Author: Admin

A small aircraft carrying skydivers crashed in northeastern France on Sunday, leaving no survivors among the 11 people on board, officials confirmed.

The plane experienced a mechanical failure and “fell almost vertically” shortly after departing from the Nancy-Essey airfield, located on the edge of the city of Nancy, according to Yves Séguy, the prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region.

Séguy told broadcaster BFM-TV that the aircraft went down near a residential neighborhood close to the airfield. “Had it occurred just a few dozen meters away, the accident could have caused collateral casualties,” he warned.

Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the plane veered left after liftoff and struck the ground less than a minute later, coming to rest near nearby homes.

According to local newspaper L’Est Républicain, those killed included five parachuting instructors, five clients, and the pilot.

Nancy Mayor Mathieu Klein told public broadcaster France Info that the passengers had been planning tandem jumps — a type of skydive in which two people, typically an experienced instructor and a first-time jumper, are harnessed together for the descent.

Klein also noted that some of the victims had family members and friends present at the airfield who watched the plane go down, resulting in “numerous” cases of psychological trauma.

Séguy said emergency responders were on scene immediately and were offering psychological support to relatives of those killed, while authorities also worked to gather witness accounts. “We are deploying all available resources,” he said, citing emergency medical teams, firefighters, police, and mental health professionals.

Flight tracking websites identified the aircraft as a single-engine Pilatus PC-6, a small plane commonly used to transport freight, passengers, and skydivers.

A nearby resident, identified by BFM-TV as John Curaku, said he was in his garden when he heard what sounded like an engine cutting out, followed immediately by a loud impact. He said he went to the scene and found “no signs of life,” with two victims found several meters from the wreckage. Police have since cordoned off the crash site.

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s Cabinet has unanimously voted to formally label the mass killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as a genocide, a significant diplomatic step that still requires approval from the country’s parliament.

The decision reflects the increasingly troubled relationship between Israel and Turkey. Turkey has long and aggressively pushed other nations not to officially classify the Armenian deaths as genocide, while Armenian advocates have worked just as hard to gain that recognition.

Scholars and historians estimate that as many as 1.5 million Armenians lost their lives at the hands of Ottoman Turks around 1915 — an event widely regarded by academics as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey rejects that characterization, arguing the death toll has been exaggerated and that those who died were casualties of civil conflict and widespread unrest.

For many years, Israel deliberately avoided taking an official stance on the matter to preserve its relationship with Turkey. However, those ties have steadily deteriorated over the past two decades, and have grown especially strained in recent years amid ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and involving Iran.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who brought the proposal before the government, spoke strongly in support of the recognition. “Despite the extensive and unambiguous historical documentation, the Armenian Genocide remains to this day the subject of an institutionalized campaign of denial and minimization, including a manipulative rewriting of history, mainly by the Turkish government,” he said.

Saar pointed out that Israeli leaders — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — have previously referred to the violence against Armenians as a genocide in personal statements. However, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has never put the matter to a formal vote.

“It is never too late to do the right thing,” Saar declared on Sunday, describing the recognition as a “moral and historical duty.”

He also noted that 32 other nations — among them the United States, Syria and Lebanon — have already officially classified the killings as genocide. It remains unclear when the Cabinet’s unanimous decision will be brought before parliament for a vote. Turkey had not issued any public response as of Sunday.

Israel and Turkey were once considered close allies, but that partnership began unraveling with the rise of Turkey’s Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, prompting Israel to reconsider its long-held silence on the Armenian question.

The move comes as Israel itself faces genocide accusations from multiple fronts, including from the United Nations and Turkey, related to its military offensive in Gaza. Israel, a nation established in the aftermath of the Holocaust, strongly denies those allegations.

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023. Gaza’s Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas government, reports that more than 73,000 people have been killed, with roughly half being women and children. Israel maintains that it does not deliberately target civilians and accuses Hamas of using Palestinian civilians as human shields.

Just last week, a panel of independent experts appointed by the United Nations accused Israel of intentionally shooting children in Gaza and repeated claims that Israel’s actions amount to genocide. Israel dismissed the report as a “libelous sham.”

Austria is lobbying the European Union to explore hosting Anthropic’s artificial intelligence system inside Europe, according to a Bloomberg News report published Sunday.

The effort is described as a response to moves by the United States to restrict foreign access to Anthropic’s most cutting-edge AI models.

Reuters, which first carried the report, noted it was unable to immediately verify the information independently.

LISBON — A 4.1 magnitude earthquake rattled southern Portugal’s Algarve region on Sunday morning, though authorities say there are no reports of injuries or property damage, according to the country’s sea and atmosphere institute, known as IPMA.

IPMA reported the quake struck at 7:59 a.m. and was felt by residents in the cities of Lagos and Portimao. Based on information available at the time, officials said there were no casualties or structural damage to report.

The earthquake’s epicenter was traced to the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 70 kilometers off Cape St. Vincent, according to IPMA.

Southern Portugal and the Lisbon region sit along a geologically active boundary where the Eurasian and African tectonic plates meet, though seismic activity in the area has been relatively quiet in recent years.

The region has a long history with destructive earthquakes. In 1755, a massive quake and the tsunami that followed it devastated the Portuguese capital, killing an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 people — making it one of the deadliest seismic events in European history.

More recently, in 1969, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake — also centered off Cape St. Vincent — killed at least 13 people and left dozens more injured across the region.

Fourteen people lost their lives Sunday when a helicopter belonging to Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company, went down in the city of Ras Tanura, according to the Saudi state news agency.

Officials have not yet identified a cause for the crash. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, though no further details have been released at this time.

Emergency authorities in France are on the scene of an incident involving a civilian aircraft in the northeastern town of Tomblaine, according to the local prefecture.

The incident was reported on Sunday. Local newspaper L’Est Republicain reported that the aircraft involved was transporting a group of skydivers and had crashed.

Further details are limited at this time as authorities continue to respond to the scene.

BEIRUT — A surprising proposal from President Donald Trump has sent shockwaves through the Middle East: rather than continuing to support Israel’s prolonged conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Trump has suggested that Syria step in and handle the Iran-backed militant group instead.

Trump has indicated that the Islamist-led insurgents who toppled Syria’s longtime autocratic leader Bashar Assad roughly a year and a half ago — and who now lead a new Syrian government — would be more effective at eliminating Hezbollah than the Israeli military has been.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has firmly rejected the notion, insisting that Trump’s comments were taken out of context. Trump, however, has continued to push the idea.

While it remains uncertain just how committed the White House is to the proposal, the mere suggestion of a Syrian military incursion has triggered serious alarm in Lebanon. It has also unsettled Israel, which views al-Sharaa’s Islamist-led government with deep suspicion and has already seized a portion of southern Syrian territory since al-Sharaa came to power.

The situation has also inflamed tensions between Israel and Turkey — a key supporter of al-Sharaa’s government — as both countries maneuver to limit each other’s foothold in Syria. Top Israeli security officials held a meeting specifically to address the issue on Wednesday, according to a source who requested anonymity because they were not permitted to speak publicly.

On the sidelines of the G7 summit earlier this month, Trump voiced frustration with the pace of Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, complaining that it has gone on too long and that “too many people are being killed.”

Since Hezbollah joined the broader Iran conflict with a March 2 attack on Israel, more than 4,000 people have died in Israeli strikes on Lebanon, among them hundreds of women and children. Israel maintains that its strikes are directed at Hezbollah and that it takes steps to minimize civilian casualties.

Trump was blunt in his criticism of Israel’s approach: “You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses and they’re not all Hezbollah.”

He went further, saying: “I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah. ‘Cause to be honest with you, I think they’d do a better job.”

Shortly after, on the opening day of U.S.-Iran talks held in Switzerland, Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst reported that Trump — during an interview — expressed frustration that Israel has been unable to “put Hezbollah away” and said he is “close to giving it to Syria,” believing al-Sharaa would handle it with more precision. The White House declined to elaborate and pointed back to Trump’s existing public statements.

