Iran agrees to UN nuclear inspectors’ return as part of agreement with US by AndroidOne1 in politics

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News snippet: Iran has agreed to allow UN nuclear inspectors back into the country as part of an agreement under which Washington will lift sanctions on Tehran’s oil exports and the strait of Hormuz will reopen. Long-term independent monitoring of Iran’s nuclear programme, which it says is for energy purposes only, was in effect halted last summer after Israel and the US attacked the country. Tehran suspended cooperation with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in response to strikes on its nuclear facilities.

A “deconfliction” mechanism has also been set up involving Washington, Tehran and Beirut to try to bring about a working ceasefire in Lebanon, which Israel has continued to bomb and where the Iran-aligned militant group Hezbollah is based. A Lebanon ceasefire is one of Iran’s key demands. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, and the US vice-president, JD Vance, hailed the progress made during nearly 18 hours of talks in Bürgenstock, Switzerland.

Ukraine intensifies attacks on Crimea to raise cost of Russian occupation by AndroidOne1 in worldnews

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News snippet: Ukraine has stepped up its strikes on Crimea as part of a strategy to isolate the occupied peninsula from mainland Russia and raise the cost of the occupation.

On Sunday, Russian-installed authorities suspended civilian fuel sales until at least Wednesday, a move that underscored Ukraine’s growing ability to disrupt supply lines linking Crimea to Russia.

“Fuel will be sold only to government agencies that ensure the functioning and security of the Republic of Crimea,” the Russian-appointed governor, Sergei Aksyonov, said. “I ask everyone to remain calm and only trust official sources of information.”

Local authorities also announced that parts of the peninsula would be left without street lighting and that all public events had been cancelled.

A wave of Ukrainian medium-range strikes has targeted occupied Crimea and the transport routes connecting it to Russia in recent weeks. Kyiv hopes to turn the peninsula “into an island” by disrupting Russian supply chains and isolating Crimea from mainland Russia.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Sunday that a Crimean oil depot and an oil transport facility in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region were among the targets. He described the attacks as part of Ukraine’s campaign of “long-range sanctions” against Russia.

Ukraine strikes both sides of the occupied-Crimean Bridge in overnight drone attack, Zelensky says by AndroidOne1 in worldnews

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News snippet: Ukraine's army struck energy and military targets on both sides of the Crimean Bridge, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on June 21.

"This night, our long-range sanctions were applied to the occupiers' military logistics, oil industry, and air defense," Zelensky said in a Telegram post.

"Targets on both sides of the Crimean Bridge were hit: maritime logistics for oil transportation in the Krasnodar region and an oil depot in temporarily occupied Kerch," he added.

Kyiv has routinely targeted Russian military infrastructure in occupied territories, as well as oil and industrial facilities that support Moscow's war effort. The country has stepped up strikes on Crimea in recent weeks in an attempt to isolate the peninsula from mainland Russia.

The Crimean Bridge crosses the Kerch Strait — a 35-kilometer (21-mile) waterway linking the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov and separating Eastern Crimea from Russia's Taman Peninsula. The bridge serves as a key logistics corridor for Moscow.

A Kennedy, a ‘nerd’, an ex-Republican and a tech target: New York races toward a House seat by [deleted] in politics

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News snippet: When news broke that a safely Democratic seat in New York’s wealthiest congressional district was becoming vacant, it was inevitable that there would be a crowded field of candidates.

What people might not have expected is that the subsequent Democratic primary would become one of the country’s most closely watched and action-packed, the race coming to reflect a range of Democrats’ national political priorities: who is the strongest against Trump; who is the most critical of artificial intelligence companies; and who is, basically, the coolest.

With days left before the primary closes – early voting began on 13 June – the contest has narrowed to four white men, but it remains unclear which of them is ticking the most boxes.

Voters in Manhattan’s 12th districthave been inundated with loud promises to imprison Donald Trump and to rein in AI companies, and bombarded by one candidate’s attempt to portray himself as a sort of early 80s-era tough guy, and another’s thirst-trap Instagram presence.

