Category: World News

GAZA CITY — As temperatures climb across the Gaza Strip, displaced Palestinians are abandoning their stifling tents and heading to the Mediterranean shoreline to bathe and wash their clothing — even though the water is thick with sewage and waste.

Nearly the entire population of Gaza has been uprooted over two years of fighting between Israel and Hamas. Most people are now packed into a narrow coastal corridor, living in makeshift tents or damaged buildings with little access to basic necessities.

“The only outlet in the Gaza Strip, from north to south, is the sea,” said Wadie al-Ras, a 36-year-old displaced Palestinian standing along the Gaza City shoreline. “The tents we have been staying in since the war are a torment.”

Before the war erupted in October 2023, Gaza City’s sandy beach was a popular gathering place for residents. Today, it serves as the only escape from cramped, bug-infested shelters where disease runs rampant.

Morning temperatures in Gaza hover between 28 and 31 degrees Celsius, and inside the tents, conditions feel far more extreme.

But the sea provides little real relief. The water is heavily contaminated with sewage and garbage, a direct consequence of the collapse of the infrastructure that once supported a population of more than two million people.

“The seawater is not clean. There’s sewage in it, filled with dirt,” said Shehab al-Suwaireki, a 36-year-old displaced father of six.

With no reliable access to fresh water, however, families feel they have no real alternative.

“We go in and wash (clothes) and bathe then we get out,” Suwaireki added. “In any case, germs are getting to our bodies.”

Husni Muhanna, a spokesperson for the Gaza municipality, explained that Israeli bombardment has knocked out many water pumps, while sewage stations, pumping facilities, and water treatment plants have all sustained severe damage.

“Residents resort to the beach despite all the dangers,” Muhanna said.

The conflict began when Hamas-led militants launched an attack on Israel from Gaza on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel responded with a sweeping military offensive that has killed at least 73,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-governed territory.

Despite a truce reached in October 2025, Israel has continued conducting deadly strikes in Gaza, saying the operations are aimed at preventing imminent attacks by Hamas and other armed groups. Hamas has so far rejected demands to disarm in exchange for an Israeli troop withdrawal.

Aid and basic supplies remain critically scarce throughout the territory.

Nahed Hamouda, a 56-year-old father of four who was displaced from Jabalia, north of Gaza City, described the tents as feeling “like an oven.”

“There’s no electricity, no fan, no water, even the food is inedible,” he said, fanning himself with a piece of cardboard as he spoke.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Monday that her country intends to resume oil shipments to Cuba in the near future, a development that could offer significant relief to the island nation as its ongoing crises worsen due to a severe shortage of petroleum.

Sheinbaum said her administration plans to route the oil through commercial and privately owned companies, departing from the previous approach of using state-owned enterprises to handle such shipments.

Mexico had stepped up as a critical fuel supplier to Cuba after the United States took action against Venezuela in early January, cutting off vital oil shipments to the island. Those shipments had already been scaled back before being halted entirely after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs against any nation that supplies or sells oil to Cuba.

In the wake of the disruption involving Venezuela, only a single oil delivery has made it to Cuba — a Russian tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of oil, a supply that lasted just one month.

The fuel shortage has intensified an already serious energy crisis on the island. Cuba produces only 40% of the petroleum it requires, and the shortfall has triggered widespread power outages, shortened work schedules, water supply problems, canceled surgeries, and food spoilage.

Sheinbaum said she hopes to take advantage of a set of free-market reforms recently approved by the Cuban government, working through Mexican business owners who are already operating on the island.

“The mechanism would be through private companies that have permits to transport fuel to Cuba,” she said, though she offered no additional specifics. “We hope that commercial transport can resume soon,” she added, without giving a timeline for when that might occur.

The Mexican president also confirmed that her country would continue providing humanitarian assistance to Cuba alongside any resumed fuel deliveries.

MEXICO CITY — A duck dressed in Mexico’s green national soccer jersey and sporting a FIFA tie waddled into a presidential press conference Monday and quickly became the biggest star in the room — upstaging President Claudia Sheinbaum herself.

The duck, named Merlín, has become Mexico’s unofficial mascot for the World Cup. He arrived ahead of the president, settled in facing the gathered reporters, and let his owner do all the talking.

Carla Gómez, who makes her living as a street vendor selling water and soft drinks, spoke on Merlín’s behalf. She introduced her family with evident pride, describing them as a reflection of the countless working-class families across Mexico. “We are the working part” of Mexico, she told those in attendance.

Seated next to the lectern with Merlín front and center were Gómez’s two sons — Carlos, 22, and Cristian, 14. She described Cristian as someone who “doesn’t rest after school” and pitches in daily by selling items and hauling packages.

Carlos described Merlín’s role in their small operation: “He’s the boss of our little business. He’s the one who follows behind us, making sure we’re working and doing things the right way.”

The family takes Merlín’s diet seriously, feeding him small fish and crickets throughout the week, with a special treat of a meat taco reserved for Sundays.

Gómez said she was deeply touched by the outpouring of affection World Cup fans have shown toward Merlín. “It has been the best thing that has happened to us in this life,” she said. She also noted that other ducks the family has raised became well-known in Mexico City’s historic center, including one named Bruna, who was known for wearing tennis shoes.

Gómez believes the family’s story resonated with so many people online because viewers recognized them as “a hard-working family, a family that gets up every day to make ends meet.”

President Sheinbaum eventually had to redirect the briefing back to its original agenda, but not before she attempted to pet Merlín and posed for a photograph alongside the Gómez family.

NAIROBI, Kenya — A Kenyan court ruled Monday that Health Minister Aden Duale is in contempt for allowing construction to continue on an Ebola quarantine facility backed by the United States, in direct defiance of existing court orders to stop the work.

The High Court summoned Duale to appear Tuesday to face sentencing. Earlier this month, the minister had publicly supported the project, stating that the facility at Laikipia Air Base would serve both Kenyan citizens and international partners.

The court had previously ordered the government to suspend all construction while a legal challenge brought by the Law Society of Kenya and the Katiba Institute — a constitutional watchdog organization — was being heard. Those filing the lawsuit argued that Kenya’s healthcare system is already under severe strain and may not be equipped to safely manage foreign Ebola patients.

People living in communities near Laikipia Air Base reported seeing U.S. military aircraft arriving at the base even after the court issued its suspension order on May 29.

President William Ruto has stood behind the project, pointing to a long-standing partnership between the U.S. and Kenya on health and security issues. He noted that the Laikipia site is one of 24 preparedness centers created to respond to potential Ebola outbreaks.

Opposition to the facility grew sharply after the U.S. announced it would not bring American Ebola patients back home, opting instead to quarantine them overseas. The United States has committed roughly $13 million to the partnership.

The controversy has sparked widespread protests throughout Kenya, with some demonstrations becoming violent. At least three people were reportedly shot and killed during the unrest.

The U.S. embassy in Kenya stated that the quarantine center posed no danger to local residents, adding that the U.S. was “aware of the court action” and was “actively working with the Kenyan government to resolve any objections.”

BERLIN — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stepped down Monday following a sharp drop in his approval ratings, but leaders across Europe were quick to offer kind words for a leader many had found far more cooperative than those who came before him.

Starmer made history as the first non-Conservative prime minister since Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. While he firmly ruled out any possibility of the UK rejoining the 27-nation bloc, he worked actively to repair the strained relationship that followed the painful Brexit process.

He also kept Britain firmly committed to supporting Ukraine, working alongside fellow “E3” partners French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz throughout his tenure.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took to the social media platform X to honor his service. “It can take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you became in just two years,” she wrote. “European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you. Thank you, dear Keir.”

Starmer first took office in 2024, defeating a deeply unpopular government that had overseen a struggling economy and a country still fractured by the divisive Brexit debate. But much like other European leaders of his era, he found himself unable to hold onto voters who had grown frustrated with mainstream political parties and were increasingly turning to anti-establishment movements promising dramatic change.

While critics at home often described him as lacking charisma and conviction, those qualities seemed to weigh less heavily on the international stage, where he was seen as a steady and dependable partner.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin issued a formal statement praising Starmer’s diplomatic efforts. “I want to acknowledge the significant role Keir played in resetting the Irish-British relationship as well as relations between the UK and the European Union during his time as prime minister,” Martin said.

Starmer continued the strong pro-Ukraine stance established by Conservative predecessors, including Boris Johnson, who threw Britain’s support behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy following Russia’s attack on Kyiv in 2022.

Zelenskiy personally thanked Starmer on X, saying he was grateful “for always being in touch, always engaged, and always striving to do what is needed.” He added that their conversations had always been “filled with real substance” and extended an open invitation: “Keir, you are always a welcome guest in Ukraine.”

A spokesperson for the German government described Starmer as “a reliable and close partner,” though German Chancellor Merz — himself dealing with record-low approval ratings and growing speculation about his political future — did not issue a personal statement.

The reaction from across the Atlantic was far less generous. U.S. President Donald Trump had actually announced Starmer’s departure a day before it was made official, and said the outgoing prime minister had “failed badly” on immigration and energy — two areas where Trump has sharply disagreed with British policy.

Russia, which views Britain as one of its chief adversaries largely due to its backing of Ukraine, went even further. A post on X from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev claimed responsibility for Starmer’s exit. “We did this jointly,” the post read, “by exposing Starmer’s warmongering and consistently wrong policies on immigration, crime, energy and economy.”

BERLIN (AP) — A German journalist whose fate had been a mystery for months following her detention in Syria is now free, according to her lawyer, who made the announcement Monday.

Eva Maria Michelmann walked out of a Damascus prison on Friday and made it back to Berlin that same day, her attorney Roland Meister confirmed in a written statement.

“She’s doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” Meister said, while cautioning that “this cautious wording is not an all-clear as to the physical and psychological consequences of her detention.”

The 36-year-old journalist, along with a Kurdish-Turkish colleague, was taken into custody by Syrian government forces back in January. The arrests came during the takeover of Raqqa, following military operations against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

For a period of time, no one knew where Michelmann was being held. It wasn’t until the Syrian government confirmed her detention that her situation became clearer. The Committee to Protect Journalists called for her release in April, and international pressure on her behalf continued to grow.

Her colleague, Kurdish-Turkish reporter Ahmet Polad, has not been released, and his current whereabouts remain unknown.

Meister called on authorities to immediately and unconditionally free Polad, and also demanded that doctors, lawyers, and his family be given unrestricted access to him.

Michelmann, who grew up in the western German city of Cologne, had been working as a reporter in Syria since 2022. She and Polad both worked for the Istanbul-based Etkin News Agency ETHA and Özgür TV, a broadcaster with operations across multiple European cities, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Her lawyer expressed gratitude toward staff at the German Foreign Ministry and the German embassies in Damascus and Beirut for their role in securing her release.

Martin Giese, a spokesperson for the German Foreign Office, told reporters: “The federal government is, of course, very relieved that Ms. Michelmann has been released. From the very first day we learned of her arrest, we have worked very, very hard to secure her release.”

Her family responded with great relief. Her brother, Antonius Michelmann, said: “I am immensely relieved that my sister is now free. This was only possible because of the tremendous solidarity shown to Eva and Ahmet and to both our families.”

He also made clear that the fight isn’t over: “It is now high time for Ahmet to be released as well.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is embarking on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East this week, visiting the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain from Tuesday through Thursday to make the case for the Trump administration’s preliminary agreement with Iran directly to Gulf Arab leaders.

While in Bahrain, Rubio is also scheduled to meet with the Gulf Cooperation Council — known as the GCC — a bloc of six Sunni-led monarchies that also includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott confirmed the trip on Monday.

Although GCC member nations have generally backed efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, many of those same leaders are uneasy about the specifics of the memorandum of understanding that President Donald Trump signed last week.

A major sticking point for regional officials is a provision that could establish a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Tehran. Gulf leaders fear Iran would use that money to rebuild its military and continue bankrolling proxy groups throughout the region. Adding to their anxiety is the deal’s silence on Iran’s ballistic missile program — a particularly sensitive issue for nations that have faced Iranian missile and drone attacks in recent months.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar all host American military installations, which form the foundation of U.S. military presence in the Middle East. Any shift — even a minor one — in how those countries approach their security relationship with Washington could carry significant consequences for U.S. strategy in the region.

Rubio’s visit is part of a broader wave of Iran-focused diplomacy. Trump signed the Iran memorandum of understanding on Wednesday during a visit with French President Emmanuel Macron at Versailles. The agreement starts a 60-day countdown for the United States and Iran to finalize a more comprehensive deal.

Over the weekend, a U.S. negotiating team led by Vice President JD Vance participated in talks in Switzerland, facilitated by Qatari and Pakistani mediators. The first phase of those discussions wrapped up Monday, with technical-level negotiations set to continue throughout the week.

The specific schedule for Rubio’s stops in each country, along with the full list of officials he plans to meet, had not been released as of Monday. In his statement, Pigott said Rubio — who also serves as the White House national security advisor — would “discuss a range of regional priorities including the memorandum of understanding with Iran, efforts to secure full and free safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and the importance of peace and stability in the region.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that Iran would have developed a nuclear weapon and deployed it against Israel had it not been for two recent military campaigns — but that claim is not backed by any publicly available evidence and contradicts findings from U.S. intelligence agencies and the United Nations nuclear watchdog.

Netanyahu has spent decades warning about the dangers of Iran’s disputed nuclear program, most notably during dramatic presentations at the United Nations. His rhetoric has intensified following a recent interim peace deal reached between the U.S. and Iran, and with Israeli elections scheduled later this year.

Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear activities are intended for peaceful purposes, even as it has enriched uranium to near-weapons-grade levels well beyond what civilian energy programs require. The United States and other nations say Iran operated a nuclear weapons program until 2003, when it was reportedly abandoned.

Even before the recent conflicts damaged Iran’s nuclear capabilities, the country was still months or years away from producing a functional atomic weapon — and there was no evidence it had made the decision to build one. Israel itself is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons.

Speaking Sunday at the JNS International Policy Summit, Netanyahu delivered remarks in English: “We have prevented Iran from carrying out a plan to annihilate us, and today they would have had a nuclear weapon, an atomic bomb to do so. Had we not acted in Operation Rising Lion and then in Operation Roaring Lion, Iran would have had atomic bombs. And let me tell you something, they would have used them.”

Iran and Israel have been bitter adversaries since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iranian leaders have repeatedly called for Israel’s destruction, while Netanyahu has made confronting Iran’s nuclear ambitions a defining mission since the 1990s, consistently warning that Tehran was on the verge of obtaining a bomb.

When U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement — a deal Netanyahu had long opposed — the United States reimposed and expanded severe economic sanctions on Iran that had been eased under the accord. Iran reacted by ramping up uranium enrichment to 60%, which is technically just one step below weapons-grade.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear oversight body, has pointed out that Iran is the only country without nuclear weapons that enriches uranium to that level. The IAEA’s director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, has said Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium could potentially be used to construct as many as 10 nuclear bombs, if Iran chose to pursue that path.

Despite this, there is no publicly available evidence that Iran has maintained an active nuclear weapons program since 2003, when the IAEA, the U.S., and others say Tehran shut down the effort as U.S. forces invaded Iraq. IAEA inspections, though increasingly restricted in recent years, have not uncovered any evidence of a weapons program.

To produce a deployable weapon, Iran would need to enrich uranium to 90% purity, construct an actual bomb, and likely miniaturize it for use on a ballistic missile. That entire process would require months or years and would carry a significant risk of detection by Israeli or American intelligence.

A 2025 report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which coordinates all U.S. intelligence agencies, stated plainly: “We continue to assess Iran is not building a nuclear weapon.”

Israel launched a 12-day military campaign against Iran in June 2025, known as Operation Rising Lion. During that conflict, the United States struck Iranian nuclear facilities, destroying centrifuges and halting uranium enrichment. That enrichment activity has not been known to resume, and the bombing is believed to have buried Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium underground. Iran has since prevented IAEA inspectors from accessing the bombed locations.

Following that conflict, Netanyahu boasted that Israel had sent Iran’s nuclear program “to oblivion.” The U.S. and Israel then carried out a surprise military operation on February 28, which Israel has named Operation Roaring Lion.

The initial strikes in that operation killed Iran’s longtime supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who held ultimate authority over the country’s nuclear decisions. Iranian diplomats say he had issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, prohibiting nuclear weapons.

His son and successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is believed to have been wounded in those strikes and has not made any public appearances since assuming leadership. He is regarded as a more hardline figure than his father and has not issued any statements regarding Iran’s nuclear intentions.

Some other Iranian officials have suggested the country should consider pursuing nuclear weapons if its survival is at stake.

MILAN (AP) — As the world grapples with economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, Milan’s fashion designers responded by stripping things down — at least in terms of silhouette, if not always in fabric choice.

During a sweltering Milan Fashion Week, designers largely opted for cleaner lines and simplified looks ahead of next summer’s season. Prada set the tone early, with co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons championing simplicity and familiar wardrobe staples reimagined through new proportions and fabrication choices.

That said, dressing for warm weather was far from simple on Milan’s runways. Leather and knitwear featured prominently in the Spring-Summer 2027 collections, raising the question of whether fashion’s elite will need air-conditioned spaces, mountain retreats, or cooler climates to pull off some of these looks.

The menswear collections, which concluded Monday, highlighted several key trends: a love of luxury materials, creative approaches to ventilation, and more relaxed tailoring — though a handful of designers threw restraint out the window entirely in favor of full-on glamour.

One of the season’s most unexpected themes was the staying power of leather. Prada drew inspiration from the everyday appeal of denim, creating slim five-pocket trousers paired with cropped, flat-pocketed jackets worn in place of shirts. Other houses used woven and perforated leather techniques to add breathability, even as the heat outside continued to rise.

After several seasons dominated by oversized, boxy fits, menswear appears to be moving back toward the body. Designers widely agreed that the well-dressed man still reaches for a suit — the question was simply how to make one wearable in the heat.

The answer, for many, was ventilation. Dress shirts were left unbuttoned, made sheer, or eliminated altogether. Long trousers stayed dominant, but cuts moved closer to the body. Dolce & Gabbana pushed this idea to the extreme with microshorts that put muscular legs on full display, while other brands left torsos uncovered.

Tailoring remained a cornerstone of the Milan collections, though it appeared in softer, more relaxed forms. Designers loosened construction, opened up necklines, and explored fabrics that allowed for better airflow. The overall effect was formal dressing adapted for a warming world.

The message was unmistakable: the suit isn’t disappearing, but it is evolving.

Not everyone got the memo on minimalism, however. Philipp Plein unveiled a crystal-covered denim outfit that requires days of painstaking handwork to produce. Dolce & Gabbana also leaned into decoration, incorporating beaded details reminiscent of coral.

Where Prada offered reduction, these designers delivered unapologetic excess and spectacle.

A less crowded Milan schedule gave newer designers room to shine alongside established powerhouses. Martin Quad made his Milan debut, bringing the inventive tailoring techniques that first earned him recognition in his home city of Copenhagen. Domenico Orefice presented a co-ed collection rooted in leather and richly textured woven fabrics.

Japanese designer Shinya Kozuka also made his Milan debut with what many considered one of the season’s most poetic and warm-weather-appropriate collections, highlighted by a bare-chested model in a flowing sheer teal coat styled over baggy white trousers.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Monday that he is resigning, making him the sixth leader in ten years to deliver a farewell address outside 10 Downing Street — a remarkable streak of political instability in the United Kingdom.

Starmer rode into office in 2024 on a sweeping Labour Party election victory, promising to bring order after years of Conservative-led turmoil, grow the economy, and deliver on a pledge to “rebuild Britain.” Less than two years into his tenure, his approval ratings collapsed and his government fell short of those ambitious goals, ultimately forcing him out.

Here is a look at how six prime ministers have cycled through Britain’s top office since 2016:

Cameron won a parliamentary majority in 2015, but resigned in June 2016 — the day after British voters chose to leave the European Union in a historic referendum that he had strongly opposed. Ironically, it was Cameron himself who called the referendum, hoping to put to rest long-running divisions within his party over Britain’s ties to Europe.

May governed from 2016 until May 2019, spending three largely unsuccessful years trying to steer Britain through its departure from the EU. She managed to reach a withdrawal agreement with the bloc, but her own Conservative colleagues repeatedly blocked it. Parliament rejected the deal three times — opposed by pro-EU lawmakers on one side and Brexit-hardliners on the other, who felt the agreement kept Britain too tightly linked to Europe. “I have done my best,” she said upon her exit.

Johnson, a polarizing and larger-than-life figure, guided Britain through its formal EU exit and led the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. But a mounting pile of ethics controversies ultimately ended his time in office. Accusations included being too cozy with party donors, shielding allies from misconduct allegations, and misleading Parliament about social gatherings held at government offices during pandemic lockdowns. After dozens of officials and close supporters walked away from his administration, Johnson had no choice but to go.

Truss holds the record as Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister, stepping down in October 2022 after just six weeks on the job. She came in promising to shake up the economy with bold free-market reforms, but her sweeping tax cut plan triggered financial and political chaos, gutting her support within the Conservative Party almost immediately.

Sunak took over from Truss in 2022 after earning the backing of his Conservative colleagues. He pledged to bring down inflation, clear a massive backlog in the public healthcare system, and crack down on illegal migration. Despite those promises, he was unable to reverse his party’s sliding poll numbers, and in 2024 he led the Conservatives to their worst electoral defeat in two hundred years of party history.

Starmer arrived at Downing Street in 2024 as the first Labour prime minister in 14 years, promising to repair the economy, restore crumbling public services, and renew public confidence in government. But close to two years later, he acknowledged that members of his own party no longer believe he is “best placed to lead us into the next general election” — and announced he would step aside.

LONDON (AP) — Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of Northern Ireland’s largest unionist political party, was found guilty Monday of rape and sexual abuse charges stemming from crimes committed against two girls over the course of several decades.

The 63-year-old was convicted at Newry Crown Court on one count of rape, four counts of gross indecency, and 13 counts of indecent assault. The offenses involved two girls and took place between 1985 and 2008.

Donaldson’s arrest two years ago effectively ended his prominent political career, during which he had been one of the most recognizable voices in Northern Ireland advocating for maintaining close ties with the United Kingdom. Following his arrest, he stepped down as leader of the conservative Democratic Unionist Party, known as the DUP, and relinquished his seat in the U.K. Parliament.

During the trial, Donaldson took the stand over two days and denied every allegation brought against him. At times visibly emotional, he insisted he was “crystal clear” that he had not raped one of the girls when she was a child. “It just didn’t happen, I am absolutely crystal clear about that,” he testified. “It is not something I would ever have done, it is just simply not true.”

Donaldson’s wife, Eleanor Donaldson, was determined to have aided and abetted her husband by witnessing the abuse and failing to intervene. However, due to mental health concerns, she underwent only a fact-finding hearing, a process that does not allow for a criminal conviction.

The two victims, who testified that the abuse began when they were around primary school age, described being groped by Donaldson. The older of the two, referred to throughout the proceedings as Complainant B, stated that he raped her.

Complainant B also recalled a meeting that took place in the 1990s at a Christian center, where she had been staying while dealing with drug-related issues. She said that during that encounter, Donaldson apologized “for what had happened in the past.” Donaldson, however, claimed the apology was only for making her feel uncomfortable at the meeting itself.

In a separate written communication, Donaldson sent a letter to Complainant A in 2020 expressing regret for “hurt, pain and distress” he said he had caused. He maintained the letter had nothing to do with sexual abuse allegations and referred instead to other conduct. In the letter, he wrote, “I know how deep the wounds are caused by my sinful and selfish actions,” and expressed hope that God would “lift a sinner out of the deep pit of sin.”

At least 15 people — most of them students — lost their lives Monday when a fire broke out at an animation training center in the city of Lucknow in northern India, according to authorities.

The blaze ignited in the Aliganj neighborhood of Lucknow, which serves as the capital of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, according to local media reports.

Video footage from the scene showed uniformed personnel carrying bodies away from the building while onlookers gathered in the area.

Police said approximately 21 students were inside the facility when the fire started. Two of those students suffered serious injuries, while four others were reported to be in stable condition.

The facility provided animation training to its students, according to the state’s Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who spoke with reporters at the scene. He said investigators are working to determine what caused the fire.

The deadly incident comes weeks after a hotel fire in Delhi on June 3 claimed the lives of more than 20 people, including roughly a dozen foreign nationals. That earlier tragedy had already sparked widespread concern about fire safety standards in India’s national capital.

