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RCMP charged Canadian Armed Forces Reservist Corey Hurren with a slew of firearms charges Friday for allegedly ramming his truck through the gates at Rideau Hall, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lives.
by Mack Lamoureux

Less than an hour before Corey Hurren allegedly drove his pickup truck through the gates of Rideau Hall, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lives, a social media account for his business posted a meme that blames the global elite for COVID-19. At 6:05 AM, the Instagram account for Grindhouse Fine Foods, the company Hurren operates, posted a meme relating to Event 201—a pandemic training event put on in part by the Bill Gates Foundation. At 6:40 AM, RCMP said Hurren rammed his truck, which contained multiple firearms, through the gates hard enough to set his airbags off. He left the truck on foot with a rifle in his hand and was intercepted by RCMP officers who, after hours of negotiation, were able to take him into custody without incident just before 8:30 A.M. On Friday afternoon, RCMP announced a slew of firearms charges against Hurren, a member of the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve. They include: four counts of careless use of a firearm, four counts of illegally transporting of a firearm, four counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous reason, one count of possession of of a prohibited devices, four counts of possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition, and one count of uttering threats. Hurren attended a bail hearing Friday afternoon but it was pushed back until July 17. He will remain in police custody till then.
Adam Bienkov

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he won't be "bullied" into taking a knee in support of racial-equality protests because "I don't believe in gestures." The opposition Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer, was pictured in June taking a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Speaking on LBC radio on Friday morning, Johnson said he wouldn't do the same because "I don't believe in gestures — I believe in substance." The UK prime minister added that he would not be "bullied" into taking part.
By Ipek Yezdani, Gul Tuysuz and Emma Reynolds, CNN

(CNN) Staff who worked at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul around the time of Jamal Khashoggi's murder told a court Friday that they were told to stay away from the residence on the day the dissident journalist went missing in 2018. A cleaning lady, two drivers, and a technical worker were all denied access or told not to show up to work on October 2, they said on the first day of the trial at a Turkish court. Consulate technical worker Zeki Demir said he was initially told that there would be renovations at Consul General Mohammed al-Otaibi's home but was then asked to come in at 2 p.m. "There were five or six people there. They stopped me from coming through the three entrances. They asked me to light up the tandoor (oven). There was an atmosphere of panic," he said. "I lit up the tandoor and they spoke with each other. I joked saying that if you fall in the tandoor then you will become kebabs. Then I left." The Consul General's driver, Hakan Guven told the court that he took al-Otaibi and his family to the airport on October 8. Guven said al-Otaibi told him that he would return.
By Hadas Gold, CNN Business

London (CNN Business) Hong Kong insists its vibrant community of journalists has nothing to fear from the national security legislation China imposed on the city this week. But press freedom advocates worry about creeping self-censorship, and there are signs that the new law may already be having a chilling effect. In what was once seen as a safe haven of free speech for local and foreign news organizations operating in the region, journalists and their sources are growing increasingly wary that as China takes a firmer grip on Hong Kong, they could be prosecuted. The new law applies to any person in Hong Kong, both locals and foreign nationals. It criminalizes actions like calling for Hong Kong independence, or working with a foreign entity "to incite hatred" toward the Chinese government. A new enforcement committee will "strengthen the management" of NGOs and media working in Hong Kong. The police will also have new powers to search premises, wiretap suspects and order people to "delete information or provide assistance." Article 4 of the law says "the freedoms of speech, of the press, of publication, of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration" will be protected. But it also criminalizes the leaking of "state secrets," a vague term commonly used in China to cover a range of issues deemed to be in the national interest and which has been used in the past to imprison journalists like Gao Yu on the mainland. That could deter both journalists and sources from reporting or collaborating on stories relating to government affairs.
The Biden campaign says Trump’s favorite TV network is peddling the Kremlin’s lies.
Edward-Isaac Dovere

In what appears to be a signal of intensifying political warfare ahead of the November election, One America News Network, the Trump-supporting cable channel that has been promoting anti-Biden conspiracies for several months, says it has obtained several hours of secret recordings of then–Vice President Biden’s conversations with Ukrainian officials. If such recordings exist, they’re likely linked to pro-Russian interests in Ukraine and a Russian intelligence operation, two former U.S. ambassadors to Ukraine and a former ambassador to Russia told me. The OAN employee who claims to have the tapes would not say what was on them, other than suggesting that they will be revelatory.

