Category: World News

BIRAO, Central African Republic — When labor pains struck Maude Ahmad Fadala just after dark, she faced an impossible situation.

Her child was ready to be born, but she was trapped in a refugee camp, weakened by typhoid fever. The camp offered no birthing facilities, and she lacked funds for transportation. Despite her condition, she rose and began walking toward help.

Every few steps, contractions forced her to pause in agony until she could move no further.

“I gave birth in the street,” she said. “There was no doctor, no midwife, and no one holding my hand.”

This tragic experience reflects a broader crisis across sub-Saharan Africa, which faces the world’s highest population growth alongside devastating maternal mortality rates. The region accounts for 70% of pregnancy-related deaths globally, claiming approximately 182,000 mothers annually.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly two-thirds of maternal deaths worldwide happen in nations experiencing conflict or instability. For women like Fadala, who escaped Sudan’s ongoing war to seek refuge in Central African Republic, crossing borders doesn’t end their peril.

Being displaced often means skipping prenatal care, undertaking dangerous travel, and relying on weakened healthcare systems in isolated areas.

The United Nations reports that women in Central African Republic face 40 times greater risk of dying during pregnancy or delivery compared to those in the United States. The nation loses 829 mothers for every 100,000 births, making it among the world’s deadliest places to give birth.

Decades of internal warfare have left Central African Republic and its medical infrastructure in shambles. Despite abundant gold reserves, healthcare remains virtually absent outside major urban centers. One-third of residents survive on under $2 daily.

Recognizing the maternal mortality emergency, the government unveiled a 2024 initiative to boost funding for trained birth attendants and related resources. Officials haven’t responded to inquiries about the program’s progress.

Recent dramatic reductions in humanitarian funding from major donors, including the United States, have further complicated women’s access to medical care.

In Birao, a remote border town near Sudan where Fadala now lives, four local midwives supported by the U.N. Population Fund lost their positions last year when the Trump administration terminated all U.S. funding agreements with the U.N. sexual and reproductive health agency.

Across from Fadala’s tent sits an abandoned “safe space” that previously provided transportation for expectant mothers to the district hospital. This facility was among four such centers in Birao that served nearly 50,000 women. All have shuttered due to lost U.S. funding, along with two American-supported health clinics.

“Some women run the risk of dying in pregnancy situations that are not medically managed,” said UNFPA program officer Marie Justine Mamba Ibingui.

UNFPA’s Central African Republic budget has been cut in half over two years to $6.5 million, according to country director Victor Rakoto. The organization was Birao’s sole provider of reproductive health supplies.

“The risk of maternal death is going to increase if there is no solution,” Rakoto said.

The U.N. reports that conflict-affected areas like Birao account for six of every 10 maternal deaths worldwide.

The district hospital Fadala attempted to reach sits several kilometers away over unpaved roads.

During a recent visit, birthing assistant Delphine Zanabe moved between patients as dozens of women waited, packed together on hard benches in oppressive heat. Some had walked for hours to arrive. Others had endangered their pregnancies by riding motorcycles across rough terrain.

From the border area, adjacent to Sudan territory controlled by paramilitary forces battling the Sudanese military, it’s a 65-kilometer journey to the refugee camp.

“They only come when they are about to give birth,” Zanabe said. “It’s a struggle and it’s either the baby or the mother who suffers.” WHO guidelines recommend at least eight prenatal visits during pregnancy.

For refugees living in survival mode in unfamiliar territory, poverty and lack of education create additional complications. Zanabe explained these factors frequently increase women’s risk for pregnancy and delivery problems.

The maternity ward contains eight beds crammed into such a small space they nearly touch. This serves approximately 70,000 local residents plus 22,000 Sudanese refugees.

Medical staff report that 12 employees have been laid off due to aid reductions, with most coming from the maternity department.

Amna Adam Hessen had arrived the previous day with malarial fever. Her unborn baby was discovered to be in breech position, detected late because she had missed prenatal appointments. Transported by motorcycle from the refugee camp, she hemorrhaged during delivery and lost her child.

The following day, her mother, Salet, fanned her in the stifling heat.

“Giving birth here is exhausting,” she said, describing the long and difficult night.

Amna twisted with fever on the bare foam mattress, crying out, “Mama, mama.”

Zanabe expresses concern about additional humanitarian aid reductions affecting expectant mothers.

The United Nations estimates that over 40% of births in Central African Republic already happen outside medical facilities — a traditional practice that risks otherwise preventable complications.

Clara Abessendé was among the four midwives who lost their positions.

She witnessed the daily number of women arriving at the hospital triple after Sudan’s war erupted in early 2023, while staff ran short of essential supplies like antibiotics and malaria medications.

“As a result, there were more cases of infant and maternal deaths,” she said. Abessendé described feeling burdened by guilt over having to abandon her work.

“The children born in my hands … I abandoned them like that,” she said.

Katidje Idrisse Tahire represents one of the women she can no longer assist.

Tahire moved slowly through the refugee camp collecting water, carrying one child while two others walked beside her. In her ninth month of pregnancy, she was preparing for another birth.

She explained that she fled Sudan four months earlier on foot. At the border, armed men stole everything she owned. Her husband hasn’t been seen since they escaped Darfur.

“My whole body aches,” she said. “I am very tired and unwell.”

Without money, she remains uncertain whether medical care will be available when her baby arrives.

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian authorities report that an overnight Russian assault using missiles and drones has claimed the lives of at least 11 people while injuring dozens more and leaving others trapped in damaged structures.

The capital city of Kyiv bore significant casualties, with four fatalities and 58 wounded, including three children, according to Ukraine’s state emergency service statement released on Telegram. Eight districts throughout the capital sustained damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.

The violence extended beyond Kyiv to other regions throughout the country. In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian strikes on the city of Dnipro resulted in six deaths and 36 injuries, the emergency service reported. A subsequent strike targeting first responders who had arrived at the initial attack site claimed the life of one rescue worker.

The assault damaged a two-story home and portions of a four-story apartment complex, leaving residents buried under debris from the larger structure.

Explosive sounds reverberated throughout most of the nighttime hours and continued into dawn. The capital had been preparing for another large-scale offensive for several days, following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s warning that Russia was organizing a fresh assault and his appeal for citizens to stay alert and take cover during air raid warnings.

Within the Podilskyi district, the upper levels of a nine-story structure suffered partial destruction, leaving occupants buried beneath rubble. Emergency crews continued their rescue efforts during the early morning hours while air raid sirens remained active.

Two high-rise buildings in the Solomianskyi district — one with 20 floors and another with 24 floors — sustained damage during the bombardment.

Ukrainian leadership has been appealing to international partners for additional air defense missiles to defend against Russia’s ballistic missile strikes. Although Ukraine successfully intercepts most drone attacks, ballistic missiles continue to pose a significant challenge to the nation’s defensive capabilities.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Thousands of miles away from the Argentine and Uruguayan neighborhoods where tango first emerged in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, a dedicated group of dancers in Istanbul has created their own thriving and tight-knit community.

Nightly gatherings called milongas — traditional Argentine ballroom dance sessions — take place throughout this sprawling metropolis that spans two continents, bringing people together through rhythm, motion and the intimate connection of tango dancing.

The city’s dance scene remains vibrant thanks to Turkish residents, expatriates, visiting instructors from around the world and tourists, all supported by numerous dance academies and practice spaces.

Gonca Çetin, who began as a student and has become an instructor, characterizes Istanbul’s tango scene as both inclusive and varied.

“It’s possible for everyone to find a tango environment that suits them. There’s a constantly growing and developing community,” she says.

During Istanbul’s milongas, where switching partners throughout the evening is customary, both familiar faces and newcomers enthusiastically share the same dance space.

“I believe tango is a conversation without words,” Çetin added. “What draws me to it is the unique balance between connection and freedom. Through music and embrace, I am able to communicate, create, and express my emotions in a way that feels both deeply personal and profoundly shared.”

The influence of tango in the city reaches beyond just the dancing itself.

Master craftsman Ercan Umay creates custom tango footwear by hand in his small Istanbul atelier, serving the dancers who frequent the city’s milongas and maintaining another vital aspect of tango tradition.

ŌAMARU, New Zealand (AP) — A rural community in New Zealand has transformed into an unexpected global destination for steampunk enthusiasts and their elaborate Victorian-inspired fantasies.

Each year during a four-day celebration, thousands of costumed participants descend upon this South Island town of 14,000 residents, portraying characters ranging from airship pilots to imaginary nobles. Many attendees dedicate months or years perfecting their elaborate outfits and fictional identities.

The annual gathering unfolds along a historic Victorian boulevard in Ōamaru, which has welcomed its role as an international steampunk destination.

The steampunk movement, which emerged as a recognized term during the 1980s, blends Victorian-era design elements with fantastical science fiction concepts. Enthusiasts envision an alternate reality where steam-powered technology never gave way to modern innovations, continuing to drive scientific progress and exploration. The culture emphasizes repurposed materials and handcrafted items, encouraging followers to master skills like tailoring and various handicrafts to create unique and unusual costumes.

This creative movement provides freedom to reimagine Victorian-era social norms, creating an environment where creativity knows no bounds. Festival-goers showcase brass firearms concealing toy ray guns, leather belt pouches holding delicate porcelain tea sets, and towering decorative headwear.

Unique festival attractions feature teapot races, parasol combat demonstrations, and a procession of ornately dressed participants that draws hundreds of onlookers.

ŌAMARU, New Zealand — A woman wearing a bright pink coat introduced herself as steam billowed from an unusual brass device strapped to her back.

“I am Lady Sarsaparilla Ovabyte, of the Coventry Ovabytes,” she declared. “We are purveyors of fine cordials.”

Standing beside her, a man looked through eyewear crafted from welded forks.

“Captain Bob McSpoon, inventrepreneur,” he announced.

Along a historic Victorian street in rural Ōamaru, New Zealand, these costumed characters — known in everyday life as Juliet and Greg Thorn — blended seamlessly with hundreds of other goggle-wearing, steam-emitting festival-goers. They had traveled to this small community for the yearly steampunk celebration, a four-day tribute to creative eccentricity that attracts thousands of participants from across New Zealand and beyond.

The steampunk movement combines Victorian-era design and engineering with futuristic science fiction elements, creating an alternative reality where steam-powered technology evolved to modern times. This artistic genre thrives on boundless creativity, with more unusual concepts earning greater appreciation.

Festival participants take pride in their recycling abilities and hands-on craftsmanship, developing expertise in tailoring, metalwork, millinery and steam engineering while creating elaborate fictional identities complete with matching costumes. Throughout the year, these enthusiasts work as construction workers, engineers, artists and agricultural workers, with many describing their typical personalities as introverted or quiet. However, they traveled to this festival seeking the spotlight.

“The first time you dress up and go out in public is really scary and then people get such a buzz out of it,” Juliet Thorn explained. “It’s so cool that you take on a different personality.”

Now in its 17th year, the steampunk festival has spawned entire traditions and competitive activities, earning recognition as one of the world’s most prominent events of its kind.

Hundreds gathered in second-floor venues and vintage community centers for steampunk-themed competitions. Contestants rushed to dip biscuits in tea cups and stuff the soggy treats into their mouths faster than their rivals. A parasol-fighting tournament resembled competitive dance moves evaluated on quickness and flair.

Michele Cotten claimed victory in a fashion competition showcasing elaborate and repurposed garments that participants had perfected over months. Cotten merged steampunk elements with the Star Trek franchise to design a bell-shaped gown styled after a navy Starfleet uniform. She equipped it with holiday lights to suggest a cosmic theme, and Cotten, a spectator favorite, walked and posed to cheers from the audience.

The event also featured teapot racing, where participants guided remote-controlled machines topped with teapots through a challenging obstacle course while spectators gasped and groaned.

“If you go out of bounds, that’s a disqualification,” explained Ross McKay, one of the competition’s inventors, who developed it alongside his deceased wife and a friend. He has since brought teapot racing to additional steampunk gatherings around the globe.

“It’s lots of fun and the judges will take bribes,” he joked.

When McKay’s wife first shared photographs of steampunk enthusiasts with him, he remembered thinking, “What a bunch of weirdos,” but the self-described “history geek and science fiction nerd” discovered much to appreciate about the movement. The former banking professional soon registered for evening sewing courses.

Today he performs as Captain Roscoe Dangerfield, Inspector of Nuisances to Her Majesty Queen Victoria III, which blends the historical aspect of an authentic Victorian position with the fantasy of a ruler who never existed.

The steampunk community had become his chosen family, he noted.

Ōamaru serves as the peaceful residence for 14,000 residents and 3,000 threatened native penguins, with the birds inhabiting a colony at the town’s edge that produces such strong odors they can be detected from the overlooking hillside. This South Island community lacks the dramatic landscapes featured in the Lord of the Rings movies that draw tourists to neighboring areas, and for many years served primarily as a rest stop between the larger cities of Christchurch and Dunedin.

A unique architectural feature has established Ōamaru’s reputation as what residents call the global steampunk headquarters. The community boasts a completely intact Victorian street near the waterfront, remaining from the 1800s when Ōamaru functioned as a commercial and trading center, serving as a shipping hub for meat, wool and grain exports from New Zealand to Britain.

These pale stone structures now provide the setting for the festival’s steampunk activities. During other times of the year, the town hosts a Victorian celebration honoring a historically faithful version of that period, with both events coexisting harmoniously after steampunk and Victorian enthusiasts agreed the community could accommodate everyone.

Steampunk, a label created in the 1980s, offers participants a chance to reimagine Victorian social rules based on the principle that if you’re traveling on flying carpets or moving through time, conventional restrictions no longer apply.

“We’re an equal opportunity society,” stated Iain Clark, who helped establish the festival and is recognized throughout the community as Agent Darling. “Women, unlike in Victorian times, can be anything. We have female engineers, captains of industry, captains of airships, adventurers, explorers, scientists.”

Sometimes within the same week. Bringing multiple outfits for each festival day is typical, and changing areas at the event’s headquarters enable rapid costume switches, with nothing too bizarre to surprise anyone.

On the street, a Star Wars soldier walked by, trailed by a group of wolves. A French visitor nervously adjusting his knitted and leather gloves had only learned about steampunk three days prior and instantly embraced the movement.

“You can be creative and you can be somebody else and no one cares,” said John Syben, who was attending his fourth festival.

His partner, Chris Sinclair, explained that the couple had previously been “far too tame, so we’ve gotten more and more outrageous every year.”

“There’s always someone who’s more nuts than you,” she added.

Emergency crews and charitable organizations worked with heavy machinery Monday to retrieve victims following a devastating explosion of stored mining explosives in northeastern Myanmar that claimed dozens of lives.

The deadly blast happened at noon on Sunday in Kaungtup village, located in Namhkam township within Shan state close to the Chinese border.

According to a Monday evening statement from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, the ethnic rebel organization governing the region, fatalities from the explosion have climbed to 43, with seven of those victims being children. Earlier casualty reports from emergency responders had varied between 38 and 45 deaths. Confirming precise numbers has proven challenging due to the explosive force that dismembered victims’ remains.

The organization reported that 112 individuals sustained injuries, including 25 children, with 37 people in critical condition, sparking fears the death count may rise further.

“Rescue operations and the compilation of casualty figures were still underway,” said the statement.

Numerous resource-abundant regions of Myanmar, where mining activities operate with minimal oversight, fall under the authority of various armed groups engaged in periodic conflicts with the central government while pursuing increased independence. Fatal incidents, including catastrophic landslides, occur with notable frequency.

The TNLA reported that Sunday’s explosion involved gelignite utilized for local mining and stone quarrying operations. While gelignite sees widespread use, it becomes extremely dangerous when stored incorrectly over extended periods.

Village inhabitants from the community of 200 households stated they received no notification that explosive materials were being housed in their area.

The TNLA announced that an investigation into the explosion’s specific cause is currently in progress.

This tragedy has drawn attention to Myanmar’s profitable yet minimally regulated mineral sector and Chinese financial involvement in the nation’s resource extraction operations.

Two area residents informed The Associated Press on Monday that mining facilities producing silicon metal raw materials — an essential industrial component for semiconductors, solar panels, and aluminum alloys — operate in mountainous terrain approximately 15 kilometers southwest of Namhkam town.

The residents, speaking anonymously for personal security reasons, stated these mining operations are jointly managed by the TNLA and Chinese business interests and remain off-limits to most local people. The AP could not independently confirm these claims.

Myanmar’s mining sector serves as a significant global source of rare earth materials, copper, tin, and valuable gemstones, particularly jade and rubies, functioning as China’s primary supplier for materials that undergo processing and refinement there.

China maintains a complicated relationship as Myanmar’s military-backed government’s leading ally while simultaneously building connections with ethnic minority organizations.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian in Beijing offered profound sympathies and confirmed that a Chinese citizen hurt in the explosion is receiving medical care. Beijing has offered support for managing the incident’s consequences.

The TNLA, which belongs to the Three Brotherhood Alliance, gained control of the Namhkam region in late 2023 during a significant campaign against the military government. This fighting represents part of the wider chaos following the February 2021 military takeover, which removed Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected administration and sparked extensive armed opposition.

Although the TNLA agreed to a China-brokered ceasefire with the military in late 2023, regional stability remains fragile, and mineral and gemstone extraction provides essential revenue for both the central government and the rebel organizations opposing it.

Petroleum markets retained most of their substantial gains from Monday during early Tuesday trading, driven by ongoing confusion about diplomatic discussions between Washington and Tehran and potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Conflicting reports emerged Monday about the status of negotiations, with the president stating that discussions with Iran were continuing, while Tasnim news agency reported Tehran had paused indirect talks with Washington.

Brent crude futures climbed 6 cents, representing a 0.06% increase to $95.04 per barrel at 0001 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate dropped 17 cents, or 0.18%, to $91.99 per barrel.

Both petroleum benchmarks had surged over 5% during Monday’s session but reduced those increases after the president indicated he hadn’t received confirmation that Iran was halting discussions with Washington and that Israel had committed to withdrawing forces preparing for potential attacks on southern Lebanon.

During a Monday CNBC interview, the president expressed indifference about whether negotiations concluded.

Later, the president posted on social media that talks with Iran were ongoing and told ABC News Monday he anticipates an agreement to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz “over the next week,” according to the outlet’s X post.

“The market is currently focused on whether there’s any concrete progress or setbacks in U.S.-Iran negotiations, the tone and substance of statements from both sides (particularly Iran’s threats regarding the Strait of Hormuz), and actual physical tanker movements through the waterway,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.

Waterer noted that the diplomatic negotiations’ status will ultimately decide whether current risk premiums remain in oil pricing or begin to decrease.

Lebanon announced Monday a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, representing a limited reduction in tensions that have intensified the broader conflict with Iran.

“With headlines continuing to fly out of the Middle East, oil prices are set to remain volatile until clearer evidence of progress towards a peace deal emerges,” said Tony Sycamore, market analyst at IG.

Iran has essentially stopped nearly all non-Iranian maritime traffic entering and leaving the Gulf since hostilities began, restricting approximately one-fifth of worldwide oil and liquefied natural gas shipments and pushing prices up by 50% or higher.

American crude exports reached a record 5.6 million barrels daily in May as the Middle East crisis increased demand for the nation’s petroleum from Asian and European refineries, ship tracking data revealed Monday.

A preliminary survey released Monday indicated U.S. crude reserves likely decreased by roughly 3.6 million barrels during the week ending May 29, continuing the previous week’s decline, while distillate and gasoline supplies also probably dropped.

Shipping industry leaders meeting in Athens Monday emphasized that any peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran must establish clear guidelines allowing vessels to resume standard operations through the Strait of Hormuz.

TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Mark Carney declared Monday that his nation is not protecting Jewish citizens, who face unprecedented levels of targeted hatred.

Speaking at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, Carney acknowledged that anti-Jewish sentiment has reached heights unseen since the end of World War II throughout Canada. He pointed to statistics showing that more than two-thirds of all hate crimes motivated by religion last year were aimed at Jewish Canadians, despite Jews representing just 1% of the nation’s population.

“The horror and shame are global. Our actions must be local. They start with clearly admitting that Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,” Carney stated during his address.

The prime minister detailed violent acts committed by antisemites across the country, including gunfire directed at Jewish schools, firebomb attacks on synagogues, assaults on community centers, targeting of Jewish-owned businesses, and forcing Jewish students away from shared campus areas at universities.

While acknowledging that antisemitism affects Europe, Australia and the United States, Carney emphasized that Canada’s antisemitism crisis is “specific, severe and demands a targeted response.”

Global antisemitic incidents have increased dramatically since the Israel-Hamas conflict started on Oct. 7, 2023.

Noah Shack, the CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, stated before the speech that the Canadian government needs to strengthen efforts to protect community security and fight hatred.

Carney outlined his government’s recent legislative efforts to address antisemitism and other forms of hate over the past year. He announced $75 million (US $54 million) in funding to help faith-based institutions obtain security infrastructure and hire additional security staff.

“It pains me that we had to commit $75 million to this, any dollar to this,” Carney remarked.

The prime minister revealed plans for a new Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion that will study the causes, scope and factors behind antisemitism. According to his office, the council will assess the impact and guide future investments in education, prevention and community safety initiatives.

“I want to be clear about what these potential measures are, and what they are not. They are not curtailments of freedom of expression. They are not constraints on legitimate criticism of any government on any subject anywhere,” Carney explained.

“They are the basic standards we owe one another, in our shared public institutions, to ensure that no Canadian community is driven from those institutions by hatred.”

Ukraine’s capital city came under intense bombardment from Russian forces during the early hours of Tuesday, with witnesses reporting a massive column of smoke billowing from the city as officials instructed citizens to take cover immediately.

The city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, reported that flames erupted in the Podil district at a non-residential site, while a nine-story residential building caught fire after what appeared to be debris impact on its rooftop.

“In the Obolon district, cars are burning after being struck by falling missile debris. There are also fires at two locations in open areas, including one near a kindergarten,” Klitschko said on Telegram.

On Monday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had renewed his calls for caution regarding potential large-scale Russian bombardment and emphasized the importance of heeding air raid warnings.

“Intelligence warnings regarding Russian strikes remain in effect. A massive strike is possible, they have prepared one,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

“Our defenders are ready 24/7 to the fullest extent possible with the supplies currently available.”

Russian officials announced last week their plans to conduct “systematic strikes” against Ukrainian military installations and command centers in the capital, while advising foreign nationals to evacuate.

The threatened escalation was described as retaliation for a drone attack the previous week on housing facilities in Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Luhansk region that resulted in 21 deaths. Ukrainian officials have rejected responsibility for that incident.

A powerful earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale occurred in waters near southern Italy during the early morning hours on Tuesday, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences.

The seismic event was recorded at a depth of 253 kilometers (157.21 miles) below the surface, the German Research Centre for Geosciences reported.

Traditional healers in Peru conducted a spiritual ceremony Monday to offer blessings for the two contenders in this weekend’s decisive presidential election, as the South American nation prepares to choose a new leader amid ongoing political turmoil and corruption issues.