BUDAPEST — Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar stood before parliament on Monday and announced that his government would pursue a constitutional amendment to remove the country’s president from office, while also unveiling a sweeping package of anti-corruption reforms.

Magyar told lawmakers that his administration would take wide-ranging economic, political, and legal steps to address corruption in Hungary, including the establishment of a new National Asset Protection and Recovery Office.

Magyar has labeled the reform package “Operation Purgatory.” Here are the key elements of the plan:

The government intends to amend 47 laws to build the legal framework for the new National Asset Protection and Recovery Office, which would investigate suspected misuse of public funds going back two decades.

Magyar claims that corruption has drained between 8% and 10% of Hungary’s gross domestic product in recent years.

A constitutional amendment would be used to remove President Tamas Sulyok from office. Magyar has accused Sulyok — described as one of Hungary’s least popular politicians — of helping to sustain the influence of right-wing former leader Viktor Orban. Sulyok has denied having any political agenda, saying he simply provided necessary checks and balances.

If Sulyok is removed, parliament would elect a new president to serve a term of up to five years.

Lawmaker Gergely Gulyas, a member of the previous ruling party Fidesz, sharply criticized Magyar’s address, calling it “slanderous and appalling.”

A wide-ranging constitutional review, including public consultations, is scheduled to begin in the fall. Any new constitution would be put to a public referendum.

Proposed legal changes would set a mandatory retirement age of 70 for judges on the Constitutional Court, which holds the power to block certain legislation. Under that rule, Orban ally Peter Polt would be required to step down as head judge.

Additional reforms would allow two-thirds of judges to initiate the removal of the heads of the Kuria — Hungary’s supreme court — and the National Judicial Office, provided two-thirds of lawmakers also approve.

The plan also calls for limiting lawmakers’ terms in office to a maximum of 12 years.

Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of Northern Ireland’s largest unionist party, was convicted Monday of historic sexual offenses committed against two women when they were children — marking one of the most high-profile criminal cases the British-run region has seen in recent memory.

A jury at Newry Crown Court found Donaldson guilty on one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault, and four counts of gross indecency. The offenses were committed against two victims at various times between 1985 and 2008. Donaldson had denied every charge brought against him.

At 63 years old, Donaldson was among the most recognizable political figures in Northern Ireland when authorities arrested and charged him in March 2024. He immediately resigned as head of the Democratic Unionist Party — a party founded by Protestant clergyman Ian Paisley during three decades of sectarian violence that came to an end with a peace agreement in 1998.

Donaldson held the distinction of being Northern Ireland’s longest-serving member of the British parliament, having first won election in 1997. Just two months before his arrest, he had negotiated an agreement with the British government over post-Brexit trade arrangements, which enabled the Democratic Unionist Party to end its boycott of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government.

In 2016, he was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth in recognition of his contributions to public service.

The same jury also determined that Donaldson’s wife, Eleanor, had aided and abetted her husband in the offenses. She too had denied the charges against her.

Last month, the court ruled Eleanor Donaldson unfit to stand trial because of mental health concerns, which meant she could not be found criminally guilty in the traditional sense. Instead, she faced what is known as a trial of the facts — a separate concurrent proceeding in which jurors were asked only to determine whether she committed the acts, not whether she was legally guilty or not guilty.

A devastating fire ripped through a commercial building in the northern Indian city of Lucknow on Monday, leaving at least 14 people dead — most of them students — according to officials.

The fire ignited in the Aliganj neighborhood. The building housed a pet shop and veterinary clinic on its lower levels, while a study center and an animation studio occupied the upper floors.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak confirmed that 14 bodies had been recovered from the scene. Officials also reported that at least 10 survivors were pulled from the building and transported to a hospital for medical care.

Investigators had not yet determined what caused the fire.

Videos circulating on social media captured people climbing out of shattered windows in a desperate attempt to escape the flames. One clip appeared to show a man plunging from an upper floor during his escape attempt. Local media outlets reported that he survived and was taken to the hospital.

Firefighters were forced to break through a rear wall to gain entry to the building after thick smoke blocked their access. Officials said exhaust fans were deployed to help clear the smoke while emergency crews methodically searched rooms and restrooms for anyone still trapped inside.

Mohammad Asin, who worked at the animation studio, described the terrifying moments after the fire broke out. He and his coworkers had just come back from their lunch break when they were warned about the fire.

“At first we thought it was a small fire. By the time we tried to leave, smoke had filled the rooms and passageways,” he said.

Fatal fires occur with troubling frequency across India, where building codes and safety regulations are routinely ignored by both developers and occupants.

CAIRO — Libyan warlord Ossama Anjiem, better known as Ossama al-Masri, has been found guilty of human rights abuses carried out at a detention center in western Libya, authorities announced Sunday.

Al-Masri, who headed the Tripoli branch of the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution, received a sentence of seven years and four months behind bars. Libya’s attorney general’s office stated he was convicted of “violating the rights of inmates” who came forward with accounts of “torture, cruelty and degrading treatment.”

The detention center where the abuses reportedly occurred is one of several facilities operated by the government-backed Special Defense Force, or SDF — a military police unit charged with addressing crimes including kidnappings, murders, and illegal migration. Despite that mandate, the SDF has been linked to serious atrocities during Libya’s ongoing civil war. The institution did not respond when asked for comment.

Back in January 2025, the International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant for al-Masri, alleging “crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, rape and sexual violence, allegedly committed in Libya from February 2015 onwards.”

Al-Masri was taken into custody in Turin after arriving in Italy from Germany to attend a soccer match — the day after he crossed into the country. Italy, however, set him free on a technicality and then expelled him back to Libya, a move that infuriated human rights advocates and triggered an ICC investigation into why Italy chose not to transfer him to The Hague.

Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio defended the release at the time, arguing that the ICC’s arrest warrant was contradictory and legally flawed.

In addition to the prison term handed down Sunday, the Tripoli Criminal Court ordered that al-Masri be stripped of his legal capacity and civil rights for the duration of his sentence and for one additional year following his release.

Libya has been mired in instability since a NATO-backed revolt overthrew and killed longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Since then, rival governments — one in the country’s east and one in the west — have competed for control, each supported by various armed factions and foreign powers.

At present, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah leads the internationally recognized government based in Tripoli in the west, while Prime Minister Ossama Hammad governs the eastern administration. Military commander Khalifa Hifter, who leads the Libyan National Army, also holds significant influence in the east.

Libya continues to serve as a key transit route for migrants from across Africa and the Middle East who risk dangerous sea crossings in hopes of reaching Europe, fleeing conflict and economic hardship.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer admitted Monday that he no longer has the backing of his own Labour Party members in Parliament, announcing he will leave office once a new party leader is selected — potentially as early as mid-July.

The announcement was set in motion by Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, whose overwhelming win in a special U.K. by-election last Thursday triggered Starmer’s departure. Burnham has since confirmed he intends to run for the Labour leadership.

Burnham is widely viewed as the leading candidate to take over, largely because his Thursday victory in the Makerfield constituency in northwest England was so commanding that it demonstrated broad appeal across the political spectrum.

Even as Labour struggled with poor poll numbers and significant losses in local elections back in May, Burnham bucked the trend. He fended off the candidate from the anti-immigration Reform UK party and pulled in votes from other left-leaning parties as well, pushing Labour’s share of the vote to nearly 55%. Analysts say a similar performance nationally in the next general election would likely keep Labour in power.

While Starmer did not refer to Burnham by name in his resignation statement delivered outside the prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street, he acknowledged “with good grace” that he was not the right person to lead Labour into the next national election.

That next general election does not need to take place until 2029. Under British political rules, parties are permitted to change leaders during a term without triggering a general election.

Here is a look at how the coming weeks could play out:

Burnham, who is 56 years old, arrived in London on Monday and was sworn in as a member of Parliament — his return to the role after nearly ten years away, during which he served as the popular mayor of Greater Manchester.

Shortly after Starmer made his statement, Burnham confirmed he would seek the Labour leadership. He described Starmer’s exit as the start of a transition period and stressed the importance of handling it responsibly. “The country expects stability, seriousness and a continued focus on the issues that matter most and that is what it will get,” Burnham stated.

Starmer said he will remain in his role as prime minister until a successor is in place. He indicated that Labour’s national executive committee will open the nomination process on July 9.

If Burnham turns out to be the only candidate, he could be confirmed as party leader within a week or two after that. However, a contested race would likely push the outcome into September.

Burnham has already gained the support of Wes Streeting, who stepped down as health secretary last month and had previously suggested he might run himself. Streeting threw his support behind Burnham, saying “he can win the fight of our lives against the forces of nationalism” — a reference to the anti-immigration Reform UK party led by Nigel Farage, which has surpassed Labour in opinion polls since the July 2024 general election. “We could spend the summer exaggerating small differences, or we can roll up our sleeves and help him to deliver the change our party and our country needs,” Streeting added.

Other potential candidates have not yet responded publicly to Starmer’s announcement. Those names include Starmer’s former deputy Angela Rayner, who stepped down last September over an unpaid property tax issue, and Al Carns, who resigned last week from his position as armed forces minister over disagreements with Starmer’s defense funding plans.

Many within Labour are hoping no one challenges Burnham, which would allow him to move into 10 Downing Street before the party’s autumn conference. Burnham himself was noncommittal when asked whether he would prefer an uncontested path to the leadership as he boarded a train from Manchester to London.

To enter the leadership race, candidates must secure support from at least one-fifth of Labour’s House of Commons lawmakers — that equals 81 members. Candidates who clear that bar must then win backing from either 5% of local constituency parties or at least three party affiliates, such as trade unions and cooperative societies.

Eligible party members and affiliates would then cast ranked-choice votes, with the winner being the first candidate to surpass 50% support. King Charles III would then formally invite the winner to become prime minister and form a new government.

PRAGUE (AP) — Employees at Czech public radio, including journalists and other staff members, formed a human chain around the broadcaster’s Prague headquarters on Monday as part of a 24-hour warning strike aimed at pushing back against a government proposal to restructure how public media is funded.

The proposal, put forward by the government of populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, has sparked widespread concern about the potential erosion of media independence in the country.

Under the plan, which the government approved last week, public radio and television would no longer be supported through fees collected from individuals, households, and businesses. Instead, both broadcasters would receive their funding directly from the state budget beginning next year.

Opponents of the change argue it would hand the three-party coalition government significant leverage over public media outlets. They point to similar situations in neighboring countries, drawing comparisons to the influence populist governments have exerted over media in Slovakia under Prime Minister Robert Fico and in Hungary under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

The financial impact would also be considerable. According to the proposal, public broadcasters would see their funding cut by roughly 15% this year. The heads of both public radio and television warned that such a reduction would force them to lay off hundreds of employees, scale back production, and cancel programming.

Protesters dressed in black as they stood shoulder to shoulder outside the radio station’s building, symbolically forming a barrier to defend its independence. Some broadcasts were delayed by a minute during the action, and the station’s online and social media activity was scaled back as part of the demonstration.

Strike organizers indicated that additional actions are being planned, though they did not provide specific details about what those next steps might involve.

A Russian drone strike targeting the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine has killed three people from the same family, including a teenage boy, a regional official announced Monday.

According to Oleh Hryhorov, the head of the regional military administration, the attack struck a residential home and claimed the lives of a 36-year-old man, his 13-year-old son, and a 73-year-old woman who was the mother of the man’s partner. The man’s partner and their 10-year-old son survived but were wounded in the attack.

Russia has relentlessly targeted civilian areas across Ukraine with drones and missiles since launching its full-scale invasion more than four years ago. The United Nations reports that more than 16,000 civilians have died in the conflict, and U.S.-led peace negotiations have so far been unable to halt the fighting.

The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reports that civilian casualties have been rising sharply in recent weeks as Russian forces struggle to make meaningful gains on the battlefield. In May alone, at least 274 civilians were killed and 1,763 were injured — the highest monthly death toll since April 2022. The monitoring mission noted that most of those casualties occurred in cities located far from the front lines.

In a separate overnight attack, a Russian drone strike on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed one woman and left three others injured, including an 11-year-old boy, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov.

Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched a total of 88 long-range attack drones and one ballistic missile overnight. Air defense systems managed to shoot down or electronically jam 79 of those drones.

Ukraine also launched a significant drone campaign of its own, with Russia’s Defense Ministry reporting that its forces intercepted 301 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple Russian regions, the illegally annexed Crimea peninsula, and over the Azov and Black seas.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed that 84 Ukrainian drones aimed at the Russian capital were brought down. He did not address whether any damage occurred, but all four of Moscow’s airports temporarily suspended flights following the attack. Residential buildings in Russia’s Vladimir region, east of Moscow, and the Tula region to the south were also evacuated as a precaution, local Russian authorities reported.

Last month, a commander from Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group known as Ali Rizkallah arrived in the capital city of Khartoum, was outfitted in a military uniform, and assigned a rank within the very armed forces he had been battling for roughly three years.

The military-backed government celebrated his switch of sides — the most recent in a string of high-profile defections that have been shifting Sudan’s wartime alliances and strengthening the army’s position in one of the most devastating conflicts of this century.

However, the sight of Rizkallah and other former RSF figures walking freely and holding press conferences has provoked deep anger among many people who fear these men will never face justice for crimes allegedly committed under their command.

“These RSF soldiers, even if they seek God’s forgiveness, I can’t forgive them because of what I saw face to face,” said Halima Ismail, a woman living in western Darfur, in an interview with Reuters. She described how forces under Rizkallah’s command fired weapons into the air during a 2024 attack on a village where she had taken shelter.

Sudan’s civil war is estimated to have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, uprooted millions of people, and triggered widespread famine and disease since the RSF and the army turned against each other and began fighting in April 2023.

Some of the most severe violence has taken place in Darfur, the RSF’s stronghold where Rizkallah — commonly referred to by his nickname “al-Savannah” — served as a military commander. The RSF faced accusations of committing atrocities during its assault on the city of al-Fashir last October, which was the subject of a Reuters documentary.

Another senior commander from North Darfur, al-Nour Guba, also crossed over to the military side in April. Speaking to Reuters, Guba rejected the notion that he defected to avoid legal consequences, and stated that any former RSF commanders who carried out crimes should be brought to justice.

“If anyone from the Sudanese people has anything against us, I swear we are ready,” he said.

Rizkallah, who did not respond to requests for comment, has previously stated publicly that he would turn himself in if formally accused of wrongdoing. Neither Sudan’s military-affiliated government nor the RSF — which has denied committing atrocities in Darfur — responded to requests for comment.

Ismail, now taking refuge in the Darfur village of Tawila, said she had been forced to flee her home multiple times as RSF fighters raided communities surrounding al-Fashir. She recounted witnessing women being raped and said she herself was whipped by RSF fighters.

“You can see the scars on my arms, all the way down my legs,” she said.

In the neighboring Kordofan region, resentment runs equally deep. A merchant in the town of al-Nuhud told Reuters he intends to file a private lawsuit against Rizkallah under Sudan’s sharia law framework, alleging that one of Rizkallah’s units looted peanuts and gum arabic from his storage facilities.

“What happened is the responsibility of Savannah, the RSF, and the army that did not protect us,” said the trader, who spoke anonymously out of concern for his personal safety.

Mohamed Salaheldin, a member of the executive board of Emergency Lawyers, an activist organization, said such individual lawsuits were unlikely to move forward given the chaos of wartime. “This issue can’t be dealt with piecemeal — it needs transitional justice,” he said.

This stands in stark contrast to 243 cases tracked by Emergency Lawyers that have gone to trial against individuals accused of collaborating with the RSF, on charges that include providing intelligence and cooking meals for RSF fighters during their occupation of various areas.

Analysts say the army is deliberately encouraging these defections to exploit ethnic divisions within the RSF. Emadeddin Badi, a senior fellow at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, explained that many top RSF commanders belong to the Arab Rizeigat tribe, which has experienced growing internal tensions between its clans — particularly after an RSF raid earlier this year on the hometown of army-aligned figure Musa Hilal.

Hilal is a member of the Mahamid clan, as is Rizkallah. In his Reuters interview, Guba pointed to these internal dynamics, describing the RSF as being “based on a racist, tribal” structure that primarily served the interests of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

The army is hoping that these internal fractures could produce results similar to what happened in the central state of El Gezira, where the defection of militia commander Abuagla Keikal — who had been aligned with the RSF — helped turn the tide of battle in 2024, according to Badi.

“There’s a military rationale, but the social repercussions are probably underappreciated by the armed forces,” he added.

BERLIN — The German government announced Monday that it plans to acquire a 40% ownership stake in defense contractor KNDS, a company whose military hardware includes Leopard and Leclerc tanks, as part of a broader effort to bolster European defense production alongside NATO partner France.

France’s government already holds a 50% share in KNDS, a company created in 2015 through the merger of Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and France’s Nexter. The remaining ownership is held by the German family connected to Krauss-Maffei Wegmann.

KNDS, which is based in Amsterdam, reported revenues of 4.4 billion euros — roughly $5 billion — last year and employs more than 11,000 people worldwide.

European nations have been working to increase defense spending, ramp up weapons production, and grow their military forces in response to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and growing uncertainty about the reliability of the United States as an ally.

In a statement, the German government said its planned investment “will secure long-term influence on a company that is strategically significant for European security and defense capability.” It added that the move will also strengthen “national industrial value creation, as well as technological sovereignty and the protection of security interests and key technologies in Germany.”

A joint statement released by both governments said France and Germany have reached an agreement on how KNDS will be managed and governed, noting that both countries “intend to become joint shareholders through transactions aiming at equal shareholding levels for both countries.”

The statement did not provide a specific timeline for when the transactions would be completed or what the final ownership percentages would be. However, it indicated the agreement could open the door for a potential initial public offering of KNDS in the near future.

Together, the two governments said their deal “reflects the shared determination of France and Germany to strengthen Europe’s industrial and defense capabilities, support their armed forces, and strengthen European sovereignty over the long term.”

In addition to tanks, KNDS manufactures Puma infantry fighting vehicles, as well as Boxer and Dingo armored personnel carriers.

LONDON (AP) — When Keir Starmer was elected Britain’s prime minister, voters saw him as a steady, reliable figure who could put an end to years of turmoil under Conservative leadership. He was seen as dependable rather than dazzling — exactly what many thought the country needed.

But his time in office is now coming to a close in under two years, brought down by a string of political blunders, divisions within his own party, and one catastrophic appointment that drew him into the orbit of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal — a man Starmer had never personally met and whose crimes he had no part in.

On Monday, Starmer delivered an emotional announcement that he is stepping away from the leadership of the governing Labour Party. He will remain as a caretaker prime minister while the party selects a new leader in the weeks ahead.

“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” he said. “I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question, and I accept that answer with good grace.”

Rob Ford, a political science professor at the University of Manchester, noted that Starmer’s appeal had been built on a promise of “no more soap opera politics.” But Ford said the government turned out to be “the antithesis of what he said he was going to be about, and it’s very hard to survive that.”

The breaking point came when Labour suffered a crushing defeat in a midterm round of local and regional elections on May 7. That loss set off a wave of government resignations and internal challenges that appear poised to bring former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham into 10 Downing Street.

The fall from grace is dramatic when measured against where Starmer stood on July 4, 2024, when he led the center-left Labour Party back to power after 14 years in opposition, capturing 411 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons.

The day after that victory, standing outside the prime minister’s official residence, Starmer vowed to restore “respect to politics” and build a government rooted in “public service.” After the turbulence of the final years of Conservative rule — which saw scandals and the rapid removal of prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss — Starmer pledged to dial back the drama and make governing more routine.

Some of the seeds of his downfall were planted in the nature of his victory itself. Despite Labour’s commanding majority in Parliament, the party had only earned the support of 34% of voters, with many of those votes appearing to reflect frustration with the Conservatives rather than genuine enthusiasm for Labour.

That lukewarm foundation was further weakened by a succession of stumbles. Early controversy over accepting gifts — including designer eyeglasses and tickets to a Taylor Swift concert — was followed by a series of policy reversals, most notably awkward efforts to reduce welfare spending that sparked outrage among Labour members.

What ultimately ended his tenure, however, was his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States.

Mandelson was viewed as well-suited to help Britain manage relations during U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term. His background in trade and his ease among the wealthy were seen as valuable credentials, and he helped negotiate a trade agreement that shielded Britain from some of the tariffs Trump had imposed globally.

But the appointment turned disastrous. Mandelson had referred to himself as Epstein’s “best pal” back in 2003, and in September 2025, documents surfaced revealing just how deep that connection ran. Starmer dismissed Mandelson from the post, but additional revelations in the months that followed sent his leadership into a tailspin.

Ford noted that because Starmer came to politics in his 50s following a distinguished legal career, he lacked the “political radar” needed to detect potential pitfalls before they became crises.

That legal career had been a distinguished one — Starmer rose to become chief prosecutor for England and Wales, handling cases involving terrorism, organized crime, and other serious matters. He was knighted for his leadership of the Crown Prosecution Service, and political opponents used his title, Sir Keir Starmer, to portray him as out of touch — an elite “lefty London lawyer.”

That characterization persisted even though Starmer’s background was far from privileged. The son of a toolmaker — a fact he frequently referenced in speeches — he has a passion for soccer and still plays the sport at age 63. He enjoys watching his favorite team, Arsenal, over a beer at his local pub. He and his wife Victoria, who works in occupational health, have two teenage children they have worked hard to keep away from public scrutiny.

Starmer first won a seat in Parliament in 2015 and was chosen to lead and rebuild Labour five years later, following the party’s worst election performance since 1935. He took over from veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn, who had steered Labour to defeats in both 2017 and 2019. Starmer moved the party toward the political center, abandoned some of his predecessor’s more left-leaning positions, and issued an apology for antisemitism that an internal investigation found had been allowed to take hold under Corbyn.

His sharp, prosecutorial style served him well in Parliament, where he relentlessly challenged the three Conservative prime ministers he faced. He was particularly cutting in his attacks on Boris Johnson over the parties held inside Downing Street during the COVID-19 pandemic, in clear violation of the nation’s own lockdown rules.

Yet the role of prime minister demands a different kind of skill, and Starmer frequently came up short domestically, lacking the adaptability and political instincts the position requires.

He appeared far more at ease on the world stage — particularly in rallying European backing for Ukraine in its war against Russia and in working to contain the fallout from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

That conflict created tension between Starmer and Trump, with whom he had initially built a cordial relationship despite their very different political outlooks.

“He’s liberal, which is a bit different from me, but I think he’s a very good person and I think he’s done a very good job thus far,” Trump said in January.

Starmer initially avoided public criticism of Trump, but began speaking out more forcefully after the U.S. president made threats regarding Greenland. His criticism sharpened further once the Iran conflict began, and by March, Trump was dismissing him as “not Winston Churchill” and taking jabs at the Royal Navy.

Starmer’s choice to keep Britain largely out of the Iran conflict was well-received by the British public, but it did nothing to reverse his party’s declining poll numbers.

Many Labour members of Parliament, elected with relatively narrow margins in their districts, grew increasingly nervous as the party’s standing in polls continued to fall. Starmer’s personal approval rating sank to among the lowest ever recorded for a sitting prime minister.

For much of the Labour caucus, the Mandelson-Epstein revelations were the last straw, exposing what they saw as a serious lapse in Starmer’s judgment.

Significant anger arose over the fact that Mandelson had been placed in such a sensitive, high-visibility role at all. Starmer removed him after a first set of emails published in September showed Mandelson had maintained a friendship with Epstein even after the late financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor.

Then, emails released in January 2026 indicated that Mandelson had also shared sensitive government information — information that could potentially affect financial markets — with the disgraced financier in 2009, while serving as a member of the Labour Cabinet.

Mandelson has since been arrested and questioned by police on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has not been charged, and faces no allegations of sexual misconduct.

Making matters worse was the disclosure that Mandelson had been appointed despite failing security screening required for the ambassador position. Starmer’s apologies and his claims that he had been unaware of the failed vetting process found fewer and fewer sympathetic ears.

In the House of Commons on April 28, Labour lawmaker Emma Lewell said she felt “let down, disappointed and angry,” describing Mandelson’s appointment as “a fundamental failure of judgment.”

Following Labour’s drubbing at the polls in May’s local and regional elections, the party moved quickly. A Labour lawmaker in Greater Manchester stepped aside to allow Burnham to run for a parliamentary seat. Burnham won by a wide margin and described the moment as a “turning point” for British politics. Within days, Starmer announced he would be stepping down.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stepped down as head of the governing Labour Party on Monday, potentially making him the sixth leader in a decade to leave office ahead of schedule — and clearing the path for the United Kingdom’s seventh prime minister in just over ten years.

