Trump’s mass purge of state department likely to sow chaos, US diplomats say (www.theguardian.com)
Project 2025 blueprint for second Trump term envisages replacing thousands of career staff with political loyalists...
South Australia introduces ‘world-leading’ bill to ban political donations from elections (www.theguardian.com)
Ukraine war briefing: Sanctions to strike at Putin’s oil ‘shadow fleet’ (www.theguardian.com)
Book about book bans banned by Florida school board (www.theguardian.com)
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas out of Olympics after losing legal battle (www.theguardian.com)
The US swimmer Lia Thomas, who rose to global prominence after becoming the first transgender athlete to win a NCAA college title in March 2022, has lost a legal case against World Aquatics at the court of arbitration for sport – and with it any hopes of making next month’s Paris Olympics....
Massive Attack pull out of gig in Georgia in solidarity with protesters (www.theguardian.com)
British band Massive Attack have pulled out of a concert in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, in protest against the government’s “attack on basic human rights”....
Book about book bans banned by Florida school board (www.theguardian.com)
cross-posted from: feddit.uk/post/13249285...
China’s glut of idle property causes headache for the government (www.theguardian.com)
The industry that has traditionally powered about a quarter of GDP has been in a downward spiral that policymakers have struggled to halt...
China’s maritime militia: the shadowy armada whose existence Beijing rarely acknowledges (www.theguardian.com)
They look like simple fishing boats but are capable of swarming in huge numbers to help Beijing stake its territorial claims in the South China Sea...
DeSantis ‘freedom fund’ Pac targets abortion and marijuana ballot initiatives (www.theguardian.com)
Group, known as Florida Freedom Fund, launched in May and will also be involved in school board races...
Republicans push conspiracy theories after Hunter Biden verdict: ‘A fake trial’ (www.theguardian.com)
Rightwing politicians repeat unfounded theories that gun trial verdict is a ‘distraction’ from worse Biden crimes...
China’s maritime militia: the shadowy armada whose existence Beijing rarely acknowledges (www.theguardian.com)
They look like simple fishing boats but are capable of swarming in huge numbers to help Beijing stake its territorial claims in the South China Sea...
Rapid UTI test that cuts detection time to 45 minutes awarded Longitude prize (www.theguardian.com)
Russia accused of ‘deliberate’ starvation tactics in Mariupol in submission to ICC (www.theguardian.com)
‘The big story of the 21st century’: is this the most shocking documentary of the year? (www.theguardian.com)
In 2013, the US food conglomerate Smithfield Foods – the country’s largest pork producer and maker of the famous holiday ham – was sold to a Hong Kong-based company called WH Group in a deal worth $7.1bn. It was the largest ever Chinese acquisition of an American company; virtually overnight, WH Group, formerly called...
Microplastics found in every human semen sample tested in study (www.theguardian.com)
Louisiana supreme court hands major victory to child sexual-abuse victims (www.theguardian.com)
New York governor to launch bill banning smartphones in schools (www.theguardian.com)
Swiss lawmakers reject climate ruling in favour of female climate elders (www.theguardian.com)
Swiss lawmakers have rejected a landmark climate ruling from the European court of human rights, raising fears that other polluting countries may follow suit....
US banana giant ordered to pay $38m to families of Colombian men killed by death squads (www.theguardian.com)
Landmark verdict against Chiquita marks first time major US company held liable for funding human rights abuses abroad...
Anne Sacoolas said she ‘drove like an American’, Harry Dunn inquest told (www.theguardian.com)
EU to put tariffs of up to 38% on Chinese electric vehicles as trade war looms (www.theguardian.com)
The EU has notified Beijing that it intends to impose tariffs of up to 38% on imports of Chinese electric vehicles, triggering duties of more than €2bn (£1.7bn) a year and a potential trade war with China....
Tobacco, alcohol, processed foods and fossil fuels ‘kill 2.7m a year in Europe’ (www.theguardian.com)
Tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and fossil fuels kill 2.7 million people a year in Europe, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which has called on governments to impose tougher regulation of health-harming products....
Claims of rigged system by convict Trump and allies ‘threaten rule of law’ (www.theguardian.com)
Ex-prosecutors and historians warn that Republicans’ parroting of ex-president’s wild allegations of political bias could erode trust and lead to violence...