Syrian officials moved quickly to contain the fallout. In a June 13 speech in Damascus, al-Sharaa stated clearly: “There are people spreading rumors that Syria will intervene in Lebanon. This is not true. We are calling for a permanent end to the war and the strengthening of institutions and for there to be economic ties and a calming of the situation in Lebanon.”

In a June 21 interview with the Emirati network Al Mashhad, al-Sharaa said Trump’s words had been misread. Trump “spoke about Syria’s role in finding a safe and peaceful solution, but the statement was misinterpreted as if Syria were going to invade Lebanon tomorrow morning,” al-Sharaa said. He added that Syria had “presented our vision for a solution to the United States, which is to stop the war and address the negative effects on Lebanon and Syria, and to find different economic, political and social solutions.”

The history between Syria and Hezbollah is deeply complicated. Hezbollah — alongside Iran — intervened in Syria’s 14-year civil war on behalf of Assad, while al-Sharaa led the insurgency trying to remove him. Despite that bitter past, Syria’s new leadership has said since taking power in December 2024 that it is focused on rebuilding the nation and has no desire to get drawn into regional conflicts or settle old scores.

When Israel and the U.S. launched their war against Iran — which set off a broader regional conflict — Syria deliberately stayed on the sidelines. In the early weeks of fighting, Syrian forces were sent to reinforce the border with Lebanon, officially to prevent weapons smuggling and stop the conflict from spilling over. In March, Syria accused Hezbollah of firing artillery shells across the border at Syrian army positions — a charge Hezbollah denied — but the standoff did not escalate further. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told The Associated Press in March that Turkey had stepped in to ease those tensions.

Al-Sharaa acknowledged in his Al Mashhad interview that Hezbollah’s decision to get involved in Syria’s civil war “was wrong,” but said he remained open to holding “dialogue” with the group and even to serving as a mediator among Lebanese factions debating the future of Hezbollah’s weapons arsenal.

Back in March, U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack had denied reports that Washington was floating the idea of Syrian intervention against Hezbollah. Since then, Trump has begun making the suggestion openly and publicly.

Randa Slim, director of the Middle East Program at the Washington-based Stimson Center, was sharply critical of the proposal, calling it, “at best, driven by a profound ignorance of the dynamics on the ground.”

“Syria needs to focus on a myriad of complex and daunting challenges — not least rebuilding a shattered country and repatriating millions of refugees,” she said. “Syrian forces are far from a coherent military institution; they include thousands of foreign jihadi fighters of uncertain loyalty and discipline.”

The months following Assad’s ouster were marked by repeated outbreaks of violence between factions loyal and opposed to al-Sharaa, some of which escalated into sectarian attacks in which Sunni Islamist fighters aligned with the new government struck Alawite and Druze civilians. Those events stoked fears of cross-border violence among Lebanon’s Shiite, Christian, and Druze communities.

Many in Lebanon also carry painful memories of Syria’s decades-long military occupation of their country — a presence that began during the Lebanese civil war with initial backing from Lebanese authorities and Arab states, and did not end until 2005.

The Israeli official who spoke anonymously said Israel is watching for signs that Syria might try to reclaim its old political role in Lebanon, but emphasized that Israel’s primary concern remains Hezbollah itself.

KAMPALA, Uganda — Soldiers were sent to enforce the shutdown of a prominent news organization’s offices in Uganda’s capital on Sunday, acting on orders from the country’s military chief, who declared that all media outlets in the East African nation “will follow the rules.”

Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the eldest son of President Yoweri Museveni, has held the position of top military commander since 2024. In the days following Museveni’s swearing-in for a seventh straight term, Kainerugaba has issued a string of directives typically associated with a head of state, signaling a tightening of his personal authority.

Troops appeared outside the Kampala offices of the Daily Monitor newspaper early Sunday morning. The publication is owned by Nation Media Group, a company headquartered in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

Taking to X — his go-to platform for public statements — Kainerugaba made his position clear: “I have the power in Uganda to shut down ANY media house I want to. I have had this power since 2017. This power was given to me by my great father.”

He followed that with a blunt warning: “From now on ALL media in Uganda will follow the rules!”

Beyond the Daily Monitor, Kainerugaba said his closure order also applied to local television broadcaster NTV, another outlet operating under the Nation Media Group umbrella.

The National Association of Broadcasters released a statement confirming that at least six publishing and broadcasting organizations — all belonging to Nation Media Group — had been forced to close. “We are deeply concerned about this action and its impact on the media ecosystem,” the group said.

Kainerugaba has openly stated his intention to succeed his father as president, a prospect that appears increasingly realistic as the 81-year-old leader leans more heavily on his son’s military clout.

Earlier this month, Kainerugaba took action against a well-known attorney who had attempted to hold him accountable over his alleged involvement in rights violations against opposition figure Kizza Besigye. Besigye was taken into custody in Nairobi in 2024 and has since faced treason charges that he contends are politically motivated. His lawyer, Erias Lukwago, was removed from his home and later charged with an offense connected to concealing treason.

Museveni has governed Uganda since 1986 and has given no indication of when he plans to step down. With no serious challengers within the ruling party, many observers believe the military will play a decisive role in determining who leads the country next.

Those close to Kainerugaba describe him as a disciplined military figure who avoids showy displays of wealth and takes a hard stance against government corruption. He received his military training at schools in the United States and Britain before taking command of a presidential guard unit that has since grown into an elite special forces organization. Outside of his military role, he founded a political activist group called the Patriotic League of Uganda, whose supporters and members include figures ranging from the parliamentary speaker to government ministers.

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine continued its intense drone campaign against Russia on Sunday, igniting a major oil refinery in the country’s south and leaving at least two people dead, according to Russian officials.

Kyiv has been conducting large-scale, long-range drone strikes aimed at squeezing Russia’s fuel supplies and disrupting military logistics — a strategy Ukrainian authorities describe as an effort to pressure the Kremlin into peace negotiations.

Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev of Russia’s Krasnodar region reported that wreckage from intercepted Ukrainian drones touched off a fire at a refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, a town located east of occupied Crimea. Regional officials said the falling debris claimed one life in Slavyansk and left another person injured in a nearby village.

Photos and videos spreading across Russian social media appeared to show a massive plume of black smoke rising over what users identified as the Slavyansk refinery. The Associated Press was unable to independently confirm the authenticity of those images.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly acknowledged that Ukraine carried out the Slavyansk strike. He also stated that a second refinery was hit — this one located in Russia’s Yaroslavl region, roughly 700 kilometers (435 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

“Tonight, our ‘long-range sanctions’ reached two oil refineries in Russia,” Zelenskyy posted on the Telegram messaging platform. “Each (strike) means a reduction in the resources that fuel the Russian war machine, and another step toward peace.”

Over recent months, Ukraine has significantly intensified its long-range strikes on Russian military production sites and energy infrastructure. The goal, according to Western officials, is to cut into Moscow’s income from its now fifth-year invasion and force Russian civilians to feel the toll of the war. Those officials say the campaign has helped slow Russian advances on the battlefield and increased pressure on the Kremlin.

The Slavyansk facility ranks among southern Russia’s most significant refineries, handling close to 4 million tons of crude oil annually, according to the operator’s website. It also serves as a critical supplier of petroleum products — including fuel oil, naphtha, and marine fuel — destined for export through Russia’s Black Sea ports.

Russian authorities did not immediately release information about the reported strike on the Yaroslavl refinery. However, local Gov. Mikhail Evraev announced Sunday morning that some roads connecting Moscow to the regional capital of Yaroslavl had been temporarily shut down following what he described as “an enemy attack by Ukrainian drones.”

Yaroslavl’s airport also shut down briefly overnight, joining several other airports in southern and western Russia that were temporarily closed, the country’s civil aviation authority reported.

