Category: World

Czech local media reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light when following Taiwanese Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s car and that the Chinese had also planned to stage a demonstrative car crash.

Taiwan’s Vice-President Hsiao Bi-khim said she will not be intimidated by China after Czech military intelligence said Chinese diplomats and secret service followed Hsiao and planned to intimidate her physically when she visited Prague last year.

Hsiao visited the Czech Republic in March 2024. Prague does not have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan but has fostered warm relations with the island, which China views as its own territory despite Taiwan’s rejection.

Czech media reported last year that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light when following her car. Czech public radio news website irozhlas.cz said on Thursday (Jun 26) that the Chinese had also planned to stage a demonstrative car crash.

“I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety. The CCP’s unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan’s interests in the international community,” Hsiao wrote in a post on X social media platform on Saturday, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. Her post was linked to the Reuters report on the incident.

In a separate post on X, Hsiao thanked global parliamentarians who have expressed solidarity against “violence and coercion”.

“Taiwan will not be isolated by intimidation,” Hsiao wrote.

A Czech Military Intelligence spokesman said Chinese diplomats in Prague had taken actions that violated diplomatic rules.

“This consisted of physically following the vice-president, gathering information on her schedule and attempts to document her meetings with important representatives of the Czech political and public scene,” spokesman Jan Pejsek said in emailed comments to Reuters.

“We even recorded an attempt by the Chinese civil secret service to create conditions to perform a demonstrative kinetic action against a protected person, which however did not go beyond the phase of preparation.”

A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, commenting on the matter, denied any wrongdoing by Chinese diplomats and also said the Czech Republic had interfered in China’s internal affairs by allowing Hsiao’s visit to go ahead.

The Czech Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the Chinese ambassador over the incident at the time but did not comment further on Friday.

“This is the CCP’s criminality on display for the whole world to see. This isn’t diplomacy, it’s coercion,” the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee wrote on X.

TAIWAN PROTESTS
Taiwan’s China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council said the Chinese actions “seriously threatened the personal safety of Vice President Hsiao and her entourage”.

“The Mainland Affairs Council today protested and strongly condemned the Chinese communist’s bad behaviour and demanded that the Chinese side should immediately explain and publicly apologise,” it said.

A senior Taiwan security official briefed on the matter told Reuters the incident was an example of “transnational repression” by China that the European Union is currently paying close attention to.

“This is a problem that everyone should pay attention to,” the official requesting anonymity said, adding many government officials around the world were threatened by China upon visits made by Taiwanese officials or politicians to their countries.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/taiwan-vice-president-china-planned-physical-intimidation-prague-visit-czech-republic-5209741

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi says Iran likely will be able to begin to produce enriched uranium “in a matter of months”, despite damage to several nuclear facilities from US and Israeli attacks, CBS News said on Saturday (Jun 28).

Israel launched a bombing campaign on Iranian nuclear and military sites on Jun 13, saying it was aimed at keeping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon – an ambition the Islamic republic has consistently denied.

The United States subsequently bombed three key facilities used for Tehran’s atomic programme.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the extent of the damage to the nuclear sites is “serious”, but the details are unknown. US President Donald Trump insisted Iran’s nuclear programme had been set back “decades”.

But Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said “some is still standing”.

“They can have, you know, in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that,” Grossi said Friday, according to a transcript of the interview released Saturday.

Another key question is whether Iran was able to relocate some or all of its estimated 408.6kg stockpile of highly enriched uranium before the attacks.

The uranium in question is enriched to 60 per cent – above levels for civilian usage but still below weapons grade. That material, if further refined, would theoretically be sufficient to produce more than nine nuclear bombs.

Grossi admitted to CBS: “We don’t know where this material could be”.

“So some could have been destroyed as part of the attack, but some could have been moved. So there has to be at some point a clarification,” he said in the interview.

For now, Iranian lawmakers voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA and Tehran rejected Grossi’s request for a visit to the damaged sites, especially Fordo, the main uranium enrichment facility.

“We need to be in a position to ascertain, to confirm what is there, and where is it and what happened,” Grossi said.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/iran-nuclear-produce-enriched-uranium-within-months-iaea-rafael-grossi-5209576

The travelling animal care vehicles could provide a solution for pet owners who are priced out of private healthcare and too far from the city’s one government-run clinic.

When Lusiana discovered that a free rabies vaccination event was being held at a cultural centre about a kilometre from her home, the East Jakarta resident was excited.

Her cat, Bono, had been vomiting and acting lethargic for days and the 74-year-old widow was hoping that the veterinarians present at the event might provide some answers.

The private animal clinics near her home are too expensive while Jakarta’s only government-run clinic, located some 28km away on the other side of the city, is too far for the ageing retiree.

“It would have taken me one-and-a-half hours one way to get to the (government-run) clinic by bus. In fact, it’s so far away I’m not even sure which bus I should take to get there,” Lusiana, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told CNA.

Located near the city’s southern limit, the Jakarta Animal Health Centre is the only place in the sprawling metropolis of 11 million inhabitants which provides subsidised healthcare for animals and thus holds special importance for pet owners like Lusiana.

Prices at privately-run clinics can be two to four times more expensive than at the health centre.

For example, the health centre charges 70,000 rupiah (US$4) for every health consultation session while private ones typically charge between 150,000 and 250,000 rupiah per session.

Meanwhile, male neutering costs between 200,000 and 350,000 rupiah at the health centre, depending on the size of the animal, while prices at private clinics vary between 400,000 and 1 million rupiah.

To compensate for the centre’s remoteness, the city has been staging outreach programmes where veterinarians and city officials visit one Jakarta community after the other, including the rabies event which Lusiana attended on Jun 10.

But these programmes are held only once or twice every month. Since veterinarians can only carry a limited amount of equipment, the events are often limited to simple procedures such as vaccinations and sterilisations, as Lusiana found out the hard way.

“The vets suspected that my cat might have parasites but they can’t be sure without performing a blood test. And to do that I need to take my cat to the (government-run) clinic,” she said.

As residents in the Indonesian capital struggle with the lack of places where owners can get affordable healthcare for their pets, authorities have come up with a potential solution. Starting next year, Jakarta will have six mobile veterinary service vehicles.

These travelling animal clinics, modelled after an existing initiative in neighbouring West Java, aim to be a game-changer for veterinarians, animal owners and their pets.

Hasudungan Sidabalok, chief of the Jakarta Food Security, Maritime and Agriculture Agency, which oversees all animal affairs in the Indonesian capital, acknowledged that the city-run animal clinic is too far for many residents.

“We are planning to build an animal clinic in each of Jakarta’s (five) municipalities. But the process of building one is long as there need to be studies, for example, of how accessible a location is to people in that municipality and so on,” Hasudungan told CNA.

“So the most feasible and quickest solution is to set up mobile veterinary service units.”

Hasudungan said Jakarta plans to acquire between six and 12 vans and convert them into animal clinics on wheels. These mobile veterinary vehicles are expected to roam the streets of Jakarta next year.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/could-jakarta-mobile-veterinary-vehicles-help-pet-and-animal-care-5204766

Prince Harry got candid about the hate his wife, Meghan Markle, has received online during a surprise appearance at the 2025 Nexus Global Summit in New York

“One of the reasons why the digital world was so important to us is because my wife, in 2018, was the most trolled person in the world,” the Duke of Sussex said while talking about how to combat social isolation online for “a better future for 2025 and beyond.”

“There was a lived experience,” he added, per the Daily Mail.

Harry, 40, explained that it became “important” for him and Markle, 43, to focus on the “digital world” through the Archewell Foundation after “meet[ing] a lot of parents who had lost their kids to social media — the majority through suicide.”

“That’s when it really started to make sense to us,” he continued.

The “Spare” author shared that people’s “compassion can shrink” as their “lives become harder.”

“I would sit up at night, and I was just like, ‘I don’t understand how all of this is being churned out,’” Markle added.

The Duchess of Sussex and Harry stepped down from their royal duties in 2020 amid drama with several members of the royal family.

They then relocated to Montecito, Calif., where they live with their kids: Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/06/28/celebrity-news/prince-harry-says-meghan-markle-was-most-trolled-person-in-the-world-during-surprise-appearance-in-new-york/

At least 81 Palestinians have been killed and more than 400 injured in Israeli strikes across Gaza in the 24 hours until midday on Saturday, the Hamas-run health ministry said.

In one incident, at least 11 people, including children, were killed after a strike near a stadium in Gaza City, Al-Shifa hospital staff and witnesses told news agencies. The stadium was being used to house displaced people, living in tents.

Footage verified by the BBC shows people digging through the sand with their bare hands and spades to find bodies.

The BBC has contacted the Israeli military for comment.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he was hopeful a ceasefire could be agreed in the next week.

Qatari mediators said they hoped US pressure could achieve a deal, following a truce between Israel and Iran that ended the 12-day conflict between the countries.

In March, a two-month ceasefire collapsed when Israel launched fresh strikes on Gaza. The ceasefire deal – which started on 19 January – was set up to have three stages, but did not make it past the first stage.

Stage two included establishing a permanent ceasefire, the return of remaining living hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

On Thursday, a senior Hamas official told the BBC mediators have intensified their efforts to broker a new ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, but that negotiations with Israel remain stalled.

A rally was organised on Saturday evening in Tel Aviv calling for a deal to free the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Organisers said “the time has come to end the fighting and bring everyone home in one phase”.

Meanwhile, Israeli attacks in Gaza continue. Friday evening’s strike near the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City killed at least 11 people, hospital staff and witnesses said.

One witness said they were sitting when they “suddenly heard a huge explosion” after a road was hit.

“This area was packed with tents – now the tents are under the sand. We spent hours digging with our bare hands,” Ahmed Qishawi told the Reuters news agency.

He said there are “no wanted people here, nor any terrorists as they [Israelis] claim… [there are] only civilian residents, children, who were targeted with no mercy,” he said.

The BBC has verified footage showing civilians and emergency services digging through the sandy ground with their hands and spades to find bodies.

Fourteen more people were reported killed, some of them children, in strikes on an apartment block and a tent in the al-Mawasi area.

The strike in al-Mawasi killed three children and their parents, who died while they were asleep, relatives told the Associated Press.

“What did these children do to them? What is their fault?” the children’s grandmother, Suad Abu Teima, told the news agency.

More people were reported killed on Saturday afternoon after an air strike on the Tuffah neighbourhood near Jaffa School, where hundreds of displaced Gazans were sheltering.

The strike killed at least eight people, including five children, the Palestinian health ministry said.

One witness Mohammed Haboub told Reuters that his nephews, father and the children of his neighbours were killed in the strike.

“We didn’t do anything to them, why do they harm us? Did we harm them? We are civilians,” he told the news agency.

The health ministry said ambulance and civil defence crews were facing difficulties in reaching a number of victims trapped under the rubble and on the roads, due to the impossibility of movement in some of the affected areas.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czry8g5n80zo

Bain was halfway through his band’s Los Angeles concert on a crisp April night when the music stopped.

In an oversized fur coat and black sunglasses, the 24-year-old K-pop star told thousands of fans: “Before I start the next song – I want to share something with you guys.”

A brief pause and then: “I’m [expletive] proud to be part of the LGBTQ community!”

The crowd erupted in applause and screams as Bain broke into Lady Gaga’s pride anthem: “Just put your paws up, ‘Cause you were born this way, baby”.

In that moment, as he came out to the world, he was not nervous, he tells the BBC in an interview at his studio in Seoul – rather, he had been trying to “sound cool”.

A handful of K-pop artists have come out as gay in recent years – but none as publicly as Bain.

Even in 2025, that is a bold move in South Korea’s entertainment industry, where stars are held to impossible standards. Admitting to even a heterosexual relationship is scandalous.

“There were some people in the industry who knew [I was thinking of coming out] and warned me against it, saying it would be a risk,” Bain says. “And of course I thought about the risk – that we might lose fans.

“But then I thought, society is changing… I might gain more than I might lose.”

That’s the big question: has he thrown open the door to change in an industry that has become global but remains deeply rooted in a conservative South Korea?

‘I thought I could just pretend’
Bain, whose real name is Song Byeonghee, says he was in secondary school, about 12 years old, when he realised he was gay.

Shortly afterwards, he decided to become a K-pop trainee but he kept his sexuality a secret – he felt like being gay was “not allowed”.

“It wasn’t something I questioned… I just thought I had no choice,” he says. “There was no-one else [around me that was gay]. I thought I could just pretend and keep going.”

Wealthy, modern South Korea is still traditional in many ways. Powerful yet conservative churches often see homosexuality as a disability or sin. And same-sex marriage is not legally recognised.

In 2021, Bain made his debut as part of a six-member boyband, Just B. They have released several albums and have taken part in reality shows, earning a dedicated audience.

But through it all, the years of hiding a part of himself took a toll on Bain.

“I was so overwhelmed, I thought maybe I can’t be an idol at all. I felt I’d been hiding so much. I decided to talk to Mom.”

That was about three years ago. His mother was the first person in his family to find out: “We talked for an hour, and I finally said, ‘I like men more than women.’ That’s when she knew.”

Her reaction was difficult for him. “Honestly, she didn’t like it – not at first. She said she thought I could overcome it, that maybe I’d someday like women. She felt sad… that I’d now face bad reactions from others. But [she] said, ‘You’re my son, so I love you, I support you, I love you.’ It was mixed. I was sad, but in the end grateful she said she loves me.”

Then his team members and company began encouraging him to take the leap – and tell the world.

Earlier this year the band began a world tour, and on the last stop of their US tour, Bain decided to come out on stage.

Since then, the band has been thrust into the spotlight – with Bain giving countless interviews as he quickly became the new face of the Korean LGBTQ community.

“I feel like I’ve changed a lot since coming out. I feel more confident. When I meet someone new, I show who I am immediately,” he says. “But I also feel sad that my identity is such a big deal now.”

Over time, he hopes, people will stop saying “oh, he’s gay, but rather, oh, that’s just who he is”.

The taboos in K-pop
When South Korean actor Hong Seok-Cheon came out as gay in 2000, LGBTQ representation truly entered the country’s mainstream.

He was the first Korean celebrity to open up about his sexuality – and it came at a cost. He was dropped from TV shows and advertisements.

Attitudes have certainly changed since then. A Pew survey from 2019 showed that the number of people who accepted homosexuality has risen to 44% from 25% in 2002.

And yet, only a handful of other celebrities have come out. In 2018, Holland became the country’s first openly gay K-pop artist and, in 2020, Jiae, a former member of girl group Wassup, came out as bisexual. Both have said they found it hard to sign with a record label as a result.

Bain’s announcement, however, has been celebrated by both fans and South Korea’s LGBTQ community.

“When someone like an idol comes out, it gives people like me a sense that we are not alone,” says a 26-year-old Korean transgender woman, who does not want to be named.

“It brings comfort…makes me think, maybe I’m ok the way I am.”

Online too, a majority of the comments have been positive. One gay fan in a YouTube comment wrote how he was encouraged by Bain, after feeling “so much despair” over “the hateful comments” and discrimination.

“But thanks to Bain, I’ve found the courage to keep going.”

International fans have especially cheered him on: “After the initial shock, I started to cry,” said Lia, a K-pop fan from the US who identifies as lesbian.

“Knowing that Korea still has some repression against LGBTQ people, the bravery and courage he displayed by coming out…[was] admirable.”

South Korea’s cultural footprint has been growing globally, and that has brought fans from everywhere, with their own perspectives and beliefs. They may well reshape the K-pop industry.

But that will take time. And that is evident in the range of comments in response to Bain’s announcement – disapproval to apathy.

For one, the country has seen a rise in right-wing, often avowed anti-feminist beliefs in young men, who seem to oppose any challenge to traditional gender roles.

And those roles remain strong in South Korea. The government and the church champion conventional family values, encouraging young people to marry and have children so they can boost birth rates, currently the lowest in the world.

Given all that, it may not be a surprise that homosexuality is still a taboo, even in a global industry like K-pop.

This is a world where even straight couples don’t talk about their private lives, says critic Lim Hee-yun.

“K-pop has spent nearly 25 years avoiding the topic of sexuality [altogether]. Even heterosexual relationships are hidden to protect fan fantasies.”

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn5kx7wn1nzo

Japan on Sunday successfully launched a climate change monitoring satellite on its mainstay H-2A rocket, which made its final flight before it is replaced by a new flagship model designed to be more cost competitive in the global space market.

The H-2A rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, carrying the GOSAT-GW satellite as part of Tokyo’s effort to mitigate climate change. The satellite was safely separated from the rocket and released into a planned orbit about 16 minutes later.

Scientists and space officials at the control room exchanged hugs and handshakes to celebrate the successful launch, which was delayed by several days due to a malfunctioning of the rocket’s electrical systems.

Keiji Suzuki, a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries official in charge of rocket launch operations, said he was more nervous than ever for the final mission of the rocket, which has been his career work. “I’ve spent my entire life at work not to drop H-2A rocket … All I can say is I’m so relieved.”

Sunday’s launch marked the 50th and final flight for the H-2A, which has served as Japan’s mainstay rocket to carry satellites and probes into space with a near-perfect record since its 2001 debut. After its retirement, it will be fully replaced by the H3, which is already in operation, as Japan’s new main flagship.

“It is a deeply emotional moment for all of us at JAXA as a developer,” Hiroshi Yamakawa, president of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, told a news conference.

The GOSAT-GW, or Global Observing SATellite for Greenhouse gases and Water cycle, is a third series in the mission to monitor carbon, methane and other greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Within one year, it will start distributing data such as sea surface temperature and precipitation with much higher resolution to users around the world, including the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, officials said.

The liquid-fuel H-2A rocket with two solid-fuel sub-rockets developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has so far had 49 flights with a 98% success record, with only one failure in 2003. Mitsubishi Heavy has provided its launch operation since 2007.

H-2A successfully carried into space many satellites and probes, including Japan’s moon lander SLIM last year, and a popular Hayabusa2 spacecraft in 2014 to reach a distant asteroid, contributing to the country’s space programs.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/japan-space-rocket-satellite-carbon-climate-f5a2cdc4e8e0611288c3e72b9e965c1b

Hundreds of protesters marched through Venice’s central streets on Saturday to say “No” to billionaire Jeff Bezos, his bride and their much-awaited wedding extravaganza, which reached its third and final day amid celebrity-crowded parties and the outcries of tired residents.

On Friday, the world’s fourth-richest man and his bride Lauren Sanchez Bezos tied the knot during a private ceremony with around 200 celebrity guests on the secluded island of San Giorgio.

The wedding, however, angered many Venetians, with some activists protesting it as an exploitation of the city by the billionaire Bezos, while ordinary residents suffer from overtourism, high housing costs and the constant threat of climate-induced flooding.

As the two newlyweds prepared for the final party Saturday evening, hundreds of Venetians and protesters from across Italy filled Venice’s tiny streets with colorful banners reading “Kisses Yes, Bezos No” and “No Bezos, no War.” Venice has around 50,000 residents.

The demonstration contrasted with the expensive wedding bonanza, seen by critics as an affront to the lagoon city’s fragile environment and its citizens, overwhelmed by throngs of tourists.

“We are here to continue ruining the plans of these rich people, who accumulate money by exploiting many other people … while the conditions of this city remain precarious,” said Martina Vergnano, one of the demonstrators.

The protest organizers claimed that their planned protest had forced the relocation of Saturday’s party from a supposed initial location to a former medieval shipyard, the Arsenale.

Bezos donated 1 million euros ($1.17 million) each to three environmental research organizations working to preserve Venice, according to Corila, the Venetian environmental research association.

But many protesters blasted the move as a clear attempt to appease angry residents.

“We want a free Venice, which is finally dedicated to its citizens. … Those donations are just a misery and only aimed at clearing Bezos’ conscience,” said Flavio Cogo, a Venetian activist who joined Saturday’s protest.

Details of the exclusive wedding ceremony Friday night were a closely guarded secret, until Sánchez Bezos posted to Instagram a photo of herself beaming in a white gown as she stood alongside a tuxedo-clad Bezos.

Athletes, celebrities, influencers and business leaders converged to revel in extravagance that was as much a testament to the couple’s love as to their extraordinary wealth.

The star-studded guest list included Oprah Winfrey and NFL great Tom Brady, along with Hollywood stars Leonardo Di Caprio and Orlando Bloom, tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates and top socialites, including the Kardashian-Jenner clan.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/italy-venice-bezos-wedding-protest-guests-celebrities-2e55b5f314d1c7c0fd7e316bdd7d6885

An emboldened Trump administration plans to aggressively challenge blocks on the president’s top priorities, from immigration to education, following a major Supreme Court ruling that limits the power of federal judges to issue nationwide injunctions.

Government attorneys will press judges to pare back the dozens of sweeping rulings thwarting the president’s agenda “as soon as possible,” said a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.

Priorities for the administration include injunctions related to the Education Department and the U.S. DOGE Service, as well as an order halting the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the official said, detailing efforts to implement plans President Donald Trump announced Friday.

“Thanks to this decision, we can now promptly file to proceed with numerous policies that have been wrongly enjoined on a nationwide basis,” Trump said at a news conference, during which he thanked by name members of the conservative high court majority he helped build.

Trump on Friday cast the narrowing of judicial power as a consequential, needed correction in his battle with a court system that has restrained his authority.

Scholars and plaintiffs in the lawsuits over Trump’s orders agreed that the high court ruling could profoundly reshape legal battles over executive power that have defined Trump’s second term — even as other legal experts said the effects would be more muted. Some predicted it would embolden Trump to push his expansive view of presidential power.

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-says-he-will-move-aggressively-to-undo-nationwide-blocks-on-his-agenda/ar-AA1HAVdg

The trunk of the car is opened. Inside, a tied and bound young man struggles theatrically.

Standing by the car is a woman. This is Alexandra Szentkiralyi, former government spokeswoman and now the best-known social media propagandist for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Speaking to the camera, she says, “I don’t think you’d like this kind of thing to happen to you. Because with the fast EU accession of Ukraine come the organ dealers, the arms dealers, the drug dealers and the human traffickers.”

The video, which was posted on Facebook and TikTok, is just 10 seconds long. People in Hungary have been bombarded with content such as this for over two months now — not only on the Internet, but also on pro-government Hungarian television channels.

A steady stream of anti-Ukraine ads was broadcast on the radio, too, and in public spaces, billboards featured grim and sinister-looking images of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Not just another campaign

This was not simply just another one of Orban’s many hate campaigns; it was the first to target an entire country and declare it a “mafia state.”

It was also the first Orban campaign to collectively dehumanize the citizens of a whole country and defame them as dangerous, merciless criminals who are allegedly out to destroy Hungary by trading in people, human organs, drugs and arms, by flooding the market with genetically modified foods, and by taking jobs, income, pensions and healthcare from Hungarian citizens.

Indus Waters Treaty: Calling the self-appointed panel unlawful and in “brazen violation” of the treaty itself, India’s foreign ministry unequivocally trashed its claims and “concerns”.

India has, in a strongly-worded statement, rejected a “supplemental award” by an “illegal” Court of Arbitration set up supposedly over the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. Calling the self-appointed panel unlawful and in “brazen violation” of the treaty itself, India’s foreign ministry unequivocally trashed its claims and “concerns”.

In a five-point statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said, “Today, the illegal Court of Arbitration, purportedly constituted under the Indus Waters Treaty 1960, albeit in brazen violation of it, has issued what it characterizes as a ‘supplemental award’ on its competence concerning the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.”

Making it clear that New Delhi never considered this self-appointed, so-called ‘arbiter’ to have any locus standi in any of India’s matters, the foreign ministry stated that “India has never recognised the existence in law of this so-called Court of Arbitration, and India’s position has all along been that the constitution of this so-called arbitral body is in itself a serious breach of the Indus Waters Treaty.”

“Consequently, any proceedings before this forum and any award or decision taken by it are also for that reason illegal and per se void,” it added.

Blaming Pakistan sqarely for the Indus Waters Treaty being put in “abeyance” after terrorist attacks in India, the foreign ministry reiterated that “Following the Pahalgam terrorist attack, India has in exercise of its rights as a sovereign nation under international law, placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. Until such time that the Treaty is in abeyance, India is no longer bound to perform any of its obligations under the Treaty.”

Calling out the “so-called Court of Arbitration” for acting at the behest of Pakistan and highlighting that the self-appointed panel has “no existence in the eyes of the law”, India said, “No Court of Arbitration, much less this illegally constituted arbitral body which has no existence in the eye of law, has the jurisdiction to examine the legality of India’s actions in exercise of its rights as a sovereign,” adding that “India, therefore, categorically rejects this so-called supplemental award as it has rejected all prior pronouncements of this body.”

Labeling Pakistan as the global epicenter for terrorism, India underscored that “This latest charade at Pakistan’s behest is yet another desperate attempt by it to escape accountability for its role as the global epicenter of terrorism. Pakistan’s resort to this fabricated arbitration mechanism is consistent with its decades-long pattern of deception and manipulation of international forums.”

India has made it amply clear that the Indus Waters Treaty shall continue to remain in abeyance till Pakistan does not eradicate every shred of terror infrastructure and financing, as well as eliminate every single terrorist on its soil. New Delhi has also sent a clear message to Pakistan and the global community that any terror activity or terrorist attack in India with links found directly or indirectly to Pakistan will be considered an escalation which merits a military response by India “anywhere in Pakistan”.

The Indus Waters Treaty being kept in abeyance was one of the first diplomatically-punitive measures taken by India against Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack was traced to have Pakistani-links. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that “blood and water cannot flow together.” India has also repeatedly told Pakistan that “terror and talks cannot happen at the same time” either, leaving Islamabad and Rawalpindi (Pak Army headquarters) with no option but to put an end to its policy of “cross-border terror” in order to get its share of water as per the agreement.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/so-called-court-of-arbitration-on-indus-waters-treaty-illegal-void-india-8778003

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the new system of aid distribution in Gaza was “inherently unsafe” and “killing people.”

Thousands of Palestinians line up nearly every day to get food under the new system operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

GHF, backed by Israel and the United States, launched operations in mid-May. But it has faced criticism with the UN saying that it was a way for Israeli forces to use food as a weapon.

More than 400 Palestinians have been killed so far while seeking aid from GHF sites, according to the UN.

GHF bypasses the UN and other NGOs, since Israeli forces have pushed for the alternative system that they say stops Hamas from seizing aid.

Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the US, Germany and other countries, denies the accusation. The UN has also denied that the group has diverted large amounts of aid.

Israel has vowed to control Gaza and fight until Hamas is destroyed, and until the group returns the remaining 50 hostages, not all of whom are thought to still be alive, it seized during the October 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war.

Search for food must never be a death sentence: Guterres

Guterres told reporters that the UN-led humanitarian efforts in Gaza are being “strangled” and aid workers themselves are starving. He also said Israel is required to facilitate aid deliveries into and through the Palestinian territory.

“People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families. The search for food must never be a death sentence,” Guterres told reporters. “It is time to find the political courage for a ceasefire in Gaza.”

In response to questions about previous incidents, the Israeli military often said troops had fired warning shots over the heads of people to get them to move. It has also said it is reviewing various cases but has yet to publish its findings.

Israel’s left-leaning Haaretz newspaper on Friday reported that Israel’s Military Advocate General ordered an investigation into possible war crimes over allegations that Israeli forces deliberately fired at Palestinian civilians near aid distribution sites.

GHF says no deaths near aid distribution sites

A GHF spokesperson said there have been no deaths at or near any of the GHF aid distribution sites, Reuters news agency reported.

“It is unfortunate the U.N. continues to push false information regarding our operations,” the GHF spokesperson said. “Bottom line, our aid is getting securely delivered. Instead of bickering and throwing insults from the sidelines, we would welcome the UN and other humanitarian groups to join us and feed the people in Gaza.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/gaza-aid-plan-should-not-be-death-sentence-un-chief-says/a-73074000

Singapore’s top universities are drawing students from around the world with their academic rigour, affordability and safety. But many students and experts say that global prestige, elite alumni networks and research legacies still give Ivy League and Oxbridge institutions an enduring edge.

When Mr Martin Ruzicka first applied to universities in 2022, Asia was not even on his radar. But after his first semester at University College London (UCL), he withdrew and transferred halfway around the world to continue his studies in Singapore.

The 20-year-old from the Czech Republic is now in his second year of business school at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

Why the switch from UCL – widely considered as one of the best universities in the United Kingdom – to NTU?

During his brief time in London, Mr Ruzicka had several “unlucky and unsafe” encounters, including being approached for drugs on the street and harassed near his school accommodation, and felt that UCL’s high fees were not justified by the quality of facilities or lectures.

Growing up in the Czech Republic, he viewed Singapore as a “very high-tech, green, efficient country”, a positive impression that was elevated by the nation’s institutions being high on university world rankings.