Starmer announced he will not immediately vacate 10 Downing Street, instead staying on as caretaker prime minister while Labour selects a new leader. He said nominations will open on July 9 and close when Parliament begins its summer recess, currently set to start July 16. Even if a leadership contest develops, Starmer said a successor would be in place by September 1.

In his remarks outside Downing Street, an emotional Starmer reflected on his time in office and explained his decision.

“Walking up this street two years ago was the proudest moment of my life. A new Labour government. The first in 14 years. A page in our country’s history turned after years of disappointment and despair. … The chance to change the lives of millions of people for the better. That’s what I came into politics for,” he said.

Starmer acknowledged the pressure he faced from within his own party, saying: “The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election. I have heard the answer of my parliamentary party to that question. And I accept that answer with good grace.”

He added: “Every decision I’ve taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party. I have spoken to His Majesty the King this morning to inform him of my decision. I will remain in post as Prime Minister until the contest is complete. And I will do everything I can to ensure an orderly handover of power.”

His voice noticeably broke with emotion toward the end of the brief address. As he began speaking, protesters nearby played Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” — the anthem of the European Union.

Former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is widely seen as the leading candidate to take over. Burnham, who until last week served as Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, won a special parliamentary election and was set to be sworn in as a member of Parliament on Monday. He has since confirmed he will run for the Labour leadership.

Another prominent contender, Wes Streeting, announced he would throw his support behind Burnham — a move that could allow Burnham to secure the leadership without a formal contest.

Starmer won a sweeping general election victory in July 2024 but saw his popularity and that of his party fall sharply during his two years in office, amid a series of political missteps that eroded public confidence.

International leaders offered reactions to the news. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised Starmer’s record, writing on X: “It can take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you became in just two years. European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you. Thank you, dear Keir.”

A spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described Starmer as “a reliable and close partner in foreign policy questions, particularly regarding Ukraine,” while declining to weigh in on the “internal motives in Britain.” The spokesperson added that a planned Wednesday meeting in Berlin of the so-called “E5” nations — Germany, France, Britain, Italy, and Poland — is expected to proceed as scheduled. That gathering is part of preparations for the upcoming NATO summit.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said whoever succeeds Starmer must address deeper problems in British governance. “The British people are sick of being let down by an endless merry-go-round of prime ministers while nothing really changes for them,” Davey said. “This time must be different. It can’t just be about changing who’s in No. 10, it has to be about changing our broken politics so we can fix our country.”

Green Party leader Zack Polanski also called for significant change, saying the UK needs a “bold change of direction.” Referring to Burnham, Polanski warned: “The time for half measures and sticking plasters is long gone — if he becomes the next PM, Burnham must be bold or he will be bust.”

Starmer’s departure continues a turbulent stretch for British leadership. He had succeeded Rishi Sunak, who held the office from 2022 to 2024. Before Sunak, Liz Truss served only 45 days. Truss followed three other Conservative prime ministers: Boris Johnson (2019–2022), Theresa May (2016–2019), and David Cameron (2010–2016).

Starmer delivered his resignation speech at a lectern bearing the royal coat of arms — a crest featuring a lion and a unicorn that has been part of British royal symbolism since the 17th century. The lion, though never native to England, is its national animal. The unicorn, though mythical, is Scotland’s official animal. The two were united on the crest in 1603 when King James I took the English throne, having already ruled Scotland as King James VI.

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s former justice minister has been handed a 25-year prison sentence after a court determined he played a key part in helping ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol carry out a brief but dramatic declaration of martial law in 2024.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Park Sung-jae was deeply involved in Yoon’s attempt to consolidate power following the martial law declaration on December 3, 2024. According to the court, Park directed ministry officials to evaluate how many people correctional facilities could hold in preparation for detaining politicians.

The court also found that Park instructed officials to look into deploying prosecutors to Yoon’s martial law command to assist with potential investigations targeting political opponents. Those investigations would have been tied to Yoon’s unverified allegations of election fraud by liberal political figures. Park additionally ordered immigration officials to be ready to enforce travel restrictions, the court stated.

Yoon’s martial law decree came after years of political conflict with liberals who controlled the legislature. The measure lasted only about six hours before lawmakers managed to push past a military blockade Yoon had set up around the National Assembly and voted to cancel it, compelling Yoon’s Cabinet to rescind the order.

Judge Lee Jin-gwan said Park had abandoned his constitutional duty by participating in what the judge called a “self-coup” — an attempt by a sitting leader to seize unchecked power. The judge noted that Park’s contributions would have been pivotal if Yoon had succeeded in neutralizing his political rivals and blocking the legislature from overturning the martial law declaration.

Park maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, arguing he was simply carrying out obligations required during a national emergency. His legal team did not immediately indicate whether they plan to file an appeal.

Yoon himself was impeached and removed from office on December 14, 2024, and the Constitutional Court formally ousted him in April 2025. He was arrested in July 2025, and several criminal cases against him remain active. The Seoul court previously sentenced Yoon to life in prison on rebellion charges. In a separate case, he received a 30-year sentence for allegedly ordering drone flights over Pyongyang in October 2024, which prosecutors say was intended to stoke tensions with North Korea and provide justification for declaring martial law. Yoon has appealed both convictions.

Park joins a growing list of former Cabinet members sentenced to prison for their roles in the martial law episode. Former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun received a 30-year sentence for his central role in mobilizing the military and pursuing arrests of political opponents, along with a separate 30-year term connected to the Pyongyang drone flights. Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was initially sentenced to 23 years for helping lend official legitimacy to Yoon’s decree by pushing it through a formal Cabinet approval process, though an appeals court later reduced that sentence to 15 years.

LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he would be stepping down, positioning the United Kingdom to welcome its seventh head of government in just ten years.

The roots of this prolonged political turbulence stretch back to the Brexit referendum, which fell exactly ten years prior on Tuesday. In the years following that historic vote, Britain has worked to chart an independent course but has found it difficult to stimulate a sluggish economy burdened by significant debt, an expanding welfare bill, and an increasingly unstable global landscape.

JUNE 2016: BREXIT VOTE SHOCKS THE WORLD, CAMERON STEPS DOWN

British voters delivered a stunning result by choosing to leave the European Union by a margin of 52% to 48%, ending a membership spanning more than four decades and triggering the country’s gravest political crisis since World War Two. Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron announced his departure, and the party selected Theresa May to take his place.

JUNE 2017: SNAP ELECTION GAMBLE FAILS

With strong poll numbers and a desire for a larger parliamentary majority to advance Brexit legislation, May called a surprise election. The move backfired — the Conservatives lost their majority and were forced to enter into an agreement with Northern Ireland’s pro-UK Democratic Unionist Party to hold onto power.

MAY 2019: PARLIAMENTARY GRIDLOCK ENDS MAY’S TENURE, JOHNSON STEPS IN

Unable to break a parliamentary stalemate over the terms of Britain’s EU departure, May resigned. Boris Johnson, a prominent figure in the pro-Brexit movement, won the internal Conservative Party vote to become the new prime minister.

DECEMBER 2019: CONSERVATIVES WIN BIG UNDER JOHNSON

With parliament still deadlocked over Brexit, Johnson called another snap election. Running on the straightforward slogan “Get Brexit Done,” he led the Conservatives to their most decisive election victory since Margaret Thatcher’s landslide win in 1987.

JANUARY 2020: BRITAIN EXITS THE EU

Armed with a fresh mandate, Johnson pushed a Brexit agreement through parliament and finalized terms with Brussels. On January 31, 2020, Britain officially left the European Union, becoming the first nation ever to withdraw from the bloc.

JULY 2022: JOHNSON FORCED OUT

Johnson steered Britain through the COVID-19 pandemic — even spending time hospitalized with the illness himself — but an accumulation of scandals and poor decisions eventually caught up with him. A revolt among his own ministers led to his resignation.

SEPTEMBER 2022: TRUSS ENTERS AND EXITS IN RECORD TIME

Liz Truss defeated Rishi Sunak in the race to replace Johnson. Her so-called “mini-budget,” which included unfunded tax cuts, rattled financial markets and sent borrowing costs soaring, severely damaging Britain’s standing for fiscal and political reliability. She lasted just 44 days before announcing she would resign.

OCTOBER 2022: SUNAK TAKES THE HELM

Sunak became Britain’s third prime minister within a single calendar year, vowing to bring stability back to government. He outlined five core pledges centered on the economy, curbing illegal immigration, and fixing the health system. In February 2023, he reached an agreement with the EU on trade arrangements for Northern Ireland, helping to ease tensions with the bloc.

MAY 2024: SUNAK CALLS AN ELECTION

With Labour holding roughly a 20-point lead in opinion polls, Sunak announced a general election for July 4.

JULY 2024: STARMER WINS POWER

On July 5, 2024, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer addressed supporters following a landslide election victory. “We said we would end the chaos and we will,” he declared — though the win came with the smallest share of the electoral vote of any majority government in modern history.

AUGUST 2024: STARMER SOUNDS THE ALARM ON FINANCES

Starmer raised concerns about the country’s financial condition, describing what Labour had inherited as “an economic black hole” and cautioning voters that “things will get worse before they get better.”

OCTOBER 2024: LABOUR DELIVERS ITS FIRST BUDGET

Finance minister Rachel Reeves unveiled tax increases totaling £40 billion — roughly $52.76 billion — per year, largely driven by higher employer social security contributions. The move pushed Britain’s peacetime tax burden to its highest recorded level and drew sharp criticism from the business community.

FEBRUARY 2025: REFORM UK SURGES IN THE POLLS

For the first time, the right-wing, anti-immigration party Reform UK pulled ahead of Labour in a national opinion poll. The party, headed by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, has continued to lead in polls ever since.

JUNE 2025: STARMER REVERSES WELFARE CUTS UNDER PRESSURE

Facing the prospect of a defeat in parliament at the hands of his own lawmakers, Starmer was compelled to abandon plans to reduce Britain’s welfare expenditures.

SEPTEMBER–APRIL 2025: AMBASSADOR APPOINTMENT SPARKS CONTROVERSY

Scrutiny intensified over Starmer’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington. Mandelson was eventually dismissed due to his connections to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, raising doubts about Starmer’s judgment and the thoroughness of the vetting process.

MAY 2026: LOCAL ELECTIONS DELIVER A BLOW TO LABOUR

Labour suffered significant defeats in English local elections and in votes for the Scottish and Welsh assemblies, fueling further doubts about Starmer’s leadership. Reform UK emerged as the primary winner from Labour’s losses.

MAY 2026: HEALTH MINISTER STEPS DOWN

Health Minister Wes Streeting resigned, stating he had lost faith in Starmer’s ability to lead. He called for a leadership contest and indicated he intended to put his name forward as a candidate.

JUNE 2026: DEFENCE MINISTER ALSO QUITS

Defence Minister John Healey departed after a months-long disagreement over military spending, accusing Starmer of refusing to commit sufficient funds to protect the country against growing threats.

JUNE 2026: BURNHAM VICTORY CLEARS PATH FOR LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham secured a victory in an election in northern England, soundly defeating Reform UK in the process. His return to Westminster eliminated a significant barrier to a potential leadership challenge against Starmer.

BRUSSELS — China’s top environment official delivered a firm message Monday: the worldwide effort to combat climate change will not be derailed simply because some countries choose to step away.

“The multilateral process will not stop or even slow down because of the absence of individual countries,” said Chinese environment minister Huang Runqiu, addressing a gathering of nations convened to discuss climate action.

The meeting, held in Brussels, was jointly organized by China, the European Union, and Canada. Representatives from Japan, Australia, and South Africa were among those who also attended.

The remarks come after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement in January — the international treaty widely considered the cornerstone of global climate policy. The U.S. is the world’s largest economy.

This marks the second time the U.S. has exited the Paris accord. Trump also withdrew during his first term in office back in 2017. Notably, no other nation has followed the United States in leaving the treaty.

Keir Starmer was once celebrated as the pragmatic, steady leader Britain needed after years of political turmoil. But when he announced his resignation as prime minister on Monday, it was that same absence of strong ideology — the very quality that had helped carry him to power — that many blamed for his fall.

Starmer led the Labour Party to a historic parliamentary majority in 2024, the largest in Britain’s modern era. Yet rather than laying out a bold vision for the country’s future, he focused narrowly on what he thought was achievable. That approach quickly wore thin.

More than 20 Labour insiders said voters and party members alike came to view him as someone without conviction or direction. One senior Labour lawmaker described the absence of “a guiding light” in his leadership. Without it, the former lawyer found himself pulled in different directions by competing factions within his own party, pressured by outside interests, and unable to connect with a skeptical public that grew to resent what many saw as indecision and stiff, robotic public appearances.

His tenure was marked by policies that fell apart, a revolving door of resignations and firings among his staff, and a communications team that struggled to craft any coherent story about what his government actually stood for.

As pressure mounted, the 63-year-old prime minister increasingly leaned on his wife Victoria for guidance. On May 12 — five days after a crushing set of local election results triggered calls for him to step aside — he had a long lunch with her and came away resolved to continue fighting. But a weekend retreat at the prime minister’s official country residence at Chequers with Victoria appeared to be the turning point that convinced him to accept the inevitable and step down.

Standing outside his Downing Street residence, Starmer pledged to ensure a smooth handover of power to the next Labour leader, widely expected to be Andy Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor.

“The question my party is asking now is whether I am best placed to lead us into the next general election,” he said in an emotional address, his voice breaking as he thanked his family for their support. “I have heard the answer from my parliamentary party to that question and I accept that answer with good grace.”

By the time he resigned, Starmer had become deeply unpopular with voters, weighed down by broken campaign promises and repeated policy reversals. Even some of his most trusted cabinet allies had privately begun urging him to step aside rather than drag the party through a damaging leadership battle. His earlier vows to fight on quickly gave way once most of the party concluded they could not head into the next national election, due in 2029, with him leading the charge.

Burnham had recently won a parliamentary seat in northwestern England and was being hailed as a “Reform slayer” — someone with a real shot at holding back the populist movement led by veteran Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage.

Fear of Farage’s growing influence was a driving force behind the push to remove Starmer. Lawmaker Catherine West, who broke ranks during the May 9-10 weekend to pressure others into mounting a challenge against the prime minister, put it bluntly: “I would do anything to stop Farage.”

Starmer’s political journey had been remarkable in its own right. He became a Labour lawmaker in 2015 at the age of 52, and just five years later took over the party following its worst election performance since 1935 under his predecessor, veteran left-winger Jeremy Corbyn — a tenure defined by antisemitism allegations and a muddled position on Brexit.

Drawing on his background running the Crown Prosecution Service, an independent body that advises police and handles criminal prosecutions, Starmer set about modernizing Labour and making it a credible governing force. He tackled antisemitism accusations, reined in internal factionalism, stabilized the party’s finances, assembled a strong front bench, and developed a policy platform aimed at addressing Britain’s needs.

“Everything we offer will be built on a bedrock of economic stability and a plan for growth,” his spokesperson said at the time.

At first, the strategy worked. Labour won a commanding majority in Britain’s 650-seat parliament. But analysts were quick to note the victory’s fragility — the party actually recorded one of its lowest vote shares in history, and the win relied heavily on tactical voting. After 14 years of Conservative infighting, Brexit chaos, and five prime ministers in eight years, the opposition had essentially self-destructed.

Prominent pollster John Curtice summed it up: “All in all this looks more like an election the Conservatives lost than one Labour won.”

That shaky foundation made governing all the harder. Starmer’s team had deliberately avoided detailed policy planning during the campaign to avoid scaring off voters. One person from his inner circle recalled being told to “stop” developing policy so as not to “frighten people in advance of the general election.” As that person remembered: “We don’t have a plan for what we’re going to do when we get in, if we do get in, because it might jinx it.”

Once in office, the government struggled both to define its agenda and to follow through on it — chasing economic growth that never materialized, trying to curb illegal migration that continued unabated, and attempting to fix a health system that kept presenting new crises.

Starmer repeatedly tried to highlight his government’s accomplishments — improvements to workers’ rights, reductions in health service wait times, and an economic climate that allowed for interest rate cuts. But a former aide said he never managed to offer voters “a destination” — a clear endpoint that would help them understand and connect with his decisions.

Instead, the public fixated on a series of missteps: controversies over personal gifts and donations, policy reversals, and the appointment of Labour veteran Peter Mandelson despite his known ties to the late convicted U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Starmer’s claim that he had not been fully informed about the extent of Mandelson’s connections left many feeling he was either out of touch or not in control. “It was a bad appointment,” said one former aide, who suggested it had been pushed through by just two other former advisers.

The atmosphere inside Downing Street grew increasingly tense. Some aides pointed fingers at a hostile right-wing media, but after one attempted reset followed another, Starmer consistently failed to project what one adviser described as “his passion for these domestic causes.” He lost key staff members, including his former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, in the fallout from the Mandelson controversy, and his relationship with Britain’s civil service deteriorated after he dismissed the top official at the foreign office.

Starmer fared better on the world stage. He earned praise from some European counterparts for helping to lead the so-called “coalition of the willing” — nations prepared to assist in the event of a Ukraine peace agreement. Alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, he also played a role in talks aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

He initially made some headway with U.S. President Donald Trump, at times appealing to his ego by offering a second state visit to Britain and praising Trump’s efforts toward peace in Ukraine and other conflicts. That goodwill soured, however, after Starmer declined to involve Britain in military action against Iran. On Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. He failed badly on two very important subjects — IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well!” Trump had also said Starmer was no Winston Churchill.

Perhaps Starmer’s most lasting mark on Britain will be the splintering of its traditional two-party political system. Local elections in England and parliamentary votes in Scotland and Wales showed that system had been shattered, with the Reform party establishing a powerful presence across the country. Labour membership numbers declined while Reform’s surged past 270,000.

Starmer had tried to use that threat to rally his own base, warning Labour in February that the battle against Reform was “the fight of our lives.” In the end, it was a fight he could not win.

Indonesia is working on a plan to weave artificial intelligence into several of its flagship government programs, including a massive $15 billion initiative to provide free meals to citizens, according to a draft presidential regulation reviewed by Reuters.

The document outlines a roadmap for government ministries and regional agencies to adopt AI technology between 2026 and 2029. Officials believe the effort could grow Indonesia’s gross domestic product by 12%, or roughly $366 billion, by 2030. The stated goals include driving economic growth and making Indonesia more competitive with neighboring countries in the region and around the world.

Compared to Singapore and Malaysia — which have attracted billions of dollars in investment from major technology companies looking to build cloud and AI infrastructure — Indonesia has been slower to advance in the AI space.

The draft regulation has not been previously reported and is currently awaiting the signature of President Prabowo Subianto. His office did not respond to a request for comment on timing.

Tech analyst Wahyudi Djafar, who helped write portions of the regulation and serves on a government AI task force, said companies including Meta Platforms, IBM, and Microsoft contributed to the drafting process. Those companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In 2024, Microsoft announced a $1.7 billion commitment to expand cloud and AI services in Indonesia over several years.

Within the free meals program, the draft says AI would be used to design menus tailored to specific regions, track kitchen cleanliness, forecast food demand, flag irregularities, and connect health data to support early emergency warnings.

The free meals program has faced significant scrutiny. Earlier this month, the head of the program was removed from his position and arrested. Tens of thousands of children experienced food poisoning last year, raising concerns about safety standards. Questions about spending efficiency have also surfaced given Indonesia’s tight budget situation.

Beyond the meal program, the regulation calls for AI to assist with health screenings and tuberculosis testing across the country.

The document also revisits a proposal for a “sovereign AI fund” to be managed primarily through the country’s new wealth fund, Danantara Indonesia, and suggests offering financial incentives to AI researchers while working to address workforce skill gaps.

A companion regulation in the draft would require government bodies to report AI-related risks, including the misuse of biometric data, violations of intellectual property, and the spread of deepfakes.

Not everyone is optimistic about the plan’s prospects. Derwin Suhartono, a professor of artificial intelligence at Bina Nusantara University in Jakarta, said Indonesia has yet to establish itself as a competitive player in AI development and warned the country “may stay as a consumer of products that foreign companies sell to.” He also cautioned that while a structured roadmap for using AI in government programs is possible, the execution so far has been “all rhetoric.”

Analysts more broadly note that Indonesia lacks the infrastructure — including computer chips — and the skilled workforce needed to become a true AI developer rather than simply a user of technology built elsewhere.

DILI, East Timor (AP) — Francisco Guterres, who served as president of East Timor and was a central figure in the nation’s long fight for independence, has passed away at the age of 71.

Guterres, commonly known by his resistance nickname “Lu Olo,” died Sunday at Prince Court Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, according to a statement posted on his official Facebook page by his family. No cause of death was immediately provided. He had been receiving treatment in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

He held the presidency from 2017 to 2022, the culmination of a lifetime dedicated to the political and armed struggle that ultimately brought independence to Southeast Asia’s youngest nation in 2002.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim extended his condolences to Guterres’ family and the people of East Timor, also known as Timor Leste. “Throughout his life, he remained committed to the freedom of his people and the building of a democratic nation,” Ibrahim said.

Fretilin, the political party Guterres had led for many years, described his passing as a “profound loss” for everyone who shared the vision of a free, democratic, and sovereign East Timor. The party noted his unwavering commitment to the independence cause and his contributions to national unity, dialogue, peace, and political stability over the course of his public life.

Born on September 7, 1954, in Ossu, a town in the Viqueque District of what was then Portuguese Timor, Guterres became a prominent voice in the resistance against Indonesia’s occupation of the territory, which lasted from 1975 to 1999. As a senior leader within Fretilin, he played an important role in guiding the country through its transition to independence following a United Nations-backed referendum in 1999.

Guterres served as president of the Constituent Assembly in 2001, where he oversaw the creation of East Timor’s constitution. After independence was achieved in 2002, he became the first speaker of the National Parliament. Though he made several unsuccessful attempts at the presidency, he was finally elected in 2017 and served one term. In 2022, he lost his reelection campaign to current President Jose Ramos-Horta, another veteran of the independence movement.

He is survived by his wife, Cidalia Lopes Nobre Mouzinho Guterres, and their children. Funeral arrangements had not yet been announced at the time of this report.

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Two Palestinian teenagers were fatally shot by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank on Monday, Palestinian officials reported. The Israeli military, however, stated that the individuals had launched an attack on a neighboring Jewish settlement using fire bombs and burning tires.

Palestinian officials did not provide additional comment on the deadly incident, which occurred in the Beit Ummar area. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported the two teens were 15 and 19 years old, a detail confirmed to Reuters by a relative of the victims.

Reuters was not able to independently confirm the Israeli military’s version of events. According to the military, its forces opened fire on three individuals who were hurling fire bombs and burning tires near the settlement of Karmei Tzur. Of the three, two were killed and one was wounded, the military said. WAFA reported that the surviving individual was taken to a hospital and is listed in stable condition. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society identified that person as 15 years old.

Israeli military forces conduct raids throughout the West Bank on a regular basis and have increasingly restricted movement for Palestinians living near settlements in recent months.

United Nations bodies and the majority of countries consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal under international law and a major barrier to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israel disputes this characterization, arguing the land is contested rather than occupied and pointing to a Jewish historical presence in the region spanning thousands of years.

Attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their communities have also increased significantly. According to U.N. data, at least 57 Palestinians have been killed so far this year in incidents involving settlers and the military.

Palestinians have also conducted attacks targeting Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank. Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service reports that at least one such attack proved deadly in 2026.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia and Canada have officially signed a $1.75 billion export agreement to construct an Australian-designed long-range radar system on Canadian soil.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Canadian Secretary of State for Defense Procurement Stephen Fuhr put their signatures on the first phase of the agreement Monday, which calls for deploying early warning radar coverage from the Canada-United States border northward into the Arctic.

Speaking to reporters at Australian Parliament House in the capital Canberra, Marles described the significance of the agreement. “What this really means is that Australia and Canada are now partners in terms of the future development of the Over-the-Horizon Radar,” he said, adding, “There is now a very strategic dimension to the relationship.”

Fuhr, speaking alongside Marles at a joint press conference, highlighted the longstanding bond between the two nations, both members of the British Commonwealth and the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance — which also counts the United States, Britain, and New Zealand as partners. “As the world adjusts to its new strategic and economic realities, I can’t think of a stronger partner to work with more than Australia,” Fuhr said.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had announced his preference for the Australian radar technology over comparable American systems shortly after taking office last year. In March, Carney became the first Canadian prime minister to travel to Australia in 12 years. During that visit, Carney and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese agreed to expand cooperation in defense technologies, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals.

