her asylum application is processed.
The Home Office said Staycity—the hotel where the family was staying—would close as part of a government pledge to move asylum seekers out of hotels and into military barracks or other shared housing. The shift followed protests by anti-migrant campaigners, who argued that hotels were too comfortable to host asylum seekers.
On 25 June, the Home Office announced the closure of 20 hotels, after an earlier announcement this year that shut 11 asylum hotels.
Under the plan, people affected by closures may be transferred to other hotels with vacancies, moved to military barracks, or granted asylum.
Court order questions assessment of accommodation adequacy
Legal challenges have been brought on behalf of some residents at the Staycity site. Claimants say the Home Office failed to evaluate individual vulnerabilities before people were relocated.
A court order issued by John Halford, sitting as a deputy high court judge, said it was “arguable” the home secretary did not consider the “adequacy” of accommodation asylum seekers were being moved to from Staycity.
Huda’s daughter uses a wheelchair and has epilepsy and a heart condition. Huda said her daughter’s medical supplies take up almost an entire room, leaving little space for other essentials.
Reported impact on healthcare and living conditions
Huda said the family spent much of the day waiting in the hotel reception for transport. She said they waited from 10am to 7pm before being taken to a new location.
She said the new accommodation was significantly worse. Huda claimed her daughter is sleeping on the floor because she is afraid of a bunk bed, and that the space is so cramped there is nowhere to cook for the children.
She also said the room in the new hotel is too small, adding that she has to change her daughter’s nappies in a corridor. Huda said her daughter’s medicine needs to be kept in a fridge but that no fridge was available in the new room. “I’m worried I won’t be able to keep her alive,” she said.
A solicitor, Ralitsa Peykova of Deighton Pierce Glynn, said the legal proceedings were necessary because clients were being moved from one hotel to another without what she described as an evaluative assessment of their needs. She said the closures created “complete chaos” and wasted taxpayers’ money.
Chloe White, executive director of Action for Refugees in Lewisham, supported families relocated from Staycity. She said that despite the Home Office’s assurances that increased hotel closures were going well, “the reality on the ground is very different” and families faced a high “human cost”.
Other cases cited, including moves before exams
Another asylum seeker at Staycity, Farhad, said he was given a Post-it note telling him he would be moved the next day, without an explanation. He said he was a victim of trafficking, torture and labour exploitation and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. He also said he believes people’s suffering is not considered, including a claim that one resident receiving chemotherapy was moved away from the hospital where treatment was ongoing.
A separate legal challenge, the article says, involves a mother moving with her sons to Aberdeen, about 549 miles away, two days before one child’s A-level exams. Claimants say they are upset about disruption to the boys’ education.
Home Office response
A Home Office spokesperson said: “This government will close every asylum hotel, and work is well under way to move asylum seekers into more suitable accommodation.” The spokesperson added that the welfare of asylum seekers remains a priority and said the department would work with providers to meet additional needs and minimise disruption wherever possible.


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14 July 2026

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July 14Jul 14

US Refunds $81bn in Trump Tariff Money After Court Ruling

USA

US Refunds $81bn in Trump Tariff Money After Court Ruling

The US government has issued $81bn in refunds for tariff payments since the start of the current fiscal year, after the Supreme Court ruled that parts of Donald Trump’s tariff programme were unlawful, according to budget figures released on Monday.

