“The son of a British couple detained by the Taliban five months ago has told the BBC that he fears they may die in prison. Peter Reynolds, 80, and Barbie, 76, were arrested on 1 February while returning to their home in central Bamiyan province, Afghanistan. It is not known exactly why they were detained. Their son Jonathan Reynolds said their health was rapidly deteriorating, with his father suffering serious convulsions and his mother ‘numb’ from anaemia and malnutrition. The Taliban’s foreign minister said they were receiving medical care and that ‘efforts are under way to secure their release, but the process is not complete.'” (07/23/25)
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is facing protests across the country after signing a controversial bill on Tuesday that critics say will neuter the independence of two prominent anti-corruption bodies. … On Tuesday, Zelenskyy signed a controversial law passed by parliament that will bring the Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and its partner organization, the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), under the direct control of the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO). … The passing of the new legislation this week prompted protests in Kyiv and other major cities across Ukraine, with demonstrators even violating the nighttime curfew imposed as a guard against nightly Russian drone and missile strikes. A spokesperson for the European Commission warned the move could undermine Ukraine’s potential bid to join the EU.” (07/23/25)
“Former CIA Director John Brennan ignored warnings from ‘veteran’ officers in December 2016 and ordered the publication of a ‘substandard’ intelligence report that claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘aspired’ to help Donald Trump win that year’s presidential election, according to a bombshell congressional report made public Wednesday. The intelligence agency’s conclusion helped fuel Democratic and liberal claims that Trump and his campaign had illegally conspired with Moscow to win the White House — allegations that dogged much of the president’s first term and culminated in an investigation by then-special counsel Robert Mueller, which concluded there was no evidence of such a plot.” (07/23/25)
“A small town elected official in Florida is under investigation by state Attorney General James Uthmeier for hosting a drag show that may have exposed children to a ‘sexualized performance.’ Uthmeier announced Tuesday he had subpoenaed Linda Moore, the vice mayor of Vero Beach, over a ‘Pride Tea Dance’ held last month at the Kilted Mermaid, a wine bar she owns …. it’s unclear what charges Moore might face and questions remain concerning Uthmeier’s legal basis for the investigation. … Jennifer Pippin, a member of a local chapter of conservative parents group Moms for Liberty, called attention to the events at the Kilted Mermaid on social media. She alleged that Moore had violated Florida’s ‘Protection of Children Act,’ which was signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023. However, the law has been held up in court as federal judges have suggested it is likely unconstitutional.” (07/22/25)
“French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have filed a defamation lawsuit against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who claims that France’s first lady was born male. The suit, filed Wednesday in the US state of Delaware, said Owens has been spreading ‘outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions.’ Owens has regularly repeated the claims on her popular podcast and social media channels, and in March 2024 stated that she would stake her ‘entire professional reputation’ on her belief that Mrs Macron ‘is in fact a man.’ The BBC contacted Owens for comment. A conspiracy theory which has circulated for years in fringe online spaces alleges Mrs Macron was born male under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which belongs to her brother.” (07/23/25)
“It’s easier for a company to bow to the wishes of a would-be king if the request from said king will save your company money. In other words, the firing of Stephen Colbert and the dissolution of the Late Show franchise that has been CBS’s evening staple for more than three decades doesn’t have to be one thing or the other. It can be a craven capitulation to Donald Trump, as Paramount hopes he’ll wave through its proposed sale to Skydance. And it can be a recognition that late-night talk shows are no longer a viable property in the television business.” [editor’s note: Wake-up call, David; for a show that costs $100M to produce, pays its host $20M, and loses $40M … Cancel is the polite term – SAT] (07/23/25)
“Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied reports he plans to announce his resignation over a historic defeat of his ruling party in a weekend election, saying instead he wanted to make sure a new tariff agreement with the United States is appropriately implemented. Ishiba has been under growing pressure to step down as his ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, lost their majority in the 248-member upper house, the smaller and less powerful of Japan’s two-chamber parliament on Sunday, shaking his grip on power and Japan’s political stability. The loss means Ishiba’s ruling coalition, which also lost a majority in the more powerful lower house in October, now lacks a majority in both houses of parliament, making it even more difficult for his government to achieve any policy goals and worsening Japan’s political instability.” (07/23/25)
“Italy’s highest court has ruled that a lawsuit brought by climate activists against Italian energy company Eni and its government shareholders can go ahead, in what Greenpeace said on Tuesday was a victory for efforts to pursue climate justice in Italy. In an ordinance released on Monday, the Court of Cassation rejected the company’s motions to dismiss the lawsuit on jurisdictional grounds and ordered the case to be heard on its merits by a Rome tribunal. Eni said that it was greatly satisfied with the decision, and said it expected that the Rome court would ultimately ‘dismantle’ the climate activists’ claims of responsibility. In 2023, Greenpeace, environmental group ReCommon and a dozen Italian citizens had sued Eni and its two main government shareholders — the Italian finance ministry and development bank — seeking damages for what they said were the effects of climate change.” (07/23/25)
“Ecommerce group Amazon is shutting down its Shanghai artificial intelligence lab, becoming the latest US company to retreat from Chinese research efforts amid rising geopolitical tensions. Amazon’s pullback in China follows similar moves by US tech groups, including IBM and Microsoft, which have scaled back their China-based research and development efforts as US officials intensify scrutiny of all China-related AI work. … The headcount at the AWS Shanghai research lab is unclear. In 2022, Amazon reported having more than 10,000 employees in China. AWS at its peak had more than 1,000 staff in China, according to people familiar with the matter.” (07/23/25)
“Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers [abducted] 243 illegal [sic] immigrants around Denver in an operation that ended on Sunday, Fox News has learned. All those [abducted] are immigrants currently charged with or have been convicted of criminal offenses beyond entering the U.S. illegally, ICE says. ‘This operation highlights our unwavering commitment to [pretending our depredations are about the safety of] our communities,’ said Robert Guadian, the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Denver Field Office director.” (07/23/25)