“My family and I placed a lot of importance on world rankings when selecting universities. NTU was perfect because the business course is only three years long, it was in English and NTU was high on the ranking,” said Mr Ruzicka.

Besides the course and on-campus housing being “value-for-money”, Mr Ruzicka said Singapore’s environment is well-suited to his personal needs, with illicit and controlled substances not being part of the university culture, in stark contrast to his time in the UK and in his home country.

NTU, which rose three spots to 12th in the 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, has so far delivered on its promise of a “world-class education”, he added.

Mr Ruzicka is not alone in viewing rankings as a crucial indicator of quality in higher education. In these rankings, Singapore’s universities, especially the National University of Singapore (NUS) and NTU, are increasingly standing tall alongside global education titans.

In the latest rankings, NUS held firm at 8th place globally, while NTU rose to 12th. Together, the two outranked Ivy League institutions in the United States, such as the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and Cornell University, and China’s powerhouse Peking University.

Vietnamese student Nguyễn Kỳ Minh, a 19-year-old global studies and communications and new media major at NUS, said that back home, “everyone knows about NUS” and sees Singapore as a top study destination.

Beyond the rankings, it was affordability, academic rigour and opportunities for exchange that won him over.

“At the end of the day, it (all comes down to) graduating with an NUS degree. A lot of employers, especially internationally and in Vietnam, look at that and say, ‘That’s something, isn’t it?’”

Even younger autonomous universities in Singapore, such as the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), have attracted international attention.

Ms Yanata Sulaiman, 24, from Indonesia, recently graduated with a Master of Management with a specialisation in digital marketing from SUSS.

While her family was initially more familiar with NUS, NTU and the Singapore Management University (SMU), Ms Yanata said SUSS was attractive because it allowed her to specialise in two areas in a year-long programme.

“Singapore was one of the countries I wanted to study in. It feels close, not just in terms of distance, but in culture too. It’s very international, so I can get an international experience here also,” she said.

As for Singaporean students, while tuition subsidies and the institutions’ global standing have long made local universities an attractive option for them, some told CNA TODAY that their decision to stay put has been further cemented by shifting global tides.

Traditional destinations such as the United States, United Kingdom and Australia are increasingly being reassessed due to stricter immigration policies and mounting geopolitical uncertainty.

Australia, historically a magnet for Singaporean and Southeast Asian students, had last year mooted international student caps which would involve allocating a quota for each higher education institution for 2025. Universities in the UK, meanwhile, have been facing a funding crisis, with many struggling with rising costs amid a drop in international students.

Though studying in the US once appealed to 18-year-old junior college student Anjaneya Sharma, he said the allure of top-tier universities like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard has faded due to the current political climate.

“Initially, I was considering US universities. Now I’m not even going to apply there. I’m considering NUS, NTU, because the situation (in the US) is very chaotic,” he said.

In the US, President Donald Trump has sought to prevent Harvard from hosting international students, a move made amid higher education funding cuts and immigration crackdowns affecting American universities.

Singaporeans now studying at Harvard are being offered the possibility of returning to local universities amid all this flux. But are local educational offerings attractive enough for Singaporeans seeking “world-class” opportunities elsewhere?

A Harvard undergraduate who only wanted to be known as Ryan, a Singaporean in his 20s, would still prefer to remain at the university if possible.

He declined to have his real name published as he did not want to compromise future visa applications to the US.

“The general sentiment is that local universities won’t be an exact replacement because the classes and academic systems aren’t the same. For graduate students doing research, they might not be able to just transplant their research over, like if they’re working with a lab,” said Mr Ryan.

As international headwinds buffet long-established higher education destinations and Singapore’s universities edge closer to the top tier in global standings, CNA TODAY examines whether the gap between Singapore’s institutions of higher learning and the likes of Harvard or Oxford has narrowed over the years.

SINGAPORE ON THE GLOBAL STAGE 

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has re-emerged after the war with Israel but faces a struggle to maintain the authority he has wielded over the Islamic Republic for over three-and-a-half decades of rule, analysts say.

After days of silence, Khamenei appeared on Thursday (Jun 26) in a video address to proclaim “victory” and prove he is still alive following the 12-day conflict with Israel, which ended with a truce earlier this week.

But Khamenei, appointed Iran’s number one and spiritual leader for life in 1989, spoke softly and hoarsely in the address, without the charismatic oratory for which he is known.

Whereas his regular interventions before the war usually took place in public in front of an audience, this message was filmed against a plain backdrop of curtains and a picture of revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

This may indicate he could still be in hiding after Israel refused to rule out seeking to assassinate him.

On Thursday, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz told media that the military would have killed Khamenei during the war if the opportunity had presented itself.

“If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Katz told Israel’s public radio station Kan, adding that the military had “searched a lot”.

But in the end, the conflict did not trigger the removal of the system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 revolution.

Still, it enabled Israel to demonstrate military superiority and deep intelligence penetration of Iran by killing key members of Khamenei’s inner circle in targeted strikes.

The war was also the latest in a series of setbacks over the last year for Khamenei.

These include the downgrading of pro-Tehran militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah in conflicts with Israel and the fall of Iran’s ally in Syria Bashar al-Assad, against the background of economic crisis and energy shortages at home.

“At this time, the regime does not seem to be on the verge of falling but it is certainly more vulnerable than it has been since the early years after the revolution,” said Thomas Juneau, professor at the University of Ottawa.

“DIMINISHED FIGURE”

“The authority of the supreme leader has therefore certainly been undermined,” Juneau told AFP.

“Even though his position remains secure, in that there is unlikely to be a direct challenge to his rule for now, he has lost credibility and bears direct responsibility for the Islamic Republic’s major losses.”

Khamenei is 86 and suffers the effects of a 1981 assassination attempt in Tehran, which paralysed his right arm, a disability he has never made any attempt to hide.

But discussion of succession has remained taboo in Iran, even if Western analysts have long eyed his son Mojtaba as a possible – but far from inevitable – contender.

Arash Azizi, visiting fellow at Boston University, said Khamenei looked “frail and weak” in his televised message in “a far cry from the grand orator we know”.

“It’s clear that he is a diminished figure, no longer authoritative and a shadow of his former self,” he said.

“Power in Tehran is already passing to different institutions and factions and the battle for his succession will only intensify in the coming period.”

Khamenei has come through crises before, using the state’s levers of repression, most recently during the 2022 to 2023 protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd detained for allegedly breaching Iran’s strict dress code for women.

Rights activists say hundreds of people have been arrested in a new crackdown in the wake of the conflict.

“SIDELINED”?

The New York Times and Iran International, a Persian-language television channel based outside Iran that is critical of the authorities, have said Khamenei spent the war in a bunker avoiding use of digital communication for fear of being tracked and assassinated.

Iran International reported that Khamenei was not even involved in the discussions that led to the truce which were handled by the national security council and President Masoud Pezeshkian. There has been no confirmation of this claim.

Jason Brodsky, policy director at the US-based United Against Nuclear Iran, said Khamenei appeared “frail and hoarse” and also “detached from reality” in insisting that Iran’s nuclear programme did not suffer significant damage.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/iran-supreme-leader-khamenei-israel-conflict-5207606

She makes motherhood look easy.

Rihanna was all smiles as she and her son Riot Rose supported A$AP Rocky at his AWGE fashion show during Paris Men’s Fashion Week on Friday.

The “Work” singer, who is currently pregnant with the couple’s third baby, was filmed making her way to her seat at the fashion show while carrying her son on her hip.

Cameras flashed on the soon-to-be mom of three as she smiled down at her son, who sat in her lap in the front row.

The business mogul, 37, wore a colorful button-up that featured one red long sleeve and a blue striped center. She styled the shirt with a loose fit, leaving most of the top unbuttoned.

She paired the shirt with a navy blue tennis skirt, tall gray socks and a pair of white lacy slingback heels. The completed ensemble also included a yellow tote purse and gold jewelry.

She wore her hair down in loose curls and went for a light makeup look.

The couple’s 10-month-old son attended the show wearing a kids black moto jacket that held a colorful Harley Davidson patch over his white shirt and purple joggers.

The edgy look was finished with a pair of tiny baby Vans sneakers and tall white socks. His hair was kept in braids.

At one point in the clip, the young son gave a brief wave to the cameras before turning his head away from the bright flashes.

The couple are also parents to son RZA, whom they welcomed in May 2022.

Earlier on Friday, she and Rocky were seen sitting front row at Dior’s Homme men’s spring 2026 show.

The Fenty Beauty founder sported a colorful ensemble to the event, wearing a black cape with floral embroidery, which featured a contrasting turquoise and orange print on the inside, over a bump-hugging mint green blazer and a white button-up.

She wore a pair of slouchy gray trousers on her lower half. She accessorized the outfit with rectangular yellow-tinted sunglasses and Briony Raymond ear cuffs and studs as well as a Marlo Laz pearl and diamond cameo Necklace.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/06/27/parents/rihanna-and-son-riot-support-aap-rocky-at-rappers-runway-show-during-paris-fashion-week/

Ivanka Trump is pretty in pink.

The first daughter arrived at friends Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos long-awaited wedding ceremony in Venice, Italy clad in a long pink gown by Tony Ward.

Her strapless design was covered in a glittery floral pattern, with a breathtaking bead-covered petal design around the midriff that cascaded down the train.

The gown featured a thigh-high slit and Trump kept her accessories relatively minimal, skipping a necklace in favor of diamond drop earrings.

Trump wore her hair in a sleek side-part style and added a pop of color with a bright pink lipstick.

Her husband, Jared Kushner, for his part, looked sharp in a classic black tuxedo.

Trump first landed with her family — including kids Arabella Rose, 13, Joseph Frederick, 10, and Theodore James, 8 — in the city on Tuesday.

Seen boarding a boat in the picturesque town, the first daughter wore a red, orange and cream printed La Double J crop top ($550) and matching midi skirt ($620).

At a welcome event leading up to the wedding on Thursday, she another pink floral mini, this time from Oscar de la Renta.

Meanwhile, Bezos and Sánchez arrived on Wednesday, a few days before their lavish nuptials.

The guest list for the wedding includes the likes of Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Eva Longoria and Orlando Bloom among many others.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/06/27/style/ivanka-trump-is-pretty-in-pink-at-lauren-sanchez-and-jeff-bezos-wedding/

Here comes Mrs. Bezos.

Lauren Sánchez married Jeff Bezos in a lavish Italian ceremony in Venice on Friday, walking down the aisle in a lace long-sleeved Dolce & Gabbana gown.

Her dress featured a corseted waist, turtleneck and buttons from neck to the floor, culminating in a mermaid-style skirt.

The helicopter pilot, 55, wore pulled her hair back into a bun, leaving some pieces out in the front underneath her lace-trimmed veil.

She added Dolce & Gabbana Alta Gioielleria Miracolo earrings featuring four diamonds cut from a single stone and inlaid in white gold as her “something borrowed,” according to Vogue.

The style was inspired by the high-necked lace wedding dress Sophia Loren wore in 1958’s “Houseboat” to marry Cary Grant, she told the mag.

“It went from ‘I want a simple, sexy modern dress’ to ‘I want something that evokes a moment,’ and where I am right now. I am a different person than I was five years ago,” Sánchez added.

“I researched pictures of brides in the 1950s,” she added. “I wanted to reflect back, and I saw Sophia Loren and her hands were [in a prayer position] and she was in high lace, up to the neck, and I said, ‘That’s it. That’s the dress.’”

She predicted that people would be surprised by the covered-up look.

“It is a departure from what people expect,” she told Vogue, “from what I expect—but it’s very much me.”

“06/27/2025 ♥️,” she simply captioned an Instagram post after changing her name on the social media platform to Lauren Sánchez Bezos post-ceremony.

The groom, meanwhile wore a classic black tuxedo, also by the Italian fashion brand, during the nuptials, which took place on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.

For the wedding dinner, she will change into a second corseted gown, this time inspired by the Rita Hayworth film “Gilda,” Vogue reports — as well as a third look for the party, a cocktail dress by Oscar de la Renta featuring 600 yards of hand-sewn chain and 175,000 crystals.

In March, the couple were seen at the Dolce & Gabbana store in Milan for a fitting, tipping off fans that they may go for the high-fashion brand on the big day.

Dolce & Gabbana is a somewhat sentimental choice for the bride, as her son Nikko Gonzalez made his modeling debut at the brand’s Milan Fashion Week show in January 2024 and strut his stuff on the runway for the Alta Sartoria fashion show a few months later, with the proud mom rocking a sheer black gown in the front row.

The couple have been celebrating their nuptials all week, touching down in Venice on Wednesday.

Amid a wave of protests in Venice, Page Six revealed that the business magnate and Sánchez donated to a number of local charities in the city as part of their wedding planning process and reportedly sourced almost all of their wedding goods from Venetian vendors.

Dolce & Gabbana, while founded in Legnano, Italy, certainly fits the bill, too.

Insiders told Page Six that Anna Wintour had a hand in picking out the bridal attire — though she won’t be in attendance at the star-studded nuptials. However, we previously reported that the nuptials will be covered in Vogue at a later date.

The A-list celebrity guest list included Ivanka Trump, Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Eva Longoria, Leonardo DiCaprio and more.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/06/27/style/lauren-sanchez-wears-dolce-amp-gabbana-corset-wedding-gown-to-marry-jeff-bezos-in-italy/

The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump a major victory on Friday in a case involving birthright citizenship by curbing the ability of judges to impede his policies nationwide, changing the power balance between the federal judiciary and presidents.
The 6-3 ruling, authored by conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, did not let Trump’s directive restricting birthright citizenship go into effect immediately, directing lower courts that blocked it to reconsider the scope of their orders. The ruling also did not address the legality of the policy, part of Trump’s hardline approach toward immigration.

The Republican president lauded the ruling and said his administration can now try to move forward with numerous policies such as his birthright citizenship executive order that he said “have been wrongly enjoined on a nationwide basis.”
“We have so many of them. I have a whole list,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
The court granted the administration’s request to narrow the scope of three so-called “universal” injunctions issued by federal judges in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington state that halted enforcement of his directive nationwide while litigation challenging the policy plays out. The court’s conservative justices were in the majority and its liberal members dissented.

The ruling specified that Trump’s executive order cannot take effect until 30 days after Friday’s ruling. The ruling thus raises the prospect of Trump’s order eventually applying in some parts of the country.
Federal judges have taken steps including issuing numerous nationwide orders impeding Trump’s aggressive use of executive action to advance his agenda. The three judges in the birthright citizenship litigation found that Trump’s order likely violates citizenship language in the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to refuse to recognize the citizenship of children born in the United States who do not have at least one parent who is an American citizen or lawful permanent resident, also called a “green card” holder.

Warning against an “imperial judiciary,” Barrett wrote, “No one disputes that the Executive has a duty to follow the law. But the Judiciary does not have unbridled authority to enforce this obligation – in fact, sometimes the law prohibits the Judiciary from doing so.”
Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the ruling a “travesty for the rule of law” as she read a summary of her dissent from the bench.
In her written dissent, joined by the court’s two other liberal justices, Sotomayor criticized the court’s majority for ignoring whether Trump’s executive order is constitutional.
“Yet the order’s patent unlawfulness reveals the gravity of the majority’s error and underscores why equity supports universal injunctions as appropriate remedies in this kind of case,” Sotomayor wrote.
More than 150,000 newborns would be denied citizenship annually under Trump’s directive, according to the plaintiffs who challenged it, including the Democratic attorneys general of 22 states as well as immigrant rights advocates and pregnant immigrants.
The ruling was issued on the final day of decisions on cases argued before the Supreme Court during its nine-month term that began in October. The court also issued rulings on Friday backing a Texas law regarding online pornography, letting parents opt children out of classes when storybooks with LGBT characters are read, endorsing the Federal Communications Commission’s funding mechanism for expanded phone and broadband internet access and preserving Obamacare’s provision on health insurers covering preventive care.

‘MONUMENTAL VICTORY’

Trump called the ruling a “monumental victory for the Constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law.”
The policies Trump said his administration can now attempt to proceed with included cutting off funds to so-called “sanctuary cities,” suspending resettlement of refugees in the United States, freezing “unnecessary” federal funding and preventing federal funds from paying for gender-affirming surgeries.
The case before the Supreme Court was unusual in that the administration used it to argue that federal judges lack the authority to issue “universal” injunctions, and asked the justices to rule that way and enforce the president’s directive even without weighing its legal merits.
Friday’s ruling did not rule out all forms of broad relief.

The ruling said judges may provide “complete relief” only to the plaintiffs before them. It did not foreclose the possibility that states might need an injunction that applies beyond their borders to obtain complete relief.
“We decline to take up those arguments in the first instance,” wrote Barrett, who Trump appointed to the court in 2020.
The ruling left untouched the potential for plaintiffs to seek wider relief through class action lawsuits, but that legal mechanism is often harder to successfully mount.
In her dissent, Sotomayor said Trump’s executive order is obviously unconstitutional. So rather than defend it on the merits, she wrote, the Justice Department “asks this Court to hold that, no matter how illegal a law or policy, courts can never simply tell the Executive to stop enforcing it against anyone.”
Sotomayor advised parents of children who would be affected by Trump’s order “to file promptly class action suits and to request temporary injunctive relief for the putative class.”
Maryland-based U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman, who previously blocked the order nationwide, scheduled a Monday hearing after immigration rights advocates filed a motion asking her to treat the case as a class action and block the policy nationwide again.
“The Supreme Court has now instructed that, in such circumstances, class-wide relief may be appropriate,” the lawyers wrote in their motion.
Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown, whose state helped secure the nationwide injunction issued by a judge in Seattle, called Friday’s ruling “disappointing on many levels” but stressed that the justices “confirmed that courts may issue broad injunctions when needed to provide complete relief to the parties.”
Universal injunctions have been opposed by presidents of both parties – Republican and Democratic – and can prevent the government from enforcing a policy against anyone, instead of just the individual plaintiffs who sued to challenge the policy.
Proponents have said they are an efficient check on presidential overreach, and have stymied actions deemed unlawful by presidents of both parties.

‘ILLEGAL AND CRUEL’

U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly cut off trade talks with Canada on Friday over its tax targeting U.S. technology firms, saying that it was a “blatant attack” and that he would set a new tariff rate on Canadian goods within the next week.
The move plunges U.S.-Canada relations back into chaos after a period of relative calm that included a cordial G7 meeting in mid-June where Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to wrap up a new economic agreement within 30 days.

It also came just hours after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent struck an upbeat tone on trade, touting progress had been made with China on reviving the flow of critical minerals for the U.S. manufacturing sector and in other key tariff negotiations.
The often-chaotic rollout of Trump’s import levies since his return to office this year has frequently whipsawed financial markets, and have begun to weigh on consumer spending, the bedrock of the U.S. economy.
U.S. stocks were briefly batted lower by his broadside against Canada, but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq managed to close out the week at record highs.

Trump’s action comes ahead of Canada’s plans to begin collecting on Monday a previously enacted digital services tax on U.S. technology firms, including Amazon (AMZN.O), Meta (META.O), Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL.O), and Apple (AAPL.O), among others.
The tax is 3% of the digital services revenue a firm takes in from Canadian users above $20 million in a calendar year, and payments will be retroactive to 2022.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social media platform, called the tax “a direct and blatant attack on our country” and said Canada was a “very difficult country to TRADE with.”
“Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately,” Trump said. “We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven-day period.”

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said that the negotiations with Canada would not resume “until they straighten out their act,” adding that the U.S. holds “such power over Canada.”
Canada is the second-largest U.S. trading partner after Mexico, and the largest buyer of U.S exports. It bought $349.4 billion of U.S. goods last year and exported $412.7 billion to the U.S., according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Carney’s office responded to Trump’s announcement by saying: “The Canadian government will continue to engage in these complex negotiations with the United States in the best interests of Canadian workers and businesses.”
Bessent sought to downplay the U.S.-Canadian dispute in a CNBC interview, saying U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer would likely open a Section 301 probe into Canada’s digital tax that would clear the way for tariff retaliation in the amount of harm to U.S. firms, which he said was roughly $2 billion.

The U.S. has prepared similar retaliation against European countries that have imposed digital taxes. A USTR spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

‘WRAPPED UP BY LABOR DAY’

NEW U.S.-CHINA EXPORT REVISIONS

Warren Buffett donated on Friday another $6 billion of Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N), opens new tab stock to the Gates Foundation and four family charities, his biggest annual donation since he began giving away his fortune nearly two decades ago.
The donation of about 12.36 million Berkshire Class B shares boosted Buffett’s overall giving to the charities to well over $60 billion.

He donated 9.43 million shares to the Gates Foundation; 943,384 shares to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation; and 660,366 shares to each of three charities led respectively by his children Howard, Susie, and Peter: the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Sherwood Foundation and NoVo Foundation.

Warren Buffett still owns 13.8% of Berkshire’s stock, based on reported shares outstanding.
His $152 billion net worth prior to Friday’s donations made him the world’s fifth-richest person, according to Forbes magazine.
Buffett would rank sixth after the donations, which surpassed the $5.3 billion he donated last June. He donated another $1.14 billion to the family charities last November.
In a statement, Buffett maintained he does not intend to sell any Berkshire shares.
Now 94, Buffett began giving away his fortune in 2006.
He changed his will last year, designating 99.5% of his remaining fortune after his death to a charitable trust overseen by his children.

They will have about a decade to distribute, the money, and must decide where it goes unanimously. Susie Buffett is 71, Howard Buffett is 70, and Peter Buffett is 67.
Warren Buffett has led Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire since 1965.
The $1.05 trillion conglomerate owns close to 200 businesses including Geico car insurance and the BNSF railroad, and dozens of stocks including Apple (AAPL.O), and American Express (AXP.N).
Susie Buffett leads the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, which funds reproductive health and is named for her mother, who was Warren Buffett’s first wife.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/warren-buffett-donates-record-6-billion-berkshire-shares-2025-06-28/

Short of commanders, deprived of much of its tunnel network and unsure of support from its ally Iran, Hamas is battling to survive in Gaza in the face of rebellious local clans and relentless Israeli military pressure.
Hamas fighters are operating autonomously under orders to hold out as long as possible but the Islamist group is struggling to maintain its grip as Israel openly backs tribes opposing it, three sources close to Hamas said.

With a humanitarian crisis in Gaza intensifying international pressure for a ceasefire, Hamas badly needs a pause in the fighting, one of the people said.
Not only would a ceasefire offer respite to weary Gazans, who are growing increasingly critical of Hamas, but it would also allow the Islamist group to crush rogue elements, including some clans and looters who have been stealing aid, the person said.
To counter the immediate threat, Hamas has sent some of its top fighters to kill one rebellious leader, Yasser Abu Shabab, but so far he has remained beyond their reach in the Rafah area held by Israeli troops, according to two Hamas sources and two other sources familiar with the situation.

Reuters spoke to 16 sources including people close to Hamas, Israeli security sources and diplomats who painted a picture of a severely weakened group, retaining some sway and operational capacity in Gaza despite its setbacks, but facing stiff challenges.
Hamas is still capable of landing blows: it killed seven Israeli soldiers in an attack in southern Gaza on Tuesday. But three diplomats in the Middle East said intelligence assessments showed it had lost its centralised command and control and was reduced to limited, surprise attacks.
An Israeli military official estimated Israel had killed 20,000 or more Hamas fighters and destroyed or rendered unusable hundreds of miles of tunnels under the coastal strip. Much of Gaza has been turned to rubble in 20 months of conflict.
One Israeli security source said the average age of Hamas fighters was “getting lower by the day”. Israeli security sources say Hamas is recruiting from hundreds of thousands of impoverished, unemployed, displaced young men.

Hamas does not disclose how many of its fighters have died.
“They’re hiding because they are being instantly hit by planes but they appear here and there, organising queues in front of bakeries, protecting aid trucks, or punishing criminals,” said Essam, 57 a construction worker in Gaza City.
“They’re not like before the war, but they exist.”
Asked for comment for this story, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the group was working for an agreement to end the war with Israel but “surrender is not an option”.
Hamas remained committed to negotiations and was “ready to release all prisoners at once”, he said, referring to Israeli hostages, but it wanted the killing to stop and Israel to withdraw.

‘IT DOESN’T LOOK GOOD’

Hamas is a shadow of the group that attacked Israel in 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking another 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s offensive has killed more than 56,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities.

The damage inflicted by Israel is unlike anything Hamas has suffered since its creation, with most of its top military commanders in Gaza killed. Founded in 1987, Hamas had gradually established itself as the main rival of the Fatah faction led by President Mahmoud Abbas and finally seized Gaza from his control in 2007.
With a U.S.-brokered truce in the Iran-Israel war holding, attention has switched back to the possibility of a Gaza deal that might end the conflict and release the remaining hostages.
One of the people close to Hamas told Reuters it would welcome a truce, even for a couple of months, to confront the local clans that are gaining influence.
But he said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s terms for ending the war – including Hamas leaders leaving Gaza – would amount to total defeat, and Hamas would never surrender.
“We keep the faith, but in reality it doesn’t look good,” the source said.
Yezid Sayigh, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, said he believed Hamas was simply trying to survive. That was not just a physical challenge of holding out militarily, he said, but above all a political one.
“They face being eliminated on the ground in Gaza if the war doesn’t stop, but they also face being erased from any governing formula that ends the war in Gaza (if such a thing can be found),” he wrote in response to Reuters’ questions.
Palestinian tribes have emerged as part of Israel’s strategy to counter Hamas. Netanyahu has said publicly that Israel has been arming clans that oppose Hamas, but has not said which.
One of the most prominent challenges has come from Abu Shabab, a Palestinian Bedouin based in the Rafah area, which is under Israeli control.
Hamas wants Abu Shabab captured, dead or alive, accusing him of collaboration with Israel and planning attacks on the Islamist group, three Hamas sources told Reuters.
Abu Shabab controls eastern Rafah and his group is believed to have freedom of movement in the wider Rafah area. Images on their Facebook page show their armed men organising the entry of aid trucks from the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Announcements by his group indicate that it is trying to build an independent administration in the area, though they deny trying to become a governing authority. The group has called on people from Rafah now in other areas of Gaza to return home, promising food and shelter.
In response to Reuters’ questions, Abu Shabab’s group denied getting support from Israel or contacts with the Israeli army, describing itself as a popular force protecting humanitarian aid from looting by escorting aid trucks.
It accused Hamas of violence and muzzling dissent.
A Hamas security official said the Palestinian security services would “strike with an iron fist to uproot the gangs of the collaborator Yasser Abu Shabab”, saying they would show no mercy or hesitation and accusing him of being part of “an effort to create chaos and lawlessness”.
Not all of Gaza’s clans are at odds with Hamas, however.
On Thursday, a tribal alliance said its men had protected aid trucks from looters in northern Gaza. Sources close to Hamas said the group had approved of the alliance’s involvement.
Israel said Hamas fighters had in fact commandeered the trucks, which both the clans and Hamas denied.

IRAN UNCERTAINTY

Palestinian analyst Akram Attallah said the emergence of Abu Shabab was a result of the weakness of Hamas, though he expected him to fail ultimately because Palestinians broadly reject any hint of collaboration with Israel.
Nevertheless, regardless of how small Abu Shabab’s group is, the fact Hamas has an enemy from the same culture was dangerous, he said. “It remains a threat until it is dealt with.”
Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran has added to the uncertainties facing Hamas. Tehran’s backing for Hamas played a big part in developing its armed wing into a force capable of shooting missiles deep into Israel.
While both Iran and Israel have claimed victory, Netanyahu on Sunday indicated the Israeli campaign against Tehran had further strengthened his hand in Gaza, saying it would “help us expedite our victory and the release of all our hostages”.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that great progress was being made on Gaza, adding that the strike on Iran would help get the hostages released.
A Palestinian official close to Hamas said the group was weighing the risk of diminished Iranian backing, anticipating “the impact will be on the shape of funding and the expertise Iran used to give to the resistance and Hamas”.
One target of Israel’s campaign in Iran was a Revolutionary Guards officer who oversaw coordination with Hamas. Israel said Saeed Izadi, whose death it announced on Saturday, was the driving force behind the Iran-Hamas axis.
Hamas extended condolences to Iran on Thursday, calling Izadi a friend who was directly responsible for ties with “the leadership of the Palestinian resistance”.
A source from an Iran-backed group in the region said Izadi helped develop Hamas capabilities, including how to carry out complex attacks, including rocket launches, infiltration operations, and drones.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/battling-survive-hamas-faces-defiant-clans-doubts-over-iran-2025-06-27/

Both sides of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have committed to disarming and disengaging their alleged proxies.

But there are dozens of non-state armed groups active in the region and it’s not clear whether all of them will adhere to the ceasefire.

Just hours before the deal was signed, one of them, the Codeco militia, attacked a displaced persons camp in Ituri province, killing 10 people.

