Category: World News

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley is pushing back hard against a claim by a former British government official that Britain’s former colonies should pay the country back for what she described as its historical contributions to them.

Mottley took to X late Thursday, calling the suggestion “asinine” and making clear where she stands: “I cannot believe we are being asked to respond to the suggestion that the descendants of the enslaved should pay for the machinery that oppressed them. The Caribbean does not owe Britain for slavery, for colonial extraction, or for laws that treated African people as chattel. We are not asking for charity. We are asking for justice, and history itself has already told the truth.”

The controversy was sparked by Suella Braverman — a former British Home Secretary and current member of the anti-immigration Reform UK party — who posted on X on July 3 that the British Empire “did so much good for the world.” Braverman made the comment in response to another parliamentarian who noted that Jamaica was planning to formally petition for reparations later this year.

“If the government is seriously thinking about this then former colonies should pay the British back for the considerable investment, effort and contribution that this country made which laid the foundations for many flourishing democracies today,” Braverman wrote.

Mottley’s response came in the wake of a meeting in St. Lucia where Caribbean leaders who belong to the regional trade bloc Caricom gathered this week to address several issues, including the topic of slavery reparations.

The Barbados prime minister also suggested that some British politicians may be using the issue as a distraction from problems at home. “Those who wish to speak on this matter should first take the time to read enough history to understand it,” she wrote. “The Caribbean will not be used as a prop for anyone’s politics.”

Last month, Mottley led a subcommittee of Caribbean leaders that unveiled a new slavery reparations manifesto at a reparations conference held in Ghana.

Under Mottley’s leadership, Barbados severed its ties with Queen Elizabeth II in November 2021, ending its status as a constitutional monarchy. The prime minister, who has also gained international recognition for her efforts on climate change, secured a third straight term in office in February.

The broader reparations debate has seen Britain maintain in recent years that it will not make financial amends, while Caribbean leaders have continued to push for a formal apology and measures such as debt cancellations.

The U.N. human rights chief has stated that an estimated 25 million to 30 million Africans were forcibly removed from their homelands for the purpose of slavery, with many sent to labor on plantations throughout the Caribbean and the Americas.

Pakistani security forces, operating alongside military helicopters, have eliminated 75 insurgents during extended operations targeting a banned separatist organization responsible for a string of deadly attacks on military personnel, police officers, and civilians in the troubled Balochistan province, officials announced Friday.

The news came one day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif traveled to Quetta, the provincial capital, where he met with the families of 42 people who lost their lives in the attacks. He assured them that their loved ones did not die in vain and pledged that those behind the violence would face justice.

The attacks this week have heightened concerns that separatist factions once viewed as relatively minor threats may be growing in both size and capability.

According to provincial officials, joint operations involving the army, the Frontier Corps, and police were launched late Monday after dozens of fighters from the Baloch Liberation Army, known as the BLA, struck a police post near Mangi Dam — a critical water source serving millions of residents in Quetta and the surrounding region.

The initial assault left nine police officers and 15 attackers dead. During the attack, 18 police officers were taken captive. Their bodies were later discovered in nearby mountains, with the officers found blindfolded and shot to death after apparently attempting to flee.

Pakistan has accused both the BLA and the Pakistani Taliban of maintaining bases in Afghanistan and receiving backing from India. Both Kabul and New Delhi have rejected those claims.

In response to the tragedy, the government approved compensation of 11.1 million rupees — equivalent to approximately $39,000 — for the family of each police officer killed during the attacks.

Balochistan, which is Pakistan’s largest province by land area but its least populated, has endured a long-running separatist insurgency driven by ethnic Baloch groups seeking either greater autonomy or full independence. The region has also been the target of attacks by the TTP, a militant group that is distinct from but aligned with the Afghan Taliban.

Greek police took two people into custody Friday in connection with a deadly firebomb attack that dates back to 2010, in which three employees of an Athens bank lost their lives while some bystanders in the street below reportedly shouted for the victims to be left to perish in the flames.

The three victims — a man and two women, including one who was pregnant — worked at the Marfin bank branch that was targeted when protesters hurled firebombs into the building. The attack unfolded during a massive demonstration involving tens of thousands of people who had gathered for a general strike against government-imposed austerity measures.

Friday’s arrests mark the first time anyone has been taken into custody specifically for carrying out the firebombing. A previous suspect had been acquitted on all charges. In 2013, three bank officials were found guilty of failing to maintain adequate safety conditions inside the branch.

Greece’s Minister for Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, issued a statement following the arrests. “Our democracy is strong and always wins in the end. It does not win vengefully. Its victories have to do with vindication and the administration of justice,” he said.

He continued: “There cannot be a crime, the taking of a life, without the administration of justice. There cannot be democracy without the administration of justice.”

Chrysochoidis also noted that on the same day, three additional individuals were arrested in connection with a separate series of bomb attacks targeting members of Greece’s governing conservative New Democracy party. Those attacks occurred on July 1, leaving one person dead and four others injured.

The fatal arson at the Marfin bank took place on May 5, 2010, during the early phase of Greece’s prolonged financial crisis — a period that stretched nearly a decade and saw severe austerity measures, including significant cuts to pensions and wages, imposed on the Greek population in exchange for three consecutive international bailout packages.

The bank was located along the route of the large protest march held during the general strike. As the demonstration turned violent, some in the crowd began throwing Molotov cocktails into the building. The fire spread rapidly, cutting off escape routes for the employees inside.

When the trapped workers managed to reach a small balcony to escape the thick smoke, some of the crowd gathered below reportedly shouted for them to be left to burn, reportedly because the employees had been working during a general strike. Firefighters faced significant delays getting to the scene due to the size of the crowd blocking access.

Greek investigators reopened the case into the deaths in 2020. The financial crisis that spawned the protests ultimately erased roughly a quarter of Greece’s entire economy, pushing the country into a deep depression marked by soaring poverty and unemployment rates that climbed to approximately 27%. While Greece’s economy has gradually recovered since then, the crisis left lasting scars on the country’s society.

A delegation from Qatar arrived in Iran on Friday in what is believed to be a move by Doha to strengthen its position as a mediator following a recent surge in hostilities in the Gulf region, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Tasnim reported that the visit came on the heels of what it described as Qatari accusations directed at Iran regarding an alleged incident in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as subsequent U.S. military strikes targeting both Iranian military and civilian sites.

A source with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters on Friday that Qatari negotiators were sitting down with Iranian officials with the goal of reducing tensions and laying the groundwork for broader diplomatic talks. The source added that these discussions were being carried out in coordination with the United States.

LONDON — Britain’s High Court issued a ruling Friday that the government had broken the law by taking away asylum seekers’ ability to challenge decisions that found they were not victims of human trafficking, before those individuals could be deported.

The country’s Home Office, which oversees interior affairs, changed its policy last September to prevent people who had been ruled out as trafficking victims from contesting that determination prior to removal from the country.

That policy shift came in response to a string of legal challenges that had been slowing down deportations under Britain’s “one in, one out” agreement with France — a deal designed to manage the flow of migrants crossing the English Channel.

Five asylum seekers who had been sent back to France, or were at risk of being sent back, challenged the policy in court. On Friday, the High Court sided with them, declaring the revised guidance unlawful.

The court found that many asylum seekers who had made the dangerous small-boat crossing from France across the Channel were being blocked from presenting critical evidence when their trafficking claims were reviewed.

Judge Clive Sheldon pointed to a striking statistic: in 2025, 79% of people initially found not to be trafficking victims later received a favorable decision when their cases were looked at again.

The Home Office announced plans to appeal the ruling. A spokesperson issued a statement saying, “Last-minute modern slavery claims must not be used to frustrate the removal of illegal migrants.”

Attorneys for some of the asylum seekers who brought the case called the ruling a victory, but noted that many individuals had already been sent back to France under the unlawful policy.

The decision represents another obstacle for the government as it tries to reduce illegal immigration — one of the most divisive issues in British politics, one that has even overshadowed concerns about the country’s struggling economy.

The arrival of migrants on small boats and the placement of asylum seekers in hotels have become flashpoints, sometimes sparking public protests and tensions in local communities.

Britain’s Labour government has been pushing stricter immigration measures in part to counter Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party, though that approach has drawn criticism from left-leaning supporters who argue there should be safer, legal pathways for people seeking asylum.

One of the five people who brought the court challenge — a person who was returned to France and was granted anonymity by the court, as is standard in asylum cases — described experiencing “a feeling of hopelessness.”

“When a lot of individuals enter the United Kingdom to seek refuge, and have experienced a lot of difficult situations, being further mistreated is simply heart-breaking,” the person said in a written statement.

“The overwhelming sentiment is that they do not treat people equally,” they added. “Some people they place in hotels, some they return to France, like me.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A string of airstrikes with no nation stepping forward to claim responsibility has landed on Iran in the hours following the United States’ announcement that it had finished its own military campaign, leaving the international community wondering who else may be behind the attacks on the Islamic Republic.