BAE Systems Australia released a statement confirming it will assist both governments in developing the Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar. The Australian system, which took more than four decades to develop, operates by bouncing high-frequency electromagnetic waves off the ionosphere, allowing it to detect objects far beyond the reach of standard radar systems — objects that would otherwise be hidden by the natural curvature of the Earth.

The agreement represents Australia’s single largest defense export in the country’s history. The previous record was a $700 million deal finalized in 2024 to supply Germany with 100 Australian-manufactured Boxer heavy weapon carrier vehicles.

MANILA, Philippines — Two teenage students opened fire inside a high school in the central Philippines on Monday morning, killing three of their fellow students and injuring seven others, according to police.

The two suspects, ages 14 and 15, each carried a pistol during the attack. Both were taken into custody. Regional police chief Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy confirmed that the suspects and all of their victims were enrolled at San Jose National High School in Tacloban city, where the shooting occurred mid-morning.

Authorities launched an investigation to determine what motivated the attack at the government-run school, which serves more than 1,500 students. Capoy said the two suspects, who were reportedly close friends, told investigators during initial questioning that they had been bullied at school. He did not provide additional details.

Neither suspect had a prior criminal record, and it remains unclear how they obtained the weapons. Capoy noted that the guns were brought onto campus because only a single security guard was on duty across multiple entry and exit points.

“The suspects barged into two rooms because after the shooting in the first, the children scampered and the suspects apparently ran after some victims into another room,” Capoy told reporters.

Capoy added that the majority of those killed and wounded were female students.

One of the suspects was apprehended at the school shortly after the attack. The second fled and took refuge in a nearby home, where he was located after residents alerted police to his whereabouts.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and called on law enforcement to strengthen security measures at schools, workplaces, and public spaces throughout the country, according to Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro.

“The president was saddened by this incident. Anybody, especially the parents of the victims, will feel sad and terrified,” Castro said.

National police urged the public to stay calm and assist investigators by sharing any relevant information tied to the case.

While gun-related crimes are common in the Philippines — largely due to the widespread presence of unlicensed firearms — shootings inside schools remain relatively uncommon.

BUCHAREST — Romania’s prime minister-designate Adrian Vestea formally requested a parliamentary confidence vote late Sunday, counting on support from the country’s largest party. However, political analysts say his cabinet stands little chance of passing without votes from far-right opposition lawmakers.

Centrist President Nicusor Dan nominated Vestea, a member of the Liberal Party, earlier this week — a move made without consulting the party itself. Observers described it as a bold attempt to restore a pro-European government capable of pursuing economic reforms and reducing Romania’s budget deficit, the largest in the European Union.

The backdrop to this political standoff is the collapse of the previous pro-European coalition government in early May. That administration, led by Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Ilie Bolojan, fell apart when the leftist Social Democrats broke from the coalition and joined with far-right opposition parties in a successful no-confidence vote.

On Sunday, the Liberal Party made clear it would not support Vestea, voting to expel him from the party and threatening to remove any member who backs or joins his proposed government. The Liberals also announced they would no longer govern alongside the Social Democrats.

Despite that, the Social Democrats announced Sunday they would support Vestea’s cabinet, which includes nine Social Democrat ministers and the government’s secretary general. The Social Democrats had previously indicated they were open to rejoining a pro-European coalition — provided the prime minister was someone other than Bolojan.

The Liberals’ refusal to back Vestea was echoed by their former junior coalition partners — the centre-right Save Romania Union and the ethnic Hungarian UDMR party — making it extremely difficult for Vestea’s government to win a parliamentary majority without defectors, independents, or far-right support.

The hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians, known as AUR, is currently parliament’s largest party and leads all other parties by a wide margin in public opinion polls.

AUR vice president and senator Petrisor Peiu took to Facebook on Monday to weigh in, saying, “Nicusor Dan and PSD have placed themselves in the difficult situation of proposing a government that cannot pass through parliament.” He added that the best path forward for Romania would be holding an early election, asking pointedly, “Why would AUR self-destruct to save PSD?”

The prolonged political instability puts at risk Romania’s ability to access billions of euros in European Union funds and maintain its sovereign credit rating at investment grade. Romania’s next regularly scheduled parliamentary election is not set to occur until 2028, and the country has never held an early election in its history.

TYRE, Lebanon (AP) — Dust still lingers over the ancient Mediterranean city of Tyre following weeks of relentless Israeli airstrikes that have left the Lebanese coastal city deeply scarred.

Though a fragile quiet has descended on the area, daily life has come to a near-complete standstill.

A fresh ceasefire between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah is now in effect, but residents remain anxious — previous ceasefires have collapsed before. Fear and uncertainty continue to grip the population, even as the United States and Iran hold talks in Switzerland that Lebanese residents are hoping will finally bring stability to their country.

More than 4,000 people in Lebanon have lost their lives in Israeli strikes since the current Israel-Hezbollah conflict erupted in March, two days after the Iran war began, when Hezbollah launched attacks against Israel. The militant group has also engaged in fighting with Israeli forces who have pushed deeper into southern Lebanon than at any point in more than 25 years.

Vast portions of southern Lebanon now lie in ruins — and Tyre is no exception.

In the summer months, Tyre — Lebanon’s fourth largest city — typically draws crowds of tourists who come to relax on its beaches, explore its Roman ruins, dine on fresh seafood at charming waterfront restaurants, and take in the scenery from boat tours.

Today, the scene is starkly different. The few restaurants that remain open sit with empty tables. Parking areas that once overflowed with beachgoers’ cars now serve as makeshift camps, with displaced families living in tents. Fishermen say they are afraid to venture far from the harbor, fearing they could be targeted.

LONDON (AP) — Simon Boyd builds prefabricated steel structures on England’s south coast and exports them to clients in places like Ghana and Barbados. Mike Hawes leads the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, representing the country’s automotive industry. The two business figures stood on opposite sides when the Brexit debate raged a decade ago — yet today, both share the same frustration over how things have turned out.

Ten years ago, supporters of leaving the European Union promised a bold new era for Britain — one where the country would reclaim authority over its own laws and borders, free from Brussels bureaucrats, and where the economy would thrive. That vision has not materialized. Instead, Britain has struggled to find its footing after losing seamless access to the EU’s single market, which encompasses 27 nations and roughly 450 million consumers.

The country’s economic growth has been sluggish at best. Taxes are elevated, public services are under strain, and government after government has failed to stop the steady stream of migrants crossing the English Channel in small inflatable boats. In short, there is little cause for celebration on this anniversary.

Boyd, who still supports the original Brexit decision, acknowledged the shortcomings. “No, it’s not delivered everything that was said it would deliver on the tin, but it is delivering,” he told The Associated Press. “It’s very sluggish. You only need to look at the statistics to see that.”

As managing director of REIDSteel — a company with around 130 employees based in Christchurch, England — Boyd places the blame for poor results on politicians who lacked the commitment to follow through. He also points to a series of unforeseen crises over the past decade, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The fallout from the Brexit vote began almost immediately, as businesses braced for an uncertain future during years of drawn-out negotiations over the U.K.’s new terms with the EU. When Britain formally departed the bloc on January 31, 2020, newly established trade rules made conducting business with European partners more expensive and time-consuming than before.

Creon Butler, who oversees the global economy and finance program at Chatham House, a London-based think tank, said the consequences of leaving the European single market have been far-reaching. “Whatever was promised, whatever one hoped for, (you have) to accept that it has been a major loss of wealth and prosperity for us through the choice we made to leave,” he said. “That’s a decision the British public have made, and they’re entitled to make it, but it does make us poorer.”

A recently published report from the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, backs up that assessment. Compiled by researchers from Britain, Germany, and the United States, the report measured the U.K. economy’s performance against 33 other countries, including European neighbors, the U.S., Canada, and Japan. The findings concluded that Brexit has shrunk Britain’s gross domestic product — a key measure of economic output — by 6% to 8%, cut investment by 12% to 13%, and reduced productivity by 3% to 4%.

The automotive sector was among the loudest voices against Brexit from the start, warning that the added red tape around parts shipments and finished vehicles would hurt an industry built on cross-border supply chains spanning multiple European countries. Those warnings proved well-founded. International automakers became less inclined to view Britain as an attractive gateway to European consumers, dampening investment. The industry is now looking to international trade agreements to help pick up the slack.

“We have been able to move with the times, so to speak, but undoubtedly it’s putting us at more cost into the industry, more pressure,” said Hawes.

Brexit backers frequently cited the ability to strike independent trade deals as one of the biggest upsides of leaving the EU, and Britain has since reached agreements with dozens of countries, including Australia, India, and the United States. Even so, EU nations still account for 41% of Britain’s exports and half of its imports, according to the latest government data.

Over more than five decades as an EU member, British businesses also grew accustomed to drawing workers from across Europe — particularly after the bloc expanded eastward in 2004. That access ended when Brexit eliminated the free movement of labor.

Few industries have felt that loss more acutely than Britain’s curry restaurant sector. Owners across the country — from Aberdeen in Scotland to Aberystwyth in Wales — have struggled after Eastern European workers returned home rather than navigate complex new visa requirements. Adding to their frustration, many in the industry had supported Brexit after being told it would open the door to more visas for South Asian cooks — a promise that was never kept.

“We feel betrayed,” said Oli Khan, president of the Bangladesh Caterers Association UK, who runs a restaurant in Stevenage, north of London, serving dishes like tandoori lamb chops, vegetable biryani, and chili paneer.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has responded to the economic stagnation by opening talks with the EU aimed at forging a closer relationship, hoping to inject new life into Britain’s sluggish economy.

Those efforts come as new polling data suggests public disillusionment with Brexit is deepening. A survey of 2,245 Britons aged 18 and older, conducted in May by Ipsos, the Policy Institute at King’s College London, and the think tank UK in a Changing Europe, found that 48% of respondents said Brexit was going worse than they had anticipated — up sharply from 28% in March 2021. Only about 9% said it was going better than expected, while roughly one in three said it was going about as they had foreseen.

Boyd, however, maintains that the most meaningful vote was the one cast on June 23, 2016, when 51.9% of voters — totaling 17.4 million people — chose to leave the EU. He remains convinced that Britain’s best days lie ahead outside the bloc, arguing that entrenched political and corporate interests sabotaged a genuine Brexit by keeping the country too closely aligned with the EU. That, he says, prevented Britain from unlocking its full potential as an entrepreneurial, innovative nation.

And he is firm that there is no turning back. “Imagine if we were to rejoin … today. The conditions upon which we would be allowed back in would be akin to us re-boarding the Titanic on the condition that we surrender our life vests first,” he said. “Need I say any more?”

Colombia has taken a sharp turn to the right, choosing nationalist attorney and political outsider Abelardo De La Espriella as its next president — a move that analysts say further solidifies a sweeping conservative wave rolling across Latin America.

Meanwhile, in Peru, officials are still tallying disputed votes from that country’s June 7 presidential runoff. Early projections show conservative Keiko Fujimori on track to win by a razor-thin margin of just over 0.2%, which would give her the presidency after three previous unsuccessful bids.

With Colombia and Peru now trending right, they join Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Panama in a regional shift that sharply contrasts with the so-called “pink tide” — a period in the early 2020s when a wave of leftist governments rose to power across the continent, including Colombia’s outgoing President Gustavo Petro, the country’s first leftist head of state.

Under Colombian law, a final verified vote count supervised by notaries and judges is required before results are official. That process was nearly finished late Sunday, though it remains to be seen whether it will fully match the initial tally.

Analysts point to struggling economies and surging crime rates as the driving forces behind the region’s political realignment. Once-fringe hard-right candidates have found growing audiences by pledging to crack down on lawlessness, riding a global wave of right-wing nationalism and benefiting from President Donald Trump’s push to counter China’s expanding footprint in Latin America and assert greater U.S. influence over the region.

“This is an unusual alignment of the stars for Trump,” said Steven Levitsky, a professor of Latin American Studies and government at Harvard University. “Rarely do you see a large number of governments as ideologically convergent as we’re seeing now.”

Over the past year, Trump has ordered military strikes that killed more than 150 people aboard suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean, launched a right-wing regional coalition called the Shield of the Americas, and captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a raid on Caracas.

Colombia’s Petro had been among Trump’s harshest critics in the region, drawing threats of military action and economic sanctions in response. De La Espriella stands in stark contrast — he is a self-described Trump supporter. A naturalized U.S. citizen who previously lived in Miami, De La Espriella received Trump’s endorsement before the runoff election. He has promised to join the Shield of the Americas, take a hard line against drug traffickers, cut business regulations and taxes, and restart oil and gas projects that were shelved under Petro.

His victory arrives as Colombia grapples with natural gas shortages, even as global energy markets are being rattled by the war on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

With significant oil reserves in Guyana and Venezuela — which Trump has pledged to help develop — and one of the world’s largest shale formations located in Argentina, experts suggest Latin America is positioned to emerge as a major global energy supplier.

Right-wing governments in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Colombia have built support on promises of tax relief, reduced government spending, and relaxed rules for mining and fossil fuel development. But many of those same governments are now wrestling with budget deficits, leading to unpopular spending cuts that have sparked public protests.

Bolivia declared a state of emergency this past weekend and began clearing blockades that had brought the country to a standstill for more than 50 days, as labor unions and other groups protested austerity measures introduced by center-right President Rodrigo Paz.

In Chile, President Jose Antonio Kast saw his approval numbers drop sharply after the Iran conflict prompted his government to raise fuel prices. In Argentina, President Javier Milei’s belt-tightening policies have been met with repeated demonstrations.

Security remains a stubborn challenge despite tough-on-crime campaign pledges. In Ecuador, homicides jumped 30% last year, with President Daniel Noboa’s government attributing the spike to territorial conflicts among fragmented criminal gangs. Murder rates have also climbed in Costa Rica under right-wing populist Rodrigo Chaves, and his successor, President Laura Fernandez, has pledged a war on crime — though killings remain high as the small Central American nation has become a major transit point for South American cocaine bound for the U.S. and Europe.

For De La Espriella, governing Colombia will be no easy task. Analysts say drug trafficking, illegal mining, and minimal government presence in remote parts of the country pose serious obstacles.

He won by less than 1% and will have to navigate a divided Congress, where his opponent Ivan Cepeda’s Historic Pact party controls more seats than any other faction.

De La Espriella’s fashion choices and his proposal to build mega-prisons have invited comparisons to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who has dubbed himself the “world’s coolest dictator.” De La Espriella has pushed back on that characterization.

“Colombia is a much larger country and far more complex to manage than El Salvador, and importing El Salvador’s security solutions into Colombia is not feasible, whether legally, budget-wise, or in terms of international engagement,” said Sergio Guzman, founder of Colombia Risk Analysis.

Harvard’s Levitsky added that De La Espriella will need to work within Colombia’s established democratic institutions to advance any reforms, warning that “if he tries to be more radical then he can get into some trouble.”

LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is widely expected to lay out a departure timeline as soon as Monday, yielding to growing demands from within his own Labour Party to step aside and pass the torch of leadership.

Should he follow through, Starmer would join a long line of predecessors, becoming the sixth prime minister in the past decade to make an early exit announcement from outside 10 Downing Street.

Starmer spent the weekend weighing his political future after Labour rival Andy Burnham claimed victory in a special parliamentary election. Burnham, who stepped down last week as the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, entered the race with the explicit goal of challenging Starmer for both the party leadership and the country’s top job.

Burnham is scheduled to be formally sworn in as a member of Parliament on Monday.

Starmer’s office offered no comment on reports of a potential resignation. However, Business Secretary Peter Kyle said Sunday that Starmer is “making time to reflect on the political realities, challenges and opportunities that he finds himself in.”

Whether Burnham would face a clear path to leadership or a competitive contest remains to be seen. Wes Streeting, who stepped down as health secretary last month in protest of Starmer’s leadership style, has publicly stated he intends to run if a leadership contest takes place.

Frustration with Starmer has been growing among Labour lawmakers for months. Party members have been eager to reverse the government’s falling popularity since Starmer led Labour to a sweeping election victory in July 2024.

His tenure has been marked by struggles to deliver on promises of economic growth, restore deteriorating public services, and ease financial pressures on ordinary citizens. His leadership has also been dogged by a series of missteps, including his decision to name Peter Mandelson — a figure with ties to Jeffrey Epstein and a history of controversy — as the UK’s ambassador to the United States.

Labour is hemorrhaging liberal voters to the expanding Green Party while simultaneously facing a surge from Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage that has consistently topped national opinion polls.

U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in even before any official announcement, tying Starmer’s potential exit to two of his frequent talking points: immigration and energy policy.

“Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. He failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well! President DJT,” Trump wrote on his social media platform.

It was not clear whether Trump’s post was a reaction to media speculation about Starmer’s plans. The two leaders did not speak over the weekend, and their once-cordial relationship has reportedly cooled in recent months over disagreements including the Iran conflict, which the United Kingdom chose not to join.

On the world stage, Starmer has earned recognition for his diplomatic efforts, particularly in uniting European nations in support of Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing invasion and working to manage the fallout from the Iran conflict.

Not all Labour voices have joined the chorus calling for Starmer’s exit. London legislator Neil Coyle pushed back sharply on the situation, writing on X: “the prospect of an utter stitch-up & the media circus being rewarded.” He added, “When the next leader cannot change Trump, Iran, Ukraine, Putin, Musk, broadcast editorial & algorithm bias overnight they’ll bay for his blood too. Better keep that guillotine sharp.”

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia’s deeply divided electorate handed conservative political newcomer Abelardo de la Espriella a razor-thin advantage in a presidential runoff Sunday, though the results face an imminent legal challenge from the opposing camp.

De la Espriella — a business owner and attorney who secured an endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump despite never previously seeking elected office — captured 49.7% of the vote with 99.9% of ballots counted. His opponent, progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda, an ally of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, received 48.7% support. Electoral authorities have not yet formally declared a winner.

Should de la Espriella prevail, his administration is expected to reverse many of Petro’s policies, including a controversial effort to conduct simultaneous peace talks with multiple illegal armed groups — an initiative that has largely fallen short. Cepeda had promised to continue that approach along with broader social reforms if he had won Sunday’s vote.

The campaign unfolded against a backdrop of widespread public anxiety over the possibility of renewed internal conflict in the country.

Addressing thousands of supporters from behind bulletproof glass in the northern city of Barranquilla on Sunday night, de la Espriella — known by the nickname “The Tiger” — opened with a unifying message before shifting to a more combative tone.

“I will govern for all Colombians,” he said, before adding: “Pack your bags and prepare to exercise the opposition. Make no mistake, Mr. Cepeda. You already know how fiercely the tiger roars.”

Speaking to his own supporters in Bogota after the results were tallied, Cepeda declared the vote count “unofficial and non-binding” and announced his campaign would contest results from more than 30,000 polling stations. It is worth noting that no presidential election recount in Colombian history has ever reversed an outcome. Petro also pledged to join the challenge.

“We will not allow … the rollback of the social gains we have achieved,” Cepeda said. “We will not allow democracy to be violated.”

The winner of Sunday’s election will begin a four-year presidential term on August 7.

The two candidates offered starkly contrasting visions for addressing the ongoing violence — including car bombings, kidnappings, forced disappearances, and mass displacements — that has plagued Colombia for decades.

De la Espriella, 47, advocated for a tough-on-crime stance, particularly regarding drug trafficking. He pledged to end Petro’s dialogue efforts with armed groups and proposed building large-scale prisons modeled after the aggressive security policies of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele — measures that have reduced homicide rates in that country but have also drawn human rights criticism. De la Espriella holds both Colombian and U.S. citizenship and is a member of the Republican Party.

Trump weighed in on the results via his social media platform, writing: “He Won, BIG!”

Yolanda Hernández, a 49-year-old who earns her living recycling trash, said she voted for Petro in 2022 but chose de la Espriella this time around. While she acknowledged that congressional gridlock prevented Petro from delivering on his promises to the poor, she said the country cannot afford another four years of his leadership.

“We want change in Colombia because it’s always the same violence, always the same thing,” Hernández said. “(Petro) said he was going to lower the cost of services, that he was going to lower the price of food, and everything is more expensive.”

Will Freeman, a fellow for Latin American Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the close result indicates Colombia “has not shifted overwhelmingly or decisively” either against Petro’s agenda or in favor of de la Espriella’s outsider “iron fist showmanship.” Freeman also noted the outcome highlighted deep regional divisions within the country.

“It’s regional not just ideological polarization; or rather, the two overlapping,” Freeman said. “Ironically, de la Espriella’s iron-fist message performed best in the core of the country, not the periphery, which bears the brunt of Colombia’s violence.”

Colombia’s illegal armed groups currently number more than 27,000 members. Last year, authorities recorded 14,780 homicides — the highest total since at least 2015 — driven largely by clashes between those groups. Among those killed was conservative presidential candidate Miguel Uribe.

MELBOURNE, Australia — In what officials are calling the biggest cocaine seizure in Australian history, law enforcement discovered 2.7 metric tons — roughly 3 tons — of the drug hidden on a property on the outer edge of Sydney, authorities announced Monday.

The discovery was made on June 19 in the suburb of Londonderry, on Sydney’s western outskirts. According to a statement from the Queensland Joint Organized Crime Taskforce, the cocaine was packed into plastic tubs and buried in underground bunkers concealed beneath three shipping containers on a semirural piece of land. The containers were equipped with false floors that allowed access to the hidden drugs below.

Authorities estimate the cocaine’s street value at 816 million Australian dollars, which equals approximately $572 million in U.S. currency. Two men, Sydney residents aged 21 and 25, were taken into custody at the scene and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an illegal substance. If convicted, both men could spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

The previous Australian record for a cocaine seizure was 2.34 metric tons — about 2.58 tons — taken off a fishing vessel near K’gari, formerly called Fraser Island, along the Queensland coast in 2024.

Investigators say the drugs were brought ashore by boat at Midge Point, a remote area in the Queensland tropics. Police allege that a Sydney-based organized crime group then moved the shipment overland to the city, a road journey of approximately 1,800 kilometers, or about 1,100 miles.

Authorities also believe the same vessel responsible for this shipment previously offloaded 178 kilograms — about 392 pounds — of cocaine that was seized earlier in Queensland. Six individuals have already been charged in connection with that earlier haul, which also included 142 kilograms, or 313 pounds, of methamphetamine.

Police suspect the vessel in question is the MV Wealth, a cargo ship registered in Belize that has since been seized by authorities in the Solomon Islands on suspicion of involvement in international organized crime. The Solomon Islands are located roughly 2,000 kilometers — about 1,200 miles — northeast of Queensland.

Australian Federal Police Commander Stephen Jay warned that criminal organizations are increasingly exploiting Queensland’s vast 13,000-kilometer, or 8,000-mile, coastline as a smuggling route for narcotics.

Australia is considered an especially attractive market for drug traffickers because its residents pay some of the highest prices for cocaine anywhere in the world.

Negotiators from the United States and Iran gathered Monday in Obbuergen, Switzerland for a second day of diplomatic talks, working toward a permanent resolution to the conflict between the two nations following a turbulent opening day.

The mediating countries, Qatar and Pakistan, described the initial round of discussions as showing “encouraging progress.” A senior U.S. diplomat, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the ongoing negotiations, said headway had been made on several issues — notably the creation of “mechanisms” to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to global energy shipping and to maintain a ceasefire in southern Lebanon.

However, the first full day of negotiations was thrown into turmoil by sharp remarks from President Donald Trump, who was thousands of miles away from the Swiss talks but whose comments drew strong objections from the Iranian side.

Iranian state media reported that the talks were temporarily halted following the “publication of an insulting message by the U.S. President.” The Iranian delegation then met separately with Qatari mediators before leaving the negotiating site, according to state media. The senior U.S. diplomat later said the Iranians had remained on the premises and that talks were continuing.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had declared he would “never back down from the right to enrich uranium,” state media reported. Trump then told Fox News in a phone interview that Pezeshkian should be careful about his words, and also threatened to take over Iran, according to one of the network’s correspondents.

Trump continued posting warnings to Iran on social media even as negotiators were at the table, writing: “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”

The American negotiating team includes Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law. Iran’s delegation is led by Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the country’s parliamentary speaker, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Vance told Fox News on Saturday that he expected to remain in Switzerland only a “day or two,” with Kushner and Witkoff managing the bulk of the technical discussions.