Keeping these non-state actors in line will be a tall order. Part of the peace deal involves creating the conditions to allow the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the conflict to return home.

That won’t be possible without a complete cessation of hostilities.

Due to the eastern DRC’s vast mineral resources, critical to modern technology including electric car and mobile phone batteries, the economic incentives for rebel groups are incredibly tempting, and this deal does not mention alternatives which may convince these groups to stop fighting over valuable territory. Integrating them into an under-resourced Congolese armed force is unlikely to prove enough of a deterrent.

It’s also still not clear what preferential access, if any, the US has been offered to the DRC’s minerals.

President Donald Trump has made it clear that this is one of his key incentives for agreeing to support the peace process. But granting the US unfettered access to the country’s mineral wealth is unpopular with many in the DRC, upset that the country’s resources have failed to provide a better life for its citizens.

As to the key questions of whether Rwandan forces will withdraw from eastern DRC, the US position is that once the Hutu-led FDLR, which Rwanda says is backed by the DRC and aims to overthrow the Rwandan government, is dismantled, then Rwanda will also row back on its “defensive measure”.

This appears to be an oblique reference to the presence of Rwandan armed forces in eastern DRC.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9dgjn7p24vo

Socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wants to hike property taxes for “richer and whiter neighborhoods” in an eyebrow-raising proposal that aims to ease the burden on homeowners in the outer boroughs.

The soak-the-rich proposal is buried in Mamdani’s campaign platform that calls to fix the city’s notoriously skewed property tax system, in which ritzy brownstones are hit at lower rates than homes and rentals in lower-income neighborhoods.

“Shift the tax burden from overtaxed homeowners in the outer boroughs to more expensive homes in richer and whiter neighborhoods,” the proposal reads.

Democrats and many Republicans have long pushed to fix the out-of-whack system that ends up hitting poorer, often largely black and brown neighborhoods, with higher property taxes than their neighbors in swanky areas that tend to be majority Caucasian.

But Mamdani’s specific mention of “whiter,” wealthier neighborhoods drew outrage from some observers. Many right-wing commentators accused Mamdani, who would be the city’s first mayor of South Asian descent if elected, of targeting white New Yorkers, with one labeling him a “RACIST.”

City Councilman David Carr (R-Staten Island), who’s part of the bipartisan push to reform the property tax system, said Mamdani should tone down the “rhetoric” if he’s going to help tackle a very real imbalance.

“The objective of our reforms is to make our property tax system fairer and more transparent and to ensure that middle- and working-class homeowners aren’t subsidizing lower taxes for wealthy property owners,” Carr said.

“It’s not about blaming people based on race or class or political affiliation, and if Zohran Mamdani wants to come on board, then he should drop the divisive rhetoric.”

Mamdani, 33, a two-term Queens assemblyman, pulled off a stunning upset in Tuesday’s ranked-choice Democratic mayoral primary, trouncing former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in first-pick votes after running an unabashedly socialist campaign focused on affordability.

The city’s tangled property tax rules are the result of a 50-year-old court decision, a subsequent state law setting assessment caps to prevent middle-class owners from being taxed out of their homes and a complicated set of overlapping rules.

The result is a system where “small homeowners in Brooklyn and Queens can pay a higher tax rate than owners of luxury co-ops on 5th Avenue in Manhattan,” the pro-reform group Tax Equity Now points out.

Tax Equity Now New York filed a still-ongoing lawsuit against the city in 2017 that argued the process unfairly taxes renters and homeowners in lower-income neighborhoods compared to wealthier areas.

Predominantly black neighborhoods such as Canarsie and East New York face higher effective tax rates than others that are largely white, a recent study by the Community Service Society found.

“There is no good reason why homeowners in Cambria Heights, a residential community that is 90% Black, should pay an effective tax rate that is double those paid by homeowners in Park Slope or East Village, which are 62% and 50% White, respectively,” the study states.

The meat of Mamdani’s proposal calls to remove artificial caps on assessments — a solution pushed by advocates and lawmakers across the political spectrum.

“The Mayor can fix this by pushing class assessment percentages down for everyone and adjusting rates up, effectively lowering tax payments for homeowners in neighborhoods like Jamaica and Brownsville while raising the amount paid in the most expensive Brooklyn brownstones,” the proposal states.

Mamdani’s campaign didn’t respond to The Post’s requests for comment.

But many New Yorkers in affluent neighborhoods weren’t happy about their property taxes potentially going up.

Ron Centola, a 73-year old retiree, has rented on the Upper East Side for 30 years, but still opposes redistributing wealth.

“Here’s the thing, I’m wealthy, I don’t want my wealth redistributed,” he told The Post Friday.

“I work for my money, why should I give it away?”

Another Upper East Sider — Shanice Gilbert, 33, a college assistant — noted not everyone in her hifalutin neighborhood is rich.

“Not everybody here is wealthy, how is that going to work?” she said. “It’s a mixed environment, it’s a very diverse environment. How are you going to do that?”

Cam Macdonald, general counsel for the Empire Center, said as mayor, Mamdani could adjust the percentages, if he’s elected in November.

But Macdonald argued Mamdani’s campaign needs to show their math for how it will affect the city’s revenue — of which more than 30% is derived from property taxes.

The proposal, he noted, also “does nothing to fix the structural issues under state law that have led to the disparities.”

Other planks of Mamdani’s proposal — including “circuit breakers” to make sure low- and moderate-income homeowners aren’t burdened, and to stop treating co-ops and condos as if they were rentals — concede that the state legislature would need to make those changes, not the mayor.

Kenny Burgos, CEO of the New York Apartment Association representing rent-stabilized apartment owners, has been an outspoken critic of Mamdani’s promise to freeze rents on those dwellings.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/06/27/us-news/socialist-nyc-mayoral-contender-zohran-mamdani-wants-to-hike-property-taxes-for-richer-and-whiter-neighborhoods/

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a group of Maryland parents who sued a school board over its refusal to allow elementary school children to be taken out of classes with LGBTQ-themed storybooks.

In a 6-3 decision along ideological lines Friday, the justices overturned a lower court ruling that found the parents needed to show that their kids were being coerced to act differently than their religious beliefs. The high court concluded that the parents “have shown that they are entitled to a preliminary injunction” because they “are likely to succeed in their challenge to the Board’s policies.”

The ruling is not the final decision in the matter, as the case will head back to the lower courts for further review.

“A government burdens the religious exercise of parents when it requires them to submit their children to instruction that poses ‘a very real threat of undermining’ the religious beliefs and practices that the parents wish to instill,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority.

“And a government cannot condition the benefit of free public education on parents’ acceptance of such instruction.”

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) approved certain LGBTQ-themed curriculum books in late 2022. Initially, MCPS allowed an opt-out for parents with religious concerns, but by March of 2023, it reversed course, citing concerns about absenteeism and administrative burdens.

A group of parents from Muslim, Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox faiths sued the school district, arguing the lack of an opt-out system trampled upon their religious rights as parents.

The reading material in question included “Pride Puppy,” a picture book aimed at three- and four-year-olds that instructs kids to look for items they might find at a gay pride parade, such as underwear, lip rings, drag kings, and late gay liberation activist Marsha Johnson, whom critics noted was once a sex worker.

Other books that were part of the curriculum delved into transgenderism — such as “Intersection Allies,” meant for K-5 students, explains transgender and non-binary concepts, while asking the question, “What pronouns fit you?”

“What Are Your Words?” tells students in a similar age range that one’s pronouns can “change like the weather” and follows one child who briefly embraces “they/them” pronouns.

In “Born Ready,” a little boy gets confused about how his sister is transitioning into a boy, prompting the mother to inform him that “not everything needs to make sense.”

The MCPS board provided teachers with guidance to inform students that “not everyone is a boy or girl,” according to the plaintiffs.

“Like many books targeted at young children, the books are unmistakably normative,” Alito wrote. “They are clearly designed to present certain values and beliefs as things to be celebrated and certain contrary values and beliefs as things to be rejected.”

“High school students may understand that widespread approval of a practice does not necessarily mean that everyone should accept it, but very young children are most unlikely to appreciate that fine point,” he added.

“[T]he storybooks unmistakably convey a particular viewpoint about same-sex marriage and gender. And the Board has specifically encouraged teachers to reinforce this viewpoint and to reprimand any children who disagree. That goes far beyond mere ‘exposure.’”

Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor penned the dissent, claiming the majority “invents a constitutional right to avoid exposure to ‘subtle’ themes ‘contrary to the religious principles’ that parents wish to instill in their children.”

“Given the great diversity of religious beliefs in this country, countless interactions that occur every day in public schools might expose children to messages that conflict with a parent’s religious beliefs,” she argued. “If that is sufficient to trigger strict scrutiny, then little is not.”

“The result will be chaos for this Nation’s public schools. Requiring schools to provide advance notice and the chance to opt out of every lesson plan or story time that might implicate a parent’s religious beliefs will impose impossible administrative burdens on schools.”

Sotomayor also argued that the Supreme Court has never previously “held that mere exposure to concepts inconsistent with one’s religious beliefs could give rise to a First Amendment claim.”

Justices had largely signed their leanings in the case during oral arguments in April. Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who described himself as a “lifelong resident” of Montgomery Country, expressed that he was “a bit mystified” over the controversy.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/06/27/us-news/supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-maryland-parents-who-want-to-pull-kids-from-classes-with-lgbtq-themed-books/

The state of Florida is not responding to requests for comment as activists report construction activity at an abandoned Everglades airstrip at Big Cypress National Preserve, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of Miami.

The construction is part of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ plan to build a detention facility to house immigrants in tents as part of a larger Trump administration push to rid the country of “criminal aliens.”

De Santis and his state attorney general, James Uthmeier, have billed the site, which will house up to 1,000 people in tents, as “Alligator Alcatraz” — a play on the local fauna and a reference to the infamous San Francisco Bay facility that US President Donald Trump seeks to revert from national park to prison. Uthmeier and his team produced a video pitching the Florida project on X, referencing the fact that there’s “not much” nearby other than “alligators and pythons.”

On Thursday, Uthmeier said the facility, which is being built with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds, would be completed in 30 to 60 days. Annual operating costs are currently projected to be about $450 million (€387 million).

Waste of money and energy during hurricane season

De Santis’ plan to use hurricane relief funds to build the site has infuriated some. Former Homeland Security Secretary Alex Howard, for instance, blasted the plan, calling it “a grotesque mix of cruelty and political theater.”

Howard said, “You don’t solve immigration by disappearing people into tents guarded by gators.”

“You solve it with lawful processing, humane infrastructure and actual policy — not by staging a $450 million stunt in the middle of hurricane season,” he added.

Native Americans’ resistance to Florida detention center on sacred lands

Beyond the questionable redirection of emergency funding and grave concerns over the potential environmental impact of the project on its fragile surroundings, Natives in Florida are also up in arms over the governor’s scheme.

The area where the facility is to be built was the home of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, as well as the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.

“Rather than Miccosukee homelands being an uninhabited wasteland for alligators and pythons, as some have suggested, the Big Cypress is the Tribe’s traditional homelands. The landscape has protected the Miccosukee and Seminole people for generations,” Miccosukee Chairman Talbert Cypress wrote on social media.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/florida-builds-alligator-alcatraz-despite-protest/a-73056586

In the wake of a damning EU review of Israel’s human rights record in Gaza, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez slammed his colleagues for not moving to suspend a trade deal with Israel despite what he called “the catastrophic situation of genocide.”

More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave over more than 18 months of Israeli bombardment, according to Hamas-run Gazan authorities. Israel vehemently denies accusations of genocide, maintaining that it is at war with the ruling militant Islamist group Hamas following a massive terror attack on Israeli territory in 2023.

In a report distributed to the member states last week based on the findings and allegations of major international bodies, the European External Action Service found “indications” that Israel was breaching its duty to respect to human rights.

The document, not public but made available to DW, highlighted possible indiscriminate attacks affecting the civilian population, Israel’s blockade on food and medicine plus attacks on medical facilities as potential breaches. “There are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations,” the report concluded.

Arriving at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Sanchez said it was “more than obvious that Israel is violating Article 2 of the EU-Israel agreement.”

“We have had 18 sanctions packages against Russia for its aggression [in Ukraine], and Europe, with its double standards, is not capable of suspending an association agreement,” Sanchez said.

Suspension off the cards

Spain and Ireland are isolated among the 27 EU states in openly calling for the suspension of the deal in full, a move that would require unanimity and has therefore never been a serious prospect. Greece, Germany, Hungary, Austria, and Bulgaria remain close allies of Israel.

Berlin in particular has made its views clear, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz describing the move as “out of the question with the federal [German] government.”

Doing so would be a major commercial disruption, particularly for Israel, which buys a third of its goods from the EU. The accord, in force since 2000, covers everything from the two sides trading relationship – worth $50 billion each year for goods alone – up to political dialogue, and cooperation on research and technology.

Another possibility, requiring only a qualified majority of 15 out of 27, would be the partial suspension of the deal, for example, its provisions on free trade or shutting Israel out of EU research funding programme Horizon. But multiple diplomatic sources told DW that the numbers weren’t there either.

Top EU diplomat: Goal not to ‘punish Israel’

Earlier in the week, EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas officially presented the document to the member states for a first debate, already making clear there would be no immediate moves.

“It is not intended to punish Israel, but to trigger concrete improvements for the people and the lives of people in Gaza,” she said on Monday. “If the situation does not improve, then we can also discuss further measures and come back to this in July.”

On Thursday, EU leaders at the summit only “took note” of the report in their joint statement, making no reference to potential rights breaches, and said ministers should revisit the topic next month. At the same time, the 27 leaders deplored the “dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, the unacceptable number of civilian casualties and the levels of starvation.”

‘No foreign policy topic’ more divisive than Israel

Spain has also been calling for an EU embargo on the sale of arms to Israel, with Germany one of the country’s major suppliers, as well as more sanctions. However, Berlin recently reaffirmed it would keep selling Israel weapons, and without Germany on board, the move wouldn’t have much impact.

A few other countries, including Belgium, France and Sweden, have supported imposing additional EU sanctions on Israel, but these too require unanimity.

Echoing Sanchez, Irish leader Michael Martin said he would tell his colleagues at the summit that “the people of Europe find it incomprehensible that Europe does not seem to be in a position to put pressure on Israel.”

According to Lisa Musiol of conflict resolution think tank Crisis Group, maximum pressure would entail an arms embargo, large-scale sanctions against members of the government or a full suspension of the Association Agreement.

“But almost no European leader speaks about such measures,” Musiol told DW in a written statement. “There is probably no foreign policy topic within the EU where member states are so divided.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/double-standards-spain-slams-eu-inaction-on-israel-deal/a-73055177

FORD has made a significant change to its office policy in its latest bid to boost employee and company performance.

The iconic automaker has called for the majority of its workforce to be in the office for four days a week.

This new office policy will come into effect from September 1, and will impact the majority of its global salaried workforce.

A Ford spokesperson told Reuters: “We believe working together in person on a day-to-day basis will accelerate Ford’s transformation into a higher growth, higher margin, less cyclical and more dynamic company.”

The spokesperson also explained that many of the company’s employees have already been coming into the office for three or more days a week for some time now.

Ford notified employees of this new policy yesterday.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, hybrid working has become a popular debate among businesses all over the world.

Some companies, such as JPMorgan and Amazon, have reportedly mandated that their staff return to five days a week.

Ford’s crosstown rival, General Motors (GM), faced backlash for calling workers back into the office for three days a week in 2022, which saw them hold off from implementing the policy until 2023.

The Detroit automakers are implementing more strenuous bonus and attendance policies in a bid to compete with electric vehicle giants like Tesla.

Ford also ran into trouble earlier this year, as it struggled to source essential materials needed for its electric vehicles, which led to a production shutdown of one of its factories.

The manufacturers were in desperate need of rare-earth magnets, which according to the Wall Street Journal, are notoriously difficult to find due to China’s dominance in the global supply of the material.

The production shut down highlights the supply-chain difficulties Ford has been facing in recent times – only worsened by China’s restrictions on exporting rare-earth materials.

In February, they slashed stock bonuses for many of its middle managers, in what the company said was a move to incentivise improved performance.

last year, GM also changed its employee performance evaluation ranking to a system that put more pressure on the company’s low performers to either improve or leave.

Ford recently called out GM and its hometown competitors to establish itself as the most American auto company in the company, in June this year.

During the NBA finals on Monday, June 16, the company released an ad which riffed off of Kendrick Lamar’s hit track “Not Like Us” while referencing how it declined a taxpayer bailout during the 2008 financial crisis.

The ad said: “If they were like us, they would have said no to the taxpayer bailout and added thousands of American jobs.”

Ford said in a statement that it is the only manufacturer among the “Big Three” to increase hourly jobs in the US since the recession.

The ad came after Ford’s CEO Jim Farely opened up about the day-to-day struggle that comes with car production.

Farely admitted that Trump’s trade war with China has had devastating effects on the iconic American car brand.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/motors/14565146/ford-policy-change-global-shift-hybrid-working/

DONALD Trump has revealed what the mystery trucks at Iran’s Fordow nuke plant were doing there before he blitzed the base.

Satellite pictures captured the lorries at the underground bunker complex just hours before the US hammered it with B-2 stealth bombers in the “historically successful” Operation Midnight Hammer.

Some had speculated online those workers had been trying to remove the enriched uranium from the base.

But Trump has posted on social media after a Pentagon briefing today and said the trucks were concrete workers.

Iranian workers had desperately tried to cover the vents of the complex in concrete in the hours before the US bombed.

The bunker buster bombs hit their targets just hours later and flew down the shafts and obliterated the facility.

Trump said: “The cars and small trucks at the site were those of concrete workers trying to cover up the top of the shafts.

“Nothing was taken out of facility. Would take too long, too dangerous, and very heavy and hard to move!”

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed the Iranian’s desperate attempts during the briefing held with Dan “Raizin” Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Caine talked through previously unseen footage of the 30,000lb GBU-57 “bunker buster” weapon being tested.

One of the bombs can be seen in slo-mo hitting a dirt target, travelling through a thick layer of earth, and then exploding in a cavity below it in the new footage.

The footage came as part of the administration’s efforts to prove Operation Midnight Hammer blitz on Fordow “obliterated” the plant.

Caine also revealed information about the planning for the mission including that one person in the Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) had been solely studying the underground bunker complex for 15 years.

That person, whose identity is classified, had effectively been able give a design of the base for the Air Force to then design a mission around.

Caine said that the 30,000lb bombs had been designed with Iran’s nuclear program in mind and from studying Fordow.

He said: “The weapons were designed, planned, and delivered to achieve the objections in the mission space.”

Developing the bomb had, at one point, been using the most supercomputer hours in the United States.

Caine said he didn’t have intelligence on the damage, but could confirm the bombs had released properly, hit their target, and exploded.

One of the pilots told Caine after the mission: “This is the brightest explosion I have ever seen, it literally looked like daylight”.

The Pentagon briefing on the operation came just hours after Iran’s fanatical supreme leader broke his silence after not being seen in a week.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, claimed victory over Israel and America despite his country being hammered in the “12 Day War”.

Khamenei is hiding away in a bunker deep below ground despite the ceasefire as he fears being assassinated by secret agents, the New York Times reports.

The supreme leader was seen in a video sitting in front of the same brown curtain – presumably still cowardly hiding in his bunker – as he had last week.

On Israel, he ludicrously claimed Iran had almost crushed the country and the government in Tel Aviv was on the verge of collapse.

That’s despite the IDF controlling the skies over Tehran, assassinating dozens of top generals and nuclear scientists, and destroying dozens of valuable missile batteries in just 12 days of fighting.

On America, Khamenei claimed to have given the country a “severe slap” to its face and that it had “gained nothing” from the attack on Iran’s nuke plants.

The Ayatollah said: “The American regime entered a direct war because it felt that if it did not, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed.

“However, it gained no achievements from this war.

“Here, too, the Islamic Republic emerged victorious, and in return, the Islamic Republic delivered a severe slap to America’s face.”

Khamenei also bizarrely claimed his rockets had hit the American’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, despite his forces giving advanced warning so the rockets could be all shot down.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14512612/trump-us-nuclear-iran-israel-war/

India, Poland and Hungary launched their first astronauts in more than 40 years Wednesday, sending them on a private flight to the International Space Station.

The three countries shared the tab for the two-week mission. Axiom Space, the Houston company that arranged the deal, put the ticket price at more than $65 million per customer.

SpaceX’s Falcon rocket blasted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center two weeks late because of space station leak concerns. The capsule on top carried not only the three newcomers to space — none of whom were alive when their countries’ first astronauts launched — but America’s most experienced astronaut, Peggy Whitson.

Besides Whitson, the crew includes India’s Shubhanshu Shukla, a pilot in the Indian Air Force; Hungary’s Tibor Kapu, a mechanical engineer; and Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, a radiation expert and one of the European Space Agency’s project astronauts sometimes pressed into temporary duty.

The astronauts are due to arrive at the orbiting lab the next morning.

In addition to dozens of experiments, the astronauts are flying food that celebrates their heritage: Indian curry and rice with mango nectar; spicy Hungarian paprika paste; and freeze-fried Polish pierogies.

Hungary’s first astronaut, Bertalan Farkas, cheered on Kapu from the launch site.

“For such a small country as Hungary, it is really important to collaborate in a peaceful international space cooperation,” Farkas told The Associated Press. He called it “one of the most important moments” of his life.

Farkas launched with the Soviets in 1980, taking along a teddy bear in a cosmonaut suit that went back up with Kapu. India and Poland’s original astronauts also launched with the Soviets in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Uznanski-Wisniewski carried up the Polish flag worn on his predecessor’s spacesuit, noting that Miroslaw Hermaszewski was his biggest supporter until his death in 2022. India’s first astronaut, Rakesh Sharma, couldn’t make it to Florida for the launch; Shukla said he’s been a mentor “at every step of this journey” and is flying a surprise gift for him.

While others born in India and Hungary have flown in space before — including NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla, who died aboard the shuttle Columbia in 2003, and two-time space tourist Charles Simonyi, of Microsoft fame — they were U.S. citizens at the time of launch.

Shukla said before the flight that he hopes “to ignite the curiosity of an entire generation in my country” and drive innovation. Like his crewmates, he plans several outreach events with those back home.

“I truly believe that even though I, as an individual, am traveling to space, this is the journey of 1.4 billion people,” he said.

It was Axiom’s fourth chartered flight to the space station since 2022 and Whitson’s second time flying as an Axiom crew commander and chaperone. The trip caused her to miss her induction into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame late last month, since she was in quarantine before the flight. Whitson joined Axiom after retiring from NASA nearly a decade ago and has logged almost two years in orbit over her career.

Once opposed to nontraditional station guests, NASA now throws out the welcome mat, charging for their food and upkeep while insisting that an experienced astronaut accompany them.

It’s all part of NASA’s push to open space — moon included — to private businesses. Axiom is among several U.S. companies planning to launch their own space stations in the next few years. The goal is for them to be up and running before the international station comes down in 2031 after more than three decades of operation.

Access to space “is not only for the biggest agencies anymore — space is for everyone,” Poland’s Uznanski-Wisniewski said ahead of liftoff. He repeated the sentiment upon reaching orbit.

Hungarians want to “sit at the same table with the giants,” said Kapu. Through this mission, “Hungary gets one step closer to the stars.”

They should have flown earlier this year, but their mission was delayed following a switch in SpaceX capsules. The change enabled NASA’s two stuck astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to return to Earth in March sooner than planned.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/spacex-axiom-india-hungary-poland-astronauts-d4a18fffaed4cfacf0c26157c98ef198

Justin Combs is accused of luring a Louisiana woman to Los Angeles to be gang raped by his father, Sean “Diddy” Combs, and two other “masked men.”

According to a lawsuit obtained by Page Six, Justin allegedly convinced the unnamed woman to travel to California in April 2017 under the pretenses that he would get her a job in the entertainment industry.

The woman claimed she was put in a Beverly Hills home for several days and was ultimately raped by several men, including the Bad Boys Records founder.

The woman alleged that she connected with Justin, now 31, in 2017 via Snapchat and claimed he asked her for explicit photos, which she agreed to.

Per the documents, a few days later, the woman alleged that Justin invited her to California for a weekend to discuss her future career.

She claimed that Justin said he could get her a job through Diddy’s connections.

When the woman arrived in Los Angeles, she said was picked up by a driver and taken to a home, where she allegedly stayed the first night with Justin.

According to the suit, the woman claimed she and Justin “relaxed” and “talked”, and when she asked if they were going to leave the home, he allegedly said, “No.”

On one of the days, the woman claimed he offered her alcohol, pills or “poppers” and weed she believed to be laced.

After taking the drugs, she claimed three men arrived at the home wearing masks, one of whom was allegedly Diddy, now 55.

The woman claimed she knew it was the “I’ll Be Missing You” rapper by his “mannerisms,” adding that Justin called him “pops.”

She was then allegedly escorted to a bedroom and told, “You better let this happen. Or else.”

The woman claimed each man took turns raping her, claiming that the “brutal gang-rape” occurred from late Saturday night to around mid-afternoon on Sunday.

She was allegedly taken to the airport on Monday.

Diddy’s attorney denied the allegations.

“No matter how many lawsuits are filed it won’t change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor,” a lawyer for the rapper said.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/06/26/celebrity-news/sean-diddy-combs-and-son-justin-accused-of-brutal-gang-rape-in-lawsuit/

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez have already tied the knot in the US after signing a multi-million dollar prenup, multiple sources tell Page Six.

The happy couple, who have organized a $10 million, three-day wedding spree, have not registered to tie the knot in Venice. Sources say they were legally married ahead of their lavish ceremony on Friday on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.

“Often a marriage in a foreign country is not valid in the USA, or creates other issues, so yes it is likely they are already married,” said one renowned Florida-based attorney.

Another Italian source confirmed to us they have legally wed before their big ceremony on Friday.

City officials told The Times of London the couple did not make an official request to wed in the Floating City, which is required under Italian law. “I can totally rule out that they will have a civil ceremony in Venice under Italian law,” an official said.

Reps would not confirm whether Amazon founder Bezos, 61, who is the world’s third richest man, and Sánchez, 55, have already had a civil ceremony.

When George Clooney wed Amal Alamuddin in Venice in 2014, the ceremony was ­officiated at Venice town hall before their lavish celebration.

Meanwhile, three prominent divorce attorneys told us they were aware that Bezos and Sánchez – who live mainly in Miami, Florida, where Bezos bought three homes on the exclusive Indian Creek island – have signed a huge prenup,

As one said, “They can get married anywhere as their prenup would generally be drafted to include its enforceability everywhere.”

However, “Divorce can only happen in the state of the primary residence,” added the Florida attorney, “So if they live in Florida, no matter where they marry or what the prenup says, they would have to divorce in Florida.

“Likewise, if they left Florida and moved to New York as a primary residence they would have to divorce in NY. A prenup cannot confer jurisdiction on a state to grant a divorce without residency in that state.”

To marry in Venice, as US citizens, Bezos and Sánchez would have to sign an Affidavit or “Dichiarazione Giurata” sworn to before a US consular officer accredited in Italy, stating that there is no legal impediment to their marriage according to the law of their US state.

They would then have to schedule an appointment for a notary service with one of the US Consulates General in Italy or with the US Embassy in Rome to obtain the “Dichiarazione Giurata.” They would have to sign another declaration called an “Atto Notorio”.

A civil ceremony in Italy is performed by the Mayor or one of his deputies, and you need two witnesses, while a religious ceremony is considered valid if performed by a Roman Catholic priest.

Another Italian source added they were told by the Culture Commissioner, a member of Mayor Brugnaro’s council, that no municipal authority would take part in the wedding, and that no city-owned spaces would be used for any part of the ceremonies.

“By law, civil weddings in Italy must typically be officiated at the town hall,” said the source, “However, the city can designate another venue as legally valid for the ceremony. According to the councilor, there were no signs that this had occurred, nor that the necessary documents for non-residents to marry in Italy had been submitted.”

The couple has seemingly not signed up for any of this.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/06/26/celebrity-news/jeff-bezos-and-lauren-sanchez-are-already-married-with-a-mega-millions-prenup/

After satisfying Donald Trump’s calls for Europe to ramp up defence spending in NATO, European Union leaders were meeting in Brussels on Thursday (Jun 26) on the next big challenge ahead: how to seal a trade deal with the United States leader.

Time is running out. The EU has until Jul 9 to reach a deal or see swingeing tariffs kick in on a majority of goods, unleashing economic pain.

The European Commission, in charge of EU trade policy, has been in talks with Washington for weeks, and will update leaders on the state of play at Thursday’s summit.

The leader of the bloc’s biggest economy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, set the tone upon arrival.

