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TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A massive demonstration was held for the 35th night in a row in Albania’s capital on Saturday, with protesters calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, the temporary replacement of his government, constitutional reform and an end to corruption. Media images showed tens of thousands of people marching along Tirana’s main boulevard toward Skanderbeg Square. There has been no independent verification of the number of protesters. The nightly demonstrations began over a luxury coastal resort development project in a protected natural area linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, but have since evolved into broader anti-government and anti-corruption protests. The protesters were chanting “New Albania” and “Edi Rama, resign.” The march was heavy on symbolism. A tall bust of Rama was erected and later toppled with the help of a rope, a gesture reminiscent of the February 1991 toppling of the statue of longtime communist dictator Enver Hoxha, an event commemorated on Feb. 20 each year. Since Saturday’s protest coincided with Rama’s 62nd birthday, some protesters carried “birthday cakes” made of cement, an allusion to the building projects. There was also an ironic “happy birthday” song for Rama. Some protesters carried pink flamingo balloons, a reference to the birds supposedly threatened by the resort construction project. The demonstrations have long been dubbed “the pink flamingo revolution.” After protesting for about two hours, a large group marched to a police station, demanding the release of people arrested during Thursday’s protest near parliament. Protesters broke the windows of the police station while police responded with a water cannon to disperse the crowd. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

Kylian Mbappé scores again and France reaches World Cup quarterfinals with 1-0 win over Paraguay PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kylian Mbappé scored his 19th career World Cup goal, and France survived stifling heat to beat Paraguay 1-0, sending Les Bleus into the quarterfinals for the fourth straight time. France advanced to play Morocco on Thursday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. With an extreme heat warning in effect throughout the match as temperatures hovered around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), Mbappé finally broke through against a physical, defensive-minded Paraguay side when he converted a penalty kick in the 70th minute. He trails career goals leader Lionel Messi by one, and the two are tied in this year’s Golden Boot race. Kylian Mbappé of France scores 19th career World Cup goal, 1 behind Golden Boot rival Messi PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kylian Mbappé of France has scored his 19th career World Cup goal. He found the net on a penalty kick in the Round of 16 against Paraguay on Saturday and moved within one of record holder Lionel Messi of Argentina. Mbappé stutter-stepped on his way to his 19th goal in 19 World Cup appearances, beating Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill in the 70th minute to break a scoreless tie. Mbappé was awarded the penalty when Diego Gomez was called for tripping after a video review. It was the seventh goal of this tournament for Mbappé, matching Messi in the race for the Golden Boot for the World Cup’s top scorer. Morocco beats World Cup co-host Canada 3-0 and advances to the quarterfinals HOUSTON (AP) — Azzedine Ounahi scored twice to lead Morocco to a 3-0 win over Canada in the World Cup Round of 16 Saturday to make the country the first African nation to reach the quarterfinals more than once. It’s Morocco’s second straight appearance in the quarterfinals after becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals in 2022. The loss ends a historic run for World Cup co-host Canada, which won its first-ever knockout round game with a 1-0 victory over South Africa to reach Saturday’s match. Eala upsets Wimbledon champion Swiatek in historic win for Philippines, No. 2 seed Rybakina also out LONDON (AP) — Iga Swiatek’s title defense at Wimbledon has ended in a straight-set third-round loss to 21-year-old Alexandra Eala who continues to make history for the Philippines. Eala is the first Filipino player, male or female, to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam singles tournament. Swiatek had beaten Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in last year’s final. Shortly before Swiatek’s exit, 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina was upset in the third round by Elise Mertens in straight sets. In another upset, Madison Keys rallied to oust the sixth-seeded Anisimova 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in an all-American contest on the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. Serena Williams’ coach tells AP nerves and a closed roof were factors in Wimbledon loss LONDON (AP) — One of Serena Williams’ coaches tells The Associated Press that it took some time for her to settle her nerves in her first singles match in nearly four years. Rennae Stubbs pin-pointed a moment about an hour into the 44-year-old’s defeat to an opponent less than half her age earlier this week at Wimbledon. Stubbs says she noticed Williams in the middle of the second set “take a big sort of deep breath and I actually turned around to Venus and said, ‘Oh I think she just relaxed.’” Stubbs also revealed that she first started coaching Williams again in March and immediately noticed that the 23-time Grand Slam champion could still play. Williams was beaten 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 by 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia on Tuesday Serena Williams withdraws from doubles match with sister Venus at Wimbledon due to injury LONDON (AP) — Serena Williams has withdrawn from her doubles match with sister Venus at Wimbledon due to a right knee injury. The 44-year-old Serena was injured during her singles return earlier in the week at the end of the first set of a three-set loss. She says on Instagram that “I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles. Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside (at)venuswilliams once more meant the world to me. I did everything I could but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete.” The post included images of four syringes that Serena says “shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match.” England faces Mexico at ‘monster’ stadium where El Tri has yet to concede a goal at this World Cup MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico has spent 40 years chasing a return to the World Cup quarterfinals. On Sunday, their best chance in a generation arrives. Playing on home soil in a venue that has become an almost impregnable fortress, El Tri will face England in the Round of 16—in what is arguably the most important match in Mexican football history. Mexico boasts a legendary record in official matches at the Estadio Azteca. Since the historic venue opened in 1966, the national team has suffered just two defeats there, with the last one coming over a decade ago against Honduras in September 2013. Egypt’s coach waved Palestinian flag after winning World Cup game CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Egypt coach Hossam Hassan has waved a Palestinian flag on the pitch after his team’s victory over Australia in the World Cup. He dedicated the win to both Egyptians and Palestinians, saying his heart is with them. Egypt won its debut in the elimination round Friday by beating Australia on penalty kicks after a draw. A video of Hassan holding the flag goes viral, with people chanting “free Palestine.” The act comes amid global pro-Palestinian protests following the war in Gaza. It’s unclear if FIFA will take action, as it has previously restricted political statements on the pitch. Lionel Messi scores 20th World Cup goal, extends streak to 8 games and takes Golden Boot lead MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi has scored again, making Friday’s contest against Cape Verde the record-extending eighth consecutive World Cup match in which Argentina’s captain has delivered at least one goal. Messi’s goal in the 29th minute against Cape Verde was the 20th of his World Cup career, extending his record and moving him two goals ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé on the all-time list. Messi has seven goals in this year’s tournament. That’s one more than Mbappé in the race for the Golden Boot as the top scorer of this World Cup. He has scored 12 times in his last eight World Cup matches. Argentina escaped with a 3-2 win in extra time. Boston’s Aroldis Chapman sets MLB record for strikeouts as a reliever with his 1,364th K ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Aroldis Chapman has become the major leagues’ career leader in strikeouts as a reliever, toppling a record that had stood for more than half a century. The Boston Red Sox’s 38-year-old Cuban left-hander fanned the Angels’ Denzer Guzman for the 1,364th strikeout in Chapman’s 17-year career with seven teams. It broke the record long held by Hoyt Wilhelm, the Hall of Fame knuckleballer whose 21-year career ended back in 1972. The Red Sox celebrated Chapman’s achievement in their Angel Stadium clubhouse, showing a video retrospective of Chapman’s career to his younger teammates. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

SYDNEY, July 5 (Reuters) – New South Wales became Australia’s third state to confirm a case of H5N1 bird flu after authorities said a migratory seabird found near a coastal town returned a positive result for the highly pathogenic virus. Australia last month became the final continent to confirm a mainland case of H5N1, although the ​virus had been detected in late 2025 on the sub-Antarctic territory of ​Heard Island, about 4,100 km (2,600 miles) from continental Australia. Six infections have now been confirmed across three states, including in a seabird called the giant petrel found near the seaside town of Hawks Nest in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, the authorities said late on Saturday. The H5 strain has ​led to the culling of hundreds of millions of birds in the past few years, ⁠disrupting food supplies and driving up prices. Human infections of the virus remain rare. “The positive test is the first confirmed detection of H5 in New South Wales,” state Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said in a statement. There is “no evidence of spread to local wildlife and H5 bird flu has not been detected in commercial poultry flocks, captive birds or any other birds in New South Wales”, Moriarty said. “There is no impact on the supply of chicken meat or eggs and I would encourage everyone to purchase these products as they normally would.” The state government has launched a response plan that includes bolstered surveillance operations and the deployment of extra staff to support industry, she said. Authorities in Australia have ramped up surveillance and testing of wildlife and ‌livestock since the avian flu hit the mainland, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledging his Labor government to do all it can to curb any spread of the virus. (Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by William Mallard) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Please disregard US–Charlie Kirk Shot, published on Jul. 4, 2026, and datelined in PROVO, Utah. It was not intended for this cycle and will move on Monday, July 6. