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Dry Taps, Empty Lakes, Shuttered Cities: A Water Crisis Batters Iran

After a five-year drought and decades of mismanagement, Tehran is at risk of running out of water in several weeks, the government warned.

© Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

A billboard in Tehran encouraging water conservation.
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In Russia, Corruption Cases Follow Battlefield Failures

Officials in three of the five Russian regions bordering Ukraine have been accused of embezzling funds for border defenses.

© Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters

A region administration building in Kursk, Russia, in March. Officials in several regions bordering Ukraine have been arrested and accused by prosecutors of embezzling funds meant for border fortifications.
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Removal of Castro and Guevara Statues Ignites Outcry in Mexico City

The Cuban Revolution leaders joined forces in Mexico in 1955. A local mayor removed a memorial to them, drawing protests and condemnation from Mexico’s highest office.

The bench in Jardin Tabacalera after the statues of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara were removed.
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From Epstein to Obama, Trump’s Washington Is Consumed by Competing Conspiracies

President Trump is trying to divert attention from the Epstein conspiracy theory with new-and-improved one about Barack Obama and treason.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Mr. Trump brought much of this on himself by encouraging dark views of the government that he derides as the “deep state,” views that prove hard to dispel now that the supposed deep state answers to him.
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A Clash Over a Promotion Puts Hegseth at Odds With His Generals

Suspicions about leaks and a mistrust of senior military officers have defined much of the defense secretary’s first six months on the job.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fostered an environment of uncertainty and mistrust that threatens to undermine the readiness and effectiveness of the military, officials said.
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This Democrat Wants Cognitive Standards in Congress. Her Colleagues Disagree.

Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez says age-related cognitive decline among elected officials is a major issue for voters.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

The issue Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez wants to address is not new in Congress, where there are now more members than ever age 70 and older.
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A Kennedy Toils in Mississippi, Tracing His Grandfather’s Path

Joe Kennedy III, the grandson of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, says there is work to do in red states. He also has a few things to say about his uncle, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

© Karsten Moran for The New York Times

Joe Kennedy III is working to continue the political legacy of his famous family.
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Harvard’s Leader, Penny Pritzker, Faces Intense Scrutiny in Trump Fight

As Harvard and the government negotiate to end a conflict with billions of dollars on the line, some ask whether Penny Pritzker, the head of the school’s governing board, should step down.

© Annegret Hilse/Reuters

Penny Pritzker has led Harvard’s board during several difficult times, including campus protests and a legal battle with the Trump administration.
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NABU agrees to SSU vetting of its employees for Russian ties

According to the presidential bill, six months after it comes into force, the Security Service of Ukraine must check law enforcement officers for possible ties to Russia. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) agrees with this point of the bill.

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Élection partielle dans Arthabaska-L’Érable | Chaude lutte

Sous le chaud soleil de juillet, alors que les Québécois ont la tête aux vacances, une bataille rangée est menée pour remporter l’élection partielle d’Arthabaska-L’Érable. Le Parti québécois veut montrer qu’il peut prendre le pouvoir en 2026. Éric Duhaime souhaite enfin obtenir un siège à l’Assemblée nationale. Et la Coalition avenir Québec, assiégée, veut obtenir un nouveau départ. Un reportage de Charles Lecavalier, Mark Suciu et François Roy.

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Fiasco SAAQclic | Des intervenants forcés de répondre aux enquêteurs

La commission chargée de se pencher sur le fiasco SAAQclic a forcé des intervenants récalcitrants, comme les entreprises LGS et SAP, à répondre à huis clos aux questions d’enquêteurs devant le commissaire. Convoqué lui aussi, l’ancien responsable de la transformation numérique à la SAAQ, Karl Malenfant, demande que son intervention soit publique afin de rectifier des faits et de laver sa réputation.

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Bandes riveraines à Saint-Hippolyte | Bras de fer au bord de l’eau

« On n’est pas des criminels ! », dénonce Alexandre St-Jacques Burke. Depuis le début de l’été, lui et ses voisins, riverains à Saint-Hippolyte, dans les Laurentides, reçoivent des amendes salées en raison de bandes riveraines inadéquates. La municipalité se défend en disant qu’elle sensibilise ses citoyens à cette situation depuis maintenant 15 ans.

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Ukrainian drones reportedly hit Russian military electronics plant under international sanctions in Stavropol

signal plant russia

Ukrainian Security Service long-range drones struck the Signal plant in Russian Stavropol on 26 July, targeting one of Russia’s largest radio electronics manufacturers, hromadske reported, citing a source in the Security Forces.

One of the strikes reportedly hit building No. 2 (workshop No. 5), where” expensive imported equipment is located — machine tools based on numerical program control,” the source told hromadske.

The second strike was recorded in building No. 1, which houses workshop No. 17 for radio electronic devices.