The strikes occurred on Thursday, at a moment when Iran was preparing funeral arrangements for its late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The explosions struck multiple locations across southern Iran. Iran’s government has stopped short of directly blaming any specific country for the attacks, though one member of the country’s parliament issued a pointed warning to the United Arab Emirates, accusing it of quietly supporting the American military effort against Iran.

Gulf Arab nations, which have repeatedly been on the receiving end of Iranian attacks since the conflict began February 28, did not respond to media requests for comment on Friday regarding the strikes. Both those countries and the United States have been vocal in insisting that the Strait of Hormuz — a critical passage for global energy supplies — must remain open to international shipping.

Iran, however, has staked out the opposite position, demanding sole authority over the strait and insisting that ships passing through must pay fees to Tehran. The international community has long regarded the waterway as open to all nations. Before the war began, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas flowed through that passage.

The U.S. military’s Central Command announced Thursday at approximately 6:30 a.m. local Iran time that it had completed a round of strikes hitting around 90 targets. Shortly after that announcement, Iranian news outlets and state media began reporting explosions and airstrikes in the country’s Bushehr and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces, as well as the cities of Ahvaz and Chabahar, among other locations.

A U.S. defense official, who spoke without being identified in order to discuss details of the ongoing military operation, confirmed that no new American strikes had taken place since the last round concluded Thursday morning.

Iran responded to the strikes by launching a broader wave of attacks across the Middle East, targeting Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar. Missile warning sirens blared in all four countries, prompting residents to seek shelter. At least one person was reportedly injured in Kuwait as air defense systems worked to intercept the incoming fire.

The leader of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, traveled to Kuwait shortly after the Iranian attack to meet with that country’s ruling emir. Gulf Arab nations also held calls with Qatar’s foreign minister, who has been playing a significant role alongside Pakistan in brokering negotiations between Iran and the U.S. aimed at maintaining a temporary halt to open warfare.

This is not the first time unclaimed airstrikes have occurred during the conflict. Officials later confirmed that both Saudi Arabia and the UAE had previously launched strikes on Iran after Tehran targeted energy infrastructure in those countries. A Gulf nation striking Iran again could be seen as an attempt to discourage further Iranian attacks on the region.

Israel, which has been conducting an aggressive campaign against Iran under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has not struck the Islamic Republic since June. In most instances, Israel has openly acknowledged its strikes on Iran.

Israel’s government confirmed that Netanyahu spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday evening, with Trump briefing Netanyahu on what was described as “American moves in the Gulf.”

Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, also issued fresh warnings that his country stood prepared to act against Iran if circumstances required it. “The Israeli military is on alert and ready to renew the campaign, to reestablish aerial superiority, and to carry out a blue-white (Israeli) strike in Iran to remove threats, even for a third time,” Katz told attendees at a military ceremony. “If we will have to return, we will return with even greater force.”

On Friday, Iranian state media reported that Esmail Kousari — a member of Iran’s parliament national security committee and a former commander in the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard — warned that the UAE would “pay the price for its cooperation with the United States.” He accused the Emirates of playing a “behind-the-scenes” role in the recent U.S. attacks on Iran.

Iran has repeatedly accused Gulf Arab states of actively aiding the American military effort, allegations those countries have denied. The United States has maintained a large military presence across the Gulf region since the 1991 Gulf War, including a base in Bahrain that serves as headquarters for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

The Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational organization operating under U.S. Navy oversight, issued a new advisory on Friday encouraging vessels to use the Strait of Hormuz route. A similar advisory issued earlier on Tuesday prompted an Iranian attack that struck three ships.

ANKARA, Turkey — World leaders arrived in Turkey this week for a NATO summit focused on global security challenges. What they didn’t expect was to leave carrying a firearm.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented each attending leader with an engraved .357 Magnum revolver and six rounds of ammunition. According to Turkish media reports, the weapon is the Gumusay model — a vintage six-shot revolver manufactured by MKE, Turkey’s state-owned arms producer.

The gesture was designed to draw attention to Turkey’s booming defense industry, which has evolved over recent decades from being a heavy importer of military equipment to a largely self-sufficient producer of advanced systems, including drones and warships. The country is also working on its own next-generation fighter jet.

But the gift left many alliance members in a bind. Gun laws in several NATO countries made it impossible — or at least very complicated — for leaders to simply take the weapons home.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney quipped about the awkward situation when speaking to reporters, saying his own gift of maple syrup suddenly seemed modest by comparison. “I would like to reassure Canadians, they keep guns away from me,” he said, confirming the revolver had been turned over to police.

Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar shared a photo on X of the display box holding his revolver and six cartridges. “An unusual gift from President @RTErdogan at the NATO Summit: a Magnum revolver with ammunition, engraved with my name,” he wrote. What he ultimately did with the firearm was not immediately known.

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accepted the gift graciously, but her spokesperson confirmed it would be deactivated and donated to a military museum.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted that the gift package included documentation waiving export controls, but said he still left the weapon behind since importing it into the United Kingdom would be illegal. It will be decommissioned.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever handed his revolver directly to airport police upon returning home. The firearms given to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten were left at their respective countries’ embassies in Ankara and will also be taken out of service, officials confirmed.

In Italy, the weapon was officially logged as a gift at Palazzo Chigi, the official office of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Greek officials said their country’s firearm would go to the War Museum.

Croatian President Zoran Milanović said he wasn’t even aware Erdogan had given him a gun until after he had already returned home from the summit. His office indicated the revolver would likely be turned over to a police museum. Milanović offered a characteristically blunt take on the situation: “I didn’t take it. I shoot from different weapons,” a reference to his outspoken political approach.

The White House did not respond to questions about what happened to the revolver given to the American delegation.

Erdogan’s office has not made any public statement about the gifts. Turkish gun culture runs deep, and the gesture generated little reaction domestically. However, the gun control advocacy group Umut Vakfi noted that armed violence in Turkey has reached troubling levels, with more than 2,700 incidents recorded last year in the country of 86 million people.

In addition to the revolvers, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported that summit attendees also received a copy of Erdogan’s biography, titled “The politics of courage: Erdogan and the rise of Türkiye.”

LUSAKA, Zambia — Zambia is preparing for an August presidential election in which incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema is considered the frontrunner for a second term, though opposition leader Brian Mundubile is shaping up to be a formidable challenger.

The election is widely being seen as a judgment on Hichilema’s handling of the economy since he came to power in 2021, when he inherited a country still reeling from a sovereign debt default.

Zambia, Africa’s second-largest copper producer, has experienced an economic turnaround backed by strong copper prices following a debt restructuring deal. However, the rising cost of living continues to weigh on many citizens — a vulnerability the opposition intends to highlight.

Annual inflation dropped to 6.5% in June, the lowest it has been in over eight years, pointing to a meaningful recovery from the country’s debt crisis. Still, many households say they continue to feel financial pressure.

At his campaign launch in the capital Lusaka, Hichilema addressed supporters directly: “A lot of our families still need support beyond what we are delivering today, but I want you to know we hear you.”

Hichilema, 64, is a businessman who won by a wide margin in 2021, defeating the late former president Edgar Lungu. His challenger, Mundubile, is a 55-year-old lawyer and former member of parliament who had never previously run for president. He entered the race relatively late after a divided opposition united behind him.

Despite Zambia’s history of peaceful democratic transitions, the opposition has leveled accusations that Hichilema has limited their ability to campaign and cracked down on political dissent — allegations the president denies.

A cybercrime law introduced in 2025 has drawn criticism from civil society organizations, who argue its broad language could discourage people from expressing themselves online. Additionally, Hichilema signed constitutional amendments in December that will expand the size of parliament — a change critics say could benefit his party.

In an interview with Reuters, Mundubile described a difficult environment for opposition activity: “Any dissenting voice is regarded as an enemy of the state, so it’s been very difficult for the opposition to engage their members.” He also said opposition gatherings had been broken up by police.

Hichilema, meanwhile, is leaning on positive economic data to make his case to voters. The International Monetary Fund projects Zambia’s economy will grow 4.3% this year, up from 3.8% in the prior year, and foreign investment has been increasing.

A survey conducted late last year by the Zambia Election Research Network found that 51% of respondents anticipated a free and fair vote, and 55% said they planned to support Hichilema — though the poll was completed before Mundubile formally entered the race.

“While the opposition started late to mobilise and organise, they should not be dismissed,” said Lee Habasonda, a political science lecturer at the University of Zambia.

The president also benefits from the advantages of incumbency, including access to government resources and aircraft, while his rivals must travel by road through a country roughly three times the geographic size of the United Kingdom.

Mundubile, however, argues that the government’s economic numbers have not translated into real improvements for everyday Zambians. “How can you boast that you have built $6.5 billion in foreign reserves when your people are going hungry?” he said at a campaign rally last month.

Indian police announced Friday that dozens of individuals have been taken into custody in connection with violent unrest that broke out this week following the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in an eastern state.

Authorities confirmed that an innocent bystander was killed by a mob during the chaos. Since the girl’s body was discovered in a pond on Sunday — one day after she was reported missing — angry crowds have been blocking roads and setting vehicles on fire in Baruipur city, located in West Bengal state approximately 30 kilometers, or about 20 miles, from Kolkata.

