Opinion - Death clocks are ghoulish, whatever you think about billionaires in subs ( 12ft.io )
Outraged family buries hostage killed by IDF, vows to 'shake the country' ( www.usatoday.com )
John Oliver's campaign for puking mullet bird delays New Zealand vote for favorite feathered friend ( apnews.com )
Oliver discovered a loophole in the rules, which allowed anybody with a valid email address to cast a vote. “After all, this is what democracy is all about,” Oliver said on his show. “America interfering in foreign elections.”...
Palestine Children’s Relief Fund: Israel Is Threatening to Bomb Gaza’s Only Pediatric Cancer Unit --- [video, 33 min + transcript] ( www.democracynow.org )
As the U.N. secretary-general repeats his call for an immediate ceasefire, the death toll in Gaza has topped 10,000, including 4,000 children. We speak to an American doctor who just left Gaza and the founder of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, which runs the only pediatric cancer unit in Gaza....
A Summer Rite in Spain: Coping With the British Tourist Invasion ( www.nytimes.com )
NYT gift article expires in 30 days....
Evergrande: China property giant files for US bankruptcy protection ( www.bbc.com )
Trump’s defense in the 2020 election case, explained by legal experts ( www.vox.com )
Former President Donald Trump’s legal defense against federal criminal charges for trying to overturn the 2020 election is beginning to take shape....
Young Saudi woman sentenced to more than 30 years in prison over tweets on human rights ( web.archive.org )
Fatima al-Shawarbi, who is from Al-Ahsa province and believed to be under 30, reported to have used her anonymous Twitter account to highlight the plight of the Howeitat – a tribe whose members have been forcibly displaced for the Neom megaproject – women’s rights, and calling for a constitutional monarchy.
"Crime minister:" Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership is questioned even as Israelis rally round the flag ( theconversation.com )
The murderous attacks launched by Hamas on October 7, which triggered the Israel-Hamas 2023 war, have had a unifying effect on Israeli society. The social divisions that marked the confrontations over the judicial overhaul have given way to a rare moment of social unity and rallying around the flag....
German politician held after Nazi slogan complaint ( www.bbc.com )
The US supports Israel because of 'Jewish wealth', claims BBC presenter ( www.msn.com )
It’s very difficult to characterize this as an isolated incident of anti-semitism by the BBC considering it’s far from their first incident, and considering further that the BBC has spend 20 years and well over £300,000 keeping the 20,000 word Balen Report into their perceived anti-Israel bias buried....
Saudia Arabia, border guards killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers, rights activists say ( www.hrw.org )
In some instances, Saudi border guards asked migrants what limb to shoot, and then shot them at close range. Saudi border guards also fired explosive weapons at migrants who were attempting to flee back to Yemen.
Perfectly Preserved Dinosaur Embryo Found Inside Fossilized Egg ( www.iflscience.com )
Archaeologists discovered a 17th-century 'vampire child' with a padlocked ankle in a Polish 'necropolis' graveyard ( www.businessinsider.com )
Archaeologists in Poland discovered the skeletal remains of a child buried face down around 17th century. The child’s ankle had a triangular padlock attached, a common practice during that time to prevent “vampires” from rising from the dead. Nearby was also found the remains of a pregnant woman. These burials were located...
Putin will address the nation soon, Kremlin says ( twitter.com )
Australian navy divers injured after sonar pulses detected from Chinese warship ( www.smh.com.au )
Transgaz Romania takes over all Gazprom operations in the Republic of Moldova, including Transdniestria ( tvrmoldova.md )
Operatorul național de transport al gazelor naturale din România, Transgaz, prin filiala sa Vestmoldtransgaz, este pe ultima sută de metri până la preluarea integrală a acestor operațiuni în Republica Moldova, inclusiv în regiunea separatistă Transnistria, conform declarațiilor directorului general al Transgaz, Ion...
Bolivia severs ties with Israel, others recall envoys over Gaza ( www.reuters.com )
China’s police warn fearful investors not to protest, stepping up efforts to clampdown on criticism ( www.afr.com )
China’s police warn fearful investors not to protest...
Canada launches warning labels on each cigarette ( www.bbc.com )
Canada will be the first nation to start printing warnings directly onto individual cigarettes in a bid to deter young people from starting smoking and encourage others to quit....
New Jersey sues three school districts over transgender notification policy ( www.politico.com )
[Image description: "Protect Trans Rights" and "Too cute to be binary" protest signs]
Israel, Hamas agree on four-day truce, hostage release and aid into Gaza ( www.reuters.com )
Note that this isn’t ALL the hostages – just 50 in exchange for 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. archive.org link...
Israel-Palestine, lives of one million children ‘hanging by a thread,’ as child health services almost collapse across the Gaza Strip ( www.unicef.org )
The Al-Nasr Children’s Hospital was damaged again yesterday in an attack, including lifesaving equipment, according to reports. Another children’s hospital in the north has stopped operating due to damage and a lack of fuel, and a specialist maternity hospital is in desperate need of fuel to keep functioning....