In the audio that has been released elsewhere so far, Biden is heard dangling the promise of financial aid to Ukraine if its government ousted a prosecutor who was seen as corrupt—which Biden has previously said publicly was his goal, as part of a push for widespread reforms. Conspiracists have alleged that this was intended to help his son Hunter escape charges of corruption, but an audit by Ukraine’s former top prosecutor released last week found no evidence of illegal activity by Hunter in his capacity as an energy-company board member.
Iran released a photograph showing evidence of what appeared to be a major explosion at the site. Early evidence suggests it was most likely an act of sabotage.
By David E. Sanger, William J. Broad, Ronen Bergman and Farnaz Fassihi

A fire ripped through a building at Iran’s main nuclear-fuel production site early Thursday, causing extensive damage to what appeared to be a factory where the country has boasted of producing a new generation of centrifuges. The United States has repeatedly warned that such machinery could speed Tehran’s path to building nuclear weapons. The Atomic Energy Agency of Iran acknowledged an “incident” at the desert site, but did not term it sabotage. It released a photograph showing what seemed to be destruction from a major explosion that ripped doors from their hinges and caused the roof to collapse. Parts of the building, which was recently inaugurated, were blackened by fire. But it was not clear how much damage was done underground, where video released by the Iranian government last year suggested most of the assembly work is conducted on next-generation centrifuges — the machines that purify uranium.

Canadians are horrified after a U.S.-born woman told two B.C. teenagers to "go back to where you came from" in a viral video that has been shared more than 2,500 times on Facebook. In the video taken on June 28, the unidentified woman is seen loudly shouting at two teenagers for picking a berry bush on a popular hiking trail in Coquitlam, B.C. "I pay for this park, and I don't like to see people wrecking it," she says. The woman calls the teenagers "complete twits" and curses at them before telling them to go back where they came from. When the teenagers respond by calling the woman a "colonzier" and ask where she's from, the unidentified hiker reveals that she's from the United States originally.
Mitch Prothero

Taliban commanders have confirmed that Russia has offered financial and material support to its members in exchange for attacking US forces in Afghanistan. The practice was first reported on Friday by The New York Times, which cited US intelligence officials. President Donald Trump has since strongly denied that he was told of this intelligence and attacked its credibility, characterizing the existence of Russian bounty payments as fake. But three separate Taliban sources told Insider they were aware of Russian bounty payments being made — though they said only the less-disciplined elements on the fringes of the group would take up such an offer. When reached through formal channels, officials with the Taliban — formally called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan — declined to comment.

But the three sources all confirmed the practice takes place and that Russian intelligence officials are known to pay. Iran and Pakistan also fund these activities, the sources said. Two of the sources are actively involved with the Taliban, and one is now a refugee in Greece who entered the country in 2016. All said they personally had not undertaken Russian bounty operations and disparaged the practice in general.

A well-known way to get money
The refugee spoke on condition of anonymity to Insider for fear of retaliation, though his identity is known to Insider. He used to be a commander with the Taliban in the Logar province of Afghanistan. He said: "The Taliban is like my fist — the center of the fist is hard and disciplined; everyone gets salaries and weapons from the Quetta Shura and they obey orders." The Quetta Shura is the leadership council of the Taliban that is thought to be based in Pakistan.
Oromia protests broke out after fatal shooting of Haacaaluu Hundeessaa, regional spokesman says.

At least 50 people were killed in Ethiopia's Oromia region in protests following the fatal shooting of a popular singer, a regional spokesman said. Musician Haacaaluu Hundeessaa was shot dead on Monday night in what police said was a targeted killing. Protests following the killing, and a sense of political marginalisation, broke out the next morning in the capital and other towns and cities in the surrounding Oromia region. The dead included protesters and members of the security forces, spokesman Getachew Balcha said on Wednesday. Some businesses had also been set on fire.
By Nathan Hodge and Mary Ilyushina, CNN

Moscow (CNN) President Vladimir Putin has won a resounding victory in his bid to stay in power until the middle of the next decade, as Russians voted overwhelmingly to endorse the country's political status quo, according to preliminary results. Russians went to the polls Wednesday to cast ballots in a nationwide referendum on constitutional amendments. The vote paves the way for Putin, who has ruled for two decades, to remain president until 2036. Campaign literature made little mention of the real purpose of the referendum, framing it as a return to old-fashioned family values, designed to appeal to conservative voters. "Our country, our constitution, our decision" was the slogan on the information bulletin explaining the constitutional reform to voters. The brochure spelled out a range of amendments, including a provision that defines marriage strictly as a "union of a man and a woman."
David Lawder, Dave Graham, David Ljunggren

WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY/OTTAWA (Reuters) - The revamped trade pact between the United States, Canada and Mexico taking effect on Wednesday was meant to create a kind of fortress North America, boosting the region’s competitiveness - but cracks are already starting to show in the foundation. As the deal kicks in, the Trump administration is threatening Canada with new aluminum tariffs, and a prominent Mexican labor activist has been jailed, underscoring concerns about crucial labor reforms in the replacement for the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement. The risk of disputes among the three trading partners is growing, analysts say. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement includes tighter North American content rules for autos, new protections for intellectual property, prohibitions against currency manipulation and new rules on digital commerce that did not exist when NAFTA launched in 1994, an agreement U.S. President Donald Trump has lambasted as the “worst trade deal ever made.”
Uncertainty over when Israel will begin controversial process as Palestinians gather for renewed protests.

