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WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday that a newly reached framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon establishes a defined path toward restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty, dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure, and fully disarming the militant group.

In an official statement, Rubio said the agreement also paves the way for Israel to withdraw to its own borders once the threat posed to its citizens has been eliminated. As part of the deal, a trilateral Military Coordination Group for Lebanon will be created, with the United States serving as a facilitator.

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — The Tanzanian government moved Friday to ban all political rallies as the country braces for planned demonstrations against last year’s contested election and the imprisonment of a prominent opposition figure.

Internal Affairs Minister Patrobas Katambi issued a directive to Police Inspector General Camillus Wambura, ordering him to halt the issuance of permits for political gatherings throughout the East African nation.

The move comes after Tanzania experienced its first postelection protests in 2025. The ruling party claimed an overwhelming victory in last year’s general election after the country’s largest opposition party chose to boycott the vote and the presidential candidate from the second-largest opposition party was blocked from participating.

Young Tanzanians have announced plans to take to the streets on July 7, protesting the reelection of President Samia Suluhu Hassan and demanding that a new constitution be drafted. Authorities have already arrested individuals connected to the protest organizers, who have been coordinating the demonstrations through social media platforms.

Demonstrators are also demanding freedom for opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who faces treason charges stemming from his calls for political reforms before last year’s elections. Protesters are additionally seeking accountability for the widespread violence that followed the election, during which more than 500 people lost their lives.

Tanzania Law Society President Boniface Mwabukusi pushed back strongly against the ban, saying the government had “no authority whatsoever to prohibit or permit meetings that are legally allowed.”

“We will convene to determine the legal measures we will take, both domestically and internationally, against anyone who attempts to enforce this unlawful and invalid directive in violation of the Constitution and the laws of the country,” Mwabukusi added.

The ban is particularly notable given that President Hassan herself lifted a six-year prohibition on opposition rallies back in 2023 — a restriction that had been put in place by her predecessor, John Magufuli.

Opposition parties have labeled the new ban politically driven and a breach of constitutional rights, arguing that political parties are guaranteed the legal right to hold public gatherings.

Rugemeleza Nshala, chief legal counsel for opposition party Chadema, said the ban was designed to “muzzle political freedom” and that the party was “contemplating other legal actions locally and internationally to challenge the decision.”

Rashid Ali, the shadow minister for Defense, Internal Affairs and Security for the main opposition party ACT Wazalendo, characterized the directive as yet another attempt to undermine the country’s constitution.

BRUSSELS — The European Commission fired back Friday against threats from U.S. President Donald Trump regarding digital taxes, asserting that the European Union and its member countries have every right to regulate economic activity within their borders.

A spokesperson for the Commission made clear that the EU’s tax policies are fair across the board. “Any taxes are non-discriminatory by design and apply equally to all large companies, regardless of their origin,” the spokesperson said.

The Commission added that while the bloc stands ready to respond quickly to any unjustified unilateral actions taken by the United States, it remains open to reaching a broader global agreement in keeping with commitments made under G7 accords.

CARACAS, Venezuela — The Quintero family found themselves gathered around an unlikely new home this week after two deadly earthquakes forced them out of their apartment building in Caracas.

Francisco Quintero gave up the seats of his small, worn-down car to his children. The trunk became the new living space for Paquito, the family’s green-and-red parakeet, along with a few pet turtles.

Quintero, who works as a musician, said he and the other adults in his family spend each night searching for somewhere to sleep near the vehicle “until we get an answer about what they might do with us.”

Two earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude — struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening just 39 seconds apart, toppling buildings in Caracas and surrounding areas and damaging hundreds of homes. The confirmed death toll, already in the hundreds, is expected to climb as search-and-rescue teams continue their desperate work.

Thousands of people left without a place to live have flooded into parks, public plazas, and even the sides of blocked highways in search of somewhere to sleep. The disaster is the latest hardship for a country of roughly 30 million people that has endured decades of economic hardship. More than half the population lives in extreme poverty, and nearly 8 million people were already in need of humanitarian assistance before the quakes hit.

In Guaira — the hardest-hit state, located just north of Caracas — families spread sheets across a dusty baseball field to stake out their spots, their belongings crammed into plastic bags. Others took shelter beneath palm trees. Among them was 35-year-old Alexandra Martínez, who was there with her two children.

“The apartment is completely wrecked,” she said, wiping tears from her face. “The walls, the kitchen, everything, are destroyed. It split right down the middle.”

The same heartbreaking scenes unfolded throughout Caracas.

“We have nowhere to live,” said Desiré Gil. “This is the only option we have for the moment.”

The 37-year-old mother of four, including one daughter who is six months pregnant, is now living with her family on a small grassy plaza. Nearby, people used backpacks as makeshift pillows and propped up colorful beach umbrellas for shade as helicopters circled overhead.

Gil’s home did not collapse, but parts of it are crumbling, and she refuses to return. “Our fear is that the building might collapse on top of us,” she said.

Like many displaced residents, she is waiting for Venezuela’s civil protection agency to assess cracked and deteriorating buildings and determine whether they are safe to inhabit.

But it remains unclear when those inspections will begin. The government is still focused on saving lives, with thousands of people believed missing across Venezuela’s northern region. The quakes killed at least 920 people and left more than 3,300 others injured.

Gil, who earns a living selling mangos and other goods, said her pregnant daughter experienced contractions and went to the hospital Thursday, only to be turned away. Part of the maternity ward had collapsed, and the facility was already overwhelmed with patients transferred from other institutions.

The Ministry of Education announced that some school buildings would be opened as shelters, though the exact number was not specified. In the meantime, Gil said her family plans to remain on the grassy plaza “until the government gives us an answer.”

Experts say the widespread building damage comes as no surprise.

José Rangel, a civil engineer and university professor, pointed out that more than 50% of Caracas was constructed before 1982 — the year the government adopted an updated construction code for earthquake-prone areas.

“Everything that we’ve built before that year is seismically vulnerable,” he told the state television station Venezolana de Televisión.

Rangel said he and fellow engineers had already been working on seismic retrofitting plans and prioritizing evaluations of schools, hospitals, bridges, and other critical infrastructure before the earthquakes occurred.

He urged the government to rebuild using stronger standards and to implement existing safety recommendations, cautioning that assessing the buildings could take weeks.

“It’s a process that lies ahead,” Rangel said. “Right now, the most important issue is rescuing people.”

He also called on engineers, architects, and other professionals to take part in upcoming inspection efforts. “The causes of the collapse must be determined,” he said. “It’s how we learn lessons after an earthquake.”

Magaly Noguera and her family are among those waiting for an inspection. They live in a high-rise that sustained damage. Noguera recalled how she, her son, his wife, and their 3-year-old child huddled together under a kitchen door frame before making their way downstairs to safety.

“That day, the descent seemed endless to me,” she said. “I don’t want to be in my house.”

Her family now sleeps outside near a government building, surrounded by others facing the same uncertain situation.

Across the street, a man carried a mattress over his left shoulder while his partner tucked several pillows under her right arm. A small child walked between them as the family made their way to an unknown destination.

Karim Khan, the British barrister who serves as chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, broke his public silence on Friday, telling Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya TV that the move to remove him from his position was improper and without legal basis.

“Unfortunately, the court’s bureau violated procedures, and what happened was astonishing, unjustified and unlawful,” Khan said through an interpreter. The remarks marked his first public statements since diplomats overseeing the ICC’s governing body voted to suspend him.

According to documents reviewed by Reuters, the executive bureau of the ICC’s oversight body concluded that Khan had engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior member of his staff.