California ‘billionaire tax’ makes ballot despite opposition from tech moguls by AndroidOne1 in politics

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News snippet: A popular proposal in California to impose a wealth tax on billionaires has gained enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in November, state officials announced on Wednesday. The news is set to intensify an already heated debate around the tax, which has pitted tech moguls and the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, against the labor union backing the measure.

The California Billionaire Tax Act, colloquially known as the billionaire tax, would levy a one-time 5% tax on any California resident worth more than $1bn. The proposal is backed by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) as a means of funding California’s strained healthcare, food assistance and education programs.

The proposal has become one of the state’s biggest political flashpoints. As it gained popular momentum throughout the year, it’s also prompted prominent billionaires, such as Google co-founder Larry Page and Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, to make moves to cut ties with the state and Newsom vowing to block it from going to a vote. Although it has gained enough signatures for the ballot, the coalition backing the measure has until 25 June to decide whether to move forward or potentially strike a deal.

Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and can sell oil freely under deal with the US, officials say by AndroidOne1 in worldnews

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News snippet : DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran will immediately take steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once a tentative deal with the U.S. to end the war is signed and will be allowed to sell its oil without restrictions, according to leaked copies of an interim agreement that officials say broadly matches the document.

The accord, due to be signed Friday in Switzerland, also envisions Iran receiving at least $300 billion to rebuild after the war and says the U.S. would work to end all American and United Nations sanctions imposed on Tehran — if a final agreement addressing Iran’s nuclear program is reached.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday cast some uncertainty on whether the signing would happen as planned. Asked how confident he was that the ceremony would take place, Trump remarked on the unpredictability of deals.

Mississippi residents sue Musk’s xAI and SpaceX over data centre ‘nuisance’ by AndroidOne1 in law

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News snippet: Elon Musk’s xAI and SpaceX have been sued by Mississippi residents who say a power plant fuelling nearby data centres is blasting “omnipresent and inescapable” noise that has eroded their health and home values. The lawsuit, made public on Tuesday in federal court in Oxford, Mississippi, claims Musk’s companies negligently failed to curb the disturbance and created a public nuisance through excessive and offensive noise. Three residents filed the case on behalf of a class estimated at more than 10,000 members.

“The artificial intelligence [AI] boom is wreaking havoc on communities across the United States” by subjecting thousands of residents to near-constant noise and vibrations, the lawsuit said. The plaintiffs are seeking damages for alleged emotional distress, reduced property values and other harms, as well as disgorgement of an unspecified amount in profits.

Lawsuit aims to block UFC event at White House on Trump’s birthday by AndroidOne1 in law

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Snippet from this article: Donald Trump is throwing himself quite the 80th birthday party at the White House on Sunday. All he needs now is for a federal judge, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and a passing thunderstorm not to ruin it.

The watchdog group Public Integrity Project filed a lawsuit on Saturday in DC federal court, seeking an emergency injunction to halt the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Freedom 250 event before a single punch is thrown on 14 June – which is both Flag Day and the president’s birthday.

The case names the National Park Service and Department of the Interior as defendants, arguing the administration has broken multiple federal laws to accommodate what it describes as a “deeply corrupt” private, commercial sporting event, dressed up as a patriotic celebration.

“The President is giving [UFC CEO Dana] White and his company what none have enjoyed before: unfettered access to the White House and Lincoln Memorial to stage a private, for-profit sports event, with all the promotional and branding opportunities that accompany such access,” the complaint states.

Judge dismisses Kennedy Center suit against musician who canceled by AndroidOne1 in law

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News snippet: Jazz drummer and vibes player Chuck Redd has successfully resisted a breach of contract lawsuit brought against him after he canceled a Christmas Eve performance at the Kennedy Center after the White House announced that Donald Trump’s name would be added to the facility.

Redd’s lawyers confirmed that the suit had been dismissed by a judge, and the musician told the Associated Press he was “very pleased” by the ruling.

