Two climbers who scaled the spire of the Empire State Building in a daring stunt were arraigned Thursday on felony charges and released under court supervision, a day after they evaded security to unfurl a banner about 1,450 feet above the sweltering city and appeared to mark their engagement. Angelina Nikolau, 33, who goes by Angela, and Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, face charges including burglary, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief, according to the criminal complaint. The charges are not bail-eligible under New York law, and the pair are due back in court August 24, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors described the pair in court as social media influencers who engage in extreme risk-taking behavior, including breaking into restricted areas of commercial buildings, hanging from rooftops and free-climbing skyscrapers, according to the DA’s office. Kuznetsov later told NYPD he wanted to “do something special for his engagement,” prosecutors said in court.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/01/us/empire-state-building-banner
Note: This story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here. My voice still hasn’t recovered from the noise I made when Harry Kane scored the equalizing goal in England’s win against the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday. As a huge Three Lions fan, it was a moment of utter relief made even sweeter when Kane smashed home the winner moments later. If I wasn’t already getting married in the next few weeks (Editors’ note: Congratulations, Ben!), I’d genuinely consider proposing to the superstar striker. Regardless, he’s getting an invite to the top table.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/02/sport/the-beautiful-game-july-2
Russia’s decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now cost the country some 450,000 lives, according to a new study that estimates the war’s total casualty numbers to have surpassed 2 million. The research by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates Russia has suffered 1.4 million casualties, including killed, wounded and missing soldiers – a stunning number that amounts to roughly 1% of the country’s population. The losses are not spread evenly across Russia, with poorer areas and ethnic minorities suffering significantly higher casualty rates. Stories of male populations of small remote villages being virtually wiped out are becoming more common in Russian opposition media. And according to the study, Russia is currently unable to recruit new troops at the same rate as it is losing them.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/02/world/russia-war-casualities-ukraine-2-million-intl
Iryna Moskaeva and her children jumped out of their beds and started running after an explosion rocked their Kyiv apartment early on Thursday, one of many residential buildings hit during a massive Russian attack that killed at least 21 people across the Ukrainian capital. But there was nowhere to go. “All the windows in the room were shattered, and the door was jammed – I couldn’t open it,” the 61-year old told CNN. Moskaeva, who was eventually rescued by firefighters, said this was the second time that a Russian attack damaged her home. “The first time there was an attack like this, I started crying – I was shaking so badly,” she related. Now unable to enter her apartment and going to stay with relatives, she said she was worried about getting to work on Monday. “How am I supposed to get there? There’s no power, no clothes to change into, there’s nothing.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/01/world/russian-strikes-kyiv-zelensky-intl-hnk
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/02/world/video/ukraine-long-range-strikes-pressure-putin-intl-dsk