Khan also repeated arguments previously made by his legal team, stating that an independent review conducted by outside judges found the evidence against him fell short of proving the allegations “beyond a reasonable doubt.” He noted that the bureau chose to disregard those findings.

The executive bureau’s decision will now be used to guide a formal vote on Khan’s future, set to take place on July 24 in New York before the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties, which is made up of 125 member nations.

On a frigid morning in Arctic Norway, British and Norwegian soldiers moved quietly through a snow-covered birch forest, taking part in a simulated NATO reconnaissance mission. They were among roughly 30,000 troops rehearsing a counter-attack against a fictional “enemy to the east” — widely understood to mean Russia — during large-scale military exercises held in March.

Over the past decade, Russia has surged ahead in Arctic military capability, modernizing the world’s largest icebreaking fleet as melting ice opens new shipping routes, and reopening dozens of Soviet-era military bases in a region that offers the shortest path for its nuclear missiles to reach the United States.

Those March exercises were part of a broader initiative called Arctic Sentry, designed to demonstrate to Washington that Europe and Canada are capable of protecting NATO’s northern flank. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte launched Arctic Sentry in February as part of his effort to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to abandon his push to acquire Greenland.

Rutte succeeded on that front, but meaningfully strengthening NATO’s Arctic position is a far more difficult task, according to interviews with dozens of current and former NATO officials and Arctic security experts.

Doing so requires sustained, large-scale investment across many areas — including icebreakers, submarines, drones, and satellites — placing heavy demands on allies’ budgets and militaries at a time when Trump has threatened to pull the United States out of NATO entirely, while Washington simultaneously pulls back troops, aircraft, ships, and weapons from Europe.

For most of NATO’s eight decades, the harsh and remote High North was treated as a low priority. But melting sea ice, Russia’s expanding footprint in a mineral-rich region larger than the entire United States, and growing Chinese interest in the area have forced a strategic rethink.

“No major power in the 21st century will be able to maintain its position on the global scene without, in one way or another, having a strong presence in the Arctic,” said Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, a former Icelandic president who now chairs the Arctic Circle forum, sometimes called the ‘Davos of the Arctic.’

Reuters was unable to determine whether the United States is contributing more or less to collective Arctic defense under the Arctic Sentry program, which is led by Joint Force Command Norfolk, Virginia — a command established in 2019 specifically to address Russia’s growing capabilities in the north. A NATO official responded to questions by stating that the U.S. remains a key contributor to Arctic defense and that this commitment was reaffirmed in a joint statement among Arctic allies in June.

The Pentagon and White House did not respond to questions about whether U.S. forces involved in Arctic defense could be affected by an ongoing American review of troop deployments in Europe. That review, along with continuing concerns about Trump’s ambitions regarding Greenland, is expected to loom over an upcoming NATO summit in Ankara in July.

The White House has previously stated that Trump has pushed allies “to recognize the need to meaningfully contribute to their own defense,” and has described the Arctic as critical to U.S. national security and economic interests.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence did not respond to a request for comment. The Kremlin has previously accused the United States of inflaming tensions in the Arctic.

THE KOLA PENINSULA THREAT

One of the most pressing challenges for European NATO members is keeping tabs on military activity on Russia’s Kola Peninsula, which borders both Finland and Norway. The peninsula is home to roughly two-thirds of Russia’s second-strike nuclear capabilities, including the Northern Fleet, which operates six of Russia’s 12 nuclear-armed submarines.

From the Kola Peninsula, Russia could launch hypersonic missiles toward the United States, making early warning systems essential. It could also deploy submarines toward the U.S. East Coast via the Bear Gap in the Barents Sea and the GIUK Gap — the strategic waterway between Greenland, Iceland, and Britain.

Norway and other NATO allies currently monitor Russian naval activity in both the GIUK Gap and the Barents Sea, where undersea cables have been damaged in incidents that some officials attribute to Russia. Norway also conducts surveillance of Kola Peninsula installations and shares that intelligence with the Americans.

But NATO needs to significantly improve its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, according to Mauro Gilli, a professor of military strategy at the Berlin-based Hertie School.

None of this comes cheaply in the Arctic, where standard military equipment frequently fails. Parts of northern Norway can experience temperatures as low as -45 degrees Celsius (-49 degrees Fahrenheit) in winter, not accounting for wind chill.

Because much of the Arctic is ocean — stretching across Greenland, Iceland, northern Norway, and the Barents Sea — any meaningful security presence must be primarily naval, which is inherently expensive, Grimsson noted. The United States currently operates only two icebreakers. Russia, which controls by far the largest share of Arctic territory, has 42, some of them nuclear-powered.

Satellite systems capable of operating at high latitudes are critical for real-time monitoring, Gilli said, as are long-range drones engineered to function in extreme cold, expanded underwater surveillance networks, and various types of ground-based radar systems. He estimated the total investment needed could reach hundreds of billions of dollars.

Climate change is also complicating submarine detection, as warming oceans alter salinity levels and currents in ways that affect how sound travels underwater — shrinking the range at which submarines can be tracked. Research from the NATO Defence College published in 2025 highlighted the North Atlantic as warming particularly rapidly.

“At the moment we can listen to and track submarines in the Barents Sea and follow them. If we are not doing that and we lose control of the submarines, then we have a problem,” Norwegian Defence Minister Tore Sandvik told reporters in January.

In June, the Icelandic government reported that a Russian intelligence vessel had been spotted monitoring NATO exercises in the North Atlantic and was tracked moving between Iceland and Greenland — a reminder that Moscow is actively watching the region’s strategic waterways.

IS NATO PREPARED?

There are indications that NATO is taking the challenge seriously. Nordic nations rank among the alliance’s top defense spenders and are on pace to reach NATO’s target of spending 5% of GDP on defense by 2035. The U.S. and Finland are jointly working to build up to six new icebreakers, with the first expected next year. Norway is purchasing frigates and submarines. The Nordic countries have also combined their air forces into a fleet comparable in size to Britain’s.

Canada, rattled by Trump’s suggestions that it could become a U.S. state and eager to reduce its long reliance on American defense support, announced a major C$35 billion ($25.7 billion) Arctic defense plan in March. The plan covers military infrastructure including airfields in the region. Canada is also working more closely with Nordic countries and, alongside Denmark, investing in ice-capable vessels. Prime Minister Mark Carney told Reuters during a March visit to Oslo that NATO’s renewed focus on Arctic security was long overdue but welcome.

British officer Vice-Admiral James Morley, deputy commander of JFC Norfolk, said Arctic Sentry will help more NATO personnel gain experience operating in harsh polar environments. “It provides a much more realistic environment,” Morley told Reuters at the Bardufoss air base in northern Norway, where British Royal Marines train on snowmobiles, skis, and helicopters.

The United Kingdom is doubling its permanent Royal Marines deployment in Norway to 2,000 troops. In June, NATO activated a new military grouping of 600 soldiers based in the Lapland regions of Sweden and Finland.

Still, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for Arctic and global resilience Iris Ferguson, who held that role from 2022 to 2025, cautioned that keeping the Arctic a priority is difficult. “When you have a hot war burning in the East, it’s hard to direct investment into a region that doesn’t feel as hot,” Ferguson told Reuters, referring to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

KEEPING THE U.S. ENGAGED

American military leaders participating in the Arctic Sentry exercise, known as Cold Response, sought to reassure their European counterparts. “Our commitment is to defend every last inch of NATO territory,” said Major General Daniel Shipley, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces for Europe and Africa, speaking in Bardufoss, Arctic Norway.