“I support the commission in all its efforts to reach a trade agreement quickly,” said Merz, signalling he wants negotiators to close a deal as soon as possible – even if it means an unbalanced outcome with the Europeans agreeing to some level of US tariffs.

The EU has put a 0 per cent tariff proposal on the table – but it is widely seen as a non-starter in talks with Washington.

According to several diplomats, the goal at this point is rather to let Trump claim victory without agreeing to a deal that would significantly hurt Europe.

One diplomat suggested leaders would be happy with a “Swiss cheese” agreement – with a general US levy on European imports, but enough loopholes to shield key sectors such as steel, automobiles, pharmaceuticals and aeronautics.

This would be less painful than the status quo, with European companies currently facing 25 per cent tariffs on steel, aluminium and auto goods exported to the US, and 10 per cent on a majority of EU products.

Merz on Monday hit out at the EU’s approach to talks with Washington as “too complicated”, urging “rapid, joint decisions for four or five major industries now”.

The issue will be discussed over a summit dinner on Thursday, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen planning to test leaders’ red lines in negotiations.

If no agreement is reached, the default tariff on EU imports is expected to double to 20 per cent or even higher – Trump having at one point threatened 50 per cent.

KEEPING CALM

Unlike Canada or China, which hit back swiftly at Trump’s tariff hikes, the EU has consistently sought to negotiate with the US leader – threatening retaliation only if no agreement is reached.

“We will not allow ourselves to be provoked, we will remain calm,” said Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, urging the EU to avert an all-out trade war with Washington.

“We are negotiating and we hope to reach an agreement”, but “if this is not the case, we will obviously adopt countermeasures”, he warned.

Speaking at NATO’s summit in The Hague on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said a trade war among alliance partners “makes no sense” at a time when they are pledging to spend more on their common defence.

“We can’t say to each other, among allies, we need to spend more … and wage trade war against one another,” Macron said.

Talks between EU and US negotiators have intensified in recent weeks.

“The problem is that on behalf of the US, we have a heavyweight dealmaker – on our side, EU, have light capacity and capability leaders to negotiate,” said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Trump divides the Europeans. Orban and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are both vocally supportive of Trump – while others are more wary.

Meloni on Wednesday declared herself “quite optimistic” about reaching a deal and echoed Macron, albeit in a softer manner, saying spending more on defence among NATO allies went hand in hand with avoiding trade spats.

Pro-trade countries in Europe’s north are especially keen to avoid an escalation.

The EU has threatened to slap tariffs on US goods worth around €100 billion, including cars and planes, if talks fail to yield an agreement – but has not made any mention of those threats since May.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-eu-tariffs-trade-deal-negotiation-us-5205756

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra made a private phone call to Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen, a former prime minister who remains the dominant political figure in the country.

The call was meant to de-escalate tensions following a deadly border clash that had reignited long-standing disputes near the Preah Vihear temple. It was conducted informally, personally, and outside official diplomatic channels. Three days later, a 9-minute audio excerpt was leaked.

Hun Sen admitted to recording and disseminating the call, later releasing the full 17-minute audio on Facebook. What followed has been political chaos in Thailand: A coalition partner withdrew from government, protests erupted, and the Thai Foreign Ministry lodged a formal protest with Cambodia, and Paetongtarn now faces a no-confidence vote in parliament.

The fallout was not just a bilateral misstep; it exposed a structural vulnerability in how diplomacy is increasingly conducted. This incident serves as a textbook case of protocol vulnerability: the risks that arise when state-level diplomacy proceeds through undocumented, unaccountable, and unprotected means.

More broadly, it illustrates what may be termed “diplomatic authority drift”, the growing trend of foreign policy influence shifting to individuals outside formal executive roles, often without mandate or oversight.

MISALIGNMENT OF STATUS AND AUTHORITY

At the heart of the Thailand-Cambodia case lies a misalignment of status and authority.

Paetongtarn is the sitting head of government. Hun Sen, while no longer prime minister, retains unparalleled political sway. His son, Hun Manet, is the formal counterpart – yet it was Hun Sen who took the call, recorded it and made it public.

This is a form of hybrid leadership diplomacy, where former leaders operate without clear accountability yet retain access to the levers of statecraft. For Paetongtarn, engaging directly with Hun Sen may have felt natural, rooted in familial ties and political history. But in bypassing formal channels, she exposed herself to reputational and political risk.

Unlike official bilateral meetings, private engagements offer no diplomatic immunity, no archival record and no crisis management structure. Once public, they become political weapons.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states have long relied on personal rapport and informal backchannels to manage tensions as part of “the ASEAN way”. But the Thailand-Cambodia incident highlights the risks of informality when it lacks procedural anchors. The region has no shared norms or safeguards to govern the use of such channels, leaving bilateral diplomacy vulnerable to personal discretion and political exploitation.

The risks do not stem from personal rapport itself – which remains a valid and often effective diplomatic tool – but from informality without norms. Private calls bypass institutional records, oversight mechanisms and contingency planning.

This is not unique to Southeast Asia. During the first Trump administration, high-level engagement by non-official actors such as Jared Kushner and Rudy Giuliani frequently bypassed formal channels, blurring lines of authority. As the State Department’s role has diminished, the US itself has become susceptible to diplomatic authority drift.

This is a reminder that even in well-established systems, diplomatic norms can erode when political leaders personalise foreign policy without effective institutional checks.

INSTITUTIONAL SILENCE IN ASEAN

In Southeast Asia, however, this drift is compounded by institutional silence. ASEAN’s broader architecture, such as the ASEAN Charter and practices such as the rotating Chair or the Secretary-General’s mandate, offers no formal or informal norms to manage such hybrid situations. Bilateral relations have, quite naturally, been treated as sovereign matters.

But for a grouping that aspires to regional centrality and quiet diplomacy, the absence of shared expectations around diplomatic conduct is increasingly untenable. ASEAN’s non-interference principle, while crucial for its founding and stability, paradoxically means it generally avoids directly addressing the legitimacy of individual political actors or intervening in what are seen as “bilateral” incidents. Yet its silence leaves its diplomacy exposed to personalist improvisation with regional consequences.

The recent episode is emblematic of a wider pattern. In Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad’s second premiership was marked by personal engagements that often bypassed formal coordination. In Myanmar, the NLD government maintained a hybrid model of civilian diplomacy and military backchannels prior to the 2021 coup.

Elsewhere, dynastic or elder figures continue to exercise strategic influence without formal roles. In each case, personalism fills an institutional void – but also risks misalignment.

This is not the first time ASEAN’s diplomatic architecture has shown its limits. In earlier commentary on the Myanmar crisis, I warned of a “parallel diplomacy trap”, where some informal, ad hoc engagement efforts supplant the formal structures ASEAN relies on to maintain coherence.

The Paetongtarn-Hun Sen call is a vivid example of this dysfunction playing out bilaterally. Good-faith outreach, when unanchored, can trigger crisis. The outcome is not flexibility, but friction.

NEED FOR SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF DIPLOMATIC CONDUCT

ASEAN’s model of informality is not the problem; its lack of complementary norms is. What is needed is not heavy-handed institutionalisation, but a set of shared understandings – soft norms that clarify the difference between personal engagement and official diplomacy.

Three practical steps could begin this process. First, ASEAN should encourage member states to document high-level informal engagements within existing diplomatic protocols. Second, it could promote shared understandings around the use of non-executive actors in foreign policy dialogue. Third, it could discreetly empower the ASEAN Chair or Troika to advise or caution members when diplomatic practice threatens regional stability.

These proposed norms are not a call for ASEAN to abandon non-interference or to mediate bilateral disputes. Rather, they are about building a shared understanding of diplomatic conduct – one that helps contain the collateral damage when informally managed bilateral issues unexpectedly destabilise broader relations.

This should not be confused with Track II diplomacy or the role of public diplomacy actors, which deliberately operate outside state authority. The concern here is different: when individuals embedded in the state apparatus, but without formal mandate, perform foreign policy functions without oversight.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/thailand-cambodia-leaked-call-paetongtarn-shinawatra-hun-sen-asean-backchannel-diplomacy-5204971

Harvard University and the University of Toronto on Thursday (Jun 26) unveiled a contingency plan that would allow select Harvard graduate students to continue their studies in Canada if US visa restrictions prevent them from re-entering the United States.

It is the first international student backup strategy announced since the US Department of Homeland Security moved last month to strip Harvard of its ability to enrol international students. A federal judge has since blocked the move.

In response to potential visa challenges, students at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government who are unable to return to the US will have the option to continue their studies through a visiting student programme at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

The programme would combine courses taught by Kennedy and Munk faculty, the deans of both institutions said in a statement sent to Reuters.

The contingency plans are being announced to ease student uncertainty, but will only be implemented if there is sufficient demand from those unable to enter the US due to visa or entry restrictions, the statement added.

“With these contingency plans in place, HKS will be able to continue to provide a world-class public policy education to all of our students, even if they cannot make it to our campus this year,” Harvard Kennedy School Dean Jeremy Weinstein said.

The programme will be available to international students who have already completed one year at the US campus.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has threatened or moved to cut billions of dollars in federal research funding for Harvard. The administration has accused the university of failing to adequately address antisemitism and campus violence, violating reporting requirements, and coordinating with foreign entities, including China’s Communist Party, in ways that raise national security concerns.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/harvard-and-university-toronto-make-contingency-plan-international-students-5206256

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth insisted on Thursday (Jun 26) that American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites were a success, backing President Donald Trump and berating the media for questioning the results of the operation.

American B-2 bombers hit two Iranian nuclear sites with massive GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs last weekend, while a guided missile submarine struck a third site with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

“President Trump created the conditions to end the war, decimating – choose your word – obliterating, destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities,” Hegseth told journalists at the Pentagon, referring to a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran.

Trump has called the strikes a “spectacular military success” and repeatedly said they “obliterated” the nuclear sites.

NO INTELLIGENCE ON URANIUM MOVEMENT

On Thursday, he insisted that Iran did not manage to move nuclear materials, including enriched uranium – ahead of the US military action.

“Nothing was taken out of facility. Would take too long, too dangerous, and very heavy and hard to move!” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

This was echoed by Hegseth. “I’m not aware of any intelligence that I’ve reviewed that says things were not where they were supposed to be, moved or otherwise,” he said. He reiterated this point in a fiery news conference, saying the reports of uranium being moved lacked supporting intelligence.

However, several experts cautioned this week that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes, and could be hiding it and other nuclear components in locations unknown to Israel, the US, and UN nuclear inspectors.

They noted satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showing “unusual activity” at Fordow on Thursday and Friday, with a long line of vehicles waiting outside an entrance to the facility.

A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Sunday that most of the 60 per cent highly enriched uranium had been moved to an undisclosed location before the US attack. The Financial Times, citing European capitals, reported that Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile remains largely intact since it was not concentrated at Fordow.

MEDIA “HATRED” AND ASSESSMENT DISPUTES

US media revealed a preliminary American intelligence assessment earlier this week that said the strikes only set back Iran’s nuclear programme by months, coverage sharply criticised by Hegseth.

“Whether it’s fake news CNN, MSNBC or the New York Times, there’s been fawning coverage of a preliminary assessment.”

The document was “leaked because someone had an agenda to try to muddy the waters and make it look like this historic strike wasn’t successful”, Hegseth said.

He said the leaked assessment was a low-confidence report, and cited CIA Director John Ratcliffe as saying it had already been overtaken by more recent intelligence showing Iran’s nuclear programme was severely damaged and would take years to rebuild.

Trump has also lashed out at coverage of the intelligence report, calling for journalists to lose their jobs.

Hegseth described the strikes as “historically successful”. His comments came after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Thursday that Iran would respond to any future US attack by striking American military bases in the Middle East. Khamenei, 86, claimed victory after 12 days of war and promised Iran would not surrender despite Trump’s calls.

Hegseth did not definitively state that the enriched uranium and enriching centrifuges at the heart of Iran’s controversial nuclear programme had been wiped out, but cited intelligence officials, although giving little detail, as saying the nuclear facilities were destroyed.

“If you want to know what’s going on at Fordow, you better go there and get a big shovel, because no one’s under there right now,” Hegseth said, referring to the deep-underground nuclear site.

MILITARY TECHNICAL BRIEFING

During the press conference, the top US general largely stuck to technical details, outlining the history of the bunker-busting bombs used. General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, showed a video testing the bombs on a bunker like the ones struck on Sunday.

Caine declined to provide his own assessment of the strike and deferred to the intelligence community. He denied being under any pressure to change his assessment to present a more optimistic view of the US strikes.

He also said he would not change his assessment due to politics. Uniformed military officials are supposed to remain apolitical and provide their best military advice.

“I’ve never been pressured by the president or the secretary to do anything other than tell them exactly what I’m thinking, and that’s exactly what I’ve done,” he said.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/us-defence-secretary-pete-hegseth-no-known-intelligence-iran-moved-uranium-5205621

The national trade-in programme has been reportedly suspended in parts of China, with funding shortfalls and system upgrades among reasons cited. Analysts say the public anger reflects the programme’s popularity, but warn that sustaining spending momentum will require deeper reforms.

It’s 9.58am on a Tuesday, and anticipation is building at a Suning appliance store in Shenzhen’s western Bao’an district.

Five sales representatives stand ready, phones in hand, as shoppers hover beside them in quiet urgency. In just two minutes, the scramble begins.

That’s when a limited daily batch of government vouchers drops, and they will race to help customers verify QR codes and redeem subsidies offering up to 20 per cent off new appliances like fridges and air-conditioners under China’s national trade-in programme.

CNA observed similar scenes playing out at other major home appliance retailers, including JD and Sundan. One store manager, who wanted to be known as Xian, said the walk-in queues only began in mid-June.

“Online redemptions have stopped because the money (for the next tranche of subsidies) hasn’t come in, so now everyone has to come down in person,” she told CNA.

The on-the-ground snapshot comes amid reports of subsidy suspensions in parts of China, frustrating shoppers. Retailers and officials cite reasons ranging from funding shortfalls to system upgrades.

The pauses have spurred creative workarounds as consumers look for ways to access the subsidies, while also drawing attention to alleged misuse of the scheme.

At the same time, analysts say the halts actually reflect higher-than-expected demand – an encouraging sign for Beijing’s flagship trade-in programme, designed to revive domestic consumption and reduce reliance on external demand.

“It means people are quite enthusiastic about the programme,” Zhou Xue, senior China economist at Mizuho Securities, told CNA.

But even as China pledges continued funding, observers caution that the trade-in scheme alone is a stopgap – broader efforts are needed to tackle structural challenges like a sluggish property market, weak job and income prospects, and ongoing tensions with the United States.

China needs to buy time, Chen Bo, a senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s East Asian Institute (EAI), told CNA.

“This period is like a breather, because other policies are also being rolled out.”

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE SUBSIDISED

Launched in March 2024 to spur household spending, China’s national trade-in scheme offers cash rebates to consumers who swap old goods for new ones.

While the name suggests a trade-in is needed, many platforms and provinces offer 10 to 20 per cent off consumer goods even without one – broadening the programme’s appeal.

This year, the initiative is backed by 300 billion yuan in ultra-long-term special bonds, double the amount allocated in 2024. It has also expanded beyond home appliances and electric vehicles to include electronics such as smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and fitness bands priced under 6,000 yuan (US$836).

But headwinds have emerged in recent weeks, with consumers in provinces such as Guangxi, Jiangsu, Henan and Liaoning reporting that applications for subsidies under the scheme have been suspended.

Local governments have provided varying reasons. Authorities in Chongqing, Henan and Hunan cited “funds running dry”, while Jiangsu and Guangdong blamed “system upgrades” and “risk control enhancements”.

Authorities have pledged continued support and funding for the trade-in scheme. Still, frustration is bubbling online, with some Chinese citizens taking to social media to air their grievances.

“It’s ridiculous, I was about to make a purchase today and suddenly they halted it,” one user wrote on the social media platform Xiaohongshu.

“No subsidy, no deal,” another declared. A third user quipped: “Not buying saves me money – 100 per cent.”

Analysts say the pauses of the trade-in subsidies in some provinces are likely due to faster-than-expected uptake.

“If we’re seeing these pauses now, it suggests claims are coming in quicker than anticipated – meaning participation has exceeded expectations,” said EAI’s Chen, who further noted that provinces with tighter local finances, such as Jiangxi and Gansu, enacted the temporary subsidy halts.

Allan Von Mehren, chief analyst and China economist at Danske Bank, has a similar view.

“It shows that it’s working as intended – people are actually using it. Of course, if you run out of money, that could be a challenge,” he told CNA.

The trade-in scheme is funded through ultra-long-term special bonds, with co-funding from local governments under a 9:1 central-local ratio, and additional top-ups where needed, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

While some local governments have cited funding shortfalls for the subsidy pauses, analysts CNA spoke to were sceptical.

“Provinces like Chongqing and Jiangsu are financially strong … they can issue general local bonds to fund these expenses,” said Zhou from Mizuho Securities.

“I don’t think financing 10 per cent of the subsidies is a problem.”

Hannah Liu, a China economist at global financial services firm Nomura, believes that the roll-out is moving along at a “normal pace”.

The central government allocated 162 billion yuan for the subsidies in two tranches in January and April. A further 138 billion yuan is scheduled for release in the third and fourth quarters, with the next tranche set to roll out in July.

Liu added that April’s tranche was mostly used up by end-June.

“The quick take-up shows people are using the subsidies … if they weren’t, that would be a bigger concern,” she said.

Every yuan of government subsidy translated into roughly seven yuan of consumer spending, said Zhou.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, in the first five months of the year, the national trade-in scheme generated 1.1 trillion yuan in sales across five major categories – cars, home appliances, digital devices, e-bikes, and kitchen and bathroom upgrades.

Liu suggested the recent surge in claims is largely seasonal – driven by a flurry of events in May, including the 618 shopping festival and the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

“There may not be particularly strong underlying demand directly tied to the subsidies,” she told CNA.

“If authorities had accounted for seasonal sales patterns, they might’ve staggered the allocations – less in Q1, more in Q2 and beyond.”

“That clearly wasn’t the case.”

OF WORKAROUNDS AND LOOPHOLES

Amid the subsidy halts in some regions, some enterprising Chinese consumers have found ways to work around the issue.

Among them is Guangzhou resident Wendy Huang, who had her eye on a 14-inch MacBook Pro listed on Taobao for nearly 13,000 yuan.

By stacking subsidies from the trade-in scheme with a platform discount, the 25-year-old corporate marketing employee could have snagged it for under 7,000 yuan, nearly half off.

It would have been her fifth purchase under the programme. But when she tried to confirm the purchase the next day, the deal had vanished. Subsidies for that category had been suspended in Guangzhou, though still available in neighbouring Shenzhen.

Rather than give up, Huang improvised. “The price was just too tempting,” she told CNA.

Instead, Huang redirected the laptop delivery to Shenzhen North High-Speed Rail Station. There, she met the courier, let him snap photos of the unboxing – a requirement for the rebate – and squatted by the platform to inspect the device.

“It was a bit of a hassle, and I had to pay for the train,” she told CNA. “But with a discount like that, it was absolutely worth the detour.” Her ticket cost around 80 yuan.

Huang isn’t alone in finding creative ways around the rules. On Chinese social media, users have been swapping tips on how to tap trade-in subsidies across provincial borders.

A Shenzhen resident, who declined to be named, told CNA he recently bought a 13-inch MacBook Air in his hometown of Shanxi and had his family mail it to him.

“It only cost around a few dozen yuan to ship,” he said, adding that he saved 20 per cent off the list price of 7,399 yuan – paying just 5,399 yuan.

But beyond workarounds, the recent subsidy suspensions have also spotlighted alleged misuse of the trade-in programme, particularly in the automobile sector.

Scroll through a Chinese secondhand car platform, and it’s easy to find thousands of listings for vehicles with barely any mileage – often just 100km to 300km on the odometer.

Dubbed “zero-mileage used cars” or “ling gong li er shou che” in Chinese, these listings have raised concerns that dealers are exploiting a loophole in the national trade-in scheme.

The playbook: buy new cars from automakers, register them under the names of relatives or employees to qualify for subsidies and sales bonuses, then resell them as secondhand – all without the vehicles ever hitting the road.

In May, Great Wall Motor chairman Wei Jianjun publicly called out the practice, estimating that “at least 3,000 to 4,000 vendors” are involved.

But industry experts told CNA the phenomenon is far from new.

“It’s nothing new, people have been doing this for years,” said Zhang Xiang, director of the Digital Automotive International Cooperation Research Centre at the World Digital Economy Forum.

Zhang said many dealers are rushing to act before the subsidies expire by year-end.

“Some operate secondhand shops themselves, offering a convenient channel to offload the unused vehicles and keep sales numbers up.”

Take, for instance, a new electric vehicle priced at 100,000 yuan.

A dealer buys the car directly from the automaker and registers it under a collaborator’s name – often someone hired online – allowing it to be counted as “sold” and unlocking a manufacturer sales bonus of 1,000 yuan to 2,000 yuan.

The vehicle is then transferred to the dealer’s own or a partner’s secondhand platform and listed as a “zero-mileage used car”, with under 300km on the odometer. It’s priced slightly below retail to attract buyers.

Meanwhile, the dealer scraps an old vehicle provided by the collaborator to qualify for the national trade-in subsidy, worth up to 20,000 yuan for EVs. The dealer often pays the person more than the scrap car is actually worth.

The result is still a tidy profit, thanks to the combined gains from sales bonuses and government incentives.

Zhang noted that while the practice may seem questionable, it is not illegal, as there are no rules requiring cars to clock a minimum distance before being resold.

Chen from EAI described it as a “by-product of extreme market competition”.

Competition has been intensifying in the world’s largest auto market, with price wars that started in early 2023 showing little sign of abating despite concern among both government and industry.

“When car prices fall quickly, the combined value of factory rebates, government subsidies and secondhand resales can be more profitable than selling to actual customers,” Chen said.

Rather than stimulating genuine demand, Chen said such behaviour is distorting the market.

“It accelerates the drop in new car prices and ends up squeezing out quota in the primary car market – because buyers who would’ve purchased new cars are now getting them through secondhand channels at a discount,” he said.

Analysts acknowledged the difficulties in making the trade-in programme airtight.

“It’s impossible to make a programme completely bulletproof,” said Danske Bank’s Von Mehren.

“Given the size of the Chinese market, it is not surprising that issues arise with a programme like this. Creativity runs high, and there are always attempts to find loopholes and ways to circumvent certain rules.”

FUEL FOR NOW, NOT THE LONG HAUL

While Chinese officials have moved to reassure the public that the trade-in programme and its subsidies remain on track, experts agree the current approach is not sustainable.

They warn that it offers only short-term relief, while pointing out that it is just one part of a broader push by China to address deeper structural challenges.

EAI’s Chen likened the scheme to “reigniting the engine” of domestic consumption – a short-term spark rather than a long-term fix.

He pointed to three persistent challenges weighing on China’s recovery – stubborn unemployment and stagnant wages, mounting corporate debt choking cash flow, and external headwinds such as escalating trade tensions with the US.

“In the long run, when we use subsidies, what we’re really doing is trying to reignite people’s desire to spend. But subsidies alone can’t fundamentally shift total demand,” said Chen.

He said the scheme provides some breathing room as concurrent efforts to bolster the Chinese economy – including settling commercial arrears to restore private sector confidence, boosting tech innovation, and stabilising the beleaguered property market – take deeper root.

Crucially, Chen believes it’s too early to assess whether the trade-in programme is working.

It will take one to two quarters after the subsidies cease to see if consumers are still motivated to spend, Chen said.

“The key test is whether the subsidies can unlock broader demand – demand that’s dozens of times larger than the subsidy itself. That’s what would show it worked.”

For Von Mehren, China is moving in the right direction, but must act with greater urgency.

He believes the property sector is one of the most pressing issues that must be addressed to revive confidence and get the economy moving.

China’s prolonged property slump remains one of the biggest drags on consumer confidence. In May, official data showed that new home prices fell 3.5 per cent year-on-year and 0.2 per cent from April – the 11th straight month of decline.

With housing accounting for about 70 per cent of household wealth, the downturn has eroded the financial security of many families, dampening their willingness to spend.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-consumption-trade-programme-suspensions-frustrations-5202686

THIS is the horror moment an 18-wheeler smashes into a utility worker mid-air — sending him flying upside down and dangling above a busy Louisiana road.

Shocking dashcam footage captures the worker, strapped into a bucket lift, get violently hit while fixing a traffic light in Denham Springs.

The massive truck makes a wide turn and slams into the elevated basket from below — flipping the man over in a terrifying split second as vehicles drive past below him.

The terrifying clip, first shared by Louisiana First News, was captured on Wednesday near Range Avenue at I-12.

It quickly went viral, sparking a heated blame game across social media.

“He nearly fell out of the bucket but thank God for that safety harness,” one viewer wrote.

Another clip posted on Facebook shows the huge rig grazing the underside of the lift as it attempts to maneuver the tight turn.

The worker could be seen visibly jolted by the impact and left dangling by his gear over the road.

“I don’t know how that truck could have made that turn without hitting one pole on one side without hitting the truck,” East Baton Rouge Parish Director of Transportation Fred Raiford told WBRZ-TV.

Surprisingly, Denham Springs Police confirmed the man suffered only minor injuries and was not taken to hospital.

“That is a mandate we have — when you’re in that bucket truck you’ll have that harness on,” Raiford added.

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has now launched an investigation into the incident, alongside Denham Springs Police, to determine if any charges will be filed.

Online, furious users argued over who should be held responsible — the truck driver or the work crew.

“Well somebody just lost their trucking license,” one user fumed.

“Take the next four to six weeks off and hire a great lawyer to sue the trucking company. Set for life,” another said.

“No way? they didn’t even try to avoid the worker! I hope the man is okay,” one shocked viewer commented.

Others hit back, blaming the utility company for failing to properly secure the site.

“Not the truck driver’s fault. They should have closed the lane. I sense big trouble from OSHA and DOT coming their way…” one person wrote.

“That’s on the utility company. Lane should’ve been blocked, spotter wasn’t watching incoming traffic,” said another.

“Not the driver’s fault… The work crew had no lane restrictions in place and the basket was obviously below 13’ 9” height,” added a third.

As the investigation continues, officials say safety precautions like lane closures, cones, and signage are sometimes required — but not always — depending on the work zone setup.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14570491/worker-smashed-wheeler-dangling/

President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to deport migrant Kilmar Abrego for a second time, but does not plan to send him back to El Salvador, where he was wrongly deported in March, a lawyer for the administration told a judge on Thursday.
The deportation will not happen until after Abrego is tried in federal court on migrant smuggling charges, a White House spokesperson said.

“He will face the full force of the American justice system – including serving time in American prison for the crimes he’s committed,” the spokesperson, Abigail Jackson, wrote in a post on X.

Sean Hecker, a lawyer for Abrego in the criminal case, accused the White House and the Justice Department of making “contradictory statements.”
“No one has any idea whether there are concrete plans for our client, or what those plans are,” Hecker said in a statement.
Earlier on Thursday, Justice Department lawyer Jonathan Guynn said during a hearing in federal court in Maryland that the United States does not have “imminent plans” to remove Abrego, a Salvadoran national, from the United States.
If deported, Abrego would be sent to a third country and not El Salvador, Guynn said. He did not name the country.

Abrego was deported and imprisoned in El Salvador in March despite a 2019 judicial decision barring him from being sent there because of a risk of persecution.
The Trump administration brought Abrego back to the United States this month to face federal criminal charges accusing him of transporting migrants living illegally in the United States. He has pleaded not guilty.
The case of Abrego, 29, who had been living in Maryland with his wife, a U.S. citizen, and their young son, has become a flashpoint over Trump’s hardline immigration agenda.
The federal judge overseeing Abrego’s criminal case ordered him released ahead of trial as early as Friday, but the Trump administration has said it plans to immediately take him into immigration custody.
Abrego’s lawyers have asked that he be kept in Maryland and that the Justice Department, which is prosecuting the criminal case, and the Department of Homeland Security, which handles immigration proceedings, ensure he is not deported while the criminal case is pending.

Federal judges in Maryland, where Abrego is suing over the March deportation, and Tennessee, where criminal charges were filed, are both yet to rule on Abrego’s requests.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-administration-plans-second-deportation-abrego-not-el-salvador-2025-06-26/

Tesla (TSLA.O), executive and longtime Elon Musk confidant Omead Afshar has left the electric-vehicle maker, three people familiar with the matter said on Thursday, another senior departure as the company grapples with slowing global demand.
Afshar was part of the CEO’s office and since last year had overseen sales and manufacturing in Europe and North America. After joining Tesla in 2017, he quickly became one of Musk’s trusted lieutenants, playing a central role in major projects like the Texas Gigafactory.