In a separate incident, Ukrainian drone strikes in Russia’s Belgorod border region killed one person and wounded another, according to acting Gov. Alexander Shuvayev.

Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that its forces intercepted 213 Ukrainian drones overnight across Russian territory, occupied Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas.

On the other side of the conflict, Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 142 long-range strike drones and eight missiles at Ukraine during the night. Of those, 125 drones and seven missiles were successfully shot down, the air force said.

France’s public health agency, Sante Publique, announced Sunday that the country has recorded 1,000 excess deaths connected to the intense heatwave that has been scorching much of Europe — and officials say that number will almost certainly climb.

In releasing its early death toll figures, Sante Publique noted that the majority of those who died were elderly. The agency added that it anticipates the mortality numbers to increase as additional data becomes available regarding deaths that occurred in residential care facilities and private homes.

Across Europe, people have been suffering through dangerously high temperatures during a heatwave tied to dozens of deaths. The extreme heat has also shattered temperature records, disrupted power generation, and caused damage to infrastructure throughout the continent.

Scientists have described the heatwave — which began on June 20 — as the worst ever documented in Europe, a region where the climate is warming at a faster pace than the global average.

While the heatwave has been shifting eastward, France’s weather agency reported that the most extreme heat has eased in most parts of the country. However, some areas in the northeast remained under a heatwave advisory.

Health Minister Stephanie Rist cautioned in an interview with La Tribune newspaper that the health consequences of the extreme heat could persist for up to 10 days even after temperatures return to normal.

“The episode is not finished,” she also told broadcaster BFM.

Sante Publique confirmed that while most of the deaths involved people aged 65 and older, the health impacts of the extreme heat were felt across all segments of the population.

BAGHDAD — Iraqi security forces moved in the early hours of Sunday morning to arrest politicians, lawmakers, and high-ranking government officials as part of what security and legal sources are calling the opening phase of a major anti-corruption campaign directed by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

Elite units from the Counter Terrorism Service conducted raids on homes located inside Baghdad’s heavily secured Green Zone, detaining multiple individuals, according to sources who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to discuss sensitive matters with the press.

As of Sunday, no official statement had been released regarding the arrests.

Al-Zaidi, who assumed the role of prime minister in May, has made a public commitment to confronting deep-rooted corruption — one of the most enduring problems facing Iraq’s government, despite pledges from numerous administrations over the years to hold wrongdoers accountable.

Sunday’s raids were carried out under direct orders from al-Zaidi after Iraqi judicial authorities issued arrest warrants targeting what sources described as suspected corruption networks operating within the government.

The operation follows a series of recent arrests of senior officials, including a deputy oil minister who was taken into custody on corruption-related charges. According to three sources, those earlier arrests led to the issuance of new warrants that were then executed on Sunday.

The Green Zone, where Sunday’s raids took place, serves as home to parliament, foreign embassies, and the prime minister’s office, and is where many senior Iraqi officials, lawmakers, and political figures maintain residences or workplaces.

A senior source cited by the state news agency INA said that some of Sunday’s arrests stemmed from testimony given by Adnan al-Jumaili, the deputy oil minister for refining affairs, following his detention on corruption charges. According to INA, al-Jumaili’s statements pointed to a broader network of officials allegedly involved in corrupt activities.

Some individuals managed to escape before security forces arrived, prompting authorities to seal off entrances to the Green Zone and expand their search. The three sources indicated that the anti-corruption campaign is expected to press forward over the coming days.

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A protest movement sweeping through Albania has captured worldwide attention, partly due to its connection with Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and partly because of its unlikely symbol: the flamingo.

At the heart of the controversy is a two-part luxury development plan — one piece involving a resort on the uninhabited island of Sazan, and another calling for construction along the Narta Lagoon, a protected wildlife area where flamingos and other wetland birds are known to gather.

For weeks, demonstrators numbering in the thousands have filled the streets of Tirana each evening, waving flamingo cutouts in the air. Their movement has earned a fitting name: “The Flamingo Revolution.” Below are three of the people who make up that movement.

Fatma Paja, 28, is a Tirana resident who co-runs a creative studio alongside her two sisters. She belongs to a collective of artists responsible for crafting the flamingo cutouts that have become synonymous with the nightly demonstrations.

“I have long used art as a means to express the injustices and dissatisfaction associated with everyday civilian life in Albania,” Paja told the Associated Press on a Friday afternoon, as she painted a foam flamingo pink ahead of that night’s march.

Her group also sets up art activities for children at the protests, giving parents a way to participate while keeping their kids engaged. During the marches, Paja takes up a loudspeaker and leads the crowd in chants: “Albania is not for sale!” and “Don’t touch Narta!”

Environmentalists warn that the proposed development would permanently destroy a pristine and irreplaceable natural habitat. Protesters have voiced frustration over what they see as a lack of transparency and a history of similar projects failing to meet environmental standards.

“I am against a pro-elitist project that is blocking a fully protected area and destroying it,” Paja said. “It is a project that has no legal basis and has not been supported by any study on the damage it would cause to the environment and nature.”

Despite the tension, Paja said she feels hopeful, believing the protests have already made a difference. “This protest has motivated people to speak up and react,” she said, noting that the movement’s independence from political parties has helped build widespread trust and solidarity.

Though the protesters are not formally aligned with any party, they are nearly unanimous in calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Arben Kola, one of the earliest participants in the Flamingo Revolution, has spent more than ten years working as a tour guide, leading visitors through Albania’s historical and natural landmarks — including the area now targeted for development.

Tourism in Albania has surged in recent years, with travelers drawn to the country’s vast, largely untouched coastline. Among those who took notice were Kushner and Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, who described on a podcast last month how they stumbled upon the development site while swimming from a friend’s boat.

For Kola, the project was one too many examples of government overreach. He joined the protest movement in its earliest days.

“Albania is facing a high level of corruption, with the privatization and giveaway of land, beaches, valleys and rivers,” said the 46-year-old during an interview while guiding a group through Tirana.

Albania’s anti-corruption agency has launched an investigation tied to the project. The government maintains the land is privately owned, though competing claims about how it was privatized have surfaced.

In a recent interview with the AP, Prime Minister Rama brushed off environmental objections as stemming from misinformation. He argued the development was transforming Albania into a destination “where the big capital wants to come and the big investors want to come.”

Kushner’s exact financial role in the project remains unclear, though Rama has confirmed he is involved. The prime minister also said a formal environmental impact study has not yet begun because the development plan is still being finalized by international architects and environmental specialists.

Kola, however, sees things differently. He says it looks like the project is already well underway, pointing to excavators and heavy machinery already clearing land inside the nature reserve. Today, he helps manage the crowds at demonstrations, speaking into a loudspeaker. He says he’s still amazed by how large the movement has grown.

“We didn’t believe the protest would reach this size,” Kola said. When people ask him whether the movement will keep going, his answer is simple: “It depends on the people.”

What sets this round of protests apart from most of Albania’s demonstrations over its three decades of democracy is the mix of ages in the crowd. Younger demonstrators have been joined by a growing number of retirees — including Bujare Ishmi, 70.

The retired engineer shows up to the protests nearly every night, wearing a sign that reads: “You have the power of crime, we have the power of truth.” When she arrives, fellow protesters greet her with chants of “Nona! Nona!” — an Albanian term of endearment for an older female family member — recognizing her as a kind of matriarch of the movement.

Ishmi said she has long hoped to witness a protest like this one, describing Albania’s political structure as a “half-hearted democracy.” Her husband is a former political prisoner from the era of Enver Hoxha’s four-decade rule, and she says neither of them opposes foreign investment in principle. Their primary concern is the absence of transparency.

Investment can bring progress, she said, “but the location must be known and the proper parameters must be maintained.”