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Tariffs are taxes applied to imported goods. The refunds relate to duties collected under new measures ordered by Trump after he returned to the White House last year.
In February, the Supreme Court blocked a significant portion of the additional tariffs, requiring the government to return money to companies that had already paid the challenged charges.
Refunds rise sharply after Supreme Court decision
Budget data show that the United States paid out $81bn in tariff refunds in the fiscal year that began in October 2025. That compares with $5bn refunded during the same period a year earlier.
A senior Treasury Department official told reporters that the year-on-year jump was “almost entirely” linked to the Supreme Court decision. The official said most refunds were made in May and June.
The court ruling effectively halted the continuation of the blocked tariff measures and opened the way for refund claims tied to duties collected under the unlawful orders.
Trump’s tariff plan and its budget impact
Trump has described tariffs as a broad tool to reshape the US economy. He has argued they would support domestic manufacturing, improve trade outcomes and help reduce federal budget deficits.
After the introduction of tariff income, the deficit had narrowed slightly last year. However, the government’s finances have since worsened, with new budget figures showing renewed growth in the deficit during the current fiscal year.
The deficit reached $1.367tn in the first nine months of the fiscal year, an increase of 2% compared with the same period previously.
Higher costs: debt interest and military spending
Alongside the deficit figure, the budget release also highlighted rising spending elsewhere. The US government spent more than $1tn on interest payments on its debt during the same nine-month period, up 14%.
Military spending also increased, rising 5% during the period covered by the figures. The budget documents attributed that rise to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Next tariff steps due to expire on 24 July
Trump’s current tariff policy includes a temporary 10% global duty. That measure is scheduled to expire on 24 July.
The White House is preparing new tariffs to replace or extend the outgoing one, according to the budget materials cited Monday. The administration said it is acting in response to what it describes as lax enforcement of anti-forced labour laws and excess industrial capacity in other countries.
The refunds underscore how court rulings can quickly change the financial picture for tariff policies. While tariff revenue had previously helped support the government’s deficit position, the repayments required after the Supreme Court decision have driven a major rise in outflows during the current fiscal year.

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14 July 2026

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July 14Jul 14

Burnham Clinches Labour Leadership With 349 MPs

UK-Politics

Burnham Clinches Labour Leadership With 349 MPs

Andy Burnham is set to take over as Labour leader and Britain’s next prime minister after winning the backing of 349 Labour MPs, including all eligible members of Keir Starmer’s current cabinet.

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The increase of 27 nominations on Monday has left no route for another contender to reach the threshold required to force a leadership contest. Only 54 MPs have not yet backed Burnham, and with several key figures unable to nominate, the contest cannot be triggered by any rival.
Burnham reaches 349 nominations
Burnham, the newly elected MP for Makerfield, entered the leadership battle with 322 nominations last week. By Monday, he had gained an additional 27, bringing his total to 349.
Under the party’s rules, 81 nominations are needed to stand for the leadership election. With 54 MPs still to back him—among them Starmer and Shabana Mahmood—no other candidate can now collect enough nominations to qualify.
Mahmood cannot nominate because of her role as chair of the Labour Party’s national executive committee (NEC). By convention, Starmer, as outgoing leader, does not take part in nominations, while Anna Turley and Mahmood also do not nominate in line with their positions as chairs of the NEC and the party, respectively.
Transition to start amid leadership push
Burnham is due to replace Starmer as Labour leader on Friday, before moving into Downing Street on Monday. On Monday night, he used an online “hustings” with the parliamentary Labour party (PLP) to urge MPs to unite behind his leadership.
He told the PLP that he would seek to build what he described as a “broad church” cabinet, reflecting the party’s traditional approach. Burnham said future appointments would be based on “contribution, experience and commitment”, and would aim to ensure Labour’s leadership reflects different parts of the movement.
He also set out a plan to reset the relationship between Downing Street and Labour MPs. Burnham said he wanted to establish a “team and culture where everyone is valued, seen and listened to”, and described an “accountable, visible and accessible” approach. He said he would create a feedback loop from the PLP into local communities and back to the leadership and cabinet ministers, which he said was necessary for effective policy-making and delivery.
Focus on growth, devolution and cost of living
Burnham said his government will prioritise delivering good growth in every part of the country, devolving more power to communities, and putting the cost of living at the centre of government.
His emphasis on devolution and on “the north” has prompted concern among some Labour MPs, who fear that benefits could be concentrated on allies with constituencies in northern England, or those aligned with what some describe as the “blue Labour movement”.
During his hustings session, Burnham began by paying tribute to Ann Widdecombe, saying Labour’s thoughts were with her family and friends, and urging politicians to give police “the resources and space they need” to investigate her death.
He also praised Starmer for delivering the Hillsborough law, saying the prime minister had kept a promise made to the families of the 1989 disaster. Burnham added that the country expects Labour to come together at a “significant moment” for Britain.
Starmer resignation delayed and planned meetings moved
Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that Starmer’s formal resignation at Buckingham Palace—previously scheduled for early on Monday—has been pushed back to later in the morning because of England’s World Cup campaign.
Starmer is expected to attend Sunday’s final in New Jersey if England win their semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday. He is then due to meet King Charles the following day, with the meeting now expected to take place more than two hours later than planned. The change, the report said, reflects transatlantic flight logistics that made the original slot impractical.
Additional MPs who nominated Burnham on Monday included junior ministers Chris Bryant and Mike Tapp, former minister Jess Phillips, and Richard Burgon, secretary of the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs.
The added nominations also included Steve Reed, the communities secretary and a key ally of Starmer. Reed was the only cabinet member not to nominate Burnham last week.

