Fauci Invokes Fifth Amendment at Senate COVID Hearing

This is the morning edition of the One News Page Global Briefing, for Friday, the thirty-first of July, twenty twenty-six. Here is what matters now.

Dr. Anthony Fauci repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a Senate hearing on the COVID-nineteen pandemic, drawing Republican threats of contempt-of-Congress proceedings. Senator Rand Paul, who has long clashed with the former top U S health official, is moving to hold Dr. Fauci in contempt after he declined to answer questions under oath. The hearing revisited disputed questions about the origins of the coronavirus and the U S pandemic response. Mr. Paul has accused Dr. Fauci of funding research that triggered the COVID-nineteen pandemic and of lying to Congress about it; Dr. Fauci denies those charges. The political and legal fallout, including any contempt vote, remains unresolved.

Meanwhile, in Europe, about forty-nine thousand migrants have entered the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta from neighboring Morocco, crossing by sea and on foot over Thursday and Friday, officials said. The territory's leader called on Madrid to declare a national emergency and requested military support, saying local resources were overwhelmed by the arrivals. Ceuta, a six-mile-long peninsula on Morocco's northern coast that Spain has governed for centuries, has long been a flashpoint for migration tensions.

In the United States, Colin Gray, the father of a fourteen-year-old student who killed two teachers and two classmates at Apalachee High School in Georgia in twenty twenty-four, was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for providing the weapon used in the attack. Judge Nicholas Primm told Gray during Thursday's hearing, "It is clear you failed as a parent." Prosecutors had argued that Gray bore responsibility because he gave his son a gun and failed to act as the teenager's mental health deteriorated. Gray was found guilty earlier this year on charges stemming from the shooting.

In Britain, the U K Supreme Court has given Palestine Action permission to appeal the government's proscription of the group under anti-terrorism legislation. Huda Ammori, the direct-action group's co-founder, is challenging the ban, which was imposed last July. The case will now be heard by the U K's highest court. The development came as police arrested one hundred and seventeen people at a protest linked to the group, according to Sky News.

Also in the U K, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he will take a "pragmatic" approach to oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, telling reporters that the government "can't ignore" the potential energy resources there "when people are struggling." Mr. Burnham said he had delivered the same message to U S President Donald Trump during their first conversation after Mr. Burnham entered Downing Street.

Meanwhile, B P has launched a formal process to sell its North Sea oil and gas business, a move that would end six decades of production in the region by the energy giant. The decision follows a review of B P's operations and comes as the company's new chief executive seeks to simplify the firm and reduce debt.

In the United States, U S investigators are examining whether Iranian actors carried out a cyberattack this week on more than thirty community water systems across Minnesota. Authorities cautioned that the assessment is preliminary and said there were no indications that any water supply had been rendered unsafe to drink.

In South Asia, renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, a former British Special Forces member also known as Nims Dai, is among ten climbers feared missing after an avalanche struck Broad Peak in northern Pakistan. The Pakistan Alpine Club said the climbers were on an expedition on one of the world's highest mountains when the avalanche hit. The missing include an American, a Chinese national, an Omani and five Nepalis, along with Pakistani climbers. A search effort was being mobilized.

In entertainment news, the makers of the unreleased forty-five million dollars Second World War spy thriller Fortitude have sued Netflix after a hard drive containing the Nicolas Cage film was allegedly stolen from the streamer's Los Angeles office. The lawsuit, which seeks one hundred and five million dollars, claims the drive was "stolen right off a Netflix desk."

Also in British politics, veteran Labour M P Diane Abbott has been readmitted to the party and had the parliamentary whip restored after a suspension over past comments. Ms. Abbott apologized for the remarks and said she had been issued with a formal warning. The party said the decision followed an independent disciplinary process and that the leadership played no role. Fellow M P Joani Reid was also readmitted and had the whip restored.

In U S politics, Elon Musk is reported to be preparing a major spending push to help Republicans retain control of Congress in November's midterm elections, with activity expected in at least eight states. The planned push comes a year after a public rift between Musk, President Trump and the Republican Party.

That was the morning edition of the One News Page Global Briefing. Read the complete briefing and explore its supporting coverage at One News Page.