Moldovan President Maia Sandu is vying for EU member status, amid fears of a Russian-backed coup.

A Cleveland woman has been indicted on murder charges after she left her 16-month-old child alone for 10 days while she vacationed in Detroit and Puerto Rico, prosecutors say.

Virat Kohli scored a record-breaking 50th one-day international hundred and Shreyas Iyer made a blistering century of his own as India piled up a commanding 397-4 against New Zealand in...

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Former prosecutor Renato Mariotti has claimed Jack Smith is using insights he gained from his role at the Hague to bring Donald Trump to justice for his role in the 2020 efforts to overturn the election. Mr Mariotti cited Mr Smith’s stint in the Hague, where he played a role in prosecuting authoritarian leaders prior to becoming the special counsel in the cases against Mr Trump. “I think he understands the way an authoritarian can use these soft methods of increasing their power and staying in power,” Mr Mariotti said on Thursday on MSNBC to anchor Ari Melber. “I think his experience prosecuting a sitting head of state, as you highlighted a moment ago, really prepared him for a moment like this. It shows when someone is desperate to stay in power, it’s important, ultimately, to find the way to bring him to account quickly, and I think that’s what he’s trying to do here.” “Autocrats use propaganda,” Melber earlier said. “That’s been true even as the nature of distribution has changed in many different eras. And propaganda is dangerous, precisely because you don’t have to physically oppress people. You don’t need weaponry if you trick enough of them into this or that position, whether that’s hating authoritarianism or groups. “I want to play that other piece of footage where he [Jack Smith] makes a point – again, who could see how things echo. “People have a choice of what they want to repost on Facebook or whatever platform they use. And I thought this was so striking that in a related context of both authoritarianism and ethnic hate, he talked about the ethical people who chose not to perpetuate things. Take a listen,” he said. Melber then played the video clip. “The accused, in committing their crimes, tried to amplify the damage they caused by exhorting the media in Kosovo to publish. The ethical journalists refused to publish the documents they provided them,” Mr Smith be heard saying in the clip. “This question is as much societal as it is legal. I’m not talking about a repost or publisher’s liability. I’m asking you the deeper question about why you’re a prosecutor, why you care about justice, which is, what do you think of his appeal of how we all exercise our choices in the face of propaganda matters and how that relates at home right now?” Melber continued. “It’s pretty profound,” Mr Mariotti replied. “I have to say, I’m struck by the way in which he has an understanding of some of the softer ways in which people can exercise power. “It’s such an interesting, different approach to Robert Mueller. Robert Mueller was very old school. He saw things, I think, in the way that – in a very black-and-white way that the Justice Department traditionally has. “Jack Smith... he’s from a different generation. I think he understands the way an authoritarian can use these soft methods of increasing their power and staying in power.” Read More Jack Smith uses Trump lawyer’s media statements against him in latest 2020 election case filing Trump reacts with fury to proposed 2 January trial date in special counsel’s 2020 election case Trump and one co-defendant plead not guilty in superseding Mar-a-Lago indictment Trump furious at proposed 2 January trial date in special counsel 2020 election case Special Counsel requests January 2024 trial in Jan 6 case - latest Judge Chutkan to hear arguments in protective order fight in Trump's 2020 election conspiracy case

MOSCOW Russia's state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom said on Tuesday that the breach of a dam in southern

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Former president Donald Trump on Thursday said his lawyers have been told he has been indicted on charges related to his alleged unlawful retention of national defence information at his Palm Beach, Florida home. Writing on his Truth Social platform, the ex-president wrote: “The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax”. The ex-president followed the bombshell claim with a series of allegations against his successor in the White House, President Joe Biden, stemming from the discovery documents bearing classification markings at several locations linked to the sitting president. In a subsequent post, Mr Trump said he has been summoned to appear at a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, 13 June, at 3.00 pm ET. “I never thought it possible that such a thing could happen to a former President of the United States, who received far more votes than any sitting President in the History of our Country, and is currently leading, by far, all Candidates, both Democrat and Republican, in Polls of the 2024 Presidential Election,” he said, adding that he is “an innocent man”. “This is indeed a DARK DAY for the United States of America. We are a Country in serious and rapid Decline, but together we will Make America Great Again!” he added. More follows... Read More Trump says he is ‘an innocent man’ as he’s being indicted over secret documents case James Watt, sharp-tongued and pro-development Interior secretary under Reagan, dies at 85 Funeral director thought to be Capitol rioter dubbed ‘#BlackBonoHelmet’ is arrested

An ad launched by Progress Action Fund launched, showing an elderly Republican congressman interrupting a couple in the bedroom, has now been banned on X, formerly known as Twitter. According to the Progress Action Fund, which aims to defeat Republicans in red states, the platform “has censored” its account as well as the ad, called “Keep Republicans Out Of Your Bedroom.” In addition, the platform has “placed a ‘Search Ban’ and a ‘Search Suggestion Ban’ on the account.” As of Wednesday afternoon, the account did not show up on the social media platform, yet the ad could still be seen on X through retweets from other accounts. The Progress Action Fund said it contacted the platform’s legal department and “appealed the decision, which was denied.” Joe Jacobson, Founder and Executive Director of Progress Action Fund, took a stab at X’s owner: “Elon Musk loves free speech, but only when it’s convenient for him and his far-right political agenda.” “Political speech is protected under law and Musk’s competitors clearly agree that our ad should not be censored,” he continued. “When releasing ads in the future, we’ll be taking them to other platforms, which many others are already doing given Elon Musk’s frantic and poor leadership at Twitter.” The Independent has reached out to X for comment. The ad features a scene in which a woman asks a man if he has a condom. He reaches for the condom in a bedside table drawer, and another suit-covered arm appears, reaching for it as well. “Sorry, you can’t use those,” says an older man, clad in a black suit and red tie, while standing beside the bed. When the woman asks who he is, he replies: “I’m your Republican congressman. Now that we’re in charge, we’re banning birth control.” The ad urges voters to “vote no” on 8 August, in reference to State Issue 1, which would require proposed amendments to Ohio’s constitution “receive the approval of at least 60 per cent of eligible voters voting on the proposed amendment,” rather than a simple majority. Since acquiring Twitter, Mr Musk, a self declared “free speech absolutist”, has touted free speech as a pillar of the platform. As part of this shift during the takeover, he reinstated Donald Trump’s account after a two-year ban, which was “due to the risk of further incitement of violence” after the January 6 Capitol riot. He also reinstated at least 11 accounts belonging to prominent far-right and anti-trans influencers. On 23 November, the platform announced it “is no longer enforcing the Covid-19 misleading information policy.” As recently as April, the platform claimed to strive to “promote and protect the public conversation. We believe Twitter users have the right to express their opinions and ideas without fear of censorship.” In May, he wrote: “I am adamant about defending free speech, even if it means losing money.” Read More Democratic PAC unveils ‘steamy and horrifying’ ad with GOP lawmaker interrupting couple in bedroom Elon Musk slammed for pushing anti-vax conspiracy in response to LeBron James’ son Bronny suffering cardiac arrest Elon Musk takes control of @X account from user who had held it for 16 years Elon Musk’s Twitter bans ad showing Republican interrupting couple in bedroom 'X' logo installed atop Twitter building, spurring San Francisco to investigate permit violation EXCLUSIVE: The O.C.’s Ben McKenzie on going down the crypto rabbit hole

President Paul Kagame, who has been in office since 2000, has faced criticism from rights groups.