“We have arrested 35 people for violence and vandalism so far … others involved are being identified through multiple videos that went viral,” senior state police officer Arvind Kumar Anand told Reuters.

In a separate development, police reported that one of four men arrested in connection with the girl’s rape and murder was shot and killed by officers. The suspect, identified as Prabhas Mondal, was fatally shot in the early morning hours of Wednesday while allegedly attempting to flee. Authorities said he had been brought to the scene of the crime as part of the ongoing investigation when the incident occurred.

Mondal’s mother declined to claim his body, stating she did not want him brought home because he “did not do anything good.” In a television interview, she added, “The sin committed by my son, he has received punishment for it.”

Indian media reported that the family of one of the three remaining suspects claims their relative is innocent and was taken into custody due to a case of mistaken identity. No statements from the families of the other two suspects have been reported.

West Bengal’s chief minister, Suvendu Adhikari, who took office after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party secured victory in state elections in May, vowed there would be “no leniency” for those responsible for crimes like rape and violence, or for those who beat “innocent and blameless” people to death.

“This new government will pursue such criminals to the fullest extent of the law and ensure justice is served,” Adhikari wrote on X on Thursday.

The tragic case has once again drawn attention to ongoing concerns about the safety of women and girls throughout India. Stricter laws were enacted following nationwide outrage over the 2012 gang rape and murder of a 22-year-old woman in Delhi, a case that resulted in four convictions and executions by hanging.

West Bengal was also the center of international attention in 2024, when the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital set off widespread protests across the country over women’s safety.

Greek police have made two arrests in connection with a deadly fire-bombing that took place during a large-scale general strike in Athens more than a decade ago, authorities announced Friday.

The fatal incident occurred on May 5, 2010, when tens of thousands of workers and civil servants took to the streets to demonstrate against the conditions tied to Greece’s first financial bailout from euro zone nations and the International Monetary Fund — marking the early days of the country’s severe debt crisis.

As masked protesters clashed with riot police, who deployed tear gas and flash bombs throughout the city center, attackers hurled petrol bombs at a Marfin bank branch. Three employees inside the building — one man and two women, one of whom was pregnant — were trapped and died after inhaling smoke from the resulting fire.

Along with the two arrests, police also issued a warrant for a third individual believed to be connected to the attack. According to a police official, investigators were able to identify the suspects by cross-referencing evidence and photographs gathered from that day’s events and other protests over the years.

MADRID (AP) — Deadly wildfires have swept across Europe over the past decade, claiming hundreds of lives, and experts say rising global temperatures will only make the situation worse in the years ahead.

A fire that tore through southern Spain overnight into Friday morning left at least 11 people dead, placing it among the most lethal wildfires ever recorded in that country. The blaze struck as scorching heat settled over much of the nation.

According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is warming faster than any other continent on the planet — temperatures there have risen at twice the global average rate since the 1980s. Worldwide, 2025 ranked as the third-hottest year ever recorded, bringing with it a series of punishing heat waves across the continent.

Researchers caution that the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline, oil, and coal is driving climate change, which in turn is making heat and drought more frequent and more severe — conditions that set the stage for catastrophic wildfires in vulnerable regions.

Here is a look at some of the deadliest wildfires to strike Europe over the past ten years:

Greece suffered its worst wildfire on record in 2018, when a massive fire ripped through Mati, a seaside community east of Athens. Residents were trapped in their homes and on roadways as they attempted to escape. More than 100 people perished, with some drowning after jumping into the sea to flee the advancing flames.

Five years later, in 2023, Greek wildfires claimed more than 20 lives. Among the victims were 18 migrants who were moving through a forest in northeastern Greece when they were overtaken by what became the largest single wildfire ever recorded on the European continent.

Just last week, a wildfire in northern Greece killed a 12-year-old boy and his father.

Last July, 10 firefighters and rescue personnel lost their lives battling a wildfire in a forested section of Eskisehir province in northwestern Turkey. The victims included forestry workers and members of the AKUT rescue organization.

Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli explained at the time that a sudden shift in wind direction caused the fire to change course and engulf the workers before they could escape.

Among those killed was a 28-year-old man who had returned from his honeymoon just two days before his death. One AKUT volunteer had previously spent a month helping to rescue survivors of a devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey in February 2023.

Portugal’s deadliest wildfire occurred in 2017, when a blaze in Pedrogao Grande — located roughly 200 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of Lisbon — killed 66 people. The majority of victims died on a single road while trying to escape by car.

Additional fires later that same year pushed Portugal’s total wildfire death toll for 2017 past 120, making it the deadliest year on record for fire-related fatalities in the country. Among the dead were a one-month-old infant and the baby’s parents.

In the aftermath, the Portuguese government introduced a broad set of measures aimed at preventing and controlling future wildfires. Those steps included public education campaigns about fire prevention, the creation of a rapid-response firefighting force, the clearing of thousands of kilometers of firebreaks, and the deployment of a large number of firefighting resources.

In Cyprus, officials have repeatedly pointed to climate change as the driving force behind the growing ferocity of wildfires that have killed at least six people over the past five years.

In July 2021, the charred remains of four Egyptian workers were found near a fire-ravaged mountain village in what one official described as the most destructive wildfire the island nation had ever experienced.

Last July, rescue teams discovered the bodies of an elderly couple inside a burned-out vehicle on the side of a mountain road. The fire had scorched approximately 50 square miles of forested hillside with alarming speed, prompting President Nikos Christodoulides to state that “there’s never been anything like this before in Cyprus.”

Extreme winds, high temperatures, and severely dry conditions — the result of three consecutive winters with little rainfall — combined to create devastating circumstances at the height of the fire.

A study released in August of last year by World Weather Attribution concluded that climate change, which has fueled record heat and reduced rainfall, caused wildfires in Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus to burn far more intensely during that summer.

A court in Italy has found former crew members of the migrant rescue vessel Aquarius not guilty of illegally trafficking waste — a case that had been hanging over the accused for eight years. The charity SOS Mediterranee announced the acquittals on Friday.

The Aquarius was seized back in 2018 following a year-long investigation into how waste was being disposed of during rescue missions in the central Mediterranean Sea.

Prosecutors based in Catania, Sicily, had argued that items such as clothing left behind by rescued migrants, food scraps, and medical waste should have been treated as infectious sanitary waste subject to strict handling requirements.

Those prosecutors accused crew members and humanitarian aid workers of disposing of the waste improperly to cut costs, claiming the practice put public health at risk in Italy during the period between 2017 and 2018.

Approximately 24 individuals were placed under investigation when the case was first launched.

At the time, SOS Mediterranee was working alongside the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF. SOS Mediterranee consistently maintained that no rules were broken, and on Friday it celebrated the acquittals — which were formally issued earlier in the week — stating that all waste had been managed in full compliance with applicable regulations.

In a separate statement, MSF expressed hope that the ruling would bode well for other staff members facing a similar trial in Catania. That separate case involves comparable charges tied to another rescue vessel, the Vos Prudence.

MADRID — Firefighters in southern Spain continued battling one of the country’s deadliest wildfires on Friday, with at least 11 people confirmed dead and 19 others still unaccounted for. The fire swept through rural villages in the Andalusia region near Los Gallardos, sending terrified residents scrambling for any escape route they could find.

As smoke filled the air and flames closed in on their homes, many residents chose to flee — and for some, that decision proved fatal. Officials had instructed residents in certain mountain areas above Los Gallardos to leave via a designated evacuation route, while those in the forested hamlet of Bedar were told to stay inside their homes.

But as the fire moved in fast, some residents in Bedar found it impossible to remain. Antonio Rubio, a handyman who lives there, described leaving on his own initiative Thursday afternoon. “We left the house yesterday afternoon at 5 o’clock. The fire didn’t reach my house — it stopped just short of it — but we could already see so much smoke, even though the fire was some distance away, so we had to leave,” he said. “We did so of our own accord.”

A British woman named Sonia, who lives in Los Gallardos and chose not to share her last name, said she had taken in relatives after authorities told them to evacuate at 7 p.m. local time. She explained that residents were directed away from the main road out of Bedar and instead sent on a back route higher into the mountains before looping toward the coast.

“There are many houses in the middle of the countryside in the mountains, so people would take whichever roads they could,” she said. “The road from Bédar to Los Gallardos was blocked, since the fire had crossed the road and it was impassable.”

Antonio Sanz, who oversees emergency response for the Andalusia region, said residents in Bedar had been given two options: follow the designated evacuation route or remain sheltered in their homes given how close the fire was. He confirmed that some chose a different path — one that proved deadly.

“In situations like this, it is essential that we all follow the routes indicated,” Sanz said. “Unfortunately in this instance a decision was taken to use another route that wasn’t the one recommended for evacuation. Looking for another way out via a dry riverbed turned out to be a trap.”

Sanz said four people — believed to be British based on the right-hand placement of the steering wheel in their car — were found dead inside a single vehicle. Seven additional victims were discovered after apparently getting out of their cars and trying to flee on foot. Of the total confirmed dead, ten appeared to be foreign nationals and one was identified as Spanish.