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14 July 2026

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July 14Jul 14

Soviet Nuclear Submarine Time Bomb Lies Beneath Sea

Report

Soviet Nuclear Submarine Time Bomb Lies Beneath Sea

The Soviet nuclear submarine Komsomolets, which sank off Norway in 1989, remains under scrutiny after Norwegian researchers reported continuing radioactive leaks from the wreck.

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Wreck Raises Long-Running Concerns
The submarine lies close to 1.7km, or about one mile, below the Norwegian Sea. Its sinking prompted alarm because two nuclear-tipped torpedoes were left on board, containing about 9lb (4kg) of plutonium.
In a 1993 BBC report, Russian Greenpeace activist Dimitri Litvinov warned that the wreck posed an urgent danger if nothing was done. At the time, environmentalists feared plutonium could enter rich fishing grounds, although an international scientific report that year concluded fisheries were unlikely to be contaminated.
Fire And Sinking
Komsomolets was built as an advanced Soviet attack submarine capable of operating at exceptional depths. Nato expected it could be the first of a larger class, but no sister vessels were completed. A 1994 BBC Horizon documentary described it as a submarine designed to cruise and launch nuclear weapons from 1,000m, far deeper than Western equivalents could operate.
A fire broke out on 7 April 1989. The crew brought the vessel to the surface, but it sank after five hours afloat. Forty-two of the 69 crew members died.
As the submarine went down, an escape pod carried five trapped sailors to the surface. Only one managed to get out before the pod filled with water.
When the wreck struck the seabed, an explosion tore open its titanium pressure hull and allowed seawater to reach the nuclear torpedoes. Russian oceanographers later found parts of the hull had shattered in the blast.
Scientists disagreed over the scale of the threat. Igor Spassky, from the Rubin Institute, which designed the submarine, told the BBC in 1993 that the situation was not catastrophic, but said he wanted the wreck raised. He also warned separately that saltwater corrosion could eventually release plutonium from the damaged torpedoes.
Attempts To Contain Material
Deep-sea engineering work in 1995 and 1996 sealed cracks in the hull and closed torpedo tubes to contain radioactive material. The operation ended in July 1996.
Norwegian government investigations have since found the submarine is still leaking. The sealant used in the 1990s was expected to last about 30 years.
A March 2026 report by the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, known as the DSA, said the torpedoes remain sealed but the reactor is deteriorating. Researchers found radioactive material escaping in occasional bursts, including a visible cloud from a ventilation duct, rather than as a constant leak.
Ingar Amundsen, acting director of the DSA's Department for International Nuclear Safety and Security, said current releases from the reactor had so far had little effect on the surrounding marine environment.
Calls For Further Checks
Experts say the risk could change as corrosion continues. Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, told the BBC that radiation levels could be affected by oxygen levels in seawater around and inside the wreck, as well as by the condition of the sealant.
He said shifting currents could influence how radioactive material moves from the wreck and whether it reaches bottom-feeding species and fish. He added that the earlier decision to seal the submarine showed authorities had recognised the risk.
Amundsen said more work was needed to understand the releases and corrosion, but the depth of the wreck made mitigation difficult and there were no known current plans for action. Kristensen said a new expedition should at least assess the submarine’s condition, noting that plutonium in warheads has a half-life of 24,000 years.