The sources, who declined to be identified, had no details on the circumstances of his exit or the reason behind it. Afshar posted about Tesla on X early this week, and his profiles on X and LinkedIn still showed his Tesla role as current on Wednesday.
Afshar departed amid slumping demand in Europe and North America for Tesla’s aging vehicle line-up while rivals have offered more affordable alternatives.
Two people familiar with Tesla’s operations said Afshar was among the executives who took on bigger roles this year when Musk was focused on Washington.
Musk led President Donald Trump’s government cost-cutting drive this year, and many investors and analysts worried that distracted Musk from Tesla and alienated some potential buyers.

Former mid-level Tesla sales manager Matthew LaBrot, who was recently fired for public criticism of Musk, said Afshar was a “supporting character” closely tied to Musk until he rose to head sales and manufacturing in North America and Europe.
LaBrot said there was significant pressure internally to deal with the sales declines, which have been particularly severe in Europe.
Afshar’s departure was reported earlier by Bloomberg News, which also reported that North America HR Director Jenna Ferrua had exited the company. Two of the three people who confirmed Afshar’s departure to Reuters also said Ferrua had left.
One of those people said Afshar and Ferrua were close colleagues, so it was not surprising that both left around the same time. Another of the people said Ferrua has served as a direct HR adviser to Afshar.

The departure caps a series of executive exits over the past 14 months, driven by company-wide restructuring as Tesla slashed thousands of jobs and shifted its focus to AI-powered self-driving technology and robotics.
The departures included leaders in robots, batteries and public policy. The head of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot team, Milan Kovac, announced he was leaving this month, and top battery executive Vineet Mehta did so in May.
Chief battery engineer Drew Baglino, Rebecca Tinucci, who led the supercharging division, and global public policy head Rohan Patel left in spring 2024.
Musk ended his Washington stint in late May, reassuring some investors concerned about brand damage. But Tesla’s shares remain down about 19% for the year, after an initial rise on optimism that Trump’s victory would clear the regulatory path for robotaxis.

On Sunday, Tesla deployed self-driving taxis in Austin, Texas. Some analysts have warned that the company’s plan to expand to other cities later this year could face hurdles, due to concerns about safety and the technology.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/tesla-executive-elon-musk-confidant-leaves-ev-maker-bloomberg-news-reports-2025-06-26/

Indonesian rescuers have recovered the body of a Brazilian woman who died after falling off a cliff while hiking on Indonesia’s second-highest volcano, rescue officials said.

Juliana Marins, 27, was hiking with five friends on Mount Rinjani on Saturday when she slipped and fell off a cliff on the side of the 3,726m mountain.

She was found dead on Tuesday (Jun 24), Indonesian rescuers said. Rescuers had been attempting to retrieve the body since but the effort was hampered by thick fog and the steep terrain.

The body was recovered on Wednesday in a retrieval process that took six hours, Mohammad Syafii, the head of Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency said late on Wednesday. After being lifted from the cliff, Marins’ body was carried on a stretcher to the rescuers’ nearest post where an ambulance took it to a hospital.

“Initially we would like to use helicopter in the evacuation but it’s not possible due to the weather condition,” he said.

“So, we had to evacuate the victim on stretchers which took quite a long time.”

Footage shared by the agency showed rescuers attempting to lift the body from the cliff using ropes, overshadowed by thick fog.

Indonesia’s rescuers agency had met with the family of Marins to explain the evacuation process, Syafii said, adding the family “can accept the situation”.

Located in West Nusa Tenggara province, Mount Rinjani is an active volcano and popular tourist site in the Southeast Asian archipelago.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-rescuers-recover-body-brazilian-tourist-fell-volcano-cliff-5204261

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Jun 25) called for Israel to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or cancel his corruption trial, saying the US would save him like it did his country.

Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in Israel on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – all of which Netanyahu denies. The trial began in 2020 and involves three criminal cases. He has pleaded not guilty.

“Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State (of Israel),” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that he had learned that Netanyahu was due to appear in court on Monday.

Israeli media have reported that cross-examination of Netanyahu began on Jun 3 in a Tel Aviv court and was expected to take about a year to complete.

Israeli President Issac Herzog has the power to pardon Netanyahu but has been quoted by Israeli media as saying that a pardon is “not currently on the table”. He also said that “no such request had been made,” according to the reports.

Trump extolled Netanyahu as a “warrior” but also said in his post: “It was the United States of America that saved Israel, and now it is going to be the United States of America that saves Bibi Netanyahu.”

That appeared to be a reference to US involvement and support for Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear program.

It was unclear if Trump meant the US could do anything to aid Netanyahu in his legal battle.

The Republican president described the case against the Israeli leader as a “witch hunt”, a term Trump has frequently applied to US attempts to prosecute him.

The warm words contrasted with the rare rebuke he issued on Tuesday over Israel’s post-ceasefire strikes on Iran.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/donald-trump-israeli-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-trial-cancelled-5204251

LeAnn Rimes bolted off stage after her teeth fell out mid-performance.

The “I Need You” singer was mid-song at The Skagit Casino Resort in Washington Friday when her dental bridge became detached.

“Last night I was on stage, in the middle of [singing] ‘One Way Ticket,’” Rimes shared in a video posted to her Instagram Saturday.

“I feel something pop in my mouth,” she continued. “And if you’ve been around, you know I’ve had a lot of dental surgeries and I have a bridge in the front and it fell out in the middle of my song last night.”

The pop star, 42, said she “panicked” before running to the side of the stage to secure her prosthetic teeth and swiftly returned back to the microphone.

“Then I just had to get real with everybody and tell them exactly what was happening or else I would have had to walk off stage,” she shared. “And so, for the rest of the show, I was literally like this, pushing my teeth in.”

Rimes said she had to push her teeth back in “every couple lines” while she singing her tunes and noted that it was in that moment she realized her song, “Can’t Fight the Moonlight,” had several Fs, THs, and SHs.

“Like, ‘Can’t Fight the Moonlight,” [the teeth] completely fell in my mouth,” she recalled.

Fortunately, Rimes laughed off the dental disaster and even called it “the most epic experience ever.”

“I don’t usually have firsts in my career. That was a first and hopefully a last,” she said.

Rimes hoped her teeth would stay in for her performance at the same venue later that night.

“We shall see,” she said before joking, “The front row, get ready for something to fly out. If you catch them, please return them.”

Rimes said she decided to take to social media to show fans that she was “keepin’ it real.”

“Like I said, there wasn’t a f–king thing I could do about it except either walk off, or just hold my teeth in and sing, so I just ran with it,” she said. “The show can go on, even in the midst of sheer, utter embarrassment. You just gotta be real with people.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/06/25/celebrity-news/leann-rimes-runs-off-stage-after-her-teeth-fall-out-mid-concert/

The Trump administration’s tariff plans may well just cause a one-time jump in prices, but the risk it could cause more persistent inflation is large enough for the central bank to be careful in considering further rate cuts, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told a U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday.
Though economic theory may point to tariffs as a one-off shock to prices, “that is not a law of nature,” said Powell, detailing why the central bank wants more information about the ultimate level of tariffs and the way they impact pricing and public expectations about inflation before lowering borrowing costs any further.

“If it comes in quickly and it is over and done then yes, very likely it is a one-time thing,” that won’t lead to more persistent inflation, Powell said. But “it is a risk we feel. As the people who are supposed to keep stable prices, we need to manage that risk. That’s all we’re doing,” through holding rates steady for now.
The effects of tariffs “could be large or small. It is just something you want to approach carefully. If we make a mistake people will pay the cost for a long time.”
Fed officials still expect to cut interest rates this year, but the timing is uncertain as officials wait on coming trade deadlines and hope for more certainty about the scope of the tariffs that will be imposed and the ways that rising import levies influence prices and economic growth.

Two days of hearings did little to shift expectations around Fed policy, with investors still anticipating two rate cuts this year.
But it did highlight the persistent rift between the Fed chair and President Donald Trump, who wants the Fed to cut rates immediately.
Republican lawmakers in the House on Tuesday and in the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday pressed the Fed chair on why he seems reluctant to do so even though recent inflation data has been more moderate than expected.
The tone at times contrasted with Powell’s generally congenial relationship with Republican and most Democratic lawmakers during his seven years as chair.
Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, echoing Trump’s frequent criticism of Powell, accused him of shaping monetary policy through “a political lens, because you just don’t like tariffs.”

“We got elected by millions of voters. You got elected by one person who doesn’t want you to be in that job,” Moreno said of Powell, who was promoted to Fed chair during Trump’s first term.
North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis, however, backed a more cautious approach to the issue, noting that major retailers like Walmart, with sophisticated data tools, were having trouble pinpointing how tariffs will affect prices and demand.
“I’m just telling my colleagues we need to be realistic,” Tillis said. Companies “have a lot of experts that probably are suggesting there may be some inflationary risk. We haven’t realized it yet but I think we all need to keep our eyes open.”
While Powell was completing what was likely his second-to-last set of semiannual appearances on Capitol Hill, Trump said he had narrowed “to within three or four people” who he intends to nominate as a successor for when Powell’s term as chair ends in May.

DIFFERENT THIS TIME

The leader of the “Los Choneros” criminal group disappeared from prison in 2024 during an episode of violence. Quito has requested that Macias — also known as Fito — be extradited to the US, President Noboa said.

Jose Adolfo Macias, also known as “Fito,” was captured in Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa said, without disclosing further details. The Associated Press news agency cited officials as saying the arrest was made in the Ecuadorian city of Manta, Fito’s hometown.

What did Noboa say about Fito’s capture?

Noboa’s government had offered a $1 million (about €855,650) reward for information leading to the gang leader’s capture.

“My recognition to our police and military who participated in this operation. More will fall, we will reclaim the country. No truce,” said Noboa in a statement on X.

Quito has requested that he be extradited to the United States, where “Los Choneros” criminal gang was sanctioned last year, Noboa said, adding that they await Washington’s response.

Macias is due to face international gun and drug charges in a federal court in New York.

Who is ‘Fito’ and why is he Ecuador’s most wanted fugitive?

The criminal gang leader was sentenced in 2011 to 34 years in prison over drug trafficking, murder and other crimes. He mysteriously disappeared from prison in 2024, during an episode of violence.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/ecuadors-most-wanted-gang-leader-fito-arrested-president/a-73043249

Most NATO allies promised to ramp up defense spending and reaffirmed their “ironclad” commitment to mutual defense. But there are lingering concerns over the scale and scope of US engagement.

From the perspective of European NATO allies, it all went to plan: A short, one-page and five-point declaration, a nice group photo and even dinner with the Dutch king and queen. At the NATO summit at The Hague, US President Donald Trump was also in good spirits.

When he addressed the press, Trump claimed credit for ending the war in Iran and for getting NATO allies to increase their defense spending to 5% of their national GDPs by 2035.

He praised European members of the alliance for “the love and passion they showed for their countries,” but also said they needed the US. He hailed the new pledge as a “big win for Europe and for western civilization.”

What’s in the declaration?

The declaration says the allies will spend 5% on defense, split into two parts.

At least 3.5% of GDP will be spent on hard defense – that includes purchase of weapons – and up to 1.5% will go towards other defense-related investments that enhance military mobility and protect against cyber attacks. The trajectory and balance of spending will be reviewed in the next four years.

Yet not all NATO members are fully on board. President Trump called out Spain for refusing to increase spending and warned he would make the country pay more through trade.

Spain, Slovakia and Belgium seeking to opt out

Spain is the lowest NATO spender at less than 1.3% and has only recently agreed to meet the 2% target that was made a decade ago.

Observers said that political turmoil at home made it nearly impossible for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to agree to the 5% goal. Tens of thousands protested in Madrid last week after a senior leader of Sanchez’ socialist party was accused of corruption and the opposition called for the prime minister to resign.

Sanchez asked NATO for an exemption and said Spain would achieve the military capabilities that NATO had asked for but that 2% of GDP would be enough for that.

Poland, which is leading in defense spending and already this year announced plans to increase it to 4.7% of its GDP, was not happy.

“We believe that any deviation from this principle by any member country is a bad example,” Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

He may have had a point. Slovakia soon piggybacked on Spain and also refused to meet the target.

“The Slovak Republic has other priorities in the coming years than armament,” Prime Minister Robert Fico posted on X. “The Slovak Republic must, similarly to Spain, reserve the sovereign right to decide at what pace and in what structure it is prepared to increase the budget.”

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot told the local press his country “may not have done so by making a noisy statement like Spain, but I can assure you that for weeks our diplomats have been working hard to obtain the flexibility mechanisms that could help to lighten the burden of the Belgian effort.”

Is Washington committed to Article 5?

But even if most allies do reach the 5% target, there is lingering uncertainty over the US’ commitment to the alliance.

On his way to the summit, President Trump said there were “numerous definitions” of Article 5 – NATO’s mutual defense clause. After his arrival, however, he reassured NATO allies that the US was with them “all the way.”

Still, some damage control was required. “Stop worrying,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said at the press conference. “The United States is totally committed to NATO.”

In the summit declaration the allies then reaffirmed an “ironclad commitment” to collective defense as enshrined in Article 5, “an attack on one is an attack on all.”

Kristine Berzina, Washington DC-based managing director of the German Marshall Fund (GMF) Geostrategy North, who is currently at The Hague to attend the summit, told DW that in a way, President Trump was right. But that this was hardly the perfect time to deliberate on the nuances of the clause.

She said while it was left on individual members to choose the extent of their support to an ally under attack, the only time Article 5 has been invoked was following the 9/11 attacks on the United States. “The US has been the beneficiary of Article 5 and that’s the part that President Trump should remember,” she said.

There are also concerns that over time, the US may dial down its support to NATO.

“Later this year we can expect the US to consult allies on its global force posture – that will likely be reduced military presence in Europe and then focus on how the Europeans can fill those gaps,” Rafael Loss, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told DW. But he added that the good news was that the US wasn’t “dumping everything on the Europeans suddenly.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/nato-members-step-up-spending-but-doubts-about-us-remain/a-73041273

The Council of Europe will set up a special international tribunal to prosecute top Russian officials for the war in Ukraine. “Every war criminal must know there will be justice,” Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an agreement with the Council of Europe (CoE) on Wednesday to establish a special tribunal to prosecute those accused of orchestrating Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Ukraine argues that the tribunal is urgently needed to hold Russia’s leadership accountable for launching the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

“We need to show clearly aggression leads to punishment and we must make it happen together, all of Europe,” Zelenskyy said after signing the accord with CoE Secretary General Alain Berset.

Tribunal to be set up under the aegis of Europe’s top rights body

The creation of the tribunal comes as ceasefire talks between the two countries remain stalled, with Russian PresidentVladimir Putin appearing to believe that time is on his side.

“Every war criminal must know there will be justice and that includes Russia,” Zelenskyy said.

The CoE hopes the tribunal could begin its work as early as next year.

Berset said the next step in establishing the tribunal would be an expanded agreement to “allow the widest possible number of countries to join, to support, and to help manage the tribunal.”

Logistical details, including the tribunal’s location, still need to be resolved.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has already issued arrest warrants for Putin and other Russian officials on war crimes charges. However, it lacks the jurisdiction to prosecute them for the crime of aggression.

Kyiv has long called for a dedicated tribunal, modeled on the Nuremberg trials, that would go beyond addressing alleged war crimes.

The CoE said the tribunal “fills the gap” created by the “jurisdictional limitations” of the ICC.

Europe backs Ukraine’s bid to try Russian leaders

This would be the first special tribunal established by the Strasbourg-based CoE, which promotes human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The CoE is not part of the European Union.

European foreign ministers endorsed the creation of the tribunal during a meeting in Lviv, western Ukraine, on May 9.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who attended the meeting, said the “war, which violates international law, must not be allowed to remain without consequences.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-coe-to-set-up-tribunal-targeting-russian-leadership/a-73043187

While one might see Sharif’s effort as an initiative to initiate dialogue with India, it is nothing more than another diplomatic smokescreen, given Islamabad’s dubious record on curbing terrorism.​​

Weeks after Operation Sindoor, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reportedly expressed readiness for a “meaningful dialogue” with India during a telephonic conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. India, however, has maintained that any talks are not possible while the neighbouring country is promoting cross-border terrorism and Sharif’s statement is nothing more than another diplomatic smokescreen, given Islamabad’s dubious record on backing and financing terrorism. Notably, Pakistan PM’s remarks come just weeks after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. According to the NIA, three Pakistan-based terrorists from the UN-proscribed militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were behind the attack.

During a call with MBS, Sharif expressed willingness to engage in a “meaningful dialogue” with India to resolve “all outstanding bilateral issues.” “Pakistan is ready to engage in a meaningful dialogue with India on all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, water, trade and terrorism,” he was quoted as saying by Radio Pakistan, as per a PTI report.
Earlier last month, Sharif, in Iran and in Azerbaijan, had expressed willingness to hold peace talks with India to resolve all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, terrorism, water and trade.

India has maintained that any meaningful dialogue with Islamabad is only possible in an atmosphere free of cross-border terrorism, adding that the only issue left is the return of the illegally occupied part of Jammu and Kashmir. Following the Pahalgam terror attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reiterating India’s bold stance, said “water and blood can’t flow together”. “Terror and trade cannot go hand in hand,” PM Modi had said.

Three Pakistan-based terrorists from the UN-proscribed militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were behind the terror attack in Pahalgam, according to NIA. Following the terror attack in Pahalgam, India took several multiple punitive measures, including putting the 1960 vintage Indus Water Treaty (IWT) on abeyance and stopping all trade with Pakistan.
India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, under which the Indian Armed Forces destroyed terror infrastructure at nine “known locations” in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. There were four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10, following Islamabad’s ceasefire request.
Earlier in May, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has already stated that talks between Delhi and Islamabad would be on India’s concerns about Pakistan-based terror outfits.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/pakistan-shehbaz-sharif-seeks-meaningful-dialogue-with-india-what-about-meaningful-action-against-terror-article-152153343

Iran has struck back, but the Strait of Hormuz remains open. Why hasn’t Tehran carried out its threat?China and Iran’s neighbors may have affecte the decision?

For a few days, the world held its breath. It seems the conflict between Israel, the US and Iran is not going to escalate any further, at least for now. Iran opted to save face by launching an attack on a US military base in Qatar, which the stock market interpreted as a de-escalatory gesture.

This retaliatory strike by Tehran was “loud enough for headlines, quiet enough not to shake the oil market’s foundations,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management commented to Reuters. Immediately after the strike on Monday evening, the oil price fell again sharply.

And yet Iran holds a powerful trump card. It could do immense damage to the global economy by blockading the Strait of Hormuz. But would this really be to its advantage — or would it be more of an own goal?

Why oil exports are so important for Tehran

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) says that “Iran’s economy is relatively diversified compared with many other Middle Eastern countries.” However, the goods produced by the country’s industry are primarily sold on the domestic market.

The export of oil and petroleum products is therefore an important source of income for the government. These constitute more than 17% of the country’s total exports, with natural gas at 12%. According to the EIA, Iran was the fourth-largest producer of crude oil among the OPEC countries in 2023, and in 2022 it was the world’s third-largest producer of dry gas (natural gas that is at least 85% methane, containing only negligible quantities of condensable gases such as hydrogen).

Iran exports oil, despite sanctions

Although it has been subject to sanctions for many years, this has not prevented the Iranian regime from exporting oil. China in particular has benefited: In 2023, it took almost 90% of the oil exported by Iran.

In March 2024, the Financial Times quoted Javad Owji, Iran’s Minister of Petroleum at the time, saying that Iran’s oil exports “generated more than 35 billion dollars” in 2023. According to the World Bank, between April and December 2023 the oil sector represented more than 8% of Iran’s GDP. And based on estimates from the data analysis company Vortexa, it is believed to have exported even more the following year.

China: an important trade partner

Iran would therefore damage itself if it blocked the Strait of Hormuz. Not only would its own oil revenue be affected, it would also upset its trading partner China, which profits from buying the oil at low cost.

The London-based TV station Iran International estimates that Tehran sells its oil at a 20% discount on the world market price, because its buyers risk getting into trouble on account of the US sanctions. The broadcaster explained that Chinese refineries are the biggest buyers of Iran’s illegal consignments of oil. Intermediaries mix it with deliveries from other countries, and the oil is then declared in China as having been imported from Singapore or other countries of origin.

According to Rystad Energy, an independent energy research company based in Norway, China imports a total of almost 11 million barrels of crude oil per day, around 10% of which comes from Iran.

Blockade would affect neighboring countries

A blockade would also have caused trouble for Iran’s neighbors. Kuwait, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates also transport their oil through the passage. In a post on Linkedin, the economist Justin Alexander, a Gulf region analyst, commented that if Tehran were to close the strait, this would “undermine remaining alliances” it still has with countries in the region.

Whether Iran could actually maintain a blockade is also doubtful. Homayoun Falakshahi from the analytics firm Kpler told German TV that he believed a blockade would provoke a swift and forceful military response from both the US and European countries, and that Iran would only have been able to close the strait for a day or two.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/iran-is-the-cost-of-closing-the-strait-of-hormuz-too-high/a-73042130

The “Russian House” still stands in the heart of Berlin. Critics say it is used to spread propaganda for Putin’s Russia. Meanwhile, Germany pays property taxes for the land.

The Russian House is centrally located on Friedrichstrasse in the heart of the German capital. As a throwback to a bygone era of friendly German-Russian relations, it is the subject of fierce disagreements and has long been a bone of contention in Berlin. The massive seven-story building covering an area of almost 30,000 square meters was opened in 1984.

At that time, back in the days of the East German state, its role was to celebrate friendship with the Soviet Union through concerts, film screenings, and book readings. It even had its own small bookstore.

Today’s administrators still maintain that it is a place to celebrate the friendship between the two countries: “The Russian House is Russia’s cultural embassy in the heart of Berlin,” according to the Russian Embassy’s website.

But quite a few critics say that the events that take place there, which the Russian House estimates attract 200,000 visitors a year, mainly serve as propaganda for Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Sale of tank-shaped bars of soap

Berlin media outlets have repeatedly reported on events at the in-house cinema where, for example, a Holocaust film was shown in which Ukrainian citizens were portrayed as Nazis. And if Robin Wagener, a member of the Bundestag for the Green Party, is to be believed, the Russian House even sells soap for children in the shape of a tank. Wagener told DW: “It is time we recognized that this is not mutual cultural exchange, but Russian war propaganda in Germany.”

That’s why Wagener thinks it’s time to focus on one particularly bizarre detail: the property on Friedrichstrasse belongs to Germany, and yet the building is run by the Russian federal agency “Rossotrudnichestvo.” In English, that’s the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation.

Rossotrudnichestvo, whose primary purpose is to promote the Russian language abroad, currently has 73 similar institutions in 62 countries worldwide, including the one in Berlin.

Since 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the agency has been on the EU sanctions list. At the time, the EU justified this by stating that the agency’s goal was to consolidate “a wider public perception of the occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian.” The director and deputy director, the statement added, had clearly expressed their support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

German property tax for Russian state propaganda?

However, as the de facto owner of the property, the German federal government must now pay a whopping €70,000 ($81,193) in property taxes. This stems from a long-standing agreement between Germany and Russia, which recognized each other’s cultural work. Wagener wants to ensure that this sum is cut from the upcoming budget negotiations.

Wagener first had the idea a year ago, but in the chaotic turmoil of the coalition government between the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Green Party, and the neoliberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), no budget was agreed upon, which is only now being finalized. Wagener’s reasoning for the possible cut: The house has long lost sight of its original purpose, namely to promote mutual cultural exchange: “Russia keeps escalating. And that’s making the situation worse. The basis for this mutual cultural agreement was to promote the exchange of culture and science.”

Wagener approached the new federal government on this matter. The response was somewhat awkward: “With regard to the house located on the property, which is owned by the Russian Federation, the Federal Republic of Germany pays the property tax for the Russian Federation on the basis of its legal obligation under the bilateral German-Russian agreement on property issues relating to cultural institutes of 2013.” It made reference, in other words, to an agreement that was reached before the Russian occupation of Crimea.

German government fears closure of Goethe Institute

Whether this will lead to the freezing of funds is anything but certain. The German Foreign Office has repeatedly stated that the employees of the institute have diplomatic status in Germany. It is an open secret that the German government is shying away from open conflict over the Russian House because it fears that the Russian government could respond by closing the Goethe Institute in Moscow.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/why-does-germany-pay-taxes-for-russian-propaganda/a-73037945

Faced with mounting pressure from the authorities, Serbia’s students have issued an “ultimatum” to the government to call snap elections and are urging citizens to continue the push for change.

As Belgrade’s asphalt shimmers in blistering 40-degree sunshine, the city is bracing for heat of a very different kind: Students have scheduled another major protest for Saturday.

All eyes are on the Serbian capital, and both anticipation and uncertainty across the country are rising as students remain tight-lipped about their plans and the exact location and timing of the demonstration.

The protest has the potential to be a turning point because the students have issued what they are calling an “ultimatum” to the Serbian government, demanding the announcement by 9 p.m. on June 28 that the government will ask the president to dissolve parliament, paving the way for snap elections.

“Should the stated demands not be met within the given timeframe, we expect that the citizens of Serbia will be ready to take all available measures of civil disobedience to protect their basic right to a free and legitimate democratic system,” the students wrote in an open letter to the Serbian government.

Significant date for the protest

The upcoming protest comes after eight months of protests, during which students and citizens have demanded political and criminal accountability for the collapse last November of the canopy at the entrance to Novi Sad Railway Station, which killed 16 people.

The day chosen for the protest carries particular weight in Serbia.

Vidovdan is a national and religious holiday that falls on June 28. Deeply rooted in Serbian history and mythology, it has often coincided with decisive events and historical turning points in the country’s history such as the 1389 Battle of Kosovo and a number of pivotal political events in the 20th century.

Universities under pressure

In the meantime, the government has increased pressure on universities.

For four months now, university professors have been surviving on one-eighth of their salaries as the government refuses to pay salaries for the period during which classes were halted due to student blockades.

The state insists that the unpaid salaries will only be paid once the missed classes have been made up. Universities are now scrambling to do that even as the blockades continue.

While some have shifted to online lectures, others are distributing reading material and hoping that students will manage on their own.

In institutions where practical skills are an essential part of the course, professors warn that these solutions are educationally and legally unacceptable.

“This is clear to professors pretending to teach, to students who are not participating in such teaching and most of all to the state that forced us into this form of instruction,” says Jelena Kleut, a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Novi Sad.

“The only fair response is to reject such teaching, and some colleagues have done just that — regardless of the consequences,” she told DW.

Students bear the brunt

But the heaviest burden is borne by the students themselves. Many are refusing to go along with such forms of tuition, even though the end of the academic year is approaching and no one knows what will happen next.

“If the state begins retaliating against students, we could end up with entire classes repeating the year and losing their student status. I don’t think that will happen — the scale would be enormous — but we’ve seen the government do things we once thought impossible,” says Kleut.

High school seniors face even greater uncertainty: Instead of preparing for university entrance exams, they are waiting to see what the state will do. The government has yet to authorize universities to enroll new students.

Kleut finds it unacceptable that these students are being used as pawns in the standoff between the government and academia.

“But they have been a very rebellious part of society, too. They blocked their high schools . Perhaps the government simply doesn’t like the idea of a whole new rebellious generation appearing on university campuses,” Kleut adds.

Targeting student allies

Repression in Serbia is spreading — not only targeting protesters, but also anyone who has supported them over the past eight months.

Three teachers at Svetozar Miletic High School in the small town of Srbobran were fired for suspending classes in solidarity with the students. One of them was Slavica Filipovic, who has helped 24 years of students to graduate from high school.

“I bowed deeply to them all and locked my classroom,” she wrote on Facebook. “It was wonderful being your teacher. It truly enriched my life. Remember: Learn, because knowledge can’t be taken from you. And please, have your own opinion. Be yourselves, no matter the cost.”

Without warning, the government also revoked tax incentives for the IT sector, one of the loudest supporters of the protests and a key source of support for unpaid teachers.

Cultural institutions have also faced consequences. Those that supported the students — by expressing solidarity, going on strike or protesting — have lost government funding.

“The regime clearly has a problem with those parts of society where entire communities stand against it. Everyone who didn’t explicitly support the current government has been punished,” says Gojko Bozovic, founder and editor-in-chief of the publishing house Arhipelag.

Protests continue unabated

But despite all this, people in Serbia are not backing down. Every day at 11:52 a.m. — the exact minute the canopy collapsed in Novi Sad — protesters stop traffic and block roads. In silence and persistence, they honor the victims and refuse to let the tragedy be forgotten — like so many others before it.

The students believe that the only path to justice is a new political distribution of power. They say they are fully aware of the deeply irregular electoral conditions in Serbia and the engineering of results, but believe that a united front across society can shake the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

They came close in recent local elections in Kosjeric and Zajecar, where the SNS won by a narrow margin.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/serbias-students-plan-major-rally-after-issuing-ultimatum/a-73038449

Images reveal ‘boxwork’ patterns suggesting Mars once had a flowing underground water system.