“The village of Bedar in the end wasn’t affected by the flames in most cases, so that order to shelter in place avoided a more serious situation,” Sanz added.

As officials worked through the early morning hours Friday to identify the dead and locate the missing, worried family members from across the globe turned to social media and local online forums for information. One woman posting from the United States said her brother was among a group of ten people who attempted to escape through a valley near a stream. She shared GPS coordinates and pleaded with emergency responders to search the area.

Regional President Juanma Moreno acknowledged that the impulse to run is a natural human reaction. “When many people see a fire, the first thing they do is run away, don’t they? And of course, they think they know the routes but if they don’t have the right information, those routes can of course turn into a death trap,” he said.

China declared a temporary ban on helium exports Friday, taking effect immediately, as renewed military fighting in the Middle East raises fears of fresh shortages of the gas that plays a vital role in computer chip production.

Conflict earlier this year between the U.S. and Israel against Iran triggered helium shortages that disrupted companies around the world, including those in China, where the artificial intelligence sector increasingly depends on domestically produced chips to train and operate AI systems. Helium plays a key role in managing heat during the semiconductor manufacturing process.

The helium export restriction is the latest move by Beijing to protect its own supplies of critical materials by limiting what leaves the country. China has previously taken similar steps with fuel, fertilizers, and sulfuric acid.

China is also working to expand its domestic chip-making capacity and reduce its reliance on advanced Nvidia semiconductors, which are subject to U.S. export controls.

While China has been working to grow its own helium production, it still relies heavily on imports from abroad. Analysts estimate that China sources roughly 85% or more of its helium needs from other countries. Qatar supplies a large portion of global helium output and has provided more than half of China’s imports in recent years.

The export ban could put additional pressure on global helium availability. Chinese companies have increasingly served as middlemen, buying Russian helium and reselling portions of it to markets overseas, including in Europe.

Helium is drawn from natural gas fields that contain unusually high concentrations of the gas and cannot be quickly produced through other industrial methods. In chip manufacturing, it is used in a range of processes including wafer cooling, plasma etching, chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, lithography support, and leak detection.

PARIS — The French presidency announced Friday that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will both be present at Monday’s “Coalition of the Willing” gathering in Paris, a meeting designed to reinforce international backing for Ukraine.

The session is intended to build on the progress made at the NATO summit held earlier this week. According to the Elysee, discussions are still ongoing regarding security guarantees that would take effect once a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia is established.

U.S. President Donald Trump has recently signaled a more supportive position toward Kyiv in its ongoing conflict with Russia, a shift that was evident at both the recent G7 and NATO summits.

The Elysee also confirmed that two additional nations — Moldova and North Macedonia — have now joined the coalition. European Union leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa are also expected to be in attendance at Monday’s meeting.

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal’s highest judicial body has struck down a proposed constitutional amendment that would have expanded the role of parliament while limiting the powers of the country’s president.

The legislation had been approved last month, and the government indicated it would be put to a public vote. However, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye challenged whether the process was legally sound and asked the Constitutional Council to conduct an emergency review.

On Thursday evening, the council determined the law was unconstitutional, effectively killing what had been a central goal of the parliamentary majority.

The dispute over rewriting the constitution is unfolding against a backdrop of rising political friction between President Faye and his former prime minister, Ousmane Sonko. Sonko was removed from the prime minister’s post and subsequently elected as president of the National Assembly earlier this year. The political partnership that had carried both men to power in March 2024 has since fallen apart. A new prime minister has been named, and a new government is expected to be formed.

Critics in the opposition see the amendment push — put forward by Pastef, the party led by Sonko — as a political maneuver by the former prime minister, who continues to hold considerable sway over the parliamentary majority.

The proposed changes would have given parliament greater authority, replaced the Constitutional Council with a newly created Constitutional Court, and placed tighter restrictions on the president’s ability to dissolve the National Assembly.

Sonko responded positively to the council’s ruling, acknowledging it as final and binding. “This cycle reminds us that in a democracy, when institutions play their role, each within its sphere of influence, no crisis can arise,” he said.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A wave of unexplained, unclaimed airstrikes struck Iran following the U.S. military’s announcement that it had concluded its own campaign of attacks, raising fresh questions about who else may be taking aim at the Islamic Republic.

The strikes occurred on Thursday, at the very moment Iran was preparing to hold burial services for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The explosions affected multiple locations across southern Iran. Iran’s government has stopped short of directly blaming any particular country, though one member of parliament issued a pointed warning to the United Arab Emirates, accusing it of secretly supporting the United States in its military campaign against Iran.

Gulf Arab nations, which have repeatedly been targeted by Iran since the conflict began on February 28, did not immediately respond when asked to comment on Friday about the strikes. Both those countries and the U.S. have been insisting that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open for international shipping. Iran, however, is demanding sole control over the strait — through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas flows — and has called on vessels to begin paying fees to Tehran, despite the waterway being recognized internationally for decades as open to all.

Iran’s control over the strait during the conflict helped trigger a global energy crisis, though oil prices have fallen sharply from wartime peaks of $120 per barrel.

Israel, which participated in the war against Iran, has also not claimed responsibility for any recent strikes on Iranian territory.

The U.S. military’s Central Command announced around 6:30 a.m. local Iran time on Thursday that it had finished a round of strikes hitting approximately 90 targets. Shortly afterward, Iranian state media and news outlets reported additional explosions and airstrikes targeting the country’s Bushehr and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces, as well as the cities of Ahvaz and Chabahar, among other locations. Central Command did not respond to a request for comment about those additional strikes.

In response to Thursday’s attacks, Iran launched a broader round of retaliatory strikes across the Middle East, sending missiles toward Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar. Air raid sirens sounded in all four countries, forcing residents to seek shelter. One person was reportedly injured in Kuwait as air defense systems worked to intercept incoming fire across the region.

The leader of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, flew to Kuwait shortly after the Iranian attack to meet with that country’s ruling emir. Gulf Arab nations also held phone calls with Qatar’s foreign minister, who — along with Pakistan — has been playing a central role in mediating negotiations between Iran and the United States over the interim agreement currently in place to prevent a return to open warfare.

Officials say that during the Iran war, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE launched airstrikes against Iran after Tehran struck energy infrastructure inside their borders.

Israel, which under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been engaged in an aggressive campaign against Iran, has not struck the Islamic Republic since June. Israel has also typically been quick to claim credit when it carries out attacks on Iran.

Israel’s government said Netanyahu spoke with Trump on Thursday evening, with Trump briefing Netanyahu “on American moves in the Gulf.”

Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, also renewed threats that his country was prepared to confront Iran if the situation demanded it. “The Israel military is on alert and ready to renew the campaign, to reestablish aerial superiority, and to carry out a blue-white (Israeli) strike in Iran to remove threats, even for a third time,” Katz said at a military ceremony. “If we will have to return, we will return with even greater force.”

On Friday, Iranian state media reported that Esmail Kousari — a member of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee and a former commander in the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard — warned that the UAE would “pay the price for its cooperation with the United States.” He accused the Emirates of playing a “behind-the-scenes” role in the recent U.S. strikes on Iran.

Throughout the conflict, Iran repeatedly accused Gulf Arab states of actively supporting the U.S. war effort — accusations those nations denied. The U.S. has maintained a significant military presence across Gulf Arab nations since the 1991 Gulf War, including in Bahrain, which serves as the headquarters for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Iran continues to insist it must have exclusive control of the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the U.S. is urging ships to take an alternate southern route through Oman’s territorial waters to steer clear of Iran. The Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational body overseen by the U.S. Navy, issued a new advisory on Friday directing vessels to use that route. A similar advisory earlier in the week prompted an Iranian attack on Tuesday that resulted in three ships being struck.

“Notwithstanding recent unprovoked attacks on merchant vessels, mariners are reminded that the southern route of the (strait) has been expanded and remains available for all traffic,” the maritime center stated.

A Ukrainian court has ordered two men to remain behind bars without the possibility of bail after they were accused of killing a woman who was herself a suspect in a Monaco bombing, Ukraine’s top prosecutor announced Thursday.

The body of Anastasiia Berezovska, a 39-year-old Ukrainian national, was discovered with gunshot wounds to the head, with pistol cartridges found nearby. Ukrainian authorities made the announcement Tuesday, revealing that Berezovska had been sought by Interpol in connection with a June 29 bomb attack in Monaco.

Authorities identified the two men taken into custody as a current officer with Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, known as HUR, and a former law enforcement officer. Both were detained on suspicion of carrying out the killing.

The Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed Thursday that a Kyiv court formally ordered the pair held in detention, with no option for bail.

According to Ukrainian media reports citing court proceedings, the military intelligence officer has since recanted his confession. He claimed the other defendant was the one who fired the shots, and said he had only confessed because he feared for his own life.

The Monaco bombing on June 29 wounded Ukrainian-born property developer Vadym Yermolaiev, along with his partner and son, according to sources familiar with the case. Yermolaiev, who obtained Cypriot citizenship seven years ago, was placed under Ukrainian sanctions in 2023, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the year before.

Berezovska faced charges in Monaco that included attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public location with criminal intent, and criminal conspiracy.