TYRE/BEIRUT, Lebanon — An ancient column at a UNESCO-listed site in Lebanon’s port city of Tyre had its crown blown off. A pilgrimage site sacred to both Muslims and Christians was leveled in another southern town. A historic market from the Mamluk era in the city of Nabatieh was struck by Israeli bombs, and centuries-old villages along Lebanon’s border were bulldozed by Israeli forces.

Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame told Reuters that Israel’s roughly four-month air and ground campaign — which Israel said was aimed at the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah — has left a trail of destruction through some of southern Lebanon’s most treasured heritage sites.

Even though a ceasefire went into effect a week ago, authorities still cannot get a complete picture of the damage. Israeli forces remain in control of a zone stretching about 10 kilometers, or roughly 6.2 miles, into Lebanese territory, and Lebanese officials are barred from entering. “We cannot work under the shadow of occupation,” Salame said.

Within that restricted zone lies the medieval Beaufort Castle and numerous ancient villages that were home to Christian, Shi’ite Muslim, and Sunni Muslim communities, along with their houses of worship. “There are villages that have been completely bulldozed,” Salame said.

Historic towns located outside the occupied zone also suffered heavy bombardment. Tyre and Nabatieh both sustained significant damage from airstrikes. The town of Tebnin was heavily bombed, raising fears that its Crusader-era fortress may have been damaged as well, according to Salame.

“Heritage is not only Roman and Phoenician antiquities,” Salame said. “Heritage is also historic buildings, archaeological sites, and buildings with a cultural function.”

When asked by Reuters for comment, the Israeli military said it does not seek to “cause excessive damage to civilian infrastructure and strikes only out of military necessity, with consideration for the safety of its citizens” — referring to residents of northern Israel, which Hezbollah has attacked. The military added that it takes into account the presence of “sensitive sites” and follows “a rigorous approval process as required.” Israel has also accused Hezbollah of storing weapons inside Beaufort Castle, a claim Lebanese authorities reject.

Modern-day Lebanon sits at the crossroads of multiple ancient civilizations — including the Phoenicians, Byzantines, Mamluks, and Crusaders — each of which left behind temples, castles, and mausoleums. Tyre, nearly 5,000 years old, is home to Roman ruins that reflect this rich layered history. The city, originally built as an island fortress, was permanently joined to the mainland by Alexander the Great during his conquest.

Tyre has endured many conflicts throughout the centuries, but the recent war has left much of the city in ruins. Dust-covered cars with shattered windows sit near ancient columns that were once erected in honor of long-forgotten gods. Protective barriers put in place to shield the ruins from strikes or shrapnel were found blown into the middle of the very sites they were meant to guard.

“Look at the damage that happened to it, it’s as if it all exploded from underneath, as if an earthquake hit it,” said Adnan Istanbouli, an official from Lebanon’s antiquities department, while standing near a Roman mosaic.

Alwan Charafeddine, deputy mayor of Tyre, said the city “is supposed to be one of the cities that is internationally protected, or that should never be targeted in any way, in any conflict.”

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) issued a statement last month expressing concern over the condition of Tyre, which holds World Heritage Site status and has been granted the organization’s enhanced protection designation. UNESCO also said it was “deeply alarmed” by reports of damage to a citadel in the southern town of Chama and by fighting near Beaufort Castle, condemning what it called “unlawful attacks against cultural property.” The agency had previously raised similar concerns about historical sites in Iran in March.

After Israeli bombing reached the ruins of Tyre, Salame formally requested that UNESCO reclassify the site as a World Heritage Site in Danger — a designation that would place greater responsibilities on UNESCO and the broader international community to act. As of now, that reclassification has not been granted.

Earlier in the conflict, Israel’s Defense Minister stated that Israel would demolish all homes along Lebanon’s border with Israel. Salame expressed fear that Israel’s campaign could permanently wipe out centuries of Lebanese history. “There is something systematic: a systematic destruction of villages, hamlets, and entire towns,” he said.

French shipping company CMA CGM announced Sunday morning that its Galapagos container ship has successfully navigated through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical international waterway that has been at the center of escalating tensions in the region.

The development comes at a turbulent time. The United States and Iran had reached a temporary agreement to end their four-month conflict, with the strait expected to reopen as a result. However, both nations have since resumed military exchanges and are accusing each other of breaking the terms of that agreement.

In a statement, CMA CGM described the vessel’s passage as a significant development, saying, “This crossing marks an important milestone in a regional context that remains complex and requires constant vigilance.”

The company declined to provide any additional details about the specific conditions surrounding the ship’s exit from the strait.

CMA CGM also noted that 10 of its other vessels remain in the Gulf, where they have been stranded since the outbreak of the conflict.

A Thai family is heartbroken after the body of their 17-year-old daughter was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase in the resort city of Pattaya, with an Australian man now behind bars and charged with her murder.

Thai police arrested the suspect, identified as Simon Peter Carman, an Australian man in his 40s, in the early morning hours of Saturday at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport. Authorities said he was on the verge of boarding a flight back to Australia when officers took him into custody.

Carman now faces a series of serious charges, including murder, concealment of a body, moving or destroying a body, and taking a minor for sexual purposes.

According to police, investigators reviewed surveillance camera footage that captured Carman entering a condominium together with the young girl. Hours later, the footage showed him leaving the building alone, carrying a suitcase. Police posted on their official Facebook page that he then loaded the suitcase onto a motorcycle and rode to a grassy area near a set of railway tracks.

Authorities subsequently obtained an arrest warrant and intercepted Carman at the airport before he could leave the country. While in an investigation room at the police station, Carman addressed the victim’s family before being transferred to the Pattaya Provincial Court.

“I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control,” he said.

The girl’s father, Thongchai Donhomla, 46, spoke about the devastating impact of losing his child.

“I am deeply saddened. My daughter had no mother, so whenever she wanted anything, she would find a way herself, and she always helped me too,” he said.

The victim’s stepmother, Oradee Bussarakum, made clear she wants the harshest possible punishment for the accused.

“I told the police I want him executed. As a (step)mother, I don’t know what else to say … I just want him to face the full consequences,” she said.

Police have not yet announced when Carman will make his first appearance before the court.

KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced Sunday that Ukraine carried out overnight strikes against two Russian oil refineries, one located in the Krasnodar region and another in the Yaroslavl region, as part of Kyiv’s expanding drone campaign targeting Russia’s fuel infrastructure.

Ukraine’s growing use of drone strikes has been creating serious fuel supply problems in parts of Russia — one of the largest oil-producing nations in the world — with drivers facing long lines and fuel rationing at gas stations.

“We continue our operations that weaken Russia’s ability to wage this war,” Zelenskiy wrote on social media. He noted that the two refineries were located approximately 300 kilometers and 700 kilometers from Ukrainian territory — roughly 190 miles and 430 miles respectively.

The governor of the Krasnodar region, Veniamin Kondratiev, confirmed via Telegram on Sunday that a fire had broken out at the refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani. He reported that one person was killed and another was injured in a nearby village. Unverified video circulating on social media appeared to show a large blaze at the facility.

The Slavyansk refinery is a privately owned operation capable of processing around 100,000 barrels of oil per day, supplying fuel for both domestic consumption and export.

Further north, in the Yaroslavl region east of Moscow, the regional governor confirmed that area also came under drone attack. As a precaution, temporary movement restrictions were put in place on certain road routes leading to the Russian capital.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard fired drones and missiles at Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday, striking back after U.S. airstrikes hit Iranian targets, while also warning that peace negotiations could be brought to a “complete halt” if Washington presses forward with its military campaign.

The escalating conflict has been further inflamed by a dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz. A multinational maritime organization operating under U.S. Navy oversight announced Saturday that it would widen a shipping lane near Oman to accommodate both arriving and departing vessels — a move that put it on a direct collision course with Tehran.