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14 July 2026

• 35 comments
• 1,248 views

webfact

July 13Jul 13

Counter-Terrorism Police Take Over Widdecombe Death Inquiry

UK

Counter-Terrorism Police Take Over Widdecombe Death Inquiry

Counter-terrorism police have taken charge of the investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe after officers said fresh information and evidence had emerged.

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A 28-year-old white British man from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who was first detained on Saturday on suspicion of murder, has been arrested again on suspicion of involvement in the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorist acts.

Terror Police Lead Inquiry
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the House of Commons on Monday that the suspect had not been referred to Prevent, the government’s counter-extremism programme.
Widdecombe, 78, a former Conservative minister and later Reform UK spokeswoman, was found dead at her home in Devon with serious injuries.
Arrest In South Yorkshire
The suspect was arrested in Rotherham, about 270 miles from Widdecombe’s home, a journey of roughly four and a half hours by car.
On Sunday, at least two police vehicles were outside a Rotherham property believed to be linked to the case. The address was sealed off while officers and forensic teams carried out inquiries.
Neighbours told BBC News armed police entered the property and removed the suspect. Another resident said officers also took away a red car from the driveway.
Devon and Cornwall Police previously said there was no indication at that stage that the killing was politically motivated. Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said detectives were keeping an open mind on motive and did not believe there was a wider risk to the public.
Police believe Widdecombe was attacked at about 12:30 on Wednesday. More than 120 pieces of information have been received since officers appealed to the public. A heightened police presence is expected to remain in the area in the coming weeks.
Security Concerns Raised
Mahmood paid tribute to Widdecombe in the Commons, describing her as direct, brave and serious about ideas while retaining a sense of humour.
She said the death had prompted wider questions about the safety of people in public life, and that police were expected to issue security guidance to MPs soon.
The home secretary also said she had asked former lord chancellor Sir Robert Buckland to examine lessons from the 2021 murder of Conservative MP Sir David Amess, with a focus on parliamentary security.
Mahmood said the case would be of particular concern to Reform UK and its leader Nigel Farage. She said she had offered Farage a meeting with the chair of the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, known as Ravec, which oversees security arrangements for public figures.
Farage later said on X that he would take up the offer and discuss protection for Reform politicians, including those who are not MPs.
Tributes To Widdecombe
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp and Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice were among those who paid tribute in the Commons. Tice also addressed about 40 mourners who gathered in Haytor Vale on Sunday, where senior Reform figures were present.
Widdecombe was Conservative MP for Maidstone for 23 years and served as a minister under Sir John Major between 1994 and 1997. After leaving the Commons in 2010, she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and later finished as runner-up on Celebrity Big Brother.
She joined the Brexit Party in 2019 and represented South West England as an MEP until 2020.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Farage also paid tribute, with Farage visiting Dartmoor to pay his respects.


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14 July 2026

• Crime

• 5 comments
• 665 views

webfact

July 13Jul 13

Rubio Seeks Global Backing Against ICC

USA

Rubio Seeks Global Backing Against ICC

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that President Donald Trump’s administration would try to “dismantle” the International Criminal Court and called on other governments to support the effort.