In a joint statement, Qatar and Pakistan announced that the high-level portion of the talks had concluded and that technical negotiations would continue in Switzerland for the remainder of the week. The two countries said both sides had agreed to establish a “communication line” to ensure safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as a framework for ending the conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The United States did not immediately respond to the joint statement, while Iran expressed appreciation for the mediators’ efforts. Foreign Minister Araghchi wrote on X that the first “real test” of the negotiations would be whether the new mechanism could actually halt the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Among the topics discussed was Iran’s posture regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s military claimed it had closed the strait on Saturday in response to ongoing fighting in Lebanon, though U.S. Central Command disputed that claim.

An interim agreement signed last week by the leaders of both countries calls for a 60-day window in which negotiators will work out the future of Iran’s nuclear program. The international community has raised concerns that Iran may be seeking to develop nuclear weapons — something Iran denies. Additional issues, including the status of frozen Iranian financial assets, are also part of the agenda.

While the talks cover a wide range of complex subjects, Iran has made clear its priority is resolving the conflict in Lebanon. A renewed ceasefire there that took effect Saturday appeared to be holding, and Israel’s military announced it would lift movement restrictions for residents near the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday morning. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah is a party to the U.S.-Iran agreement.

BEIJING — China’s government struck back Monday, announcing sanctions against 10 American defense companies after the United States recently blocked several prominent Chinese technology firms from receiving U.S. military contracts.

China’s Commerce Ministry announced that Chinese businesses would be prohibited from shipping so-called “dual-use” goods to the 10 American companies. Dual-use items are products that can serve both military and civilian purposes. The targeted American firms include military drone manufacturers and companies involved in rare earth mineral extraction.

The ministry stated the action was necessary to protect China’s national security and described it as a direct response to what it called the U.S. government’s “wrongful expansion of its so-called List of Chinese Military Companies.”

Chinese officials had previously stated that the American sanctions contradict an understanding reached between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump when Trump visited China in May.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Defense Department added several major technology companies — including Alibaba and Baidu — to its list of businesses it claims have ties to the Chinese military. Baidu pushed back on the designation, calling the claim that it is a military company “totally baseless.”

Being placed on that list bars the companies from obtaining U.S. military contracts.

China’s Commerce Ministry noted that Chinese firms may still apply for special export approval when goods are “genuinely necessary.” The ministry also warned that businesses or individuals in other countries are forbidden from transferring dual-use Chinese goods to any of the sanctioned American companies.

The 10 American companies facing the Chinese export restrictions are: AVEOX, based in Simi Valley, California; Red Cat Holdings and Teal Drones, both located in South Salt Lake, Utah; IMSAR in Springville, Utah; Jaia Robotics in Bristol, Rhode Island; Ball Aerospace & Technologies in Broomfield, Colorado; Oshkosh Defense in Oshkosh, Wisconsin; L3Harris Maritime Services in Norfolk, Virginia; MP Materials in Las Vegas; and USA Rare Earth in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer may announce a timeline for leaving office as soon as Monday, potentially setting the stage for an orderly handover of power to rival Andy Burnham and making him the United Kingdom’s seventh leader in a single decade.

Not even two years after Starmer led Labour to a sweeping election victory — one that was supposed to bring stability to Britain’s turbulent political scene — a source close to him said the prime minister spent the weekend weighing his options: either step aside voluntarily or fight to keep his job in a formal party leadership contest.

“Keir likes to think about things,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The pressure on Starmer has been mounting for months, but it intensified sharply on Friday when Burnham, who currently serves as the mayor of Greater Manchester, won a parliamentary by-election and returned to Westminster. His victory came at the expense of a candidate from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which has topped national opinion polls for over a year.

That win energized Labour lawmakers who believe Burnham — a veteran politician widely praised for his ability to communicate — could reverse the party’s declining fortunes. Starmer’s personal approval ratings have fallen to the lowest level recorded for any British prime minister.

However, a leadership change carries its own risks. Burnham has spoken broadly about the need for sweeping national change and reducing the cost of living, but has not laid out detailed positions on foreign policy, economic strategy, or defense spending.

Much like Starmer, Burnham could find his hands tied by bond market investors who strongly resist any increase in government borrowing. He would also face a frustrated public that feels the country’s core systems are failing them.

Britain currently carries the heaviest borrowing costs among the Group of Seven wealthy nations, a situation driven by high debt levels, years of sluggish economic growth, difficulties in cutting public spending, and growing demands for investment in areas such as defense.

Investors consulted by Reuters were split on whether Burnham would take a market-friendly approach. Last September, Burnham said Britain needed to move “beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets” — a comment he later said was taken out of context.

“In our view, a Burnham premiership would inherit a precarious fiscal situation with few tools to deliver meaningful change,” economists at Citibank said on Friday.

Starmer had publicly stated on Friday that he would compete in any formal leadership contest held to replace him. Meanwhile, former health minister Wes Streeting said he has secured the support of the 81 Labour lawmakers required to enter such a race. However, a senior party figure suggested Streeting might cut a deal with Burnham — possibly accepting a high-ranking role in exchange for staying out of the contest.

While Starmer’s inner circle argues that his 2024 national election landslide gives him a mandate to govern through 2029, business minister Peter Kyle acknowledged on Sunday that the prime minister was thinking carefully about “the political challenges that he faces in this moment.”

Should Starmer step up to a podium at Downing Street on Monday to announce a departure date, he would join a long line of recent British leaders to exit under pressure. If Burnham succeeds him, he would become the seventh person to hold the office of prime minister since the Brexit referendum — a vote to leave the European Union that took place ten years ago this week.

That rate of leadership turnover is the highest Britain has seen in nearly two centuries, reflecting the deep difficulty successive governments have faced in improving living standards, public services, and controlling illegal immigration.

The political advisory group Eurasia suggested the most favorable scenario would be for Starmer to announce a September departure, allowing him to attend a planned UK-European Union summit in July while giving Burnham adequate time to prepare for taking office.

A powerful explosion erupted at Qatar’s primary natural gas export facility late Sunday night, injuring at least 54 people and leaving 18 others unaccounted for, according to Qatar’s Interior Ministry. The blast occurred as workers were attempting to bring the terminal back online after it had been struck by Iranian forces during the ongoing conflict.

The explosion took place at the Barzan gas supply facility within the Ras Laffan industrial area, according to state-run energy company QatarEnergy. Initial reports from officials suggested only a small number of injuries, but the Interior Ministry later released significantly higher casualty numbers hours after the incident.

The full extent of the damage has yet to be determined. The Barzan facility had the capacity to process nearly 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of sales gas per day — energy that Qatar relied on mainly for domestic electricity generation and to operate its vital water desalination plants across the Arabian Peninsula.

Qatar holds the vast majority ownership of the plant, with a minor stake belonging to ExxonMobil. The oil company had not responded to requests for comment as of the time of this report.

The explosion comes after Iran struck Ras Laffan with a missile in March, triggering a fire that officials described as causing “extensive” damage before it was brought under control. Qatar had already suspended production at the site due to repeated Iranian attacks.

The disruption adds more uncertainty to global energy markets, as Qatar ranks among the world’s leading natural gas producers. The country had been forced to halt shipments when Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz cut off its export routes. With Iran beginning to ease its grip on the strait amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations, Qatar moved to restart operations — an effort that ended in Sunday’s disaster.

Qatar shares a vast offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf with Iran. Revenue from that gas production has funded Qatar’s rise as a global player, including hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, launching the Al Jazeera news network, and serving as an international mediator — including facilitating talks between Iran and the United States in Switzerland.

Russian officials say Moscow’s air defenses intercepted close to 60 drones in the early morning hours of Monday, prompting a temporary shutdown of flights at several airports near the capital.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced on Telegram that nearly 60 drones headed toward Moscow had been shot down. He did not offer additional details but confirmed that emergency crews were sent to the areas where the drones went down.

The aviation watchdog reported that four airports — Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovskiy, which is located near the capital — all suspended flight operations during the incident. Flights were later allowed to resume at all four locations.

The latest attack comes on the heels of another drone strike last week that targeted Moscow’s only oil refinery. During that earlier offensive, Moscow’s defense systems knocked down nearly 200 drones in what was described as one of the largest aerial attacks on the city since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine back in 2022.

Meanwhile, in the Russia-annexed city of Sevastopol in Crimea, city governor Mikhail Razvozhayev announced on Telegram that all outdoor public events scheduled for Monday were being cancelled and that street lights would remain off. He also urged residents to reduce their electricity consumption.

Crimea, which draws large numbers of Russian tourists, has also suspended fuel sales to the general public and private businesses. Fuel supplies are now being directed exclusively to government agencies responsible for essential services and security, as Ukrainian drone strikes on supply routes and energy infrastructure have triggered a fuel shortage across the region.

SYDNEY — Australia announced Monday that it has reached its biggest defense export agreement in history, agreeing to sell cutting-edge radar technology to Canada in a deal worth A$2.5 billion, or roughly $1.75 billion U.S. dollars.

The technology at the center of the deal is known as Over-the-Horizon Radar, which is capable of detecting and tracking aircraft, ships, and missiles at distances of up to 3,000 kilometers — approximately 1,864 miles. This marks the first time Australia has sold this particular radar system to another country.

Canada plans to use the technology to strengthen its ability to monitor the Arctic, a region that makes up roughly 40% of the country’s total landmass. Despite its enormous size, the Canadian Arctic remains sparsely populated and largely undeveloped. A significant portion of Russia’s Arctic territory — about one-fifth of its total land area — faces both Canada and the U.S. state of Alaska.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese highlighted the significance of the agreement. “Today’s agreement marks a significant milestone in Australian defence trade and lays the foundation for deeper and mutually beneficial defence industry collaboration with Canada,” he said in a written statement.

Canadian officials also weighed in on the importance of the project. Stephen Fuhr, Canada’s secretary of state for defence procurement, described the deal as part of a larger initiative. “Canada is reinforcing Arctic security through the Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar project,” Fuhr said. “This project is part of a broader effort to build an integrated Arctic surveillance and communications network that will strengthen Canada’s ability to monitor, understand and respond to activity in the Arctic.”

Australia noted that the agreement will create around 300 jobs domestically and represents only the first phase of what is expected to be a broader, ongoing collaboration between the two nations on radar development.

BOGOTA — Colombia has chosen a new direction, electing nationalist attorney Abelardo De La Espriella as its next president in a Sunday vote count that signals a dramatic rightward shift for the country.

Affectionately called “The Tiger” by his supporters, De La Espriella presented himself as an outsider capable of turning around Colombia’s struggling economy and bringing stability to a nation long troubled by illegal armed factions and drug trafficking.

His rise began early in the year, fueled by a firm stance on crime and public safety. He secured a first-round victory in late May with 43.7% of the vote, then defeated leftist senator Ivan Cepeda in the runoff election — earning 49.66% compared to Cepeda’s 48.7%, according to the national registrar’s official count.

De La Espriella has placed the blame for Colombia’s economic and security struggles squarely on outgoing President Gustavo. He won over a large portion of voters by promising to cut the size of government by 40%, expand the tax base, and abandon peace negotiations with armed groups in favor of a stronger military approach.

Among his economic plans, he intends to resume oil exploration and permit fracking, with the goal of nearly doubling production to 1.3 million barrels per day.

The president-elect says he funded his own campaign and that his political movement, “Defenders of the Homeland,” developed independently without backing from established parties or business interests. Reuters was unable to confirm that claim on its own.

Beyond his legal career, De La Espriella has built a wide-ranging business portfolio covering wine, rum, clothing, and real estate. Investigative news outlet La Silla Vacia reported that a number of those businesses have been dissolved, carry debt, and collectively lost money in 2024 — with his law practice standing out as his most financially successful venture. His campaign refused to respond to La Silla Vacia’s inquiries about his businesses, and later publicly questioned the outlet’s funding sources. La Silla Vacia denied any bias.

Despite never having served in the military, De La Espriella used a military salute as a signature gesture throughout his campaign. At 47 years old, he is frequently photographed wearing luxury timepieces, designer sunglasses, and a neatly trimmed beard — an image that has drawn comparisons to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who has famously referred to himself as the “world’s coolest dictator.”

Bukele has pursued aggressive law enforcement policies in El Salvador, including the construction of massive prisons, which have pushed crime rates to some of the lowest in Central America. Critics, however, point to the detention of more than 90,000 people and raise serious human rights concerns.

While De La Espriella denies that he is copying Bukele’s model, he has put forward a proposal to build 10 large-scale prisons across Colombia.

His legal career has also drawn scrutiny. De La Espriella previously represented Alex Saab, who is facing charges in the United States for allegedly laundering money on behalf of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He has also taken on clients connected to corruption cases, financial fraud, and right-wing paramilitary organizations. De La Espriella maintains that his work as an attorney does not imply any personal wrongdoing or criminal involvement.

A married father of four, De La Espriella was raised in the Caribbean city of Monteria and is known for his love of vallenato, a traditional folk music style from that region. He holds citizenship in three countries — the United States, Italy, and Colombia — and is scheduled to be inaugurated as Colombia’s president on August 7.

BEIJING — China has placed 10 American companies on its export control list, describing them as entities connected to the U.S. military, in a retaliatory move against Washington’s recent actions targeting Chinese firms.

The companies affected include Aveox, a manufacturer specializing in motors for mission-critical uses, along with rare earth producers MP Materials and USA Rare Earth. Being placed on the list means Chinese exporters are prohibited from selling dual-use items — goods with both civilian and military applications — to those companies.

China’s Commerce Ministry released a statement Monday saying the actions were taken in response to what it called the “U.S. government’s malicious practice.” The ministry said the measures were necessary to protect national security and fulfill international obligations, including commitments related to non-proliferation.

The ministry also stated that any ongoing export activities involving those listed companies must be halted immediately.

In a separate announcement, China’s finance ministry said it is moving against an additional 46 U.S. companies, banning Chinese buyers from purchasing any products those firms make. However, U.S.-funded businesses operating within China are still permitted to make such purchases.

The escalation comes two weeks after the United States added Chinese tech and automotive giants — including e-commerce company Alibaba, internet search provider Baidu, and automakers BYD and NIO — to a list of companies Washington believes are supporting Beijing’s military operations.

Authorities in Australia announced Monday they have made the nation’s biggest cocaine bust in history, recovering 2,700 kilograms of the drug from a semi-rural property on the western edge of Sydney.

The Australian Federal Police reported the seized cocaine carries an estimated street value of approximately A$816 million — roughly $572.3 million in U.S. currency. Officers found the drugs packed into plastic tubs that had been buried inside three shipping containers equipped with false floors.

The discovery was made on Friday during an ongoing investigation targeting an organized crime syndicate believed to be responsible for bringing illegal drugs into Australia along the country’s eastern coastline.

Two men, one 21 years old and the other 25, were taken into custody after they allegedly tried to run from the scene on foot. Both now face charges of possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug — an offense that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Investigators say the cocaine was initially smuggled into the country near Midge Point in northern Queensland before being moved south to Sydney under the direction of the criminal organization. The investigation into the syndicate remains active.

This latest find comes on top of earlier drug interceptions tied to the same case, including 178 kilograms of cocaine and 142 kilograms of methamphetamine. Combined with Monday’s announcement, the total amount of drugs seized through this investigation has surpassed three metric tonnes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a sweeping defense of his country’s recent military actions at the JNS International Policy Summit on Sunday, claiming that operations against Iran and its regional allies have dramatically reduced threats to Israel’s security.

Speaking to the gathering, Netanyahu pushed back against critics who had urged him to avoid military action in Rafah, hold back from striking Hezbollah, and steer clear of any confrontation with Iran.

“What have we achieved?” he asked the audience, before walking through what he called the results of those decisions.

Netanyahu said Israel successfully prevented Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, and that joint operations with the United States resulted in what he described as the most extensive airstrike campaign in Israel’s history. He credited American military cooperation for making those strikes possible.

“We destroyed Iran’s nuclear infrastructure,” he said. “We knocked out 20 of their top nuclear scientists — 12 in Rising Lion, another eight in Roaring Lion.”

Beyond nuclear targets, Netanyahu said Israeli forces also struck Iran’s missile production, military industries, navy, and air force, while causing what he estimated to be hundreds of billions of dollars in economic damage to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He argued that the sustained military pressure had weakened the Iranian regime to the point where its eventual collapse was possible.

“But we didn’t just confront Iran. We shattered Iran’s terror axis,” he said.

Netanyahu told the summit that Israel eliminated senior terrorist leaders, killed tens of thousands of fighters, and managed to bring all hostages held in Gaza back home.

“And despite those who said it couldn’t be done, we brought back to Israel every single hostage, every single hostage, every last one of them,” he declared.

Addressing the situation in Lebanon, Netanyahu said Israel had wiped out more than 90% of the roughly 150,000 rockets and missiles that Hezbollah had stockpiled, severely weakening the group’s military capability.

He also confirmed that Israel has established security zones in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon, and made clear those positions would be held indefinitely.

“As long as we need to protect our people, we will remain in the security zone in South Lebanon,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister also defended the conduct of Israeli forces in both Lebanon and Gaza, saying troops go to great lengths to minimize civilian casualties while carrying out operations against armed groups.

He closed his remarks by reaffirming his personal commitment to keeping nuclear weapons out of Iran’s hands, regardless of how ongoing diplomatic talks unfold.

“No matter what happens in the talks, with an agreement, without an agreement, I pledge to you that Iran, as long as I’m Prime Minister, will never have a nuclear weapon, never,” he said. “As long as I am the Prime Minister of Israel, I will not let that happen.”

Turkey has put the finishing touches on a landmark transit project, completing the last segment of the Gayrettepe-Istanbul Airport-Halkalı Metro Line on Friday. The fully operational 69-kilometer route is now recognized as the nation’s longest and fastest metro line.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presided over the opening ceremony in Istanbul, officially inaugurating the 22-kilometer Halkalı-Arnavutköy section — the project’s final phase. The completion brings the entire underground corridor connecting Gayrettepe, Istanbul Airport, and Halkalı into full service.

Stretching 69 kilometers with 16 stations total, the line reaches top speeds of 120 kilometers per hour, making it Turkey’s fastest metro route and placing it among the world’s lengthiest underground airport rail links.

At the ceremony, Erdoğan spoke to the scale of Istanbul’s growth and connectivity goals. “We are weaving our city, one of the world’s largest metropolises, with a population of 16 million and nearly 20 million annual visitors, stitch by stitch with a network of railways,” he said.

The newly unveiled segment features five stations: Ibn Haldun University, Kayaşehir, Olimpiyatköy, Halkalı Stadium, and Halkalı. Officials noted that around 1.5 million residents living in the Başakşehir and Küçükçekmece districts will now have direct rail access to both Istanbul Airport and the city center.

The metro system runs without drivers and uses the COBALT signaling platform, a technology developed domestically by ASELSAN. Of the 25 train sets assigned to the route, 15 were built to fully autonomous specifications by CRRC.

Turkish government projections suggest the line will produce economic benefits totaling 935 million euros by the year 2043. Additionally, reduced traffic congestion is expected to save commuters and travelers roughly 117 million hours of travel time.

The project was rolled out in phases over several years. Service on the Kağıthane-Istanbul Airport section launched in January 2023, with the Kağıthane-Gayrettepe portion following in January 2024. The Arnavutköy-Istanbul Airport segment came online in March 2024.

With the full line now active, travel times are expected to drop considerably. Riders going between Halkalı and Istanbul Airport should reach their destination in about 30 minutes, while the trip from Gayrettepe to the airport is projected at roughly 35 minutes. End-to-end travel between Halkalı and Gayrettepe is estimated at 57 minutes.

The metro line also connects to a broader web of transportation options, including Marmaray commuter rail, high-speed rail services, and several other metro lines throughout the city.

South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced Monday that two vessels operating under South Korean management have navigated through the Strait of Hormuz, a development that comes in the wake of a memorandum of understanding on a ceasefire agreement signed by the United States and Iran last week.

According to the ministry, both ships are currently underway without incident, though officials noted they have not yet fully cleared the high-risk zone in the area. The ministry chose not to release additional details about the specific vessels involved.

Officials also confirmed that neither ship carries South Korean crew members, and neither vessel is headed to South Korea as its destination.

Despite this development, the situation remains tense for South Korean maritime operators in the region. A total of 22 South Korean-operated ships are still stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, the ministry said.

Peace negotiations between the United States and Iran pushed into their second day Monday in Switzerland, following a rocky first session that saw Tehran announce it had once again shut down the Strait of Hormuz while President Donald Trump renewed his warnings of military action against Iran.

Vice President JD Vance led talks with Iranian representatives on Sunday at the Qatari-owned Buergenstock mountain resort in Switzerland. The discussions were held under a memorandum of understanding reached last week, which extended a fragile ceasefire — originally established in April — by at least 60 more days.

Just before negotiations formally got underway Sunday, Fox News reported that Trump warned Iranian officials directly, saying “you won’t have a country” if they attempted to close the strait again. Trump also repeated an earlier threat that the U.S. could take control of the waterway and potentially charge its own toll, according to Fox News.

The two sides offered conflicting accounts of how the talks unfolded. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing an unnamed informed source, reported that after Trump’s remarks became public, the Iranian delegation refused to re-enter the negotiating room — though communication continued through Pakistani and Qatari intermediaries.

According to Tasnim’s source, the Iranian side insisted that before nuclear discussions could begin, the U.S. needed to fulfill other parts of the memorandum, including releasing frozen Iranian assets and issuing waivers to allow Iranian oil exports.

A U.S. diplomat directly involved in the negotiations pushed back on that characterization, telling Reuters: “The Iranians never left and are still here meeting and negotiating deep into the night. We’ve talked about the Strait, Lebanon, nuclear issues, and details of implementing the MOU, among other topics.”

A U.S. official said high-level talks were expected to conclude Monday, with technical teams staying on to continue more detailed discussions.

The memorandum of understanding had called for the Strait of Hormuz — a critical chokepoint for global energy shipments — to remain open, and for all hostilities to cease, including in Lebanon. There, Israel has continued to carry out deadly strikes even as Iranian ally Hezbollah fires on Israeli targets.

Iran cited the ongoing fighting in Lebanon as justification for again halting maritime traffic through the strait over the weekend, and said Sunday’s session would not address substantive issues like Iran’s nuclear program.

At the Swiss talks, Vance downplayed the violence in Lebanon, telling reporters that progress had been made toward ending the fighting there. “These things are always a little bit messy,” he said.

Meanwhile, Trump took to social media from the United States to issue a stern warning: “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” The message appeared to be directed at Hezbollah.

Even as Trump was issuing those warnings, Vance told reporters that the president had “asked us to turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran.”

Late Sunday, a U.S. diplomat said discussions focused on “clarifying some of the confusing messaging from Iran on the Strait and building deconfliction mechanisms to ensure the Strait will remain fully open.”

Despite a new ceasefire announced in Lebanon on Friday, there has been little evidence of a genuine halt to the fighting. Iran said Saturday that, as a result, it had closed the strait once more — a closure that, over nearly four months, had caused the most significant disruption to global energy supplies in history.

U.S. officials disputed that the strait was actually closed, but shipping data told a different story. According to analytics firm Kpler, only five vessels passed through the strait on Sunday — a dramatic drop from the 26 ships recorded just one day earlier. The figures may not account for vessels that turned off their tracking transponders while in the Gulf.

Iran’s Fars news agency quoted a military source Sunday saying no new permits were being issued for ships to cross the strait until further notice.

Trump said he agreed to last week’s memorandum of understanding in order to prevent a global economic depression driven by surging oil prices caused by the strait’s closure. Oil prices had fallen sharply over the past week to their lowest levels since the conflict began on February 28, when U.S. and Israeli forces launched attacks on Iran. By early Monday, Brent crude futures had climbed more than $1 to $81.66 per barrel following the turbulent start to the peace talks.

Sunday appeared to be one of the calmer days Lebanon had seen in some time, with no major incidents reported by nightfall — a relative quiet following two days of intense Israeli strikes and Hezbollah rocket fire on Israeli positions.

More than one million people have been displaced from their homes in Lebanon since Israel launched a ground operation in March targeting Hezbollah fighters who had been firing across the border in support of Tehran. Reuters journalists in southern Lebanon on Sunday observed some of the heaviest traffic seen since the memorandum was signed, as residents began returning home — some stopping along backed-up highways to wave Hezbollah flags.

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz came to a near standstill on Sunday after Iran declared it had once again sealed off the vital waterway, pointing to what it called violations of an interim peace deal by Israel and the United States.