The European Union took direct aim at Meta on Friday, accusing the tech giant of violating the bloc’s social media regulations by engineering Facebook and Instagram in ways that keep users compulsively engaged — and ordering the company to shut down what it calls “key addictive features.”

The EU’s executive body, the European Commission, issued a new round of charges against Meta Platforms as part of an ongoing investigation under the Digital Services Act — a sweeping set of digital rules that requires technology companies to safeguard internet users or face steep financial penalties.

According to the commission’s preliminary findings, Meta failed to properly evaluate how its platform design affects the physical and mental well-being of users, including children. While Meta does offer tools to help people manage their time on Facebook and Instagram, regulators said those tools are too easy to bypass, too easily dismissed, or too technically complicated for most people to actually use.

The commission said Meta must make structural changes to both platforms — specifically disabling features such as autoplay video and infinite scrolling so they are not switched on by default.

Meta now has an opportunity to respond and make its case before the commission issues a final ruling. If found in violation, the company could face a fine of up to 6% of its total worldwide annual revenue.

In a statement released Friday, Meta said the preliminary findings fail to acknowledge what the company has already done to protect teenagers. “Since this investigation began, we rolled out Teen Accounts that automatically protect teens and put parents in control — allowing them to block access to Instagram at night and cap daily screen time at just 15 minutes,” the company said. “We share the European Commission’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive online experiences and will continue to engage constructively with them.”

Henna Virkkunen, an executive vice-president at the commission who oversees technology policy, said Europe remains firmly committed to holding platforms accountable for addictive design. “Protecting the physical and mental health of Europeans must be a priority for social media platforms,” Virkkunen said in a written statement.

Regulators described how features such as personalized content recommendations and constant push notifications create a never-ending flow of material that puts users’ brains on “autopilot,” driving compulsive scrolling and viewing habits.

The commission also noted that parental screen time controls can be “easily dismissed” and do not lead to any meaningful reduction in how much time teens spend on the platforms. Regulators added that the controls demand a level of technical knowledge, time, and effort that puts them out of reach for many parents.

Among the additional changes the commission is pushing for: better prompts encouraging users to take breaks from screens, and an overhaul of the content recommendation system to make it less focused on maximizing user engagement.

Friday’s charges are the latest development in an investigation that Brussels launched in 2024 amid concerns that Meta was not doing enough to protect children online. Earlier this year, the EU announced that its probe found Meta was failing to prevent children under 13 — the minimum age required to use Facebook and Instagram — from creating accounts, and was not doing enough to find and remove underage users who had already signed up.

GENEVA (AP) — A minimum of 1 million women have been denied access to humanitarian assistance and other vital services over the past year and a half, according to the U.N. agency dedicated to women’s issues, which released the findings Friday.

The agency, UN Women, reports that 84% of women’s organizations it surveyed indicated they have seen growing demand for services since January 2025, when the United States — the largest contributor to the U.N. — began scaling back its foreign aid commitments under the Trump administration.

“Every dollar withdrawn from women’s organizations is a dollar withdrawn from survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, displaced mothers, girls forced from school and communities struggling to survive,” said Sofia Calltorp, UN Women’s chief of humanitarian action.

The survey results paint a troubling picture: nearly 90% of women’s groups said they are no longer able to meet current demand, and one out of every five organizations expects to shut their doors — either temporarily or for good — within the coming year.

“UN Women has spoken to 855 women’s organizations working in 52 countries, who have told us that these women and girls have been turned away due to funding cuts that are dismantling their organizations,” Calltorp told reporters in Geneva.

“We know that this number, at least 1 million women and girls, is just the tip of the iceberg,” she added.

UN Women also noted that conflict-related sexual violence doubled last year. The agency pointed to a recent report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development — a group of 38 mostly developed nations — which found that global development assistance dropped by nearly 25% last year to $174 billion, marking the steepest single-year decline ever recorded.

“Without immediate action, the organizations that have kept women and girls alive through the world’s worst crises risk becoming another casualty of war,” Calltorp warned.

Across the broader United Nations system, thousands of jobs have been eliminated and aid programs have been scaled back worldwide over the last 18 months, driven largely by funding reductions from the United States and other major donor nations.

Meanwhile, the U.N. is also weighing whether to merge UN Women with UNFPA, the agency focused on sexual and reproductive health, as part of an ongoing organizational reform effort called UN80.

European Union regulators took formal action against Meta’s Instagram and Facebook on Friday, accusing the tech giant of violating the bloc’s digital rules by using features designed to keep users endlessly scrolling and engaged.

The European Commission announced its preliminary findings after a two-year probe conducted under the EU’s Digital Services Act — a sweeping law that requires major online platforms to take stronger steps against harmful and illegal content.

The Commission said Meta failed to properly evaluate the addictive dangers posed by highly personalized content recommendations, autoplay videos, and infinite scroll — tools that continuously serve users new material and encourage them to keep watching. Regulators also flagged that reels and stories on both Facebook and Instagram could contribute to compulsive or excessive use.

Officials criticized Meta’s existing safeguards as insufficient, noting that time management tools can be easily ignored and that parental controls demand considerable effort and technical know-how to use properly.

The Commission is calling on Meta to turn off features like autoplay and infinite scroll by default, introduce meaningful screen-time breaks, and make its content recommendation system less focused on maximizing user engagement.

Meta pushed back against the charges. Spokesperson Ben Walters said, “We disagree with these preliminary findings, which don’t accurately take into account the significant steps we’ve taken to protect teens.”

Walters added, “Since this investigation began, we rolled out Teen Accounts that automatically protect teens and put parents in control — allowing them to block access to Instagram at night and cap daily screen time at just 15 minutes.” The company said it would continue engaging constructively with EU officials.

EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen told Reuters the matter is straightforward: “Our starting point is that, based on our findings, this design is too addictive and changes need to be made.” She warned, “The next step is either that Meta changes its design or a non compliance decision will follow.”

Meta could face fines of up to 6% of its total global annual revenue if found in violation. The company has the opportunity to respond to the charges before the Commission issues a final ruling in the months ahead.

The action against Meta comes just months after the Commission brought similar charges against TikTok in February, demanding comparable changes to that platform’s app. Last month, Meta also failed in its attempt to have claims dismissed from 29 U.S. state attorneys general alleging that Facebook and Instagram are addictive to children.

Regulators are separately looking into so-called “rabbit hole” effects caused by Facebook and Instagram’s recommendation algorithms, which can pull users deeper into prolonged viewing sessions through similar content suggestions. A separate case announced in April also directed Meta to do more to stop children under 13 from accessing its platforms.

The Commission is set to receive expert findings on Monday that could help lay the groundwork for a Europe-wide social media ban for teenagers — a move Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to announce during her September state of the union address.

Social media companies are facing increasing pressure worldwide as concerns mount that their platforms are fueling a mental health crisis among young people, with some governments already moving to restrict or ban underage access.

LONDON — A special by-election will be held on August 13 to fill the parliamentary seat vacated by Nigel Farage, the head of Britain’s populist Reform UK Party, according to the local governing authority, which made the announcement on Friday.

Farage stepped down from his seat earlier this week amid a parliamentary investigation into millions of pounds worth of gifts he allegedly received from wealthy donors. In explaining his resignation, Farage said he wanted the voters in his southeast England constituency to be the ones to evaluate his behavior — rather than what he described as a liberal “establishment” that he claimed was working to undermine him.

With rival parties declaring they will sit out the election — dismissing it as nothing more than a publicity stunt — Farage is expected to be the only major candidate on the ballot.

KHARTOUM — In the year since Sudan’s military recaptured its capital city from a paramilitary group that had seized control at the beginning of the country’s civil war in 2023, more than two million of the five million people who abandoned their Khartoum homes have made their way back.

Despite government promises of a swift return to normalcy following the military victory, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Electricity remains largely unavailable, structures damaged during the fighting still stand in disrepair, and many workers have not received their paychecks. A number of returnees say they came back not by choice, but out of desperation — driven home by a crackdown on refugees in neighboring Egypt.

The government had relocated its ministries and administrative offices to the coastal city of Port Sudan during the conflict. Officials have since ordered civil servants back to their desks in Khartoum. Students, who had been allowed to attend classes online and sit for exams at temporary locations in other cities or even overseas, have now been directed to return to their school buildings.

Nisreen Altayeb was among those who escaped to Egypt with her family. She made the decision to return after authorities there began cracking down on refugees around the beginning of this year.

“We left Sudan in the first place because of the lack of security, but then we started finding the same thing. It wasn’t safe in Egypt,” Altayeb said.

When word spread that conditions back home were improving, she and her family chose to return. Now she is trying to resume her career as a schoolteacher, but like many other government employees, she has yet to receive even her modest salary.

LIMITED SIGNS OF RECOVERY

Whatever recovery has taken shape has been largely confined to Omdurman, Khartoum’s neighboring city on the other side of the White Nile, where the army had kept a partial foothold throughout the conflict. Khartoum itself, along with Bahri city to the north, continues to operate with little to no electricity or basic services.

The RSF paramilitary group has kept up drone attacks on power stations and military sites around the capital, making the road to recovery even harder.