The ceremonial blessing represents a customary practice performed at the beginning of each year and prior to major elections.

The spiritual leaders assembled at Herradura Beach in Lima’s Chorrillos district, displaying images of both presidential hopefuls during the seaside ceremony.

The final contest features Keiko Fujimori, a conservative politician and daughter of former disgraced President Alberto Fujimori, against Roberto Sánchez, a nationalist congressman and ex-minister. Current polling shows the race extremely close ahead of Sunday’s vote.

During April’s initial voting round, Fujimori secured slightly more than 17% of ballots cast, while Sánchez captured approximately 12% among a large group of contenders. The first round experienced significant operational difficulties that prevented thousands of citizens both domestically and internationally from voting. The country’s election officials required several weeks to confirm the final two candidates for the decisive round.

The ceremonial blessing incorporated flower petals, fresh fruit, coca leaves, and aromatic palo santo wood pieces, along with black tobacco, ceremonial swords, and ritual dolls. The shamans also ignited bright-colored flares and played traditional drums.

“The ritual we perform is primarily intended to ensure that the best candidate is the one who represents our Peru,” said shaman Andrés de los Santos, who had traveled to Lima from the north of the country.

While the spiritual leaders offered no predictions during this ceremony, they have made forecasts previously. At the conclusion of 2025, they predicted Venezuela’s then-President Nicolás Maduro, now facing drug trafficking charges in the United States, would no longer be in office by the end of 2026.

Sunday’s victor will become Peru’s ninth president within a 10-year span, taking over from José María Balcázar, who assumed the interim presidency in February. Balcázar succeeded another temporary leader, José Jerí, who was removed due to corruption accusations after serving only four months.

Peru’s incoming president will take the oath of office on July 28 for a five-year term.

Denmark’s Social Democratic leader Mette Frederiksen announced Monday that she has successfully negotiated a centre-left coalition government, allowing her to retain leadership during ongoing diplomatic tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Greenland’s status.

The agreement to establish a minority government provides Frederiksen with her third straight term leading the country, bringing closure to months of political uncertainty following March elections that saw 12 different parties gain representation in Denmark’s parliament.

“I have been to see His Majesty the King and announced that a government can be formed after long negotiations,” Frederiksen told reporters.

Frederiksen’s centrist alliance lost parliamentary control during the March 24 elections as Danish voters expressed frustration with rising living costs, though her Social Democratic Party maintained its position as the largest parliamentary faction with 38 seats out of 179 total, a decrease from their previous 50 seats.

Following over two months of political negotiations between the Social Democrats and the right-wing Liberals, both seeking to lead a new administration, the 48-year-old Frederiksen ultimately obtained sufficient parliamentary support to form her government.

The new administration faces pressing priorities including managing diplomatic discussions concerning Greenland, which Trump has suggested annexing, along with accelerating Denmark’s military expansion as European security concerns mount due to Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Chile’s far-right leader Jose Antonio Kast delivered his inaugural national address to Congress on Monday, outlining an ambitious legislative plan focused on crime reduction, spending cuts, and economic expansion as he works to rebuild his political standing.

During his speech from Congress in the coastal city of Valparaiso, the president detailed proposals to bolster police forces, strengthen immigration enforcement, and eliminate social benefits for certain individuals with criminal records.

“Starting tomorrow we’re going to move forward with a very intense legislative and administrative agenda,” Kast said.

The address comes at a crucial time for the president, who is working to regain political momentum following declining public approval and internal government upheaval. Successfully implementing his security and economic campaign pledges is viewed as essential for maintaining support from his political coalition.

Outside the congressional building, demonstrators engaged in confrontations with law enforcement during Kast’s remarks.

“Our government’s main goal, and there is no other, is that when our mandate is over, Chileans live better, are safer and have more opportunities,” Kast said.

The president also revealed plans for legislation addressing electrical utility pricing, streamlining government processes, and updating small to medium-sized mining operations. These proposals complement existing congressional legislation aimed at spurring economic development and employment growth.

Kast secured a decisive victory in the 2025 presidential runoff election by campaigning on tough crime and immigration enforcement platforms.

However, since assuming office in March, public support has declined significantly from 57% to 38%, based on polling data from Cadem.

Early in his presidency, Kast encountered a major test when the Iran conflict forced his administration to implement substantial fuel price increases.

The president also dismissed his security minister and another senior cabinet official in May following increased public criticism.

Lebanon’s diplomatic mission in Washington announced Monday that Hezbollah has agreed to a United States-proposed ceasefire arrangement that would halt mutual attacks and potentially expand throughout Lebanon.

According to a statement released by Lebanon’s presidential office on X, the plan would initially prevent Israeli attacks on Beirut’s southern neighborhoods while the Iran-supported Hezbollah would cease its strikes against Israel. This comes after Israeli threats to target the capital’s suburban areas on Monday.

Speaking to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television network, the group’s lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah indicated Hezbollah would back a comprehensive ceasefire throughout Lebanon as a step toward Israeli military withdrawal. Fadlallah noted the organization would monitor whether the hostilities cessation holds in upcoming days.

The European Union’s council and parliament have successfully negotiated an agreement on new regulations that will allow member nations to expedite the removal of individuals residing illegally within their territories, according to an announcement Monday from Cyprus, which currently holds the rotating EU Council presidency.

The new regulation is designed to streamline deportation procedures across EU member states, enabling faster processing of cases involving people without legal authorization to remain in the countries.

Airlines seeking to avoid conflict-disrupted airspace in the Middle East are increasingly flying through Syria, bringing the country a potential financial windfall after more than a decade of aviation isolation.

Data from Syria’s General Authority for Civil Aviation reveals that 11,801 aircraft crossed through Syrian airspace during May – a dramatic increase from the 4,267 flights recorded in February, which was the final complete month before the Iran war began affecting regional aviation routes. The May figures represent a 375% jump compared to the same period last year.

For 14 years during Syria’s civil war that concluded with President Bashar al-Assad’s removal in late 2024, the country’s airspace remained off-limits to commercial aviation.

This dramatic shift in flight patterns could prove financially beneficial for Syria, particularly after the country raised its airline fees earlier this year.

Using Syria’s newly implemented flat rate of $499 per aircraft, Reuters calculations suggest that May’s air traffic volume could have produced up to $5.9 million in overflight fees.

Officials from the General Authority for Civil Aviation refused to discuss potential revenue figures or provide details about the updated fee structure.

The routing changes began after U.S. and Israeli military actions initiated the Iran war on February 28, forcing the closure of Iraqi and Gulf airspace that carriers had previously depended upon during March.

While a ceasefire allowed airspace to reopen in April, flight-tracking services Flightradar24 and AirNav indicate that most European-bound flights from Dubai and Doha – two major global aviation centers – now travel across central Syria instead of Iraq.

Choosing Syrian routes reduces both travel time and fuel expenses, helping airlines offset rising international oil costs triggered by war-related disruptions.

According to Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Syria has enhanced its Damascus International Airport infrastructure after receiving sophisticated radar and navigation equipment from Turkey in late 2024.

Despite these improvements, OPSGroup, which monitors aviation risks, warns that Syrian airspace remains dangerous and currently operates under “procedural control only” – the most elementary form of air traffic management.

Aviation officials note that current traffic levels remain below half of pre-war volumes, with the increase primarily involving Gulf-based carriers. Europe’s aviation safety authority continues advising airlines to avoid the country and surrounding region due to ongoing Iran-related conflicts.

Carriers from Asia and North America are also largely steering clear of Middle Eastern airspace.

Syrian officials, however, express optimism about the trend.

“The increase in overflight traffic reflects the beginning of a real shift in how airlines view Syrian airspace, as a viable and dependable route once again within the regional air traffic network,” General Authority for Civil Aviation head Omar al-Hosari told Reuters.

Al-Hosari explained that GACA has modernized air routes, reevaluated traffic flows, and enhanced navigation, monitoring and air traffic management systems while implementing risk-focused safety evaluations that meet International Civil Aviation Organization standards.

As part of overhauling overflight payment procedures, GACA has contracted the fee collection process to Syrian ground handling companies, along with OPSGroup and International Flight Planning Solutions, a private Lebanese flight-planning business.

Syria’s uniform $499 flight fee – split between a $430 primary charge and a $69 communication cost – applies to all aircraft regardless of size, type or operational category, according to GACA documentation examined by Reuters and FAS Aero, a government-contracted handling agent. Ground handling companies frequently impose additional charges.

During Assad’s rule, Syria collected $75 from smaller aircraft for overflight privileges, or approximately $1 to $1.25 per metric ton for larger planes, according to OPSGroup and a Syrian aviation official who requested anonymity.

The GACA documentation also indicates a 50% fee reduction for domestic flights and Syrian-registered aircraft, plus complete exemptions for aircraft carrying heads of state, official government delegations, and search and rescue missions.

RIO DE JANEIRO — Political observers and analysts believe the United States’ recent classification of two Brazilian criminal organizations as terrorist groups represents a calculated political strategy designed to assist an ally of President Donald Trump, according to politicians and experts.

The criminal organizations now join eight additional Latin American organized crime syndicates that have received foreign terrorist organization status from the U.S. However, these Brazilian groups stand apart from the others because they don’t conduct operations on American soil.

The designation of First Capital Command, referred to as PCC, and Red Command, known as CV, came after presidential candidate Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro traveled to Washington last week. During his visit, he indicated he requested Trump administration officials to apply the terrorist designation to these groups.

Bolsonaro is seeking to defeat current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the upcoming October elections. The American decision strengthens the senator’s law-and-order platform while amplifying Bolsonaro’s attacks on Lula’s approach to public safety.

“The main driver of this decision was politics, to pressure Lula and help Flávio prior to the October election,” stated Latin America expert Brian Winter, who edits Americas Quarterly, a publication of the New York-based Council of Americas.

Carolina Grillo, a sociology professor at Fluminense Federal University in Rio de Janeiro and an expert on organized crime in Brazil, shared the view that the Trump administration’s action was designed to potentially influence the elections.

“The supply routes for cocaine entering the United States pass through Colombia, Mexico and Central American countries — not through Brazil,” Grillo explained, noting that over 90% of cocaine confiscated in Brazil is headed for European nations.

Lula has objected to the U.S. action, asserting that Brazil is handling its own problems, as demonstrated by recent arrests and an active investigation into PCC.

“I am very sad today, after the news that the secretary of state of the United States, a certain Marco Rubio, said that our criminals here are terrorists and that the Americans can intervene,” Lula stated on Friday. “We will not accept being treated like children. We will not accept being treated as if we were a banana republic.”

Lula’s approval ratings reached their highest point last year following Trump’s implementation of a 50% tariff increase on Brazilian goods.

However, Creomar de Souza, an analyst with political risk consultancy firm Dharma in Brasilia, suggested it won’t be as straightforward for Lula to connect this latest U.S. action with national sovereignty issues.

“First of all, there’s Flávio’s propaganda. He will be able to hit hard against Lula’s Achilles heel, public security,” de Souza explained. “And this also depends on how the administration explains this to the public. It is not as simple as antagonizing Trump on tariffs.”

Trump has publicly backed Latin American politicians who have expressed support for him, including José Antonio Kast in Chile, Javier Milei in Argentina and Daniel Noboa in Ecuador.

Flávio Bolsonaro, similar to his father, has promoted the idea of the U.S. under Trump displacing China as Brazil’s primary trading partner.

“The Trump administration dreamed of having a candidate here to give them leverage in the economy front,” explained Carlos Melo, a political science professor at the Insper university in Sao Paulo.

A senior Ukrainian official expressed optimism Monday about the possibility of securing a peace agreement with Russia before the winter months arrive.

Kyrylo Budanov, who serves as chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, described the timeline as a “realistic” possibility during remarks to the press.

The Ukrainian leader had previously stated in a weekend television interview his desire to advance diplomatic discussions with Russia, which have been dormant in recent months, ahead of winter’s arrival. Zelenskiy cited Ukraine’s enhanced strategic standing as a factor in the timing.

American-mediated discussions aimed at establishing a peace framework have stalled as Washington has turned its attention to the Iranian conflict.

Budanov indicated that a United States diplomatic team is expected to travel to both Moscow and Kyiv in the coming period, though he provided no additional specifics.

Speaking at a news briefing, he stated: “This is the president’s instruction: to try to end this war as soon as possible … preferably before winter. In my opinion, this is absolutely correct, timely, and realistic.”

Ukrainian leadership, including Zelenskiy, has reported that Russian military progress has decelerated while Ukraine has stepped up its long-distance strike operations within Russian territory, focusing primarily on petroleum facilities.

Last week, a high-ranking Ukrainian military leader indicated the country has a half-year period to gain battlefield momentum and improve its negotiating position for future peace discussions.

Massive demonstrations by ultra-Orthodox Jews brought Israel to a virtual standstill Monday as tens of thousands took to the streets opposing compulsory military service, shutting down major roadways and rail lines while setting vehicles ablaze.

Israeli police reported that demonstrators occupied key traffic intersections and assaulted a military member who got off a bus near the demonstration site. Authorities deployed water cannons and mounted officers in attempts to manage the unruly crowds.

The demonstrations effectively paralyzed Israel’s central region, forcing highway closures and suspending public transit services as massive crowds gathered in Jerusalem and throughout the Tel Aviv metropolitan region.

While military service remains mandatory for most Jewish citizens in Israel, ultra-Orthodox political factions have secured religious exemptions allowing their members to avoid military duty in favor of religious seminary education. However, these exemptions now face potential elimination.

Growing numbers of Israelis express frustration with the existing arrangement that permits ultra-Orthodox men to avoid military obligations while the armed forces face severe personnel shortages and many citizens complete multiple reserve deployments. This controversy threatens Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, potentially accelerating fall elections after ultra-Orthodox parties removed their backing for Netanyahu.

Annual statistics show approximately 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men reach the draft age of 18, yet fewer than 10% actually enlist, parliamentary committee data reveals.

Confronting acute personnel deficits, military leadership considers extending mandatory service periods. Most Jewish men must complete nearly three years of active duty plus additional reserve obligations, while Jewish women serve two mandatory years.

“This public is determined, they see this as a war for their lives,” said Israel Tropper, a demonstrator in Jerusalem. “From their perspective, going into the Israeli army means giving up religion … we don’t want to give up our religion, so from our perspective it’s a war for our lives.” He added that there is no way to force tens of thousands of people vehemently opposed to the idea to serve in the military.

Protest signs displayed strong opposition to Israel, reading “We would rather die as Jews than live as Zionists” and “We refuse to serve an army for the sake of the Zionist religion.”

The ultra-Orthodox community, representing approximately 13% of Israeli population and its most rapidly expanding demographic, has historically obtained exemptions for full-time religious seminary students. These exemptions originated with Israel’s establishment in 1948, when limited numbers of students aimed to rebuild Jewish educational institutions devastated by the Holocaust.

These exemptions, along with government financial support for seminary students until age 26, have angered many Israelis. Israel currently maintains simultaneous military operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria while confronting Iran, severely straining its capable but overstretched armed forces.

Israel’s Supreme Court declared these exemptions unlawful in 2017, though repeated postponements and government stalling tactics have maintained their existence.

Within Israel’s Jewish population, mandatory military service functions as both a unifying experience and traditional milestone. Many within the isolated ultra-Orthodox community worry that military service would subject young people to secular cultural influences.

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The president of the European Council, António Costa, declared Monday that this week’s summit between European Union officials and Western Balkan hopeful member states is designed to demonstrate that expansion opportunities are genuine.

During remarks in Bosnia as he began a regional tour ahead of the summit, Costa emphasized that given current worldwide geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty, “enlargement is a geostrategic interest for Europe.”

“It (enlargement) is an investment in the peace, stability and security of our continent,” Costa stated. “This tour is a clear sign that the commitment of the European Union to the Western Balkans is real. As real as the opportunity for enlargement.”

Costa will serve as co-chair for Friday’s summit taking place in Montenegro, bringing together EU leadership with senior officials from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro.

Each of the six countries finds itself at varying points in the membership application process, with Montenegro and Albania currently in the lead positions. The EU has recently intensified efforts to promote reforms among these hopeful nations due to concerns about expanding Russian and Chinese influence.

Ukraine and Moldova also number among roughly ten countries seeking to become part of the bloc.

Nations seeking membership must align their legislation across 35 policy areas, known as “chapters,” covering everything from judicial standards to agricultural and fishing regulations. All 27 existing EU members must reach consensus before any chapter can begin, and again before completion.

Friday’s gathering at the Adriatic Sea resort of Tivat will serve as “a clear demonstration of our determination to bring forward our cooperation and build on the momentum of the European Union’s enlargement,” Costa explained.

Bosnia has fallen behind other candidates, remaining significantly fractured along ethnic divisions decades after the 1992-95 conflict that claimed over 100,000 lives and forced millions from their homes. Bosnian Serb separatist leadership with pro-Russia leanings continues advocating for maximum autonomy — the same approach that originally triggered the ethnic warfare following the dissolution of the former Yugoslav federation.

Costa’s visit occurs as an international organization responsible for monitoring peace in Bosnia, created through a U.S.-mediated peace accord, prepares to select a new High Representative this week after German diplomat Christian Schmidt stepped down.

The High Representative possesses authority to modify legislation and remove officials who threaten post-conflict reconciliation efforts. Bosnian media outlets have indicated that Peace Implementation Council member nations remain split regarding the replacement choice.

“If the future of the country is in the European Union it’s important that the new high representative … embodies Bosnia and Herzegovina choice to pursue European Union accession,” Costa remarked.

He advised Bosnian leadership that “now is the time to focus on your goal and accelerate the pace of reforms.”

A commercial cargo ship experienced two separate blasts while navigating Gulf waters roughly 40 nautical miles from Iraq’s Umm Qasr port on Monday, with Iraqi authorities confirming at least one explosion resulted from a drone strike.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) initially reported that some type of projectile struck the vessel’s starboard side, resulting in a significant blast.

Iraqi officials later informed Reuters that a second explosion hit the same ship, which preliminary investigations indicate was caused by a drone attack.

Crew members successfully extinguished the fire that broke out on the vessel following the incidents, the officials confirmed.

Authorities have not identified who was behind the attack, and details about the targeted ship remain unavailable.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum accused far-right elements in the United States on Monday of working alongside domestic groups to target her administration, intensifying her criticism of Mexico’s primary trading partner.

Her comments came after a weekend gathering where Sheinbaum criticized what she described as meddling by U.S. government departments and business groups.

“I believe it is sectors of the far right in the United States who want a bad relationship with Mexico” due to “ideological” differences, Sheinbaum stated during a press briefing.

The leftist leader indicated she does not think these efforts are being directed by her U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump.

Diplomatic ties between the neighboring countries have deteriorated since Trump started his second presidency in January, with disagreements over trade tariffs and border policies creating friction.

The situation worsened in April when the U.S. Department of Justice brought charges against 10 Mexican officials, including Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha from the ruling Morena party, over suspected connections to narcotics smuggling.

Since the U.S. charges against Morena party members, Sheinbaum has strengthened her appeals to safeguard Mexico’s national independence.

“Who decides in Mexico, foreign agencies or the people?” Sheinbaum asked her supporters on Sunday during a gathering marking the second anniversary of her 2024 presidential victory. “We are going to defend Mexico’s sovereignty and independence.”

Mexico’s legislature recently passed a constitutional change last week that would permit canceling elections due to “foreign interference.” Critics from opposition parties have condemned the measure as an excuse to call new elections when results don’t favor the governing party.

Even with the diplomatic tensions, Sheinbaum maintains solid support at home. A survey from newspaper El Financiero revealed her approval rating at 69%, recovering from a minor drop that started in March.

The leader of the United Nations maritime organization says conditions in Gulf waters remain too dangerous to evacuate thousands of sailors trapped on ships, even with an ongoing ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, spoke with Reuters on Sunday before the Posidonia shipping industry week began in Athens. He explained that rescue operations cannot begin until underlying issues are resolved.

“We will not be able to activate anything until the root causes are addressed and there is more of a final agreement, a ceasefire, or complete agreement, between the parties involved in the conflict,” Dominguez stated.

Approximately 20,000 seafarers remain trapped on ships in the Gulf as Iran continues limiting vessel movement through the Strait of Hormuz.

“In the meantime, it’s going to be too risky to take any actions in moving the seafarers because there are no guarantees on their safety,” Dominguez explained.

According to IMO statistics, eleven sailors have lost their lives in Gulf waters since the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran started on Feb. 28.

The maritime organization has been working to establish a secure shipping corridor that would allow trapped vessels to leave safely. Dominguez said recent discussions involving Iran took place in Oman.

“You get announcements that the Strait of Hormuz is open, and then a few hours later, the Strait of Hormuz is closed. We can’t take the risk until we have something more secure,” he noted.

The strait typically handles 20% of global daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, but traffic has dwindled to just a few tankers.

Shipping companies say their crews desperately need a negotiated safe passage after three months of being stranded.

Pankaj Khanna, CEO of Heidmar Maritime Holdings Corp, spoke to Reuters during a Capital Link shipping conference in Athens on Monday. He described the human cost of the crisis.

“The seafarers on board are missing out, not only on seeing their families but also on births, on deaths, on marriages,” Khanna said.

Khanna’s company has one vessel that has been trapped in Gulf waters for three months.

“What we need is obviously a framework, rules, regulation, whatever tells us exactly how we can go in and get out. So even if a peace deal was signed, that needs to be clarified,” he added.

Brazilian authorities are putting finishing touches on major law enforcement initiatives aimed at dismantling criminal networks operating within the online gambling and tobacco industries, according to a high-ranking government insider who spoke with Reuters on Monday.

The upcoming operations are part of a broader approach focused on cutting off funding sources for criminal enterprises, the official explained, noting that these plans will remain unchanged despite the United States’ recent decision to classify the nation’s two largest criminal organizations as terrorist groups.

Authorities believe criminal networks have established significant involvement in tobacco smuggling operations and unauthorized tobacco sales, while also penetrating unlicensed gambling websites that remain active despite new regulations governing Brazil’s betting industry.

According to the source, who requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the discussions, both criminal sectors are reportedly utilizing smaller financial companies, including financial technology firms, to wash illicit proceeds.

“These operations could take place at any moment,” the official stated, explaining that precise timing remains uncertain because of the complex coordination required between law enforcement agencies, prosecution offices, and court systems.

Israeli military forces have reclaimed control of a historic medieval fortress in southern Lebanon that carries deep symbolic meaning from decades of regional conflict.

The ancient Beaufort Castle, constructed nine centuries ago, fell back into Israeli hands on Saturday as troops advanced into territory they had previously controlled during an 18-year military presence from 1982 to 2000. That earlier occupation ended after sustained attacks by Hezbollah forced their withdrawal.

The current military action against the Iran-supported Shi’ite organization has brought Israeli forces back to this Crusader-era stronghold, which holds UNESCO cultural protection status, amid fighting that has displaced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated the fortress’s recapture, addressing criticism of his military strategy in Lebanon and Iran.

