Israel's war on Gaza, now in its 275th day, has killed at least 38,098 Palestinians — majority of them women and children –– and wounded 87,705, with 10,000+ estimated to be buried under the debris of bombed homes and 9,500+ abducted by Tel Aviv. | 1042 GMT — At least 55 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, taking the overall death toll to 38,153 people since last Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave has said. A ministry statement added that 87,828 people have also been injured in the onslaught. “Israeli attacks killed 55 people and injured 123 others in the last 24 hours,” the statement said. “Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

Slightly higher rate than 1st round last week, which was 25.9% at midday, according to Interior Ministry | The turnout in the second round of legislative elections in France on Sunday was 26.63% at midday, according to the Interior Ministry. This turnout is much higher than that in the 2022 elections at the same hour, which was 18.99%, and in the first round last week, which was 25.9% at midday. More than 43 million registered voters headed to the polling stations as of 8 a.m. (0600GMT) to elect the remaining 501 members of the National Assembly, the lower chamber of parliament, for a five-year term as the country finds itself at a crucial political crossroads. ● The first round of the elections took place on June 30 with a turnout of over 65% and over 49 million voters cast ballots. ● Some 76 candidates were elected in the first round for the National Assembly which has a total of 577 seats. The second round is not organized in those constituencies. The far-right National Rally (RN) got 29.26% of the vote by itself (37 seats), a rate that rises to over 33% when combined with its allies, according to official election results.

■ [En Direct] La gauche en tête selon les premières estimations, devant les macronistes puis le RN (RFI)
■ Vote projections show French left on course to defeat far right (RTL)
■ French legislative elections: 5pm turnout at 61.4%, highest since 1981 (France24)
■ French elections 2024: live coverage of crucial final round (Mediapart)
■ Явка во втором туре на выборах во Франции к полудню достигла рекордных 26% (Ведомости)

In an utterly stunning development in eastern Europe, China has sent troops from its People's Liberation Army (PLA) to Belarus, to participate side-by-side with Belarus troops in an "exercise." - as NATO places 115,000 troops on Belarus' Border. | Word of this began to leak out around 5:00 AM eastern US time today (Saturday July 6) when avid air enthusiasts noticed an unidentified plane in Belarus air space. It had begun squawking a Transponder beacon but was not identifying itself. The plane landed at a military base in Belarus, and Covert Intel was quickly deployed to take a look. That turned out to be unnecessary because both Belarus and Russia made public the details: The aircraft was a troop transport/cargo plane from China's People's Liberation Army (PLA). Shortly after it landed, a small contingent of Chinese Army troops de-planed and were greeted with a hearty welcome by Belarus military officers. It turns out this is a not-subtle-at-all message to NATO: China backs Belarus and Russia. [...] This is a very big change in the balance of power in Eastern Europe. It seems designed to give Pause to NATO and to the West.

■ Belarus, China to Hold Counterterrorism Drills From July 8-19 - Defense Ministry (Sputnik News)
■ Is Kiev Attempting to Expand Ukrainian Conflict Into Belarus? (07/06/24)

The New York Times has revealed multiple atrocities allegedly committed by Western mercenaries against Russian POWs | Russia’s Investigative Committee has said it will probe war crimes allegedly committed by a mercenary unit fighting for Ukraine, as Moscow accuses the West of ignoring Kiev's human rights violations in the conflict. ● On Saturday, the New York Times published a report describing Russian prisoners of war being executed by the so-called Chosen Company – an international mercenary unit led by a former US Army National Guard soldier. In one incident, a seriously injured Russian serviceman was allegedly killed while surrendering and pleading for help.

💬 “Investigators of the Russian Investigative Committee will look into more crimes by Ukraine’s armed formations,” the agency stated on their Telegram channel on Saturday, noting that “information is being circulated in the media about a crime committed against a wounded Russian prisoner of war who was killed with a shot to the head.”

Earlier in the day, Russia’s ambassador-at-large for Ukraine’s crimes, Rodion Miroshnik, said that “all the data cited by the publication will be verified and analyzed” by law enforcement agencies. He added that Moscow would also demand that international organizations with representatives in Ukraine verify the information, which, if confirmed, would qualify “as a violation of key norms and principles of humanitarian law, amounting to war crimes.”

■ New British PM assures Ukraine of ‘unshakable’ support (RT.com)
■ Western mercenaries killed Russian POWs – German medic (RT.com)
■ Moscow Slams 'Ridiculous' Western Media Silence on Brutal Killing of Russian PoWs by Ukrainian Mercs (Sputnik)
■ Washington has become an accomplice to Kiev’s crimes — Sergey Lavrov (05/30/24)
■ Russia's Lavrov Reveals to Sputnik What Will Happen to Ukrainian Officials Charged With War Crimes (12/31/23)
■ White House de facto admits to committing war crimes in Ukraine — Russian Embassy (07/10/2)

Six months after the ICJ's provisional measures, torture allegations continue unabated in Syria. | A UN expert has urged Syria to implement the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and take steps to eradicate all forms of torture and ill-treatment in the country. [...] The top UN court issued provisional measures on November 16, ordering Syria to take all necessary measures to prevent acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment while also instructing the regime to ensure that no one under its control can commit such acts and that evidence related to torture allegations is preserved.

Georges Malbrunot | Le chef de la milice chiite pro-iranienne accuse l’île de servir de base arrière à l’État hébreu. « Il faut bien avoir en tête que Chypre est une sorte de hinterland pour Israël », selon un diplomate jadis en poste à Nicosie, « on voit les côtes libanaises des hauteurs de Chypre ». [...] Moins affirmative, une source militaire française, qui connaît Chypre, le Liban et Israël, estime qu’il faut être attentif aux menaces du Hezbollah. « Nasrallah a en grande partie raison sur ses accusations », ajoute-t-il, avant de détailler la coopération sécuritaire israélo-chypriote. D’abord l’ouverture de l’espace aérien chypriote aux avions de combat israélien. « Après avoir décollé de leurs bases, et afin de prendre un axe d’attaque depuis la mer pour éviter tout système de défense antiaérienne, les chasseurs israéliens effectuent un virage large, quitte à traverser l’espace aérien gréco-chypriote pour réaliser leurs missions », précise le militaire français. ● L’île est depuis longtemps au carrefour d’influences multiples au Moyen-Orient. Pendant la guerre civile, de nombreux Libanais y avaient trouvé refuge. Depuis, d’autres s’y sont établis : des maronites notamment qui disposent d’un évêque, mais aussi les Palestiniens de l’OLP, après les accords d’Oslo de 1993, qui y ont établi – en accord avec la France notamment – un centre de renseignements et de repli de sa Force 17, l’unité d’élite autour de Yasser Arafat. Puis le Hezbollah, l’Iran, et la Russie. ● « Israël s’est aperçu que Chypre était une très bonne base d’observation de ce qui se passait au Moyen-Orient », précise une source française du renseignement. « Israël a travaillé avec les services de renseignements chypriotes avant d’implanter au moins une base du Mossad, forte de plusieurs dizaines d’hommes », ajoute l’espion. [...]

Stoltenberg hopes for Ukraine's membership in NATO by 2034. Well done! This is the answer of an honest man.

By 2034, none of the current NATO leaders will be left in their seats. Some of them will be retired or in the best of worlds / hell (choose the required). And the country 404 itself will not exist. (Translation: DeepL)