Altayeb Saadeldin, a spokesman for the Khartoum state government, said those ongoing strikes have reduced the capital’s electricity supply to just one-third of what it was before the war.

“That third is being distributed so we can provide people for 8 hours a day,” he said.

The University of Khartoum sits in one of the most heavily damaged sections of the city. Students who were told to return for in-person classes and exams have arrived to find laboratories, lecture halls, and dormitories still bearing the scars of war.

“The city needs work just like the university needs work,” said student Megdad Kammal.

University administrators say repair and rehabilitation work is underway ahead of the new semester expected later this year.

SMALL BUSINESSES CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

Small business owners have also felt pressure to reopen, especially in Khartoum’s Souq al-Arabi, a large central marketplace that became a battlefield and was left riddled with land mines when the RSF pulled out.

While the authorities have resumed collecting taxes and other fees, many business owners say they still lack access to basic necessities like electricity.

“Our income is very low right now. They need to help us to come back, to encourage us to come back,” said Mohamed Abdelbasit, who runs a print shop. He argued that tax collection should be put on hold to give shopkeepers a chance to cover their expenses.

Saadeldin, the state government spokesman, acknowledged that some payment deferrals are being granted on a case-by-case basis. However, he noted that the cash-strapped state still needs revenue to keep basic services running, including public safety and the sewage system.

A devastating wildfire in southern Spain has killed at least 11 people, placing it among the most deadly fires ever recorded in the country, officials announced Friday as extreme heat continues to bake much of the nation.

The blaze, burning in the Almeria region, claimed several victims who were found inside charred vehicles. Eight additional people sustained injuries in the fire. A massive response effort is underway, with 150 firefighters and 220 soldiers from Spain’s military emergency unit working to bring the flames under control.

Regional emergency officials indicated that four British citizens appear to be among those killed. Andalusia’s regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno told the Cadena Ser radio station that 19 people remain unaccounted for. Authorities had initially reported 12 deaths but revised that figure down Friday morning.

The fire ignited in a small village situated in a dry, semi-arid zone near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains. While officials have not confirmed an official cause, callers who first reported the fire told authorities they believed a downed power line had ignited a blaze that quickly spread into a neighboring forest.

In addition to the human toll, the fire forced road closures and prompted the evacuation of approximately 1,000 residents from the area.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez offered his condolences, posting on X that he felt “immense sadness and desolation in the face of the terrible consequences of the fire affecting the province of Almeria.”

Spain has faced increasingly severe and frequent heat waves in recent years, with temperatures regularly climbing above 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Dry conditions, high heat, and strong winds allow small fires to rapidly grow out of control. This past June, Spain endured several days of record-breaking heat, with more than 1,000 deaths linked to the extreme temperatures.

Parts of Western Europe are currently experiencing their third heat wave in just six weeks.

Europe is warming faster than any other continent on Earth, with temperatures rising at twice the global average rate since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Globally, 2025 ranked as the third-hottest year on record, bringing multiple intense heat events across the continent.

Scientists caution that climate change, driven in part by the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline, oil, and coal, is making heat waves and dry conditions more frequent and severe — leaving regions like southern Spain increasingly at risk for catastrophic wildfires.

Search teams with the Pakistan Navy have pulled additional wreckage from the Arabian Sea following the crash of a cargo plane earlier this week, as rescuers pressed into a third day Friday in their effort to find five missing crew members.

The Pakistan Airports Authority announced via social media platform X that the Pakistan Navy and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency were continuing search-and-rescue operations in deep waters, deploying aircraft and other resources in a coordinated mission to locate the missing crew. The authority indicated further details would be released at a later time, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

The aircraft, operated by Karachi-based private carrier K2 Airways, vanished from radar late Tuesday evening while on a flight from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates bound for Karachi, Pakistan. Before disappearing, the crew reported a malfunction in the plane’s navigation system.

The first pieces of debris were found Wednesday, approximately 100 kilometers — or about 60 miles — off the coastal town of Ormara along Pakistan’s southwestern Makran coast in Balochistan province. Despite those discoveries, the main body of the aircraft and all five crew members have yet to be found.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered authorities to deploy every available resource in the search for the missing crew. K2 Airways has also stated it is fully cooperating with civil aviation officials conducting the crash investigation.

Rescuers have faced significant challenges due to harsh weather conditions at sea, including rough waters, powerful winds, and shifting ocean currents that can spread floating debris across a wide area and make it harder to identify the precise crash location.

According to the Pakistan Airports Authority, radar data showed the plane made a sudden change in direction and dropped rapidly in altitude before all radio and radar contact was lost at approximately 9:21 p.m. Tuesday. At that point, the aircraft was roughly 287 kilometers — around 178 miles — west of Karachi.

Pakistan has a history of deadly aviation accidents spanning several decades.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song in the Chinese capital of Beijing on Friday, according to a report from CCTV, China’s official state television broadcaster.

London’s Metropolitan Police are looking into at least £500,000 — roughly $671,300 — in donations made to Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party, according to a report from the Times newspaper. The funds in question were allegedly contributed by the mother of a close political associate of Farage who was convicted of wire fraud.

In an official statement, police confirmed the scope of the inquiry, saying they are examining potential violations of laws that govern political party donations. Those violations could include hiding the true source of funding or providing false information to a party treasurer.

“An investigation was launched in February 2025 after a referral was made to the Metropolitan Police by the Electoral Commission relating to donations made to a political party ahead of the 2024 UK General Election,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.

Authorities confirmed that two individuals have been interviewed as part of the investigation but stressed that no arrests have been made. Police declined to identify those connected to the donations under scrutiny.

The Times reported that investigators are focusing on payments made by Fiona Cottrell, the mother of George Cottrell, to Reform UK prior to the 2024 election. George Cottrell, described as a long-standing political ally of Farage, served prison time in the United States in 2017 after pleading guilty to wire fraud. He currently works in the cryptocurrency industry.

Farage has been under growing pressure for weeks over questions surrounding his party’s finances and his own financial dealings. Those questions include undisclosed gifts from a cryptocurrency billionaire investor and ties to Cottrell, who has a fraud conviction in the U.S.

Farage has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He has argued that he received a donation from the crypto investor before he formally announced his candidacy in the 2024 election and therefore was not required to disclose it.

In a surprising move earlier this week, Farage — a leading voice behind Brexit — announced he would give up his parliamentary seat and run for it again, framing the decision as a way to seek a public vote of confidence amid the ongoing scrutiny of his finances.

Greek anti-terrorist police announced Friday the arrest of three individuals tied to a string of firebomb attacks targeting conservative politicians — attacks that claimed one life and left four others injured.

The bombings took place in the early morning hours of July 1st in Thessaloniki, a major city in northern Greece. The targets were members of Greece’s ruling conservative New Democracy party. A homemade bomb constructed from camping gas canisters detonated beneath the car of parliamentary candidate Afroditi Nestora, which was parked outside her apartment building. The explosion killed Nestora’s 72-year-old mother.

Nestora herself sustained burns in the attack and remains in the hospital. She briefly left her hospital bed on Thursday to attend her mother’s funeral. Her father and two other residents of the building were also hurt in the blast.

Two additional bombings occurred the same night, also directed at New Democracy party members. Those attacks caused property damage but resulted in no injuries.

Greece has faced politically motivated violence for decades, stretching back to the 1970s. Domestic extremist groups have carried out small-scale bombings over the years, typically going after symbols of authority — including the homes and property of politicians, law enforcement, and other public figures. Crude devices made from camping gas canisters are commonly used, and while the attacks mostly result in material damage, deadly incidents do occur.

Although the most active groups from the 1980s and 1990s have been broken up, new organizations have continued to emerge in their place.

Police said a 29-year-old man was taken into custody in Thessaloniki, while a 26-year-old woman was arrested on the southern island of Crete. Both are suspected of direct involvement in the bombing at Nestora’s home. A third man was arrested on suspicion of sheltering the two suspects at his apartment before and after the attack. Authorities noted that the search for any additional suspects remains ongoing.

This latest incident is part of a broader pattern of politically motivated violence in Greece. In May 2025, a 38-year-old woman died in Thessaloniki when a bomb she was carrying exploded in her hands — authorities believe she had intended to plant it outside a bank. Two months after that, a bomb went off outside the Thessaloniki home of the president of Greece’s prison guards association. He was not hurt, though two bystanders suffered minor injuries from broken glass.

In April of last year, an explosion near the offices of Greece’s main railway company rocked a busy area of central Athens. No one was injured, but the attack came during a period of intense public anger over a 2023 rail disaster that killed 57 people. A newly emerged extremist group claimed responsibility. And in June 2024, a police officer assigned to protect a senior judge’s home in Athens was wounded in a gasoline bomb attack.

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines marked the anniversary Friday of a 2016 international arbitration decision that invalidated China’s broad territorial claims in the South China Sea — a ruling that Washington and allied nations have repeatedly cited in pushing back against Beijing’s growing influence in the region.

China refused to participate in the arbitration process, which the Philippines launched in 2013, and has dismissed the July 12, 2016 decision by a tribunal formed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as illegitimate.