According to data from shipping analytics firm Kpler, just five vessels made their way through the strait on Sunday — a steep drop from the 26 ships recorded passing through the day before. Among those five were three Very Large Crude Carriers, each transporting 2 million barrels of Saudi crude oil and fuel oil, with at least one of those vessels bound for Japan. Analysts noted the figures may not account for ships that disabled their tracking transponders while traveling through the Gulf.

Iran had lifted its effective blockade of the strait last week after reaching an agreement with the United States to extend an April ceasefire by 60 days, creating a window for peace negotiations. However, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reversed course on Saturday, declaring the waterway closed again in response to Israeli military strikes in Lebanon. The U.S. military, for its part, stated that commercial vessels were continuing to operate in the area.

On Saturday, among the ships that exited the strait were three Very Large Crude Carriers transporting crude oil from the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Iraq. Three additional tankers carrying assorted oil products also passed through. On the inbound side, 13 ships entered the strait on Saturday, including two Very Large Crude Carriers.

In response to the uncertainty, Gulf energy producers Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. and Kuwait Petroleum Corp. have both issued tenders offering crude oil with flexible loading options — allowing buyers to pick up shipments from locations either inside or outside the Strait of Hormuz.

SAO PAULO — Brazilian authorities have intercepted what may go down as the largest cocaine seizure in the country’s history, after discovering evidence that drug smugglers had concealed narcotics inside a shipment of lumber in a joint operation involving U.S. and Bolivian officials.

Brazil’s Federal Revenue Service announced that law enforcement officers are now carrying out a forensic examination of the cargo after finding signs that illicit drugs had been embedded within the wood itself.

Acting on shared intelligence, officials ramped up border inspections on June 19 and stopped eight trucks on Sunday that were hauling roughly 260 metric tons of timber.

Drawing on experience from similar past cases using the same concealment technique, the revenue service estimated that narcotics could make up anywhere from 10% to 20% of the total cargo weight. Should the Federal Police analysis confirm those findings, the total cocaine recovered could fall somewhere between 20 and 50 metric tons — a staggering amount that would set a national record.

Qatar’s interior ministry announced Sunday that an explosion caused by what it described as a “technical accident” took place at a factory in Ras Laffan, an industrial city located north of the capital Doha and home to the country’s main liquefied natural gas processing operations.

Authorities confirmed that several people sustained injuries in the blast. Officials also stated there was no leak detected that “threatens safety” in the surrounding area.

While the interior ministry did not specify the exact location within the industrial zone, a source familiar with the incident told Reuters the explosion happened at the Barzan gas plant and was the result of an “operational error.”

The force of the blast was significant enough that a Reuters reporter in Doha reported hearing a loud boom from the city.

Crowds gathered in Beirut on Sunday to honor the memory of a beloved Lebanese conservationist who lost her life after an Israeli strike destroyed her home along Lebanon’s southern coast.

Mona Khalil, 76, had dedicated more than two decades to safeguarding sea turtles along Lebanon’s shoreline. She was critically wounded when a strike hit her home in the village of Mansouri earlier this month and passed away from those injuries on Friday.

Over the years, Khalil helped transform a building that had once belonged to her grandmother into the Orange House — a small but influential conservation center and ecotourism destination in Mansouri. The site became a sanctuary for endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles and served as a training ground where volunteers learned to document nesting activity along the coast.

Word of her death prompted an overwhelming wave of grief from environmentalists and the many people who had volunteered and worked alongside her over the years.

Journalist and environmental activist Fadia Jomaa first crossed paths with Khalil in 2016 while conducting research on sea turtles in Lebanon. That encounter led her to join Khalil’s conservation efforts as a volunteer.

For those who gave their time to the project, Jomaa explained, “this relationship didn’t stop at being a volunteering relationship — Mona became our mother.”

Jomaa eventually became one of Khalil’s most trusted collaborators, helping oversee the sea turtle conservation project. She even brought her own children along to volunteer, introducing them to the vital work of protecting nesting turtles and their hatchlings on Lebanon’s southern coast.

During the previous conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in 2024, Khalil initially refused to abandon Al-Mansouri beach, according to Jomaa. It took the Lebanese army to convince her to leave for her own safety. “She was the last one to leave the area,” Jomaa recalled.

“She had an awful time in Beirut,” Jomaa said, noting that Khalil desperately longed to return south to the Orange House and the beach she had spent years protecting.

A new conflict between Israel and Hezbollah broke out in March. Hezbollah launched cross-border fire into Israel on March 2, two days after Israel and the U.S. struck its ally, Iran.

Khalil had the option to leave Lebanon entirely. She held both Dutch and Lebanese citizenship, having previously lived in the Netherlands before returning to Lebanon and making her home in what had once been her grandmother’s residence — the structure that would come to be known as the Orange House. But she refused to flee again.

“She said I am a civilian, I have no weapons, I will shut my door,” Jomaa recounted.

On June 4, an Israeli strike hit Khalil’s home. She and her domestic worker were immediately taken to the hospital. The intended target of the strike remained unclear, and the Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment.

Jomaa said Khalil’s condition seemed encouraging following surgery, but she ultimately succumbed to her wounds two weeks later.

“It is a great loss for conservation, for the country, and for all of us who cared about the sea and the natural heritage of Lebanon,” said Johnny Baaklini, a former Orange House volunteer who had worked closely with Khalil.

Like Jomaa, Baaklini remembered that Khalil “treated us, the conservation advocates, like her kids.” He added, “It feels impossible to describe the impact Mona personally had on me and on so many other young naturalists.”

The center of Khalil’s life work was a narrow strip of shoreline — Al-Mansouri beach in Tyre province. Every nesting season, she and her volunteers would walk the beach after dark, tracking fresh marks in the sand and carefully moving vulnerable nests away from human disturbance and artificial lighting.

Beyond conservation, the Orange House also operated as a small beachfront bed-and-breakfast. During nesting season each summer, Khalil organized turtle hatchling viewings for visitors, drawing families who brought their children to witness the remarkable sight. These events typically took place at sunset, with volunteers guiding groups to watch the tiny hatchlings emerge from protected nests and make their way toward the sea.

Jomaa recalled conversations in which Khalil would gesture toward an olive tree or a small hill overlooking Al-Mansouri beach and say, “My soul will stay here” and “This is where you will bury me.” Where Khalil will ultimately be laid to rest remains uncertain, tied to the ongoing security situation in the region, Jomaa said.

BOGOTA, Colombia — Voters across Colombia cast their ballots Sunday in a tightly contested presidential runoff, with two very different candidates vying for the nation’s highest office.

On one side is Sen. Iván Cepeda, representing the progressive wing of Colombian politics. On the other is Abelardo de la Espriella, a business owner running as a conservative outsider. The two emerged from an earlier round of voting to face off in this decisive contest.

The Associated Press assembled a photo gallery capturing scenes from the historic election day, curated by AP photo editors.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced Sunday on social media that Ramiro Valdes, a celebrated figure of the Cuban revolution and one of Fidel Castro’s earliest companions in arms, has passed away at the age of 94. No cause of death was given.

Valdes carried the honorary distinctions of “Hero of the Republic” and “Commander of the Revolution” and served as a senior member of the Cuban Communist Party’s powerful Political Bureau until 2019. He was a fixture of Cuban government leadership for more than six decades following Castro’s rise to power in 1959.

Diaz-Canel expressed deep grief in a post on X, writing that Valdes’ death “hurts deeply, like that of a father.” The Cuban president closed his tribute with the words, “Until victory, always, Commander!”

Born on April 28, 1932, Valdes was only 21 years old when he stood beside Fidel Castro during the 1953 assault on the Moncada barracks — the bold attack that ignited the uprising against the regime of Fulgencio Batista.

After going into exile with Castro in Mexico, Valdes was among the 82 men who boarded the yacht Granma and sailed to Cuba in 1956 in an effort to reignite the revolution. Only 12 of those men survived the journey and its immediate aftermath.

Among those survivors were Fidel Castro, who died in 2016; his younger brother Raul Castro, who later became president and head of the Communist Party; and Argentine revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, who was killed in Bolivia in 1967 while attempting to spark an insurrection there.

Valdes joined the Castro brothers in the Sierra Maestra mountains of eastern Cuba, where he served as Guevara’s deputy commander. He fought alongside Guevara in the pivotal Battle of Santa Clara during the final days of the revolution, just before Batista fled Cuba on January 1, 1959.

Following the revolution’s success, Valdes took charge of the newly established security agency under Fidel Castro’s government.

Much like Castro and Guevara, Valdes carried a certain personal magnetism and was known for wearing olive-green military fatigues even in government settings. He maintained the Leon Trotsky-style goatee he had worn since his revolutionary days and was known as a fitness enthusiast who kept up an exercise routine well into his 80s.

Throughout his career, Valdes held a wide range of senior government posts, including interior minister, vice minister of defense, minister of information and communications, and vice president.

Even as Raul Castro worked to transition power from his so-called “historic generation” to a younger leadership — including handing the presidency to 60-year-old Diaz-Canel in 2018 — Valdes continued to serve in key roles. Most recently, he served as deputy prime minister with responsibility for addressing the island’s ongoing energy crisis.

Valdes frequently appeared in military uniform alongside Diaz-Canel, urging Cubans to conserve electricity, reduce demand, and maintain their “revolutionary” spirit during the country’s persistent power shortages.

Throughout his life, Valdes remained unwavering in his commitment to the revolution and Cuba’s one-party system, even during the nation’s most trying times.

At the 61st anniversary commemoration of the Moncada attack in 2014, Valdes offered a reminder of the revolution’s foundation: “We cannot forget we arrived here thanks to the unity of the people and their trust in the revolution.”

“We must preserve this unity above all things because we are aware this fight has not ended,” he added.

American and Iranian negotiators sat down together in Switzerland on Sunday, working to hammer out details of an interim agreement intended to bring an end to the Iran war. Pakistani and Qatari mediators also participated in the technical-level discussions, which center on a conflict that the U.S. and Israel launched in late February.

Vice President JD Vance is heading the American delegation, which also includes Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Across the table, the Iranian side is led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Just before the talks got underway, Tehran announced it had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing Israel’s continued military operations in Lebanon. The interim agreement under discussion is designed to halt fighting on every front, Lebanon included.

President Donald Trump has threatened to impose American tolls on the strait if a final deal with Iran is not finalized within 60 days. The current interim agreement calls for 60 days of toll-free passage through the waterway, which is critical to the global supply of oil, natural gas, and related commodities such as fertilizer.

Hezbollah Leader Demands Full Israeli Withdrawal from Lebanon

Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem took to the airwaves to declare that his group will not accept any ceasefire arrangement that gives Israel what he called “freedom of action” inside Lebanon, or one that falls short of a full pullout of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.

“There are no ‘security zones,’ for Israel,” Kassem stated, pushing back against Israel’s own terminology for the areas.

He added that Hezbollah would honor a ceasefire “if it happens,” but made clear that “we will not accept any violation.” The Iranian-backed militant group is not taking part in the separate Israel-Lebanon negotiations scheduled to resume Tuesday in Washington.

A fragile quiet has taken hold across Lebanon, with no Israeli strikes reported overnight or into Sunday following several days of intense fighting.

U.S. Ambassador Downplays Rift Between Trump and Netanyahu

The American ambassador to Israel is pushing back on talk of a growing divide between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mike Huckabee, speaking in Jerusalem, acknowledged that Trump has at times used blunt language when referring to the Israeli leader, but insisted the two maintain a strong bond and that Trump remains firmly committed to Israel’s security.

“The one thing that I’ve always heard him say – always — and that I’ve always watched him do, is that America has an unbreakable bond with the state of Israel,” Huckabee told the JNS International Policy Summit. “And I trust that he means what he says.”

Energy Secretary Says Ships Continuing to Move Through Strait

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright reported that 67 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, a volume comparable to pre-war traffic levels for oil and oil-related cargo.

Iran’s joint military command had announced Saturday that it shut down the strait in response to Israel’s military campaign against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon — a claim the U.S. disputed.

Wright told Fox News that while Iran has not yet cleared mines from the strait’s main shipping lane, the U.S. has established an alternative route to the south and has been guiding ships through it. He also acknowledged that some commercial shipping companies continue to have concerns about safety in the area.

Previous Vance-Iran Talks Stretched Nearly a Full Day

The last time Vance met face-to-face with top Iranian officials in this context was in early April, just days after a ceasefire took hold. Those talks, held in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, dragged on for 21 hours before ending without a deal. Qalibaf served as the lead Iranian negotiator in those discussions as well.

By Sunday afternoon, the clock in Switzerland had passed 4 p.m.

Four-Way Talks Officially Underway in Switzerland

Both Iran and the White House confirmed that four-party negotiations have officially begun in Switzerland, with Vance sitting down directly with Iranian officials.

Trump is hoping to revive the agreement that was signed the previous week, which has been put at risk by Israel’s continued operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. While Iran says its primary concern in these talks is the situation in Lebanon, and Israel maintains it must protect itself from Hezbollah, the U.S. is focused on locking Iran into negotiations over its nuclear program — the long-standing core of the tensions between the two countries.

Trump Issues Warning to Iran Over Hezbollah

President Trump took to social media to warn Iran that it must rein in Hezbollah and stop the group from “causing trouble.”

“If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” Trump wrote from Camp David, where he was spending the weekend.

Vance Calls This a Turning Point for the Middle East

Speaking as officials gathered ahead of the start of Sunday’s U.S.-Iran talks — referred to as the “Lake Lucerne Summit” — Vance struck a cautiously optimistic tone.

“The question before us now is how much more can we accomplish together? Can we turn over a new leaf?” Vance said in brief remarks before the session began.

“Can we change relations in the Middle East permanently, or do we go back to doing things the old way, which is not our preference, but is certainly very much something that can happen,” he added.

It was unclear at the time whether Iranian officials were in the room when Vance delivered those comments.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s ruling party has locked in a dominant hold on parliament after final results from the June 1 election were announced Sunday, according to the country’s National Election Board.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party claimed 438 out of 501 seats in the House of Representatives. The newly elected parliament is set to gather in October, at which point Abiy is expected to be reelected to serve an additional five-year term.

The election unfolded against a backdrop of violence and political repression. Ongoing conflict in the Oromia and Amhara regions forced 143 polling stations to remain closed on election day, the election board reported. Armed clashes between the Fano militia and federal forces in Amhara, along with fighting involving the Oromo Liberation Army rebels in Oromia, have been central drivers of the instability as the government works to disarm both groups.

Officials reported a voter turnout of 94%. More than 50 million people had registered to vote out of Ethiopia’s estimated population of 130 million, according to the election board.

The Tigray region was once again left out of the election entirely. The area, where hundreds of thousands of people died during a war between federal and regional forces, has now gone without federal parliamentary representation for six years.

Electoral board chairperson Melatwork Hailu defended the process Sunday, saying the board upheld “institutional neutrality and performed its duties solely in accordance with the law and electoral guidelines, without interference.”

International observer missions from regional bodies including the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development were present but drew criticism for largely staying within the capital, Addis Ababa, rather than deploying widely across the country. Their limited presence still provided the election with a degree of international legitimacy.

The vote drew sharp criticism from opposition figures, many of whom were barred from running. The ruling party’s most vocal critics were either imprisoned, living in exile, or had vanished. Those who did participate in the race said the environment was marked by fear and intimidation, and that the playing field was far from level.

Yitayal Assefa, who ran under the All Ethiopia Unity Party opposition banner and lost his race, spoke with The Associated Press on Sunday. He said the government held an enormous advantage while opposition candidates faced harassment and had little realistic chance of success.

“My participation was not about winning but about fighting for my voice and political ideals within the political spectrum against a government that is assured of a win, win or lose,” Assefa said.

Merara Gudina, a professor at Addis Ababa University and an opposition leader who chose not to participate in the election, told the AP the vote was a “sham” and that the outcome was never in doubt.

He warned the result will “negatively affect the already deteriorating stability of the country.”

Abiy’s government has faced repeated accusations of human rights abuses targeting critics and members of the press, despite pledges of democratic reform and peace that he made in 2020. Abiy was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for resolving a long-running dispute between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea. However, the two nations are now at odds, with Addis Ababa accusing Asmara of backing rebel groups to undermine Ethiopia’s stability, while Eritrea claims Ethiopia is threatening to seize its seaport.

MILAN — Fashion’s most iconic Italian house went back to basics Sunday when designers Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons took the runway at Milan Fashion Week with a collection rooted in the humble spirit of denim — though executed in anything but ordinary materials.

The duo’s vision for next spring and summer centers on a pared-down wardrobe: slim, cropped jackets paired with five-pocket trousers, anchored by classic blazers or leather blousons. Think everyday dressing, elevated.

“Sometimes you just realize you need a good pasta pomodoro,” Simons said ahead of the show, invoking the beloved Italian comfort dish as a metaphor for returning to something simple and satisfying.

Interestingly, despite the denim-driven inspiration, Prada revealed she has never actually worn a pair of jeans in her life. Simons, for his part, admitted he only recently rediscovered the wardrobe staple after spending roughly twenty years wearing wool trousers exclusively.

The result is a collection where five-pocket trousers and flat-pocket jackets — both slim and cropped — take center stage as the new Prada uniform.

The majority of looks were rendered in rich, soft leather in a palette of antique white, gray, burgundy, and turquoise, sent down the runway to the sound of rock guitar. A secondary grouping appeared in nearly sheer white technical fabric, well-suited to the heat gripping Europe this season. Only a handful of closing looks were made from actual denim.

Cropped shirts and knit vests with geometric patterns made appearances throughout, accessorized with clashing silk scarves tied at the waist. The only bags in the collection were colorful pouches worn at the hip, sometimes attached to wide belts. A pointed shoe with multiple Velcro straps completed each look.

Prada described the goal as creating pieces with universal appeal, deliberately steering away from what she called “useless design” — something she suggested was plentiful on other runways.

Simons echoed that sentiment, saying the designers wanted to bring fashion back in touch with how real people dress. He noted that some of the most powerful fashion ideas throughout history have come “from the street” rather than being handed down by luxury labels and runway shows.

“It’s a clear silhouette, vertical, simple, sharp, proud. A lot of white, peaceful, hopeful, and cleansing,” Simons said. “We think this collection is breaking the perception of what is perceived as typical luxury in high fashion.”

True to the theme of simplicity, the show took place in a stripped-down space with transparent bench seating — giving every attendee an equal view of the runway.

The front-row crowd included NBA star Anthony Edwards, South African-Australian singer and actor Troye Sivan, K-pop group ENHYPEN, and British actor Louis Partridge. Throngs of enthusiastic fans braved the summer heat outside to catch a glimpse of their favorite celebrities.

PRAGUE — A large crowd descended on the Czech capital on Sunday to push back against a government proposal that many fear would strip public broadcasters of their independence.

Demonstrators assembled outside the headquarters of Czech public television in Prague to show solidarity with the media. The rally came just one day before broadcast employees were scheduled to stage a warning strike, and followed a series of earlier protest marches held in Prague and other regional cities across the country.

The government, led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, approved the plan earlier in the week. Under the proposal, public radio and television would begin receiving their funding directly from the state budget starting next year, replacing the current system in which fees collected from individuals, households, and businesses support the broadcasters.

Opponents of the plan argue that shifting to state funding would hand the three-party coalition government a lever of control over the media — drawing comparisons to moves made by populist governments in Slovakia under Prime Minister Robert Fico and Hungary under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Mikuláš Minář, a lead organizer with the Million Moments for Democracy group, addressed the crowd with a pointed message: “The media don’t belong to politicians. They belong to us all and we won’t allow them to be stolen from us.”

The proposal has drawn criticism from international media organizations as well. Beyond the funding source change, the plan would also cut the broadcasters’ budgets by roughly 15% compared to current levels and includes no guarantees of future financial support.

Leaders of both the public radio and television networks warned that such cuts would force them to eliminate hundreds of positions. Babiš, for his part, argued that the media organizations need to tighten their belts financially.

The record of Babiš, his cabinet members, and allied lawmakers includes a pattern of criticism and attacks directed at public and mainstream media outlets. His coalition’s broader agenda also includes pulling back from support for Ukraine and opposing certain key European Union policies.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem issued a firm warning on Sunday, declaring that Israel will not maintain a presence in Lebanon and that his organization stands ready to respond to any actions taken by Israeli forces that cross the line.

Qassem’s remarks came just days after a ceasefire between the two sides went into effect on Friday. Despite the agreement, Israeli officials have made clear that their military personnel are authorized to act freely and without limitation when it comes to neutralizing what they describe as threats within Lebanese territory.

PRAGUE — Thousands of people marched through the streets of Prague on Sunday to voice their opposition to the Czech government’s plan to completely overhaul how public media is funded — a system that has been in place for decades.

Protesters and critics argue the proposed changes would not only reduce funding but also open the door to political meddling in public broadcasting.

The demonstration came just one day before employees at public broadcasters Czech Television and Czech Radio were set to go on strike over the same issue. The work stoppage was expected to affect programming, though both stations planned to remain on the air.

The government — led by Prime Minister Andrej Babis’ populist ANO party and supported by right-wing and far-right coalition partners — announced last week its intention to eliminate licence fees, which currently serve as the primary source of revenue for public television and radio. Officials argue that most citizens do not want to pay the fees levied on households and businesses, and say they plan to fund public broadcasters directly through the state budget instead. Opponents contend this shift would be a direct threat to the broadcasters’ independence.

Mikulas Minar, a representative of the Million Moments (Milion Chvilek) group that organized the march, addressed the crowd at the outset of the demonstration with a firm message: “Media does not belong to politics.”

The planned march route was trimmed shorter than originally intended due to the intense heat wave gripping Prague and much of Europe. The CTK news agency estimated that thousands participated, walking through city neighborhoods toward the Czech Television building while holding banners reading “Hands off public media.”

Under the government’s proposal, funding would revert to levels last seen between 2008 and 2024 — before a rare fee increase implemented by the previous government took effect in 2025. That rollback would amount to a 15% reduction in overall financing for the broadcasters.

Czech Television’s chief stated this week that such a cut could force the station to lay off somewhere between 300 and 500 employees out of its total workforce of 2,900.

While the government has repeatedly criticized both public and privately owned independent media outlets — accusing them of bias — officials maintain that the funding changes do not threaten the editorial independence of Czech Television or Czech Radio.

WARSAW — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk took to social media Sunday to warn that the escalating political clash between Poland and Ukraine is damaging to both nations, urging leaders to pull back from the brink of a deeper rift.

The dispute flared on Friday when Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s Order of the White Eagle — Poland’s highest state honor. The move prompted three former Ukrainian presidents and other top officials to send their own Polish state awards back in protest.

Nawrocki’s decision came after Zelenskiy angered many Poles by renaming a Ukrainian military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army — a nationalist group responsible for the massacre of Polish civilians during World War Two.

Tusk, a pro-European leader who was returned to the prime minister’s office in 2023 after his coalition defeated the nationalist Law and Justice party — the political home of President Nawrocki — posted a pointed message on X calling for de-escalation.

“Wading into a conflict between politicians in Poland and Ukraine is a strategic mistake that will harm both sides: business-wise, geopolitically, and reputationally. And in politics, as we know, a mistake is worse than a crime,” Tusk wrote.

He also noted the difficulty of the situation, adding: “In discussions with my European partners, I strive to minimise losses and reduce tensions. This is no easy task.”

Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party has secured a comfortable parliamentary majority in this month’s elections, according to results announced by the country’s national election board on Sunday.

The outcome came as little surprise, as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s party was broadly expected to dominate the vote against a fragmented and divided opposition field.

Abiy first came to power in 2018 following widespread mass protests that brought down the long-ruling EPRDF coalition. He established the Prosperity Party the year after taking office.

The party’s latest victory follows a similarly dominant performance in the 2021 parliamentary elections, when it captured more than 90% of the available seats.

LONDON — Scottish police announced Sunday that a 36-year-old man has been charged in connection with a series of violent attacks that took place in Edinburgh on Friday, which British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as appearing to have an anti-Muslim motive.

Five men were hurt during the attacks, and three of them required hospital care for injuries that were serious but not life-threatening, according to authorities.

Footage circulated on social media showed a shirtless, tattooed white man who appeared to be armed with a large weapon chasing an Asian man and then trying to force his way into a restaurant. The man was later seen being taken into custody by officers on the ground.

According to the BBC, the attacks appeared to have started near a mosque in the western part of the Scottish capital before spreading to other areas of the city.

In a brief statement released Sunday morning, Police Scotland confirmed that the 36-year-old had been charged and that a report had been forwarded to prosecutors. The man is expected to appear in court at a future date.