But anxiety among European leaders remains elevated following Trump’s Greenland threats and his talk of withdrawing from NATO. Last month, the U.S. announced reductions to its contributions to NATO’s crisis response force, including cuts to fighter jets, drones, and ships.

Norway, which has historically maintained close ties with Washington, joined France’s nuclear deterrence initiative in June. Norwegian officials now find themselves making the case that it is in America’s own interest to remain engaged in the Arctic — an argument they never previously felt compelled to make.

“100 kilometres from my border is the world’s largest nuclear arsenal. And it is not directed against me, Mr. President, but against you,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a speech in February, recounting a conversation he had with Trump at the White House.

Burkina Faso has announced it is ending its diplomatic relationship with France, accusing the European nation of failing to uphold the principles of mutual respect and non-interference.

Communications minister Gilbert Ouedraogo delivered the announcement on state television on Friday, making clear that Burkina Faso views France as having violated the terms of a respectful bilateral relationship.

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela — In the aftermath of two devastating earthquakes, rescue teams fanned out across Venezuela as the death toll climbed to at least 920 people, with thousands more reported injured and an unknown number still missing.

As recovery operations continued, humanitarian aid began reaching affected areas to support those displaced and impacted by the disaster.

Images captured by photo editors document the ongoing search and rescue efforts taking place throughout the earthquake-stricken country.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood alongside ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon on Friday to announce a framework agreement that officials are calling a first step toward ending months of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The agreement was signed by Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, and Nada Hamadeh, Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States. However, officials did not disclose the specific details of what the framework contains.

As peace talks between Islamic Republic officials and the United States continue in Switzerland, more than 75 million internet users inside Iran are still struggling with heavily restricted online access.

Although connectivity has been slowly returning over the past four weeks following an 88-day nationwide blackout — described by outside monitors as one of the longest ever recorded — users say the current internet environment looks nothing like what it was before the January 8 shutdown and the violent crackdown on protesters that came with it.

Users report that internet speeds have dropped even further, and reaching popular platforms like Instagram and TikTok remains nearly impossible, even when using various VPN services to try to get around the restrictions.

A source with knowledge of Iran’s communications sector told The Media Line that the government has restored internet access under conditions set by the Supreme National Security Council on the Supreme Council of Cyberspace.

“One of the main conditions was that the quality of access to, and control over, the global internet be altered in such a way that it becomes far more manageable and controllable,” the source said. “VPNs are also being heavily monitored and tracked, and in practice, bypassing censorship has become considerably more difficult than before.”

The source added that surveillance aimed at updating blocklists has intensified on an hour-by-hour basis, and that virtually all workarounds proposed by internet platforms and activists are monitored continuously in real time, drastically shortening how long any such solution remains effective.

According to the source, the only truly effective solution would be widespread access to Starlink for millions of people. If house-to-house networks were established at that scale, it would make government tracking of Starlink usage far more difficult. Currently, an estimated half a million people — mostly in northern Tehran — have access to Starlink, but users risk being identified if they access domestic websites while connected. Security agencies have also set traps targeting those seeking Starlink equipment, fueling distrust among potential users.

In recent weeks, raids by members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, police, and the Ministry of Intelligence on private homes to seize Starlink equipment have increased, with some confrontations resulting in injuries or even deaths.

The restoration of internet access has allowed new images and testimony from the January crackdown to surface online, including some deeply disturbing videos. However, the Islamic Republic’s security agencies have also used the reconnection to hunt down opponents and those communicating with journalists abroad or sending information to foreign media outlets.

Niko, a young protester in Tehran, told The Media Line that the Islamic regime has imposed sweeping controls that have made online content and social media far less accessible than before the blackout. Despite the risks of contacting foreign journalists, she said that while the government claims it has restored internet access, speeds have been throttled to the point that VPNs that worked reasonably well just months ago are now practically useless.

“At the same time, if you used government-approved applications while your VPN was active, you could be immediately identified, and they could cut off your access. The money you paid for the VPN would effectively be wasted,” she said.

In her most recent message — sent while the Islamic Republic and the United States were again engaged in hostilities despite a ceasefire — Niko expressed deep concern about another potential shutdown. “If they cut the internet again, our situation will become even worse. The next step for the Islamic Republic will probably be to take away our mobile phones,” she said.

While Iranian officials have acknowledged the economic toll of internet restrictions, communication with human rights and civil society activists inside the country remains severely limited. Many have faced threats and intimidation intended to silence them. Although the internet has not been officially shut down again, sources say the level of repression has grown even more severe than it was before the January crackdown.

Tara Dachek, a human rights activist based in Canada, told The Media Line that the situation in Iran has moved beyond simple censorship. “The scope of filtering has expanded to such an extent that communications that were previously possible can no longer be achieved,” she said.

Dachek noted that many people cannot afford Starlink due to its rising cost, and that smuggling the equipment into the country has become harder and now carries stiffer penalties.

She also described Iran’s so-called tiered internet system, in which users are divided into categories with vastly different levels of access. At the top are individuals — typically affiliated with intelligence institutions — who enjoy completely unrestricted access and use it to monitor activists, build fake networks, infiltrate opposition groups, and sow divisions among critics of the government. The next tier consists of regime agents and officials who can access most internet content, with the exception of certain blacklisted sites, and are tasked with propaganda and routine government operations. A third group, described as insiders benefiting from a form of “white internet,” faces more restrictions but can still reach platforms such as X.

At the bottom of this hierarchy are ordinary citizens, who make up the overwhelming majority of users. They can access almost nothing beyond government-approved content and Islamic Republic applications, where monitoring can be carried out with relative ease.

Dachek said this classification system is the core of the problem — it determines which voices inside Iran are allowed to be heard and which are silenced.

High-profile figures including rapper Toomaj Salehi, Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, and civil rights activists such as Sepideh Qolian have faced extensive threats. Some users who posted content on Instagram that could be read as criticism of the war have shared images of judicial summonses ordering them to appear before Revolutionary Prosecutors’ Offices.

Meanwhile, CITNA, a website focused on information technology news in Iran, has reported that 68% of active Instagram users have still not returned to the platform since internet access was restored. Users say commonly available VPN services still fail to provide reliable access to Instagram, which has been restricted since the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising in 2022.

Beyond political repression, internet shutdowns in Iran have been linked to rising levels of depression among young people. Research presented at the Global Communication Association conference in Casablanca last year found that internet filtering in Iran contributes to increased depression and hopelessness among young Iranians.

While digital freedom remains a core demand for many Iranians, shutdowns also carry risks for the authorities themselves — by stoking public anger and driving political frustration from online spaces into street protests. That concern was echoed on Sunday by President Masoud Pezeshkian, who warned that if people reach the limits of their endurance, they will once again flood the streets.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko gathered for talks on Friday, according to the Kremlin, with the war in Ukraine expected to dominate the agenda.

The two leaders convened at Putin’s Valdai residence in northwestern Russia, where they covered topics including trade and economic cooperation, joint projects, and regional security concerns.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had told state news agency TASS ahead of the meeting that no press statements or document signings were planned once the talks concluded.

The meeting comes as tensions between Belarus and Ukraine have been escalating. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said he believes Putin is pressuring Lukashenko to increase his country’s involvement in the conflict on Russia’s side.

Both Moscow and Minsk have rejected that characterization, with Belarus instead pointing the finger at Ukraine and Western nations for stoking tensions. Lukashenko said on Thursday that he had met with representatives of Zelenskiy and cautioned them against attempting to pull Belarus into the war.