“I remind you that, 44 years ago, this place was a symbol of a heroic battle by our fighters, but it was also a symbol of deep division among us,” he said.

“Today, we returned to Beaufort differently. We returned united, determined, and stronger than ever.”

Hezbollah representatives stated they maintained no military operations at the castle when Israeli forces arrived, though combat continues in nearby areas.

The fortress sits dramatically above the Litani River, offering commanding sightlines toward the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights six miles eastward and the Mediterranean Sea 25 miles westward, making it a crucial strategic position.

Originally constructed by a Crusader leader in the 12th century on top of existing fortifications, the castle later fell to the renowned Muslim commander Saladin before passing through the hands of the Knights Templar and Egypt’s Mamluk rulers.

Independent Middle East security expert Riad Kahwaji emphasized that modern warfare technology hasn’t diminished the location’s military importance.

“The site for the castle was chosen because of its significant strategic location. The significance has not declined with time. It’s still important, especially in ground operations,” he said.

During Lebanon’s civil conflict that began in 1975, Palestine Liberation Organisation militants used the deteriorating castle ruins as an operational base for attacks against Israel.

Israel’s 1982 invasion, which reached as far as Beirut, included seizing the fortress as a command center for operations in the predominantly Shi’ite Muslim southern region.

Battle damage from Israeli bombardments of PLO positions in the 1970s and subsequent Hezbollah assaults on Israeli troops in the 1980s and 1990s remains visible on the castle walls today.

For Lebanese residents, the fortress became an enduring reminder of foreign occupation, with Israeli flags prominently displayed atop one of the area’s highest peaks while soldiers maintained surveillance below.

“The fact that they’re back now in Beaufort I think is reminiscent of that era and that level of control over people’s lives,” said Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director for research at the Carnegie Middle East Center.

“It’s an occupation that you can see.”

Following Israel’s 2000 withdrawal after years of costly fighting, Hezbollah’s yellow banner flying from the castle battlements became central to the group’s victory messaging.

This history creates conflicted emotions among Israelis regarding the fortress.

“It was a symbol for heroism,” said Danny Orbach, a military historian at Israel’s Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

“But it was also a symbol in the eyes of many of the futility of war; the narrative that Israel has nothing to do with Lebanon.”

However, following Israel’s intensive 2024 campaign against Hezbollah and territorial gains this year, those perceptions may be shifting.

“Israel occupying Beaufort is actually telling Hezbollah and the world: we overcame the trauma. We’re not afraid anymore,” Orbach said.

After a brief 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the castle was largely demilitarized and carefully renovated as a tourist destination.

UNESCO, which does not include Israel as a member nation, recognizes the site as among the Middle East’s finest preserved medieval fortresses and recently placed it on a special protection list during the current conflict.

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian researchers have discovered a remarkable collection of ancient treasures, including burial furnishings from the Pharaonic era, remnants of a Roman religious structure, and a carved marble representation of Aphrodite, the Greek deity associated with love and beauty.

These findings, revealed on Sunday, represent part of Egypt’s strategy to revitalize its tourism sector and generate revenue for its struggling economy. Central to this initiative was the November opening of the much-anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum, a massive development situated close to the renowned Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx.

The basilica remnants and Aphrodite sculpture were discovered at an ancient burial ground in Beni Suef province, located 130 kilometres (80 miles) south of Cairo, according to the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry.

The Ehnasiya burial site, also recognized by its historical Roman designation Heracleópolis Magna, ranked among ancient Egypt’s most important urban centers.

Mohammed Abdel-Badei, who leads the antiquities department at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that researchers discovered massive stone blocks that supported columns, with some weighing as much as 45 tons and used in the basilica’s construction. He noted that three blocks continue to stand in their original locations.

The Aphrodite sculpture, measuring approximately 24 centimeters by 25 centimeters (9½ inches by nearly 10 inches), displays intricate details of the deity’s facial features and flowing hair, demonstrating the traditional artistic styles of Greek and Roman eras, according to his description.

Researchers discovered carved writings connected to Senusret III, whose reign spanned from 1837 B.C. to 1819 B.C. during the historic 12th Dynasty. These inscriptions feature his royal and birth designations of the Pharaoh, alternatively called Sesostris III, who stands as one of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom’s most notable leaders.

Additional discoveries included pieces of wall sculptures and clay molds, thought to have been utilized for creating coins during Roman rule. These artifacts demonstrate that Ehnasiya served as a bustling economic and trade center while Egypt remained under Roman control from 30 B.C. to A.D. 395, Abdel-Badei explained.

In Cairo, researchers uncovered an almost intact collection of burial furnishings in the Matariya district, which previously belonged to the historic city of Heliopolis, the ministry reported.

Abdel-Badei explained that excavators found a mud brick tomb containing golden remains within a coffin, thought to belong to a military official. They also discovered various beauty implements, including a bronze mirror and alabaster containers for eye makeup.

Researchers also found a set of yellow-toned metal earrings, featuring five pairs of different dimensions, suspected to be crafted from gold, he added.

The discoveries in Beni Suef and Cairo represent the most recent archaeological finds, which officials hope will strengthen the crucial tourism industry, partly sustained by visitors interested in ancient sites.

The tourism sector has faced challenges during periods of political unrest and conflict following the 2011 uprising. Recently, it has begun recovering from the coronavirus pandemic and economic impacts of the Russia-Ukraine conflict — both nations serve as significant sources of Egyptian tourists.

A historic total of approximately 19 million visitors traveled to Egypt last year, representing a 21% growth from 2024, based on government statistics. The initial four months of 2026 recorded 6.1 million tourists entering the country, compared to 5.7 million during the corresponding period in 2025, the prime minister’s office announced in May.

LONDON, June 1 (Reuters) — The British government on Monday made public extensive documentation connected to Peter Mandelson’s selection as U.S. ambassador, providing insight into Westminster’s sharp-tongued political environment and the complicated vetting process for his role.

The controversy surrounding Mandelson, which led to the exit of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s top advisor, has emerged as a central point of attack against the prime minister, who is struggling to maintain his position amid a likely leadership contest.

Through a massive 1,504-page release, officials published communications spanning from background check emails to private WhatsApp conversations in what appears to be an effort to shift attention away from Starmer while demonstrating that Mandelson was not completely honest about his connections to Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased convicted sex offender.

MANDELSON: ‘YOU WILL NEVER REGRET’ THE APPOINTMENT

According to one document, officials contacted Mandelson on March 31 requesting access to information stored on his personal device as part of their review of his selection and duties — a request he refused to fulfill.

Personal communications from Mandelson — who was dismissed from cabinet positions twice during Tony Blair’s tenure as Labour’s most enduring prime minister — reveal his frequent conversations with Labour party figures, advocating for his candidacy and occasionally sharing harsh assessments of the administration.

In a note written by hand to then-foreign minister David Lammy on November 18, 2024, Mandelson stated: “I just wanted you to know that if you were minded to appoint me (as ambassador), I would make sure you never regret it.”

He additionally mentioned becoming “tonto” regarding the administration’s delay in approving a customized red ministerial box intended as a present for U.S. President Donald Trump, employing slang that means losing one’s temper.

He also criticized Starmer directly, informing senior minister Pat McFadden that he felt “Keir is not leading from the front”.

During that same conversation, McFadden informed Mandelson that the administration was “asking the wrong questions”, explaining that every discussion centered on “who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others”.

Officials hope that making these documents and communications public will end ongoing questions about Starmer’s decision-making in selecting someone whose relationship with Epstein was already known. However, this is unlikely to quiet demands for the prime minister to resign following Labour’s defeat in last month’s local elections.

Mandelson faces a police inquiry regarding allegations that he shared confidential government materials with the deceased Epstein. He is not accused of any sexual wrongdoing.

A preliminary set of documents was made available in March, revealing that Starmer had been cautioned about the dangers of the appointment, not only concerning Mandelson’s Epstein connections but also due to the Labour veteran’s advocacy for strengthened relations with China.

Starmer currently confronts a potential leadership battle later this year, should his primary opponent, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, secure a parliamentary seat in the June 18 election.

Iran is pursuing a temporary agreement with the United States as a strategy to reduce economic pressures and stabilize conditions domestically, while steering clear of significant compromises regarding its nuclear activities, sources and analysts report.

This strategy represents a well-established pattern for the Islamic Republic: withstanding pressure, preventing permanent concessions, and maintaining diplomatic talks without altering fundamental stances, according to three Iranian sources with ties to decision-makers.

However, the current initiative stems from more pressing concerns. Government officials view a narrow agreement as an opportunity to gain time, secure financial assistance, and manage increasing domestic threats from a worsening economy without tackling the most divisive matters.

This diplomatic activity comes after weeks of intensification following U.S.-Israeli strikes in late February that escalated into wider regional hostilities. Iranian offensive actions throughout the Gulf region increased concerns about the safety of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for approximately one-fifth of worldwide oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

Three months later, despite a fragile ceasefire established in early April, the situation has solidified into deadlock. A U.S. blockade targeting Iranian ports and Tehran’s control over the Strait have maintained reciprocal pressure, increasing economic expenses while leaving the possibility of renewed combat unaddressed.

Given these circumstances, both nations have reduced expectations for a complete resolution. They are instead examining what officials characterize as a temporary memorandum — essentially an interim agreement — designed to prevent a return to open warfare while postponing fundamental disagreements about Iran’s nuclear operations.

For Tehran, this type of arrangement serves mainly as a method to transform military and economic pressure into financial resources, relief, and reduced tensions, without restricting sensitive nuclear activities.

Iran wants an end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, access to billions of dollars in oil revenues, waivers on crude exports, removal of the U.S. port blockade, and maintained control over the strait — while delaying decisions on the most controversial matters.

The structure would focus on temporary relief and gradual access through the waterway, leaving unanswered questions about enrichment capabilities and Tehran’s inventory of highly enriched uranium, including material enriched to 60%.

Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said Tehran’s reasoning is influenced more by economic pressure and uncertainty than battlefield threats.

“Iranian leaders understand that time is not necessarily on their side… their calculation appears to be that dialogue, even limited dialogue, is preferable to entering an open-ended period of economic attrition and uncertainty that could gradually weaken its ability to govern at home and project influence abroad.”

The success of negotiations carries significant weight. President Donald Trump faces pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and reduce U.S. fuel costs, while defending against criticism from Iran hawks within his own Republican party regarding any concessions to Tehran.

Iran’s leadership also confronts domestic challenges. Extended sanctions, economic mismanagement, and conflict have driven inflation, currency devaluation, and a steep drop in living standards.

Immediate financial assistance is therefore essential to Tehran’s interest in a preliminary agreement, sources indicated, as it could maintain economic operations, reduce urgent pressures, and prevent a return of civil unrest.

In January, Iran’s clerical establishment and the Revolutionary Guards killed thousands while suppressing nationwide protests sparked by economic grievances.

Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, said a memorandum could also tackle growing concerns about the system’s long-term durability.

“By ending the conflict, reducing economic strain, removing U.S. military pressure around Iran, and creating space for reconstruction, an MoU could help prevent a gradual erosion of state capacity and governance,” Azizi said.

The Strait of Hormuz continues to be fundamental to Iran’s leverage. Within the clerical establishment, it is increasingly viewed less as a negotiating tool than as a lasting strategic advantage.

Any agreement that restores shipping while maintaining that leverage would preserve Tehran’s influence over the chokepoint, sources indicated, permitting traffic to resume while stability remains connected to political negotiation.

One source said a limited deal would effectively restore prewar conditions without forcing Iran to surrender to Washington’s demands, adding: “With the start of the war, Trump gave Iran the gift of control over the Strait.”

PLZEN, Czech Republic – A Czech court ruled Monday that German far-right activist Marla-Svenja Liebich, who has been convicted of several crimes, may be sent back to Germany. The case has generated significant discussion regarding which correctional facility should house her following her legal gender transition.

The activist maintains the option to challenge the extradition decision, according to a court spokesperson.

In 2023, while legally recognized as male and going by the name Sven, Liebich received an 18-month prison sentence for various violations including inciting hatred, insults, unlawful entry, and defamation.

The conviction was confirmed by the Halle regional court in Germany during August 2024. A subsequent challenge to a regional court was rejected in May 2025.

Following the implementation of Germany’s Self-Determination Act on November 1, 2024, which allows people to modify their gender identification paperwork, Liebich officially transitioned to female status and took the name Marla-Svenja.

According to regional correctional facility assignment protocols, this change necessitated her placement at Chemnitz women’s prison.

The decision drew backlash, with critics claiming tactical exploitation of the legislation and raising concerns about possible gaps in the law. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt characterized the situation as proof of the law’s vulnerability to misuse.

Liebich escaped and did not surrender to the correctional facility in August 2025. Czech authorities captured her this year in a community close to the German border.

At a preliminary court session in Plzen on May 18, she resisted extradition, expressing concerns about potential placement in a men’s correctional facility.

Crowds gathered in the Kenyan town of Nanyuki on Monday, demonstrating against American plans to establish an Ebola isolation facility at a nearby military installation, according to local witnesses who spoke with Reuters. The demonstration came several days after Kenya’s High Court issued a temporary halt to the project.

The court issued its suspension order on Friday following legal action that argued the proposed location could pose risks to community health and safety.

American officials described the proposed 50-bed facility at the Laikipia county air force installation as a treatment center for Americans who have had contact with the virus but show no symptoms. Kenya’s leadership has endorsed the project, with Health Minister Aden Duale stating Saturday that the facility represents part of broader efforts to enhance emergency preparedness capabilities.

According to American officials, the facility was scheduled to begin operations last Friday. Multiple military aircraft were observed arriving and departing from Nanyuki throughout the previous week and weekend, which diplomatic sources and analysts suggested indicated continued American preparations despite the judicial suspension.

A Reuters correspondent reported Saturday that police and military forces had strengthened their presence along routes approaching the air installation.

Video footage from Monday revealed approximately 100 demonstrators positioned roughly 4 kilometers from the proposed facility location, using whistles and some positioned on a pickup truck. Smoke was visible from materials burning in the roadway. Community members estimated the total number of protesters reached into the hundreds.

Local television networks NTV Kenya and Citizen Kenya broadcast images of people gathered near a wall surrounding the air installation, showing a tank positioned there with several soldiers standing guard.

Patrick Wahome, among those organizing the demonstration, explained to Reuters that participants wanted the medical facility permanently closed by Tuesday, June 9.

“Nanyuki is a very small town. The military personnel who serve the base… live with us. Our kids go to the same schools and that means if anyone is infected, we are all infected,” he said.

“We are picketing for our lives,” he added.

Local business owner Patrick Maina said he had to close his cafe and characterized the circumstances as “very bad.”

“We haven’t opened since morning and it’s likely to be worse tomorrow,” he told Reuters.

Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed a U.S. military C-130 cargo aircraft arrived in Nanyuki as recently as Friday afternoon.

Two local residents also reported observing military aircraft approaching the installation over the weekend, though Reuters could not verify whether these were American aircraft.

Israeli defense officials revealed Monday that France has prohibited government representatives from Israel from participating in the Eurosatory defense exhibition scheduled for this month in Paris.

According to the announcement from Israel’s Defence Ministry, French authorities have also imposed restrictions on Israeli weapons manufacturers, preventing them from showcasing offensive military systems at the exhibition. The companies will only be allowed to present “air defence products” during the event.

Military officials from China and the United States conducted discussions in Hawaii late last month, with both sides describing the talks as productive and straightforward, according to a statement released Monday by the Chinese navy.

The Military Maritime Consultative Agreement working group convened from May 28 through May 29, focusing on air and sea safety protocols and exploring ways to strengthen military maritime security cooperation. Both delegations concluded that enhanced communication between their forces could help prevent misunderstandings and promote greater professionalism in military operations.

In its official statement, China’s navy also outlined its position on regional security matters. “China firmly opposes any action to undermine China’s sovereignty and security under the pretext of freedom of navigation and overflight, (and) opposes any infringement, provocation and close-in reconnaissance and harassment targeting China,” the statement added.

British immigration officials announced Monday they have prevented two political commentators from entering the United Kingdom for planned speaking engagements.

The commentators affected are Hasan Piker, a Turkish American who streams political content online, and Cenk Uygur, who runs the “Young Turks” internet political program and is said to be Piker’s uncle. Piker, who regularly criticizes U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel and the Gaza conflict, has built a following of 2.8 million on the Twitch platform.

Immigration authorities revoked the electronic travel permits for both men, stating their entry “may not be conducive to the public good,” according to the Home Office.

“Decisions to refuse or cancel an ETA on these grounds are based solely on an assessment of the potential risk an individual may pose to U.K. society,” the Home Office explained.

Both men had been scheduled to appear at SXSW London, a festival celebrating culture, technology and creativity, happening this month. Uygur was additionally set to address the Oxford Union, the well-known student debate organization.

Responding on his YouTube channel, Piker stated: “A sad state of affairs where obviously the interests of Israel take the highest priority.”

On the social media platform X, Uygur wrote he had been prohibited “for criticizing Israel. Are we free any more?”

Piker has drawn controversy for certain statements, including expressing support for the Hamas militant organization, which both the U.K. and U.S. classify as a terrorist group.

Hamas-led fighters launched an assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 people taken captive, sparking the current Gaza war.

A Labour lawmaker named David Taylor, who had advocated for blocking Piker’s entry, stated that “there is no reason we should open our doors to those who seek to spread hate and division, especially someone who’s supported a proscribed terror group.”

However, Green Party leader Zack Polanski argued the government was “doing everything possible to silence criticism of the Israeli government.”

This action follows a similar decision in April when British authorities prevented rapper Ye, previously called Kanye West, from entering the country for a scheduled London festival performance following controversy over his antisemitic statements.

At that time, Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared his administration “stands firmly with the Jewish community, and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism.”

Iran announced Monday it is ending diplomatic message exchanges with the United States conducted through third-party mediators, according to the Tasnim news agency. The decision comes as Tehran objects to ongoing attacks in Lebanon during the continuing three-month conflict.

According to the news agency, Iran and the Resistance Front—which encompasses its Shiite allies across Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq—have developed plans to fully obstruct the Strait of Hormuz and engage other strategic locations, including the Bab El Mandeb Strait, as a means to “punish” Israel and its supporters.

Should the Houthis, who are Iran’s partners in Yemen, establish a new battlefront, they would likely target the Bab El Mandeb Strait located near Yemen’s coastline. This narrow waterway serves as a crucial shipping corridor that regulates maritime traffic flowing toward the Suez Canal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi posted on X Monday: “Violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The U.S. and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation,” addressing Israeli military actions in Lebanon.

The conflict initiated by the U.S. and Israel on February 28 has resulted in thousands of casualties, predominantly in Iran and Lebanon. The war has also triggered worldwide economic disruption by elevating energy costs, as Iran has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial international corridor for oil and liquefied natural gas transport.

Tasnim further reported: “The immediate cessation of the Zionist regime’s aggressive and brutal army operations in Gaza and Lebanon and the necessity of the regime’s complete withdrawal from the occupied areas in Lebanon have been emphasized by Iranian officials and negotiators, and there will be no talks until Iran and the resistance’s views on this matter are met.”

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Hundreds of women marched through Kenya’s capital city on Monday, demanding immediate government action to address escalating gender-based violence and femicide cases.

Demonstrators carried signs reading “Stop Killing Women” as they walked through Nairobi’s streets, accompanied by police escorts. The protesters also brought a coffin and raised awareness about recent local reports of missing and murdered children.

Advocacy organizations for women’s rights have sounded alarms about increasing gender-based violence incidents and are pushing for the government to officially recognize it as a national emergency.

The demonstration follows a tragic incident where a local singer was burned alive after being doused with gasoline, later dying from her injuries.

Police announced on May 23 that they had established a special investigation team, combining criminal intelligence analysts, forensic specialists, homicide detectives and other experts.

According to police findings, most gender-based violence incidents stem from household disputes, partner violence, sexual crimes, physical attacks and unresolved family issues.

The Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya reports handling approximately 70 gender-based violence cases weekly through their offices in Nairobi, the coastal city of Mombasa and lakeside Kisumu.

Advocacy organizations delivered a 40-day deadline to the government on May 21, threatening nationwide demonstrations if no action is taken. However, protests have begun ahead of schedule.

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — A flamboyant attorney who supports former President Trump has emerged as the frontrunner in Colombia’s presidential contest following first-round voting over the weekend, tapping into widespread demand for tough action against criminal organizations throughout Latin America.

However, the runner-up, progressive senator Iván Cepeda, along with his political partner President Gustavo Petro, challenged Sunday night’s election outcomes without offering proof.

Aberaldo de la Espriella quickly built momentum before Sunday’s voting, securing almost 44% of ballots cast, overtaking progressive senator Iván Cepeda, who had maintained polling leads during the campaign but received less than 41% of votes.

Both candidates will advance to a runoff contest scheduled for June 21, where de la Espriella is anticipated to gain additional support from Colombians who backed other conservative contenders in the initial round.

Cepeda faces significant challenges in the upcoming runoff, according to Colombian political analyst Sergio Guzmán. “Abelardo de la Espriella won the first round. In other words, that’s a shift in public opinion that is very difficult to overcome. So now Abelardo is emerging as the likely favorite to win.”

De la Espriella, nicknamed “El Tigre” or “The Tiger,” has no previous governmental experience in Colombia and boasted about his lavish lifestyle in Italy before choosing to seek the presidency. He marketed himself as a political outsider who would align with President Donald Trump and adopt El Salvador President Nayib Bukele’s anti-gang strategy, which has reduced murder rates while sparking human rights violation allegations.

“I will wipe out narcoterrorism and those who I’ve declared a military target like cockroaches, like rats. I will unleash upon them the wrath of God never seen before,” De la Espriella said in an interview with The Associated Press in the final stretch of the campaign, where he promised to open 10 mega-prisons to fight crime.

He represents a growing trend of leaders throughout Latin America – from Chile to Honduras – attempting to embrace the “Bukele model” as voters across the region increasingly reject leaders who promoted progressive policies designed to tackle underlying conflict causes, including limited youth opportunities and corruption.

De la Espriella’s backers represent diverse demographics. Yolanda Peréz, a 64-year-old woman serving coffee in downtown Bogotá who smoked a cigarette, said with a wink the day before the election: “I’m thinking of voting for El Tigre.”

Miguel Maheca, a 20-year-old first-time voter, displayed a paper proving he voted to his mother while leaving the polling location on Sunday, saying with a smile, “Love isn’t what’s going to make us safe in Colombia.”

However, analysts argue El Salvador’s security achievements will be virtually impossible to duplicate in a nation like Colombia, which is more than 50 times larger than the Central American country and contains many more armed factions fighting for control.

The divided election occurs as the Trump administration takes a more assertive stance in Latin America than any U.S. government in recent decades, applying increased pressure on nations including Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador to combat crime.

De la Espriella, 47, built his reputation as an attorney representing prominent clients including former President Álvaro Uribe (2002–2010), along with controversial individuals like Alex Saab, a close associate of Venezuela’s ousted president Nicolás Maduro who faces legal troubles in the U.S. and whom he ceased representing approximately seven years ago.

