From Italy and the World

The most intense battles on the front line continue to be in areas within the cities of Bakhmut and Marinka in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian military said Saturday.  In Bakhmut, forces “continue to push the enemy on the northern and southern flanks,” said Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.…

Lety, Czech Republic CNN  —  Čeněk Růžička looked euphoric as he swung the pickaxe against the wall. He had spent decades campaigning for the pig farm to be torn down. It was finally happening. The piggery, a giant industrial operation, stood on the remnants of the Nazi-era Roma concentration camp…

Zelensky attends a press conference in Kyiv on Saturday. Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he’s afraid to lose bipartisan support from the United States, following what he called “dangerous messages coming from some Republicans.” “Mike Pence has visited us, and he supports Ukraine. First of all, as an American,…

Saturn’s iconic rings seem to glow eerily in this incredible infrared picture, which also unveils unexpected features in Saturn’s atmosphere. See link to image below. This image serves as context for an observing program that will test the telescope’s capacity to detect faint moons around the planet and its bright…

How can you tell if a fruit fly is hungry? Ask a computer. While that may sound like a bad dad joke, it’s reality at Tulane University, where researchers have developed a new A.I. tool that can tell you if a fruit fly is hungry, sleepy or singing (yes, fruit…

Flexible displays that can change color, convey information and even send veiled messages via infrared radiation are now possible, thanks to new research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Engineers inspired by the morphing skins of animals like chameleons and octopuses have developed capillary-controlled robotic flapping fins to create switchable…

Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have identified a potential new immune checkpoint receptor that could lead to treatments for diseases such as lung and bowel cancer and autoimmune conditions including IBD. The study, published today in Science Immunology, examines a family of 13 receptors, or proteins…

A team of scientists from around the globe, including those from Trinity College Dublin, has gained high-res structural insights into a key bacterial enzyme, which may help chemists design new drugs to inhibit it and thus suppress disease-causing bacteria. Their work is important as fears continue to grow around rising…

CNN  —  Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Saturday apologized for the Netherlands’ historic involvement in slavery and the effects that it still has today. The king was speaking at a ceremony marking the 160th anniversary of the legal abolition of slavery in the Netherlands, including its former colonies in the Caribbean.…

The United Nations urged the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul to expedite the clearance of ships under the Black Sea grain deal that clears vessels to export Ukrainian grain. No ships have been authorized to travel to Black Sea ports since June 26, according to a UN statement. Under the terms of the deal,…

Nanterre, France CNN  —  What does it mean to be French? It’s been more than 1,500 years since the first French kingdom was founded; more than 480 years since French became the state’s official language; more than 200 years since the French Revolution; and more than 60 years since the…

Atlanta/Hong Kong CNN  —  Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has invited Wagner Group mercenaries to his country to train its military. Lukashenko alluded to the invitation in a speech Friday dedicated to Belarus’ Independence Day, according to state news agency Belta. “Unfortunately, they (Wagner mercenaries) are not here,” Lukashenko said. “And…

CNN  —  Two people were killed at Moldova’s main international airport on Friday when a “foreign citizen” who was not allowed to enter the country opened fire, according to the country’s Interior Ministry. “Tragic day for Moldova after the incident at Chisinau International Airport, resulting in two lives lost,” Moldova’s…

CNN  —  France has been rocked by a wave of protests after a 17-year-old youth was shot by police near Paris Tuesday, sparking a ban on demonstrations in some cities, travel warnings and reigniting a debate on overpolicing in marginalized communities. Scenes emerged of people setting fires to vehicles and…

Paris CNN  —  The mother of a 17-year-old killed by French police said she blames only the officer who shot her son for his death, a tragedy that has sparked three consecutive nights of destructive unrest and revived a heated debate about discrimination and policing in low-income, multi-ethnic communities. The…

Moscow CNN  —  Documents shared exclusively with CNN suggest that Russian Gen. Sergey Surovikin was a secret VIP member of the Wagner private military company. The documents, obtained by the Russian investigative Dossier Center, showed that Surovikin had a personal registration number with Wagner. Surovikin is listed along with at…

The Biden administration is strongly considering approving the transfer of controversial cluster munition warheads to Ukraine, multiple people familiar with the matter told CNN, as the Ukrainians struggle to make major gains in their weeks-old counteroffensive.    “These would undoubtedly have a significant battlefield impact,” a US official told CNN. Officials told…

CNN  —  One is known as “General Armageddon,” the other as “Putin’s chef.” Both have a checkered past and a reputation for brutality. One launched the insurrection, the other reportedly knew about it in advance. And right now, both are nowhere to be found. The commander of the Russian air…

A French government spokesperson on Thursday condemned the violence overnight against government institutions, telling CNN affiliate BFMTV, “You’re not doing justice to Naël.” Naël, a 17-year-old, died after he was allegedly shot by police during a traffic stop in the Parisian suburb town of Nanterre on Tuesday. “When you decide to burn…