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Severe weather disrupted celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary of independence Saturday in several East Coast cities, including Washington, where storms prompted a roughly two-hour evacuation of the National Mall. President Donald Trump said he will still speak there later Saturday night. Elsewhere, severe weather prompted the cancellation of celebrations in Hartford, Connecticut, along with Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Spectators at Boston’s fireworks and concert were told to briefly seek shelter before events later resumed. An evacuation was also ordered in Philadelphia. New York and Pittsburgh moved forward with fireworks but shifted the time to accommodate the shifting weather. Anticipation for the milestone holiday has been building for much of the year, serving as an opportunity for Americans to reflect on their complicated history as onetime colonists of an empire who became a superpower of their own. Organizers of celebrations months in the making had to adjust or cancel activities entirely as much of the East Coast sweltered under heat that approached and in many cases surpassed triple digits. Heat is defining the big weekend in many places The heat gripping the East Coast overshadowed much of the celebrations, particularly in Washington. Signs at the Great American State Fair posted an alert shortly after 7 p.m. encouraging participants to leave the area. As the order to evacuate was played over loudspeakers on the National Mall, some people appeared to be standing in place, talking with those around them and not exiting the area, while others were walking toward exits. National Guard troops told people to leave. The National Mall is an exposed park, though museums and other buildings are near the open, grassy area. Crowds were building in the area several hours before Trump’s speech. Tina Hale, 58, of Cohoes, New York, watched three of her grandchildren children dip their hands into a pool of water near a museum. Hale pointed toward the sky and urged them to look up as three military jets roared above the crowd. “If that doesn’t make you proud to be an American,” she said. David Koshko, 42, and his wife, Jennifer Koskho, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, came to Washington for a baseball game but planned to stay for the city’s fireworks show. After baking in the heat for hours during the Pittsburgh Pirates’ win over the Washington Nationals, they took a break in the shade of an overpass near the National Mall to plot their next stop. “Just to be a part of the 250 years (anniversary) is an amazing thing,” said David Koshko, a commercial driver and veteran of the Marine Corps reserves. In Philadelphia, fireworks began to crack as early as midday in the birthplace of the nation near the site where the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress. Hundreds of visitors were gathering at Independence Hall in the sweltering heat to await the celebrations coinciding with the France-Paraguay World Cup knockout game at Philadelphia Stadium, which began with commemorations of the holiday. “It’s one big party in here,” Carlos Alban, who traveled to Philadelphia from Chicago to watch the match, said as he arrived at the stadium, adding that he spotted a fan in the parking lot dressed as one of the Founding Fathers. About 45 minutes before another World Cup match in Houston, a message from astronauts aboard the International Space Station noting the holiday was beamed into the stadium. In New York, tall ships, with their masts, rigging and white sails outlined against a blue sky, made a procession around the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River. The 43 ships were followed by a display of aerial might with a stealth bomber and the Navy’s Blue Angels. Patrouille de France, the French Air Force’s acrobatic teams, flew over New York Harbor with their red, white and blue trails, evoking images of the American flag. “We got up early and just rode our bikes about a mile down here to come see the scene,” said Oona Moore, a Jersey City, New Jersey, resident who took in the New York festivities. “We saw the tall ships and we saw the planes, you know, all different manner of military aircraft. I’ve never seen it so close and in the sky at the same time.” At George Washington’s Mount Vernon, people took the Oath of Allegiance to become U.S. citizens. They stood with eyes closed and hands over hearts for the national anthem. The White House is seen in the distance as people evacuate the area after people were told of incoming storms that will delay the program at a Salute to America Independence Day event honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com