Iran has insisted that once the war is over, it must have sole authority over the strait — the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf that once carried roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply. While the international community has long viewed the strait as an open international passage, it runs through the territorial waters of both Iran and Oman. In recent days, Iran has attacked ships twice that were using a route along the Omani side of the strait, a route backed by a United Nations agency.

Kuwait’s military reported that its air defense systems successfully intercepted Iranian drones and missiles Sunday morning, shortly after the U.S. conducted its strikes. Kuwait, which is home to a major U.S. Army installation, confirmed it detected and shot down two ballistic missiles, with no reported casualties or damage on the ground.

In Bahrain, the Interior Ministry confirmed that Iranian strikes damaged a residential building located near the country’s international airport, though no fatalities were reported. The ministry shared photographs showing an eight-story structure with its top floor completely obliterated — reduced to rubble with windows blown out throughout the building.

Bahrain serves as the home port for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, whose base there had come under repeated fire during the ongoing war. Sunday’s damaged building was not located near the fleet’s headquarters in downtown Manama.

Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry released a sharp condemnation, calling the attacks “a dangerous escalation that reveals that what Tehran is doing is not a passing act, nor an isolated incident, but rather a deliberate approach and a systematic pattern of repeated aggression against the sovereignty of the kingdom, and the security of its citizens and residents.”

The strikes unfolded after a weekend of back-and-forth military action between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. military’s Central Command stated it had hit Iranian “surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities” on Sunday, following an attack on a vessel at sea early Saturday morning. That ship — the Panamanian-flagged tanker Kiku — was carrying crude oil for the state-run energy company of Qatar, which has been serving as a key mediator between Iran and the United States.

Trump posted on social media that the U.S. had “struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!” He cautioned that there may come a point where the U.S. can no longer exercise restraint “and will be forced to militarily complete the job.”

“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

This latest exchange mirrors a similar cycle of attacks that played out just days earlier, when an Iranian drone struck a merchant ship off the Omani coast on Thursday, prompting U.S. military retaliation.

The Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for both Sunday’s attacks, saying it targeted Al Asad Air Base in Kuwait. The Guard also issued a stark warning: “Let the enemy know that violating the ceasefire … will lead to a complete halt of ongoing processes.”

The Guard, which maintains control over Iran’s ballistic missile stockpile and reports solely to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is believed to hold growing sway within the Islamic Republic.

The U.S. military stated that “Iran had a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement” but “elected not to” when its forces attacked the Kiku.

Ship-tracking data shows the Kiku had departed a Qatari oil field in the middle of the Persian Gulf earlier in the week and was headed toward a port in the United Arab Emirates situated on the Gulf of Oman, just beyond the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel appeared to be navigating an alternate route along the Omani coastline — an option that bypasses the Iran-sanctioned corridor running through Iranian waters.

KARACHI, Pakistan — Pakistan’s military announced Sunday that three members of its paramilitary Rangers force lost their lives and four additional personnel were injured after militants launched an assault the previous night on a regional headquarters in the southern port city of Karachi.

According to police and witnesses, a militant drove a vehicle loaded with explosives into the provincial headquarters of the Pakistan Rangers on Saturday night, setting off a fierce exchange of gunfire between the attackers and security forces.

In an official statement, the military reported that security forces killed three of the attackers and took a fourth into custody. The captured suspect, who was wounded during the confrontation, was identified as an Afghan national.

The military said operations remained active in the surrounding area and issued a warning that Pakistan would strike back against those behind the assault. In recent years, Pakistan has conducted airstrikes inside Afghanistan, stating they were aimed at militants responsible for attacks on Pakistani soil. Afghanistan’s government has repeatedly denied that militant groups are permitted to use Afghan territory to carry out cross-border attacks.

The militant organization Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, which broke away from the Pakistani Taliban, took responsibility for the attack shortly after it took place.

Pakistan’s military characterized the group as a proxy of India, though it offered no evidence to back up that claim. India did not immediately respond, and New Delhi has rejected similar accusations in the past.

President Asif Ali Zardari honored the three Rangers personnel who were “martyred” in the attack, offered his condolences to their families, and wished a full recovery to those who were wounded, according to a statement from his office. He also recognized the sacrifices made by Pakistan’s security forces in combating militancy and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to wiping out terrorism.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif likewise condemned the assault and commended security forces for successfully repelling the attackers.

The attack is part of a broader pattern, as Pakistan has seen a significant rise in militant strikes targeting law enforcement and military personnel in recent years.

The military confirmed that operations were still underway to track down and eliminate any remaining associates of those who carried out the attack.

Ukrainian drones launched overnight strikes against targets in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, hitting an oil refinery and causing at least one death, according to local authorities.

Krasnodar region governor Veniamin Kondratiev announced via Telegram on Sunday that a fire erupted at a refinery located in the city of Slavyansk-na-Kubani. He reported that one person was killed and a second was injured in a nearby village as a result of the attack.

Video circulating on social media, though not independently verified, appeared to show a massive blaze burning at the refinery facility.

The Slavyansk refinery is a privately owned operation capable of processing roughly 100,000 barrels of oil per day. The plant produces fuel both for use within Russia and for export markets.

The attack is part of a broader Ukrainian strategy of striking Russian energy infrastructure, a campaign that has contributed to serious fuel supply problems in various parts of Russia.

Drone attacks were also reported in the Yaroslavl region, located east of Moscow. That region’s governor confirmed the strikes and said temporary movement restrictions were put in place on certain roads leading to the Russian capital.

JAKARTA — Indonesia’s national human rights commission is demanding the government put a stop to basic military training for future managers of President Prabowo Subianto’s signature village cooperative initiative, following the deaths of five participants in just the first 10 days of a 45-day program.

The cooperative initiative, known as the “Red and White Cooperatives” program, was launched in July of last year. It aims to establish roughly 80,000 village cooperatives throughout Indonesia with the goals of creating employment and helping the country reach an 8% economic growth target by 2029. The cooperatives are designed to sell everyday goods, subsidized cooking gas, and fertilizer.

Nearly 35,000 prospective cooperative managers are required to complete the military training, which began on June 14 and is scheduled to run through July 31 at various regional military training facilities.

A rights commission official, Pramono Ubaid Tantowi, stated that the agency “recommends the government stop … the basic military training for the prospective managers of the cooperatives and fishing villages programmes, considering that cooperatives are economic institutions oriented in business management, services to members, and organisational governance.”

On Saturday, the defense ministry — which is overseeing the training — confirmed that five individuals died between June 17 and June 26. Officials attributed the deaths to a range of medical causes, including cardiac arrest, heat stroke, tuberculosis, and pneumonia.

Major General Ketut Gede Wetan, who heads human resource development at the defense ministry, stated: “The five participants have different medical conditions and received medical treatment according to the standard procedures.”

Ketut also noted that all participants had undergone medical screenings prior to beginning the training and were cleared to participate. He further emphasized that the training was not combat-focused and did not involve intense physical activity.

The defense ministry announced plans to carry out a “comprehensive evaluation” of the program, which would include closer health monitoring, earlier identification of participants at risk, and adjustments to the intensity of training activities. The health ministry will also be brought in to assist, officials added.

Pramono argued that training for cooperative managers should center on building managerial skills, leadership abilities, and financial knowledge. “Basic military training does not directly support the achievement of those competencies,” he said.

The human rights commission is also urging the government to investigate the five deaths and is calling on police to seek forensic autopsies to help determine the cause of each death as part of any potential criminal inquiry.

President Prabowo, a former military general who assumed office in 2024, has broadened the role of the military in civilian matters, including in the administration of his key government programs.

SEOUL — South Korea and Japan came together Sunday to restate their dedication to ridding the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons, while also agreeing to bring back joint search-and-rescue military drills as part of growing security cooperation between the two neighboring nations.

South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back sat down with his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi in Seoul for their sixth round of bilateral talks. The two ministers agreed to pursue regional stability both on their own and through their shared alliance with Washington.