Putin and Lukashenko are considered close political allies and meet on a regular basis. The Kremlin accused Ukraine of threatening Belarusian sovereignty after Zelenskiy, the previous Friday, gave Minsk one week to shut down signal relay stations he claimed were being used to help direct Russian military strikes.

The Kremlin had signaled on Monday that the two leaders were expected to address Zelenskiy’s comments “in the foreseeable future.”

By Wednesday, Zelenskiy announced that the relay stations had gone offline, though no independent sources were able to verify that claim.

While Lukashenko has stopped short of sending Belarusian soldiers to fight alongside Russian forces, he did allow Putin to use Belarusian territory as a staging ground for the initial assault on Ukraine in February 2022. He later agreed to host Russian tactical nuclear missiles on Belarusian soil.

KINSHASA, Congo — Congo announced Friday that it has brought a formal legal case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice, charging its neighbor with legal responsibility for more than three decades of brutal violence that has torn apart the eastern part of the country.

In the filing, Congo accused Rwanda of violating international agreements covering genocide, racial discrimination, discrimination against women, and torture. According to Congo, civilians in the eastern region have endured massacres, unlawful killings, torture, sexual violence, forced displacement, and ethnic and gender-based persecution dating back to the 1990s.

Eastern Congo, a region abundant in mineral resources, has been caught in a cycle of conflict for decades. Government forces and allied militias have been battling more than 100 armed groups, with the most powerful being the M23 rebel group, which has received backing from Rwanda. M23 fighters made significant territorial gains early last year, capturing the city of Goma and other important areas as they rapidly expanded their control.

The United Nations has described the situation in eastern Congo as “one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth.”

The roots of the conflict stretch back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when Hutu fighters who carried out mass killings fled into eastern Congo. In the years that followed, Rwanda repeatedly sent soldiers or provided support to armed groups in the region, claiming it was working to neutralize those Hutu fighters and protect its own national security. Both Congo and the U.S. government have accused Rwanda of using those rebel groups as cover to gain access to the region’s vast mineral wealth.

Congo’s filing named several Rwandan-backed rebel groups it holds responsible for the violence over the years, including M23. Congo is asking the ICJ to declare Rwanda internationally responsible for the conflict, order it to stop its activities inside Congo, require guarantees that such actions will not happen again, and award financial reparations to both Congo and the civilian victims.

The court confirmed in a statement that Congo had submitted the application to open proceedings but did not indicate whether it had yet determined it holds jurisdiction to hear the case.

Rwanda’s government did not publicly respond to the filing. Rwanda has consistently denied that it supports armed groups in Congo, though United Nations experts have reported finding evidence that Rwandan troops have fought alongside and provided direction to M23 fighters.

This is the third time Congo has attempted to bring Rwanda before the ICJ. An earlier case was withdrawn by Congolese authorities in 2001, and a second case was thrown out in 2006 due to lack of jurisdiction — the court found Rwanda had not signed, or had placed reservations on, some of the treaties Congo referenced, or that other legal requirements had not been satisfied.

The new legal action comes as separate peace talks between Congo and Rwanda — mediated by the United States and Qatar — have so far failed to produce a lasting agreement.

Just one day before the ICJ filing, on Thursday, the U.S. imposed sanctions on a Rwanda-based gold refinery, describing it as part of “a network working in coordination” with M23 in eastern Congo. The U.S. said the sanctions against Gasabo Gold Refinery were intended to support ongoing American and Qatari peace efforts in the region.

JERUSALEM — Israel has declassified a large collection of previously secret government documents offering a detailed look at the decision-making process behind one of history’s most celebrated hostage rescue missions — the 1976 raid on Entebbe Airport in Uganda.

The operation involved dozens of Israeli commandos who stormed the airport where Palestinian and German militants, supported by Ugandan forces, were holding 106 passengers from a hijacked Air France flight that had originated in Tel Aviv and was bound for Paris. The entire rescue was completed in under an hour, with few casualties among the soldiers and hostages — the majority of whom were Israeli or Jewish — cementing its place as one of the most daring military operations ever carried out.

The documents were made public ahead of the raid’s 50th anniversary on July 3, and come at a time when Israel continues to deal with the fallout from the hostage situation that began after Hamas-led militants attacked the country on October 7, 2023. That attack claimed roughly 1,200 lives and resulted in 251 people being taken to Gaza as hostages.

The newly released files add depth to what was already known about the crisis team assembled by then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and reveal how Israeli officials wrestled with the choice between negotiating with the hostage-takers and launching a high-risk long-distance military strike requiring commandos to fly thousands of miles over multiple unfriendly nations.

At first, Rabin’s team took a firm stance against any negotiations with the two groups responsible for the hijacking — the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and West Germany’s Revolutionäre Zellen. The hijackers had seized the Air France aircraft when it made a stopover in Athens, and demanded the release of prisoners held in several countries. They also threatened to begin killing hostages if their deadline passed without results.

However, as the standoff stretched across six days and pressure from hostages’ families intensified, Israeli officials gradually softened their position on talks, according to a summary provided by the Israel State Archives.

One internal memo from Rabin’s crisis team captured the urgency of the moment: “The zero hour is approaching … We believe that a supreme effort must be made and break the ultimatum,” the team wrote, giving the go-ahead to negotiate on certain terms.

While the Entebbe raid has long been viewed as a turning point in which Israel chose military force over diplomacy, the newly released files paint a more nuanced picture. Officials only moved toward a military solution after diplomatic efforts hit a dead end and confidence in the planned operation increased.

The documents show Israel pursued a dual strategy — supporting France-led negotiations with Ugandan President Idi Amin while simultaneously constructing scale models of the airport and preparing transport aircraft to fly to Kenya and then on to Uganda for a nighttime assault.

When the commandos struck, they rescued all but three hostages who were killed in the crossfire. Every hijacker and dozens of Ugandan soldiers were killed in the battle. The sole Israeli commando lost in the operation was Yonatan Netanyahu, the older brother of future Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The raid drew sharp condemnation from Idi Amin and the Organization of African Unity — the predecessor to today’s African Union — who argued that Israel had violated Uganda’s sovereignty at a time when Uganda claimed to be actively working toward a peaceful resolution.

For Israel, the mission was widely regarded as a triumph, particularly coming just four years after all nine Israeli athletes taken hostage at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich died during a German-led rescue attempt. Even so, Israeli leadership recognized that military victories alone could not resolve the broader conflict.

Rabin himself reflected on this in one of the memos made public Friday. “Let us not deceive ourselves,” he wrote. “It was an extraordinary operation and achievement. However, the problem is not over. Terrorism continues to operate. What other problems terrorism will pose to us and what lessons we must learn from this matter, it is too early to say. We have finished one battle, but the war continues.”

ATHENS, Greece — Greek fishermen are now being paid by their government to pull a dangerous invasive fish out of the Mediterranean Sea, as warming ocean temperatures drive the species northward into unfamiliar waters.

The silver-cheeked toadfish is a torpedo-shaped creature with distinctive teeth that closely resemble human teeth. Both its skin and internal organs carry a potent neurotoxin capable of triggering fatal heart failure if a person eats the fish.

Officials say the fish have not been spotted near swimming beaches at Greek island resorts. However, in recent weeks, the creatures have caused serious problems for fishermen working off the coast of Crete and several other Greek islands, tearing through their fishing nets.

Giorgos Kyriakakis, a member of a Cretan fishermen’s association, described the toll to Greek public broadcaster ERT on Friday. “It’s got to the point where we might go out fishing one day and then spend the next three days fixing our nets,” he said. “They eat our catch and damage our nets — that’s very costly.”