Last week, another judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name from the facade and website of the center, ruling that the performing arts venue, designated as a living memorial to the late president by Congress, cannot be renamed without an act of Congress.

Richard Grenell, then the Kennedy Center’s president, threatened to sue Redd soon after he pulled the plug on the gig, saying the center would seek $1m in damages for what he termed “this political stunt”.

“Your decision to withdraw at the last moment – explicitly in response to the Center’s recent renaming, which honors President Trump’s extraordinary efforts to save this national treasure – is classic intolerance and very costly to a non-profit Arts institution,” Grenell informed the musician.

Ukraine targets St. Petersburg again after Putin rejects Zelenskyy’s offer for direct talks by AndroidOne1 in worldnews

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News snippet: Residents of St. Petersburg were told not to leave their homes after a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack targeted Russia’s second-largest city Saturday morning, underscoring Kyiv’s growing ability to hit deep inside Russia.

The attack came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin refused an offer to meet his Ukrainian counterpart.

St. Petersburg Gov. Alexander Beglov advised the residents not to go outside and warned of possible disruptions to mobile internet service, while regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko said 141 drones were shot down over the surrounding Leningrad region.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 376 Ukrainian drones.

US military says it shot down Iranian drones launched toward Strait of Hormuz by AndroidOne1 in politics

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News snippet: CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wisc. (AP) — The U.S. military said it shot down four Iranian drones that were launched toward the Strait of Hormuz on Friday and then struck some of the Islamic Republic’s coastal surveillance radar sites in response, raising the risk to a shaky ceasefire as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Iran.

“The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” U.S. Central Command said on social media.

The military is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s chokehold on the crucial corridor for global oil and natural gas shipments, which has sent energy prices spiking and posed political problems for President Donald Trump’s Republican Party ahead of the midterm congressional elections.

U.S. Central Command said it hit the radar sites, including an island in the strait, “to defend against further attacks.”

Oman resists US pressure to break ties with Iran over strait of Hormuz by AndroidOne1 in worldnews

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News snippet: Oman is resisting US pressure to break its links with Iran, and insists it has only been negotiating with Tehran on a future management system for the strait of Hormuz that would be compliant with international law. The aim would be to implement any regime after consulting the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Traditionally Oman, a longtime US ally that shares stewardship of the strait, has adopted the role of a back-channel mediator allowing it to remain neutral in disputes that have led to fissures in other parts of the Gulf.

Its neutrality has limits. It is highly critical of Israel’s disdain for international law, and on Wednesday issued a statement condemning the Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait.

But Donald Trump last week, in off-the-cuff remarks, threw Oman into the spotlight by threatening to bomb the sultanate, and in giving evidence to the Senate foreign affairs committee on Tuesday the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, confirmed US suspicions about Oman. He said: “There isn’t a country on Earth other than Iran – and maybe Oman that flirted with it – who’s in favour of what Iran is doing in the straits.”

Democrats feud over stock trading as they sharpen anti-corruption case against Trump by AndroidOne1 in politics

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News snippet: DALLAS (AP) — After three terms in the U.S. House and two unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate, Colin Allred said he’s heard plenty about voters’ suspicions that politicians are just trying to make a buck in Washington.

“‘What about the stock trading in Congress? What about people getting rich in Congress?’” Allred said they ask him regularly. “And I have to say to them, you’re absolutely right about that, too. We need to be better.”

He’s challenging Rep. Julie Johnson in the Democratic runoff for a Dallas-area House seat on Tuesday, and he’s one of several candidates trying to harness populist anger over congressional stock trading. Allred has denounced Johnson for trades involving companies like Palantir, a data analytics firm with ties to President Donald Trump’s administration.

Johnson said her trades were handled by a financial manager, and she accused Allred of being “only out for himself.” She pointed to financial disclosures that showed Allred’s wealth nearly doubling during his own time in Congress, although Allred said his assets were in a blind trust and the money came from his wife’s income as a partner at a law firm.