Entrenched incumbent Maduro is declared winner of Venezuela’s disputed presidential election

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been formally declared the winner of his country’s disputed presidential election. The announcement came Monday, a day after the political opposition and the entrenched incumbent both claimed victory in the contest. The National Electoral Council, which is loyal to Maduro’s ruling party, handed him a third six-year term as the leader of an economy recovering from collapse and a population desperate for change. There was no immediate comment from the opposition. Opposition leaders planned to hold a news conference later in the day. Demonstrators began to gather in Caracas, the capital, and some attempted to block freeways.

Israeli military detains 9 soldiers over alleged abuse of a detainee

SDE TEIMAN BASE, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military says it is holding nine soldiers for questioning following allegations of “substantial abuse” of a detainee at a shadowy facility where Israel has held Palestinian prisoners throughout the war in Gaza. The military did not disclose additional details surrounding the alleged abuse. It says its top legal official has launched a probe. An investigation by The Associated Press and reports by rights groups have exposed abysmal conditions at the Sde Teiman facility, Israel’s largest detention center. The military has generally denied ill-treatment of detainees. The detentions of soldiers prompted an outcry among members of Israel’s far-right government.

Ukrainian troops say Russia has driven them out of 2 more Donetsk villages

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian soldiers say Russian forces have overrun two front-line villages in the eastern Donetsk region. The relentless assaults are part of a Kremlin summer push to overwhelm battlefield defenses there. The villages lie about 20 miles northwest of Avdiivka, a city that the Russian army seized in February in its last major triumph in the war. Russia’s eastern onslaught is fueled by its heavy advantage in soldiers and weaponry. It has repeatedly forced the Ukrainians to pull back from defensive positions to avoid being captured or killed. Russian troops are also intensifying their weekslong drive to breach Ukrainian defenses around Pokrovsk.

2 children dead and 11 people injured in stabbing rampage in England

LONDON (AP) — Police say two children have died and 11 other people have been injured in a stabbing in northwest England. Merseyside Police said a 17-year-old boy was arrested and a knife seized after the bloody attack Monday in Southport, a seaside town near Liverpool. Police say the attack happened at a community center where a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga event for primary school-aged children was held. A nearby shop owner says he saw between seven and 10 bleeding children run from the building. Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls the attack “horrendous and deeply shocking.”