Scientists believe the fish made their way into the Mediterranean by traveling through the Suez Canal, drawn by the region’s increasingly warm waters. The problem prompted Cyprus to roll out a similar bounty program earlier this year.

Beginning Friday, the Greek government began offering fishermen 5.33 euros per kilogram — roughly $2.75 per pound — for every silver-cheeked toadfish they bring in. The species is typically found in tropical waters.

Agriculture Minister Margaritis Schinas, a former European Commission vice president, announced the initiative ahead of its launch. “It’s the first time that such a measure has been taken in Greece,” he said.

Schinas explained that the collected fish — a relative of the puffer fish — would be frozen and then incinerated at local government facilities. He also indicated the program would likely be extended beyond the currently impacted islands to cover all Greek waters.

Public alarm has grown in Greece following the spread of videos online, posted by Greek fishing crews, that show the fish biting down on soda cans and pieces of wood with their powerful jaws.

The Greek Red Cross has issued a public health advisory about the species, detailing first-aid steps for bite-related bleeding injuries and highlighting the lethal neurotoxin found in the fish’s organs.

Despite the concern, authorities and business groups on Crete urged residents and visitors not to panic. A joint statement released Friday by 16 medical and tourism associations on the island pushed back on the alarm. “The presence of these fish in the Mediterranean has been known for years,” the statement read. “There is, however, no ‘invisible’ or imminent danger to bathers. Marine predators do not threaten the safety of visitors and residents. Exaggeration is often a feature of public debate.”

The Trump administration has formally informed Congress that it intends to move forward with a roughly $700 million sale of jet engines to Turkey, according to Reuters, which cited two sources familiar with the matter.

The proposed arms deal has already drawn criticism from certain members of Congress, largely due to Turkey’s ongoing possession of Russian defense systems it acquired back in 2019.

Should the sale receive final approval, it would serve as a meaningful show of goodwill toward Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whom President Trump regards as one of his key international allies. The timing is notable, coming just ahead of next month’s NATO summit.

In its official notification to Congress, dated June 24 and delivered late Wednesday, the State Department stated, “The US government is prepared to license the export of these items having taken into account political, military, economic, human rights, and arms control considerations.”

Under the law, Congress has a 15-day window to introduce a joint resolution of disapproval if it wishes to halt the transaction. However, any such measure would need to clear both chambers and could ultimately be vetoed by President Trump.

Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance indicated that the administration is also examining whether Turkey satisfies US legal requirements before pursuing further defense agreements — including the possibility of bringing Turkey back into the F-35 fighter jet program, from which it was previously removed.

Speaking from the Oval Office, President Trump suggested that Erdoğan had been on the verge of entering the conflict involving Iran. “He was a prime candidate to go into the war with Iran — maybe on the Iran side, because he’s not a big fan of Israel,” Trump claimed, despite Turkey showing no signs of preparing to join the US-Israel military campaign against Iran. Turkey itself came under Iranian fire at one point during the conflict.

“I asked him to stay out. He stayed out,” Trump told reporters.

Trump went on to praise the Turkish leader, saying, “Erdogan is a great leader, a very strong person … Everything I’ve ever asked from him, he’s done. I’m going to probably do something that’s going to make him very happy.”

The relationship between Turkey and Israel has been strained since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. In July 2024, Erdoğan floated the idea of potential military action against Israel to stop the fighting in Gaza. Earlier this month, Turkey’s interior minister publicly called for the “liberation” of Jerusalem.

Four Israeli Defense Forces soldiers were injured in southern Lebanon on Thursday when a member of an armed group hurled a grenade at them in the town of Beit Yahoun. One combat officer suffered moderate injuries, while a second combat officer and two other soldiers were lightly wounded. All four were evacuated for medical care, and their families were informed, according to the IDF Spokesperson.

The attacker was killed following the grenade assault. The incident unfolded against the backdrop of ongoing US-brokered diplomatic talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington, which concluded their third day Thursday without producing an agreement.

An Israeli embassy spokesperson told The Times of Israel that both delegations agreed to return to the negotiating table for a fourth day, with talks scheduled to resume Friday at the US State Department. The central sticking point is a proposed partial Israeli pullback from parts of its buffer zone in southern Lebanon — areas US officials had hoped to designate as so-called ‘pilot zones,’ where Lebanese army forces would replace Israeli troops.

An Israeli source told The Times of Israel that any withdrawal would be limited to locations where Hezbollah infrastructure has already been dismantled, and would not affect Israel’s broader six-mile-deep security zone in the region.

Earlier Thursday, both Israeli and Lebanese officials pushed back against a US claim that Israel had already started pulling back from certain positions in southern Lebanon. A US official had reportedly described any such movement as a goodwill gesture toward the Lebanese government during the negotiations.

Adding to the diplomatic tension, both sides have voiced frustration over the US decision to fold the Hezbollah conflict into a memorandum of understanding signed last week with Iran, rather than handling Lebanon as its own separate diplomatic issue.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the negotiations Thursday, saying Israel and Lebanon are nearing a ‘commitment of intent,’ though he declined to offer additional specifics about the state of the talks.

MOSCOW — Sergei Ivanov, a one-time Russian defense minister who was widely regarded as President Vladimir Putin’s most probable successor, has passed away at the age of 73.

The Kremlin confirmed his death occurred on Friday, though officials did not disclose a cause or share any further information. Putin offered his condolences to Ivanov’s family following the announcement.

Back in 2001, Putin — who shares a KGB background with Ivanov — appointed him to lead Russia’s defense ministry. Ivanov held that post through 2007, during which time he oversaw the second war in Chechnya, a conflict that ultimately defeated the region’s push for independence.

As Putin prepared to vacate the presidency in 2008 due to term limits and transition into the role of prime minister, Ivanov was broadly considered the frontrunner to take over the top office. Instead, Putin tapped another long-trusted associate, Dmitry Medvedev, to hold the presidency until Putin could reclaim it in 2012. Political analysts at the time suggested Putin may have passed over Ivanov because he viewed him as too ambitious and worried he might not willingly give up the presidency.

Ivanov continued to serve in Putin’s inner circle, holding the position of deputy prime minister from 2007 to 2011, followed by a stint as Kremlin chief of staff from 2011 to 2016.

In 2016, he was appointed as a presidential envoy focused on environmental protection and transportation — a largely ceremonial role with little political influence that was widely interpreted as a comfortable exit from active politics. He stepped away from that position earlier this year.

Like several other senior Russian officials, Ivanov had been placed under sanctions by both the United States and the European Union in response to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.

Beijing’s tallest skyscraper showed clear signs of damage Friday, with images and videos circulating on social media appearing to show aircraft debris near the massive high-rise.

The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported that a small airplane struck the CITIC Tower — also called China Zun — located in Beijing’s Central Business District.

Photographs that surfaced online showed what looked like a hole or shattered glass on one side of the structure. While the images appeared consistent with the building’s location, their authenticity could not be independently verified, and they were swiftly removed from the internet.

The CITIC Tower rises 528 meters — roughly 1,732 feet — making it the tallest building in the Chinese capital.

A heavy law enforcement presence was visible outside the skyscraper, along with fire trucks and ambulances responding to the scene.

As of Friday, the exact cause of the incident remained unknown, and no official statement had been issued by authorities.

Residents across Dubai were briefly alarmed Friday when the United Arab Emirates government sent out an incoming missile alert — only to follow up moments later telling the public to “disregard the previous warning,” suggesting the alert was sent out by mistake.