“Both ministers shared the view to continue cooperation for maintaining regional peace and stability amid a grave security environment,” South Korea’s defence ministry said in an official statement following the meeting.

With encouragement from the United States, South Korea and Japan have been working since 2022 to build stronger ties and move past long-standing historical grievances. That effort has continued under President Lee Jae Myung and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

The relationship has not always been smooth. In 2019, Seoul moved to dissolve the GSOMIA intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan after Tokyo placed restrictions on semiconductor material exports and removed South Korea from its preferential trade list — disputes rooted in Japan’s colonial rule over the Korean peninsula.

In 2025, Japan’s then-Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President Lee committed to deeper security and economic cooperation. Their defence ministers pledged to coordinate with Washington to counter North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and Pyongyang’s expanding military relationship with Russia, including collaboration on artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, and annual trilateral military exercises.

In January 2026, Takaichi and Lee agreed to strengthen shuttle diplomacy between the two countries, and in May they broadened their cooperation to include energy matters.

Sunday’s meeting also produced an agreement to continue exchanges between the two nations’ elite aerobatic flight teams — South Korea’s Black Eagles and Japan’s Blue Impulse — as well as to advance joint search-and-rescue exercises covering a range of maritime emergency scenarios.

The two defence ministers had previously met in Japan in January and again in May at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where discussions touched on a potential military logistics support agreement involving fuel, food, and ammunition. They had also agreed at that time to conduct a joint humanitarian search-and-rescue exercise in June — the first such drill in nearly ten years.

Despite the progress, tensions between the two countries have not fully faded. Disputes remain over Korean women who were forced to serve in Japanese military brothels during World War Two. In February, Seoul formally protested a Japanese government event honoring a group of contested islands — called Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea — which are currently under South Korean control.

The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it had killed Hezbollah fighters who were armed with rocket-propelled grenades in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon.

According to the Israeli military, the operation was carried out to eliminate threats to its troops in the region. Forces targeted the building from which the Hezbollah militants were operating and also dismantled a rocket launcher that had been identified as a danger to Israeli soldiers.

Voters in New Caledonia headed to the polls Sunday for long-overdue provincial elections, with tight security measures in place across the French-ruled Pacific island territory, according to New Zealand public broadcaster RNZ.

Approximately 2,500 police officers were stationed at polling locations to provide security and oversight as voting began at 8 a.m. local time (2100 GMT Saturday).

The elections had been postponed since 2024, following a period of serious violence between indigenous Kanak people and those loyal to France. The results are considered crucial to setting the stage for future negotiations between New Caledonia and France regarding the territory’s political status.

The question of independence has been put to voters three times, with the most recent referendum in 2021. All three votes produced majorities in favor of staying under French rule.

Before polling stations even opened in the capital city of Noumea, residents were already forming long lines outside a voting location at Hotel de Ville, RNZ reported.

Located in the southwest Pacific roughly 1,500 kilometers — about 930 miles — east of Australia, New Caledonia is home to approximately 270,000 residents. Around 41% of the population is Melanesian Kanak, while about 24% is of European descent, predominantly French.

British explorer Captain James Cook first named the islands in 1774. France took control in 1853 and officially designated the territory an overseas territory in 1946. For decades, the islands have been at the center of an ongoing dispute over France’s influence in local affairs.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentine President Javier Milei lost one of his most trusted allies Saturday when Cabinet chief Manuel Adorni submitted his resignation amid a widening corruption scandal that has shaken the libertarian government to its core.

Adorni first rose to national prominence as Milei’s spokesperson in 2023, becoming the public face of the president’s aggressive austerity measures and his crusade against political corruption. Milei later elevated him to Cabinet chief, a powerful role that put him at the center of negotiations with regional governors and members of Congress.

In recent months, however, Adorni found himself at the heart of controversy as reports surfaced about lavish spending and real estate acquisitions that appeared far beyond what his government salary could support. Federal prosecutors launched an investigation into him for alleged illicit enrichment — the very kind of behavior that both Milei and Adorni had publicly condemned in Argentina’s left-leaning opposition. Adorni has denied any wrongdoing.

In a resignation letter posted publicly to social media, Adorni addressed the president directly. “For the first time since December 10, 2023, I am going against your wishes,” he wrote, citing the date Milei assumed office. “Thank you for always trusting me and thank you for supporting me through this unjust, painful and exhausting process for me and my family.”

Despite the political damage caused by the scandal, Milei had stood firmly behind his Cabinet chief. During a visit to Spain last week, the president told local media, “Manuel is innocent. I stand by my ministers to the bitter end.”

Milei’s spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment following Adorni’s announcement. The president’s sister and top adviser, Karina Milei, offered public praise for Adorni, thanking him for his “tireless work” and calling him an “upright, valuable and much-loved” member of their libertarian movement.

The scrutiny of Adorni’s personal finances began in March, when his wife — who holds no government position — traveled with him aboard the presidential aircraft to a conference in New York. Shortly after, video emerged showing him and his family taking a private jet to the upscale Punta del Este beach resort in Uruguay. Reports also indicated he had purchased two properties since Milei took office: an apartment in Buenos Aires and a weekend home outside the city. Photographs later circulated of him on additional luxury vacations, including an all-cash trip to Aruba.

Public financial disclosures showed Adorni’s monthly government salary was approximately $2,600 until late last year — a figure that left lawmakers and journalists pressing him to explain the gap between his earnings and his apparent lifestyle. He repeatedly struggled to provide a satisfactory answer.

As pressure intensified earlier this month, Adorni admitted to purchasing U.S. dollars through Argentina’s black market and concealing $500,000 in savings from tax authorities. While technically illegal, such practices are widespread in Argentina’s economically unstable environment and rarely prosecuted. Adorni maintained the money was earned through legitimate means, including cryptocurrency investments.

No announcement has been made regarding who will take over as Cabinet chief.

The week of June 19 through 25, 2026, brought dramatic and turbulent events across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Venezuela was struck by two powerful earthquakes in rapid succession, unleashing widespread destruction across the country. The back-to-back seismic events left a rising number of fatalities and thousands of people with injuries.

In Colombia, election officials declared conservative outsider Abelardo de la Espriella the winner of the presidential runoff vote. The millionaire, widely regarded as a political newcomer with no prior experience in government, will now lead the country as its next president.

Bolivia, meanwhile, experienced a brief respite from weeks of turmoil. The Andean New Year celebration brought traditional offerings to Pachamama and marked a turning point toward normalcy following the conclusion of a state of emergency. That emergency had been declared after more than 50 days of road blockades that effectively cut off La Paz and other parts of the country from the rest of the nation.

This photo collection was assembled by photojournalist Fernando Llano, who is based in Mexico City.

The U.S. military has launched another round of strikes against Iran, just hours after a tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz — the most serious flare-up since the two nations agreed to a temporary peace deal two weeks ago.

Both countries are pointing fingers at each other, each claiming the other side broke the agreement that was meant to bring an end to a four-month-long conflict.

U.S. Central Command announced Saturday that its forces conducted new strikes following a drone attack by Iran on a Panama-flagged tanker earlier that morning. Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported early Sunday local time that explosions were heard in the southern Iranian city of Sirik, though no additional details were provided.

“Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to,” U.S. Central Command said in an official statement. The command described the strikes as “in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping,” saying they targeted Iranian military surveillance, communications, air defense, drone storage, and mine-laying facilities.

A U.S. defense official later confirmed to Fox News that the strikes on Iranian targets had been completed.

Washington had previously reported hitting Iranian targets overnight, while Iran said it responded Saturday by striking locations connected to U.S. forces.

The tanker attack Saturday came on the heels of a cargo ship strike on Thursday, which set off the latest round of hostilities. Iran has been making renewed efforts to assert authority over the Strait of Hormuz — the world’s most critical route for energy shipments — which had only recently begun reopening after months of disruption.