Taking to social media on Saturday, Prime Minister Starmer wrote that the attacker “appears to be motivated by anti-Muslim hatred.”

The Muslim Council of Britain echoed that assessment, describing the incident as “a direct consequence of political rhetoric that demonises entire communities.”

The Scottish Association of Mosques also placed blame on “language that portrays migrants, refugees and Muslims as threats to be feared rather than people to be understood.”

The attacks come shortly after Northern Ireland experienced two days of anti-immigrant rioting earlier this month, which the British government labeled “racist thuggery.” Those disturbances followed a knife attack for which a Sudanese man was charged with attempted murder.

Nigel Farage, who leads the populist Reform UK party — currently topping British opinion polls — has repeatedly criticized the government over its handling of small boat crossings, which brought 41,000 immigrants across the English Channel last year.

Rupert Lowe, who split from Reform UK to establish the smaller Restore Britain party, has made organized child sexual abuse a central issue, claiming it is largely carried out by Muslim men of Pakistani heritage.

Last year, the government directed police to track the ethnicity of gangs involved in such abuse cases, following a report that highlighted government failures to confront the problem and a reluctance to acknowledge an “over-representation” of Asian men among those involved.

U.S. President Donald Trump made a bold prediction on Sunday, posting on his Truth Social platform that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to leave office.

“Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom,” Trump wrote. “He failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well!”

The post came without any additional context or explanation from Trump about the basis for his claim. The remarks put a spotlight on the embattled UK leader, who has faced mounting pressure on both immigration and energy issues during his time in office.

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday with a blunt warning directed at Iran: bring your Hezbollah allies in Lebanon under control, or face another round of U.S. military strikes — and this time, even more severe ones.

“Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” Trump wrote. “If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”

The post signals a sharp escalation in tensions between the United States and Iran, with Trump making clear that military action remains on the table if Iranian-backed forces continue their activities in Lebanon.

LA PAZ — Bolivia appeared to be turning a corner on Sunday, one day after President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency in response to a 50-day social crisis that had shut down the country’s primary highway routes.

In the early hours of Sunday, the Legislative Assembly voted overwhelmingly to approve Paz’s emergency decree, which was designed to restore road access and ensure the delivery of essential goods after protest groups spent weeks cutting off major roads. The blockades had left trucks stranded and severely limited the flow of food, fuel, and medicine to communities across the country.

Sunday’s congressional vote came alongside several significant developments on the ground. In Santa Cruz, local officials and protest leaders reached an agreement to end a major blockade in the town of San Julian. Separately, a well-known campesino federation based in La Paz announced it was temporarily suspending its demonstrations, though the group made clear its underlying demands had not changed.

Although police and military personnel remain stationed across the country, the national highway authority confirmed that no active protest-related blockades were still in place. That said, many roads sustained considerable damage during the weeks of unrest and will need extensive cleanup and repairs.

The roots of the crisis stretch back to a decision by Paz — who took office in November — to abruptly eliminate long-established fuel subsidies in an effort to reduce the budget deficit during a worsening shortage of dollars and ongoing discussions with the International Monetary Fund. Even after taking steps to stabilize fuel prices and walk back unpopular land reform measures, the protests grew stronger. Labor unions pushed for wage increases, relief from fuel and dollar shortages, and Paz’s removal from office.

Political analysts and legal experts have cautioned that the emergency powers could actually make the situation worse if the government fails to tackle the deeper issues driving the protests.

The calming of tensions on Sunday happened to fall on the same day as the celebration of the Andean-Amazonian New Year, a culturally significant occasion in Bolivia. Across the country, government representatives and indigenous leaders used the occasion to call for unity and healing. At a ceremony in La Paz, Tourism Minister Cinthya Yanez expressed her hope that “prosperity” and “bounty” would return to Bolivia and that its people would once again “join hands.”

Aviation authorities in Switzerland say a technical malfunction in air traffic control systems caused significant disruptions at Zurich airport on Sunday — and the cause was tied directly to security preparations for ongoing peace negotiations between the United States and Iran.

Swiss air traffic control authority Skyguide said the problem arose when a newly created no-fly zone above Buergenstock — the Swiss mountain resort hosting the diplomatic talks — was being integrated into radar display systems. That integration process triggered the technical fault.

The restricted airspace zone was established at the last minute, according to a statement from Skyguide, because the decision to hold this latest round of negotiations wasn’t finalized until Saturday.

Despite the disruption, Skyguide emphasized that safety was never compromised. “The systems are running smoothly, and security was ensured at all times,” the agency said, confirming that normal operations had resumed.

The impact on travelers was significant. An airport spokesperson told Reuters that by midday, 12 arriving flights and 14 departing flights had been cancelled outright. At least 60 other departures faced delays.

Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived at Buergenstock on Sunday for the scheduled peace discussions with Iran, as outlined in a tentative agreement. However, the diplomatic effort was quickly overshadowed by Iran’s announcement that it had reinstated its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The resort where talks are being held sits roughly 50 kilometres — about 31 miles — south of Zurich airport. Switzerland had pledged to provide what it called a “discreet and reliable setting” for the high-stakes negotiations.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced Sunday that Israeli soldiers operating in Lebanon have unrestricted authority to act against any threats they encounter, with troops continuing to hold their positions in what Israel refers to as a security zone.

A ceasefire agreement with Iran-backed Hezbollah officially went into effect on Friday, following months of intensifying conflict. However, Israeli strikes the very next day — Saturday — resulted in the deaths of at least 20 people in Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s state news agency NNA.

Israel defended those strikes, saying they were carried out in direct response to projectiles launched by the Iran-backed group targeting Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. An Israeli official described the targets of the retaliatory strikes as “Hezbollah targets.”

Meanwhile, Iranian officials indicated that Lebanon is a central topic in Sunday’s peace discussions between Iran and the United States, taking place in Switzerland. Those talks follow a framework agreement signed by Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the war between the two countries, which began at the end of February and had been fueling broader regional tensions.

The Israeli military has moved into portions of southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah maintains it has the right to engage Israeli forces on Lebanese soil, though the group says it will refrain from launching attacks into northern Israel.

Katz confirmed that Israeli forces will stay in all positions within the security zone, which stretches roughly 10 kilometers — about 6 miles — into southern Lebanese territory. Israel says this presence is necessary to safeguard communities in northern Israel.

“All of the IDF’s achievements in the campaign in Lebanon are being preserved, with our forces deployed in the security zone along the Yellow Line in Lebanon and operating from there inward against terrorists and terrorist infrastructures,” Katz stated in his Sunday announcement.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened until a ceasefire in Lebanon is being honored, according to a source with close ties to the country’s negotiating team.

Beyond the Lebanon ceasefire condition, the source indicated that the vital shipping waterway would also remain blocked until waivers permitting the sale of Iranian oil are put in place.

LONDON (AP) — A decade has passed since the United Kingdom made the historic decision to leave the European Union, a vote that continues to shape political identities and dismantled a 50-year effort to build closer ties with the European continent.

Known as Brexit — a shorthand for British exit — the departure was set in motion on June 23, 2016, when 52% of voters, totaling more than 17 million people, chose to leave the EU. Despite the slim margin, the vote triggered the most sweeping transformation of British society and its economy since the Second World War.

Like any complicated split, the process of actually completing the break took far longer than expected — nearly five years in total.

The roots of Brexit stretched back to a growing frustration with the EU and with the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis. Those who championed leaving argued that Britain, freed from EU constraints, could focus on its own priorities and recapture its former economic strength. Opponents countered that the move would cause economic turmoil and damage the country’s global reputation.

Ten years later, the results are being assessed.

Brexit supporters had envisioned a Britain that would flourish outside the EU by tapping into the bold, entrepreneurial spirit that once made it the world’s dominant economic power. That vision has largely not come to pass.

While the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflicts in Ukraine and more recently the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran have contributed to Britain’s difficulties, the broader economic revival that was promised has not materialized. Businesses have repeatedly complained about the new obstacles they face when trading with EU member nations — the 27-country bloc remains by far the U.K.’s largest trading partner.

Even without formal tariffs on British goods entering the EU, a wide range of non-tariff barriers have emerged, including complicated customs paperwork, border certification requirements, and visa restrictions. Many trade agreements that Brexit supporters promoted — most notably a deal with the United States — have never been finalized.

Economic analysts estimate that the British economy is somewhere between 4% and 8% smaller than it would have been if the country had chosen to remain in the EU. That gap translates into significantly lower living standards and billions of pounds less available for public services — including the beloved National Health Service, which Brexit campaigners famously promised would receive an extra 350 million pounds (approximately $468 million) per week. That pledge was prominently displayed on their campaign bus.

Jonathan Portes, a professor at King’s College London, put it plainly: “Brexit has made the U.K. economy smaller than it otherwise would have been.”

Writing for The UK in a Changing Europe think tank, Portes added: “The effect has not been a sudden collapse, but a gradual and cumulative drag on trade, investment and productivity.”

Brexit supporters, however, maintain that the full impact of leaving the EU cannot be judged this soon. They argue that some short-term economic pain was always expected in exchange for greater control over domestic policy — particularly on immigration.

Brexit ended the free movement of people between the U.K. and EU nations, but controlling the borders has produced mixed results. Reining in immigration was a central promise of the Brexit campaign, and the message of “taking back control” struck a chord with many voters.

Net migration from EU countries has dropped sharply. However, arrivals from non-EU nations have surged — partly due to changes in visa rules introduced by the previous Conservative government to address labor shortages in sectors such as elder care.

Overall, there are signs the government is gaining more control over legal immigration. Net migration fell dramatically, from over 900,000 in 2023 down to 171,000 last year.

Even so, public anger over illegal immigration remains intense. Many Britons are particularly upset by the sight of people — often fleeing conflict zones like Afghanistan and Sudan — arriving on inflatable boats after crossing the English Channel. Small boat crossings peaked at 46,000 in 2022 and reached 41,000 last year, making it one of the country’s top political flashpoints despite representing only a small portion of overall migration. Tensions have boiled over, with angry crowds protesting outside — and in some cases attempting to set fire to — hotels being used to house asylum seekers at public expense.

Britain’s political landscape has splintered in the years since Brexit. Support for the two historically dominant parties — the Conservatives and Labour — has eroded. The Conservatives were voted out in 2024 following 14 years in power, a period heavily defined by the ongoing battles over the U.K.’s relationship with Europe.

The Labour government has also struggled to win public confidence, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer appears to be on the verge of announcing his resignation.

Meanwhile, millions of voters are gravitating toward Reform U.K., led by Nigel Farage — arguably the politician most associated with the push for Brexit. His party has topped nearly every opinion poll for more than a year.

At the same time, sentiment toward Brexit itself has shifted. According to two polls from Ipsos, 52% of people in the U.K. would now like to rejoin the EU, compared to 33% who are opposed. The same polling found that 48% believe Brexit has gone worse than expected, while just 9% say it has gone better. Additionally, 48% said they would support holding another referendum on EU membership, versus 27% who would not.

Against this backdrop, the Labour Party has been walking a careful line since winning power in 2024. Having ruled out reversing Brexit — or even rejoining the EU’s tariff-free single market — the party has limited room to maneuver on the issue.

Starmer has been pursuing a “reset” of the U.K.’s relationship with the EU, focusing mainly on reducing trade friction. He had hoped to unveil additional steps at an upcoming EU summit next month — assuming he remains in office.

His most likely successor, Andy Burnham, carefully softened his language on the question of EU membership during a recent campaign, ahead of winning a special election on Thursday. That victory came in a seat that had voted heavily in favor of Brexit, and Burnham fended off a challenge from Reform U.K.

“I am not proposing that the U.K. considers rejoining the EU,” Burnham said. “I respect the decision that was made at the referendum and it is going to undermine everything I have said about strengthening democracy if we don’t respect that vote.”

KYIV — Even as Ukraine has managed to largely stall Russian advances on the battlefield, the humanitarian suffering endured by millions of displaced Ukrainians remains severe and is being compounded by dramatic reductions in international aid, according to the leader of the International Rescue Committee.

In recent months, Ukraine has brought Russian progress on the front lines to nearly a standstill, a shift significant enough that G7 leaders acknowledged at a summit last week that the war’s momentum has changed. But that military development has done little to ease the crisis facing civilians.

David Miliband, the IRC’s president and CEO, was visiting Ukraine when he spoke out about the consequences of aid cuts — reductions largely driven by the United States — that have slashed his organization’s budget in the country by half. The IRC’s funding in Ukraine now stands at an estimated $20 million for 2027, down from $40 million the previous year.

Miliband made his remarks on Saturday, which marked World Refugee Day. “It feels particularly important at a time when there is this new sense of a different geopolitical narrative to recognise the brutality and strain that’s being faced by millions of Ukrainians,” he said.

The United Nations estimates that approximately 118 million people around the world are currently displaced, frequently due to conflict, violence, or persecution. Ukraine alone accounts for roughly 10 million of those individuals, with close to four million displaced within the country’s own borders.

Miliband pointed to what he called a broader global crisis, describing the situation as part of “the new world disorder.” He cited the toll of more than 60 ongoing wars, along with disease and natural disasters. “There are more shocks and fewer shock absorbers,” he said. “And money is one of the absorbers.”

The Trump administration has significantly scaled back foreign aid and dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, a move that has prompted other countries to follow suit with their own aid reductions.

On the ground in Ukraine, the IRC is working to deliver mobile medical services to communities living near sections of the 1,200-kilometer, or roughly 745-mile, front line. The organization also provides trauma support to vulnerable women and children who have experienced abuse.

Miliband highlighted an often-overlooked dimension of the conflict: the toll more than four years of war has taken on the mental health of Ukraine’s population. He argued that redirecting even a fraction of the billions in military support provided by Ukraine’s allies toward humanitarian and psychological assistance could go a long way in preserving the resilience of Ukrainian society.

Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea cut off civilian access to gasoline on Sunday as Ukraine continued to hammer fuel infrastructure across the Black Sea peninsula.

Gov. Sergey Aksyonov, who was installed by the Kremlin to lead Crimea, reported that overnight Ukrainian strikes left four people dead and 28 others wounded. He did not identify the specific target of those attacks.

Aksyonov followed up with a social media post announcing that gas stations across the region would immediately stop selling fuel to private individuals and non-government businesses for an unspecified length of time.

“Fuel will be sold only to government agencies that ensure the functioning and security of the Republic of Crimea,” Aksyonov stated. “I ask everyone to remain calm and to only trust official sources of information.”

Ukrainian forces have struck Crimean fuel supplies repeatedly in recent weeks, creating the most severe energy shortage the peninsula has seen since Russia’s illegal annexation of the territory in 2014.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed in a Sunday statement that among the targets hit were a Crimean oil depot and an oil transport facility located in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region. He characterized the strikes as part of Ukraine’s strategy of “long-range sanctions” aimed at Russia’s energy infrastructure.

“Russia understands only strength, and our long-range strength is certainly working for peace,” Zelenskyy wrote.

Russian authorities in Krasnodar reported earlier Sunday that a drone attack set off a fire at a Black Sea oil terminal in the village of Chushka. Officials there also said Ukrainian strikes hit a ferry, resulting in one fatality.

While Crimea has faced fuel shortages from Ukrainian attacks in the past, the current situation is described as the worst since the 2014 annexation. Late last month, officials had already moved to limit fuel purchases to 20 liters — roughly 5 and one-third gallons — per vehicle owner each week, distributed through prepaid coupons. Those coupons were gone almost instantly after being made available through an official messaging app, leaving drivers waiting in line for hours just to refuel.

Residents have flooded social media with tips on where to find gasoline, and officials set up a hotline specifically for tourists in the area who found themselves stranded without fuel.

Some drivers have been bringing gas in from Krasnodar and other areas via the Kerch bridge, though they are limited to 100 liters — about 26 and a half gallons — per vehicle. Taking advantage of the shortage, some individuals are reselling fuel at twice the going market rate.

In an unusual move, the Kremlin publicly acknowledged the severity of the fuel crisis and pledged to resolve it quickly.

The Ukrainian strikes have underscored Kyiv’s capacity to inflict meaningful damage on Russian-held territory, even as Russia’s recent battlefield advances have largely stalled. On June 11, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine hit its 1,569th day — a milestone that surpasses the entire duration of World War I.

BOGOTA — Colombian citizens are heading to the polls this Sunday to decide the country’s next president in a runoff election that pits a leftist senator against a right-wing lawyer and businessman making his first run for office.

The May first round failed to produce a clear winner, setting up a showdown between Senator Ivan Cepeda, who represents the left, and Abelardo De La Espriella, a political outsider from the right who has never previously held public office.

Cepeda, 63, is running on a platform that would extend the current administration’s agenda — including state pension payments for low-income Colombians, labor reforms backed by unions, continued peace negotiations with armed groups that have battled the government for decades, and a freeze on new oil exploration projects.

De La Espriella, 47, is offering a sharply different vision. He wants to end peace talks with armed groups and launch a sweeping military campaign against them, while also expanding Colombia’s oil and gas industry. He has blamed the current government for the country’s economic troubles and security problems, and has pledged to cut taxes and shrink the size of government by as much as 40%. However, he has said he would keep a 23% minimum wage increase and other well-received social programs put in place by the current administration.

No matter who wins, the new president will face serious challenges, including heavy public debt and a divided Congress that could block major reform efforts.

Polling and financial markets appear to lean toward De La Espriella, who led the first round with 43% of the vote, though analysts say the final outcome could be very close. Both candidates have worked hard to bring out voters — nearly half of all eligible Colombians sat out the May election.

LATIN AMERICA’S RIGHTWARD TURN

Colombia’s election is unfolding against a backdrop of political shifts across the region. Voters in Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, and Ecuador have all chosen right-wing presidents in their most recent elections. Bolivia also broke with two decades of leftist leadership last year by electing center-right candidate Rodrigo Paz.

In Peru, vote counting is still underway from a June 7 election, with conservative Keiko Fujimori — daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, who spent 16 years in prison for human rights violations — appearing set to claim the presidency after three previous unsuccessful bids.

Concerns about rising crime and sluggish economies have been the driving force behind most of these rightward shifts, including in Colombia.

Peace negotiations launched by the current Colombian government have largely fallen apart as armed factions have grown stronger and drug trafficking organizations have expanded, fueling increases in murders and extortion, particularly along the Caribbean coast.

De La Espriella has attempted to link Cepeda — whose father, a communist leader, was assassinated — to criminal elements, though the current government points out it has confiscated more cocaine than any previous administration. Cepeda has pushed back firmly, stating there is no factual basis for those claims.

Meanwhile, Cepeda has raised questions about De La Espriella’s legal career, noting that he has represented clients connected to right-wing paramilitary groups and corruption cases — including Alex Saab, who faces U.S. charges for allegedly laundering money on behalf of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. De La Espriella has maintained that his professional work does not make him complicit in any wrongdoing.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been actively working to expand American influence throughout the region, including the arrest of Maduro, military strikes targeting alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean, and the formation of a military coalition called the Shield of the Americas, made up of right-wing leaders committed to combating drug trafficking.

Trump, who has had a public falling-out with Colombia’s current president, came out this month with an explicit endorsement of De La Espriella.

“It is my Honor to give Abelardo my Complete and Total Endorsement,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, calling Sunday’s election “very important to the future of Colombia and its relationship to the United States.”

More than 41 million Colombians are eligible to participate in the vote. Polling locations will be open for eight hours beginning at 8 a.m. local time, or 1 p.m. GMT. Early results are anticipated within a few hours of polls closing.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is at a crossroads, facing the most consequential decision of his political career: walk away from office or dig in and battle a challenge from Labour Party rival Andy Burnham.

While Starmer has publicly declared his intention to remain in his role, pressure within the Labour Party is intensifying as growing numbers of colleagues believe his leadership has run its course. There is increasing expectation that he could announce a timeline for stepping down as early as Monday — the same day Burnham is set to be sworn in as a member of the House of Commons following his victory in a special election last week.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle appeared on the BBC Sunday and said Starmer is “making time to reflect on the political realities, challenges and opportunities that he finds himself in.” Kyle described reports of an imminent resignation as “speculation,” while adding, “I know he is a prime minister who always puts his country first.”

Starmer spent the weekend at Chequers, the official country residence available to British prime ministers, accompanied by his family. He made no public statements about his political future, though he did post a Father’s Day message on X. “Being a dad is my greatest joy. Today, I’m thinking about my dad, and the father I am to my children because of him,” he wrote.

Should Starmer step down, he would become the sixth British prime minister to leave office within the past decade — an unusually high rate of leadership turnover for the United Kingdom.

Dissatisfaction with Starmer has been mounting for months. Labour lawmakers have been eager to reverse the party’s falling popularity since Starmer guided the center-left party to a sweeping election win in July 2024. He has struggled to deliver on promises of economic growth, fix deteriorating public services, and address the rising cost of living. His leadership has also been dogged by a series of missteps, including his decision to name Peter Mandelson — a figure with ties to Jeffrey Epstein and a history of controversy — as the UK’s ambassador to the United States.

The Labour Party is losing ground on two fronts: liberal voters are gravitating toward the expanding Green Party, while the anti-immigration Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, continues to top national opinion polls.

Burnham, who until this week served as the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, won the Makerfield seat in northwestern England decisively in Thursday’s special election. He captured nearly 55% of the 45,510 votes cast — more than 9,000 votes ahead of the Reform UK candidate who finished second.

With a seat in Parliament now secured, Burnham is positioned to mount a formal challenge for the Labour leadership. His victory speech left little ambiguity about his ambitions. “Everyone knows that politics isn’t working,” he said. “Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point.”

Whether Burnham would face a clear path to the leadership or a competitive race remains uncertain. Wes Streeting, who stepped down as health secretary last month in protest of Starmer’s leadership, has indicated he would enter a contest if one takes place.

Starmer congratulated Burnham on Friday but made clear he had no intention of stepping aside quietly. “I will run, I will stand,” if a Labour leadership contest is held, Starmer said. “I’ve said repeatedly I’m not going to walk away from that.”

However, Charlie Falconer, a senior Labour member of the House of Lords, said Saturday that Starmer has “absolutely no authority” remaining. “There should be an agreed transition process in which Andy and Keir cooperate as to when the handover should take place,” Falconer told the BBC.

Crowds of yoga enthusiasts came together in a massive gathering spanning India and other regions of Asia on Sunday to celebrate International Yoga Day.

The widespread event drew participants from across the continent, marking the occasion with group yoga performances and demonstrations.

Images from the day were captured and assembled into a photo gallery by editors at the Associated Press.

American and Iranian officials are sitting down together in Switzerland this Sunday, working to iron out the finer points of a temporary agreement intended to bring an end to the ongoing Iran war.

The U.S. delegation is being led by Vice President JD Vance and includes Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. They are set to meet with an Iranian team headed by parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Representatives from Pakistan and Qatar are also participating in the technical-level discussions, which aim to resolve a conflict that first broke out in late February.

Vance expressed confidence heading into the negotiations, saying he was optimistic about making headway on both Iran’s nuclear ambitions and securing a ceasefire in southern Lebanon.

Just before the talks got underway, Tehran announced that it had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing Israel’s continued military operations in Lebanon. The interim agreement between Washington and Tehran is designed to halt fighting across all fronts — including Lebanon — and calls for billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets to be released.

President Donald Trump has warned that the U.S. will impose tolls on the strait if a permanent deal isn’t finalized within 60 days. The current interim agreement provides for toll-free passage through the waterway for that same 60-day window — a critical stretch of water for the global oil supply.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir are also present in Switzerland for the high-level discussions, according to the prime minister’s office, though no additional details were provided.

The meetings are taking place at the Bürgenstock Resort near the Swiss city of Lucerne. They were originally planned for Friday but were pushed back due to concerns raised by Iran. Sharif had dispatched his special envoy, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, to Tehran to encourage Iranian officials to send a delegation to Switzerland. Naqvi eventually reported back to Islamabad that Iran had agreed to attend, and Pakistan then relayed that news to Washington.

The Strait of Hormuz has become a central issue in the negotiations. Iran’s joint military command stated Saturday that the waterway was closed again because the U.S. had, in their words, clearly breached its commitments by not bringing the war to an end. The interim deal is intended to stop all fighting, including in Lebanon where Israeli forces are engaged in combat with the militant group Hezbollah.

The U.S. pushed back on Iran’s claim. U.S. Central Command reported that shipping traffic is still moving through the strait, noting that 55 merchant vessels passed through on Saturday carrying more than 17 million barrels of oil.