The text message, which was pushed to mobile phones throughout the city, marked the first such alert since the United States and Iran reached an interim ceasefire agreement the previous week. It was also the first alert of its kind to go out during the ongoing Iran war. What triggered the warning remained unclear.

The incident highlighted the fragile state of affairs across the Middle East, coming on the heels of an attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz and Israeli military strikes in Lebanon in recent days.

Iran is believed to be behind a drone strike targeting a tanker off the coast of Oman on Thursday. The attack reflected Tehran’s growing assertiveness over control of the strait, even as the interim ceasefire deal with the U.S. remains in place.

The alert had been sent by the UAE’s Interior Ministry on Friday afternoon. Shortly after it was retracted, UAE officials announced that the country’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, had spoken by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. According to the UAE, Sheikh Abdullah stressed that the UAE “emphasized the importance of full commitment” to the interim agreement between Iran and the United States.

“Serious diplomacy and responsible dialogue are the optimal path for addressing all regional and international crises,” the statement read.

Negotiations between Washington and Tehran are still ongoing as both sides work to finalize the terms of the interim peace deal. Key issues under discussion include ensuring safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz and determining the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The two countries have a 60-day window under the interim agreement to settle those details.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has taken its long-standing dispute with Rwanda to the world’s highest court, filing a formal case at the International Court of Justice over Rwanda’s alleged role in the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, the Congolese government announced Friday.

In an official statement, Congo accused Rwanda of violating multiple international conventions, including those covering genocide, racial discrimination, and torture.

According to Congo, the alleged crimes committed against civilians over the past three decades include massacres, extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual violence, forced displacement, and discrimination.

Congo further alleges that Rwanda deployed its own forces and provided backing or direction to armed groups carrying out unlawful military operations on Congolese soil — actions Congo says stem from the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when remnants of forces connected to that genocide fled across the border into eastern Congo.

Through the ICJ filing, Congo is seeking a court order requiring Rwanda to stop the alleged violations, as well as financial reparations for Congo and those affected by the conflict.

Rwanda did not immediately respond to the filing. The Rwandan government has repeatedly denied any involvement in supporting rebel groups operating inside Congo.

United Nations experts and several Western governments have concluded that Rwanda has provided support to M23, a significant armed group active in eastern Congo — a finding that aligns with Congo’s position.

This is not the first time Congo has pursued legal action against Rwanda at the ICJ. An earlier case was withdrawn by Congolese authorities in 2001. A second attempt was thrown out by the court in 2006, when judges determined they lacked jurisdiction because Rwanda had either not signed the relevant treaties, entered reservations, or failed to meet other required conditions cited in Congo’s complaint.

The ICJ serves as the United Nations’ principal court for resolving disputes between countries and addressing alleged violations of international treaties.

A deadly building collapse in Lagos claimed the lives of at least nine people and left many others hurt on Thursday, according to the state’s commissioner for information, who confirmed the toll on Friday.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency — commonly referred to as LASEMA — took charge of the rescue effort, coordinating multiple agencies and bringing in heavy machinery to dig through the debris in search of survivors.

Emergency workers managed to pull people from the rubble and provide medical care at the scene before sending the injured to nearby hospitals for further treatment. In total, 27 people were rescued with injuries ranging in severity.

At the time the structure gave way, both residents and office workers were inside the building.

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu responded to the disaster by directing officials to conduct structural inspections on surrounding buildings and called on property owners to follow established safety regulations.

The collapse has once again brought attention to a troubling pattern in Lagos, where building failures occur with troubling regularity, frequently blamed on substandard construction practices and a lack of consistent enforcement of building codes.

KHARTOUM, Sudan — The conflict that has torn through Sudan for three years has left its mark not only on the landscape, but on the bodies and minds of those who survived it. Thousands have been killed. Millions more have been forced from their homes.

Associated Press reporters spent over a week in and around the capital city of Khartoum following the army’s recapture of the city last year. Fighting continues in other parts of the country as the military battles the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. A member of the military media was present during the AP’s visit, including during interviews, though the AP maintained full editorial control over its reporting.

These are some of the people they met, and the stories those survivors shared.

Omer al-Toum once held onto a dream of representing Sudan on the national soccer field. That dream was shattered in October when an unexploded weapon detonated inside his home while he was attempting to use it to drive a nail. The blast took part of his right leg and left arm, and his remaining leg was severely damaged.

Despite everything, the 33-year-old remains calm and warm-spirited, finding joy in his 8-month-old daughter and working to maintain a positive outlook.

“When I knew that my leg had been amputated, my family expected more of a reaction from me but I didn’t show them how affected I was,” he said.

Today, al-Toum cannot bathe or leave his bed without assistance, and some doorways in his home are too narrow for his wheelchair. He hopes to obtain prosthetic limbs, but getting quality ones requires traveling outside the country.

He has found a new sense of purpose coaching young soccer players, encouraging them to stay in school so they always have other paths available to them.

“As long as you are still breathing, you are still capable of doing many things. And when God takes something away from you, he will surely compensate you with other things,” he said.

Noon Madani had not wanted to leave home that August day nearly three years ago, but her older sister urged her to go. Paramilitary forces had taken control of their neighborhood outside Khartoum, yet an overdue bill needed to be handled.

On the way back, a missile struck, killing her 18-year-old sister and crushing the legs of 16-year-old Madani.

Speaking quietly from her wheelchair, her legs still in casts, she described lying motionless next to her sister, looking at missile fragments embedded in her sibling’s head.

“You can’t imagine when someone suddenly tells you that your daughters were hit by an artillery shell. You enter a phase of breakdown,” said their father, Omer Bakar.

Madani spent six months in a hospital undergoing surgeries, fighting infections, and sometimes waiting for medical care as doctors fled the area. Physicians now believe she will eventually be able to walk again. Her younger brothers push her wheelchair to school each day, where she studies science and hopes one day to become a doctor.

“We are trying to forget the war,” her father said, “the nightmare we finally woke up from.”

Fatma Ageb, 38, recalls the morning of February 2025 when her home was hit by shelling. Her husband had been sleeping. Her older daughters had just been talking about what to get their baby sister as a birthday gift. That is the last thing she remembers from that day.

The attack killed her husband and their two older daughters, aged 10 and 12. Shrapnel tore through Ageb’s body, and their 8-year-old daughter was seriously hurt as well.

“If it wasn’t for Zeinab I wouldn’t want to live. She’s always calling for her sisters and father,” Ageb said, wiping tears from her face.

The young girl’s face was scarred in the attack, and she lost her right eye, now replaced with a glass one. At the hospital, Zeinab sat beside her mother wearing a necklace featuring a character from the movie “Frozen,” shyly holding up a drawing she had made while wincing as a doctor tended to her injuries.

Friends and family have pooled together money to help cover the cost of the girl’s surgeries, but more procedures are needed and her mother has no idea how she will pay for them. While Ageb tries to stay strong for her daughter, Zeinab’s scars serve as a constant reminder of all they have lost.

Tariq Abuzeid had devoted years to helping people in need — running soup kitchens from his home, raising funds, and delivering medicine to the sick. When the war reached Khartoum, the construction worker continued his efforts to assist others.

In December 2023, while returning from distributing food during heavy shelling, he lost his right leg.

Now 52 and surrounded by family, he tries to stay composed, but breaks down when he reflects on how drastically his life has changed.

“I used to serve people. … Now I feel like I am a burden,” he said.

The attack caused severe blood loss, which he says has weakened his immune system. He takes dozens of medications daily but remains in constant pain. Finding a quality prosthetic leg and a wheelchair has proven difficult in Khartoum.