The Signal plant specializes in producing various types of electronic warfare systems, radar, radio navigation equipment, and remote control radio equipment for Russia’s military-industrial complex. The facility operates under international sanctions.

The targeted workshops house critical infrastructure for military production: from imported machinery with numerical program control systems to radio electronic devices essential for military communications and navigation systems.

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported intercepting 54 unmanned aircraft overnight on 26 July across five oblasts, as well as over temporarily occupied Crimea and the Azov and Black Seas. By morning, Russian forces claimed to have downed six additional drones over North Ossetia and Moscow Oblast.

The attack represents a significant strike on Russia’s defense manufacturing capabilities, targeting a facility that produces electronic warfare equipment and radar systems used by Russian forces.

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. Become a patron or see other ways to support
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Musk orders Starlink shutdown near Kherson in 2022 to thwart Ukrainian army’s counteroffensive – Reuters

Elon Musk: Odesa Could Fall if Ukraine War Drags On

Elon Musk ordered the shutdown of Starlink internet coverage near Kherson during Ukraine’s counteroffensive in September 2022, disrupting military operations and preventing Ukrainian forces from surrounding Russian positions, according to three sources familiar with the command, Reuters reported on 25 July.

Kherson was occupied by Russian forces on 2 March 2022, and Ukraine launched its counteroffensive to retake the oblast on 29 August 2022. Kherson city and the entire right bank of the Dnipro River of Kherson Oblast were de-occupied by Ukrainian forces on 11 November 2022. The de-occupation encompassed all territory west of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast, including the city of Kherson itself; areas east of the river remained under Russian control.

According to Reuters, when Ukrainian troops attempted to reclaim territory from Russian forces, Musk instructed a senior SpaceX engineer to cut service in the strategic region north of the Black Sea. The order affected at least 100 Starlink terminals and extended to other Russian-occupied areas including parts of Donetsk province.

“We have to do this,” Michael Nicolls, the Starlink engineer, told colleagues upon receiving Musk’s directive, according to one source. Company staff complied with the order, causing hexagon-shaped cells to go dark on internal coverage maps.

The shutdown created immediate battlefield consequences for Ukrainian forces. Troops faced communications blackouts, surveillance drones lost connectivity, and artillery units struggled to target Russian positions without Starlink’s guidance systems. Ukrainian military officials and advisors confirmed the service failures occurred near front lines during the counteroffensive.

“The encirclement stalled entirely,” a Ukrainian military official told Reuters. “It failed.” The source said Ukrainian forces were unable to surround Russian positions in Beryslav, east of Kherson’s administrative center, due to the communications breakdown.

Despite the setback, Ukraine’s counteroffensive ultimately succeeded in reclaiming Beryslav, Kherson city, and additional occupied territory. However, the shutdown represents the first documented instance of Musk actively cutting Starlink coverage over an active battlefield during the war.

The decision “shocked some Starlink employees and effectively reshaped the front line of the fighting, enabling Musk to take ‘the outcome of a war into his own hands,'” according to another source.

Musk’s intervention contradicts his previous public statements about Starlink operations in Ukraine. In March, he wrote on X: “We would never do such a thing.”

This incident differs from a previously reported September 2022 case near the Black Sea, where CNN reported that Musk disabled Starlink near occupied Crimean coastline to prevent Ukrainian attacks on Russian naval forces. 

Neither Musk nor Nicolls responded to Reuters requests for comment. A SpaceX spokesperson called the reporting “inaccurate” and referenced a company post stating “Starlink is fully committed to providing service to Ukraine.” The spokesperson did not specify inaccuracies or answer detailed questions about the incident.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office and the Ministry of Defence did not respond to requests for comment, according to the report.

Musk said, during a clash with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski on X, that,“No matter how much I disagree with the Ukraine policy, Starlink will never turn off its terminals.” He claimed that without it, Ukraine’s “entire front line would collapse.”

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. Become a patron or see other ways to support
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Massive combined attack on Ukraine kills three people, injures 15 other

attack on dnipro

Russian forces launched a massive attack on Dnipro, Sumy, and Kharkiv oblasts, injuring 14 people and killing two others, according to regional authorities.

The Russian military regularly attacks Ukrainian oblasts with various types of weapons. Russia’s leadership denies that the Russian army has been conducting targeted attacks on the civilian infrastructure of Ukrainian cities and villages, killing civilians and destroying hospitals, schools, kindergartens, energy and water supply facilities.

On the night of 26 July, the Russian forces attacked with 235 air assets (208 UAVs and 27 missiles of various types). Ukraine’s Air defence shot down 200 Russian air targtes (183 attack UAVs and 17 missiles of various types)

Russian occupying forces launched a massive combined attack on Dnipro and the oblast overnight on 26 July, killing three people and injuring six others, Dnipro Oblast Governor Serhiy Lysak said.

