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UN inquiry urges release of Gaza doctor held by Israel since December 2024

A United Nations inquiry on Wednesday expressed concern at reports of abuse against a prominent Palestinian doctor seized by the Israeli military in Gaza in December 2024, who is still being held in Israel. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, called for the immediate release of Hussam Abu Safiya , the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip. Rights groups and Abu Safiya’s lawyer have said his life is in imminent danger, and he continues to be held without charge, according to the Physicians for Human Rights Israel , an Israeli rights group. “The actions of the Israeli Prison Service guards towards Palestinian detainees raise grave concerns of violations of international law that likely amount to international crimes. “Dr Abu Safiya’s medical condition is the direct result of these actions,” the UN inquiry said in a statement. An Israel Prison Service (IPS) spokesperson said on Wednesday,...
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China warns of 'security backdoor' in Anthropic AI coding tool

A Chinese industry regulator warned users on Wednesday of a “security backdoor” embedded in versions of US artificial intelligence company Anthropic’s coding tool, Claude Code. The alleged backdoor could allow the software to “transmit sensitive information”, including users’ locations and identity-related identifiers, back to Anthropic’s servers without users’ consent, said China’s National Vulnerability Database (NVDB), a cybersecurity platform. Claude Code is an AI coding agent that can generate computer code, debug software and review code based on user prompts. San Francisco startup Anthropic blocks users and companies in China and other nations it deems adversarial from accessing its products, but it is still possible to use them in the country through a VPN or third-party proxy services. The NVDB, which is affiliated with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said on its website that it had recently “detected that the AI coding tool Claude Code contains se...
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Coordinator to PM demands reversal of KP law expanding MPAs' privileges

Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan on Wednesday demanded the reversal of laws enacted by KP that expand MPAs’ powers and immunities. The KP Assembly passed three acts on April 30, which pertained to immunities and privileges of MPAs, the speaker and the deputy speaker, as well as salaries and allowances of lawmakers. Although KP Gov­ernor Faisal Karim Kundi assen­ted to the laws on May 6, the legislation has remained under wraps. The Acts and the gazette notifications have yet to be uploaded to the KP Assembly website. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, Khan said, “No law of this country applies to them. They can fire at anyone or hit anyone, but they are not answerable to anyone.” Under Section 10 of the legislation, provincial assembly members have been granted blanket immunity from preventive detention. Under Section 11, authorities will now have to seek the speaker’s prior permission before arresting a member on ...
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Italy's Meloni seeks to avoid escalation after Trump revives personal feud

Italy will not respond further to US President Donald Trump’s attacks on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, ministers said, pledging to protect bilateral ties that have come under strain in recent weeks after the two leaders traded accusations. Meloni was once seen as a close ally of Trump , but the relationship faltered last month when he told Italian TV channel La7 that she had “begged” him to take a photo with her at a G7 summit in France. She denied the claim and accused him of fabricating the story. With the two leaders due to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday, Trump appeared to reignite the dispute when he posted on Truth Social a picture of Meloni looking up at him with the caption “RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED”. US President Donald Trump shared a doctored picture with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on July 6, 2026. —Truth Social/@realDonaldTrump The latest provocation raised questions ...
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ECP warns KP, Islamabad again over delays in local govt polls

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday again warned the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and the federal authorities against delaying local government (LG) elections, directing them to submit all pending delimitation notifications ahead of the next hearing on July 28. The tenure of LGs in KP ended on March 15 this year. According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013, local representatives are elected for a four-year term. The term of the last local government in Islamabad expired in February 2021, and since then, elections have been delayed under various pretexts. As a result, around 2.5 million residents of Islamabad continue to face issues ranging from water shortages to unpaved streets. The ECP took up separate cases regarding the conduct of LG polls in KP and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). In the KP case, the KP chief secretary and LG secretary appeared before a four-member bench headed by Member Sindh Nisar Ahmed Durrani. In the ...
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One killed, 4 injured in quadcopter attack in KP's Bannu: police

PESHAWAR: One person was killed and four others were injured in a quadcopter attack in the Bakakhel area of Bannu district, police said on Tuesday. According to Bannu’s District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Furqan Bilal, terrorists dropped an explosive device from a quadcopter within the jurisdiction of Baka Khel Police Station. As a result, one person was killed on the spot, while four others sustained injuries, including a teenager, he said. The injured were immediately taken to the District Headquarters Hospital, where they are receiving medical treatment, he added. Assistant Commissioner Sajjad Hussain and former provincial minister Malik Shah Muhammad Khan visited the hospital to enquire about the condition of the injured and expressed solidarity with the affected families. The DPO stated that the deployment of anti-drone guns and enhanced security measures at police stations, checkpoints, and other sensitive locations had recently foiled several quadcopter attacks targeting ...
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UEFA slams FIFA's 'unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable' Balogun decision

European football body UEFA has lashed out at FIFA’s decision to suspend US striker Folarin Balogun’s red-card ban in the World Cup, after American President Donald Trump called FIFA to ask it to review the case, saying world football’s governing body had “crossed a red line” and undermined the integrity of the game. “We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision,” UEFA said in a statement on Monday. “When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake, and the credibility of a competition is undermined.” Reuters has reached out to FIFA for comment. Balogun, who has scored three goals for the US in the tournament, was sent off after a VAR review for dragging his cleats down the back of defender Tarik Muharemovic’s leg and onto his foot during their win over Bosnia in the round of 32. Trump had asked FIFA president Gianni Infant...
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