NASA’s Curiosity rover has sent back detailed close-up images of Martian rock formations that the space agency’s scientists say offer some of the strongest evidence yet of ancient groundwater flow on the red planet.

The images, taken from the slopes of a mountain inside Mars’ Gale Crater, show a network of low ridges etched in a striking crisscross pattern. According to NASA, these ridges likely formed when mineral-rich groundwater moved through the bedrock, depositing material that eventually hardened into the structures now captured by Curiosity.

“The bedrock below these ridges likely formed when groundwater trickling through the rock left behind minerals… hardening and becoming cementlike,” the agency said in a statement.

“The rover found dramatic evidence of that groundwater when it encountered crisscrossing low ridges, some just a few inches tall, arranged in what geologists call a boxwork pattern,” NASA said in a blogpost on its site.

NASA first released the video and the images in a blog post on its website on Monday.

“A big mystery is why the ridges were hardened into these big patterns and why only here. As we drive on, we’ll be studying the ridges and mineral cements to make sure our idea of how they formed is on target,” Ashwin Vasavada, a scientist of the Curiosity Project and a member of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, was quoted as saying in the space agency’s blog post.

Scientists believe Mars once had rivers, lakes and perhaps even an ocean, but the planet gradually dried up as it lost its atmosphere.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/nasas-curiosity-rover-sends-photos-of-rocks-on-mars-that-hint-at-ancient-rivers-ws-kl-9404549.html

SOCIAL media and Netflix star Liver King has been arrested – days after sharing a bizarre video where he appeared to be calling out the podcaster Joe Rogan.

In the bizarre tirade, the influencer said he was picking a fight with Rogan.

Cops in Austin, Texas, have confirmed that Liver King, whose real name is Brian Johnson, faces a terroristic threat charge, as per the NBC affiliate KXAN-TV.

“Joe Rogan, I’m calling you out, my name’s Liver King. Man to man, I’m picking a fight with you,” The Liver King said in the video.

He said that he didn’t have training in jiu-jitsu.

“You’re a black belt. You should dismantle me,” Liver King said.

“But I’m picking a fight with you.”

In the unhinged video, Liver King was seen holding two gold-plated guns and wearing a wolf head.

Liver King claimed that he had thought about his game plan.

“I’m not gonna train but I hope you’ve been training,” he warned Rogan.

“I’m ready whenever you’re ready. This is actually happening, it’ll be fun.”

Liver King warned that he would make Rogan pay.

Footage shared on Instagram and X showed the influencer being ushered into a police car.

A member of Liver King’s team seemed to tell his wife that the Netflix star could be in jail for up to 24 hours.

They claimed he would be “in and out” after being processed.

They said it was likely Liver King would have to see a judge before being released.

Liver King was wearing a burgundy hoodie at the time of his arrest.

The influencer was looking dishevelled and was wearing a vest over the top of his hoodie.

He didn’t say anything to officers before getting into the car.

“I’m picking a fight with you

Johnson is the star of the Netflix film Untold: The Liver King.

The film, released earlier this year, focuses on the internet star’s physique – despite eating raw meat.

The internet star, who refers to himself as a barbarian and ancestral CEO, boasts almost three million followers on Instagram.

In 2023, he claimed that he had a net worth of $310 million, but the figure is heavily disputed.

Experts at MoneyMade suggest his net worth is closer to $12 million.

He rakes in money from being an influencer, as well as the stakes in the supplement brands he has.

Liver King seemed to threaten Rogan with a fight – around two years after the UFC commentator seemed to mock the influencer.

Liver King’s muscly appearance wowed fans, but critics claimed he was using steroids.

He admitted to using steroids after a bodybuilder claimed he was using performance-enhancing drugs.

Liver King admitted he had experimented with testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH).

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14555435/liver-king-arrested-threats-joe-rogan/

VOLODYMYR Zelensky swapped his signature battlefield khakis for a slick black suit today – just in time for a high-stakes huddle with Donald Trump at the Nato summit.

Both leaders were snapped in deep discussion in The Hague, where Zelensky presented Trump with documents and battlefield updates from the frontlines of the Ukraine war.

The outfit change didn’t go unnoticed – especially after Trump previously chided Zelensky in the Oval Office earlier this year for not showing up in a suit.

This time, the Ukrainian leader went full statesman mode in head-to-toe black, looking ready for diplomacy as he pushed for American air defence systems and co-production of drones.

Writing on X, Zelensky said: “We discussed the protection of our people with the President — first and foremost, the purchase of American air defense systems to shield our cities, our people, churches, and infrastructure.”

“Ukraine is ready to buy this equipment and support American weapons manufacturers. Europe can help.”

He added: “Putin is definitely not winning. I presented the President with the facts about what is really happening on the ground.”

Trump, meanwhile, described their meeting as a roaring success.

At a press conference following the Nato summit, he said it “couldn’t be nicer” and praised Zelensky for “fighting a brave battle”.

He also claimed Zelensky “wants a ceasefire” and hinted at personally speaking with Vladimir Putin to end the war, though he admitted the Russian leader has been “more difficult” than expected.

The face-to-face came on the sidelines of what’s being dubbed Trump’s “victory lap” in The Hague, after US-led B-2 bombings allegedly knocked out Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility in a dramatic weekend blitz.

“The bombing of Iran has reasserted US military power and showed the strength of America,” Trump said.

He also hailed Nato’s new five per cent GDP defence spending pledge as “historic”, branding it a “monumental win for the US” and a “big win for civilisation”.

As leaders gathered under the Nato and Ukrainian flags, Trump even joked about being called “Daddy” by Dutch PM and Nato chief Mark Rutte, saying: “He’s very affectionate. ‘Daddy, you’re my daddy’.”

While Trump’s diplomatic style was as brash as ever, Zelensky struck a more sombre tone, speaking of fallen soldiers and forensic efforts to identify Russian bodies handed back to Ukraine.

“I also informed the President about how the technical team’s meetings in Istanbul went, as well as the exchanges of prisoners and the fallen,” Zelensky said.

Elsewhere at the summit, Trump said the US may make Patriot missile systems available to Ukraine to help defend against nightly drone and rocket attacks by Russian forces.

The advanced anti-air batteries could be a major game-changer on the battlefield, if approved.

He also touched on fears of future aggression by the Kremlin, saying it was “possible” Putin harbours ambitions beyond Ukraine, in response to a question about US intelligence assessments.

The Hague event has seen Trump bask in praise for helping bring a halt to the recent 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, with even his critics calling it a major moment of statesmanship.

“Israel fought a hell of a war, they fought very hard,” he said. “Both were satisfied to go home and get out.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14560567/zelensky-new-look-suit-trump-nato-summit/

THE private jets have landed, the celebrities are filling the grand hotels and billionaires are taking over the city.

Yes, the wedding of the decade is finally here — and true to form for space-loving Jeff Bezos and his bride Lauren Sanchez, it will be out of this world.

Tonight, approximately 200 of the world’s wealthiest and most famous faces will gather at the 15th-century Madonna dell’Orto church in Venice, before heading to the Venetian island of San Giovanni Evangelista for a sumptuous banquet.

The next day Jeff, 61, and Lauren, 55, will finally say “I do” at the open-air amphitheatre on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore — both most likely draped in Dolce & Gabbana haute couture.

And that is just a slice of what is to come.

Forget everything you know about vow exchanges, wedding breakfasts and DJ’d dancefloors, this super wedding, with an expected bill of around £35million, is going stratospheric.

Today may be the official start to proceedings, but celebrations have already been taking place 160 miles away, on board Jeff’s £370million superyacht Koru, which is anchored off the Croatian island of Cres.

The yacht was supposed to be a focal point for the three-day event in Venice, but thanks to heightened security measures and local protests, it is staying put in Croatia.

According to insiders, there had to be last-minute changes to some wedding plans following the US bombing raid on Iran and the threat of the war in the Middle East escalating.

Bezos, who is worth £165billion, and his billionaire friends are potential American targets, making his over-exposed yacht too much of a risk.

Foam party

There have also been left-leaning protests bubbling away on the ground, with posters popping up saying “No Space for Bezos” and “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax”.

With that in mind, it was decided that arriving on the world’s largest sailing yacht might not have helped the cause.

Instead, they flew in on private jet, but not before hosting a massive foam party on their boat.

Frolicking in the soapy suds, it was clear that the Amazon and Prime founder and former Fox news journalist Lauren were starting as they meant to go on — with fun, fizz and a bit of extra froth.

High-profile guests including Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka have been pouring into the city of love.

Other famous faces believed to be checking into one of Venice’s most luxurious hotels include Kim Kardashian and her mum Kris Jenner, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Eva Longoria and Leonardo DiCaprio.

The five-star Aman Venice, where Jeff and Lauren will be staying and where suites cost as much as £10,000 a night, has been fully booked out for the occasion, as have several other high-end hotels.

And they are not the only businesses profiting from the Bezos bonanza, with around 80 per cent of provisions for the wedding apparently being sourced locally.

Rosa Salva, Venice’s oldest pastry maker, is certainly not against the couple choosing her city to tie the knot.

She told reporters earlier this week: “I don’t see how an event with only 200 people can create disruptions. It’s responsible tourism.

“It’s prestigious that a couple like this, who can go anywhere in the world, are getting married in the city.”

Mayor Luigi Brugnaro added: “We are very proud. I don’t know if I will have time, or if he will, to meet and shake hands, but it’s an honour that they chose Venice.”

And it appears that Jeff and Lauren do want to honour the city.

In their wedding invitation — which was leaked this week and looked like it had been designed on clip art with its illustrations of birds and butterflies — they told guests they do not want presents.

Instead, they would be making donations on their behalf to “safeguard the city’s irreplaceable cultural heritage” and to “restore the vital lagoon habitats”.

As for the lavish events to come, tonight is just an appetiser.

With luxury wedding planners Lanza & Baucina at the helm — whose founders come from Italian royalty — it is no surprise they have access to some of the city’s most exclusive sites.

The firm also planned George and Amal Clooney’s Venetian nuptials in 2014.

The ceremony tomorrow promises to be a spectacular and sumptuous affair fit for the third richest man in the world.

Earlier this week, construction workers were seen building a white cover above the breathtaking amphitheatre at San Giorgio Maggiore, guaranteeing privacy from drones.

Once Mr and Mrs Bezos have made things official there, the party will dine out in style, with the requisite fireworks launched to seal the deal.

Closing the epic three-day event will be a grand ball on Saturday at the Arsenale, the city’s ancient shipyard.

The original plan was to end up at the city’s majestic Scuola Grande della Misericordia building in the centre, but the site has been deemed “logistically unfeasible” given the need for high security.

The Arsenale, which is practically unreachable to any would- be protesters, will see a performance by opera singer Matteo Bocelli, son of Andrea Bocelli.

As for the dress, it is widely believed that previously married mum-of-three Lauren will plump for Dolce & Gabbana for the ceremony itself.

Vanity project

She is close friends with the sartorial duo, who even featured her son Nikko, 24, in a fashion show last year.

She and Jeff were then spotted visiting their iconic store in Milan during March for an apparent dress fitting.

Nevertheless, multiple events call for multiple outfits and, according to insiders, designers Versace and Oscar de la Renta are also on the docket.

The latter was responsible for Lauren’s line of Blue Origin spacesuits that she and her all-female space-mates wore for their 11-minute rocket trip in May.

Lauren had intended that adventure to empower women by gathering a gaggle of girls, including singer Katy Perry and TV anchor Gayle King, and launching into space on a flight funded by Jeff’s space exploration firm.

But the journey was slammed for being just a self-congratulatory vanity project, not least because Katy Perry took the chance to announce her latest tour’s setlist while in zero gravity.

Needless to say, Lauren will this time be keen to strike that fine balance between ex- travagant and modest, proving that despite their love for rockets and superyachts, she and Jeff do have their feet firmly planted on the ground.

Still, the couple have survived rockier terrain. After all, news of their relationship came out in 2019 while they were both still married to other people.

Indeed, it was Lauren’s then husband, Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell, who introduced the pair.

Both Jeff and Lauren say their respective marriages had secretly ended before they got together.

They both then divorced their spouses, with Jeff’s ex-wife MacKenzie Scott — with whom he has four children — walking away with Amazon stock worth £36billion, making her one of the richest women in the world.

Since getting together with Lauren — and proposing to her with a 30-carat ring worth a reported £3.6million in 2023 — Jeff has transformed from a so-called nerd to a buffed-up tech guy.

He now seems happier hobnobbing with celebrities than he is chairing board meetings.

Lauren, for her part, has always lived a starry existence.

Her mega hen do weekend in Paris in May, which cost around £500,000 and gathered besties including Kim Kardashian and Eva Longoria, was a lesson in camera-ready luxury.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14561955/jeff-bezos-wedding-amazon-lauren-sanchez-celeb/

THE CIA says Donald Trump’s weekend blitz on Iran has left key nuclear sites “destroyed” – in a devastating blow that will take “years” to recover from.

In a bombshell statement, the Agency’s director John Ratcliffe confirmed “several key Iranian nuclear facilities” were wiped out and must be completely rebuilt.

“The CIA can confirm that a body of credible intelligence indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program has been severely damaged by the recent, targeted strikes,” Ratcliffe said.

“This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years.”

The chief added the CIA would “provide updates to the American public” given the “national importance” of the operation.

It comes after White House called for the arrest of whoever leaked a classified intelligence report on Iran’s nuclear sites

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the person responsible for leaking the classified Iran intelligence report should face jail time.

“They should go to jail,” she told Fox News’ Ryan Schmelz when asked about potential punishment for the leaker.

Leavitt said the DIA memo had been “discredited” by U.S. and Israeli officials — and even by Iran itself.

“CNN ran with a story they knew wasn’t fully vetted,” Leavitt told Fox News, calling it a leak from “someone with an agenda” and noting it came from “the same reporter who once pushed the false Hunter Biden laptop narrative.”

She confirmed the FBI is investigating the leak and stressed that those responsible “should be held accountable.”

Defending the strikes, Leavitt said: “This operation achieved what decades of diplomacy and sanctions could not.”

The uproar followed reports from CNN, MSNBC, and The New York Times citing a leaked Defense Intelligence Agency memo that raised doubts over the extent of the damage — particularly at the Fordow nuclear site.

The report was based on just 24 hours of data.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump demanded that CNN’s Natasha Bertrand be fired “like a dog.”

Speaking at a NATO summit press conference in The Hague, the president raged at “fake news” outlets over reports suggesting US airstrikes failed to cripple Iran’s nuke programme.

Trump insisted Tehran’s labs were now “totally inoperable,” citing intelligence from both Israel and Iran confirming the scale of the devastation.

Trump went on to slam the media outlets, saying: “We had a tremendous success.

“And this is the New York Times. I call it the failing New York Times. It’s going to hell. And CNN, which is, you know, very few people are watching, and you would think they’d do the opposite.

“So it’s just fake news by CNN, which has got no ratings. It’s a failed network,” he added.

The president didn’t hold back, declaring: “CNN is scum, the New York Times is scum, MSNBC is scum. They’re bad people, they’re sick.

“And what they’ve done is they want to turn this incredible victory into something less.”

Trump then unleashed on Bertrand in a furious Truth Social post: “Natasha Bertrand should be FIRED from CNN! I watched her for three days doing Fake News…

“She should be IMMEDIATELY reprimanded, and then thrown out ‘like a dog’…

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14512612/trump-us-nuclear-iran-israel-war/

A BRAZILIAN woman has been found dead in Indonesia after being trapped in an active volcano for four days, her family has confirmed.

Juliana Marins, 26, slipped and fell more than 1,600 feet from a hiking trail along the crater rim of Mount Rinjani on Saturday morning.

Juliana, a publicist and dancer from Niterói, near Rio de Janeiro, fell while trekking up Mount Rinjani – Indonesia’s second-highest volcano.

She had been backpacking through Southeast Asia since February, documenting her solo trip on social media.

Tourists on the Indonesian island of Lombok spotted her inside the crater after hearing screams for help.

Juliana survived the fall but was unable to climb back up due to her injuries and had no access to food, water or shelter.

The first rescue team was dispatched at 2.32pm local time on Saturday.

Since then, six rescue teams tried to reach her, supported by two helicopters and equipment including an industrial drill.

Search efforts on Sunday morning were plagued by cold temperatures and fog.

A drone spotted her on Sunday, but when rescuers descended the volcano on Monday, she was no longer in the same spot.

Rescuers finally located her on Tuesday, but it was tragically too late.

Her family confirmed her death on social media, writing: “Today, the rescue team managed to reach the place where Juliana Marins was.

“With great sadness, we inform you that she did not survive.

“We remain very grateful for all the prayers, messages of affection and support that we have received.”

Earlier this week, Nikolas Osman, spokesperson for the East Lombok Police, said Juliana was hiking in a group and fell after suffering fatigue.

He said: “While heading to the summit of Rinjani on the way to the Cemara Tunggal area, the victim experienced fatigue and the guide at that time advised her to rest.

“Then the five guests in the tour group were taken by the guide to continue the journey.

“However, by the time he returned to fetch her, the Brazilian woman was already missing.”

Indonesian authorities deployed three helicopters to try and rescue Juliana, according to West Nusa Tenggara governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14551221/tourist-dead-volcano-crater/

AN AMERICAN B-2 stealth bomber pilot has revealed what it’s like inside the world’s most inconspicuous jet.

The warplanes, which carried out the daring attack on three Iranian nuke sites on Saturday, have long been riddled in mystery with very few people allowed inside them.

Counting a fleet of 19, the powerful B-2 Spirit was the only aircraft capable of delivering the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs which were needed to smash Iran’s atomic site at Fordow, south of Tehran.

But despite their military prowess, very little is known about the powerful jets.

One pilot, Neal, who was part of a small crew sent to Afghanistan after 9/11, has lifted the lid on what it’s really like inside the $2 million aircraft.

According to Neal the planes are very small and can barely accommodate three people.

And with such long journeys, getting a good night’s sleep is rarely on the cards.

Pilots are often given a stimulant by flight surgeons to help stay awake, known informally as a “go pill”, he said.

But despite the cramped space, the planes come equipped with a microwave and cooler “filled with snacks” to ensure crew are fed and alert during long trips.

A toilet can also be found onboard as well as a “cot” where pilots take it in turns to have a lie down.

Neal told Business Insider: “When the ladder comes up and you enter the cockpit, there is a flat spot on the floor that is about a little over 6 feet long.

“And so I think over the two days that I was in that little space, I spent about five hours in that cot total.”

“You’re young, and you’re doing something that you’re trained to do, and there’s a bit of excitement and a lot of adrenaline.”

This comes as Operation Midnight saw the US blitz three of Iran’s key nuclear facilities in an attack Trump has called a “spectacular success”.

The “prime” target was Iran’s mountain-fortress nuclear site Fordow, buried beneath 300ft of rock and steel, which only the US had the firepower to eliminate.

The uranium enrichment plant was pounded by an unprecedented blitz of 14 30,000lb bunker-buster bombs – called GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP).

They were dropped from six B-2 bombers flying high in the atmosphere for 37 hours all the way from Missouri.

Also hit were the nuclear plants at Natanz and Isfahan, which Israel had already targeted with its own missiles.

The aircraft took off from the Whiteman Air Force Base outside Kansas City, Missouri – the home of the B-2 fleet.

B-2 bombers took off from the US and were thought to be heading to the Andersen Air Force Base on the Pacific island of Guam.

Satellite imagery of the destroyed bases has since revealed the extent of the damage.

Two clusters of at least six holes are seen at the Fordow nuclear site, where the massive 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs were dropped.

Bombs of this kind are believed to be able to penetrate about 200 feet below the surface before exploding.

Following the bombing, Sir Keir Starmer reinstated his commitment to making Iran nuke-free.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Operation Midnight Hammer was “an incredible and overwhelming success” that took months and weeks of planning.

He added that Trump has been clear that “any retaliation by Iran” against the US would be “met with force far greater” than what was seen on Saturday night.

Hegseth said: “Iran would be smart to heed those words. He’s said it before, and he means it.”

The Defence Secretary went on to praise the US leader, calling it “bold and brilliant, showing the world that American deterrence is back”.

He urged: “When this President speaks, the world should listen.”

Fears loom that the conflict could spiral into a world war, with Putin puppet Dmitry Medvedev making a veiled threat to supply Iran with nuclear weapons.

He said: “A number of countries are ready to supply Iran directly with their nuclear weapons.”

After declaring the US strikes as being a success, Trump warned that further action could be taken if Tehran doesn’t agree to an adequate peace deal.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14550911/iran-jet-bomber-raid/

THIS is the moment floodwaters surge through a shopping centre in southwest China – as the region faces its highest flood levels in decades.

Murky torrents pour down escalators and from upper floors, sweeping away everything in their path, as cars are dragged into underground garages in dramatic scenes.

In footage filmed on Tuesday at the largest shopping centre in Rongjiang, in the Guizhou province, torrents of water can be seen cascading down escalators and upper floors.

Various objects – some appearing to be items of clothing, others chairs – are dragged into the currents.

In separate clips, cars are seen being swept into underground garages by floodwaters.

Numerous vehicles lie underwater after multiple rivers burst their banks, submerging much of the city.

Along with shopping centres and underground garages, other low-lying areas were reportedly flooded.

The alert was raised on Friday when continuous heavy rains drove the water level of the Rongjiang River to 114.6 metres.

On Tuesday, authorities in Rongjiang raised the flood alert to its highest level, warning that river levels could peak at 255 metres.

Rongjiang – which has a population of about 300,000 – has not seen these flood levels in 30 years, according to newspaper China Daily.

Resident Wu Hanjun told the newspaper on Tuesday afternoon: “The rain has stopped now, but the floodwaters are still quite high and expected to rise.”

Residents in most of the old town and parts of the new district were reportedly told to move to higher-ground shelters on Tuesday, as per an evacuation order.

China experiences regular flooding during the summer due to the East Asian monsoon, which brings heavy, continuous rainfall from June to August.

Warm, moist air from the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean also feeds storms, causing rivers to overflow.

It comes as southern China saw torrential rains in April 2024, swelling the Bei River in Guangdong by up to 19 feet above warning levels.

Over 110,000 residents were evacuated, and more than a million households experienced power outages.

Shocking footage shows cars being swept away by powerful flood currents.

Photos also reveal vehicles submerged in water and rescue workers carrying people through chest-deep floodwaters out of buildings.

In July 2021, floods devastated Zhengzhou, in China’s Henan province flooded – after the heaviest rainfall recorded in over a millennium in that region.

The rains submerged parts of the city, including subway lines.

Distressing footage shows panicked passengers trapped in Zhengzhou’s subway – flooded to shoulder-deep levels – texting their final goodbyes.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14549108/flood-swamp-shopping-centre/

Israel’s military chief said it will focus on removing the militant group Hamas in Gaza after a ceasefire with Iran. Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Office blamed Israeli forces for over 400 deaths at aid sites since May.

Pyongyang has shared weapons technology and underground construction know-how with Tehran. Now it will want to know how it can best protect itself should the US turn its military attention to North Korea.

North Korea on Monday condemned the US attacks against three of Iran’s key nuclear sites, accusing President Donald Trump’s administration of violating Iran’s territorial integrity and the United Nations Charter.

“The just international community should raise the voice of unanimous censure and rejection against the US and Israel’s confrontational acts,” North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Pyongyang had previously described Israeli missile attacks against Iran as a “hideous act.”

North Korea-Iran alliance

Nuclear-armed North Korea has maintained friendly ties with Iran.

For decades, Tehran and Pyongyang have been suspected of military cooperation, including in developing ballistic missiles that Iranian scientists have reportedly since enhanced.

Around 20 years ago, North Korea began dispatching engineers with specialist deep tunneling expertise.

Since the three-year Korean War began in 1950, North Korea has concealed much of its own key military capabilities in underground bases.

The regime will be keen to determine the effectiveness of its underground bunkers, while looking at the impact of the GBU-57 “massive ordnance penetrator” weapons dropped by the US on Iranian targets in Operation Midnight Hammer.

“They are definitely watching very closely what is going on in Iran,” said Chun In-bum, a retired lieutenant general in the Republic of Korea Army and now a senior fellow with the National Institute for Deterrence Studies.

“I believe the conclusions that North Korea will come to will be that they need to accelerate their nuclear weapons capabilities, that they need to further fortify their storage areas,” he told DW.

Chun added that the North Koreans need to adopt additional protective measures, such as enhanced air defense and retaliatory options.

Pyongyang unlikely to talk

Asked whether there is any likelihood of the attacks encouraging Pyongyang to return to dialogue, Chun said, “Absolutely not. It is just not in their nature.”

Nevertheless, he said, North Korea was almost certainly as shocked as the rest of the world at the Trump administration’s “decisive nature.”

“This is an America that we have not seen for a long time and would have caught the North by surprise,” Chun said.

“The priority there now will be to ensure that the same thing does not happen to them, which is why I am sure they will be observing closely and accelerating their weapons programs.”

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said Pyongyang will be aware that its situation is starkly different from that of Tehran, however, both in terms of the country’s geography, the proximity of allies, and the status of the two nations’ nuclear programs.

“Pyongyang’s nuclear program is much more advanced, with weapons possibly ready to launch on multiple delivery systems, including ICBMs,” he said. “The Kim [Jong Un] regime can threaten the US homeland, and Seoul is within range of many North Korean weapons of various types.”

“In Iran’s case, Israel aggressively exploited Tehran’s strategic and tactical errors, using superior intelligence, technology, and training to degrade Iran’s air defenses, high-value personnel, and retaliatory capabilities,” he pointed out.

“North Korea will learn from Iran’s mistakes, South Korea is more risk-averse than Israel, and China and Russia are better positioned to help Pyongyang than Tehran.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/after-us-bombs-iran-north-korea-watches-closely/a-73022740

In an official statement issued immediately after a suicide bomber opened fire on worshippers before blowing himself up at a Christian church in Damascus, Syria’s government called the attack a desperate attempt to undermine national coexistence and destabilize the country. The Interior Ministry blamed the so-called “Islamic State” group for the attack, which killed 25 people and injured 63.

In neighboring Lebanon, President Joseph Aoun called for “necessary measures to prevent its recurrence, provide protection for places of worship and their visitors, and ensure the safety of all Syrian citizens, regardless of their religion, as the unity of the Syrian people remains the foundation for preventing discord.”

Leaders of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land in Jerusalem said: “There is no justification — religious, moral, or rational — for the slaughter of innocents, least of all in a sacred space. Such violence under the guise of faith is a grave perversion of all that is holy.”

‘Repeated violence’

Michael Bauer, the head of the Beirut office of Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Foundation, told DW that the attack did not just target the worshippers at the church, nor Christians broadly, but was meant to send a message. “There has been repeated violence against religious minorities in recent months, such as the Alawites and the Druze,” said Bauer, whose foundation is closely linked to Germany’s conservative Christian Democrats.

“The latest attack, as terrible as it is, is therefore not directed solely against Christians, but against the social fabric of the entire country as well as the transition process,” Bauer said.

Sidra, a 20-year-old Christian in Damascus who asked that her full name not be used, told DW that she knew multiple victims of Sunday’s attack. “My mother’s condition is somewhat stable,” Sidra said, “but I lost my friend in the incident.”

She said officials must act. “We send a message to the Syrian government to provide us with safety because, if the situation remains as it is, Syrian Christians may no longer be able to live under such conditions,” Sidra said. “If safety is not ensured, Christians in Syria may rise against this government.”

Building representative government

President Ahmad al-Sharaa has promised an inclusive government. Bauer said he and his officials would likely be aware that Syria needs a fundamental transformation process that encompasses all population groups.

Members of the many militias who have become officials or agents of Syria’s security forces may see things differently, however, Bauer said. “They rather want to impose their own worldview, which doesn’t include Alawites, Christians, Druze or other infidels in the new Syria,” he said. “This poses a major challenge,” he added.

Since the overthrow of the government at the end of 2024, foreign fighters who joined the revolutionary forces in Syria’s long civil war have been repeatedly accused of violence against minorities. However, the underfunded government has had difficulty developing security forces. The Germany Trade and Invest business information service estimates that Syria’s economy will continue to shrink in 2025, for the third year in a row.

Before the war began in 2011, Christians made up about 7% of Syria’s population. Nearly a decade and a half of departures have reduced the proportion to about 2%, according to a report by Vatican News.

Nawal, a 58-year-old who was injured in Sunday’s attack and asked that her full name not be used, told DW that the violence would ultimately affect all Syrians. “We are one people, Christians, Muslims and people of all religions and denominations,” Nawal said. “And whoever committed this act — this time it hit Christians, but tomorrow it will hit every other Syrian.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/attack-on-christians-threatens-syrias-postwar-cohesion/a-73021750

With violence showing no sign of easing in the Iran–Israel war, the world now ponders: where might one stay safe if a global war ensues?