De la Espriella’s emergence as a presidential contender creates difficulties for progressive Cepeda, who maintained polling advantages before Sunday’s election, although his opponent rapidly gained momentum in the weeks preceding the vote.

Cepeda is a progressive senator who has pledged to continue his ally Petro’s troubled strategy to achieve “total peace” through negotiating peace agreements with guerrillas and criminal gangs.

Their political movement emerged from strong opposition by many Colombians to a militarized campaign by Uribe in previous decades used to defeat the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, guerrillas, which resulted in thousands of civilian deaths by Colombian forces in a scandal called “false positives.”

Mr. De la Espriella “represents a return to the paramilitary politics and drug-trafficking, – a mafia-run, plutocratic, and corrupt past that the country experienced during Álvaro Uribe’s two administrations,” Cepeda said on Sunday.

Petro, a former rebel, captured Colombia’s presidency in 2022 in a landmark election that concluded decades of right-wing control by leaders from Uribe’s political faction. He received enormous support from rural, indigenous and lower-income Colombians who believed they had never been directly addressed by Colombian leaders.

Currently, that movement finds itself in a defensive position.

“This is De la Espriella’s election to lose,” wrote Renata Segura, director of International Crisis Group’s Latin America and the Caribbean Program. “Cepeda thought he could win appealing squarely to the left, and that proved to be a massive mistake. How he pivots in the next month will determine if he has any chance to win.”

KHUJAND, Tajikistan (AP) — Dawn breaks at 5:30 a.m. as activity kicks into high gear at the Panjshanbe Bazaar, among the nation’s most expansive marketplaces. Merchants empty trucks filled with fresh cabbage while pigeons gather near the adjacent mosque, all under the watchful gaze of a towering image of President Emomali Rahmon.

Since taking office in 1992, Rahmon has led this Central Asian nation through decades of change following its break from the crumbling Soviet Union. The landlocked, mountainous territory ranks as the most economically disadvantaged among the 15 nations that gained independence, enduring a brutal five-year conflict between Moscow-supported government troops and opposition groups made up primarily of democracy advocates and Islamic forces. The Khujand region served as a stronghold for government supporters during this period.

Now, with the nation approaching its 35th independence milestone, the area enjoys stability and relies heavily on money sent home by workers employed in Russia. Images of Rahmon are displayed throughout educational institutions, lodging facilities, dining establishments and cultural sites. His stern expression and prominent eyebrows even watch over patrons at the community swimming facility, surrounded by Soviet-inspired artwork.

Similar to other areas across the country, Khujand’s marketplace retains elements from the Soviet period, including aging infrastructure and Cyrillic lettering mixed with Islamic designs. Though Panjshanbe means Thursday in the local language, Sunday brings the weekly livestock market to life. Colorful parakeets, rabbits and hedgehogs are available for purchase while youngsters and their fathers observe cockfighting matches in the parking area.

Despite the ever-present reminders of its Soviet heritage, Tajikistan has joined other Central Asian nations in developing its distinct cultural identity. In Khujand, previously known as Leninabad, a monument honoring Soviet Union creator Vladimir Lenin once stood prominently in the city center. Authorities relocated it in 2011 to the city’s edge, where it now sits between a muddy lot and a gravel pathway.

Government statistics show Tajikistan welcomed 1.8 million visitors in 2025, with more than 91.5% arriving from other former Soviet territories. Though tourist numbers continue growing annually, travelers from English-speaking nations remain uncommon. Local bread makers, surprised to encounter an American visitor, eagerly displayed their 3-somoni ($0.32) non, or lepyoshka, bread.

At an educational facility, uniformed female students prepared for an inspection by a regional administrator by cleaning the building’s front, which displayed a banner commemorating Tajikistan’s 34th independence year and featured words from poet Rudaki, whom the government honors as a national icon: “Whoever has not learned from the passing of time will also not learn from any teacher.”

NEW DELHI (AP) — India announced it will maintain diplomatic relations with Myanmar following Monday’s meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the head of Myanmar’s military-backed administration, even as Western countries continue sanctions after the military takeover in 2021.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri explained that India’s approach is “not intended to be a commentary on the internal political arrangements” in Myanmar, with New Delhi viewing continued engagement as the most effective path forward.

Countries in the West have attempted to isolate Myanmar’s military leadership since they removed the democratically elected administration of Aung San Suu Kyi through a 2021 coup that sparked widespread repression and created a nationwide conflict and humanitarian emergency. Some observers and human rights organizations argue that Min Aung Hlaing’s trip to India could provide credibility to the military-controlled government.

“We have always proceeded on the principle that sustained dialogue is what is important,” Misri stated, emphasizing that cutting off Myanmar would prove ineffective.

“History has shown that disengagement doesn’t give us any results that are better than engagement,” he explained.

This marks Min Aung Hlaing’s initial trip to India since taking office as president in April after an election that opponents claim was structured to solidify military control. His previous Indian visit occurred in 2019 while serving as Myanmar’s top military commander.

India and Myanmar share a 1,643-kilometer (1,020-mile) land border plus a maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal. India currently shelters thousands of Myanmar refugees, including many who escaped violence in northwestern Chin state and other war-torn regions.

Myanmar holds strategic significance for India’s security concerns. Both nations have coordinated on border protection and intelligence operations to counter insurgent organizations active along their shared frontier.

Following their discussion, Modi and Min Aung Hlaing did not speak publicly, breaking from the typical protocol for bilateral meetings with visiting foreign leaders in New Delhi.

However, Misri revealed that the leaders covered trade, defense and security partnerships, border oversight, and regional matters, with conversations also emphasizing expanded economic and technological relationships. He noted both parties committed to strengthening cooperation in multiple areas including commerce, energy and essential minerals, while accelerating major infrastructure projects.

The officials also addressed joint efforts against cybercrime and human trafficking, problems that have impacted thousands of Indians deceived into working at fraudulent operations throughout the region. Misri reported that India and Myanmar have collaborated to rescue over 2,400 Indian citizens during the past 18 months.

Throughout his stay, Min Aung Hlaing also conducted meetings with Indian President Droupadi Murmu, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

The European Union is developing new regulations that could prevent major American technology companies from securing critical government cloud computing contracts, according to internal documents obtained by Reuters.

The restrictions would target Amazon, Microsoft and Google through stringent requirements for highly sensitive state procurement projects. These proposed rules form part of the European Commission’s Cloud and AI Development Act, which the EU’s technology leader Henna Virkkunen plans to unveil on Wednesday.

The announcement will be included in a broader set of initiatives designed to decrease Europe’s reliance on American technology firms. The draft proposal, which has not been previously disclosed and may still undergo modifications, would establish mandatory evaluation standards beyond pricing considerations.

These new standards would include stipulations that software and hardware be created within EU borders, a requirement that would put American technology giants at a significant disadvantage in the bidding process.

When asked for comment, the European Commission refused to discuss specific details of the upcoming proposal. However, officials stated that the technology independence package represents something that is “crucial for strengthening Europe’s own technological capacities, for Europe’s competitiveness and security.”

NAIROBI, Kenya — Large crowds of young demonstrators gathered Monday in the central Kenyan town of Nanyuki to voice opposition to plans for establishing an Ebola quarantine facility for American citizens at the Laikipia Air Base.

The demonstrations occurred just two days following a Kenya High Court decision to temporarily halt the facility’s creation and block any incoming foreign patients while reviewing a legal challenge brought by the Law Society of Kenya and a constitutional watchdog organization.

Both groups pointed to Kenya’s vulnerable healthcare infrastructure as justification for why foreign Ebola patients should not receive quarantine treatment within the country’s borders.

American officials announced Thursday their intention to transport Americans who have been exposed to Ebola overseas to this new Kenyan facility rather than bringing them back to the United States. Speaking anonymously about the administration’s strategy, these officials indicated the Laikipia Air Base location would become operational by Friday with capacity for 50 quarantine patients.

During Monday’s demonstration, large numbers of young people gathered at the air base entrance, shouting slogans opposing Ebola-related activities.

Health Minister Aden Duale stated Sunday that the quarantine facility was designed for “everyone” rather than being limited to U.S. citizens exclusively.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in a statement that the U.S. government plans to provide $13.5 million to support Kenya’s Ebola preparedness initiatives.

Regional officials, including Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu, have expressed their opposition to creating an Ebola quarantine center to media representatives.

“This will expose our people to Ebola,” he stated, noting that numerous local residents are employed at the air base and face potential exposure risks.

While Kenya has recorded no Ebola infections, nearby Uganda has documented nine cases and shut down its border with Congo.

Congo has reported a minimum of 282 confirmed infections along with more than 1,000 suspected instances of the Bundibugyo virus, the current Ebola strain, for which no authorized treatment or vaccination exists.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — International arbitrators have dismissed Rwanda’s $134 million legal challenge against the United Kingdom over a terminated refugee resettlement program that Prime Minister Keir Starmer cancelled upon assuming office in 2024.

The agreement, established in 2022 under Starmer’s predecessor, Rishi Sunak, called for relocating asylum seekers who reached the U.K. by boat or as stowaways to the East African nation. The arrangement included financial provisions to Rwanda for associated expenses. When Starmer terminated the program, his home secretary at the time, Yvette Cooper, described it as “the most shocking waste of taxpayer money I have ever seen.”

The Permanent Court of Arbitration dismissed two separate Rwandan demands, each worth 50 million pounds ($67 million), related to financing for the cancelled program. While the ruling was dated May 15, the Hague-based tribunal officially released it on Monday. The panel also turned down two additional Rwandan complaints concerning alleged U.K. violations of the agreement.

In their 76-page decision, arbitrators determined that formal diplomatic correspondence between both nations following Starmer’s cancellation constituted a mutual understanding that the U.K. would not provide the two 50 million-pound installments scheduled for April 2025 and 2026 to fund migrant relocations.

The original plan called for transferring migrants to Rwanda, where asylum applications would be reviewed and approved applicants would remain permanently. Britain’s Supreme Court declared the policy illegal, ruling that Rwanda could not be considered a safe destination for relocated migrants.

The British government issued a statement saying: “The U.K. robustly defended its position, and the tribunal has now ruled in favor of the U.K. on all grounds.”

The statement continued that Starmer’s government is “now focused on delivering vital reforms to restore order and control to our borders, including removing the incentives drawing illegal migrants to Britain and scaling up removals of those with no right to be here.”

Rwanda has not yet provided a response to the ruling.

BEDZIN, Poland — Researchers have made extraordinary discoveries in a southern Polish house that once sheltered Jewish resistance fighters during World War II, uncovering hidden bunkers, underground passages, and artifacts that tell a powerful story of survival and defiance.

Among the most moving finds was an armband displaying the Star of David, discovered by the Cukerman’s Gate Foundation during their methodical search of the property.

“This armband is a witness, it’s like directly touching that evil which people created for other people,” Karolina Jakoweńko from the Cukerman’s Gate Foundation, which organized the search, told The Associated Press. Seeing it felt like a “jolt,” she said.

The two-story red brick structure sits in what was once the Jewish ghetto during the war. Young people from left-wing Zionist groups established a “kibbutz” there — essentially a support network designed to help members survive and fight back against Nazi forces.

During recent preparation work for renovations, Jakoweńko and her team methodically searched the attic, removing floorboards piece by piece and sifting through debris collected in buckets. Their careful examination revealed items from multiple time periods, including a Jewish prayer book from 1934 and the significant armband.

The foundation made even more dramatic discoveries last year when they found a bunker and underground passage on the property, guided by survivor accounts and oral histories they had gathered. Research indicates three separate bunkers existed around the building.

“The entry to the bunker was through the kitchen oven,” Piotr Jakoweńko said, pointing to a second bunker located under the kitchen, where bricks were arranged differently. “We are not aware any of the people here survived when the Nazis discovered this place. Perhaps as many as 60 were hiding here.”

Finding these hiding places required painstaking examination of every section of the property, with archaeological experts providing guidance throughout the process.

Wojciech Mazan, one of the volunteers who helped with the search, said their work was grueling but it mirrored what the Jewish youth was doing to dig out the tunnel and bunkers. “We feel some closeness to them in this energy. The house is speaking to us.”

Before the war began, approximately 27,000 Jewish residents called Bedzin home, making up half the town’s population. Additional Jewish families lived in surrounding communities in this coal-mining region near Germany, creating one of Poland’s most diverse and economically thriving Jewish populations. Nazi authorities officially established ghettos for Jewish residents in 1942.

The building now being preserved represents a crucial location in the history of Jewish resistance throughout Nazi-occupied Poland. While the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1943 remains the most widely known example of Jewish resistance, numerous other resistance efforts occurred throughout the country.

According to Joanna Król-Komła from the POLIN Museum of the History of the Polish Jews in Warsaw, this site could become an important destination for Holocaust education across Europe.

“There are only a few authentic places in Europe where Jews hid that have been preserved,” she said. “But in those cases, the story is usually told from the perspective of the righteous — those who saved Jews.” In Bedzin, by contrast, the preserved hiding place was organized by Jews themselves.

When Nazi forces began dismantling the Bedzin ghetto during summer 1943, Jewish residents had successfully obtained approximately 20 firearms from outside the ghetto walls. They understood that the Warsaw Ghetto, which had a larger and better-equipped resistance movement, had been destroyed in May.

The Jews in Bedzin knew well they stood no chance to survive and some chose to die weapons in hand, shooting at the Nazis who found them, Król-Komła said.

Frumka Płotnicka, a female fighter and courier from the Warsaw resistance movement who was sent to Bedzin to help organize local Jews, died in a third bunker that hasn’t been found yet, according to Karolina Jakoweńko.

She said the acts of resistance in the community went beyond shooting back at the Nazis. “Whether building bunkers or trying to hide a child or an aging parent, this is all resistance. It doesn’t always have to be a fight with weapons in hand. The fact that they wanted to survive was a form of resistance.”

Prior to World War II, Poland housed Europe’s largest Jewish community, with approximately 3.3 million residents. Although Nazi Germany, which controlled Poland during the conflict, bears responsibility for the Holocaust, Poland continues to grapple with historical instances where Polish neighbors participated in local attacks against Jewish communities.

In Bedzin, however, the local community is actively working to revive its Jewish history. Karolina Jakoweńko, who is originally from Bedzin, said “this Jewish history, for me, gave meaning to this town.”

She also recognized the Polish family who constructed the red brick house between the wars, Maria and Józef Polak, who lived alongside Jewish residents throughout the conflict, with children playing together, as allowed under Bedzin ghetto regulations. Family accounts shared with Jakoweńko describe how the woman saw the courtyard filled with bodies after Nazi forces killed the Jewish people who had been hiding.

Following the war’s end, the Polish family and their descendants decided against fencing the property, welcoming Jewish visitors and others. Recently, they agreed to transfer ownership to the Cukerman’s Gate Foundation, which intends to establish a museum called “the Bedzin Ghetto Fighters’ House.”

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confronts another political crisis Monday as hundreds of pages of government documents about former U.K. ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson are set to become public, highlighting the diplomat’s connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The government plans to meet parliamentary demands to disclose records concerning Mandelson’s selection for and performance in Britain’s top diplomatic position.

After serving just nine months, Mandelson was dismissed, and the controversy surrounding his problematic appointment has put Starmer’s leadership in jeopardy.

An initial batch of documents released in March showed that government officials had been cautioned that Mandelson’s association with Epstein could create “reputational risk” for the administration.

Subsequently, it emerged that Mandelson received approval for the ambassadorial position despite not passing security clearance requirements, leading to heated finger-pointing between Starmer and top civil service officials responsible for security screening.

Monday’s document release may contain over 1,000 pages, including correspondence such as emails and text messages exchanged between Mandelson and government officials and advisers.

Law enforcement has requested that certain documents remain confidential as they are part of an ongoing criminal probe into Mandelson for suspected misconduct in public office. The 72-year-old Mandelson was temporarily detained in February by investigators looking into claims he shared classified government intelligence with Epstein during his ministerial tenure fifteen years earlier.

He remains free with no bail restrictions while the police inquiry proceeds.

Health Secretary James Murray stated Monday that the document disclosure represents an “unprecedented” degree of government openness.

“It’s right we do that. We have been very clear that the appointment of Mandelson was wrong,” he told Sky News.

Conservative lawmaker Alex Burghart warned that any effort to suppress or heavily edit documents beyond those requested by police “will be viewed by the House as a contempt of Parliament, and as a cover-up by the British public.”

Starmer terminated Mandelson’s position in September 2025 following an earlier document release that demonstrated he had continued communication with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sexual crimes involving a minor.

Opposition figures argue that Starmer’s choice to name Mandelson demonstrates poor decision-making by a prime minister who has committed numerous errors since leading the center-left Labour Party to an overwhelming electoral win in July 2024.

Information about Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein, exposed in extensive files released by the U.S. Department of Justice in January, generated fresh concerns about Starmer’s leadership abilities, prompting adversaries and some Labour members of parliament to demand the prime minister step down.

These demands grew stronger after Labour experienced significant defeats in local elections in May. A senior Cabinet minister, Wes Streeting, stepped down with plans to contest Starmer for Labour leadership. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is seeking a parliamentary seat in a June 18 special election and is also anticipated to challenge Starmer if successful.

BUDAPEST, Hungary — The Hungarian government plans to modify the nation’s constitution in order to oust the current president, as part of new Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s campaign to eliminate officials installed during former populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s tenure.

Magyar’s Tizsa party secured a decisive electoral win in April, gaining a two-thirds parliamentary majority that enables them to implement major reforms to the authoritarian system Orbán established during his 16-year leadership.

Following his electoral success, Magyar has consistently demanded that President Tamás Sulyok, who was selected by Orbán’s party, step down or face constitutional removal. Magyar had set a May 31 deadline for Sulyok’s departure, frequently describing him as “Orbán’s puppet.”

Although the presidency is largely ceremonial, Hungary’s president holds responsibility for approving legislation and possesses authority to refer parliamentary bills to the constitutional court for examination, creating worries among the new administration’s allies that he might use this power to block their agenda.

Magyar met with Sulyok at the presidential Sándor Palace on Monday morning. During a subsequent press briefing, Magyar announced that the president had declined to step down. He stated he would direct his party’s legislators to immediately initiate the “necessary procedures” for presidential removal, estimating the process would require approximately one month.

“Hungary does not belong to Tamás Sulyok, nor to Viktor Orbán. It doesn’t belong to a single party or political system,” Magyar said. “The constitution states quite clearly that the president showcases the unity of the nation and guards the democratic functioning of the state.”

The prime minister did not provide details about which type of constitutional modification would be employed to remove Sulyok.

Magyar also criticized Sulyok for neglecting his responsibilities on various matters, including remaining silent when Orbán made dehumanizing remarks about political adversaries and critics, and when the former government enacted laws prohibiting the LGBTQ+ Pride event.

“It is in Hungary’s interest that this institution — the office of the president — regain the prestige that has been eroded by its silence and inaction,” Magyar said.

Last Friday, Sulyok’s office issued a statement declaring that Magyar’s resignation demands “adversely affect both the constitutional functioning and the authority of the institution of the President of the Republic.”

The statement also noted that Sulyok had sought a legal evaluation of the dispute from the Venice Commission, a panel of legal experts affiliated with Europe’s leading human rights organization, the Council of Europe.

Manufacturing facilities worldwide are experiencing major economic impacts from the Middle East conflict, with European producers reporting decreased demand and the steepest increase in raw material expenses in four years, while their Asian counterparts have expanded operations through stockpiling efforts, according to recent industry surveys released Monday.

The conflict involving the U.S., Israel and Iran that started in late February has disrupted global commerce, created instability in financial markets and sparked worries about worldwide energy availability, especially regarding shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical pathway for oil and natural gas transport.

The survey results were released following warnings from leadership at the International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organization about the conflict’s impact on global energy availability.

The S&P Global Eurozone Manufacturing PMI dropped to 51.6 in May, down from April’s nearly four-year peak of 52.2, though it exceeded the preliminary projection of 51.4. Any measurement over 50.0 signals expansion.

“Although euro area manufacturers reported an expansion for a fourth successive month in May, the sector is showing signs of struggling under the weight of rising prices and supply disruptions emanating from the war in the Middle East,” said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Manufacturing in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, came to a standstill while French production facilities experienced their first decline since November.

A majority of economists surveyed by Reuters in May expect the European Central Bank to raise its deposit rate this month and at least one additional time this year to prevent higher energy costs from affecting core inflation.

Government data expected Tuesday is projected to reveal that inflation climbed further beyond the ECB’s 2% goal last month.

Manufacturing facilities in Britain increased their prices at the quickest pace since June 2022 last month in reaction to substantial cost increases.

Despite these challenges, production activity grew across most Asian markets.

China’s private sector measurement expanded for six consecutive months while South Korea reached its fastest growth in five years, demonstrating a regional effort to create reserves against possible conflict-related disruptions.

The RatingDog China General Manufacturing PMI, produced by S&P Global, declined to 51.8 in May from April’s 52.2, but performed slightly better than analysts’ prediction of 51.6.

This result differed from an official survey indicating that factory activity in the world’s second-largest economy stagnated last month as new orders declined and input expenses continued rising.

Japan’s manufacturing activity also grew with the PMI reaching 54.5 in May, down from April’s more than four-year peak of 55.1, though companies there experienced the steepest increase in input costs since September 2022 due to higher raw material prices.

South Korea’s PMI climbed to its highest level since March 2021 at 54.8 in May, up from 53.6, again demonstrating companies’ efforts to secure supplies.

In Vietnam, the factory PMI measurement increased to 52.8 from 50.5, while Taiwan’s rose to 56.1 from 55.3, surveys indicated. The Philippines’ index jumped to 50.8 from 48.3.

Emergency teams in northwestern Italy successfully rescued a cave explorer Monday after his leg became pinned beneath a rock approximately 120 meters (394 feet) below ground, according to emergency services officials who reported the operation required 53 rescue personnel.

The nighttime rescue unfolded at the Grotta dei Cinghiali Volanti (Cave of the Flying Wild Boars), located in Cuneo province roughly 120 kilometers south of Turin, an area known as one of Italy’s premier caving destinations.

Rescue teams initially provided medical care to the trapped explorer at a temporary treatment station established within the cave before moving him to the surface for ambulance transport to a medical facility, according to a statement from the Alpine and Speleological Rescue Service.

Officials determined the man’s condition was stable enough that he did not need to be carried out on a stretcher, the rescue service noted, while emphasizing that response teams traveled from multiple regions across Italy to assist.

Authorities identified the rescued individual as an Italian citizen. News outlets reported his age as 20.

Following a Monday meeting with President Tamas Sulyok, Hungary’s Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced his government would pursue legal action to force the president from office if he refuses to step down voluntarily.

Magyar’s centre-right Tisza party scored a decisive electoral win in April, defeating Prime Minister Viktor Orban and vowing to oust numerous officials that Orban had placed in important government roles during his 16-year tenure.

The new prime minister has demanded Sulyok’s resignation, claiming the president has failed to promote national unity on critical matters and has instead worked to advance Orban’s interests and those of his former administration. Sulyok has declined to step down from his position.