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Rubio accused the court of pursuing the United States through what he described as “so-called international law”, rather than military force. His comments signalled a sharper phase in Washington’s long-running dispute with the Hague-based institution.
The Trump administration’s opposition to the ICC dates to the president’s first term, when the court sought to examine alleged war crimes by US forces in Afghanistan. In Trump’s second term, Washington has imposed several sanctions on ICC personnel over efforts to investigate the United States and Israel.
Aid Scrutiny Threatened
A State Department official said the new campaign, led by the department and involving the wider US government, is aimed at isolating the ICC diplomatically. The official said countries receiving US assistance could face closer examination if they do not reject the court’s authority.
Rubio wrote in the Wall Street Journal that Washington would use available government measures and work with allies to take the court apart “brick by brick, if necessary”. The State Department official said possible measures include travel bans, visa cancellations and additional sanctions.
The official said Washington is pressing countries that cooperate with US law enforcement, host American troops or rely on US security support to reject any ICC claim to prosecute US officials or service members. Senior US officials, including Rubio, the deputy secretary of state and US ambassadors, are contacting foreign governments as part of the effort.
Members Urged To Leave
According to the official, the administration wants ICC member states to withdraw from the court and end financial support. It is also asking countries outside the ICC, including the United States, to use their diplomatic ties to encourage similar steps.
CNN reported that it had sought comment from the ICC.
In his opinion article, Rubio accused the court of being supported by leftist non-governmental groups, “smug globalists” and governments hostile to the United States. He also rejected claims by outside organisations that US deportations to El Salvador and deadly boat strikes on alleged narco-terrorists breached international law.
DAWN Disputes Rubio
Rubio also dismissed a call from Democracy for the Arab World Now, known as DAWN, for the ICC to look into alleged US war crimes in Iran. He said such claims could expose US actions to court scrutiny.
Omar Shakir, DAWN’s executive director, told CNN that Rubio had misrepresented the group’s request to investigate possible war crimes committed during the war. He asked whether Rubio believed US personnel should face investigation over war crimes allegations in Iran.
Shakir said governments would be judged by whether they defended institutions created to uphold international law, and argued that Rubio’s campaign was weakening the rules-based order established after World War II.

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14 July 2026

• 13 comments
• 380 views

webfact

July 13Jul 13

Judge Faults Trump IRS Suit and $1.8B Fund Plan

Trump

Judge Faults Trump IRS Suit and $1.8B Fund Plan

A federal judge has found that President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS was brought in bad faith and was designed to manipulate the courts, issuing sanctions against lawyers involved in the case.

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Ruling Faults Settlement
US District Judge Kathleen Williams said in a 56-page opinion on Monday that the case helped support a settlement shielding Trump, his family and his businesses from past tax-related claims and creating a proposed $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund. The fund, later abandoned, was for people who said they had been unfairly targeted by the Justice Department.
Williams said the lawsuit and the parties’ conduct showed an effort to use the court to legitimize benefits for people and entities linked to the president and to allocate taxpayer money for grievances not recognised in law.
Lawyers Face Referrals
The judge ordered her opinion sent to disciplinary authorities in New York and Washington, DC, where ethics complaints involving acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward are already under review.
She also referred one private lawyer who represented Trump to the Florida Bar for possible disciplinary action and barred another Trump lawyer from appearing in the Southern District of Florida for one year.
Williams said the government failed to defend US interests, departed from its positions in similar litigation and disregarded Justice Department policies. She said the settlement pursued goals that were not authorised or were prohibited by law.
The ruling followed a request from retired judges, made after Williams dismissed the lawsuit, asking her to examine the deal. Williams, an appointee of President Barack Obama, said they may be entitled to recover legal fees. Their lawyers called the ruling a victory for the rule of law.
Tax Leak Background
The dispute stemmed from a leak of tax records involving thousands of wealthy people, including Trump. Charles Littlejohn, a government contractor working with a consulting firm with IRS contracts, was charged in 2023 with leaking the information to media organisations. He pleaded guilty in 2024 and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Trump’s Justice Department announced in May that it had reached a settlement with him over the leaked records. The deal included the fund for people who believed they were victims of unfair Justice Department targeting.
After criticism from Republicans and Democrats, Blanche told lawmakers last month that the fund would not proceed. He has not provided a signed statement to a federal judge confirming that it has been terminated.
A spokesman for Trump’s private legal team accused the IRS of allowing a politically motivated employee to disclose confidential information about Trump, his family and the Trump Organization to news outlets, and said Trump would keep seeking accountability. The Justice Department was contacted for comment.
DOJ Officials Scrutinised
A separate memorandum signed by Blanche, and added to the Justice Department’s settlement announcement a day later, said the IRS could not investigate Trump, his family or his businesses over past tax matters, or other federal claims based on conduct before the deal.
The ruling could weaken any effort by Trump to use the settlement as a court defense if a later administration brings claims against him, his family or his businesses.
Williams said the order conflicted with federal law barring presidents and senior executive officials from influencing tax audits. She said complying would conflict with duties of Justice Department lawyers and IRS chief executive Frank Bisignano to enforce the law and protect the public interest, while raising constitutional concerns.
The judge said Blanche and Woodward should have considered recusal over their earlier private legal work. Blanche represented Trump in criminal cases; Woodward represented January 6 defendants and a Trump aide prosecuted with Trump in the classified documents case. Williams noted the fund was premised on claims tied to those matters.
Blanche is due before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday for a confirmation hearing to become permanent head of the Justice Department. Williams said she was troubled by his May testimony that the court had no role in reviewing the agreement, calling it misleading or disingenuous.

