Ukrainian drone triggers explosions in Russia
Kyiv, July 6: A village in a border region of western Russia was evacuated Sunday following a series of explosions after debris from a downed Ukrainian drone set fire to a nearby warehouse, local officials said. Social media footage appeared to show rising clouds of black smoke in the Voronezh region while loud explosions could be heard in succession. Governor Aleksandr Gusev said that falling wreckage triggered the “detonation of explosive objects”. No casualties were reported, but residents of a nearby village in the Podgorensky district were evacuated, he said. Roads were also closed with emergency services, military and government officials working at the scene. A Ukrainian security official said that a strike had been carried out on a warehouse storing ammunition in the village of Serhiivka in the Voronezh region. (AP)
Sri Lanka to announce presidential poll date by July end
Colombo, July 7: Sri Lanka’s election commission on Sunday said that it will announce the date for the next presidential poll before the end of this month. Election Commission Chairman RMAL Ratnayake said the electoral body would be legally empowered after July 17 to announce the date for the election. The Election Commission in May said the presidential election would be conducted between September 17 and October 16. Ratnayake said the commission is currently in the process of putting final touches to the 2024 electoral register which will be the basis for the election. Over 17 million would be eligible to vote in the election as per the revised list, officials said. His comments came ahead of a court case scheduled for Monday on holding the election. Last week, an individual filed a fundamental rights petition urging the court to hold back the election until a clarification could be made on an ambiguity in the presidential term about articles 30(2) and 82 in the constitution. The case is to be taken up on Monday by a five-member Supreme Court bench. While the 30(2) had limited the presidential term to five years from six in terms of the 19th amendment adopted in 2015, no referendum was held to change the 82nd which says that a presidential term could be extended up to six years through a referendum. The petitioner, therefore, asked for clarity on the term duration. (PTI)
Judge declines to throw out charges against Donald Trump
Washington, July 7: The federal judge presiding over the classified documents case against Donald Trump refused Saturday to throw out charges against a co-defendant of the former president. Lawyers for Walt Nauta, Trump’s personal valet, had asked US District Judge Aileen Cannon to dismiss the indictment against their client. They argued, among other things, that Nauta was charged because of insufficient cooperation with prosecutors’ investigation and because of a personal animus that they say prosecutors harboured against one of Nauta’s attorneys. Cannon in her four-page order Saturday said Nauta had not met the high bar required to get the case dismissed. (AP)