“I have told the President that if he maintains his stance and does not resign, I will inform …the lawmakers of Tisza about our legislative proposals today and we will immediately start the necessary procedures,” Magyar stated.

According to Magyar, the legislative effort would span approximately one month and would focus on “removing all the puppets” who participated in “dismantling the rule of law and democracy.”

Orban’s Fidesz party responded by characterizing Magyar’s demands as an “unlawful ultimatum,” asserting that Sulyok is properly executing his legitimate mandate, which extends through 2029, and cannot be forced from his position.

Before becoming president, Sulyok led Hungary’s highest court, a role he obtained through Fidesz selection in 2016. Lawmakers from Orban’s party chose him for the presidency in early 2024.

While Hungary’s presidential role is primarily symbolic, Sulyok retains authority to send legislation back to parliament for additional review or refer measures to the Constitutional Court, actions that could delay or obstruct Magyar’s planned reforms.

Magyar has indicated he plans to leverage his party’s two-thirds legislative majority to modify constitutional provisions and other laws as necessary to compel Sulyok’s departure from office.

MANILA, June 1 – A Filipino lawmaker whose father once held the country’s highest office voluntarily turned himself in to authorities Monday after a judicial order for his detention on corruption allegations tied to an infrastructure controversy that triggered citizen demonstrations last year.

The corruption court issued an arrest warrant for Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada on plunder charges, which carry no bail option under the country’s legal system. Anti-corruption officials filed charges last week against Estrada for breaking graft laws by accepting “kickbacks” totaling 573 million pesos ($9.3 million).

“I will not seek Senate custody,” Estrada stated to media at the Senate building, addressing the possibility of seeking protection within the legislative chamber rather than surrendering to law enforcement.

“I am ready to defend myself before the court and I will not hide behind the institution to evade the process,” he continued.

Estrada has maintained his innocence and claimed the accusations are motivated by politics. He secured bail last week for a different charge.

The graft controversy, which has focused on dangerously defective flood-prevention infrastructure throughout the Philippines, has disturbed the corruption-weary country and hampered economic expansion in recent months.

($1 = 61.7010 Philippine pesos)

Israeli forces launched military strikes against Beirut’s southern suburbs Monday, marking a significant escalation one day after ground troops penetrated deeper into Lebanon than they have in over two decades, while Hezbollah militants launched rockets targeting northern Israeli territory, including areas near the coastal city of Haifa.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz released a joint statement explaining their decision to authorize military action against targets in the southern Beirut area known as Dahiyeh. They cited what they described as ongoing ceasefire violations by Hezbollah and “attacks against our cities and citizens” as justification for the strikes.

The militant group had committed to ending attacks against Israel when both sides agreed to a ceasefire in mid-April, but fighting resumed after Israeli military operations in Lebanon that Israel described as defensive measures.

Following Monday’s strike warning, residents of Dahiyeh began evacuating in large numbers, creating traffic congestion on roads leading away from the area where Hezbollah maintains strong community backing.

Overnight Israeli air operations in southern Lebanon resulted in six fatalities, including one Syrian national in a community near Nabatiyeh, according to the state-run National News Agency.

Israeli military officials reported that their Air Force successfully intercepted two projectiles fired from Lebanese territory toward Israel, along with a suspicious aircraft in the region where Israeli troops are conducting operations in southern Lebanon. Military sources indicated no casualties occurred from these incidents.

Hezbollah confirmed conducting rocket and missile operations against northern Israeli targets on Sunday.

This recent violence occurred despite an existing ceasefire arrangement that has been active since April 17, and just before Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to participate in another round of direct negotiations in Washington beginning Tuesday. Hezbollah has declined to participate in direct discussions, relying instead on pressure from Iran, which has called for an end to the Lebanese conflict in its own discussions with Washington.

The Washington negotiations between high-ranking Israeli and Lebanese officials, which started in April, represent the first such direct discussions between the nations in more than thirty years, as they maintain no official diplomatic ties.

The Lebanese capital has largely avoided airstrikes since the ceasefire took effect, with the exception of two specific attacks on the city’s southern areas in May.

A U.S. official revealed late Sunday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had contacted Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to suggest a new approach for continuing current negotiations, while President Donald Trump considers a potential ceasefire extension involving Iran.

The proposal calls for Hezbollah to cease all attacks on Israel while Israel would avoid escalating military actions in Beirut, according to the official who requested anonymity when discussing confidential diplomatic communications.

The official indicated that Aoun showed interest in the proposal, but Lebanese parliament chief Nabih Berri responded by insisting that Israel must first cease all military activities.

The official noted that the Trump administration does not anticipate Israel abandoning its right to respond to Hezbollah attacks on its territory.

Berri, who maintains close ties with Hezbollah, issued a statement Sunday saying he could ensure the militant organization’s “full, comprehensive and immediate commitment to a ceasefire.” Berri questioned “but who will force Israel to stop its aggression?”

Aoun stated Monday in remarks issued by his office that “Lebanon is facing a fierce and condemned Israeli aggression.” He added that his administration continues working to end “the suffering of the Lebanese in general and the southerners in particular.”

The current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has resulted in 3,412 deaths in Lebanon and forced more than 1 million people from their homes.

Israeli military sources confirmed that one soldier died in southern Lebanon overnight during a drone attack conducted by Hezbollah. The militant group’s deployment of difficult-to-detect fiber optic drones has proven particularly lethal for Israeli forces, who are having difficulty countering these weapons.

Netanyahu’s office reports that at least 26 Israeli soldiers and one defense contractor have died in or around southern Lebanon. Additionally, two civilians have been killed in northern Israel.

Malaysia has implemented new restrictions preventing children under 16 from creating accounts on social media platforms, according to an announcement Monday from the country’s communications regulator. The policy represents part of broader efforts to shield young people from dangerous online material.

This Southeast Asian country becomes part of a growing international movement to control access to digital platforms, as worries increase about social media’s effects on young people’s wellbeing and security.

Starting Monday, major social media companies like Meta Platforms’ Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, and Alphabet’s YouTube must verify users’ ages using official government documentation, according to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.

Platforms that don’t follow these new requirements could face penalties reaching 10 million ringgit ($2.5 million).

“The measure is not intended to prohibit child users from the internet or to deny them access to technology,” the commission stated, explaining that the goal is to increase accountability among social media companies, parents and guardians when it comes to safeguarding minors on the internet.

Social media companies have six months to implement age verification processes for users who already have accounts.

Malaysia has increased oversight of social media corporations following discoveries of significantly more harmful digital content in recent years, and is taking action against material designed to inflame racial or religious conflicts, or attack the monarchy.

The International Labour Organization kicked off its concluding discussions Monday in Geneva regarding the first binding employment standards for digital platforms that provide ride-sharing, food delivery, and online commerce services.

The primary disagreement revolves around whether benefits like minimum wage and protections including healthcare, sick leave, and social security should extend to every platform worker, or if coverage should depend on their classification as employees versus independent contractors.

The discussions will also tackle transparency in automated management systems, including how algorithmic technology determines compensation, distributes work assignments, and evaluates worker performance.

ILO members, who initiated preliminary discussions about platform worker employment last year, aim to finalize binding regulations and recommendations before next week concludes.

Any agreement from the U.N. agency, which advocates for international labor rights, requires consensus among governments, employers, and workers within the ILO framework.

The negotiations are anticipated to be challenging, with some members potentially seeking to dilute the language.

The U.S., China, Argentina and India prefer a more flexible approach, while the European Union, Brazil and Mexico advocate for enhanced protections, according to Lena Simet, senior advisor on economic justice at Human Rights Watch.

Labor advocacy groups and trade unions argue that the common practice of classifying workers as independent contractors enables companies to avoid minimum wage obligations and responsibilities like healthcare, sick leave and social security contributions.

“There is a serious problem with transparency and accountability around how algorithms are used to determine pay and performance,” said Simet.

The International Organisation of Employers, representing approximately 50 million companies globally, has stated that any framework should maintain flexibility, permitting countries to modify regulations according to their national situations.

Ride-hailing company Uber supported this position.

“It should enable countries to provide meaningful protections while preserving the flexibility, choice, and independence that many workers value,” an Uber spokesperson said.

The International Trade Union Confederation, the primary global organization representing workers, is advocating for a robust, binding convention. “Technological innovation cannot be used as an excuse to weaken democratic labour rights,” its General Secretary Luc Triangle told Reuters.

Chinese authorities announced Monday they will deploy medical experts to the Democratic Republic of Congo to help combat the current Ebola outbreak affecting the region.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian confirmed the decision during Monday’s briefing, stating that China has committed to providing humanitarian aid to Congo and will continue offering support “to the best of its ability.”

For nearly three decades, Venezuela’s socialist government has rallied behind a simple battle cry that symbolized Hugo Chávez’s nationalist movement: “United, we will win!”

This rallying call has echoed through government gatherings, street protests, and state media broadcasts, with supporters of all ages raising their fists to demonstrate allegiance to the anti-American socialist administration. The diverse alliance of military officials, ideological believers, and political opportunists has traditionally presented a unified front, even when facing overwhelming challenges.

However, that solidarity is showing signs of strain following the dramatic U.S. military action that resulted in the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro this past January. Devoted supporters are now openly challenging acting President Delcy Rodríguez’s administration and publicly speculating that internal betrayal enabled the American operation against Maduro.

Rodríguez has abandoned several of Chávez’s signature policies, accommodated American requests, and restructured the government according to her preferences, dismissing cabinet members, advancing National Assembly legislation to transform the country’s petroleum sector, and freeing imprisoned opposition figures.

Chavismo adherents are expressing their dissatisfaction openly. Numerous supporters condemn the improved relations between Rodríguez’s administration and Washington, which the movement has traditionally viewed as its primary enemy regardless of which political party controls the White House.

The May deportation of a former cabinet official to face U.S. criminal charges and Rodríguez’s recent permission for American forces to conduct military training in Venezuela’s capital have exposed deep internal rifts.

Mario Silva, who spent years promoting government messaging as host of a state television program before being taken off air after Maduro’s detention, challenged the constitutional validity of deporting Alex Saab, a close Maduro associate, claiming it violated constitutional prohibitions.

Silva argued that Rodríguez lacks true governing independence, suggesting certain choices “are being made in the U.S. Embassy.”

“The imperialists don’t negotiate. They conquer, test and probe — until our country shatters,” Silva said in a livestream. “Nobody is safe right now. And that is a concrete, terribly dangerous fact.”

On May 23, several dozen demonstrators in Caracas protested the military training that brought two Marine Corps Osprey aircraft to the U.S. Embassy grounds. Protesters displayed a Venezuelan flag bearing the words “No to the Yankee drill.” The small turnout was notable in a capital accustomed to mass demonstrations involving thousands of participants.

Elías Jaua, who served as Chávez’s vice president and in Maduro’s cabinet in his first years in office, repudiated the exercise on social media. He later told The Associated Press he was speaking up to raise awareness among Venezuelans of the “humiliating” situation facing the country.

“At this stage, the most important thing is to prevent this occupation and this colonial administration to which a nation like Venezuela is being subjected from becoming normalized,” Jaua said.

Chávez and Maduro — as well as Rodríguez, in her previous roles as vice president and communications and foreign affairs minister — had long prophesied that the U.S. would use force to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry, which has opened up to private capital after Maduro’s capture. The Trump administration oversees oil sales and administers revenues as part of its phased plan to turn the troubled South American country around.

The social, political and economic crisis that took hold when Maduro became president in 2013 drove more than 7.7 million people to leave Venezuela and pushed millions of others into poverty. It also led to rounds of anti-government protests and U.S. economic sanctions, both of which the ruling party survived.

Party stalwarts celebrated a Maduro victory in a 2024 election despite overwhelming evidence showing he had lost. They also echoed the party leadership’s denial of a surge of migration. Their loyalty was often rewarded, be it with food and basic goods for the poor or multimillion-dollar contracts and bodyguards for the better-off.

Andrés Izarra, a communications minister under Chávez and tourism minister under Maduro, said the fractures are not based in ideology or a defense of Chavismo, which he believes ended when its founder died in 2013. Maduro’s interest, he said, was in enriching himself and remaining in power at all costs.

Self-interest, he said, is creating division.

“Since there is no ideological foundation, it is simply a struggle for power, money, positions, and survival. Do you think (he) would be protesting if he’d kept his bodyguards, or if they’d kept his little salary, or his share of power?” Izarra, who lives in exile since becoming a government target last decade, said of one critic of change under Delcy. “If they had an ideological interest, they would have spoken much earlier.”

Criticism even aired on state television last month, when a Colombian leftist leader sitting in the audience of Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello’s show stood up and questioned Venezuela’s efforts to free Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores from U.S. custody.

“We’ve seen a very weak campaign for Cilia and Nicolás’s freedom,” Manuel Caicedo said before a visibly stunned Cabello.

Another devout Chavista, lawmaker Iris Varela, told a podcaster she believed a government insider had helped the U.S. oust Maduro. The idea has widely rumored since President Donald Trump announced that the authoritarian leader had been captured on Jan. 3, but no evidence has emerged.

“Of course there’s a betrayal,” Varela said. “I say that every Christ has a Judas. If our Lord Jesus Christ knew he was going to be betrayed and yet he let Judas kiss him on the cheek, … won’t a traitor emerge for Maduro?”

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino lawmaker announced Monday he plans to turn himself in to authorities following a court-issued arrest warrant on plunder charges connected to alleged kickbacks from a major flood control project.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada had already been arrested Friday on an initial graft charge that allowed for bail by the specialized Sandiganbayan anti-corruption court. After posting bail and securing his release, he once more proclaimed his innocence of any criminal conduct.

The 63-year-old Estrada has vehemently rejected accusations primarily brought forward by a former government public works engineer claiming he accepted over 570 million pesos ($9.3 million) in illegal payments connected to flood control construction projects.

BRUSSELS, June 1 – A coalition of 13 European cloud computing companies has joined with EU legislators and advocacy organizations to support the European Commission’s initiative to reduce Europe’s dependence on American technology while strengthening domestic businesses.

The Commission plans to unveil new measures Wednesday designed to prioritize European companies over American competitors for cloud streaming services in sensitive government contracts, while simultaneously increasing production of European-manufactured semiconductors.

This initiative stems partially from strained relations with both the United States and China, along with broader efforts to compete with these nations in critical technologies.

“Technological sovereignty means that Europe has the capacity to freely design, understand, choose from different home-grown sources, build, operate and effectively regulate the digital systems on which its society and economy rely,” the coalition stated in a joint open letter obtained by Reuters.

Companies signing the letter include French cloud vendor OVHcloud, Germany’s Nextcloud, social networks Mastodon and Monnett Social, Swiss privacy software company Proton, browser company Ecosia and Dutch quantum chip maker QuantWare.

European Parliament members from the Greens group and six advocacy organizations including Defend Democracy and Save Social also endorsed the letter.

“Our message is simple: Build European, buy European, protect European,” stated lawmaker Alexandra Geese.

A prominent Taiwanese opposition figure has expressed strong interest in meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump during her planned visit to America this month.

Cheng Li-wun, who leads the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan’s primary opposition party, announced her openness to such a meeting while speaking with media representatives in Taipei on Monday. She departed later that day for a two-week journey across the United States, which follows her April trip to China where she held discussions with President Xi Jinping.

During her press conference in Taipei, Cheng noted that no Taiwanese leader has held a meeting with a serving U.S. president since diplomatic ties between Taipei and Washington ended in 1979, though she emphasized her role is specifically as KMT chairwoman.

When reporters questioned whether she would be open to meeting Trump, Cheng responded: “I am of course very willing.”

She explained her readiness to engage with any individual who promotes peace and holds significant leadership authority, similar to her approach with Xi.

“The same applies to President Trump. Anything that is helpful to peace, I am willing to do; anyone who is helpful to peace, I am willing to meet – let alone the most critical decision-maker and leader, which is the president of the United States,” Cheng stated.

The White House has not yet provided a response to requests for comment made after regular business hours.

Beijing, which maintains territorial claims over Taiwan, has refused diplomatic engagement with Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, labeling him a “separatist” and dismissing his multiple overtures for dialogue. Lai has consistently rejected Beijing’s territorial assertions, maintaining that Taiwan’s citizens alone should determine their island’s destiny.

Cheng expressed satisfaction with the improving trajectory of China-U.S. relations following Trump and Xi’s meeting in Beijing last month.

She confirmed plans to meet with congressional members and U.S. government officials during her trip, which includes a stop in Washington, though she declined to specify participants due to confidentiality considerations.

Despite Cheng’s KMT and its coalition partner, the Taiwan People’s Party, holding parliamentary control and supporting defense expenditures, they recently reduced government proposals for an additional $40 billion in military spending by one-third last month.

The United States has endorsed Taiwan’s increased defense budget, particularly the portions that the opposition reduced, which included funding for drones and other domestically-produced military equipment.

According to Cheng, Taiwan’s defensive capabilities depend not solely on enhanced military equipment, but also require diplomatic engagement with China to “thoroughly eliminate any possibility of military conflict or war.”

Emergency teams in Laos continued their efforts Monday to locate a different way into a water-filled cave system where two individuals have been missing for almost two weeks following severe storms that flooded the primary entrance and blocked access.

The pair has been unaccounted for since rescue efforts started last month in the mountainous terrain of Xaisomboun province, located roughly 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Vientiane, the nation’s capital. Emergency workers have successfully brought out five of the original seven people who became stuck in the underground chamber.

Lee Kian Lie, a Malaysian diver participating in the rescue mission, explained that crews are working to remove water from the cave system.

“We will go into the suspected area to continue the search if the water level is lowered,” he told The Associated Press.

A separate rescue group is examining the opposite side of the cave structure, hoping to discover a dry pathway that might allow entry to where the missing individuals are thought to be located, he explained.

Emergency response teams from Laos and nearby Thailand have been collaborating for over a week. International divers from Finland, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, France and Australia have joined the effort.

Multiple members of the rescue operation previously participated in the complex 2018 cave emergency in northern Thailand that successfully freed 12 schoolboys and their soccer coach from a water-filled cave.

The Laos Rescue Volunteer for People group announced on its Facebook page that intense rainfall brought “massive amounts of water” flowing into the region, forcing teams to halt their work Sunday evening.

Kengkaj Bongkawong, who leads the Thai group Metta Tham Rescue Kalasin, explained that crews are also searching for air shafts from the surface that could offer another way into the cave.

Emergency workers suspect the two missing individuals are stuck in a deeper section of the cave than where the five survivors were initially located on Wednesday. However, the route to that location is described as extremely narrow and severely flooded.

The local residents reportedly went into the cave almost two weeks ago searching for precious minerals including gold when they became trapped by sudden flooding that cut off their exit route. Another villager managed to escape and notified authorities.

The first person was safely brought out on Friday, led through a tight flooded tunnel by a skilled diver. The other four emerged from the cave on Saturday after water levels dropped sufficiently for them to exit without assistance, rescue officials reported.

SEOUL, South Korea — A fatal blast rocked a defense contractor’s facility in South Korea on Monday, claiming five lives and leaving two people wounded, according to authorities.

The tragic incident took place at a Hanwha Aerospace worksite located in the South Korean city of Daejeon.

Authorities have not yet released additional information, including what triggered the blast.

Emergency official Yoon Seong-su noted that the location is classified as a government-designated security facility.

Local medical official Kim Ju-yeon reported that one of the two wounded individuals remains in critical condition. She added that authorities have not yet determined the identities of those who died.

According to Yonhap news agency, the facility serves as one of Hanwha Aerospace’s primary locations for developing large-sized propellants and surface-to-surface weapons systems.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed his nation’s military forces on Monday to strike targets located in the southern suburban areas of Beirut, Lebanon, specifically targeting a region known as a Hezbollah stronghold called Dahiyeh.

A statement released by Netanyahu’s office explained the reasoning behind the military action: “Following repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon by the terrorist group Hezbollah and the attacks against our cities and citizens, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to attack terrorist targets in the Dahiyeh district in Beirut.”

Despite a ceasefire agreement reached in mid-April, Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have maintained ongoing exchanges of fire. Hezbollah has increasingly deployed inexpensive, easily-constructed kamikaze drones that present significant challenges for air defense systems to intercept, resulting in the deaths of multiple Israeli soldiers stationed in southern Lebanon.

The conflict in Lebanon represents the most significant expansion of the Iran war, forcing over 1.2 million Lebanese residents from their homes due to Israeli military strikes and evacuation directives since March 2, when Hezbollah initiated rocket and drone attacks against Israel in support of its Iranian ally.

According to Lebanese government figures, the military operations have resulted in more than 3,370 fatalities. Israeli officials report that 24 soldiers and four civilians have lost their lives during the same timeframe. Additionally, tens of thousands of Israeli residents in northern regions have been forced to evacuate due to Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks.

The Dutch carrier KLM announced Friday evening it has suspended service to Uganda’s Entebbe airport, located near Kampala, because of restrictions related to an Ebola outbreak affecting Central Africa.

According to the airline, although the region is not presently considered an active danger zone, operations to the planned destinations are no longer feasible due to travel and entry protocols that various nations have implemented for individuals who have recently visited Entebbe, affecting both passengers and airline personnel.

Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicates that two scheduled routes connecting Amsterdam and Entebbe, with a stop in Rwanda’s capital Kigali, set for Saturday and Monday have been scrapped.

“We’re continuing to monitor the situation and looking into what’s possible,” KLM stated in a travel advisory.

The World Health Organization has classified the Ebola outbreak, caused by the uncommon Bundibugyo strain of the virus affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, as a public health emergency of international concern, though it falls short of pandemic emergency status.

In May, the United States implemented heightened travel screening, entry limitations and public health protocols to help prevent the disease’s transmission.

Multiple news sources reported that on May 20, an Air France aircraft traveling from Paris to Detroit was rerouted to Montreal after a traveler from the Democratic Republic of Congo boarded “in error.”

Emirates advised Thursday that passengers should verify destination entry requirements prior to travel, referencing Ebola-related restrictions in multiple countries.

An accidental blast involving explosives stockpiled by Myanmar’s rebel forces has claimed no fewer than 55 lives, with rescue teams still searching through the wreckage for survivors, according to eyewitness accounts released Monday.

The devastating incident occurred at approximately midday Sunday (0530 GMT) in Kaung Tat village, according to a statement from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), which acknowledged multiple fatalities but did not specify an exact number.

Local residents and news outlets have confirmed the death toll at a minimum of 55 people, while search and rescue efforts continue at the explosion site. The TNLA has not responded to requests for additional information on Monday.

“Everything was completely destroyed beyond recognition,” resident Moe Z told Reuters. He was traveling on a roadway approximately 1-1/2 miles (2.4 km) from the scene when the blast occurred, describing how a mushroom cloud of smoke rose into the air.

The TNLA, which maintains control over the border village near China and operates under a ceasefire agreement with Myanmar’s military forces, stated that the detonated materials had been stockpiled “for use in mining operations.”