Britain’s UKMTO maritime security agency reported that the tanker struck Saturday suffered damage to its bridge, though all crew members were confirmed safe. The Joint Maritime Information Center, operated by a coalition of navies working to protect shipping lanes, elevated its security threat level in response to the recent incidents.

Iran has not directly addressed reports of specific ship attacks. However, Iranian state television reported that the Revolutionary Guards fired “warning shots” at unidentified vessels trying to pass through shipping channels not authorized by Iran, and that ships were now seeking Iranian permits before attempting to cross the strait.

Iran’s foreign ministry earlier described its attacks on U.S.-linked military targets as “defensive” in nature. Bahrain, which serves as the home base for the U.S. Navy’s regional headquarters, reported an Iranian drone attack on its territory. The U.S. military did not immediately respond to those reports.

Iran has accused the United States of failing to uphold the interim agreement, specifically by not maintaining a promised ceasefire in Lebanon, which U.S. ally Israel invaded in March in pursuit of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to multiple U.S.-brokered ceasefires, with the most recent announced on Friday. However, these agreements have had limited effectiveness. Israel has insisted it will not pull back from territory it has taken, while Hezbollah has repeatedly refused to disarm as long as Israeli troops remain present.

Lebanese state television reported an Israeli drone strike Saturday in the Nabatiyeh area in southern Lebanon, a region that has been repeatedly hit throughout the conflict. The Israeli military said it had targeted an individual who posed a threat to its forces.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected the day-old Israel-Lebanon ceasefire as a surrender, calling it “null and void.”

With hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens — primarily Shi’ite Muslims — still unable to return to homes in Israeli-occupied areas, resentment over the agreement has spread well beyond Hezbollah into the broader Shi’ite community.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz praised the agreement, saying it allows Israel to maintain its hold over what he called a security zone in Lebanon and prevents displaced residents from returning.

Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said Washington had violated the war-ending memorandum of understanding by backing what he described as proxy forces in the region and by creating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has also struck neighboring Gulf states that host major U.S. military installations. Iranian state television reported that the Revolutionary Guards delivered “a decisive response” after U.S. forces struck a communications tower in the port city of Sirik. Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that the port was operating normally, with no damage to its facilities or equipment.

Bahrain stated that Iran’s latest attacks were a violation of the memorandum of understanding.

Hundreds of ships, including oil-laden tankers, had been blocked inside the Gulf since the conflict began. As they started moving through the strait over the past two weeks, oil prices have dropped sharply — falling close to pre-war levels due to the surge in supply.

The U.S. has been encouraging ships to use a southern shipping lane along Oman’s coast, while Iran — which ultimately wants to collect fees for use of the strait — is pushing vessels to take a northern route through Iranian waters under its control.

Ebrahim Azizi, who chairs the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said Saturday that any ship ignoring Iran’s navigation instructions would face a decisive response.

Vice President JD Vance, who serves as President Donald Trump’s lead negotiator on the conflict, said the United States has held up its end of the ceasefire deal and placed the blame squarely on Iran for any renewed hostilities.

“Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence,” Vance posted on X.

WASHINGTON — American military forces conducted a fresh round of strikes against Iran on Saturday, according to the U.S. Central Command, hitting a number of targets that included military surveillance infrastructure.

“CENTCOM forces launched strikes today in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping,” the command announced in an official statement.

Officials explained that the previous day’s strikes had come after Iran attacked the commercial vessel M/V Ever Lovely. Following that initial U.S. response, Iran was offered an opportunity to abide by an existing ceasefire agreement — but instead chose to send a one-way attack drone that struck the commercial tanker M/T Kiku on Saturday morning.

“After yesterday’s U.S. strikes in response to the Iranian attack on M/V Ever Lovely, Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to when its forces launched a one-way attack drone that hit M/T Kiku this morning,” CENTCOM stated.

Argentine President Javier Milei lost his top cabinet official on Saturday when Manuel Adorni stepped down amid an ongoing investigation into allegations that his personal spending far exceeded what his income could explain.

Adorni had been serving as cabinet chief since November of last year. He was originally brought into the administration as a spokesperson shortly after Milei took office in late 2023, and the two have been considered close allies.

In a resignation letter posted to the social media platform X, Adorni addressed Milei directly, writing: “For the first time since December 10, 2023, I am going against your wishes. I am closing this chapter. I leave peacefully and serenely, but above all, with a clear conscience.”

Adorni has faced accusations of illicit enrichment, with critics pointing to lavish personal travel that appears inconsistent with his official salary. Among the trips drawing scrutiny were a first-class holiday to Aruba over the Christmas season and a private jet trip to Uruguay during Carnival.

Adorni has maintained that he built his fortune before entering public service and that all family travel was covered with his own private money. “I haven’t committed any crime and I’m going to show that in court,” he told Congress during an address on the state of the nation in late April.

However, this month Adorni acknowledged in an interview with the Argentine newspaper La Nacion that he had kept undeclared savings for years — a practice he described as something done “like all Argentines.” He said he had updated his financial disclosures for 2023 and 2024 to account for approximately half a million dollars that had not previously been reported.

“The mea culpa I do is for having dragged an involuntary mistake and I am going to pay everything that corresponds,” Adorni said.

President Milei had firmly stood behind his cabinet chief as recently as May, telling La Nacion that “no way will Adorni leave” and that “I’m not going to execute an innocent person.”

The resignation adds to a growing list of political headaches for Milei, who is also contending with broader corruption allegations within his government and an economy where purchasing power has not kept pace with inflation. A poll conducted by Opina Argentina in May found that 39% of voters now hold a favorable view of Milei — a notable drop from an approval rating of 53% recorded more than a year ago.

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced Saturday that he intends to leave office within the coming weeks, opening the door to early elections after prolonged youth-driven demonstrations rattled his long-standing control over the country.

Vucic stopped short of naming a specific date for his departure or clarifying whether the upcoming vote would be for a new parliament, a new president, or both. He has previously hinted at the possibility of stepping down from the presidency, with speculation that he may attempt to shift into the role of prime minister — a position that carries more formal authority in Serbia.

Under Serbia’s election rules, Vucic is barred from seeking a third presidential term, as he is currently finishing his second. Both presidential and parliamentary elections are already scheduled for next year.

Speaking to thousands of his supporters gathered in the heart of Belgrade, Vucic declared, “I will be president for several weeks more and then I will submit my resignation.” He added that he plans to support his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party in the elections ahead, telling the crowd, “We will win more convincingly than ever before.” He acknowledged that the rally was likely the final time he would speak to supporters in his capacity as president.

University students have been at the forefront of more than a year of demonstrations against what they describe as Vucic’s increasingly authoritarian style of governing. Protesters have been pushing for early parliamentary elections for over a year, though Vucic had repeatedly avoided committing to a timeline.

Vucic and his populist party have steadily consolidated power over Serbia during the past 14 years. A deadly accident at a train station in northern Serbia in November 2024 — in which a collapsing concrete canopy killed 16 people — ignited months of large-scale public protests calling for accountability. Demonstrators have pointed to what they say is corruption-driven negligence in major government infrastructure projects as the root cause of the Novi Sad railway station tragedy.

Vucic has responded aggressively to the protest movement, and Serbia has also drawn criticism from the European Union over what officials describe as a retreat from democratic standards, including restrictions placed on the media. Hundreds of demonstrators have been taken into custody, and Serbia’s police force has faced accusations of using excessive force and making arbitrary arrests.

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela — When Daniel Cordero was pulled from the wreckage of a collapsed building in Catia La Mar, his face covered in blood, rescue workers carefully lifted him onto a stretcher while onlookers recorded the moment on their phones.

Three days after a pair of devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela, Friday’s rescue of Cordero and others is giving a glimmer of hope to families still desperately searching for missing loved ones.

The earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude — struck on Wednesday, and the death toll has been rising ever since. Government officials confirmed Saturday that at least 1,430 people have lost their lives, a number authorities expect to keep climbing. Thousands more have been wounded, and tens of thousands remain unaccounted for.

Search efforts pressed on through Saturday, driven largely by ordinary citizens, while an increasing number of international rescue teams have arrived to assist. Emergency aid organizations typically consider the first 48 to 72 hours the most critical window for finding people alive, though survivors can endure longer if they have access to food and water.

As volunteers and family members labored beneath a blazing sun, some of their efforts drew cheers from onlookers. A 4-year-old child was rescued alive. An elderly man, his eye blackened from the ordeal, was greeted with applause when he was brought out safely.

But for many others, the outcome has been devastating.

In La Guaira — one of the hardest-hit areas — Daritza Polo received the crushing news Friday that her mother had not survived. “I have no words,” she said.

The grief in La Guaira has been overwhelming. Siblings Leyder Rojas and Leymar Rojas, ages 3 and 10, were recovered from the debris wrapped in a sheet. Their mother collapsed in anguish as two women tried to support her, and she fainted to the ground. Rescue operations continued even as she lay there.

The children’s uncle, Ramón Eduardo, struggled to hold back tears as he described the scene. “It’s horrible, we have seen way too much,” he said. “We got one alive, thank God” — referring to the siblings’ 4-year-old brother Adrián — “but not all of them, we could not get them.”

For some families, the absence of any news at all is what they are clinging to.

The apartment building in La Guaira where Noribel Mendoza lived with her two sons — Andrés David Molina Mendoza, 21, and Ángel Eduardo Molina Mendoza, 19 — came down Wednesday, and no one has heard from either young man since.

“We don’t know if they were there, they weren’t there, if they’re in the hospital or a clinic, still nothing,” said the boys’ aunt, Ángela Molina Castro, 30, speaking by phone from Puerto Píritu in Anzoátegui State.

Molina Castro said another aunt has been standing outside the collapsed building waiting for any update, but no official rescue teams have appeared. Neighbors and friends have been attempting to move the debris by hand, though much of it is too heavy to shift.

On Friday, a friend and his pregnant wife were confirmed among the dead. Molina Castro said she hopes she does not receive similar news about her nephews.

“Even if they are not family, friends or acquaintances, they are still human beings like us,” she said of all the victims. “It’s a tragedy that I’m living for the first time in my life.”

Flor María González has been waiting since Wednesday for any word about her daughter, Dilinyer Caroley Rada González, 33, and three grandchildren — Jonas, 10, Ashley, 8, and Angely, 6 — after the apartment building where they lived in La Guaira came down.

González had just returned to the western city of Maracaibo after a visit with her two daughters near Caracas when she learned of the earthquake. She has been watching from a distance as neighbors and rescue teams comb through the wreckage.

Her other daughter has kept a vigil outside Rada González’s building, holding onto the hope that her sister and the children will be found alive.

“We still have faith,” González said.

The British government has announced a two-pronged immigration approach: opening new legal pathways for eligible refugees while simultaneously making it easier to remove those who are in the country without authorization.

Under the new plan, community organizations, universities, and businesses would be able to sponsor refugees to relocate to the United Kingdom. Officials said the initiative draws inspiration from a comparable program in Canada that has successfully resettled approximately 400,000 people since 1979.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood outlined the approach on Friday, stating, “I will open new legal routes for genuine refugees, while closing loopholes that have been too often abused.”

Mahmood also announced that upcoming immigration legislation would target what she described as “abuse” of existing human rights laws and crack down on “vexatious claims.” The bill would also narrow the legal definition of family to include only immediate relatives.

Some critics have long argued that the European Convention on Human Rights is frequently used as a legal shield to block the deportation of individuals who have no lawful right to remain in the UK.

The policy announcement came as Mahmood faces uncertainty about her future in the role, following Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement Monday that he intends to resign. Starmer, who has been in office for two years, saw his standing with both his party and the public diminish due to a series of missteps and poor judgments. He is expected to leave office within weeks once the governing Labour Party selects a new leader.

Former Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is widely anticipated to succeed Starmer as Britain’s next prime minister, likely without a formal party contest.

Immigration has emerged as a deeply divisive political issue across Britain and many other Western nations, as large numbers of migrants flee conflict, poverty, climate-related hardships, and political persecution in search of better lives.

In the UK specifically, public debate has centered on migrants making dangerous crossings of the English Channel in overcrowded boats operated by smugglers, as well as growing frustration over the cost of housing tens of thousands of asylum seekers at taxpayer expense.

At least three members of Pakistan’s Sindh Rangers paramilitary force lost their lives Saturday following an attack on the force’s headquarters in Karachi, the Dawn newspaper reported.

The assault involved both an explosion and gunfire along a major road in the city, situated near multiple universities and Pakistan’s meteorological department, according to Pakistani media outlets.

Sindh Inspector General Javed Alam Odho confirmed to Dawn that three militants were also killed during the attack on the Sindh Rangers’ local headquarters.

A Reuters journalist who was at the scene reported that the shooting had stopped and the area had returned to calm. Authorities are describing this as the most significant attack in Karachi since an October 2024 explosion that targeted a Chinese convoy and claimed the lives of two Chinese nationals.

While large-scale attacks in Pakistan’s major urban areas have grown increasingly uncommon in recent years, a rise in militant activity along the country’s border with Afghanistan has sparked fears that violence could once again spread into the nation’s cities.

Civilian lives were lost on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine border Saturday as drone strikes and artillery fire struck multiple areas, according to local officials.

In Russia’s Bryansk border region, two people were killed when a Ukrainian drone hit their vehicle in a village close to the border. The region’s acting Governor Yegor Kovalchuk shared the news on Telegram.

Russia’s Defence Ministry, as cited by Russian news agencies, reported that 124 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russian territory during a 12-hour window between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. local time (0500-1700 GMT).

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin released a series of updates throughout the day reporting that Ukrainian drones headed toward the Russian capital had been intercepted. Russian news agencies tracking the situation tallied approximately 21 drones intercepted over the course of the day.

On the Ukrainian side, Oleksandr Ganzha, the governor of the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk Region, reported that a combination of more than 40 drone strikes and artillery attacks near the city of Nikopol resulted in one fatality and one injury.

Nikopol sits across the Dnipro River from the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and has been a repeated target of Russian attacks.

ABUJA, Nigeria — Armed gunmen stormed a farming community in northwestern Nigeria on Friday, leaving at least 15 people dead, according to an official statement released Saturday.

The deadly raid occurred in the Talata Mafara area of Zamfara state, a region that has endured persistent and deadly violence over the years. No group has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the attack.

Abdullaziz Yari, a national lawmaker representing the district, took to social media to condemn the assault, calling it a “terrorist attack” against the community.

The elected local government chairman overseeing the area, Yahaya Yari — no relation to the lawmaker — was captured on video at the victims’ funeral Friday evening. In an emotional appeal, he urged President Bola Tinubu and the junior defense minister, who comes from the same region, to take action and put an end to the ongoing killings.

This latest attack follows a similar incident earlier this month, when gunmen killed 17 farmers and injured at least 13 others while they were working in their fields in Goron Namaye, another part of Zamfara state.

According to the United Nations, an ongoing insurgency in northern Nigeria has claimed thousands of lives and forced millions of people from their homes. Armed criminal groups operating in the north-central and northwestern parts of the country are known to kidnap people for ransom, extort farming communities, and carry out illegal mining operations.

Despite pledges from the Tinubu administration to bring the crisis under control, the violence has continued unabated.

Last year, Nigeria signed a military cooperation agreement with the United States after a diplomatic dispute in which U.S. officials claimed a “Christian genocide” was underway in the country. Nigeria’s government denied the characterization, and analysts noted that the situation is far more complex — with victims often targeted regardless of their religious background. Nigeria is broadly divided between a Christian-majority south and a Muslim-majority north.