International news brief: Zelensky says Putin has become 'a terrorist', 51 migrants die

Washington, Jun 29: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of becoming "a terrorist" and leading a "terrorist state". He further urged Russia's expulsion from the United Nations.

Zelenskyy urges UN action over mall attack

Zelenskyy calls on UN to visit site of Ukraine mall strike Russia's Supreme Court to decide on "terror" designation for Azov battalion Sweden, Finland move closer to NATO membership.

"I suggest the United Nations send either a special representative, or the secretary-general of the United Nations ... so the UN could independently find out information and see that this indeed was a Russian missile strike," he said.

Zelenskyy asked all 15 members of the Security Council - including Russia - to observe a minute's silence for the victims of the attack.

Hong Kong in limbo 25 years after British handover to China

When the British handed its colony Hong Kong to Beijing in 1997, it was promised 50 years of self-government and freedoms of assembly, speech and press that are not allowed Chinese on the Communist-ruled mainland. As the city of 7.4 million people marks 25 years under Beijing's rule on Friday, those promises are wearing thin.

51 migrants die after trailer abandoned in San Antonio heat

Desperate families of migrants from Mexico and Central America frantically sought word of their loved ones as authorities began the grim task Tuesday of identifying 51 people who died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer without air conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat. It was the deadliest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico.

Florida man pleads guilty to role in 2021 US Capitol riot

A Florida man has pleaded guilty to three felony charges related to the insurrection and storming of the US Capitol in January 2021. Mitchell Todd Gardner II, 34, of Seffner, Florida, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in the District of Columbia to civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon, according to court records. He faces up to 45 years in prison at his October 21 sentencing. Gardner was arrested in Tampa in June 2021.

Filmmaker to testify in Georgia Trump election investigation

A British filmmaker who shot interviews with Donald Trump and his inner circle in the final months of the former president's administration has been subpoenaed to testify in a Georgia investigation into whether Trump and others illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in the state. Footage shot by Alex Holder includes interviews from the campaign trail, as well as footage shot before and after the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.