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Bipartisan group of senators calls for Trump to reverse its Russian diesel plan

A bipartisan group of six senators — four of them Republicans — called Sunday for the Trump administration to “immediately reverse course” on a plan to purchase diesel from Russia as part of an effort to lower high fuel prices.

President Trump shocked lawmakers when he announced on social media Friday that he had struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call. He said Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the American and global market, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.” Russia will deliver an additional 3 million tons “within a short period of time” after that, he wrote.

Four Republican senators and two Democratic senators signed onto the statement released Sunday protesting the deal. They said the administration failed to consult with Congress or submit any explanation to justify its decision as required by statute.

“The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians. The Administration must immediately reverse course,” they wrote.

The Republican senators who signed onto the statement are Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Curtis of Utah. The Democratic senators are Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

Tillis, in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said there’s a legitimate case for saying the president is not following the law if the administration goes through with its diesel purchase plan.

“We were very clear that Russia is the aggressor. Russia is the one who can end this war by backing out of territory that they occupied,” Tillis said.

Trump’s announcement came just a few weeks after Congress passed legislation that directed Trump to impose substantial tariffs on the top importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with an exception for countries that import less than 15% of Russia’s natural gas exports and have taken significant steps to reduce those imports.

The congressional effort was aimed at cutting the flow of money Russia receives from oil and gas sales to finance its war against Ukraine.

The lawmakers also noted that Congress explicitly banned Russia energy imports in 2022 — after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — to prevent the United States from financing the war.

“Congress was clear: the U.S. should not import oil from Russia until it ends its aggression against Ukraine and ceases threats against our NATO Allies,” the six lawmakers wrote in their statement. “President Trump’s decision to allow Russian diesel imports to the U.S. runs directly counter to that law.”

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), when asked whether the president’s action would be in violation of U.S. law, said Trump is focused on reducing the cost of energy.

“The president is balancing and has to make tough decisions,” Barrasso said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

He also encouraged Trump to enforce the sanctions law that Congress passed last month.

“This is just another point of leverage for the president to use against Putin in an effort to get a long-term solution in that part of the world,” Barrasso said.

Trump has recently sought to blame record U.S. diesel prices on Ukraine rather than the U.S.-led war in Iran, which has elevated world energy prices.

Freking writes for the Associated Press.

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Africa Cup of Nations: Caf in discussions to reverse switch from two-year cycle

The Africa Cup of Nations could continue to be held every two years, with discussions under way to reverse its proposed switch to a four-year cycle.

Speaking on Friday at a Confederation of African Football (Caf) strategy conference in Cape Verde, president Patrice Motsepe said: “We’ve discussed it over the last few days.

“We are looking at everything, including having the Afcon coming back every two years. We are very clear, the matter is being reviewed.”

The tournament has taken place every two years since 1968, bar a one-year gap between the 2012 and 2013 editions.

However, in December 2025 CAF announced it would shift to being staged every four years after the 2027 Afcon in East Africa and a 2028 edition.

That planned alteration to the schedule had received widespread criticism across the continent.

National associations had raised concerns about the visibility of their teams, the commercial implications and where Africa’s biggest competition would sit in the international football calendar.

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Burnham calls on Polanski to reverse Green Party’s Zionism motion

Andy Burnham has called on Green leader Zack Polanski to reverse a motion passed by members of his party declaring Zionism a form of racism.

The prime minister said the motion, approved on Sunday at the party’s conference in Brighton, was “completely wrong” and showed “terrible judgement”.

The motion defined Zionism as an ideology supporting “an ethnonationalist Jewish state” and backed a “single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine”, which includes modern-day Israel.

In the wake of the vote, Polanski has said he would not accept anyone being excluded from the Green Party “because of the religious or communal body they are part of”.

The Green leader has declined media interviews since the motion was passed and did not answer questions from a BBC reporter about the motion ahead of Burnham’s comments.

It comes as polls close in Thursday’s Holborn and St Pancras by-election, in which Polanski is a candidate.

The motion has complicated the final days of Polanksi’s campaign in the contest, where the Greens have been looking to overturn a substantial Labour majority in the seat vacated by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

It has sparked days of controversy, with four of the five Green MPs opposing it, its co-deputy leaders split on supporting it, the Green deputy leader in Wales resigning, and condemnation from members and Green counterparts in Europe.

Polanski did not vote on the Zionism motion, having left the conference early to return to London for the by-election campaign.

An amendment he had backed to specify that the motion should not be used to discipline Jewish members attending synagogues that consider themselves Zionist was voted down by members.

Before the vote, he had also said he wanted to see the reference to a single Palestinian state changed, arguing: “I don’t believe we as a Green Party of England and Wales, or even the British government, should be deciding what the future settlement looks like.”

The Green Party has an internal democracy model, under which official party policy is decided by members. However, these positions are not necessarily included in the party’s general election manifestos.

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Jessica Alba, 45, is ‘aging in reverse’ in a cute crop top and miniskirt at Y2K party with A-list pals

JESSICA Alba blew fans away with her ageless looks as she danced the night away with celebrity pals at a party thrown by Paris Hilton.

The Fantastic Four star, 45, shared a video of her dancing with Keke Palmer and Kelly Sawyer in a purple lit room.

Jessica Alba looked incredible as she posed in her Y2K outfit Credit: jessicaalba/instagram
The star embraced the look in a tiny miniskirt and suede boots Credit: jessicaalba/instagram

Pictures from the same post showed Jessica embracing her Y2K style in a star-printed cut-off tank top, mini skirt and brown suede boots.

Completing her look with a half-up hairstyle, Jessica looked like she had stepped straight out of 2001 for a night of partying.

She captioned the video: “A @parishilton y2k end of summer party w my girls @keke @kellysawyer … that’s hot”

Keke clearly had a lot of fun as well, commenting on the post: “I found love when I found you two 😍”

Jenna Dewan posted: “I’m so sad to have missed this!! You look amaze”, while boyfriend Danny Ramirez simply posted a string of heart-eyed emojis.

But fans were blown away by the ageless star, with one writing: “wow she looks almost the same she did 20 years ago, real y2k legend 😍🔥”

Fans said she ‘hadn’t aged in 20 years’ as she posed in her outfit Credit: jessicaalba/instagram
The star shot to fame in the early 2000s thanks to Dark Angel Credit: jessicaalba/instagram

“Natural beauty! You make it look easy,” wrote another.

“Baddest baddie in the history of baddies” said a third.

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While a fourth wrote: “That woman who never grows old, always shines like a new coin.😍”

Jessica Alba shot to fame in the early 2000s, appearing in cult-smash movie, Dark Angel.

She later appeared in a string of blockbusters including Sin City and Honey, before becoming Sue Storm in the Fantastic Four movies in 2005.

She’s currently working on a new TV series, Confessions on the 7:45, starring as Selena Murphy, a woman whose life is turned upside down when she meets a stranger.

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