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14 July 2026

• 3 comments
• 394 views

webfact

July 13Jul 13

Bison Knocks Grandfather Into Air At Yellowstone

USA

Bison Knocks Grandfather Into Air At Yellowstone

A bull bison said to weigh about 2,000lb (900kg) injured a 65-year-old man in Yellowstone National Park after charging at him and his grandson near a campground in Wyoming.

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Video Shows Sudden Charge
Viral video of the encounter shows the pair stopping to photograph the animal while it was lying in grass. Moments later, the bison rose and ran toward them, eventually striking the older man and throwing him into the air.
US media have identified the man as Carl Isom-McDaniel. He suffered multiple injuries and was taken to hospital, the New York Times reported. Witnesses said he appeared to be in significant pain after the impact.
The National Park Service has not issued details about the incident. The BBC reported that it had sought comment from the agency.
Attack Near Yellowstone Lake
The encounter happened on Friday evening at Bridge Bay Campground, close to Yellowstone Lake, during the last hour before sunset.
In the footage, Isom-McDaniel and his grandson appear to be some distance from the bison when they stop walking and lift their cameras. The animal rolls on its side several times before getting up.
A white truck then approaches slowly. The bison charges toward the vehicle, prompting the driver to leave quickly, before the animal continues after Isom-McDaniel and the boy, kicking up dust as it runs.
The pair attempt to get away by moving through a stand of trees, but the bison catches up with Isom-McDaniel.
Mike Macleod, who filmed the scene, told the Cowboy State Daily that the bison caught the man on the hip with its left horn and threw him upward. Macleod said Isom-McDaniel flipped and landed on his side. He added that the man had leg pain but remained conscious and was still joking afterward.
Park Warns Visitors
The NPS says bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal in the park, despite often seeming calm. The agency says they can run three times faster than people and urges visitors to keep well away.
Its guidance tells visitors to stay at least 25 yards (23 metres) from bison and not to approach them for photographs.
Summer is Yellowstone’s busiest period, with almost 60% of yearly visits taking place in June, July and August, according to the NPS.
Mating Season Risks
July also falls during the bison breeding season, when bull bison have higher testosterone levels, said Jennifer Barfield, scientific lead at Colorado’s Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd.
Barfield said that can make the animals more unpredictable than at other times of the year. She said her team avoids getting close to bison during the breeding period except when observing from inside a vehicle.
For visitors on foot, Barfield said the 25-yard rule should be treated as the minimum safe distance.


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14 July 2026

• 3 comments
• 377 views

webfact

July 13Jul 13

US to Resume Iran Port Blockade, Seek Hormuz Cargo Charge

Iranian Conflict

US to Resume Iran Port Blockade, Seek Hormuz Cargo Charge

President Donald Trump says the United States will restore a naval blockade on Iranian ports and seek a 20% payment on cargo moving through the Strait of Hormuz, after a new round of strikes between Washington and Tehran.