Despite the ruling, Beijing continues to assert control over nearly the entire sea passage — a critical global shipping corridor. Those claims are also disputed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan, making the South China Sea one of Asia’s most volatile potential conflict zones.

Washington has repeatedly urged China to abide by the ruling. Both the previous Biden administration and the current Trump administration have stated that the United States is bound by treaty to come to the Philippines’ defense if Filipino forces, ships, or aircraft face an armed attack in the contested waters. The Philippines is described as the United States’ oldest treaty ally in Asia.

Clashes between Chinese and Philippine forces, as well as Chinese and Vietnamese forces and fishing fleets, have grown more frequent in recent years.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro spoke Thursday, describing the ruling as legally binding and likening it to a navigational beacon.

“When the waters grow turbulent, when unilateral claims cloud the horizon and when the shadow of coercion looms, nations need something far more permanent than political convenience,” Lazaro said. “They need a lighthouse.”

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also weighed in with criticism of China, stating that Australia would “continue to register our concerns about China’s vessels engaging in destabilizing and dangerous conduct in the South China Sea.”

China had not immediately responded publicly, but through a statement issued by its embassy in Manila, Beijing made clear it would never accept the ruling, calling it “illegal, null and void.”

“The award will not alter the historical and factual basis for China’s sovereignty over the islands of the South China Sea and their adjacent waters,” the Chinese embassy in Manila stated, adding that the decision “will not weaken China’s resolve and determination to safeguard its sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”

The arbitration tribunal ruled largely in the Philippines’ favor, finding under the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea that “there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources” in the South China Sea beyond the standard territorial boundaries recognized under the convention.

That convention, widely considered the governing treaty for the world’s oceans, took effect in 1994 and has been ratified by more than 170 countries and parties, including both China and the Philippines.

BANGKOK — Three survivors of a deadly attack on a Thai cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz have taken legal action against the ship’s operator, filing a lawsuit Friday over alleged labor rights violations and wrongful termination.

The vessel, known as the Mayuree Naree, was struck by a projectile north of Oman on March 11. Three crew members died in the attack, while the remaining 20 were rescued and brought back to Thailand roughly a week afterward.

Former crew members Panithi Tumkaew, Noppadon Wongsuvan, and Surades Manpuen have named Precious Shipping Co., two of its affiliated companies, and the ship’s captain as defendants in the case.

According to their attorney, Kunpat Singhathong, the lawsuit claims the defendants put the crew’s lives at risk by choosing to navigate through the strait despite well-known security dangers in the area.

Kunpat explained that all three men were let go before finishing their nine-month employment contracts after the attack disabled the ship. Each received compensation equal to two months’ pay — an amount their lawyer says falls far short of what they deserve.

The reason the compensation is considered inadequate, Kunpat said, is that all three men have since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition that has left them unable to return to work as sailors for the foreseeable future.

Greek counter-terrorism police have taken three people into custody in connection with a series of firebomb attacks on homes belonging to individuals linked to the country’s ruling party, according to the citizens’ protection ministry. The arrests were announced on Friday.

The attacks, which occurred earlier this month in the northern city of Thessaloniki, resulted in the death of a 72-year-old woman who was the mother of one of the governing party’s parliamentary candidates. She passed away from burn injuries sustained in one of the attacks, and four other people were also hurt.

Investigators say the attackers placed lit gas canisters outside three separate buildings. The first two incidents resulted in explosions that caused only property damage. The third attack, however, left five people injured, including the woman who would later die from her wounds at a hospital.

Authorities have connected Friday’s three suspects to that third attack but have not released additional details about the investigation.

Two of the buildings that were targeted contained apartments belonging to figures within the ruling New Democracy party, while the third property was owned by a local politician affiliated with the same party.

Political violence through bombings and arson has a long history in Greece spanning several decades, though in more recent years such attacks have generally resulted in property damage rather than casualties.

Deposed Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has revealed plans to return from exile in India around December, alongside senior members of her political party, intending to voluntarily appear before the courts — despite facing a death sentence back home.

Speaking in an exclusive telephone interview with Reuters lasting nearly an hour, the 78-year-old said she and fellow members of the Awami League — currently a banned organization in Bangladesh — plan to go back to the country they escaped two years ago and present themselves to the justice system.

“They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me,” Hasina said during the late Thursday into Friday conversation.

“Still, I have to go,” she continued. “My party leaders and workers are being subjected to tremendous repression. If death comes, I want it to come on my own soil, where my parents are buried and where their blood was shed.”

Hasina fled Bangladesh in 2024 after widespread protests brought an end to her 20-year run as prime minister across several terms. In November, the country’s war-crimes court handed down a death sentence against her in absentia, finding her responsible for ordering a violent crackdown on a student-led uprising. She has denied all charges while living in exile.

Her potential homecoming could deepen political fault lines in the garment-export nation as the government in Dhaka works to restore order after two turbulent years. At the same time, it could help ease the strained relationship between Bangladesh and India, which worsened significantly after New Delhi gave Hasina refuge. Bangladesh has repeatedly called on India to extradite her.

Hasina said she has not consulted any foreign government about the timing or decision to return. This interview represents the first time she has laid out a specific timeframe, stated her intention to surrender, or disclosed that other exiled Awami League figures would do the same. Among those also facing a death sentence is former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. Reuters was unable to reach the other party members or confirm their whereabouts.

“The authorities in Dhaka want to take me back, they are repeatedly sending letters to India seeking to have me sent back,” she said. “I will go myself.”

Spokespeople for the Bangladeshi government did not respond to requests for comment on Hasina’s statements. India’s foreign ministry also declined to respond, though in April the ministry indicated it was reviewing Bangladesh’s extradition request and expressed a desire to “engage constructively with the new government and further strengthen bilateral ties.”

Hasina spent half a century as a central figure in Bangladeshi politics, first thrust into public life after the assassination of her father — an independence leader — and most of her family during a military coup. She was once celebrated as a champion of democracy and credited with driving significant economic growth in the Muslim-majority country of 170 million people. However, her extended time in power drew accusations that her administration suppressed opposition and weakened democratic institutions — claims she rejects.

A United Nations report found that the crackdown that ultimately led to her removal from power killed as many as 1,400 people.

“Cases have been filed against almost all of our leaders and workers, and many of them are in hiding,” Hasina told Reuters from her exile residence in Delhi. “So I said that this time I am returning home, and one day, all of you should come. All together, we will all surrender in court.”

She stopped short of providing a specific date for her return or identifying which court she would surrender to.

“I believe in justice and I feel that once proceedings start, it will be clear to the people how farcical the court is — and that I want to prove it,” she said.

Numerous Awami League members have reportedly faced arrest, legal action, and physical violence since her government was removed from power, according to media accounts and government officials.

Hasina said she has had no direct communication with Dhaka regarding her return plans. “Democracy, voting rights, the political rights of the Awami League and justice are not subjects for secret talks,” she said.

She expressed no fear about the prospect of imprisonment, noting she has been jailed multiple times throughout her political career. After returning from an earlier period of exile in 1981 following her father’s assassination, she was detained repeatedly while campaigning against military rule. She was imprisoned again in 2007 by a military-backed caretaker government on corruption charges, only to be released and go on to win elections in 2008.

Hasina said threats against her life as crowds moved toward her home were what ultimately drove her to flee Bangladesh this time around.

“When a government works for a long time, mistakes can happen — no government is above error,” she said. “But the right to judge the good and bad, the right and wrong of a government belongs to the people. I leave that judgment to the people.”

She noted that she has been holding virtual meetings covering 125 of Bangladesh’s 300 parliamentary constituencies as part of ongoing efforts to reorganize the Awami League.

“They may have convicted me, and I may not be able to contest elections,” she said. “But why should they suspend the Awami League? If we have done badly, let the people decide.”

Preliminary investigations into Tuesday’s twin bombings in Damascus — which occurred near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying overnight — suggest the cell responsible was connected to Islamic State, according to a senior Syrian security official.

The two explosions wounded 18 people and cast a shadow over Macron’s visit to the Syrian capital, which marked the first trip to the country by a European Union head of state since the removal of Bashar al-Assad from power.

What Is Islamic State?

Islamic State is a Sunni Muslim extremist organization that rose to prominence in Iraq and Syria, eventually declaring a so-called “caliphate” — a form of Islamic government — and claiming authority over all Muslims worldwide. At its peak, the group largely supplanted al Qaeda as the dominant jihadist force.

Between 2014 and 2017, the group controlled vast stretches of Iraq and Syria, governing millions of people under its harsh interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. It maintained a base just a 30-minute drive from Baghdad and even held the Libyan coastal city of Sirte. The group carried out public executions and torture as tools of control, and its fighters either carried out or inspired attacks in dozens of cities across the globe.

A sustained military campaign led by a U.S.-led coalition eventually dismantled the caliphate in both countries.

Where Does It Operate Now?

