Russia launches missiles, Spacey pleads not guilty, Biden signs pledge

Headlines for July 14, 2022 include:

Russia’s latest deadly attack on Ukraine: At least 20 people died and 90 others we wounded after a Russian missile strike on a town southwest of Kyiv. Three missiles hit an office building, damaging nearby places and setting dozens of cars on fire. The country’s president called the attack “an open act of terrorism” against civilians in locations without military value.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested the attack was deliberately aimed at civilians. The strike happened as government officials from about 40 countries met in The Hague to discuss coordinating investigations and prosecutions of potential war crimes committed in Ukraine.

Kevin Spacey pleaded not guilty to sexual assault charges: In a London courtroom, Kevin Spacey pleaded not guilty to sexual assault charges. He’s facing five charges related to incidents with three different men. Spacey will stand trial next year.

The former “House of Cards” star, who ran London’s Old Vic theater between 2004 and 2015, denied four counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. The incidents allegedly took place in London between March 2005 and August 2008, and one in western England in April 2013. The victims are now in their 30s and 40s.

Pledge to deny Iran nuclear power: President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge on Thursday to deny Iran nuclear arms. The undertaking, part of a “Jerusalem Declaration” crowning President Biden’s first visit to Israel as president, came a day after he told a local TV station that he was open to “last resort” use of force against Iran, an apparent move toward accommodating Israel’s calls for a “credible military threat” by world powers.

“The United States stresses that integral to this pledge is the commitment never to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, and that it is prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome,” the pledge said. “The United States further affirms the commitment to work together with other partners to confront Iran’s aggression and destabilizing activities, whether advanced directly or through proxies and terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”

Last week, Iran announced it has enriched uranium to 60 percent purity. That is a technical step toward weapons-grade quality.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.