
First Thing: US âÂÂbetrayalâ over Starlink undermines Ukrainian defense
President Zelenskyy accused Donald Trump of taking RussiaâÂÂs side after access to the vital system was throttled. Plus, a happy ending for a dog that was missing for a month
Good morning. UkraineâÂÂs president has said he feels âÂÂbetrayedâ by Donald Trump over a throttling of Starlink access. Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the US president of picking the other side after more than four years of war, risking a breakdown in US-Ukraine relations.
UkraineâÂÂs military reported that the communications system, produced by Elon MuskâÂÂs SpaceX but managed by the US government, was no longer working on terminals moving at speeds greater than 100mph. That effectively rendered most of the drones used by Ukraine to strike behind the frontlines inoperable and affected the countryâÂÂs best air defence system to stop Russian jet-powered attack drones bombing Kyiv.
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What is the likely impact of the loss of Starlink? The Ukrainian human rights activist Oleksandra Matviichuk said: âÂÂWithout that protection, Russian drones will strike residential buildings, hospitals and schools like targets in a shooting gallery.â However, Starlink is not required for long-range Ukrainian missions that target Russian oil refineries, which Trump has been concerned because of their impact on world energy prices.
Judge blocks US sanctions on rights groups helping ICC Gaza war crimes inquiry

A US federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from placing sanctions on two US-based human rights groups for working to help the international criminal courtâÂÂs (ICC) investigations into war crimes in Gaza. A lawyer for Dawn and Taag, described the decision as âÂÂa victory for the first amendment and an important step in unraveling the ICC sanctions regimeâÂÂ.
A spokesperson for the US state department said âÂÂwe do not comment on pending litigationâÂÂ, but added: âÂÂThe Trump administration has been clear: the ICC poses an intolerable threat to US sovereignty.âÂÂ
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How is Israel blocking TrumpâÂÂs plans for Gaza? Israel is refusing to allow a key project for Donald TrumpâÂÂs Board of Peace to proceed. In early August, it issued its first construction contract, for a military outpost to host 150 international troops as a vanguard of an international stabilization force. Two months later, Israel has still not allowed the contract to move forward.
TrumpâÂÂs new press secretary faces scrutiny over claims to be a lawyer

Katie ZachariaâÂÂs debut as Donald TrumpâÂÂs new press secretary got an excoriating review from our Washington bureau chief, who dubbed her âÂÂthe ZachbotâÂÂ, and columnist Arwa Mahdawi suggested that ZachariaâÂÂs love of the president, lies and conspiracies made her perfect for the job. Now Zacharia is under pressure over her claim that she is a lawyer.
When asked to name the state where she passed the bar exam, she replied âÂÂwhen I moved to ChinaâÂÂ. No public record shows she has ever been licensed to practise law in the US states where she resided. According to a review from the Guardian, Zacharia was not registered in 38 states, as well as DC and the Virgin Islands, where the stateâÂÂs attorney list was publicly available.
Cornell president acknowledges he knew about fraternity sexual assault but did not follow up

Michael Kotlikoff, the president of Cornell University, has acknowledged for the first time that he knew a student had reported being sexually assaulted in November 2024, but did not follow up with the Jane Doe involved in the months after learning about the alleged assault. He also revealed that he did not know she had dropped out of Cornell until she filed a lawsuit last month.
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What has happened at a frat house in Chicago? A 21-year-old woman reported being sexually assaulted last weekend at a fraternity house near the University of Chicago. A person of interest has been identified, according to university officials. The individual is not a student and has been banned from campus.
Eight states accuse OpenAI of coaching children to harm themselves in lawsuit

Kansas, Arizona, Montana, Iowa and four other states allege that OpenAI products carried out âÂÂwillful, dangerous, reckless and unlawful conductâ by coaxing children into harming themselves.
âÂÂOpenAI is hurting kids and they are lying to Iowans,â Brenna Bird, the attorney general for Iowa, said in a statement. âÂÂOpenAI claims ChatGPT is safe while itâÂÂs giving dangerous medical advice, encouraging people to hurt others, and coaching people to commit suicide â all while pretending to be their fake friend.âÂÂ
In other news â¦

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A school roof collapse in Pakistan has left at least 27 students dead. The death toll is likely to rise as rescuers in Peshawar work to find dozens of pupils still unaccounted for.
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Pope LeoâÂÂs recovery from lung cancer surgery is âÂÂprogressing as plannedâÂÂ. The US-born pontiff has begun walking in his hospital room and is eating normally, doctors say.
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The ex-fiance of Nancy Mace and two others have been charged with sex crimes that Mace detailed in a House speech last year. The Republican representative described the assault in a nearly hour-long speech that had named the men.
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The University of Maryland club tennis team has been suspended over racist imagery sent to other schools. An image of the state flag incorporating KKK hoods was sent to those participating in a regional tennis tournament.
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The man shot by ICE in New York City says the agent did not identify himself. The account by Oscar Belgal differs sharply from that of DHS agents, who fired into his vehicle while there was a young boy in the back seat.
Stat of the day: LGBTQ+ people go into hiding in Senegal as hundreds are arrested

More than 320 individuals have been arrested and detained on allegations of âÂÂacts against natureâ since February, according to HIV Justice Network, after SenegalâÂÂs parliament doubled the maximum prison term for consensual same-sex relations to 10 years.
The Filter Recommends: These are the tinned fish varieties Lauren Gould would eat again

As a pescatarian, my colleague Lauren couldnâÂÂt help but wonder if she had overlooked the convenient protein source of tinned fish â and went on an odyssey of discovery. HereâÂÂs what months of taste-testing revealed.
DonâÂÂt miss this: âÂÂTry to eat really well, 80% of the timeâ â nutrition expert says healthy eating is easier than you think

Also on a healthy eating tip, Elle Hunt speaks to Christopher Gardner, the author of Food Sense and director of nutrition studies at Stanford, who says we have overcomplicated the question of what to eat.

For months, millions of Indonesians have been subject to thick smoke and an apocalyptic tangerine haze amid the worst fire season in more than a decade. Having tried cloud seeding, water bombing and sending in army personnel to fight the fires, IndonesiaâÂÂs coordinating security minister said dry ice would now be dropped on the province of South Sumatra.
Last Thing: Luna, dog missing in Yellowstone for a month, is reunited with her owners

The 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier, who eluded capture for over a month, was caught on Wednesday and reunited with her grateful owners.
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