The nation’s mineral wealth, including rare earth elements, has emerged as a crucial funding source for both the military government and opposition forces engaged in the country’s ongoing civil conflict.

The current warfare started in 2021 following a military takeover that removed the democratically chosen civilian administration headed by Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

Moe Z explained that initially his group suspected the explosion might have been an aerial attack, but the lack of subsequent blasts led them to consider whether a large unexploded ordnance had gone off.

“Based on the explosive force and the sound we witnessed, this was no small explosion, it wasn’t the scale of a drone-drop bomb,” he said, referencing a strategy commonly employed in Myanmar’s civil war.

Moe Z reported that his team reached the location roughly one hour following the blast, finding human casualties scattered throughout the area while people concentrated on locating any survivors. He described finding body parts and victims spread across the zone, with an enormous crater marking where the explosives had been kept.

“It’s as if the entire village has just vanished,” he said.

A regional reporter informed Reuters that the blast was so powerful that some casualties were trapped beneath massive amounts of rubble and wreckage, requiring heavy machinery for the search operation.

“Over half of the village’s houses have been destroyed. The houses near the centre of the blast were blown completely to pieces, to the point where not even the house posts remain,” the journalist said.

In Sunday’s official statement, the TNLA pledged to conduct a full investigation into the incident and ensure accountability for those at fault. The organization also committed to providing emergency assistance, medical care, and reconstruction support for affected residents.

“The explosion caused the loss of life and injury to many people in Kaung Tat village, and the destruction of many homes,” the TNLA said.

French naval forces intercepted a Russian-connected oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday, according to French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement on social media.

The vessel, identified as the Tagor, was operating under international sanctions when French forces boarded it on the open ocean.

“This operation took place in the Atlantic Ocean, on the high seas, with the support of several partners, including the United Kingdom, in strict compliance with the law of the sea,” Macron stated.

The French leader condemned vessels that attempt to evade international restrictions, saying: “It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and finance the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years.”

The boarding operation was carried out with assistance from multiple allied nations, including British forces, according to the president’s statement.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — American military forces conducted airstrikes against Iranian radar installations and drone command centers following Tehran’s destruction of a US MQ-1 Predator drone over the weekend, military officials announced Monday. Iranian forces confirmed they launched counter-attacks, while Kuwait reported defending against incoming drone and missile strikes.

These competing military actions highlight how tenuous the multi-week ceasefire remains in the Iran conflict, with continued hostilities occurring despite ongoing diplomatic efforts between American and Iranian representatives to extend the truce. Tehran continues controlling the Strait of Hormuz during this period, creating disruptions to worldwide energy markets since one-fifth of global oil and natural gas shipments previously traveled through this critical Persian Gulf passage.

At the same time, combat operations are intensifying as Israel expands its military presence in Lebanon past the Litani River while Hezbollah militants persist in sending drones toward Israeli territory.

Central Command announced its military operations took place Saturday and Sunday in areas surrounding Geruk city and on Qeshm Island.

“The measured and deliberate strikes occurred … in response to aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a U.S. MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters,” Central Command said.

“U.S. fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters.”

While the Air Force has discontinued Predator operations in favor of the MQ-9 Reaper, the Army continues operating Predator aircraft. Military officials reported no American personnel sustained injuries during these operations.

Kuwait’s defense systems engaged early Monday to counter approaching drone and missile attacks. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard forces issued a statement through the state-controlled IRNA news agency claiming American forces had struck a communications tower on an island location.

The Guard confirmed conducting a retaliatory operation without specifying the target location, presumably referencing the Kuwait incident. Kuwait hosts U.S. Army Central, serving as the regional Army command headquarters for Middle East operations.

These military exchanges mark the most recent escalation between Washington and Tehran, even as both nations claim ongoing diplomatic discussions, particularly regarding Iran’s highly enriched uranium reserves. During the weekend, American forces fired a missile into a Gambia-flagged cargo vessel’s engine compartment as it attempted to breach the Iranian port blockade.

Limited shipping traffic has managed to exit the strait, though global energy markets remain under strain, along with chemical fertilizer supplies that have raised concerns about potential food shortages. The Gulf area accounts for 30% of international chemical fertilizer trade.

U.S. President Donald Trump conducted meetings with advisers Friday but has not yet determined whether to proceed with an agreement extending the ceasefire and reopening the strait. Iranian officials have stated no final deal has been reached.

Trump shared optimistic views about negotiations in an early Monday post on his Truth Social platform, dismissing critics while avoiding discussion of the current military exchanges.

“Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us,” he wrote. “Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end — It always does!”

A devastating industrial accident at a South Korean aerospace manufacturing facility has resulted in five fatalities and two injuries, officials confirmed Monday.

The deadly incident occurred at a Hanwha Aerospace plant located in Daejeon, where workers produce large rocket propulsion systems and work with explosive rocket fuel materials.

Two workers managed to flee the facility on their own, with one suffering severe burns, according to fire department officials who spoke at a news conference.

“Authorities have yet to identify the victims because their bodies were severely damaged,” a health official told the same briefing.

Fire department representatives revealed that the deadly blaze began after an explosion, though investigators are still working to determine what caused the initial blast.

The aerospace company specializes in defense and space technology, with the Daejeon facility specifically focused on manufacturing rocket propulsion systems and handling volatile rocket fuels.

Emergency responders faced additional challenges because they could not access building blueprints, as the facility’s layout information is classified under the country’s national security regulations, officials explained during the briefing.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ordered the deployment of all available emergency resources to handle the situation and has demanded a thorough investigation into the tragedy, according to a statement from his office sent to news media.

A company representative from Hanwha Aerospace confirmed that the organization is conducting its own internal investigation into the incident.

Voting commenced Monday morning in Ethiopia’s national election, with widespread expectations that the current governing party will maintain its hold on power.

Military forces were prominently stationed throughout the capital city of Addis Ababa, while international observers urged calm during the electoral process in Africa’s second-largest nation by population, which serves as home to the African Union’s main offices.

Citizens formed lengthy lines ahead of the 6 a.m. start time, demonstrating enthusiasm to participate in the democratic process and express their political preferences.

The election will determine more than 500 representatives for the House of Representatives, who will then cast votes to choose the nation’s prime minister.

The Prosperity Party, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, is anticipated to win a majority of legislative seats, which would allow him to continue serving in his current role for an additional term.

Registration records show approximately 50 million citizens are eligible to participate in the voting process, representing roughly 38% of Ethiopia’s total population of 130 million. Citizens are simultaneously selecting representatives for regional government bodies. Election outcomes are anticipated to be announced later Monday.

Political opposition groups have expressed worries about what they characterize as diminishing opportunities for political participation, claiming they faced obstacles in conducting campaign activities and reaching potential supporters. The nation has also encountered international scrutiny regarding alleged violations of human rights against government opponents and members of the media.

MELBOURNE, Australia — A 34-year-old Australian woman facing terrorism charges appeared in court Monday as prosecutors detailed allegations that she supported violent extremism, tried to radicalize her children, and encouraged others to join her in Syria.

Defense attorney Peter Morrissey told the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court that his client, Rayann El Houli, has completely changed her stance on terrorism.

“She renounces ISIS and violent jihad,” Morrissey said, using an acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. “She wants nothing to do with it: not now directly or indirectly. Not in the future. Not for herself. Not for the people she loves and specifically not for the children.”

El Houli is seeking bail while facing charges for allegedly joining a terrorist organization and traveling to Raqqa, Syria, which served as the Islamic State’s headquarters more than ten years ago.

Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan described the prosecution’s allegations during the hearing, stating that El Houli journeyed to Syria sometime between 2013 and 2014 with plans to join IS militants.

“The accused expressed radicalized views while in Syria, including support for terrorist acts. She supported acts of martyrdom whilst in Syria. She repeatedly expressed views that supported the killing or serious injury of non-believers,” Hannan said.

According to the magistrate, El Houli attempted to radicalize her children and encouraged Australians to travel to Syria to embrace extremist beliefs and lifestyle choices.

The magistrate noted that El Houli departed Raqqa in 2019 “when the caliphate was defeated and not as a result of her changing views.”

The court postponed the bail hearing to a future date yet to be determined.

Both charges carry maximum penalties of ten years imprisonment. Australian law requires exceptional circumstances for individuals facing terrorism allegations to receive bail.

Hannan indicated she wants more information about how El Houli fled from the al-Hol displacement camp in eastern Syria and was transported illegally to Lebanon.

El Houli returned to Australia from Lebanon in the previous year and was taken into custody in Melbourne last week.

Three additional women connected to IS who recently returned to Australia have been charged with slavery and terrorism violations upon arrival and are currently detained, while others remain under police investigation.

Malaysia launched new restrictions Monday that block millions of children under 16 from having social media accounts, becoming part of a worldwide movement to strengthen digital safety measures for young internet users.

The new regulations mandate that social media companies install age-verification technology and prevent users younger than 16 from setting up accounts. The restrictions target platforms with a minimum of 8 million users, covering Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Social media companies that don’t follow the new rules face financial penalties reaching 10 million ringgit ($2.5 million). However, parents won’t face punishment if their children find ways around the restrictions.

Officials stated the new policies aim to shield children from dangerous content, cyberbullying and platform designs that promote addictive usage patterns.

Several nations including Australia, Brazil and Indonesia have either launched or announced age-related limitations for children’s social media access. Additional countries such as Britain, France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are researching or creating comparable strategies.

Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Commission explained the regulations don’t seek to block children’s internet or digital technology access. The agency instead established standards for service providers to tackle online dangers and implement appropriate safety measures for different age groups.

“These measures help strengthen the protection of children in the online environment, while providing added reassurance to parents in navigating increasingly complex digital risks,” the regulator said in a statement last month.

Social media companies must introduce safety-focused design elements, including safeguards against manipulative features that promote compulsive behavior, and take steps to remove underage accounts and harmful material.

Technology firms haven’t yet explained their plans for meeting Malaysia’s new standards.

The regulatory agency announced it will provide a transition period for platforms to finish installing age-verification technology.

Clara Koh, Meta’s director of public policy for Southeast Asia, had cautioned in April that Malaysia’s blanket under-16 ban could backfire by driving teenagers away from protected apps and into unregulated corners of the internet.

She said Meta has launched “teen accounts” for those under 18 that limits contact, screen time and exposure to inappropriate content.

Malaysia’s new restrictions emerge as governments worldwide face mounting pressure to tackle worries about social media’s effects on children’s mental health and digital safety.

In March, a U.S. jury ordered Meta and YouTube to pay millions of dollars in damages in a case alleging that platform design features contributed to harm suffered by a young user.

While many parents support the move, Malaysia’s decision has sparked concerns about data privacy protection.

“It is very much following the trend but in a way that is raising alarms due to requiring a government ID for age verification,” said Benjamin Loh, social science lecturer at Monash University in Malaysia.

Loh said experiences elsewhere suggest age-based restrictions have yet to prove consistently effective. Without parent penalties, he said families can easily bypass the law by creating accounts for their children.

“This is a major gap that unless regulators are willing to fix, will result in the law having little effect in stopping children from using social media,” he added.

American military forces launched what they described as defensive strikes against Iranian radar and unmanned aircraft facilities over the weekend, according to officials who characterized the action as a response to hostile Iranian behavior.

Military commanders announced on social media Sunday that Iran had destroyed an American MQ-1 unmanned aircraft that was flying over international waters.

According to CENTCOM, American fighter jets retaliated by destroying Iranian air defense systems, a ground control facility, and two one-way attack drones.

Officials confirmed that no American service members were injured in the operations.

The military action represents the latest exchange between the two nations, following similar confrontations the previous week when Iran attacked an American air installation after U.S. forces conducted operations against what a Washington official described as Iranian drone activities near the Strait of Hormuz.

For the first time since its founding, Australia’s populist One Nation party has claimed the top position in national polling, surpassing the current Labor government amid widespread public dissatisfaction with recent fiscal policy changes.

The Redbridge Group and Accent Research polling data shows One Nation’s primary support climbing four percentage points to reach 31% compared to the previous month’s results. Meanwhile, the governing center-left Labor party saw its support decline by three points to 28%.

The conservative coalition opposition also experienced losses, dropping two percentage points to 20% support.

These polling shifts follow the government’s May 12 budget announcement, which introduced sweeping property tax reforms described as the most significant changes to property taxation in decades. The measures were designed to address intergenerational inequity issues.

However, the proposed changes appear to have failed in winning public approval, particularly among Gen X and Baby Boomer demographics who showed strong opposition to the reforms.

Surprisingly, even younger demographics that the budget aimed to help expressed skepticism about the measures. Only 26% of Millennials and a mere 13% of Gen-Z respondents indicated they believed the budget would benefit them personally.

When factoring in Australia’s ranked-choice voting preferences, Labor maintains a narrow advantage over One Nation with 51% compared to 49% in a two-party scenario.

The survey included 1,005 participants and was conducted between May 25 and May 28, carrying a margin of error of 3.4%.

One Nation, established in 1997 under Pauline Hanson’s leadership, has historically maintained limited representation in Australia’s federal parliament. However, the party’s current surge reflects its successful appeal to voters concerned about rising living expenses, economic instability, and immigration policies.

Half a dozen workers sustained injuries when dangerous hydrogen fluoride gas escaped at an SK Hynix semiconductor manufacturing plant located in Cheongju, South Korea, according to reports from Yonhap News Agency citing local fire department officials.

The hazardous chemical release occurred after flames erupted at the facility, fire department officials stated, noting that emergency crews have successfully extinguished the blaze.

Attempts to reach an SK Hynix company representative for additional details were unsuccessful at the time of this report.

Chinese maritime authorities deployed patrol vessels in waters east of Taiwan on Monday, responding to recent announcements that Japan and the Philippines would initiate formal discussions about their maritime boundaries.

The two nations announced last week their intention to begin official negotiations regarding the maritime boundary of their exclusive economic zone and continental shelf areas, stating they would proceed “in accordance with international law.”

Beijing’s foreign ministry criticized the planned discussions on Friday, stating the area includes waters east of Taiwan, which China considers its own territory. Officials declared such negotiations “completely illegal, null and void.”

Maritime patrol vessels carried out operations east of Taiwan following legal protocols, according to a statement from China’s Coast Guard, though specific locations were not disclosed.

“This is a necessary action taken in response to Japan and the Philippines unilaterally announcing the initiation of maritime boundary delimitation negotiations in the waters east of China’s Taiwan island,” the statement read.

“We urge Japan and the Philippines to immediately cease all illegal actions that infringe upon China’s sovereign rights and interests.”

Taiwan’s coast guard officials had no immediate response to the patrol activities. Representatives from Philippine and Japanese diplomatic missions in Beijing did not respond to requests for comment.

On Sunday evening, Taiwan’s foreign ministry criticized Beijing’s position on the matter.

“China has no right to interfere in Taiwan’s territorial sovereignty and sovereign rights over its relevant maritime areas,” officials stated.

Chinese military vessels and aircraft operate near Taiwan on an almost daily basis, with coast guard ships sometimes accompanying these activities.

Last month, a Chinese coast guard vessel moved close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands in the northern South China Sea before departing following a confrontation with Taiwan’s coast guard.

Beijing asserts territorial claims over Taiwan and nearly all of the South China Sea through a “nine-dash line” marked on official maps, which extends into exclusive economic zones belonging to the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. Taiwan’s government disputes Beijing’s territorial assertions.

Emergency crews responded Monday to reports of a blast at a South Korean aerospace manufacturing facility, according to fire department officials.

The incident occurred at a Hanwha Aerospace plant located in Daejeon, with fire department personnel sent to the scene to address the situation.

Company representatives confirmed they are currently looking into the circumstances surrounding the reported explosion at their facility.

The United States has introduced a new diplomatic initiative designed to reduce escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon, according to a government official who spoke on Sunday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio held discussions with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding ongoing diplomatic talks between the two nations, presenting a framework for “gradual de-escalation,” the official revealed.

Under the American proposal, the initial phase would require the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant organization to cease all attacks against Israel, while Israel would commit to avoiding escalatory actions in Beirut, the official explained.

“This would create space for gradual de-escalation and an effective cessation of hostilities,” the official stated.

The official noted that Aoun worked to promote the proposal and achieve an agreement. Nevertheless, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who asserted he could “guarantee” Hezbollah’s adherence to a ceasefire, insisted that Israel must stop “shooting first.”

On Sunday, Netanyahu announced he had directed military forces to advance deeper into Lebanon in operations against Hezbollah, despite a ceasefire that was declared more than six weeks earlier.

In their most recent military action, Israeli forces captured the historic 900-year-old Beaufort Castle along with a strategic ridge in southern Lebanon, military officials reported Sunday. This came after one of the most intense periods of Hezbollah attacks targeting northern Israel since the April ceasefire, leading to school shutdowns and movement restrictions.

The American official emphasized that the United States does not anticipate Israel will continue tolerating persistent attacks against its citizens from Hezbollah.

BEIJING, June 1 – Chinese authorities unveiled comprehensive new regulations on Monday that significantly expand government oversight of foreign investment activities by Chinese companies, particularly those involving technology transfers, data sharing, and matters of national security importance.

The new framework, announced by the State Council, China’s primary governing body, becomes effective July 1. A key provision mandates that companies must obtain government approval before exporting any restricted Chinese goods, technologies, services, or associated data to foreign entities.

The regulations also prohibit indirect technology transfers accomplished through sending technical personnel across borders, as well as blocking transfers through training programs, advisory services, or similar arrangements.

The announcement comes one month after Chinese regulators forced the cancellation of Meta’s planned acquisition of artificial intelligence company Manus.

The Philippines and Vietnam have strengthened their diplomatic relationship to an enhanced strategic partnership, announced President Ferdinand Marcos during a state visit by Vietnam’s top leader To Lam to Manila on Monday.

According to Marcos, both nations share common goals in preserving peace, stability and a rules-based order throughout their region. He emphasized that this partnership has grown in significance as the area faces a changing and unpredictable global landscape.

The enhanced relationship will be “defined by wider pathways for cooperation, stronger political and defence cooperation, and closer linkages between the Filipino and Vietnamese people,” Marcos stated.

Within the ASEAN region, Vietnam stands as the Philippines’ only strategic partner, having upgraded their relationship a decade ago in a demonstration of solidarity against China.

To Lam described the Philippines as an “important regional partner of Vietnam,” pointing to shared vision and strategic interests, along with strong commitments for peace and stability. “We always want to bring the strategic partnership with the Philippines to a new high,” he said.

Earlier this year, the coast guards of both countries conducted their inaugural joint exercises, even though both nations have competing territorial claims to certain South China Sea areas.

Parliamentary and regional elections scheduled for Monday in Ethiopia are predicted to deliver an overwhelming victory for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s political party, according to analysts, even as large portions of the nation experience ongoing violence and instability.

Over 50 million Ethiopian citizens have registered to participate in the voting process, though ballots will not be cast in the northern Tigray region. Election officials have pointed to “unfavourable conditions” in that area following a civil conflict that lasted from 2020 to 2022 and persistent political upheaval.

The 49-year-old Abiy seeks to strengthen his control over the country’s political landscape. He assumed power in 2018 after widespread demonstrations against the EPRDF coalition that had governed for years, and his recently established Prosperity Party secured 410 of 484 parliamentary positions during 2021 voting.

Campaign efforts by Prosperity Party representatives have focused on the administration’s economic achievements, highlighting enhanced food security and economic expansion in this African nation with the continent’s second-largest population. Government officials forecast economic growth will exceed 10% by 2026, representing one of Africa’s most rapid growth rates.

The country’s 135 million residents include nearly half who are younger than 18 years old.

However, Abiy confronts armed rebellions in Ethiopia’s two largest regions, stemming from complaints by various ethnic communities about perceived discrimination within the nation’s federal structure.

In Oromiya, the region where Abiy was born in the southern part of the country, clashes between government troops and the separatist Oromo Liberation Army have resulted in hundreds of casualties over recent years.

In the adjacent Amhara region, a militia group called Fano has taken control of large rural areas since 2023. Consequently, voting will be suspended in no fewer than eight of Amhara’s 138 electoral districts.

While a 2022 peace agreement brought an end to the Tigray civil war, which studies indicate led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, recent actions by the region’s primary political organization to regain administrative control have prompted Ethiopian authorities and experts to caution about potential renewed violence.

Despite these challenges, the Prosperity Party is projected to overwhelmingly win against a divided opposition weakened by internal disputes. Election outcomes are anticipated by June 11.

Opposition groups claim the federal administration has undermined their efforts through leader arrests and legal barriers to their political operations, allegations the government rejects.

Reuters has been unable to conduct reporting from within Ethiopia since mid-February, when the Ethiopian Media Authority chose not to extend credentials for its three journalists based in Addis Ababa.

When Abiy took office in 2018, he initiated efforts to open up Ethiopia’s strictly regulated economy and released journalists, activists and other political detainees. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for resolving conflicts with neighboring Eritrea.

Critics and human rights advocates claim his administration has rolled back those improvements in recent years through journalist detentions, civil society organization shutdowns, and military operations characterized by human rights violations.

The government has rejected claims of systematic human rights abuses and stated its measures are required for national security protection.

The improved relationship with Eritrea has deteriorated into renewed tensions over recent years, partly due to Abiy’s repeated statements that landlocked Ethiopia deserves access to the sea.

Eritrea, which gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993, has interpreted these remarks as an implicit threat of military action. Abiy has stated that while sea access represents an “existential” issue for Ethiopia, he plans to pursue it through negotiations.

Citizens throughout Colombia participated in Sunday’s presidential election to choose who will replace President Gustavo Petro. Among those casting ballots were candidates Iván Cepeda, Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia, while security forces and law enforcement maintained vigilant oversight throughout the voting process.

The election drew voters from communities nationwide as the country selected its next leader under heightened security measures.

During Paraguay’s 215th Independence Day celebration at its Jerusalem embassy, Ambassador Alejandro Rubin Cymerman delivered a powerful message about his nation’s unwavering support for Israel. The diplomatic gathering featured Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Knesset members Boaz Toporovsky and Evgeny Sova, along with various diplomats and community leaders.

The ceremony included traditional diplomatic elements – flags, speeches, wine, and formal greetings. However, the most memorable moment came when Rubin explained Paraguay’s decision to locate its embassy in Jerusalem rather than following typical diplomatic protocol.

“Paraguay is in Jerusalem because it believes in Israel,” Rubin declared during his address. “Paraguay is in Jerusalem because it honors its word. Paraguay is in Jerusalem because it understands that true friendship is shown with actions.”

Rubin drew connections between the two nations’ independence stories. Paraguay gained independence on the evening of May 14, 1811, completing the process in the early morning hours of May 15. Similarly, Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, just before the British Mandate ended at midnight. The ambassador noted that this year’s celebration also aligned with Jerusalem Day.

“Some coincidences are not invented. They simply exist,” Rubin observed. “They wait to be seen with attention. And they invite us to think.” He characterized Jerusalem as representing memory, faith, history, identity, and future – not merely a capital city.