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Trump said the measures would prevent Iranian vessels and their customers from using the major energy shipping route, while leaving it available to other countries. He said the blockade would take effect at 16:00 Eastern Time (20:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
Blockade to resume
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the strait would remain open “with or without Iran” and described the US as the “guardian” of the waterway. He said reimbursement would be sought for the cost of providing security, and that arrangements would begin immediately.
He earlier told Fox News that the US would “probably run” the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran had broken a deal with Washington.
Strikes deepen confrontation
The announcement followed military exchanges overnight and on Monday. The US said it hit Iranian military targets, including air defence systems, coastal radar installations and missile and drone facilities.
Iran said its response included attacks on US military bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, as well as radar sites in Oman.
US Central Command later said American forces would again block maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports on 14 July. It said the US military would continue to support the movement of vessels in regional waters if they were not breaching the blockade.
Iran rejects US role
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded on X by saying those securing safe passage for commercial ships through the strait should be compensated, but said Iran had always served as its guardian and would continue to do so. He added that 20% was too high and that Iran would be “fair”.
A spokesperson for the International Maritime Organization, the UN body overseeing global shipping, was quoted by Reuters as opposing charges for passage through straits used for international navigation. The spokesperson said there was no legal basis for imposing mandatory transit tolls on such routes.
Before Trump’s statement, Iran’s top military headquarters said it would not accept US involvement in managing the strait. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Khatam al-Anbiya, said in remarks carried by Iranian media that US actions had put regional security, trade and the movement of tankers and merchant ships at risk. He warned that cooperation with Washington would be treated as an act of war against Iranian sovereignty.
Legal and political questions
How the US plan would operate remains uncertain. Under UN rules, states may control territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles from their coast. At its narrowest point, the Strait of Hormuz and its shipping lanes fall within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman.
The strait had previously carried about 25% of the world’s oil and 20% of global liquefied natural gas. Iran effectively closed it after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February. Tehran then fired missiles and drones at Israel and US bases in several Gulf countries, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps fired on commercial vessels trying to pass without approval and seized two ships. Traffic fell sharply and oil prices rose.
Washington first imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in April. By late May, the US military said it had redirected 100 commercial ships and disabled four. The blockade was lifted in June under a memorandum of understanding intended to end the conflict, but Trump told Congress last Friday that US military action in Iran had resumed on 7 July after renewed disputes over the strait.
The 20% charge may face resistance from US allies and criticism from opponents who note the strait was open before the conflict. The move could also create domestic pressure as oil prices rise ahead of midterm elections, in which Republicans other than Trump will face voters. Some lawmakers, including Republicans, had questioned what Washington gained from the ceasefire, its extension and further negotiations. The announcement could also be aimed at reviving talks and pressing other countries to engage, an approach Trump has used before.

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14 July 2026

• 42 comments
• 594 views

webfact

July 13Jul 13

Gibraltar to lift Spain border checks in Brexit deal

EU

Gibraltar to lift Spain border checks in Brexit deal

Gibraltar is preparing to remove its land border controls with Spain on 15 July, ending a frontier regime that has shaped daily life around the Rock for more than a century. The 1,400-foot Rock sits at the southern tip of mainland western Europe, nine miles from Morocco, where the Atlantic and Mediterranean meet.