As the war between Iran and Israel show no sign of abating, concerns are growing that it could escalate into a wider conflict.

The US conducted military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last weekend, deploying 30,000‑pound bunker‑buster bombs on underground sites. However, the White House has since paused and returned to diplomacy.

Earlier today, US President Trump even announced a six‑hour ceasefire between Iran and Israel—but quickly retracted it, saying both nations violated the terms.

With violence showing no sign of easing, the world now ponders: where might one stay safe if a global war ensues? Here are the top contenders which score highly on the Global Peace Index.

Iceland: Topping the Global Peace Index for the 17th year running, Iceland is peaceful, neutral, and geographically isolated. It’s never taken part in a war.

New Zealand: Ranked fourth in the peace index with a neutral stance and rugged terrain, New Zealand is unlikely to be targeted in a global conflict. It remains remote and self-sufficient.

Singapore-bound passengers were among thousands of travellers stranded at Hamad International Airport in Doha on Tuesday (Jun 24) after the temporary closure of several countries’ airspace.

Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait temporarily shut their airspace late on Monday after Iran’s strike on a US military base in Qatar’s capital Doha, forcing airlines to cancel or reroute hundreds of flights and creating a backlog of stranded passengers.

Four passengers travelling to Singapore told CNA that there was no clear indication when they would be able to get another flight. They said they had not been provided with any accommodation arrangements.

Ms Melodie Yip, who had been transiting at the airport, was meant to fly out of Doha on Monday night on Qatar Airways, but her flight was cancelled.

After queuing for around eight hours to rebook another flight that was meant to depart this afternoon, she later learnt that this flight had been cancelled as well.

She is waiting for another flight to leave the country, but said she does not expect to get a flight on Tuesday night.

“When I heard the second flight was cancelled, I was very, very anxious because I didn’t want to go through that … eight-hour queue again,” she said.

However, she said that she had found some comfort in the other Singaporeans who were in the queue with her.

Ms Yip said she expected to get a flight on Wednesday and hoped it would not be cancelled again.

“If it’s tomorrow, I’m hoping that they will also give us some like hotel stay, or at least some sort of accommodation,” she said.

“I think Hamad International Airport and Qatar Airways were not prepared for such a crisis, which is unexpected for a world-class, award-winning airline and airport,” she added.

Mr Shariff Raffi was supposed to be on a 2.30am Qatar Airways flight to Singapore on Tuesday. The airline delayed the flight to 6am before ultimately cancelling it, he said.

“Receiving news of the cancellation broke most of our spirit. I felt vexed as well when I realised a flight was cancelled when we thought it wasn’t going to be cancelled.”

He said he has been awake for more than 36 hours and is constantly checking the flight information board for updates.

“Most of us are running (on) adrenaline and emotion. I choose to step up and help the group (of Singaporeans) where I can, and since I’m a bit more familiar with this airport.”

Virgin Australia estimated that over 25,000 passengers were stranded at Doha airport.

Around 250 flights were cancelled at Hamad airport, while another 238 were delayed, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

Another Qatar Airways passenger, who only wanted to be known as Ms Chian, had her early Tuesday morning flight cancelled.

On Tuesday afternoon, she saw a group of about 30 passengers gathered around the airline’s service desk to get updates on flights.

However, security guards told the group to disperse when other international travellers waiting in line started complaining about the group holding up the queue.

Ms Chian said that she was feeling “very tired and uncertain” and there has been no indication when she might get a flight home to Singapore.

The flight timings on Qatar Airways’ app have also not been accurate, she added.

“There are people here who are very frustrated,” she said.

Another Qatar Airways passenger, who wanted to be known only as Ms Teo, said she was exhausted and felt “helpless” as she was stuck in a long queue to get a replacement flight.

She told CNA there were at least 100 people in front of her in the queue, and just one staff member working.

Qatar Airways told CNA on Tuesday morning that its focus was on helping passengers on their journeys following the reopening of the airspace in Qatar.

It said it was working with government stakeholders and other authorities to restore operations “as quickly as possible”.

“We have also deployed additional ground staff at Hamad International Airport and other key airports to assist affected passengers by minimising disruptions and offering the utmost care and support to all customers. As operations resume, we anticipate significant delays to our flight schedule,” it added.

Passengers were asked to check the airline’s website or mobile app ahead of travel.

AVIATION WOES

Airlines scrambled to cancel flights and reroute planes on Monday after several Middle Eastern nations closed their countries’ airspace temporarily as Iran attacked the Al Udeid US military base in Doha.

The US had attacked key Iranian nuclear sites the day before.

The escalating tensions are affecting airlines beyond the Middle East, where major flight routes have already been cut off since Israel began strikes on Iran on Jun 13.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/israel-iran-conflict-travellers-singapore-stranded-doha-hamad-airport-5200716

President Donald Trump cast doubt on Tuesday (Jun 24) over the United States’ commitment to defending its NATO partners, suggesting there were “numerous” definitions to the cornerstone of the alliance’s mutual defence clause.

Trump was speaking to reporters en route to a NATO summit in the Netherlands, a two-day gathering which is intended to signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that NATO is united, despite Trump’s past criticism, and determined to expand and upgrade its defences to deter any attack from Moscow.

However, pressed by reporters on Air Force One over whether he remained committed to mutual defence among allies as set out by NATO’s Article 5, Trump responded:

“I’m committed to saving lives. I’m committed to life and safety. And I’m going to give you an exact definition when I get there.”

NATO’S RUTTE HAILS TRUMP’S “DECISIVE ACTION IN IRAN”

Trump also posted a screenshot of a message from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte congratulating him on his “decisive action in Iran” and getting all NATO allies to agree to spend more on defence.

“Europe is going to pay in a BIG way as they should, and it will be your win,” Rutte’s message read, indicating the effort he has put into keeping on the right side of Trump and ensuring the summit is a success.

Trump singled out Spain for criticism after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared Madrid did not need to meet the new spending target.

The summit and its final statement will be focused on heeding Trump’s call to spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence – a significant jump from the current 2 per cent goal. It is to be achieved both by spending more on military items and by including broader security-related spending in the new target.

US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told lawmakers on Tuesday (Jun 24) that the central bank can afford to wait for the impact of tariffs before deciding on further interest rate cuts, despite President Donald Trump’s calls to slash levels.

The Fed has a duty to prevent a one-time spike in prices from becoming an “ongoing inflation problem”, Powell said before the House Committee on Financial Services.

“For the time being, we are well-positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance,” he added.

His comments came after two Fed officials – Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman – recently suggested policymakers could cut rates as early as July.

Powell declined to comment when asked about Waller’s views on a pathway to rate reductions.

But he said officials could be inclined to lower rates sooner if inflation were weaker than expected or if the labour market deteriorated.

The Fed has held the benchmark lending rate steady since its last reduction in December, bringing the level to a range between 4.25 per cent and 4.50 per cent.

Last week, Powell told reporters that it would make smarter decisions if it waited to understand how Trump’s tariffs impact the economy.

The Fed chief said on Tuesday that it should see the duties’ impact on consumer prices in June and July numbers, adding that a smaller effect than anticipated is also important for policymaking.

Hours before Powell’s testimony, Trump again urged the chair of the independent Fed to slash rates, saying these should be “at least two to three points lower” as inflation remains benign.

“I hope Congress really works this very dumb, hardheaded person, over,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

On Trump’s criticism, Powell said: “We always do what we think is the right thing to do, and you know, we live with the consequences.”

New York Fed President John Williams separately supported maintaining the central bank’s monetary policy stance.

“Much of the soft data we’ve seen in recent months captures the heightened uncertainty about the path of the economy,” he said in remarks prepared for a Tuesday event. “But it’s too early to say what the future trajectory of the hard data will be.”

“STILL STRONG”

Powell maintained on Tuesday that it is unclear how concerns over US trade policies could affect future spending and investment.

“Increases in tariffs this year are likely to push up prices and weigh on economic activity,” he said.

For now, Powell said: “Despite elevated uncertainty, the economy is in a solid position.”

“I wouldn’t want to point to a particular meeting,” he noted of the possibility of a July rate cut. “I don’t think we need to be in any rush, because the economy is still strong.”

Given that “credibility on inflation is hard-won,” he said, officials are proceeding cautiously.

While inflation has eased, it remains above the bank’s longer-run two per cent goal.

Since returning to the presidency, Trump has imposed a 10 per cent tariff on almost all trading partners and steeper rates on imports of steel, aluminium and autos.

Economists warn levies could fuel inflation and hit economic growth, although widespread effects have so far been muted.

This is partly because Trump has backed off or postponed his most punishing salvos. Businesses also stockpiled inventory in anticipation of the duties, avoiding immediate price hikes.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/us-fed-chair-signals-no-rush-rate-cuts-despite-trump-pressure-5201316

U.S. airstrikes did not destroy Iran’s nuclear capability and only set it back by a few months, according to a preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment, as a shaky ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump took hold between Iran and Israel.
Earlier on Tuesday, both Iran and Israel signaled that the air war between the two nations had ended, at least for now, after Trump publicly scolded them for violating a ceasefire he announced at 0500 GMT.

As the two countries lifted civilian restrictions after 12 days of war – which the U.S. joined with an attack on Iran’s uranium-enrichment facilities – each sought to claim victory.
Trump said over the weekend that the U.S. deployment of 30,000-pound bombs had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program. But that claim appeared to be contradicted by an initial assessment by one of his administration’s intelligence agencies, according to three people familiar with the matter.
One of the sources said Iran’s enriched uranium stocks had not been eliminated, and the country’s nuclear program, much of which is buried deep underground, may have been set back only a month or two. Iran says its nuclear research is for civilian energy production.

The White House said the intelligence assessment was “flat out wrong.” According to the report, which was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the strikes sealed off the entrances to two of the facilities, but did not collapse underground buildings, said one of the people familiar with its findings.
Some centrifuges still remained intact after the attacks, the Washington Post said, citing an unnamed person familiar with the report.
Trump’s administration told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that its weekend strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities had “degraded” Iran’s nuclear program, short of Trump’s earlier assertion that the facilities had been “obliterated.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the attack on Iran had removed the threat of nuclear annihilation and was determined to thwart any attempt by Tehran to revive its weapons program.

“We have removed two immediate existential threats to us: the threat of nuclear annihilation and the threat of annihilation by 20,000 ballistic missiles,” Netanyahu said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country had successfully ended the war in what he called a “great victory,” according to Iranian media. Pezeshkian also told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Tehran was ready to resolve differences with the U.S., according to official news agency IRNA.
Israel launched the surprise air war on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq.
Iran, which denies trying to build nuclear weapons, retaliated with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites and cities.

‘GREAT VICTORY’

Israel’s military lifted restrictions on activity across the country at 8 p.m. local time (1700 GMT), and officials said Ben Gurion Airport, the country’s main airport near Tel Aviv, had reopened. Iran’s airspace likewise will be reopened, state-affiliated Nournews reported.
A White House official said Trump brokered the ceasefire deal with Netanyahu, and other administration officials were in touch with the Iranian government.

The truce appeared fragile: Both Israel and Iran took hours to acknowledge they had accepted the ceasefire and accused each other of violating it.
Trump scolded both sides but aimed especially stinging criticism at Israel, telling the close U.S. ally to “calm down now.” He later said Israel called off further attacks at his command.
Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said he told his U.S. counterpart, Pete Hegseth, that his country would respect the ceasefire unless Iran violated it. Pezeshkian likewise said Iran would honor the ceasefire as long as Israel did, according to Iranian media.
Whether the Israel-Iran truce can hold is a major question given the deep mistrust between the two foes. But Trump’s ability to broker a ceasefire showed Washington retains some leverage in the volatile region.
Israeli armed forces chief of staff Eyal Zamir said a “significant chapter” of the conflict had concluded but the campaign against Iran was not over. He said the military would refocus on its war against Iran-backed Hamas militants in Gaza.
Iran’s military command also warned Israel and the U.S. to learn from the “crushing blows” it delivered during the conflict.
Iranian authorities said 610 people were killed in their country by Israeli strikes and 4,746 injured. Iran’s retaliatory bombardment killed 28 people in Israel, the first time its air defenses were penetrated by large numbers of Iranian missiles.
Oil prices plunged and stock markets rallied worldwide in a sign of confidence inspired by the ceasefire, which allayed fears of disruption to critical oil supplies from the Gulf.

CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS?

Earlier in the day, Trump admonished Israel with an obscenity in an extraordinary outburst at an ally whose air war he had joined two days before by dropping massive bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s underground nuclear sites.
Before departing the White House en route to a NATO summit in Europe, Trump told reporters he was unhappy with both sides for the ceasefire breach but particularly frustrated with Israel, which he said had “unloaded” shortly after agreeing to the deal.
“I’ve got to get Israel to calm down now,” Trump said. Iran and Israel had been fighting “so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.”
Netanyahu’s office acknowledged Israel bombed a radar site near Tehran in what it said was retaliation for Iranian missiles fired three-and-a-half hours after the ceasefire was due to begin.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-announces-israel-iran-ceasefire-2025-06-23/

China’s auto industry has inflated car sales for years through a burgeoning government-backed grey market that registers new cars right off the assembly line and then ships them overseas as “used” vehicles.
These so-called “zero-mileage” cars have never been driven but they are being exported as used to markets like Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East, allowing Chinese automakers to show growth and to dispose of cars that it would be difficult to sell domestically, according to a Reuters review of government documents and interviews with five auto dealers and car traders.

“This is the outcome of an almost-four-year price war that has made companies desperate to book any sales possible,” said Tu Le, Michigan-based founder of consultancy Sino Auto Insights.
The practice only gained national attention after the boss of Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor (601633.SS), criticized the sale of zero-mileage used cars within China in May. On June 10 the People’s Daily newspaper condemned the sale of zero-mileage used cars domestically.
The paper, which often signals the positions of China’s top Communist Party leaders, blamed these fake used cars for driving down prices amid a withering domestic price war and called for “tough regulatory action” to restore order.

But the export and sale of fake used cars is actively encouraged by regional governments in China, according to a Reuters review of state media reports and government documents.
Local governments have embraced the practice as vital to meeting ambitious targets for economic growth set by Beijing, according to a Reuters review of local policy documents and state media articles.
Reuters has identified 20 local governments in China – including major export hubs like Guangdong and Sichuan – that have described their support for the export of zero-mileage used cars in publicly available government documents.
The tactics include creating extra licenses for the export of zero-mileage used cars, fast-tracking tax rebate claims, investing in export infrastructure, and funding networking events to encourage zero-mileage used-car exports, the government documents showed.

The zero-mileage used car export market works like this: as a fresh car emerges from the assembly line, an exporter buys the car either directly from the automaker or from a dealer, registers it with a Chinese license plate, and then immediately marks it as a second-hand car for shipping abroad. Along the way, the automaker books the car as sold and logs the revenue.
The support for the practice from local governments would make little sense anywhere outside China’s centrally planned economy. But here, showing rapid growth in sales and employment can bring about promotion or unlock new funding while missing economic targets that trickle down from Beijing can lead to demotions of local officials.
Because these export firms both purchase and sell a single car, the transaction value is double that of new or used-car purchases, so local governments court them to set up shop on their turf to quickly and artificially boost their GDP statistics, two Chinese auto industry executives said.

The tactic is only one sign that China’s car industry – the world’s largest – is allowing production to outpace demand, driving a protracted domestic price war and spurring accusations of automotive “dumping” abroad.
Cui Dongshu, the secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association, praised the practice earlier this month during an online panel discussion hosted by Tencent’s news portal, saying it was an alternative channel for automakers in China to access certain markets overseas that they may not be able to access due to rising trade barriers globally.
He added that it also helped to satisfy overseas demand for China-made cars in countries where Chinese brands had yet to enter.
Reuters contacted all the local governments mentioned in this article for comment but none responded. China’s State Council and commerce ministry did not respond to a request for comment. China’s foreign ministry referred queries on the practice to “the department in charge,” without elaborating.

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

MARKET SHIFTS

‘DUMPING’ CONCERNS

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers spent a half-hour on Tuesday putting on their defense case at their client’s sex trafficking trial, paving the way for jurors to hear final arguments before weighing the hip-hop mogul’s fate.
The defense included showing jurors text messages in which one of Combs’ accusers, rhythm and blues singer Casandra Ventura, said she loved him and suggested she enjoyed participating in sexual performances known as “Freak Offs.”

Federal prosecutors rested their case against Combs earlier in the day, after more than six weeks of testimony.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He decided not to testify.
Defendants in U.S. criminal cases are not required to present evidence, and judges instruct juries not to hold a refusal to testify against defendants. To win a guilty verdict, prosecutors must prove their cases beyond a reasonable doubt.
The government’s case against Combs included accusations that the Bad Boy Records founder forced two former girlfriends into sexual performances with male sex workers while he watched, masturbated and sometimes filmed.

Witnesses included the former girlfriends Ventura, known as Cassie, and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane.
Over several days of testimony, both said Combs beat them, threatened to cut off financial support, and threatened to leak sex tapes.
Combs’ lawyers have acknowledged that their client was occasionally violent in domestic relationships, but argued the “Freak Offs” were consensual.

On Tuesday, defense lawyer Anna Estevao read jurors several messages, ranging from tender to sexually explicit, that Ventura sent Combs during their decade-long relationship.
In one message from 2012, Ventura wrote Combs, “Besides making love, talking to you is my favorite thing.”
Five years later, Ventura told Combs in a series of messages that she missed him, asked him to send a picture of his genitals, and pledged to “be your little freak.”

Outside the jury’s presence, Estevao told the court the messages showed Combs believed the “Freak Offs” were consensual.
“That she’s telling Mr. Combs that she will be his little freak is probative as to his state of mind as to whether or not she was willing to engage in this kind of sexual activity,” Estevao said.
One prosecution witness, forensic psychologist Dawn Hughes, had told jurors that victims of sexual violence often develop “trauma bonds” with their partners, making it difficult to leave abusive relationships.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who has overseen the trial in Manhattan federal court, is expected on Wednesday to meet with lawyers to discuss jury instructions.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/sean-diddy-combs-lawyers-point-cassies-loving-texts-trial-defense-2025-06-24/

With J.D. Vance stretching out a convincing lead in the polls for the 2028 presidential race, Usha Vance shared her thoughts with Meghan McCain on becoming First Lady of the United States.

The former “View” co-host interviewed the Second Lady for her “Citizen McCain” YouTube show, and Usha told her that the last few years have been such an unexpected whirlwind that it’s taught her not to make plans.

The attorney described the sudden sequence of events from the time in 2022 when then-author and Bay Area venture capitalist J.D. announced his Senate run, through his win as VEEP last November.

“Three years ago — maybe four years ago at this point — I had absolutely no intention of leading any sort of life in politics,” Usha said in the sit-down at the Vice Presidential residence at One Observatory Circle in Washington D.C.

“It really is that rapid. And then when we moved our kids to school in this area, it was with no intention whatsoever of JD running for a new office, and so my attitude is that this is a four-year period where I have a set of responsibilities to my family, to myself, and obviously to the country, and that’s really what I’m focused on. I’m not plotting out next steps or really trying for anything after this.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/06/24/society/usha-vance-shares-her-thoughts-on-becoming-first-lady-with-meghan-mccain/?_gl=1*19zkcce*_ga*MTgwMjY4OTEzMy4xNzQ0ODU3NDg5*_ga_0DZ7LHF5PZ*czE3NTA4MTY0OTgkbzE4MyRnMSR0MTc1MDgxNjU4OSRqNjAkbDAkaDA

The artificial intelligence start-up that recently clinched a $14 billion investment from Meta has an “incredibly janky” security system – using public Google Doc files to store confidential information on clients like Meta, Google and xAI, according to a report.

It was reported earlier this month that Meta agreed to take a 49% stake in Scale AI for $14.8 billion and bring the startup’s CEO Alexandr Wang over to lead a new “superintelligence” lab.

That shockingly steep price tag indicates that Meta believes Wang and his company are key to bringing the social media firm’s AI division to the next level.

But the company has been strangely relaxed when it comes to its work with high-profile clients, leaving top-secret projects and sensitive information like email addresses and pay details in Google Docs accessible to anyone with a link, according to Business Insider.

“We are conducting a thorough investigation and have disabled any user’s ability to publicly share documents from Scale-managed systems,” a Scale AI spokesperson told The Post.

“We remain committed to robust technical and policy safeguards to protect confidential information and are always working to strengthen our practices.”

While there is no indication the public files have led to a breach, they could leave the company susceptible to hacks, according to cybersecurity experts.

Google and xAI did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment. Meta declined to comment.

Five current and former Scale AI contractors told BI that the use of Google Docs was widespread across the company.

“The whole Google Docs system always seemed incredibly janky,” one worker said.

BI said it was able to view thousands of pages of project documents across 85 Google Docs detailing Scale AI’s sensitive work with Big Tech clients, like how Google used OpenAI’s ChatGPT to fine-tune its own chatbot.

At least seven Google manuals marked “confidential” including recommendations to improve the chatbot, then-called Bard, were left accessible to the public, according to the report.

Public Google Doc files included details on Elon Musk’s “Project Xylophone,” like training documents with 700 conversation prompts to improve an AI chatbot’s conversation skills, the report said.

So-called “confidential” Meta training documents with audio clips of “good” and “bad” speech prompts to train its AI products were also left public.

While these secret projects were often given codenames, several Scale AI contractors said it was still easy to figure out which client they were working for.

Some documents tied to codenamed projects even mistakenly included the company’s logo, like a presentation that included a Google logo, according to BI.

When working with AI products, sometimes the chatbot would simply reveal the client when asked, the contractors said.

There were also publicly available Google Doc spreadsheets that listed the names and private email addresses of thousands of workers, the news outlet found.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/06/24/tech/scale-ai-used-public-google-docs-for-confidential-work-with-meta-xai-in-stunning-revelation-after-14b-investment-report/

Nato leaders including President Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer are meeting to agree a big increase in defence spending, but nearly a third of the alliance’s members have not reached the existing spending target.

The new target will be to spend 5% of the size of their economies, measured by GDP, on “core defence” along with defence-related areas such as security.

But the latest Nato estimates show nine members spent less than the existing target of 2% of GDP.

Trump has been critical of the lowest spender, Spain which he called “notorious” for its “low spending”.

Rachel Ellehuus, director of the defence think tank Rusi sees evidence of a spending split within Nato, along geographical lines.

“It’s the allies who are closer to the threat from Russia in the north and the east of the alliance who are spending more and as we get down to southern allies, the spending tends to go to 2%, if not lower,” she told BBC News.

China’s grip on rare earths — vital for smartphones, EVs and military tech — has left the US, Europe and India vulnerable. Until global supplies increase, Beijing wields great power over the West’s critical industries.

China’s choke hold on rare earths — the minerals essential for electronics, automotive and defense systems — gave it significant leverage over the United States during recent tariff talks in London.

Controlling about 60% of global rare earth production and nearly 90% of refining, China tightened its grip in April by imposing export controls on seven rare earth elements and permanent magnets.

The curbs, partly in response to sky-high tariffs on Chinese exports imposed by US President Donald Trump, exposed US vulnerabilities, as the country lacks domestic refining capacity.

“The whole world economy relies on these magnets from China,” Jost Wübbeke, managing partner at the Berlin-based Sinolytics research house specializing in China, told DW. “If you stop exporting those, it will be felt across the globe.”

The resulting supply chain disruptions have hit American industries hard. US carmaker Ford, for example, announced on June 13 it had been forced to scale back SUV production in Chicago due to shortages, while auto parts suppliers Aptiv and BorgWarner said they were developing motors with minimal or no rare earth content to counter supply constraints.

Michael Dunne, a China-focused automotive consultant, told The New York Times that China’s curbs “could bring America’s automotive assembly plants to a standstill.”

US stocks could run out in months

A survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in China revealed that 75% of US firms expect their rare earth stocks to be exhausted within three months. US producers urged Washington to negotiate an end to the restrictions, and in London, China has agreed to speed up export license approvals, although a large backlog persists.

It is also unclear whether the deal includes access for US military suppliers, who rely on these minerals for fighter jets and missile systems.

China’s strategic use of rare earths as a geopolitical tool is not new. In 2010, Beijing halted exports to Japan for two months amid a territorial dispute, triggering price spikes and exposing supply chain risks.

Gabriel Wildau, managing director at New York-based CEO advisory firm Teneo, warned that China’s export licensing regime is a permanent fixture, not merely a response to Trump’s tariffs. In a note to clients earlier in June, he wrote that “supply cutoffs will remain an ever-present threat,” signaling China’s intent to maintain leverage over Washington.

European industry also hurt by China’s curbs

The US is not the only country facing a rare earth shortage. The European Union relies on China for 98% of its rare earth magnets needed for auto components, fighter jets and medical imaging devices.

The European Association of Automotive Suppliers warned earlier this month the sector was “already experiencing significant disruption” due to China’s export curbs, adding that they had caused “the shutdown of several production lines and plants across Europe, with further impacts expected in the coming weeks as inventories deplete.”

Alberto Prina Cerai, a research fellow at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), told DW that Brussels urgently needed to “buy time.”

“In terms of scale, we [the West] cannot catch up with China,” he warned. “They have an integrated, mine-to-magnet supply chain that is very hard to replicate.” But while a complete decoupling from China is “unthinkable” in the short term, he said the EU should “manage this interdependence with a coherent industrial strategy.”

The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, aims to produce 7,000 tons of EU-based magnets by 2030 under the Critical Raw Materials Act, with several mining, refining and recycling projects underway. A huge rare earth processing plant is due to open in Estonia later in the year, and another large facility in southwestern France will be operational in 2026.

After meeting with his Chinese counterpart earlier this month, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic called China’s curbs “extremely disruptive” to Europe’s auto and industrial sectors. China did propose a “green channel” to expedite license approvals for EU firms, but experts warn approvals could still take up to 45 days.

India cuts exports to boost domestic supply

Despite having the world’s fifth-largest rare earth reserves, at 6.9 million metric tons, India contributes less than 1% of the global supply of rare earths. The South Asian country lacks the refining capacity to process them for use in high-tech applications. India also relies on Chinese exports, which have also faced restrictions.

Although New Delhi has stepped up efforts to diversify its supply through deals with the US, Australia and Central Asian nations, progress has so far been slow.

News agency Reuters reported recently that New Delhi ordered its state-run miner IREL to stop exports of the domestically produced minerals, including to Japan, to safeguard supplies for the country’s producers. In 2024, IREL delivered a third of the 2,900 metric tons of the rare earths it mines to Japan, via a Japanese processing firm.

G7 leaders vow to tackle China disruption

With China’s stranglehold unlikely to be rivaled anytime soon, G7 leaders meeting in Canada on June 15 tentatively agreed on a strategy to anticipate critical rare earth shortages, vowing a joint response to deliberate market disruption, such as China’s, as well as moves to diversify production and supply.

“Recognizing this threat to our economies, as well as various other risks to the resilience of our critical minerals supply chains, we will work together and with partners beyond the G7 to swiftly protect our economic and national security,” the group of advanced economies said in a document called G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan

ISPI’s Prina Cerai told DW that access to rare earths will become more critical for the West as advanced technologies emerge, noting how “robotics and humanoids might be an important market” in the medium term.

Several rivals ramp up rare earth production

After China’s 44 million tons of rare earth deposits, Brazil, India and Australia have the next largest deposits, collectively around 31.3 million tons, according to the US Geological Survey. Around 20 million tons were recently discovered in Kazakhstan.

The US and Australia are the most advanced in ramping up their own rare earth mining and processing output, while other countries’ plans are still in the early to mid-stages, requiring five to 10 years, environmental considerations and billions in investment.

Another future source could be Greenland, despite its harsh weather conditions. The US and EU have already signed cooperation agreements, and in 2023, the Tanbreez Project, in southern Greenland, was ranked as the top rare earth project by mining industry data provider Mining Intelligence, with an estimated 28.2 million tons of minerals.

Reuters reported earlier this month that the US Export-Import Bank was set to approve a loan of up to $120 million (€104 million) to the firm running Tanbreez, in what would be the Trump administration’s first overseas investment in a mining project. Trump has repeatedly threatened to acquire Greenland for US strategic purposes, but the island nation, which is a Danish territory, has rejected the overture.

The EU, meanwhile, has identified 25 of the 34 minerals on its official list of critical raw materials in Greenland, including rare earths, in another sign of Greenland’s increasingly crucial role in the global economy.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/how-china-wields-rare-earths-as-a-strategic-weapon/a-72868760

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That’s one way to pop some bubbly.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez celebrated her son Evan’s 19th birthday with a foam party on the billionaire’s superyacht over the weekend — just days before their star-studded wedding.