The ambassador emphasized that Paraguay’s Jerusalem presence wasn’t directed against any other nation, but rather supported what his government views as historical truth and genuine friendship. “Peace is not built by asking a people to hide its history, to hide its identity, or to put aside what is essential to its national soul,” he stated. “Peace is built when people truly recognize each other.”

In a later interview with The Media Line, Rubin explained that Paraguay’s Israel relationship extends beyond government policy into Paraguayan society itself. He mentioned that President Santiago Peña has shared how ordinary citizens urged him to support Israel during his campaign. According to Rubin, Paraguay’s foreign policy centers on three main pillars: the United States, Taiwan, and Israel.

The ambassador connected Paraguay’s support for Israel to his country’s historical trauma, particularly the devastating War of the Triple Alliance in the 19th century, which claimed a catastrophic portion of Paraguay’s male population. This experience, he suggested, created an emotional bond with Jewish history and Holocaust memory.

“It stayed in the genes of the Paraguayan,” Rubin said, explaining why Israel support resonates widely in Paraguay compared to other Latin American countries. He compared this stance to Paraguay’s continued Taiwan recognition despite potential economic advantages from China relations.

“Paraguay does not move by convenience,” Rubin emphasized. “Paraguay moves by values.” He noted that when he arrived in Israel in January 2024, many Israelis knew little about Paraguay or confused it with Uruguay. Now, he said, the response is markedly different: “Today I say Paraguay, and the Israeli tells me: Thank you.”

Sa’ar praised Paraguay as a “stable friend” of Israel during his remarks, distinguishing it from countries whose friendliness fluctuates with political changes. He highlighted how such stability benefits not only governments but also business investors considering long-term commitments.

“With Paraguay, Ambassador, it’s not only that you really enjoy political stability and economic stability,” Sa’ar noted. “It’s a stable friend of the State of Israel. Its friendship is stable.” He recalled his Paraguay visit approximately six months earlier and joked that the Jerusalem embassy location made his schedule easier by being close to his office. “That’s a hint for other embassies,” he added.

Sa’ar outlined Israel’s straightforward foreign policy approach: investing in friendships with supportive nations. “We want to be friendly with those who are friendly to us,” he said. “It is very simple.” He mentioned that Fiji had also opened a Jerusalem embassy, with Somaliland expected to follow suit.

The economic dimension of the relationship has shown dramatic growth. Rubin reported that Paraguay’s annual beef sales to Israel, previously around $110 million, nearly doubled last year and could exceed $300 million this year if current trends continue, following more than $80 million in first-quarter sales.

However, Rubin stressed that Paraguay seeks recognition beyond meat exports. He described his country as offering food, energy, water, agro-industry, applied technology, logistics, services, maquila, and investment opportunities. As a Mercosur member, Paraguay provides access to both its domestic market of approximately 7.5 million people and a regional market of hundreds of millions.

“Israeli businesspeople are starting to discover that big things can be done from Paraguay,” he said. He also expressed interest in attracting Israeli backpackers, describing Paraguay as beautiful, affordable, fun, and safe for Israeli visitors.

Toporovsky, who attended shortly after resigning from the Knesset, told The Media Line about his close friendship with Rubin and how Israeli officials value Paraguay’s clear support. He identified opportunities for expanded cooperation in business, economics, diplomacy, politics, education, and research.

Sova, deputy speaker of the Knesset from the Yisrael Beitenu party, described visiting Paraguay two years ago as a Knesset member and maintaining regular contact with Paraguayan lawmakers and parliament speaker Raúl Latorre. He called Paraguay’s leaders “true friends” and emphasized the importance of their Latin American support.

“It is important to preserve the relationship, and it is important to support our friends,” Sova stated. “Regardless of the identity of the government in Israel, our relations with Paraguay will only grow stronger.”

The cross-party attendance reinforced Paraguay’s positioning as a long-term partner rather than merely a supporter of the current Israeli administration. During a period when Israel’s international relations often focus on war, diplomatic pressure, and isolation, Paraguay’s Independence Day celebration presented a different narrative: a Latin American embassy in Jerusalem openly celebrating sovereignty while declaring itself among Israel’s most devoted allies.

Rubin concluded by connecting symbols with action, arguing that diplomacy should extend beyond ceremonies and documents to “help bring good closer” and organize realities. His comments underscored that Paraguay’s Jerusalem embassy represents more than symbolic gesture – it constitutes a public alignment statement with Israel and a deliberate effort to make that friendship visible.

Colombia’s presidential election is moving to a runoff after initial voting results showed no candidate achieved the necessary majority to win outright, according to data released Sunday by the nation’s electoral registry.

Conservative outsider Abelardo de la Espreilla and leftist senator Ivan Cepeda are set to face each other in the second round, with vote tallies showing a tight race between the two candidates.

The right wing lawyer secured 44.2% of voter support, while the veteran senator and activist garnered 41% of the vote. Since neither candidate crossed the 50% threshold required to avoid a runoff, Colombian voters will return to the polls for a decisive second round.

The results were announced with the majority of ballots counted across the South American nation.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has allegedly delivered a resignation letter to the Office of the Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, complaining that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has seized control of government operations while pushing him out of important decision-making, Iran International reports.

According to the outlet, Pezeshkian asked to leave office right away, claiming he can no longer properly run the government or meet his constitutional duties since crucial decisions are happening without his input.

Iranian officials and major global news agencies have not verified these allegations, and there’s no clear sign the resignation has been approved.

Iran International stated that Pezeshkian indicated the IRGC had taken charge of essential government functions while pushing aside civilian leadership. The news source said this power shift has prevented the president’s team from pursuing diplomatic talks or making planned cabinet adjustments.

The same outlet had earlier documented how the IRGC has slowly reduced presidential authority and seized oversight of important government sectors. Sources familiar with the situation described a governmental standstill that has hampered the administration’s ability to execute policy goals.

The reporting also indicated that control over major decisions has moved from civilian officials to top IRGC commanders and the Supreme Leader, creating obstacles for executive actions and sidelining diplomatic initiatives.

The Jerusalem Post states that the IRGC manages between 20% and 40% of Iran’s economic activity. The publication noted that the group evades international penalties using concealed oil tanker operations and illegal trade routes while overseeing most of the nation’s petroleum sales, funneling profits into its defense manufacturing operations.

The Council on Foreign Relations has documented that the IRGC runs a domestic surveillance and intelligence system that incorporates the Basij militia. The organization reports that this force tracks opposition activities and helps guarantee that only IRGC-friendly candidates can obtain major political positions.

Whether Mojtaba Khamenei will approve Pezeshkian’s alleged resignation request remains unknown.

Israeli officials report that a Palestinian assailant drove his vehicle into two teenage girls at the Gush Etzion Junction Sunday evening, sparking a widespread security response throughout the region.

The incident took place in the southern section of the Gush Etzion Junction. Medical personnel treated a 17-year-old who received severe limb injuries and a 15-year-old who sustained facial trauma and was reported in stable condition. A 25-year-old received treatment for anxiety symptoms. Medical teams transported all three individuals to Shaare Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem.

Military personnel from the 90th Battalion of the Kfir Brigade fatally shot the assailant, a 30-year-old man from Hebron.

Law enforcement officials stated that officers from nearby stations responded to the location, securing the perimeter and conducting searches to verify no additional suspects were present. Extensive military and police units initiated area-wide searches, while operations took place in Hebron, the attacker’s home city.

Initial investigations revealed the assailant executed a U-turn at the junction prior to launching the assault. Security personnel maintained their presence in the vicinity after the incident occurred.

Speaking from the location, Gush Etzion Regional Council head Yaron Rosenthal stated, “This was a severe attack at the Gush Etzion Junction. A terrorist attempted to run over a group of boys and girls, and we have several injured victims. The terrorist was eliminated very quickly by army forces.”

The assault resulted in two teenagers requiring hospitalization and prompted a comprehensive security operation by Israeli forces throughout the Gush Etzion region. Officials maintained search and investigation efforts following the attacker’s death.

A tragic vehicle accident in Afghanistan has claimed the lives of 22 people and left 36 others wounded after a truck transporting Afghan refugees crashed into a ravine on Saturday in the eastern Laghman province.

Abdul Malik Niazi, a Taliban official, spoke with The Media Line about the incident, explaining that “the accident occurred on the main highway linking Kabul with Nangarhar province.”

Officials confirmed that among those who died were 10 children and five women. The 36 people who sustained injuries have been taken to multiple medical facilities for care.

According to the Taliban official, all those involved in the crash were Afghan migrants who had recently come back from Pakistan. The group had been staying temporarily in Kunar province and were traveling to Kabul when their vehicle crashed.

Amanullah Sharif, who leads the provincial health department, verified the casualty numbers and reported that early investigations suggest the crash happened because the driver had fallen asleep.

The victims were part of a larger group of thousands of Afghan refugees who have made their way back to Afghanistan from Pakistan over recent months.

In 2023, Pakistan began a major enforcement operation targeting undocumented migrants, resulting in many Afghan nationals being compelled to leave or facing deportation.

During this same timeframe, Iran also increased its efforts to remove Afghan refugees from its territory.

This tragedy occurs as Afghanistan continues to handle significant numbers of people returning from surrounding nations, especially Pakistan, which has ramped up its deportation activities for undocumented Afghan migrants.

Data from the Taliban commission for refugees shows that during the past week, approximately 4,000 migrants have been sent back from Pakistan each day.

International humanitarian organizations have consistently cautioned that the massive influx of returning migrants is creating additional pressure on transportation systems and government services, particularly in eastern provinces that function as major border crossing areas.

With thousands of returnees entering Afghanistan daily under challenging circumstances and disorganized schedules, local infrastructure and services in already vulnerable areas are facing increasing stress. Transportation pathways are becoming more dangerous, and communities are having difficulty managing the sudden arrival of large numbers of people.

Without improved regional cooperation and better support systems for those returning, the situation threatens to develop into a broader humanitarian crisis characterized by avoidable fatalities, recurring accidents, and serious humanitarian dangers throughout the affected provinces.

The Israel Defense Forces has taken control of Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, hoisting Israeli and Golani Brigade flags over the historic fortress following military operations designed to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the region, military officials announced.

The mission brought Israeli soldiers to one of southern Lebanon’s most strategically important locations. Military officials reported that forces moved past the Litani River near Metula to reach the castle, which offers commanding views of northern Israel and the Nabatieh region.

The Israel Defense Forces stated that the territory around Beaufort and Wadi Saluki had functioned as a key Hezbollah command center. Military officials reported that the militant organization had built extensive infrastructure in the location with Iranian support and utilized the site to plan attacks and fire hundreds of rockets toward Israel and Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon.

Military officials indicated that forces continue operations near Nabatieh and stand ready to expand their mission.

“The IDF is operating near Nabatieh, a significant Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon, and is prepared to expand the offensive as required,” the military said, “to destroy [Hezbollah] infrastructure and eliminate terrorists, as part of strengthening operational control in southern Lebanon and removing the direct threat to the Galilee Panhandle and Metula,” as well as to “expand the forward defense line.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that regaining control of Beaufort held special meaning due to the location’s role in Israel’s previous military operations in Lebanon.

“Forty-four years after the heroic Battle of the Beaufort, and on the memorial day for the Peace for the Galilee War, including the Golani soldiers who fell in the Battle of the Beaufort, IDF soldiers, led by the Golani Brigade, returned to the summit of Beaufort and once again raised the Israeli flag and the Golani flag there,” Katz said.

The medieval fortress, originally constructed during the Crusades, was initially taken by Israeli forces during the early phases of the First Lebanon War in 1982. In that conflict, Golani Brigade troops battled Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) forces at the location. Dozens of PLO fighters were killed, while six Israeli soldiers lost their lives. Israeli forces maintained control of the position until withdrawing from Lebanon in 2000.

May 31 – An official appointed by Russia reported that a Ukrainian drone attack targeted a residential building in territory controlled by Russian forces in the southern Kherson region, resulting in the death of one child and wounding eleven others.

Vladimir Saldo, the Russia-appointed governor overseeing Russian-controlled areas of the Kherson region, posted on Telegram that the attack took place in Henichesk, a city located along the Sea of Azov coastline.

PRAGUE, May 31 – Beijing has sharply denounced a visit to Taiwan by Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil this week, declaring on Sunday that the journey ignored his country’s official government stance and meddled in China’s domestic matters.

Vystrcil, who represents the opposition centre-right ODS party, is heading a business delegation during the Taiwan visit. His itinerary includes meetings with President Lai Ching-te and other government officials and business leaders – a move that has angered China.

“The Chinese side urges the Czech side to strictly abide by the one-China principle, immediately take effective measures to eliminate the adverse consequences of this wrongdoing, and safeguard the overall framework for the development of China-Czech relations through its concrete actions,” the Chinese embassy in Prague said on its website.

Beijing has consistently opposed connections between Prague and Taipei. China maintains that the island lacks authority for diplomatic relationships between nations, a position that Taiwan’s government firmly disputes.

While the Czech Republic officially recognizes Beijing rather than Taipei like most nations worldwide, Prague has strengthened ties with Taiwan in recent years. The island nation serves as a major player in semiconductor manufacturing and has increased its investments in the Czech Republic. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung traveled to Prague in early May and participated in a city forum.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, whose ANO party heads a coalition with right-wing and far-right parties, has opposed the trip and declined to provide Vystrcil with government aircraft for the journey.

A prominent Indigenous rights advocate from Nicaragua has died while in government custody, sparking international condemnation from human rights organizations.

Brooklyn Rivera, who had been detained by Nicaraguan authorities since September 2023, passed away under circumstances that have drawn sharp criticism from activists worldwide. Government officials released a statement on Sunday claiming Rivera’s death resulted from bacterial complications connected to COVID-19 that caused both physical and neurological decline.

International human rights advocates have strongly criticized both Rivera’s death and a government statement issued Saturday that referred to the detained leader as “Brother” while claiming officials were offering prayers for him.

“They took him alive, and after refusing to tell his family, his lawyer, the world anything about his fate, then they call him brother,” said Reed Brody, an American human rights lawyer and member of a group of U.N. experts on Nicaragua. “Unconscionable cynicism on the part of the government to make it seem like they were trying to help him.”

Rivera served as a leader for the Miskito people, an Indigenous community residing along Nicaragua’s northeastern coastline that has maintained a long struggle to preserve their ancestral territories.

Throughout his decades of activism, Rivera opposed the ruling Sandinista government while working to secure autonomous status for the northeastern coastal region. This territory contains valuable deposits of gold, silver and other natural resources, making it a priority area for the administration of co-Presidents Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo as they seek to draw foreign investment.

Emergency responders report that a devastating explosion at a Myanmar facility housing mining explosives has resulted in the deaths of more than 45 individuals, with dozens more suffering injuries.

The deadly blast occurred around midday Sunday in Kaungtup village, located in Namhkam township, leaving approximately 70 people wounded.

The village sits roughly 3 kilometers (2 miles) from Myanmar’s border with China, in territory controlled by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, an ethnic military organization that has periodically clashed with Myanmar’s national government.

An emergency responder who arrived at the explosion site informed The Associated Press that 46 fatalities, including six children, had been retrieved by Sunday night and prepared for cremation.

Speaking anonymously due to safety concerns, the responder reported that 74 wounded individuals had been transported to the township medical facility, with rescue efforts still ongoing.

A second rescue worker in Namhkam, also requesting anonymity, confirmed approximately 40 deaths and reported that more than 100 residences surrounding the blast location sustained damage.

News organizations in Myanmar, including Shan State’s online Shwe Phee Myay news agency, documented fatality counts between 50 and 55. They released photographs and video footage displaying smoke from the blast and the resulting structural damage and wreckage.

China’s state-run CCTV network confirmed the explosion resulted in multiple casualties and injuries, with numerous homes suffering significant damage, though specific numbers were not provided.

According to initial findings reported by the broadcaster, the explosion happened at a location where substantial amounts of mining explosives were kept in storage.

The report stated that local officials are currently delivering emergency aid, medical treatment, and relocation support to impacted community members.

In a statement posted to its Telegram channel, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, confirmed that gelignite had been kept by the organization’s economic division for mining and quarrying operations, adding that they are investigating what caused the explosion.

While gelignite serves common purposes in mining and rock demolition, it can develop dangerous instability as it ages or when stored improperly.

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, belongs to the insurgent Three Brotherhood Alliance and has maintained control over the Namhkam region since the alliance and its partners initiated a significant military campaign against Myanmar’s armed forces in northeastern areas during late 2023. Alliance participants and other ethnic military organizations have historically fought for greater self-governance.

Following China-facilitated negotiations in October of last year, the TNLA agreed to a ceasefire with Myanmar’s military, though tensions continue.

Myanmar has experienced chaos since military forces overthrew the democratically elected administration of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, sparking extensive public resistance. When peaceful protests were violently suppressed, many military opponents armed themselves, and substantial portions of the nation are now experiencing armed conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced during a television interview aired Sunday that he aims to advance peace negotiations with Russia before winter arrives, capitalizing on what he describes as Ukraine’s enhanced strategic standing.

Peace discussions facilitated by the United States have reached an impasse as Washington has shifted attention to the conflict in Iran.

According to Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian leadership, Russian military advancement has decelerated while Ukraine has escalated medium and long-range attacks within Russian territory, primarily focusing on Russia’s petroleum sector.

“It began in December 2025, Russia began to lose the initiative on the battlefield,” Zelenskiy stated during his appearance on CBS Television’s ‘Face the Nation’.

“So now we have this period of time before the winter… before the winter we need to find a way, diplomatic way, to sit and to speak,” Zelenskiy explained, noting that success depends on mounting pressure against Russian President Vladimir Putin, “the pressure in his society, and I think that is increasing, the pressure by sanctions — not to lift them, to put more.”

The Ukrainian leader mentioned potential negotiations facilitated by European nations or direct discussions with Russia, while reiterating his demand for stricter sanctions against Russia.

A high-ranking Ukrainian military official informed Reuters during an interview the previous week that Ukraine possesses a six-month opportunity to capture battlefield momentum and improve its position for future peace negotiations.

Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, leading Ukraine’s Third Army Corps, expressed his assessment that Russia’s military forces are depleted and unable to achieve significant advances.

During his CBS interview, Zelenskiy also emphasized Ukraine’s need for American assistance with air defense missiles while European anti-missile defense systems remain unavailable.

“Until the moment we will produce our European anti-ballistic system, until this moment, we need support from the United States,” he stated.

Ukraine anticipates securing an agreement with the United States regarding collaborative drone technology, with Kyiv offering knowledge gained from five years of intercepting Russian drones and missiles.

“We have already drone deals with some Middle East countries and we have already drone deals with some European countries,” he said. “Now we’re preparing the big drone deal with the European Union and I hope that we will have such decisions with American partners. I count on it.”

Health officials report that two Palestinians were killed and 12 others injured Sunday when an Israeli airstrike hit a Gaza cafe filled with people celebrating public holidays.

Israeli officials have not yet responded to requests for comment about the incident.

A ceasefire agreement negotiated by U.S. President Donald Trump in October has not stopped Israeli military operations in Gaza.

Israel and Hamas remain at an impasse in indirect negotiations regarding the implementation of the second phase of the agreement, which would involve the group’s disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Under the current ceasefire terms, Israel maintains control over more than half of Gaza’s territory, while Hamas governs a narrow strip along the coast. Sunday’s targeted cafe was located at Gaza’s emergency seaport, which consists of a temporary floating dock positioned offshore.

Gaza health officials report that approximately 900 Palestinians have died in Israeli military operations since the truce took effect, though these figures do not separate military combatants from civilians.

During this same timeframe, the country’s military reports that four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants.

A devastating blast in Myanmar has claimed the lives of at least 55 individuals and left dozens injured in a rural village, according to a BBC report released Sunday.

The deadly incident took place in Kaung Tat village, situated in Namkham Township within Shan State, where the explosion resulted in the deaths of 25 women and 30 men.

Reuters has not been able to independently confirm the details of this report at this time.

Israeli forces fatally shot a Palestinian worker at a checkpoint barrier near Jerusalem on Sunday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Officials identified the victim as 26-year-old Imad Haroun Ishtayeh, a resident of Salim town located east of Nablus. The ministry reported that Israeli forces wounded him with gunfire to his thigh in al-Ram town, and medical personnel later declared him dead at the Palestinian Medical Complex in Ramallah.

Video footage shared on social media depicted people carrying his body and descending a ladder positioned against the wire-topped checkpoint while vehicles passed nearby and horns sounded.

Israeli police have not yet provided a statement regarding the fatal shooting.

Ishtayeh was reportedly trying to cross illegally from the West Bank into Israel. Multiple individuals have been shot while attempting to breach the checkpoint, including a 44-year-old father who died in a similar incident earlier this month.

Growing numbers of Palestinians from the West Bank have attempted unauthorized entry into Israel for employment opportunities in recent years. While tens of thousands of Palestinians previously held valid Israeli work permits, access became severely limited following the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the Gaza conflict.

Following that date, joblessness in the West Bank has climbed dramatically during an economic downturn. Approximately 50 workers have died from Israeli gunfire, with more than 38,000 detained although many were subsequently freed, the Palestinian official WAFA news agency reported Sunday, referencing data from the General Federation of Palestinian Trade Unions.

PARIS – Street violence following Paris Saint-Germain’s back-to-back Champions League championship has left more than 200 people wounded and resulted in one fatality, French interior ministry officials reported Sunday, sparking renewed discussion about France’s ongoing struggles with public disorder.

PSG secured their second straight European football title Saturday after defeating Arsenal in a tense penalty shootout held in Budapest. While fans gathered at the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower Sunday afternoon to celebrate the team’s victory parade, the festivities were marred by significant overnight violence similar to last year’s incidents.

The overnight disturbances resulted in injuries to 57 law enforcement officers throughout Paris, with authorities detaining more than 400 individuals, including some arrests made outside the capital city, officials confirmed.

Rioters caused extensive damage to Paris storefronts and set fire to vehicles and bicycle rental stations, according to police reports.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez reported that vandalism also occurred in smaller cities including Orleans.

While law enforcement wasn’t the primary target in most locations, one central Paris police facility experienced brief confrontations Saturday evening, Paris police stated.

A young man lost his life in a motorcycle crash during the chaos, the Paris public prosecutor’s office confirmed.

Nunez, who previously served as Paris police chief, coordinated a massive security deployment involving more than 20,000 officers. He stated that authorities handled the violence systematically, saying: “The situation was, overall, under control.”

Far-right National Rally politicians, currently polling ahead of next year’s presidential race, used the incident to push for stricter law enforcement measures.

“Only in France does a victory of a football club trigger riots,” stated Marine Le Pen, the movement’s leader.

However, other political figures pointed to underlying social tensions as the root cause of recurring violence and disorder, arguing that the worst troublemakers don’t represent genuine football supporters.

“France is living under strain. Society is becoming increasingly brutal. We are a pressure cooker ready to explode anytime,” commented Raphael Glucksmann, who is considering a centre-left presidential campaign.

Similar chaotic celebrations after PSG’s inaugural Champions League victory last year resulted in two fatalities.