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The British Overseas Territory, home to about 40,000 people, currently checks those entering and leaving. At peak times, queues can build as about 15,000 Spanish residents travel in to work from neighbouring areas including La Línea de la Concepción.
Border to open
For commuters such as human resources worker Shilpi Chotrani, who cycles from La Línea to Gibraltar on weekdays, the change will turn a short but formal international crossing into a far easier journey.
The move follows years of negotiations between the UK, the European Union and Spain after Brexit. Gibraltar, which shares a land border with the EU, was one of the most complicated issues left by Britain's departure from the bloc.
Economic hopes
The change is expected to carry significant economic weight on both sides. Gibraltar has one of the world's highest incomes per head, while La Línea and the surrounding area are among Spain's poorest, with unemployment close to 30%.
La Línea mayor Juan Franco said the town has depended heavily on Gibraltar for trade, with a typical local company receiving about a third of its income from Gibraltarian customers. He said the Brexit settlement could ultimately benefit the area after a decade of uncertainty.
Gibraltarians overwhelmingly opposed Brexit, with 96% voting to remain in the EU in 2016. Concerns included the possibility of renewed Spanish pressure over sovereignty, as well as disruption to Gibraltar's links with EU markets in online gaming, shipping and financial services.
New travel rules
Under the agreement, Gibraltar will be aligned with the European customs union and the Schengen free-travel area. People arriving from outside Schengen, including from the UK, will need to present passports to both Gibraltarian and Spanish officials at the territory's airport and port.
The arrangements are due to start provisionally, although approval by the UK and European parliaments is still pending. Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has described the deal as a major shift, saying border restrictions have defined generations of Gibraltarians.
Picardo said easier movement of people and goods should increase visitor numbers and help businesses by removing uncertainty over queues at the frontier. Spain's foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, has also described the agreement as opening a new period for Gibraltar.
The territory's history includes military conflict and sovereignty disputes. Spain still contests UK sovereignty over Gibraltar. The issue has periodically strained relations, most notably when Spanish dictator Francisco Franco imposed a blockade in 1969. It was lifted in 1982.
Business adjustment
The deal also brings new obligations. Goods sold in Gibraltar will have to meet EU rules, and a new transaction tax will replace import duty because Gibraltar does not have VAT. The tax will begin at 15% this year and rise to 17%, with higher excise rates on some goods.
John Isola, managing director of Anglo Hispano Company, which operates restaurants and bars in Gibraltar, said many businesses were relieved that Brexit uncertainty had been resolved without a hard border. But he also said new paperwork, taxes and EU standards would affect importers and competitiveness, particularly for goods coming from the UK or other non-EU sources.
In recent weeks, machinery has been removing sections of the frontier fence at night ahead of the scheduled change. The fence has stood since 1908, and its dismantling marks a visible shift for a territory long shaped by disputes, trade and cross-border movement.

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13 July 2026

• 12 comments
• 644 views

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July 13Jul 13

Iran Targets US Bases in Gulf as Regional Tensions Escalate

Iranian Conflict

Iran Targets US Bases in Gulf as Regional Tensions Escalate

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they launched attacks on American military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, while also claiming to have destroyed radar systems in Oman and struck fuel tanks and ammunition depots at Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan.

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The attacks were described by Tehran as retaliation for the latest US strikes and marked a significant escalation in the growing confrontation between the two countries.
Jordan said it intercepted and shot down four missiles fired from Iranian territory. Meanwhile, Kuwait's military said it had intercepted "hostile aerial targets" within the country's airspace.
Iran Expands Retaliatory Strikes
The latest exchange of attacks comes as Iran seeks to reinforce its position over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which it regards as its strongest source of leverage in negotiations with Washington.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran is attempting to establish a joint mechanism with Oman to manage the waterway. He accused the United States of hindering those efforts by pressuring Oman, although he did not explain how that pressure was being applied.
Oman Proposal Under Discussion
Talks held on Saturday aimed at easing tensions over the Strait of Hormuz included a proposal from Oman to fully reopen both shipping lanes through the waterway, according to Axios, citing a diplomat briefed on the negotiations.
Under the reported proposal, the southern shipping route through Omani waters would reopen without requiring prior approval, restoring arrangements that existed before the conflict.
According to the diplomat, Iran's delegation was unable to approve the proposal during the talks and returned to Tehran to seek further guidance from its leadership.
US Seeks Public Commitment
The United States is demanding that Iran publicly commit to ending attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and guarantee that all shipping lanes remain open without tolls or other charges.
Iran has instead established a system directing vessels through northern lanes close to its coastline, where it has argued it can impose fees or tolls. Tehran has also insisted that ships use those routes or risk consequences.

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13 July 2026

• 3 comments
• 653 views

webfact

July 13Jul 13