One-Minute Reads President urges firefighters to ‘stay strong’

President urges firefighters to ‘stay strong’ 

(AP): French President Emmanuel Macron urged fire crews to “stay strong” as they battled on Monday to bring a monster wildfire under control.
He warned that the fight will take time but vowed, “We will win this battle together.” On a visit to a coordination centre for the massive firefighting effort in southwest France, Macron heard how the blaze raging since last week has been wildly unpredictable, transforming at times into a self-feeding fire storm as it burned through an area four times the size of Paris and forced 220,000 people to flee their homes.
“We’re facing a completely unprecedented fire,” Macron said, describing the situation as France’s worst fire-related crisis since World War II.
He praised firefighting teams who stopped the inferno’s progression on Monday after days of spreading flames that edged toward the wine region city of Bordeaux. But with woodlands still smoldering, he and other government officials cautioned that the battle isn’t yet won, with forests turned tinder-dry by successive heat waves this year and another forecast for this week.
“The weeks ahead will be hard. We must hold firm,” Macron said.

Former leader sentenced for campaign lies

(AP): Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was convicted of making false statements during his presidential campaign in the latest verdict after he was removed from office last year over his brief imposition of martial law.
Yoon denied the charges and appealed, with his lawyers arguing that the verdict was based on a misinterpretation of the facts and election law. If upheld by higher courts, the ruling could financially cripple the conservative People Power Party by forcing it to return around US$27 million (approximately J$4.2 billion) in election expenses reimbursed by the government after Yoon’s narrow victory over current liberal President Lee Jae Myung in 2022.
The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, saying his false statements during the campaign may have affected voters’ “fair judgment” of the candidates. Yoon quietly listened as the chief judge read the verdict and did not comment after the verdict. Park Sung-hoon, spokesperson for the People Power Party, said the case would not be finalised until the Supreme Court rules.

Cops count three suspects in food festival shooting

(AP): Police now say there were at least three suspects involved in a shootout at a crowded food festival near Seattle’s Space Needle over the weekend. 
One of them was among those killed in the violence. In a document filed in juvenile court in Seattle, where a 15-year-old arrested in the case did not appear for a scheduled initial appearance on Monday, police said they believe there were at least three shooters – the teen, an acquaintance who died at the scene, and “at least one other unknown suspect”.
The teen was being held in juvenile detention for investigation of firearms violations and first-degree assault ahead of the scheduled court appearance, Mayor Katie Wilson said at a news conference. It was not immediately clear why the teen did not appear in court.
The gunfire erupted at 6 p.m. in the waning hours of the Bite of Seattle festival, leaving three people dead and at least four others injured. The annual three-day festival draws hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers to Seattle Center, a sprawling park and event space. Many attendees rushed into campus buildings or ran from the park at the sound of the shots.

Tate brothers to remain in jail

(AP): Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will remain in jail at least two more weeks until their next hearing as they fight extradition to the United Kingdom, where the brothers are accused of rape and sex trafficking, a federal judge said on Monday.
US Magistrate Lauren Louis set a detention hearing for August 13 to determine whether the Tates should stay in jail or be released during what could be a monthslong extradition process. The brothers weren’t in court yesterday or required to be there, and have remained in jail since making a brief court appearance two days after their July 18 arrest.
The Tates have become among the world’s most polarising Internet personalities with their promotion of wealth, male dominance and misogyny through their social media empire. The new allegations are the latest in a long-running international legal saga involving the Tates that has spanned the US, Britain and Romania. The brothers have repeatedly denied wrongdoing.