Even so, his volunteer efforts have not stopped. Large metal bowls were stacked in his yard as he prepared to serve others their next meal.

By July, the hunger inside the besieged town of Dilling in South Kordofan had become unbearable. A 50-year-old woman fled with her two daughters, only to be abducted by members of the paramilitary RSF.

With their hands bound and faces covered, they said they were transported for hours to a makeshift camp in the desert, where more than a dozen other women were also being held. The woman said she was gang-raped there until she bled and was beaten repeatedly over the course of months.

The AP does not identify individuals who have been sexually assaulted. The United Nations has described sexual violence as one of the defining features of the Sudan conflict.

Each night, she said she would tense up at the sound of fighters’ footsteps approaching the room where the women were held. The men would select a woman and take her away.

When they came for her daughters — aged 25 and 20 — she pleaded for them to take her instead.

One night while the fighters were away, she and her daughters slipped out and fled into the desert. Frightened and physically depleted, they walked for days before reaching another town where they found help.

The RSF did not respond to a request for comment.

The woman and her daughters are now staying at a center for women in Khartoum. In tears, she said a doctor told her that the injuries she sustained from the sexual assaults were so severe that her uterus may need to be removed.

CASABLANCA, Morocco — A Moroccan court has sentenced 29 people to prison, among them prominent politicians, business leaders, and sports figures, in a wide-ranging international drug trafficking and corruption case that sent shockwaves through the country.

Late Thursday, the court also ordered the defendants to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in fines, wrapping up a trial that stretched over more than two years.

The case traces back to an imprisoned drug kingpin who had been nicknamed “Sahara’s Pablo Escobar” — a nod to the infamous Colombian trafficker. While behind bars, the man alleged that some of his business partners, including high-ranking Moroccan politicians, had been involved in drug trafficking and had taken control of his assets. All of those accused have denied any wrongdoing.

The allegations triggered a wave of arrests and a lengthy legal process involving 30 defendants, 18 witnesses, and two civil parties. The scandal reignited long-standing concerns about corruption within Moroccan political circles. It also moved King Mohammed VI — Morocco’s highest authority, a figure officially above politics who rarely makes public statements — to call for the creation of a legally binding code of ethics to, in his words, “moralize” life in parliament.

Abdennebi Bioui, a construction tycoon, former lawmaker with the co-governing Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), and head of a Regional Council, received the harshest sentence: 12 years in prison and a fine of $15,989.

Said Naciri, a former PAM lawmaker who also previously served as president of Wydad AC — one of Morocco’s most recognized soccer clubs — was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Belkacem Mir, another former PAM lawmaker and former president of a soccer club, also received a 10-year sentence.

Other defendants were handed sentences of up to nine years and fines reaching as high as $26,649. One defendant was acquitted. Charges in the case included drug and gold trafficking, corruption, forgery, and violations of financial exchange regulations. Defense attorneys have the option to appeal.

The court ordered the seizure of assets belonging to several defendants — including Bioui, Naciri, and Mir — capped at $1 million. It also directed that hundreds of millions of dollars in financial penalties be paid to customs authorities, with the three men bearing the bulk of that responsibility jointly.

Local media reported that prosecutors had pushed for convictions across the board and called for asset seizures.

As the judge read through the sentences, the courtroom erupted. Defendants shouted from their box, with some crying out, “I am innocent. I haven’t done anything.” The tension quickly spread through the packed courtroom No. 8, turning into scenes of panic and grief. Family members screamed, some collapsed to the floor, and others broke down in tears as police officers worked to push through the crowd and restore order.

Court documents show that Hadj Ahmed Ben Brahim, a jailed Malian drug lord, accused his partners of participating in an international gold trafficking network and of seizing his personal assets — including a luxury villa, high-end apartments, and dozens of vehicles.

The Paris-based magazine Jeune Afrique has reported that Ben Brahim worked alongside Moroccan politicians to transport cannabis resin to Libya, Egypt, and Mauritania.

Morocco ranks among the world’s largest producers and exporters of hashish. While the country has legalized cannabis cultivation for medical and industrial uses, illegal drug trafficking remains deeply rooted. Its geographic closeness to Europe has made it a key route for moving narcotics across the Mediterranean.

The court also ordered Bioui, Naciri, and Mir to jointly pay Ben Brahim $106,599.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — While the United States and Iran were exchanging military strikes on June 11, a plane carrying Qatari diplomats sat grounded on a runway in Tehran, unable to leave.

Those mediators had been working through the night in urgent talks aimed at preventing the conflict from escalating into an all-out war, according to a diplomat who was briefed on the negotiations.

That moment on the tarmac captured the chaotic nature of the diplomatic effort — led by Pakistan and Qatar — that ultimately produced last week’s agreement to end a war that had thrown the Middle East into turmoil and taken a toll on the global economy.

It was just one of several flashpoints during which social media threats or actual military action nearly derailed the process. Efforts to implement the deal now face similar obstacles, including continued fighting in Lebanon and threats involving the Strait of Hormuz.

This behind-the-scenes account of the diplomacy that led to the interim agreement is drawn from AP interviews with three Pakistani officials, two regional officials, and the diplomat. All spoke anonymously given the sensitivity of the closed-door discussions.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, when asked for comment, pointed to previous public statements and confirmed the country will continue its mediating role. The White House declined to respond. Representatives for Qatar and Iran did not reply to requests for comment.

On the same day the Qatari plane was stuck on the runway, U.S. President Donald Trump again threatened military action, warning that the U.S. would strike Iran

Ukraine has brought 160 of its military personnel home after securing their release from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Friday.

Zelenskiy shared the news through a post on the Telegram messaging app, noting that every one of the returned servicemen had been held prisoner since 2022.

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela — Ordinary citizens worked side by side to claw through collapsed buildings in search of missing family members across northern Venezuela Friday, following two devastating earthquakes that have now claimed at least 589 lives and left thousands more hurt.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced the updated death toll early Friday morning, speaking alongside government and military officials as she greeted international rescue teams arriving from around the globe.

“We are going to rescue the people who are trapped,” she said. “We are working tirelessly on this task.”

Rodríguez said the state of La Guaira has suffered the worst damage from the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck Wednesday evening. She noted the area has been placed under military control as crews continue searching for survivors and distributing food and water to those in need.

The death toll is expected to rise further, with thousands of people still reported missing and rescue efforts ongoing around the clock.

The International Organization for Migration estimates that as many as 6.76 million people across Venezuela may be affected by the quakes, including roughly 2 million in the capital city of Caracas alone. Loyce Pace, the International Red Cross’ regional director for the Americas, noted that “people are still terrified to reenter what were their homes.”

Survivors were pulled from wreckage covered in dust and blood — among them children. Venezuelan state television broadcast dramatic footage of rescues, including one woman who had been pinned beneath a concrete slab with only her bare foot visible before crews managed to pull her out alive. However, government-organized search teams were largely absent outside of Caracas in the early hours following the disaster.

Many residents woke Thursday morning to a shocking scene — buildings reduced to bare frames, furniture dangling from broken windows, and helicopters circling overhead. Entire structures had been flattened and roads split open.

Families posted flyers with photographs of missing loved ones, while others passed around handwritten lists of names. Venezuelans living abroad struggled to reach relatives as phone service across the country was disrupted.

In downtown Caracas, hundreds of people spent the night gathered in parks, parking lots, and other open areas rather than risk returning to damaged buildings.

Dayana Delgado, a mother of three, demanded to know where the heavy machinery that government officials had promised was located, saying it was ordinary residents doing the digging through collapsed structures.