Vessel traffic through the strait resumed after the interim U.S.-Iran deal was signed last week. As part of that agreement, the U.S. lifted its blockade on Iranian ports and now permits Tehran to sell its oil on the open market — a concession that has prompted some members of Congress to question whether the war was justified.

The interim deal, signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, gives both sides 60 days to negotiate a formal nuclear agreement, with the possibility of extending that deadline if needed.

Taiwan’s armed forces began a five-day combat readiness drill this week, with the island’s defense ministry announcing the exercise on Sunday as part of a broader push to modernize military training by shifting away from scripted events toward more realistic, war-simulating scenarios.

The island sits at the center of an ongoing territorial dispute — China considers Taiwan part of its own territory, a claim the government in Taipei firmly rejects. Taiwan says Chinese military forces regularly operate in the airspace and waters surrounding the island in an effort to pressure it into accepting Chinese rule.

As part of its updated training approach, Taiwan’s military has begun designing drills around a scenario in which China suddenly converts one of its routine exercises near the island into a real military assault.

The defense ministry identified the exercise as the “Immediate Combat Readiness Exercise,” scheduled to run from Monday through Friday. Officials described it as part of the military’s annual joint operations training program.

According to the ministry, “The main objective is to train units at all levels to become familiar with combat practices and the battlefield environment during the readiness deployment phase, and to strengthen rapid peacetime-to-wartime transition and priority deployment actions.”

The ministry further stated the exercise would be carried out with “actual troops, on actual terrain, in real time, using actual equipment, and through actual implementation.”

Officials said the drills would sharpen command structures at every level and build combat-ready capabilities among troops, with a particular focus on joint operations command and control, supply chain sustainment, and battlefield preparation.

The announcement coincided with a separate ministry statement reporting that China had conducted another “combat readiness patrol” in the vicinity of Taiwan. According to the ministry, China deployed 21 aircraft during that patrol, including J-16 fighter jets, KJ-500 airborne early warning and control planes, and Y-20 aerial refueling aircraft. Nineteen of those aircraft moved into airspace southwest of Taiwan and out into the Western Pacific to carry out what China described as “long-distance training over open seas.”

Attempts to reach China’s defense ministry for a response went unanswered on Sunday, as the calls came outside of normal office hours.

Taiwan has been conducting military exercises with increasing frequency. Earlier this month, the island fired its newly acquired U.S.-made HIMARS rocket system — the same weapon widely used by Ukraine — into the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s primary annual military exercise, the Han Kuang war games, is expected to be held in August.

Five people are dead following a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Russian-controlled territory, with the strikes triggering a significant fuel crisis across the Crimean peninsula.

The Russian-installed governor of Crimea reported that four people were killed and 28 others were wounded during a Ukrainian drone assault on the peninsula. In a separate attack, one person aboard a passenger ferry was killed after a Ukrainian drone struck an oil transport facility in Russia’s Krasnodar region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed that attack.

Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that 239 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight during the assault.

In the aftermath, Crimean Governor Sergei Aksyonov announced that fuel stations throughout the peninsula had stopped selling gas to the general public and to private businesses. Fuel supplies are now being directed exclusively to government agencies responsible for essential services and security operations.

Ukraine has been ramping up drone strikes against Crimea in recent weeks, home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. The attacks have focused on the peninsula’s supply routes, creating a growing fuel shortage just as the summer holiday season gets underway.

A local power grid operator reported electricity outages across several areas due to damage to the power infrastructure. Ferry service across the Kerch Strait, which separates Crimea from the Krasnodar region, was also temporarily shut down.

Traffic on the bridge connecting Crimea to Russia’s Krasnodar region was suspended for more than nine hours, leaving 11 trains running behind schedule.

LONDON — British Business Minister Peter Kyle pushed back Sunday against mounting speculation that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is preparing to step down from office on Monday.

Appearing on Sky News, Kyle revealed he had a lengthy, “frank” conversation with Starmer just two days earlier, on Friday, though he declined to share the specifics of what was discussed.

The Observer newspaper had reported that Starmer was expected to announce his resignation Monday and lay out a timeline for leaving office. However, a government source countered that the prime minister remained committed to the work of governing the country.

When asked directly about the resignation reports, Kyle said: “I have nothing to believe that they are true. I am seeing a lot of speculation out there.”

Kyle went on to defend the prime minister’s dedication, saying: “Today, as in every other day I’ve ever known Keir, he is out there working hard. At the same time, he is also trying to create the space where he can think and reflect on the political realities and challenges — and the opportunities — that are before us.”

While Kyle would not detail what the two men discussed Friday, he did say that during the entire conversation, Starmer “not once … did he ever ask about self-interest. It was always about the country.”

The pressure on Starmer has been building for months, but intensified sharply Friday when prominent party rival Andy Burnham secured a seat in parliament — a move that now allows him to formally launch a leadership challenge.

According to The Observer, Starmer was weighing his next steps with his wife at the Chequers country residence before reaching a final decision. Senior figures within the Labour Party reportedly anticipated a definitive statement about his political future as early as Monday.

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombian voters are heading to the polls Sunday for a presidential runoff election that has sharply divided the country, with two very different candidates each promising to end decades of brutal violence that has long plagued the South American nation.

The choice comes down to businessman and attorney Abelardo de la Espriella, a political outsider with a conservative approach, and Iván Cepeda, a sitting lawmaker who carries the torch of outgoing President Gustavo Petro — the country’s first leftist head of state. The two men outlasted nine other candidates in a May 31 first-round vote.

Both men have made security a centerpiece of their campaigns, vowing to protect Colombians from the kind of relentless violence — including car bombings, kidnappings, forced disappearances, and mass displacements — that defined life in the country for generations.

De la Espriella favors a tough-on-crime stance that has drawn an endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Cepeda, on the other hand, has pledged to build on Petro’s efforts to open dialogue with the country’s various illegal armed factions — a strategy that has largely fallen short of its goals.

The two candidates also disagree on how to fix Colombia’s troubled health care system, its growing national debt, and widespread corruption.

In Bogota, residents expressed anxiety about the nation’s direction. “Right now, what worries me is the polarization that exists between us: there are two very extreme sides, and the violence is concerning,” said John Manrique, a lawyer in the capital who was out walking his dog.

Manrique added: “What I hope is that people accept who won. Let’s accept it, regardless of the side, and try to reach a social consensus. … Let’s not go out and fight.”

According to official results from the first round, de la Espriella received 44% of the vote compared to Cepeda’s 41%. Outgoing President Petro, without presenting evidence, raised doubts about those results after Cepeda — who had led in polls heading into the May vote — not only failed to win outright but actually finished behind de la Espriella.

This election falls a decade after Colombia reached a landmark peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, which had raised hopes of breaking the country’s long cycle of armed conflict.

However, violence has surged again in the years since, largely because most rebel groups shifted away from ideological motivations and toward the financial rewards of drug trafficking.

Last year, authorities recorded 14,780 homicides — the highest number since at least 2015 — fueled by clashes between illegal armed organizations. One of those killed was conservative presidential candidate Miguel Uribe. Extortion cases have also skyrocketed, with 13,417 incidents reported in 2025, more than twice the number recorded in 2015.

More than 41 million Colombians are eligible to cast ballots Sunday.

De la Espriella, a political newcomer who goes by the nickname “The Tiger,” has vowed to crack down hard on criminal elements and construct 10 large-scale prisons. His model draws inspiration from the approach used by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, which has brought homicide rates down but also sparked allegations of human rights violations.

Cepeda is seeking to continue Petro’s controversial “total peace” initiative, which aims to negotiate disarmament agreements with guerrilla groups and criminal organizations. That strategy, launched in 2022, reached a milestone just Thursday when the first armed group — one with roughly 100 members — surrendered its weapons and began a reintegration process into civilian life. Colombia’s illegal armed groups collectively have more than 27,000 members.

Yamile Guevara, a retired educator in Bogota, argued that Petro’s peace plan simply needs more time, noting that a six-decade-old conflict cannot realistically be resolved in a single presidential term. She also took issue with what she called a persistent distrust of left-leaning politics in Colombia due to its historical ties to rebel movements.

“The left has always been viewed negatively; it has been harsh, and many people have died,” said Guevara, who supports Cepeda. “So, one wonders what’s wrong with people who have forgotten history … how can they not think carefully about which candidate they are going to elect?”

The weeks leading up to Sunday’s runoff have been marked by heated exchanges between the two camps, along with allegations of election fraud, vote-buying, and voter intimidation.

Cepeda has filed formal complaints with Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office and the International Criminal Court, accusing de la Espriella of having connections to paramilitary organizations. De la Espriella has flatly denied those claims.

The Israeli military announced Sunday that it had “eliminated” two operatives with ties to the armed wings of both Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The two men, identified as Hussein Qadra and Mohammed Farra, were connected to a large-scale financial operation that channeled funds to Hamas. According to a post on the Israeli military’s X account, Qadra led the network alongside Farra, operating under Hamas leadership and facilitating the transfer of more than half a billion shekels to the organization.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance touched down in Switzerland on Sunday, kicking off what he has described as several days of diplomatic discussions with Iranian officials.

Vance and his wife landed at Emmen Air Base at 5:59 a.m. local time (0359 GMT), according to a spokesperson for the vice president.

Vice President JD Vance touched down in Switzerland on Sunday to help formally open diplomatic talks with Iranian leaders focused on reining in Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and strengthening a shaky interim agreement to bring the conflict in Iran to a close.

A framework agreement was signed last week, and senior negotiators from both the United States and Iran are now working against a 60-day deadline to finalize the complex technical details — details that carry enormous weight for the global economy and international security.

The opening stretch of that two-month window has already been turbulent. Heavy fighting erupted in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, and Iran’s military announced it had shut down the Strait of Hormuz — the critical waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply passes.

Vance had originally been scheduled to arrive at the scenic Bürgenstock resort near Lucerne on Friday, but his departure from the United States was pushed back after the violence in Lebanon intensified and Iranian officials pulled out of their planned attendance at the talks.

U.S. Central Command pushed back on Iran’s assertion that the strait had been closed again, stating that American forces were actively monitoring the waterway to keep traffic moving. Vance noted that millions of barrels of oil have continued to flow through the strait in recent days.

The vice president left the U.S. shortly after Iranian state television reported that Tehran’s negotiating team had landed in Switzerland. Iran’s delegation includes parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, along with officials from the country’s central bank and oil sector.

Vance joins special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who were already on the ground working through the technical specifics of the nuclear agreement.

The broader negotiations will also involve Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and mediators from Qatar.

Although Vance indicated he planned to stay in Switzerland for only “a day or two” — leaving the bulk of the detailed work to Witkoff and Kushner — his participation has drawn increased attention, particularly as he is reportedly weighing a run for president in 2028.

Both Trump and Vance have faced sharp criticism from within their own Republican Party over the agreement, with hardline members drawing unflattering comparisons to a nuclear deal reached under the Obama administration — one that Trump and fellow Republicans have long argued failed to actually dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

The deal signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian immediately allows Iran to sell its oil on the open market and opens the door for Tehran to access billions of dollars in currently frozen assets. It also requires Iran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is believed to be stored beneath nuclear facilities that were struck by U.S. airstrikes last summer.

Under the agreement, commercial ships may pass through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days without being charged a fee — though the deal does not rule out Iran imposing tolls in the future. Trump himself threatened on Saturday to impose U.S. tolls on the strait if no deal is reached within 60 days, writing on social media that the funds would compensate for “services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East.”

Adding another layer of complexity, neither Israel nor Hezbollah are parties to the U.S.-Iran agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until all threats to Israel are eliminated, while Hezbollah has refused to stand down unless Israel commits to a full withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

In the days immediately following the U.S.-Iran agreement, clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah resulted in the deaths of 47 people in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers.

LONDON (AP) — As darkness gave way to dawn, thousands of people made their way to the legendary Stonehenge monument to mark the arrival of the summer solstice — the longest day of the year.

Crowds gathered in the early morning hours, greeting the sunrise with celebration that included music, dancing, and peaceful reflection amid the towering ancient stones.

The event was captured in a photo gallery assembled by AP photo editors.

Diplomatic teams from the United States and Iran convened in Switzerland on Sunday for peace negotiations, even as a dispute erupted over whether Iran had shut down one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.

An Iranian delegation arrived in Switzerland for the talks, according to Iranian state media, while U.S. Vice President JD Vance departed Washington for the meetings, which Pakistan said would get underway Sunday. The two countries had previously agreed to a 60-day ceasefire while negotiations proceed.

Despite that agreement, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the Strait of Hormuz closed on Saturday. However, U.S. military officials pushed back on that claim, saying commercial vessels had continued moving through the waterway without disruption. U.S. Central Command reported that 55 merchant ships passed through the strait on Saturday, carrying more than 17 million barrels of oil destined for global markets. American forces will work to keep commercial traffic flowing, Central Command added.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical passage for the world’s oil and gas supplies, and any disruption there could have far-reaching economic consequences.

President Donald Trump addressed the situation in a social media post Saturday, stating that no toll would be charged for passage through the Strait during or after the 60-day ceasefire period — though he left open the possibility of imposing one if peace talks ultimately fall apart. He described such a potential toll as payment “for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East.”

Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, took to social media to accuse the U.S. of failing to follow through on the first clause of a 14-point interim agreement between the two nations. That clause calls for a ceasefire “on all fronts,” including Lebanon. Mokhber stated that as long as the deal existed only on paper, the flow of energy from the Middle East would remain halted.

The interim deal was brokered by Pakistan and signed Wednesday by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, with the goal of ending a conflict between the two nations that has lasted nearly four months.

Complicating matters further, the Lebanon ceasefire appeared shaky. Lebanese Civil Defence reported that 20 people were killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Saturday, just hours after a truce there took effect. Israel said it was responding to attacks from Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, while Hezbollah said it would not allow Israel “freedom of movement” in Lebanon. Lebanon’s state news agency reported that Israeli warplanes and drones struck locations across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on Saturday. An Israeli military official said Hezbollah fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces overnight.

The IRGC pointed to what it called Israeli “crimes” in Lebanon — which it said violated U.S. ceasefire commitments — as justification for warning ships that they would be at risk near the Strait.

Israel, which is not part of the U.S.-Iran negotiations, has stated it is not bound by the deal and will keep its forces in Lebanese territory it currently occupies. Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported that the country’s prime minister and defense minister instructed the military to hold fire in Lebanon, though Israel would not pull back from areas it has captured.

A poll conducted by Israel’s Hebrew University and shared exclusively with Reuters found that about 92% of Israelis believe Iran benefited more from the joint Israeli-U.S. military campaign than Israel did. Only around 8% of Israelis felt their country came out victorious. Nearly 90% said the war’s goals were not achieved, and more than 70% said they do not believe claims of major achievements made by the Israeli prime minister.

Lebanon’s health ministry reports that 4,057 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, including medics, women, and children, though it does not specify how many were combatants. Israeli authorities say at least 32 soldiers and four civilians have been killed in fighting with Hezbollah.

On the U.S. side, the negotiating team includes Vice President Vance along with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is also Trump’s son-in-law. The Iranian delegation is led by chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and also includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, along with senior officials from security, the central bank, and the oil sector.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran would use the Switzerland talks to push for the fulfillment of commitments, pointing to what he described as past failures by the other side to honor agreements.

Vance, speaking in a Fox News interview, expressed confidence that the ceasefire would hold and said he had seen no evidence that the Strait of Hormuz was actually closed. He departed for Switzerland shortly after 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, telling reporters before boarding a plane at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland that negotiations would likely last “a couple days.”

“I think we’re going to hopefully make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue,” Vance said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy issued a grave warning Saturday, telling his citizens that Russian forces were preparing to launch a massive assault on Ukraine and urging everyone to take extra precautions as strikes across the country left at least six people dead.

Speaking in his nightly video address, Zelenskiy delivered an urgent message to the Ukrainian people. “Tonight and in the coming hours, it is especially important to pay close attention to air raid warnings,” he said. “The Russians have prepared for a massive attack. Please take care of yourselves.”

Russian forces have carried out a series of devastating strikes on Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities in recent weeks. Attacks last Monday left 10 people dead across the country and caused severe damage to the Pechersk Lavra monastery — a 1,000-year-old site considered a cornerstone of Ukrainian spiritual and cultural identity.

Zelenskiy has vowed that Ukraine’s military will continue its campaign of medium and long-range strikes, with a particular focus on Russia’s oil sector. He confirmed Saturday that Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery in the Tyumen region of western Siberia, and that drones had also struck a Moscow oil refinery twice during the week.

In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, Russian forces unleashed glide bombs Saturday, killing five people and wounding 10 others. Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov reported the details on Telegram, noting that the city absorbed nine separate strikes, with damage to multiple residential buildings and other infrastructure.

Near the Russian border, a bomb attack on the outskirts of the city of Sumy claimed one life, according to local officials.

In the southern Kherson region, Regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported that one person was killed in a drone strike on a village located north of the region’s main city, also known as Kherson.

In the central city of Poltava, Russian shelling injured three children, local officials confirmed.

For the second consecutive day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on neighboring Belarus to take down relay stations that he claims are playing a direct role in facilitating Russian drone strikes against Ukrainian regions.

Belarus, led by longtime President Alexander Lukashenko, has stood as one of Russia’s closest partners throughout the more than four-year conflict with Ukraine. The country allowed Russia to use its soil as a launching point for the February 2022 invasion.

Lukashenko, who has held power since 1994, has repeatedly insisted he does not wish to become more deeply entangled in the war. However, Zelenskiy has pushed Belarus to demonstrate through action that it will not actively back Russia’s military campaign.

Without mentioning Lukashenko by name, Zelenskiy addressed the matter in his nightly video message, making an indirect reference to Lukashenko’s disputed return to power. He stated that Ukraine has identified four relay stations on Belarusian soil that are supporting Russian military operations.

“Belarus still has time to dismantle this equipment. We also know about every factory in Belarus that works for Russia and supports the war,” Zelenskiy said.

He added, “Ukraine does not want this and we have warned the de facto leadership of Belarus which has influence over these developments.”

The previous Friday, Zelenskiy had given what he described as a week’s worth of time for the relay equipment to be removed, and he attached a clear warning to that deadline.

“If he doesn’t do it, we’ll do it,” Zelenskiy said on Friday, without providing further detail on what that action might look like.

In his most recent comments, Zelenskiy also turned attention to Belarus’s oil refining industry, arguing it is contributing to Russia’s ability to wage war. He said that between January and May, gasoline exports from Belarus to Russia grew by 13 times compared to the same stretch of time the previous year, while diesel exports tripled.

“Unfortunately, this helps Russia adapt to pressure and does not bring peace any closer,” Zelenskiy said. “It should be the opposite: peace should be brought closer.”

Ukraine’s armed forces have been conducting a sustained campaign of medium and long-range drone strikes, with Russia’s oil infrastructure as a primary target, as part of a broader strategy to weaken Moscow’s ability to sustain its war effort.

Three people have lost their lives following a fire at a single-story pavilion in the White City neighborhood of London, the London Fire Brigade announced on Saturday.

Authorities have launched a joint investigation into the cause of the deadly blaze, with the Brigade’s specialist fire investigation officers working in coordination with the Metropolitan Police Service to determine what sparked the fire.

LONDON — Britain’s Observer newspaper is reporting that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to step down as early as Monday, with senior figures in his Labour Party anticipating a formal announcement about his future.

According to the report, Starmer was at his Chequers country residence consulting with his wife before reaching a final decision. Senior Labour members are said to be anticipating a clear statement on his political future as soon as Monday.

Despite the report, a government source pushed back, saying Starmer remains fully focused on his responsibilities as prime minister and pointing to previous statements he has made affirming his commitment to the role.

The pressure on Starmer escalated significantly on Friday when rival Andy Burnham secured a seat in parliament — a move that now allows Burnham to formally mount a leadership challenge against the sitting prime minister.

Starmer addressed the situation Friday, saying he intends to fight any challenge to his leadership and calling on Labour members to avoid destructive internal conflict. “Don’t tear itself apart with infighting,” he urged the party.

The calls for his exit have grown considerably, with more than 100 elected Labour lawmakers — representing roughly one-quarter of the party’s total membership in the House of Commons — publicly calling for Starmer to either resign or at least lay out a timeline for his departure.

TYRE, Lebanon — Vice President JD Vance departed for Switzerland on Saturday as the White House worked to get stalled negotiations with Iran back on course.

Vance is scheduled to meet Sunday with Iran’s parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and central bank and oil officials. Mediators from Pakistan and Qatar have also traveled to Switzerland to participate in the discussions.

The goal of the technical-level talks is to work out the finer details of a preliminary agreement signed earlier this week by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which is designed to halt nearly four months of war between the two countries.

The talks nearly fell apart before they began. Vance had originally been set to meet with senior Iranian officials on Friday at a mountainside resort in the small Swiss village of Obbürgen, but Iranian officials initially pulled out due to escalating conflict between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

However, U.S. and Qatari negotiators — with assistance from Iran — brokered an arrangement to reduce the active fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, according to U.S. and regional officials who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to comment publicly. Following that development, Iran’s state media announced Saturday that its top officials would make the trip to Switzerland after all.

Earlier in the day, Iran announced it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing what it called a U.S. failure to uphold its commitments under the interim deal by not ending the war. Iran also warned that while its team was heading to Switzerland, progress in the talks would be unlikely unless the fighting stopped.

President Trump responded by threatening to impose American tolls on the strategically vital waterway if a final deal with Iran is not reached within 60 days. In a social media post, Trump said the money would go toward “services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East,” while also noting the agreement currently guarantees toll-free transit for 60 days.

The U.S. pushed back on Iran’s claim about the strait. “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic continues to flow, and U.S. forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case,” said Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command. The military reported that 55 merchant ships moved through the strait on Saturday, carrying more than 17 million barrels of oil.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said negotiations toward a final agreement would only begin once key commitments are honored. If they are not, he warned, “the memorandum of understanding as a whole will be jeopardized.”

Vance confirmed that top negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were already in Switzerland working through technical details ahead of the broader nuclear talks. The interim deal gives both sides 60 days to reach a nuclear agreement, though that window can be extended given the complexity of the issue.

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi in Tehran earlier Saturday as part of efforts to help revive the direct talks, according to officials in Islamabad who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The interim agreement, signed earlier in the week, marked a significant milestone but left many questions open. Under the deal, the U.S. lifted its blockade of Iran’s ports and allowed Tehran to sell oil freely — terms that have drawn scrutiny from some members of Congress who have questioned whether the war was worth fighting. The deal also calls for billions of dollars of Iran’s frozen assets to be released.

Complicating the broader peace effort is the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Neither party signed the U.S.-Iran agreement. Hezbollah and Israel entered open war two days after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, with Hezbollah firing rockets and drones at northern Israel while Israeli forces seized large portions of southern Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to keep Israeli troops in southern Lebanon until all threats to Israel are eliminated. Hezbollah, for its part, has refused to stop its attacks unless Israel commits to a full withdrawal from Lebanon.

A new round of U.S.-backed talks between Lebanon’s government and Israel is expected to take place in Washington next week.

The United States and Iran offered starkly different versions of events Saturday regarding the Strait of Hormuz, even as high-level representatives from both countries prepared to sit down for talks in Switzerland the following day.

Iran announced earlier that it was shutting down the vital waterway and issued warnings to commercial ships to keep their distance. The announcement came amid continued fighting between Israel and Lebanon, despite a ceasefire having been declared.

According to Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, the naval arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sent warnings to ships operating near the strait, cautioning that vessels attempting to pass through could face mines or come under fire. Iranian state media also reported that maritime activity in the Persian Gulf had dropped following the announcement.

The US military flatly rejected Iran’s assertion that the strait had been closed.

“Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz,” said Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for Central Command, known as CENTCOM. “Traffic continues to flow, and US forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case.”

CENTCOM reported that 55 merchant vessels and 17 million barrels of oil moved through the strait on Saturday. The command further stated: “US forces remain present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect.”

The standoff over the waterway unfolded as diplomatic preparations continued ahead of the Switzerland talks. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced plans to travel there to serve as a mediator, and Qatar is also expected to be involved in the discussions.

The American delegation heading to the talks is expected to include Vice President JD Vance, Jared Kushner, and US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who are scheduled to meet with an Iranian delegation.

CNN reported that resolving the conflict in Lebanon is “the most important item on the Iranian delegation’s agenda” as their representatives prepare for the negotiations.

The talks are set to get underway Sunday, even as both sides continue to publicly disagree over what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most critical shipping routes for global energy supplies.