Air defense forces shot down seven missiles and 26 drones, according to Lysak.

The attack claimed the life of a man in Dnipro, while a woman was injured. A multi-story building sustained damage, and industrial enterprises were hit. Fires broke out across multiple locations, including a parking lot where vehicles caught fire.

The Dniprovskyi district experienced several fires, with flames engulfing a shopping center. Fires also erupted at an enterprise, and dry grass burned in various locations, according to the regional administration head.

One person died in Dniprovskyi district, while four others sustained injuries, Lysak said. Russian forces struck the Pokrovska community in Synelnykivskyi district with guided aerial bombs, causing a fire to break out.

Russian forces also hit the Pokrovska community in Nikopolskyi district with an FPV drone and attacked Marhanetska community. No casualties were reported.

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, located several tens of kilometers west of the frontline, has been under repeated Russian attacks.

Russian forces also launched a massive attack on Kharkiv and the oblast, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. The attack with two missiles, four CABs, and 15 UAVs injured six people, including three employees of the State Emergency Service and a medical worker.

The attack also damaged industrial premises, food warehouses, and a car. The total area of the fires is approximately 2,500 square meters.

The Russian army also attacked Zmiiv overnight, injuring three people, including a medical worker.

Kharkiv, Kupiansk, and Chuhuiv districts also suffered Russian attacks, which resulted in damage to private houses, outbuildings, cars, an outpatient clinic, and a gymnasium.

Russians also attacked Sumy Oblast overnight on 26 July. According to Governor Oleh Hryhorov, women aged 57 and 50 and a 55-year-old man were injured in the attack. The attack also damaged residential houses, a shop, and an internet club.

The Russian army also attacked Zaporizhzhia district. Several fires were recorded, a non-residential building was hit, Governor Fedorov said. There were no casualties reported.

Russia is wiping out Ukrainian cities daily. In the first half of 2025, 6,754 civilians in Ukraine were killed or injured, the highest number for a six-month period since 2022, Miroslav Jenča, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas, said.

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. Become a patron or see other ways to support
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Military Clash Between Thailand and Cambodia Expands Along Shared Border

The deadliest conflict between the two nations in 14 years, now in its third day, extended to provinces about 200 miles south of where clashes first began.

© Lillian Suwanrumpha/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Displaced people at a makeshift evacuation center in the Thai border province of Si Sa Ket, on Saturday.
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Ligue Puribec : Matane grimpe au 4e rang

Les Allées du Boulevard de Matane continuent de jouer de l’excellent baseball gagnant un autre match, cette fois par 7-6, en huit manches, à Trois-Pistoles.

Il s’agissait d’un 7e gain à leurs huit derniers matchs. La formation matanaise est maintenant 4e au classement, devant Edmundston et Kamouraska. 

Avec l’égalité 5-5 après sept manches, un simple de Mathieu Gauthier et un ballon-sacrifice de Michaël Lavoie ont produit deux points. Le Bérubé GM a bien tenté de créer l’égalité en fin de 8e, sans succès.

Le vétéran Stéphane Pouliot a été le meilleur au bâton dans la rencontre avec 3 en 3 et deux points produits.

Olivier Sirois (2-1), troisième lanceur utilisé par Matane, enregistre la victoire alors que Tristan Ouellet (0-1) encaisse la défaite.

Pour le sommaire : cliquez ici

La jeune équipe du Bérubé GM a livré une belle bataille malgré la défaite. (Photo : Jean-Claude Pelletier)

À Saint-Pascal

Pendant ce temps, à Saint-Pascal, les Industries Desjardins du Kamouraska ont disposé du Frontière FM d’Edmundston par 8-5. 

C’était l’égalité 4-3 pour les locaux quand les trois premiers frappeurs de la 4e manche, Enrick Jomphe, Cédric Lizotte et Émilien Plouffe, ont frappé trois circuits consécutifs aux dépens de Félix Cyr pour faire 7-3. 

Garett Parkins a aussi une longue balle pour les visiteurs dont le meilleur au bâton a été Vincent Hébert avec 4 en 4. 

Juan Carlos Rodriguez (1-1) a été le lanceur gagnant et Patrick Morin (0-3), le perdant.

Juan Carlos Rodriguez (Photo Le Soir archives – René Alary)

Pour le sommaire : cliquez ici

Samedi

Le match des étoiles de la Ligue Puribec se tiendra samedi, 19 h, à Saint-Pascal. Pour la circonstance, une équipe des joueurs importés de la ligue sera opposée à une formation des meilleurs joueurs locaux du circuit.

Le Shaker sera représenté par trois joueurs : les frères Benjamin et Alexis Roy ainsi que le receveur Mathew Ramos.

Pour le classement : cliquez ici

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