“I want to know where my child is, if he’s trapped or in a shelter,” she said, referring to her missing 8-year-old son.

One mother broke down and collapsed in grief as the bodies of her 3- and 10-year-old children were wrapped in blankets and carried away. Others cried out the names of those they were searching for. Some stood in complete silence, too shocked to react.

Venezuelan authorities said they were redirecting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira — a region no stranger to tragedy. A devastating mudslide in 1999 killed thousands there and remains one of the country’s worst natural disasters on record.

In La Guaira, resident Cristian Carreño stood staring at his scorched apartment building, which was leaning dangerously to one side.

“I lost everything,” he said. “There are people still inside, I imagine, that couldn’t get out. It’s incredibly devastating.”

Retired schoolteacher Juan Alberto Mendaño made his way through the wreckage in La Guaira, stepping past a body, when he spotted a woman who was trapped and waving her hand for help.

“May God rescue her as quickly as possible,” Mendaño said. “When we heard the scream, there was nothing we could do.”

Among the stories of hope emerging from the destruction, a young man was carried out on a stretcher in the San Bernardino neighborhood of Caracas to applause from bystanders, while his tearful mother cried out, “Leandro, I love you.”

Venezuelan public television also showed video of a young girl, covered in dust and wrapped in a dark sweatshirt, emerging from the rubble with the help of rescuers. Caracas metropolitan rescue team head José Luis Núñez said she was found inside a 10-story building in La Guaira that had collapsed and been crushed “like a pancake.”

“We want to highlight this girl’s strength, determination and will to live,” Núñez said.

The disaster presents a major challenge for Acting President Rodríguez, the former vice president who took office in January following the capture and removal of then-President Nicolás Maduro by the United States. Venezuela has been mired in economic turmoil for more than a decade, and many citizens do not recognize the legitimacy of the political movement Rodríguez leads.

Rodríguez declared a state of emergency in a national address late Wednesday and announced the creation of a $200 million reconstruction fund to help rebuild damaged hospitals and homes. On Thursday, she urged businesses to make heavy construction equipment available to support rescue operations.

“We hope to rescue as many living people as possible,” Rodríguez said.

While Venezuela lies near several fault lines, its location along the boundary of the South American and Caribbean tectonic plates makes major earthquakes relatively rare compared to other parts of Latin America.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that both earthquakes were centered near Moron on the Caribbean coast, approximately 170 kilometers — or 105 miles — west of Caracas.

The combination of two back-to-back quakes and the shallow depth of the seismic activity intensified the destruction, according to Marcos Ferreira, a geophysicist and researcher at the Geological Survey of Brazil.

“It is as if I am screaming and then someone starts screaming, too. That amplifies the vibration and adds to the potential hazard,” Ferreira explained.

Shortly after United Nations officials in Venezuela urged the government to lift restrictions on social media so that survivors could access potentially life-saving information, Venezuelans found they were able to log onto X. The platform had been blocked since August 2024 under the Maduro government in an effort to limit the spread of information among those who disputed his claimed victory in the July presidential election.

Around 1,000 emergency responders organized into 25 search-and-rescue teams from countries around the world are being deployed to Venezuela, according to Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who spoke directly with Rodríguez after the quakes struck, confirmed that the United States was moving quickly to send assistance.

“We have a whole-of-government response. It’ll be big; it’ll be fast; and it’ll be effective,” Rubio said, while acknowledging that the closure of Venezuela’s main airport near Caracas was creating logistical hurdles.

Venezuelan public television broadcast footage Friday showing the arrival of rescue workers with dogs and specialized equipment — including cameras and ground-penetrating radar — from Spain. Teams from Germany, Chile, and Switzerland also landed in the country. Turkey announced two flights would depart Istanbul on Friday carrying rescuers and search dogs. China said it would also provide assistance, and leaders from Qatar, Brazil, Portugal, and Canada pledged to send help as well.

Rescue teams from El Salvador and the Dominican Republic touched down in Venezuela on Thursday, along with rescuers and material aid from Mexico.

“No country is prepared to provide the response that’s needed. That’s what neighboring countries are there for,” said Dominican air force Maj. Carlos Olivares.

Venezuela’s most powerful earthquake in more than 100 years is presenting interim president Delcy Rodriguez with the toughest test of her young leadership — but political analysts say it could also give her a chance to assert control over a divided government and help put a battered nation back on its feet.

Two earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening. The full scale of destruction may not be known for weeks, but data models from the U.S. government indicate the death toll could eventually climb above 10,000.

What is already apparent: a massive effort will be needed to rescue survivors, care for the injured, and rebuild homes and damaged infrastructure across the country.

That effort, analysts say, could shape Rodriguez’s entire political trajectory.

She has positioned herself as a force for change in Venezuela, despite having served as vice president under her predecessor, socialist Nicolas Maduro, who was removed from power by Washington in January. She has cultivated a close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Tony Frangie Mawad, a political scientist based in Caracas, noted the irony of the moment. “The narrative of a new Venezuela is based on reconstruction,” he said. “It ends up being somewhat ironic that the country now has to face, with great difficulty, a very literal reconstruction of its infrastructure.”

Frangie warned that the recovery will face enormous obstacles given Venezuela’s prolonged economic crisis and its weakened public institutions — and that failure remains a real possibility.

But he also outlined a path to political gain. “However, if the government manages a recovery strategy well — especially with the international aid that is arriving — and handles the narrative effectively, it could use this moment to build a sense of national unity, a kind of ‘rally around the flag’ in the face of a natural disaster,” he said.

Rodriguez appears to be pursuing that very approach. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, she declared, “In unity, we will overcome this situation.”

HISTORY SHOWS EARTHQUAKES CAN RESHAPE POLITICS

Significant U.S. involvement could prove decisive. In 1999, the late leader Hugo Chavez turned away American assistance after deadly landslides killed at least 10,000 people — an early indicator of the anti-U.S. stance that eventually deepened Venezuela’s international isolation. Rodriguez is taking a different approach.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged on Thursday that the American response would be substantial. “It’ll be big. It’ll be fast, and it’ll be effective,” he said.

Analysts suggest that Trump administration aid could expand the U.S. footprint in Venezuela while also increasing the new government’s dependence on Washington.

Ricardo Rios, who leads the Caracas-based consultancy Poder & Estrategia, put it plainly: “It’s a situation that is going to be very well exploited to increase the presence of the United States and its control over Venezuela. And also, for Rodriguez to lean on the United States as her primary ally.”

Earthquakes have altered the course of Latin American politics before. In 1972, a devastating quake leveled much of Managua, killing between 5,000 and 10,000 people. The corrupt handling of the aftermath contributed to the downfall of President Anastasio Somoza, who was ultimately overthrown by the Sandinista revolution in 1979.

In 1985, a catastrophic earthquake struck Mexico City, killing at least 5,000 people and leaving roughly 100,000 homeless. The government’s bungled rescue response is widely seen as a turning point that eventually ended seven decades of one-party rule by the PRI.

In Venezuela’s case, Rodriguez stands to bear the political consequences of any missteps in the recovery effort.

Paul Angelo, a Latin America expert with the Washington-based consultancy McLarty Associates, was in Caracas when the quake struck. He described the scale of the challenge ahead.

“Venezuela’s capacity to handle emergency response has been hollowed out over 10 to 15 years of economic turmoil and displacement of 8 million people beyond Venezuelan borders,” he said. “Without major international assistance, and without a consolidated plan and lots of money infused into a country that is purportedly $240 billion in debt, this will be a long road to recovery.”