Israeli military forces have captured a strategically important fortress in southern Lebanon, advancing deeper into the country than they have in more than 25 years, even as diplomatic efforts continue to broker peace between the neighboring nations.

The Israeli army took control of Beaufort castle on Sunday, a historic stronghold positioned more than 700 meters above sea level that provides sweeping views of both Lebanon and northern Israel. The fortress has served military purposes for nearly 1,000 years.

Israeli officials state they are conducting operations against Hezbollah, the Iranian-supported militant organization that maintains significant political influence in southern Lebanon and has fired thousands of rockets and drones at Israeli forces and communities in northern Israel.

Israeli authorities have urged Lebanese residents throughout the southern region to leave their homes or face potential danger from military operations. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam criticized Israel on Saturday, claiming the nation is “implementing a policy of total destruction of cities and towns.”

More than 3,300 individuals, including numerous children, have lost their lives in Lebanon since hostilities resumed on March 2, just two days following the start of the Iran conflict. Approximately 1 million people have been forced from their homes. Israeli casualties include at least 25 soldiers and one defense contractor killed in Lebanon or northern Israel, plus two civilians in northern Israel.

The captured fortress, alternatively known as Al-Shaqif, originated as a Crusader stronghold during the 12th century. Throughout history, it has been occupied by Saladin’s forces, Mamluks, Ottomans, French mandate authorities, the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and Israeli forces until 2000, when it underwent partial restoration and welcomed tourists.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu observed on Sunday that Beaufort represents “a symbol of a heroic battle for our fighters, but was also a symbol of deep division between us.”

The military’s return to the site creates a sense of repetition, according to Orna Mizrahi, who previously served as deputy director in the government’s National Security Council. “There’s a feeling of, ‘For what?’” she stated.

Mizrahi, currently a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, explained that “Beaufort” evokes both triumph for the Israeli forces who captured it in 1982 and the costly efforts to defend it before its transfer in 2000.

She anticipates Israel will ultimately surrender control of the fortress, despite Defense Minister Israel Katz’s pledge to incorporate it into Israel’s permanent security zone in southern Lebanon.

Maintaining a military presence there will not resolve the Hezbollah situation, Mizrahi noted: “Yes, we are damaging them in the operations, but in parallel we need to pursue a political and diplomatic solution.”

Israel has consistently viewed Hezbollah as a security threat. The Shiite Muslim armed organization formed in 1982 following an Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has attacked northern Israeli communities and entered the Gaza conflict in 2023 to support Palestinians.

Israeli operations significantly weakened Hezbollah during months of warfare. Combat ceased with a U.S.-mediated ceasefire in late 2024 following indirect negotiations, and Israeli troops pulled back except from five strategic elevated positions near the border.

Lebanon’s new administration assumed power promising to disarm organizations like Hezbollah, but the militants refused. Israel subsequently alleged that Hezbollah was rearming and rebuilding its capabilities.

Hezbollah resumed attacks on Israel on March 2, leading Israel to launch an invasion of southern Lebanon. Recently, Israel has reported efforts to prevent Hezbollah from harming its personnel and civilians using an advanced fiber-optic drone technology that has seen extensive use in the Ukraine conflict.

A U.S.-mediated ceasefire took effect in mid-April. However, unlike the agreement in the Iran conflict, this truce has failed to maintain stability.

Hundreds of thousands of residents have evacuated southern Lebanon as Israeli forces conducted aerial bombardments and ground troops advanced into the territory. Many displaced people have sought refuge in Beirut, the capital, where hundreds have died, including during an intensive bombardment lasting several minutes in April.

Israeli forces currently occupy substantial portions of southern Lebanon and have destroyed residential buildings and historical landmarks. Lebanon’s prime minister, Salam, stated Saturday that Israel is attempting to “uproot Lebanon’s memory and erase the people’s history.”

Groundbreaking discussions between high-ranking Israeli and Lebanese officials commenced in April in Washington, representing the first such meetings in over three decades between the nations that lack formal diplomatic ties.

The first direct military discussions in decades took place on Friday.

Outstanding matters include Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, positioning of Lebanese forces in the region, and Hezbollah’s disarmament, which the group has rejected while Israeli forces remain in the country.

Negotiations will resume this week. Hezbollah is not participating and has declared it will not recognize any outcomes. The organization favors discussions that utilize Iran’s influence and considers the Lebanese government ineffective, a view echoed by some others in the country.

Lebanese citizens remain divided regarding the talks, which sparked protests when announced. Many Lebanese express anger toward Hezbollah for the devastation it has brought to their country, while also maintaining suspicion of Israel.

Lebanon’s prime minister described the direct negotiations on Saturday as “currently the least costly option,” emphasizing they do not constitute surrender and acknowledging no guarantee of success.

An indigenous rights advocate from Nicaragua has passed away after spending three years behind bars, according to reports from a Central American news organization.

Brooklyn Rivera, who served as a leader for indigenous communities, died while in custody, as reported by 100% Noticias, a media outlet that covers developments in Nicaragua.

Rivera had been imprisoned for three years prior to his death. The circumstances surrounding both his incarceration and passing were reported from Buenos Aires on May 31.

Taiwan’s presidential office issued strong criticism of China on Sunday following reports that a New York Times journalist was forced out of the country after her publication interviewed Taiwan’s leader.

Beijing considers the democratically-run island nation to be part of its territory and labels President Lai Ching-te a “separatist.” Lai disputes Beijing’s claims of control and maintains that only Taiwan’s citizens should determine the island’s destiny.

The newspaper reported Friday that journalist Vivian Wang was forced to leave China in February.

According to the publication, Chinese authorities explained the action as retaliation for the newspaper’s December video interview with Lai during its DealBook summit, though Wang was not involved in that interview.

Presidential office spokesperson Karen Kuo stated that conducting interviews and sharing the administration’s positions globally is routine for Lai.

“China’s use of groundless pretexts and crude methods to threaten the media and interfere with press freedom not only fails to improve its international image, but also highlights that today’s China is indeed a source of instability,” she said in a statement.

Both China’s foreign ministry and the U.S. State Department did not immediately provide responses when contacted for comment.

Wang had been stationed in China, where her reporting covered topics such as censorship and Beijing’s handling of COVID. She also did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

Kuo declared that Taiwan “will not be silenced by oppression” and will continue sharing its positions with the global community in a “steady and responsible manner”.

Taiwan has accused China of escalating what the island calls “transnational repression,” including imposing penalties on Taiwanese officials and legislators despite Chinese law having no authority over the island.

International correspondents in China typically receive only one-year visas that require annual renewal and can be canceled without notice.

China forced out more than a dozen international journalists working for U.S. news organizations in 2020, during a period of retaliatory measures between the two nations. Washington also reduced the number of journalists allowed to work in the United States for four major Chinese state-controlled media companies.

Scotland’s former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon firmly denied any responsibility Sunday for her estranged husband’s theft of political party funds, stating she would not offer apologies for his criminal actions.

During a BBC interview, Sturgeon expressed feeling betrayed by Peter Murrell’s conduct after he admitted guilt last week to embezzling more than 400,000 pounds ($540,000) from Scottish National Party coffers while serving as the organization’s chief executive. The stolen money reportedly supported an extravagant lifestyle. Sturgeon maintained she had no awareness of his illegal activities.

“I am not responsible for the crimes that my former husband committed,” she told the BBC. “I’m not going to apologize for somebody else’s crimes.”

The former leader’s remarks addressed mounting skepticism regarding her earlier claims of ignorance about Murrell’s criminal behavior. This situation has amplified worries about political accountability across the United Kingdom following multiple scandals that have damaged public confidence in governmental institutions.

Critics have questioned the decision to keep Murrell in his executive role after Sturgeon assumed party leadership in 2014. She admitted this choice was an error.

“Of course, with hindsight, I wish that I could go back and take a different decision,” she said.

Murrell’s guilty plea concluded a five-year law enforcement investigation into the SNP, the party that has controlled Scotland’s semiautonomous government for nearly twenty years while advocating for independence from the United Kingdom.

Internal party chaos erupted in 2023 amid growing questions about financial management and declining membership rolls.

Sturgeon headed the Scottish government for nearly ten years before suddenly stepping down as first minister in February 2023. Her explanation at the time puzzled political observers when she stated she knew in her “head and in my heart” that departure was appropriate.

The next month, Murrell resigned from his two-decade tenure as SNP chief executive, accepting responsibility for providing false information to media outlets about membership losses. Police took him into custody at the couple’s Glasgow residence in April.

Authorities arrested Sturgeon in June 2023 but later cleared her of wrongdoing.

Five workers died and one was injured when a mine shaft collapsed during unauthorized mining activities in China’s Yunnan province early Sunday morning, according to state media reports.

The deadly incident took place at approximately 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning in Huize County, as reported by state news agency Xinhua, which cited local government officials. The type of mineral being extracted at the site was not disclosed in the report.

Emergency responders pulled six individuals from the collapsed site and transported them to a medical facility, but only one person survived the incident, Xinhua stated. The surviving worker remains in stable condition at the hospital.

Local officials have initiated an investigation to determine what caused the collapse. This latest tragedy follows the devastating May 22 gas explosion at a coal mining facility in northern Shanxi province that resulted in 82 fatalities, left two people unaccounted for, and injured 128 workers.

Government officials have promised a comprehensive investigation into the Shanxi incident after initial findings revealed unauthorized tunnel construction, absent tracking equipment, and fraudulent entrance barriers at the mining location.

War crimes investigators working to document alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine are struggling to continue their work after losing millions in American funding, hampering efforts to seek justice for victims of the conflict.

Roksolana Makar, who investigates war crimes for a Ukrainian nonprofit, recently traveled dangerous roads under threat of drone strikes to interview a 55-year-old woman named Alla in the town of Izium. The woman described being held for 10 days at a battery plant during the 2022 Russian occupation, where she said soldiers beat her, used electrical shocks, suffocated her with a gas mask and sexually assaulted her.

“I asked them to kill me because I couldn’t take it anymore,” Alla told Makar, requesting to be identified only by her first name.

Makar’s organization, Truth Hounds, is among dozens that have lost American financial support after the current administration cut tens of millions of dollars in overseas development aid to advance an “America first” agenda. Ukraine received the largest share of these cuts, according to government officials.

“There’s less hope” for accountability, Makar said following her interview with Alla in January.

The cuts represent a significant shift from America’s historical role in supporting international justice efforts dating back to the Nuremberg trials. Reuters could not independently verify Alla’s account, and Russian officials have repeatedly denied war crime allegations, calling them Western propaganda.

Ukrainian prosecutors have opened more than 230,000 war crimes cases since Russia’s 2022 invasion, including allegations of targeting civilians, abducting children, torture and sexual violence.

Beth Van Schaack, who served as ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice under the previous administration, warned the funding reductions “could lead to a lot of victims being denied justice.”

The State Department said America is shifting financial responsibility to Europe and other “willing partners” while still providing substantial assistance to Ukraine, including programs for “war crimes, justice and accountability for atrocities.”

Reuters interviewed more than 40 people involved in the American-supported network investigating Ukraine war crimes. Nearly all reported their efforts have been curtailed due to funding cuts.

Truth Hounds was forced to lay off staff, suspend an evidence archiving project and postpone international law training for judges and prosecutors. Dozens of foreign experts who helped collect and analyze battlefield evidence can no longer travel to Ukraine after reduced State Department support, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Plans to rebuild a war-damaged courthouse were halted after the administration dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development and terminated a $62-million program to strengthen Ukraine’s justice system.

Even at peak funding levels under the previous administration, Ukrainian prosecutors were overwhelmed by the caseload. They had secured 252 war crimes convictions as of April 1, while identifying 1,175 suspects and indicting 842.

High-ranking suspects could face trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which has sought the arrest of President Vladimir Putin. Cases are also being pursued in American and European courts.

Reuters tracked more than $283 million in American funding earmarked for Ukraine war crimes initiatives since 2022. The news organization found that programs accounting for at least 40% of this spending were terminated or allowed to expire.

A senior Ukrainian source said the cuts affect approximately half the country’s American-funded projects promoting war crimes accountability and rule of law.

The administration has launched one new program, announcing up to $25 million in March to support the return of missing Ukrainian children, a cause championed by first lady Melania Trump. Recipients have not yet been announced.

This new grant followed cuts to other programs serving the same purpose, including a Yale University initiative that has tracked thousands of missing Ukrainian children to sites in Russia and Russian-occupied territory.

The Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab will exhaust its funding in August after the State Department withheld about $8 million, executive director Nathaniel Raymond told Reuters.

Truth Hounds has been tracking war crimes suspects since 2014, when Russian forces seized Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. The organization has documented approximately 17,000 war crimes allegations across Ukraine, according to co-executive director Dmytro Koval.

“Some important lines of inquiry will not be opened at all,” Koval said after losing American funding that covered one-third of the organization’s budget since 2023.

The cuts reflect a broader American withdrawal from human rights work. The current administration closed a State Department office that had coordinated global responses to mass atrocities since 1997, disbanded a Justice Department team helping Ukraine prosecute war crimes, and withdrew from a multinational group building cases against Russian leaders.

The administration also imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court officials over attempts to investigate alleged crimes by Israeli leaders in Gaza and American soldiers in Afghanistan.

Other major donors, including the European Union and Britain, say they remain committed to delivering justice for Ukraine. But the lost American aid won’t be easily replaced, said Wayne Jordash, deputy lead of an Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group established by the U.S., EU and Britain to support Ukraine’s prosecutor’s office.

The State Department stopped funding two out of three core organizations in the initiative last year, including Jordash’s international law foundation, Global Rights Compliance, according to a recent department audit.

For Yuliia Usenko, Ukraine’s lead prosecutor for crimes against children, Yale’s digital investigations have been “invaluable.” Most alleged crime scenes are in Russian-occupied territory or Russia, where Ukrainian investigators cannot access.

Yale researchers use satellite imagery, Russian social media posts and other open sources to track children taken to more than 200 sites they say are part of a vast Russian reeducation and militarization network. Some were later placed in Russian foster care or adopted.

“We want to show Russia’s true intent is not just to seize a piece of Ukraine’s territory, but much more: to destroy our nation and assimilate it into Russian society,” Usenko said.

Ukrainian authorities accuse Russia of more than 20,500 child deportations or forced transfers and say just over 2,000 children have been returned. Yale researchers estimate 35,000 may have been taken.

Russia denies abducting Ukrainian children, saying it evacuated them from conflict zones for their safety. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters that in June 2025, Kyiv provided Moscow with a list of 339 children it said ended up in Russia.

Aid groups like the Emile Foundation use Yale’s findings to help reunite children with their families. “Without it, we are talking about many years of setbacks,” said Mariam Lambert, co-founder of the Netherlands-based foundation.

Hanna Zamyshliaieva last saw her son, Anton Volkovych, on January 14, 2022, when she visited him at a boarding school for children with special needs in Oleshky. The 19-year-old required constant care due to a neurological disorder.

When Russian forces occupied the town in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region that February, Zamyshliaieva kept in touch with the school by phone. But over the following months, students and some staff were transferred to locations deeper inside Russian-occupied territory, where she could not reach them.

Of the 87 pupils at Oleshky before the occupation, 13 have returned, Lambert said. Her foundation received a tip about Volkovych’s whereabouts in March, but there has been no confirmation from Russia.

“I just want to hold him,” Zamyshliaieva said, grappling with uncertainty over whether her son has survived without the intensive care he received at school.

Tetiana Popovych spent years searching for her son, Vladyslav, who was 29 when he disappeared during Russia’s occupation of Bucha, near Kyiv, early in the war. She retraced his steps with help from neighbors and returning prisoners of war.

Witnesses told her they saw Vladyslav hiding in her walnut orchard during an artillery barrage, and that someone bandaged his gunshot wounds before Russian forces captured and beat them. A released prisoner told her they shared a detention cell in the Russian town of Vyazma, where she believes he remains.

“For me it is important that everyone is punished, that everyone is found, no matter how many years have passed,” Popovych said. “I will fight for this until the end.”

Israeli military forces have seized control of a historic mountaintop fortress in southern Lebanon, representing their most significant penetration into the nation in more than 26 years, according to military officials who announced the development Sunday.

The takeover of Beaufort castle, located close to Nabatiyeh city, followed several days of aerial bombardments and fierce combat in surrounding communities where Israeli forces engaged Hezbollah fighters across the challenging terrain.

This fortress seizure represents a significant milestone in the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict, which started March 2 when Hezbollah launched rockets toward northern Israel just two days following U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran, Hezbollah’s primary supporter.

Since then, Israel has initiated ground operations, taking control of numerous Lebanese communities and settlements near the border. Hezbollah has responded by firing thousands of rockets and unmanned aircraft at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

The Israeli advance occurred even with a temporary ceasefire established since April 17 and just before upcoming direct negotiations scheduled for June 2 and 3 at the State Department between Lebanon and Israel.

Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson, shared an image on X displaying Israeli soldiers walking near the fortress, while Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on X that forces had planted an Israeli flag above the castle. Israeli forces previously took the castle in 1982 and maintained control until their Lebanon withdrawal in 2000.

The Beaufort stronghold, positioned high above Lebanon’s verdant hills and commanding views of the Litani River, has served as a crucial military position for numerous forces across nearly 1,000 years.

Constructed as a Crusader fortress around the 12th century atop earlier defensive structures, it has housed the Crusaders, Saladin’s Jerusalem army, Mamlukes, Ottomans, the French mandate, the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Israeli military until 2000, when it underwent partial restoration and welcomed tourists. The Crusaders called it Beaufort, meaning “beautiful fortress” in Old French.

The 1982 seizure of the castle from the Palestine Liberation Organization represented a significant triumph for the Israeli military under Defense Minister Ariel Sharon’s leadership, who subsequently became the nation’s prime minister. During that period, the Israeli army advanced northward and took control of Beirut.

Throughout the earlier Israel-Hezbollah conflict in 2024, UNESCO provided enhanced protection to 34 cultural locations in Lebanon, including Beaufort Castle, to protect it from harm.

The fortress sits several kilometers north of the Israel border and provides commanding views of extensive areas of southern Lebanon and northern Israel. In Arabic, it’s known as Al-Shaqif castle, derived from an ancient Syriac term describing the imposing rocky terrain.

Israeli military officials stated they began an operation several days earlier in the Beaufort Ridge and Suluki valley areas to the south, aiming to eliminate Hezbollah infrastructure and remove immediate threats to Israeli citizens.

The military announcement indicated forces are prepared “to expand the operation if needed.”

Beaufort holds symbolic significance throughout the region, particularly in Israel, where it became one of the most recognized locations under Israeli control during the 18-year occupation. A prominent Israeli war film titled “Beaufort” examines moral dilemmas and the pointlessness of conflict during the final period before military withdrawal.

Recently, Israel has broadened its Lebanese operations, deploying forces beyond the Litani River, which previously functioned as an unofficial border, while ordering residents to evacuate large portions of southern Lebanon.

Israel has declared the region from the Litani to the Zahrani River a military combat zone. While some inhabitants have departed due to recent intensive strikes, many people continue living in area towns.

Israeli forces have been moving forward for days through villages surrounding Beaufort castle. They now stand approximately 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Nabatiyeh city, a significant southern Lebanon hub, and have ordered all residents to evacuate, along with inhabitants of the coastal city of Tyre, the nation’s fourth-largest city, and nearby areas.

Neither Hezbollah nor the Lebanese government provided immediate responses regarding the Israeli advancement.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for two overnight attacks against Israeli forces and a Merkava tank in Bayada, a southwestern border town. Recently, the organization has reported fighting Israeli troops in multiple towns north of the river near Nabatiyeh and the strategic fortress.

Lebanon’s state-operated National News Agency documented airstrikes across various southern Lebanese villages, reporting casualties without providing detailed numbers. On Saturday, Hezbollah launched multiple rocket volleys into northern Israel, targeting Kiryat Shmona, the region’s largest city.

Hezbollah’s deployment of difficult-to-detect fiber optic drones has proven lethal against Israeli military forces, who face challenges responding effectively. Israeli military data shows nearly 200 civilian alerts across northern Israel warning of drones and missiles within the last 24 hours.

The current fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has resulted in 3,350 Lebanese deaths and displaced over 1 million people.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office reports at least 25 Israeli soldiers and one defense contractor have died in or near southern Lebanon, including one fatality on Saturday. Two civilians have also been killed in northern Israel.

Ukrainian forces carried out overnight attacks against Russian energy infrastructure into Sunday, according to Russian officials and media outlets, while Ukraine rejected Moscow’s accusations that Ukrainian forces targeted a nuclear facility under Russian control.

Fallen drone wreckage ignited a blaze at a fuel storage site in Russia’s southwestern Rostov region, according to Gov. Yuriy Slyusar’s Sunday announcement on Telegram. Local residents living near the facility were moved to safety, he reported.

The aerial attacks also caused harm to civilian infrastructure in Saratov province, located in southwestern Russia, Gov. Roman Busargin stated. An independent Russian media outlet, Astra, reported that an oil refinery was burning in Saratov, the region’s main city.

In recent months, Ukraine has intensified its campaign against Russia’s petroleum and natural gas infrastructure, contending that the energy industry provides both financial support and literal fuel for Moscow’s invasion that has lasted more than four years.

At the same time, Kyiv rejected Russia’s accusations that Ukrainian forces attacked the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility, which stands as the largest nuclear installation in both Ukraine and Europe.

Russian military units seized control of the facility during the conflict’s initial weeks, and it continues to sit near active combat zones in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, one of four territories Russia has officially claimed while lacking complete military dominance or global acceptance of its seizure.

Rosatom, Russia’s government nuclear energy corporation, announced Saturday that the drone detonated after creating an opening in a turbine hall wall. Rosatom’s chief executive Alexei Likhachev blamed Ukraine for an intentional assault.

“This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6, resulting in a detonation,” Likhachev stated. He noted that primary equipment sustained no harm.

Ukraine’s armed forces dismissed Russia’s “yet another propaganda ploy,” declaring they neither attacked nor aimed at the facility. Military officials stated in their response that they follow international humanitarian law and understand the “consequences of any actions targeting nuclear facilities.”

“Along the relevant section of the front line, there was no active fighting at the time of the incident, and no weapons were used,” the statement read.

Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, expressed “serious concern” about the incident in a social media post on X.

Ukraine’s national nuclear oversight body said the alleged damage reported by Russia requires confirmation by IAEA specialists stationed at the Zaporizhzhia facility as part of an ongoing monitoring operation.

The Zaporizhzhia installation has faced repeated bombardment since Russia’s comprehensive invasion began in February 2022, creating anxiety about potential nuclear disasters. Both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of deliberately targeting the plant.

In other developments, Ukraine’s air defense reported Sunday that it intercepted 212 out of 299 drones Russia deployed overnight. Officials said 14 drones successfully hit their intended targets, while drone fragments landed in five separate areas.

Russian drones hit the city of Dnipro and an oil processing facility in Ukraine’s Rivne region, sparking fires, local authorities reported.

Oleksandr Koval, who leads Rivne’s regional government, confirmed no casualties occurred at the refinery and that emergency responders were on scene.