The tech mogul and his soon-to-be wife were seen flirtatiously dancing in the soapy bubbles aboard the massive floater off the coast of Europe Sunday.

A shirtless Bezos flaunted his muscles as he got handsy with Sánchez, who wore a cheeky pink-and-black string bikini.

The former journalist, 55, and her fiancé, 61, coordinated in hats and sunglasses to protect them from the glaring sun and prying paparazzi.

At one point, the couple wrapped their arms around each other as they swayed and smiled while surrounded by other friends.

Sánchez was also seen sweetly snapping a photo of Bezos on her phone as he played in the suds.

Other pics from the outing showed the Amazon founder and Sánchez cuddled on a lounge chair as Evan and his friends enjoyed the luxurious activities aboard Bezos’ $500 million super yacht dubbed Koru.

The group of pals even gathered on the spanning deck to hit golf balls into the sparkling sea.

Sánchez shares Evan and 17-year-old daughter Ella with ex-husband Patrick Whitesell. The two were married from 2005 to 2019.

The brunette bombshell also co-parents 24-year-old son Nikko with ex Tony Gonzalez.

The mom of three celebrated her middle child’s birthday just days before she and Bezos are expected to say “I do” in a lavish Venetian wedding this week.

Bezos and Sánchez have been spotted showing PDA all over Italy ahead of their impending nuptials.

Page Six exclusively reported that the lovebirds quietly donated to a number of local charities in Venice as part of their wedding planning process.

We’re told they made donations in honor of some of their expected A-list wedding guests like Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, Barbara Streisand and Ivanka Trump.

While Bezos and Sánchez have managed to keep their wedding location under wraps, rumors swirled that they could walk down the aisle on his superyacht, the island of San Giorgio and a large exhibition space called Scuola Grande della Misericordia.

They are reportedly sourcing almost all of their wedding goods from Venetian vendors, per the Associated Press, turning to the city’s oldest pastry maker, Rosa Salva, and Murano glass blower Laguna B.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/06/23/celebrity-news/jeff-bezos-and-lauren-sanchez-throw-lavish-foam-party-on-500m-superyacht-ahead-of-nuptials/

A POLICE sergeant has died after being hit by traffic on a busy freeway, sparking a complete shutdown of all southbound lanes.

The heartbreaking incident occurred early Monday morning as Los Angeles police sergeant Shiou Deng exited his patrol vehicle on Interstate 405 in Brentwood to provide assistance to victims involved in a car crash.

Deng, a 26-year veteran of the force, was walking over to the scene of the two-car crash when he was struck by traffic, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said.

The sergeant was rushed to UCLA Medical Center, where he died from his injuries.

Aerial footage from the crash site showed the airbags deployed in the heavily damaged pick-up truck and dark-colored sedan.

The driver of the pick-up truck died at the scene, authorities said.

A second person involved in the initial crash was transported to a local hospital. Their condition remains unknown.

Photos showed Deng’s patrol car sitting abandoned on the southbound side of traffic.

McDonnell, the LAPD chief, mourned Deng’s death, saying the veteran died a hero.

“He was out there every day caring for the most vulnerable in our society,” McDonnell told reporters outside of UCLA Medical Center.

“When I think about him, he died a hero,” the police chief added, referring to Deng.

McDonnell said Deng spent 17 years on the force’s mental evaluation unit.

Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, ordered the American flags above city buildings to be lowered at half-staff in honor of Deng.

“This is a sad day for our city,” Bass said on an X post.

“The men and women of LAPD put their lives on the line for Angelenos each and every day.

“Sgt. Deng served L.A. for more than 25 years. This morning, I met with officers at the hospital who described him as caring and selfless.

“His last act was one of service – putting the safety and wellbeing of others above all else.”

Officials shut down all traffic on the southbound side of I-405.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14544527/cop-hit-by-traffic-killed-accident-405-freeway/

VLADIMIR Putin could be plotting to exploit the crisis in the Middle East to launch an attack on Europe, a Ukrainian government insider has warned.

The alarm was raised as today Putin became the first world leader to meet the Iranians after US President Donald Trump launched a wave of strikes on the Ayatollah’s nuclear sites.

Russia has warned Trump has opened up a “Pandora’s Box” with his B-2 bomber blitz over the weekend – which Vlad himself slammed as “unprovoked aggression”, despite his own illegal war in Ukraine.

However, a senior Ukrainian insider warned Putin will be rubbing his hands with glee as he plans to exploit the crisis while the West’s eyes are turned to the Middle East.

The cunning tyrant may even attempt to mimic Ukraine’s elaborate Spiderweb operation that blitzed strategic targets inside Russia.

A Ukrainian source told The Sun: “The West should be prepared that the Spiderweb operation may be reconfigured and deployed by Russia as a hybrid attack on any Nato Eastern flank nation.

“That would be the major Article 5 test that the Alliance has not experienced yet.”

Humiliated Putin was left reeling after Ukraine’s spectacular raid that – after 18 months of planning – inflicted billions of pounds worth of damage, leaving his bomber fleet in tatters.

Daring agents smuggled drones and explosives deep inside the sprawling country before unleashing a coordinated assault on June 1.

More than 100 drones were hidden in trucks across Russia before being deployed to five air bases – thousands of kilometres from the Ukrainian border.

At least 41 of Putin’s prized aircraft were wrecked in the attack – including Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 bombers and A-50 spy planes.

Delivering such a decisive blow has left Ukraine’s enemy scrambling.

But a Ukrainian government insider has warned it would also have left Putin’s cronies eager to learn from the clandestine operation – and look to mimic it.

The source said it could spell disaster if Vlad uses it as a blueprint to launch an attack on a European country.

They told The Sun: “We have seen how quickly Russia managed to adapt and learn from Ukraine.

“It’s not only Nato states that are learning lessons from Ukraine, it’s the adversaries too.

“There was a time when Russia was two months behind Ukraine in its drone technology, now it is ahead with fibreoptic drones.

“Ukraine is catching up and trying to develop techniques to best tackle those.

“We have already seen Russian espionage and sabotage acts in Europe.

“We can now be almost 100 per cent sure that they have taken on the Spiderweb as an example of something they can mimic in, for example, one of the Baltic states.

“That’s where the attribution of the operation will be very hard to achieve, but the consequences could be quite significant both for the country/countries in question and for the unity of Nato.”

The insider believes conniving Putin could sign off an assault while world leaders grapple with the spiralling conflict in the Middle East.

With the Trump administration turning its sights to Israel and Iran, and security challenges in China, Europe has largely been left to fend for itself.

After more than a week of Israel and Iran trading blows, Trump unleashed bombs on three nuclear sites in Iran – with Tehran threatening to retaliate.

It comes as the EU’s top diplomat warned Moscow has a plan for long-term aggression against Europe.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas last week said Putin’s determination to throw huge sums of money at his military suggests he is scheming to use his armed forces elsewhere.

She pointed to the fact Russia is spending more on defence than the EU’s 27 nations combined.

Megalomanic Putin is set to invest more on defence than his nation’s heath care, education and social policy combined, Kallas said.

She warned lawmakers in Strasbourg, France: “This is a long-term plan for a long-term aggression. You don’t spend that much on military if you do not plan to use it.

“Europe is under attack and our continent sits in a world becoming more dangerous.”

Both Kallas and the Ukrainian source noted a series of acts of sabotage and cyberattacks – including Russian airspace violations and attacks on energy grids, pipelines and undersea cables.

The insider added: “Russia never misses out on devious and cunning techniques. Especially with the upcoming Nato summit.

“During last year’s summit, China was conducting military exercises in Belarus, sending a clear signal.

“Russia may be distraught with the fact that one of its strongest allies in this war against Ukraine is getting bombarded, but at the same time, they may well use the opportunity of Europe being distracted and the US fully withdrawn to conduct a hybrid attack on Europe.”

Acts of sabotage have previously been pegged at attempts to undermine Europe’s support of Ukraine by military officials and experts.

But there are fears Russia could test Nato’s Article 5 security guarantee that pledges an attack on any of the allies would be met with a collective response.

And with no sign of a peace deal being thrashed out between Moscow and Kyiv despite international pleas after more than three years of war, an assault on the EU appears to loom closer.

Germany’s foreign intelligence service (BND) Bruno Kahl last week warned against underestimating Russia’s threat to the West.

He told the Table Today podcast: “We are very certain, and we have intelligence evidence for this, that Ukraine is just a step on the path to the West.

“They want to catapult Nato back to the state it was in at the end of the 1990s. They want to kick America out of Europe, and they’ll use any means to achieve that.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14541380/putin-iran-europe-attack-ukraine-warns/

Meta Platforms’ (META.O), WhatsApp messaging service has been banned from all U.S. House of Representatives devices, according to a memo sent to all House staff on Monday.
The notice said the “Office of Cybersecurity has deemed WhatsApp a high risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption, and potential security risks involved with its use.”

The memo, from the chief administrative officer, recommended using other messaging apps, including Microsoft Corp’s (MSFT.O), Teams platform, Amazon.com’s (AMZN.O), Wickr, Signal, and Apple’s (AAPL.O), iMessage and FaceTime.
Meta disagreed with the move “in the strongest possible terms,” a company spokesperson said, noting that the platform provides a higher level of security than the other approved apps.
In January, a WhatsApp official said Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions had targeted scores of its users, including journalists and members of civil society.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/whatsapp-banned-us-house-representatives-devices-memo-2025-06-23/

Satellite images appeared to show scores of trucks lined up at Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility just days before the US carried out its large-scale airstrikes — as speculation swirled that Tehran may have been able to move its uranium stockpiles before the attacks.

The images, released by US defense contractor Maxar Technologies, captured more than a dozen cargo-style trucks lined up outside the Fordow nuclear enrichment site’s tunnel entrance on Thursday and Friday.

The vehicles, which came and went over a 24-hour stretch, appeared to move unidentified contents roughly half a mile away, the Free Press reported, citing US officials.

US and Israeli intelligence officials were aware of the movement at the time but opted not to act so they could track where the trucks headed and await President Trump’s order to carry out the strikes, the officials added.

Trump gave the green light to launch 75 precision-guided munitions, including bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles, against Fordow and two other Iranian nuclear sites early Sunday.

Iranian state media outlets have since claimed that the Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz sites were evacuated in the lead up to the strikes.

Iran hasn’t officially disclosed how much damage was sustained in the attack but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted Monday the Trump administration was “confident” that Tehran’s nuclear sites were “completely and totally obliterated.”

“We have a high degree of confidence that where those strikes took place is where Iran’s enriched uranium was stored,” she told ABC News.

“The president wouldn’t have launched the strikes if we weren’t confident in that.”

“So this operation was a resounding success and administration officials agree with that, as well as Israel,” she added.

Trump, for his part, hailed the strikes as a “Bullseye!!!”

Satellite imagery appeared to show that the strikes had severely damaged — or destroyed — the Fordow plant and possibly the uranium-enriching centrifuges it housed.

“Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!”

Still, US defense officials have said they are working to determine just how much damage the strikes did as speculation mounted that Iran could have shifted uranium from the underground military complex.

“I wish the Israelis had moved quicker to disable Fordow,” David Albright, a former United Nations weapons inspector, told The Free Press in the wake of the attacks.

“It’s still a mystery exactly what was in those trucks. But any highly enriched uranium at Fordow was likely gone before the attack.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he doubts Iran was able to move anything prior to the attacks but acknowledged “no one will know for sure for days.”

“I doubt they moved it,” he said.

“They can’t move anything right now inside of Iran. I mean, the minute a truck starts driving somewhere, the Israelis have seen it, and they’ve targeted it and taken it out.”

He added that US officials believe a significant amount of Iran’s stockpile of 60% uranium had been located in the Isfahan facility when it was targeted.

“Our assessment is we have to assume that that’s a lot of 60% enriched uranium buried deep under the ground there in Isfahan,” he said.

Rubio didn’t specifically mention Fordow or Natanz but said Iran should now bring its stockpile “out of the ground and turn it over.”

“That really is the key,” Rubio said. “Multiple countries around the world will take it and down blend it. That’s what they should do with that.”

Leavitt, meanwhile, dismissed Iran’s threat of retaliation – insisting the US and the world were safer thanks to Trump’s attack.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/06/23/world-news/satellite-images-show-trucks-lined-up-at-irans-fordo-nuclear-facility-before-us-air-strikes/

Iran has launched missiles at a US military base in Qatar, in what it said was retaliation for American strikes against its nuclear sites over the weekend.

Witnesses reported hearing loud bangs in the sky above the capital, Doha, while videos showed bright flashes in the sky as air defence systems attempted to intercept missiles.

It is the latest escalation in a conflict involving Iran, Israel and the US which has seen tensions in the Middle East soar to unprecedented levels in recent days.

Here is what we know.

A powerful new telescope in Chile has released its first images, showing off its unprecedented ability to peer into the dark depths of the universe.

In one picture, vast colourful gas and dust clouds swirl in a star-forming region 9,000 light years from Earth.

The Vera C Rubin observatory, home to the world’s most powerful digital camera, promises to transform our understanding of the universe.

If a ninth planet exists in our solar system, scientists say this telescope would find it in its first year.

It should detect killer asteroids in striking distance of Earth and map the Milky Way. It will also answer crucial questions about dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up most of our universe.

In a press conference on Monday, the observatory revealed that in 10 hours, the telescope detected 2,104 new asteroids and seven space objects close to Earth.

All other space and ground surveys combined usually find about 20,000 asteroids in a year.

This once-in-a-generation moment for astronomy is the start of a continuous 10-year filming of the southern night sky.

“I personally have been working towards this point for about 25 years. For decades we wanted to build this phenomenal facility and to do this type of survey,” says Professor Catherine Heymans, Astronomer Royal for Scotland.

The UK is a key partner in the survey and will host data centres to process the extremely detailed snapshots as the telescope sweeps the skies capturing everything in its path.

Vera Rubin could increase the number of known objects in our solar system tenfold.

BBC News visited the Vera Rubin observatory before the release of the images.

It sits on Cerro Pachón, a mountain in the Chilean Andes that hosts several observatories on private land dedicated to space research.

Very high, very dry, and very dark. It is a perfect location to watch the stars.

Maintaining this darkness is sacrosanct. The bus ride up and down the windy road at night must be done cautiously, because full-beam headlights must not be used.

The inside of the observatory is no different.

There is a whole engineering unit dedicated to making sure the dome surrounding the telescope, which opens to the night sky, is dark – turning off rogue LEDs or other stray lights that could interfere with the astronomical light they are capturing from the night sky.

The starlight is “enough” to navigate, commissioning scientist Elana Urbach explains.

One of the observatory’s big goals, she adds, is to “understand the history of the Universe” which means being able to see faint galaxies or supernova explosions that happened “billions of years ago”.

“So, we really need very sharp images,” Elana says.

Each detail of the observatory’s design exhibits similar precision.

It achieves this through its unique three-mirror design. Light enters the telescope from the night sky, hits the primary mirror (8.4m diameter), is reflected onto the secondary mirror (3.4m) back onto a third mirror (4.8m) before entering its camera.

The mirrors must be kept in impeccable condition. Even a speck of dust could alter the image quality.

The high reflectivity and speed of this allow the telescope to capture a lot of light which Guillem Megias, an active optics expert at the observatory, says is “really important” to observe things from “really far away which, in astronomy, means they come from earlier times”.

The camera inside the telescope will repeatedly capture the night sky for ten years, every three days, for a Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

At 1.65m x 3m, it weighs 2,800kg and provides a wide field of view.

It will capture an image roughly every 40 seconds, for about 8-12 hours a night thanks to rapid repositioning of the moving dome and telescope mount.

It has 3,200 megapixels (67 times more than an iPhone 16 Pro camera) and would require 400 Ultra HD TV screens to show a single image.

“When we got the first photo up here, it was a special moment,” Mr Megias said.

“When I first started working with this project, I met someone who had been working on it since 1996. I was born in 1997. It makes you realise this is an endeavour of a generation of astronomers.”

It will be down to hundreds of scientists around the world to analyse the stream of data alerts, which will peak at around 10 million a night.

The survey will work on four areas: mapping changes in the skies or transient objects, the formation of the Milky Way, mapping the Solar System, and understanding dark matter or how the universe formed.

But its biggest power lies in its constancy. It will survey the same areas over and over again, and every time it detects a change, it will alert scientists.

“This transient side is the really new unique thing… That has the potential to show us something that we hadn’t even thought about before,” explains Prof Heymens.

But it could also help protect us by detecting dangerous objects that suddenly stray near Earth, including asteroids like YR4 that scientists briefly worried early this year was on track to smash into our planet.

The camera’s very large mirrors will help scientists detect the faintest of light and distortions emitted from these objects and track them as they speed through space.

“It’s transformative. It’s going be the largest data set we’ve ever had to look at our galaxy with. It will fuel what we do for many, many years,” says Professor Alis Deason at Durham university.

She will receive the images to analyse the boundaries of the stars in the Milky Way.

At the moment she says the furthest reach of most data is about 163,000 light years, but using Vera Rubin, scientists could see as far as 1.2 million light years.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj3rmjjgx6xo

In a clearing in a forest, two men stand behind a row of wooden poles that have pictures of faces stuck on top of them.

The portraits include US President Donald Trump, Vice-President JD Vance and billionaire Elon Musk. In front of them hangs the US flag.

The men are wearing camouflage clothing with blue markings – the colour often worn by Ukrainian soldiers to identify them on the battlefield.

“We don’t need allies like you,” one of the men says in Ukrainian, as he sets fire to the flag and portraits.

But this video, shared with thousands of subscribers of a Polish-language Telegram channel, is staged. The uniforms are generic camouflage ones easily bought online, while the Ukrainian words are heavily mispronounced and spoken with a strong Russian accent.

It was shared on the Telegram channel Polska Grupa Informacyjna, one of 22 Polish-language channels, with more than 150,000 subscribers between them, that the BBC has identified as sharing various forms of pro-Russian disinformation and propaganda.

Telegram is not widely used in Poland, but experts say false messages on it are amplified among extremist groups and then spread on to other platforms that have a bigger reach.

The 22 channels largely present themselves as Polish news and information services. Two claim to be “impartial” while one promises “unbiased” news. One channel bills itself as offering “reliable and verified information hidden from the public”, while another has the slogan “we are where the truth is needed”.

Most of them frequently cite or replicate content from Russian state media outlets, such as RT and Sputnik, which have been banned in the European Union for manipulating information and spreading propaganda. Poland is a member of the EU.

The channels often quote or link to Russian regime figures and supporters. President Vladimir Putin, deputy head of the national security council Dmitry Medvedev, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Russian propagandist TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov and pro-Russian war commentators known as “Z-bloggers” are all cited.

Some posts on these channels include outright false information. For example, an image posted by the channel UKR LEAKS_pl shows figures in military clothing applying fake blood to people and is captioned “how the ‘Bucha victims’ were prepared”, implying that the well-documented killings of hundreds of Ukrainians by Russian forces in 2022 did not happen.

Some channels frequently refer to Ukrainian leaders and soldiers as “Nazis”. In one post, InfoDefensePOLAND called the government in Kyiv a “Nazi regime”, claiming it was “controlled by the United States” and others in the West.

Often a mixture of true and false information is shared, or channels omit crucial information to give a misleading impression. On 17 June, for example, Russia carried out its deadliest attack on Kyiv in months, hitting residential buildings and, according to Ukrainian authorities, killing at least 28 people.

More than half of the channels completely ignored the incident, some of them instead highlighting Russian army advances in Ukraine. A few others, echoing Kremlin narratives, blamed Ukraine for the casualties, claiming Russia’s attacks only targeted military sites.

Bilawal Bhutto warned of war if India denies Pakistan its water share under the Indus Waters Treaty, calling the suspension illegal. He also accused India of using terrorism and FATF pressure for political gains, while stressing the need for dialogue.

Pakistan’s former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto on Monday said that Pakistan would go to war if India denies Islamabad its share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

Bilawal, who heads the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), said if India follows through on denying water, “we will have to wage war again.” Speaking in parliament, Bilawal rejected India’s move and threatened retaliation over what he called an illegal suspension of the treaty.

“India has two options: share water fairly, or we will deliver water to us from all six rivers,” he said, referring to the six rivers of the Indus basin. He further added, “The attack on Sindhu (Indus River) and India’s claim that the Indus Water Treaty has ended, and it’s in abeyance. Firstly, this is illegal, as the IWT is not in abeyance, it is binding on Pakistan and India, but the threat of stopping water is illegal according to the UN charter.”

His comments came days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that India would never restore the 1960 water-sharing agreement, which New Delhi put in abeyance following the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 people.

His statement followed a sharp reaction from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, which two days earlier had slammed Shah’s declaration as a “brazen disregard” for international agreements.

However, Bilawal also emphasised dialogue and cooperation and said, “If India and Pakistan refuse to talk, and if there is no coordination on terrorism, then violence will only intensify in both countries,” he said.

He accused India of “weaponising terrorism for political purposes” and claimed that India worked diplomatically to reverse Pakistan’s gains on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) front. “At a time when Pakistan had successfully moved from the FATF grey list to the white list, India made every effort to drag us back to the grey list using false narratives and diplomatic pressure,” he alleged.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/pakistan-will-go-to-war-bilawal-bhutto-threatens-india-over-indus-waters-treaty-fatf-2745132-2025-06-23

A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to restart swift removals of migrants to countries other than their homelands, lifting for now a court order requiring they get a chance to challenge the deportations.

The high court majority did not detail its reasoning in the brief order. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by the other two liberal justices, issued a scathing dissent.

Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin suggested third-country deportations could restart soon. “Fire up the deportation planes,” she said in a statement, calling the decision “a victory for the safety and security of the American people.”

But a judge said one deportation flight originally bound for South Sudan wouldn’t be completing the trip right away.

The immigrants on board the May flight were from countries including Myanmar, Vietnam and Cuba. They had been convicted of serious crimes in the U.S., and immigration officials said they were unable to return them quickly to their home countries.

They face possible “imprisonment, torture and even death,” if sent to South Sudan, said their attorney Trina Realmuto, executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance.

U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Boston said a previous order allowing them to bring up those concerns in court remains in force. The immigrants have been diverted to a naval base in Djibouti.

The case comes amid a sweeping immigration crackdown by Republican President Donald Trump’s administration, which has pledged to deport millions of people who are living in the United States illegally.

“The Constitution and Congress have vested authority in the President to enforce immigration laws and remove dangerous aliens from the homeland,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said. The Supreme Court’s action “reaffirms the President’s authority to remove criminal illegal aliens from our country and Make America Safe Again.”

In her 19-page dissent, Sotomayor wrote that the court’s action exposes “thousands to the risk of torture or death” and gives the Trump administration a win despite earlier violating the lower court’s order.

“The government has made clear in word and deed that it feels itself unconstrained by law, free to deport anyone anywhere without notice or an opportunity to be heard,” she wrote in the dissent, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

South Sudan, the world’s newest and one of its poorest countries, has endured repeated waves of violence since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, and escalating political tensions in the African nation have threatened to devolve into another civil war.

The Justice Department said in court documents that the government is weighing the order to decide its next steps.

The Supreme Court action halts Murphy’s April order giving immigrants a chance to argue deportation to a third country would put them in danger — even if they have otherwise exhausted their legal appeals.

He found that the May deportations to South Sudan violated his order and told immigration authorities to allow people to raise those concerns through their lawyers. Immigration officials housed the migrants in a converted shipping container in Djibouti, where they and the officers guarding them faced rough conditions.

The administration has reached agreements with other countries, including Panama and Costa Rica, to house immigrants because some countries do not accept their citizens deported from the U.S. The migrants sent to South Sudan in May got less than 16 hours’ notice, Sotomayor wrote.

The order from Murphy, who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden, didn’t prohibit deportations to third countries. But he found migrants must have a real chance to argue they could be in serious danger of torture if sent to another country.

Another order in the same case resulted in the Trump administration returning a gay Guatemalan man who had been wrongly deported to Mexico, where he says he had been raped and extorted — the first person known to have been returned to U.S. custody after deportation since the start of Trump’s second term.

The justices confronted a similar issue in Trump’s effort to send Venezuelans accused of being gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador with little chance to challenge the deportations in court.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-immigration-trump-south-sudan-c7ffbbcede3158a3352b2dbf4439780a

Parades were held across the world on weekends for Pride month.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Source : https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/pride-parade-lgbtq-photos-82991942e77e0850544229945776b004

Professional Bull Riders now has a New York City team

BULL riding is coming to New York City, and it’s more popular than you might expect.

Last year, NYC received a Professional Bull Riders expansion team in the form of the New York Mavericks.

While bull riding might be a foreign concept to many New Yorkers, Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center were packed last season to watch cowboys go to work.

This year, Professional Bull Riders is expecting nothing less, and team general manager Chris Pantani has a simple answer for the turnout:

“Everybody wants to be a cowboy.”

The introduction of the team format in PBR has given the uninformed fan a way to digest bull riding like any other professional sport.

“So it’s the same as any main type sport you look at,” Pantani said.

“It’s just a Western version of that sport. The competition is five on five.

“Think of it as a hockey overtime or a soccer shootout. Away team goes, home team goes. It’s five players compete for an aggregate score.

“So you have games, you have practices, you have standings, you have world champions, everything is just like a regular or mainstream type sport.

“So fans can follow. So you don’t need an endemic fan to really follow the sport.

“You can relax, enjoy with your family, look up and you can see a score. And it’s two separate dugouts.

“The teams are separated on the arena so you can actually follow and see what’s going to happen at the same time.”

PBR hosts an annual event at Madison Square Garden, but the team event at Barclays was the first time the sport made it to Long Island.

That will continue this year at UBS Arena, where the Mavericks will host the team series from September 18-20.

Fans are expected to turn out in droves for this event, embracing cowboy culture hundreds of miles away from the south.

Pantani labels this as the “Yellowstone effect,” referencing the popular Paramount+ TV series.

People around the country are interested in southern culture, and it has shown in attendance and interest in PBR in recent years.

According to PBR, ticket sales increased by 23 percent between 2022 and 2023.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/sport/14507538/professional-bull-riders-rising-new-york-mavericks-popularity/

FRED Smith, the billionaire founder of revolutionary delivery firm FedEx, has died at the age of 80.

FedEx started up in in 1973 delivering small parcels and documents more quickly than the postal service.

Smith oversaw its growth to a behemoth of the industry, relied upon by other companies all over the world.

The business now delivers a staggering 17million parcels every day.

His cause of death is yet to be confirmed.

After Smith graduated Yale University, he used a business theory he developed in college to create a delivery system.

His approach became known as a “hub and spokes” system, and was based on coordinated air cargo flights centered around a main hub.

At the start, FedEx had 14 small aircraft operating out of the Memphis International Airport flying packages to 25 American cities.

Smith, worth $5.3billion at his death according to Forbes, was also known for his philanthropy.

He stepped down as FedEx’s CEO in 2022, but remained at the helm as executive chairman.

Memphis’s former mayor Jim Strickland hailed him as “the most significant Memphian in history”.

Strickland said: “He benefited our city in every way possible and allowed generations of Memphians to achieve the American dream.

“God bless Fred Smith. My condolences to the Smith family.”

He donated millions of dollars to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation – after serving for four years in the Marine Corps himself.

In an 2023 interview, he said that all the experience he used to run FedEx came from his experience in the Marines, not what he learned at Yale.

Politicians and commercial figures have paid tribute to the legendary businessman.

Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn said: “I am deeply saddened by the passing of Fred Smith.

“As the founder of FedEx, his leadership and innovation transformed global commerce, and he will be remembered for his relentless drive, patriotism, and commitment to service.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14535092/billionaire-fedex-founder-fred-smith-dies/

Iran’s president has said his country has to respond following US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. The US called operation “Midnight Hammer” an “overwhelming success.” Follow DW for more.

IAEA head warns of ‘unthinkable levels’ of destruction if diplomacy fails
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi has appealed to all parties involved to return to dialogue and diplomacy.

“If that window closes, violence and destruction could reach unthinkable levels, and the global non-proliferation regime as we know it could crumble and fall,” he told the UN Security Council emergency meeting.

He said it hasn’t been possible to assess the damage at the Fordo facility, although craters were visible at the well-fortified underground uranium enrichment facility.

Grossi said the entrances to tunnels in Isfahan that had apparently been used to store enriched material had been hit, as well as a fuel enrichment facility in Natanz.

Iran informed the agency that there was no increase in radiation outside the three facilities, Grossi told the council.

What’s the significance of the Strait of Hormuz?
The conflict has put renewed focus on security in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran reportedly considering blocking it after the US strikes on its nuclear sites.

The key waterway lies between Oman and Iran, and connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/iran-says-us-must-receive-a-response-to-strikes/live-72996785