Israel's foreign minister has suggested an announcement on the planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank was not imminent on Wednesday, the date set by Israel's coalition government to start the widely criticised process. The statement by Gabi Ashkenazi came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government's discussions with the United States on the annexation plan would continue "in the coming days", indicating he would miss the self-imposed July 1 target date to begin debate on the controversial issue. "I reckon there will be nothing today," Ashkenazi, a member of the centrist Blue and White party that eventually partnered up with Netanyahu's right-wing Likud after three inconclusive elections, told Israel's Army Radio on Wednesday.
"I believe there's a need for North Korea and the United States to try dialogue one more time," South Korea's Moon said.
By Reuters

SEOUL — South Korean President Moon Jae-in said U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should meet again before the U.S. presidential election in November, a Seoul official told reporters on Wednesday. Trump and Kim met for the first time in 2018 in Singapore, raising hopes of an agreement to get Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons programme. But their second summit, in 2019 in Vietnam, fell apart when Trump rejected Kim's offer to dismantle North Korea's main nuclear facility in return for lifting some economic sanctions. Moon made the remarks during a video conference with European Council President Charles Michel on Tuesday, saying another summit between Trump and Kim would help resume the stalled nuclear negotiations, an official at Moon's office told reporters. "I believe there's a need for North Korea and the United States to try dialogue one more time before the U.S. presidential election," the official quoted Moon as saying.
By Jack Guy, Stephanie Halasz, Valentina DiDonato and Gul Tuysuz, CNN

(CNN) Police in Italy have confiscated a huge shipment of 14 metric tonnes (15.4 US tons) of amphetamines which they say was produced by ISIS in Syria. Officers tracked three suspect containers to the port of Salerno in southwest Italy and found 84 million pills with a market value of €1 billion ($1.12 billion) inside paper cylinders for industrial use, the Guardia di Finanza financial police said in a statement Wednesday. Investigators said the bust is the largest drug haul in the world in terms of both value and quantity. Commander Domenico Napolitano, head of the financial police for the city of Naples, told CNN that the drugs were well hidden and the scanners at the port didn't detect them.
Andrew Osborn, Anton Zverev

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia gave families financial windfalls on Wednesday on the final day of a vote on constitutional changes that could allow Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036, a prospect that prompted a small protest by Kremlin critics on Red Square. State exit polls have suggested more than two thirds of voters will back the changes. They have been encouraged to vote with prize draws offering flats and an ad campaign highlighting other amendments with popular appeal. One amendment guarantees inflation-linked pensions; another proposes a de facto ban on same-sex marriages. One-off payments of 10,000 roubles ($141) were transferred to those with children at Putin’s order as people headed to polling stations on the last day of the vote, held over seven days to try to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.
Abigail Ng

Hong Kong police announced Wednesday their first arrests since China’s national security law came into force. The contentious legislation took effect hours after the Chinese parliament’s top decision-making body voted to pass the National Security Law on Tuesday. The law stipulates that a person who acts with a view to “undermining national unification” of Hong Kong with the mainland faces punishment of up to lifetime in prison, depending on the severity of the offense. Under the new regulation, many of Hong Kong’s protests that took place last year would be punishable by law. Still, protesters took to the streets on Wednesday, which marked the 23rd anniversary of the city’s handover from the U.K. to China. Hong Kong is a British colony that returned to Chinese rule  on July 1, 1997.
Adam Payne and Adam Bienkov

Boris Johnson has offered three million Hong Kong citizens the chance to live and work in the UK after China defied global opposition to impose a new national security law on the region. The UK prime minister on Wednesday told the House of Commons that he will go ahead with the move after China imposed new security laws on the semiautonomous region on Tuesday. The laws, which are opposed by the UK, the European Union and the United States, are designed to curtail anti-government protests in the region. Hong Kong police carried out nearly 200 arrests on Wednesday. Johnson said the imposition of the law is in breach of the Sino-British joint declaration, signed by the UK and China in 1984.
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