After being driven out of its strongholds in the Syrian city of Raqqa and the Iraqi city of Mosul, Islamic State retreated into the rural interiors of both countries. Today, the group maintains a notable presence in Syria, Iraq, parts of Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Its fighters are spread across independent cells, its leadership operates in secrecy, and its total numbers are difficult to pin down. The United Nations estimates around 10,000 members remain in the group’s core territories.

Africa has emerged as the primary focus of Islamic State’s activities. The group’s African operations accounted for 86% of its global activity during the first three months of 2026, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a crisis monitoring organization. The largest faction, known as ISWAP, is based primarily in northeastern Nigeria, while other branches are active across the Sahel region, as well as in Somalia, Mozambique, and Congo.

In July, Morocco’s counterterrorism agency announced it had disrupted attack plots against sensitive sites and public security locations carried out by a cell loyal to Islamic State’s Sahel affiliate.

Many foreign fighters have gravitated toward the group’s Khorasan branch — known as ISIS-K — which takes its name from a historical term for a region encompassing parts of Iran, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan.

In the Philippines, Islamic State-linked groups remain active in the southern part of the country, particularly in Mindanao, where pro-Islamic State militants seized control of the city of Marawi in 2017.

Recent Attacks

Leaders across the Middle East and their Western allies have raised alarms that Islamic State could use the 2024 fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government as an opportunity to reassert itself in Syria and neighboring Iraq.

The group has declared a new operational phase in Syria, targeting the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Since February, it has carried out a series of attacks, including one that killed four Syrian government security personnel near Raqqa.

Since Assad’s removal from power, Islamic State has been reactivating dormant sleeper cells, scouting potential targets, and distributing weapons including guns, silencers, and explosives, according to sources who spoke with Reuters. A report by the U.N. Office of Counter-Terrorism revealed that President Sharaa and two senior cabinet ministers had been targeted in five foiled assassination attempts by the group.

Islamic State has also been linked to so-called lone-wolf attacks that are difficult to detect in advance. A 2025 shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach — described as Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years — raised concerns about the group’s influence on individual attackers. Police said Islamic State appeared to have influenced the gunmen, who killed 15 people.

In 2024, Islamic State-Khorasan claimed responsibility for a mass shooting at a concert hall near Moscow that left 149 people dead. The group has also been connected to several other planned attacks in southern Russia and Azerbaijan in recent years, a pattern that has alarmed intelligence agencies.

Goals and Tactics

Islamic State’s overarching goal remains the spread of its extreme interpretation of Islam and the establishment of rule over Muslims. However, the group has significantly changed its methods following the collapse of its territorial holdings and a series of other setbacks.

Iraqi security officials say the organization has undergone a major shift — transitioning from a conventional military-style force into a dispersed underground movement. Rather than massing fighters in large formations, the group now relies on hidden cells, loosely affiliated operatives, and discreet courier networks to communicate and coordinate attacks.

The group has also moved toward a more decentralized structure, giving smaller units and individual members greater independence and reducing dependence on direct orders from senior leadership. Intelligence sources on the ground in Iraq and Syria say this model has helped the group withstand ongoing counterterrorism efforts in the region.

Authorities in China are investigating a deadly fire at a shoe factory in Fujian province that killed 28 people, once again drawing attention to the country’s long-standing workplace safety challenges.

State-run Xinhua News Agency reported Friday that a search operation had concluded and an investigation into the cause of Thursday’s blaze was now underway. The fire destroyed the Fujian Huiteng factory located in Jinjiang, a major hub for sports shoe manufacturing.

Product listings on online retail and import platforms indicate that Fujian Huiteng produces footwear for both Chinese and international brands.

Video footage from local media captured a harrowing scene — workers stranded on the roof of the five-story building, surrounded by thick black smoke, while fire hoses struggled to reach the flames visible through upper-floor windows. Xinhua reported that the factory’s owner and managers were taken into custody and the company’s financial accounts were frozen.

At the time the fire broke out, 237 factory employees and two visitors were inside the building. Of the 213 people who were rescued, two later died at the hospital. An additional 26 individuals who had been reported missing were subsequently confirmed dead, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Workplace safety has remained a stubborn problem throughout China. In May, an explosion at a fireworks plant in Changsha, in the central province of Hunan, killed at least 37 people. In 2024, a fire at a refrigeration facility under construction in Xinyu, in the southeastern province of Jiangxi, took 39 lives.

Despite repeated government orders for businesses to identify and address workplace hazards, official figures show that 18,261 people died in nearly 20,000 workplace accidents across China in 2025 — a decrease from the prior year.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a rapid investigation into the disaster, stating that authorities would “strictly hold those responsible accountable.”

Jinjiang is home to thousands of shoe manufacturers and has earned the nickname the “shoe capital” of China. The city produces roughly one-fifth of all athletic footwear globally — more than a billion pairs annually — according to state media and industry reports.

The region’s growth from small workshops into a major export powerhouse, which Xi has frequently referenced as the “Jinjiang Experience,” is widely regarded as a symbol of China’s rise as a global manufacturing leader.

CCTV reported that the fire originated on the building’s ground floor, where both a workshop and a warehouse were situated. A local fire department official told the state broadcaster that shoe sole materials that had been stacked in stairwells blocked firefighters from accessing the flames. Those shoe materials were described as highly flammable.

According to CCTV, fire crews deployed 183 personnel and 35 vehicles to the scene, and open flames were brought under control after approximately four hours. Xinhua later reported that more than 500 people participated in the overall rescue and search effort.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is pushing governments and global lenders to make greater use of debt-for-education swaps, warning that a deepening education financing crisis is leaving hundreds of millions of students without adequate resources.

UNESCO unveiled new guidance on the debt swap mechanism at a global education summit held in Paris on Friday, making the case that the tool could help financially strained nations redirect money toward classrooms, teacher training, and student support programs.

The way these swaps work: a country refinances or buys back costly debt and then channels the resulting savings directly into education spending.

The World Bank has recently begun supporting such arrangements. UNESCO highlighted several bilateral examples already in use, including a 2023 agreement between France and Ivory Coast that helped finance the construction of more than 30 schools, as well as a Spain-Peru initiative that funded 50 education projects over a ten-year period.

The urgency of UNESCO’s push is underscored by alarming new data. According to the agency, 113 countries representing 6.1 billion people currently spend more on debt repayment than on education. In low-income nations, debt payments run nearly four times higher than what is spent on education. In 18 of the most heavily indebted countries, debt payments outpace education budgets by at least five to one.

The crisis is compounded by falling international support. UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report projects that worldwide aid to education could drop by as much as 30% between 2023 and 2027. Aid to education already fell 8% in 2024 compared to the prior year, while funding specifically for basic education dropped 15%.

Low- and lower-middle-income countries have already lost 21% of the education aid they received in 2023. Countries including Afghanistan, Liberia, Mali, and Niger have experienced declines exceeding 40%.

Education’s share of total global development assistance fell to 7.5% in 2024 — the lowest level recorded in twenty years, UNESCO said. The agency estimates that low- and lower-middle-income countries face an annual education funding shortfall of $97 billion.

UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany issued a stark warning about the situation. “Education is the most powerful investment countries can make, yet it is being systematically underfunded,” he said, calling on world leaders to increase political support for scaling up new and creative financing approaches.

The data and guidance were released at the Transforming Education Summit+4, a gathering of government ministers, development banks, and international organizations focused on measuring progress toward the United Nations’ goal of delivering inclusive, high-quality education to all people by 2030.

KYIV — Russia has found a way to defeat Ukraine’s carefully constructed defenses around its electrical infrastructure, using tiny drones guided by fiber-optic cables to slip through protective barriers and destroy critical power equipment in the northern Ukrainian region of Sumy.

Open-source analysis has revealed footage of the new wave of attacks, which was posted on Russian social media platforms and verified by the Centre for Information Resilience, a London-based open-source investigation group. Reuters also independently confirmed the findings.

Throughout the war, Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian energy facilities, particularly in frontline areas. To counter this, Ukrainian authorities built massive concrete protective shells — known as sarcophagi — around high-voltage transformers and draped them with anti-drone netting. The frontline areas are also packed with electronic warfare equipment designed to knock out the radio signals that control enemy drones.

But a new class of small, agile First Person View (FPV) drones connected to operators via fiber-optic cable has rendered those electronic countermeasures useless. As long as the thin, nearly transparent cable remains intact and unobstructed, the drones are completely immune to signal jamming.

Joshua Scriven, an investigator at the Centre for Information Resilience, explained that Russian operators have been punching holes in the protective netting by sending one drone through first to break it open, then guiding a second drone through the gap. Since May, those drones have been maneuvering around the concrete sarcophagi and navigating through ventilation openings to reach the core piece of equipment inside: the autotransformer.

Destroying the autotransformer — valued at approximately $3.5 million in a 330-kilovolt substation — takes down the entire transformer unit, according to Oleksandr Kharchenko, head of the Energy Research Centre in Kyiv.

The Centre for Information Resilience has confirmed at least four successful strikes on large, well-protected 330 kV substations, along with at least four more hits on smaller 110 kV facilities with less protection. According to Deepstate, an independent organization that produces an online battlefield map, the targeted 330 kV substations are located between 16 and 26 kilometers — roughly 10 to 16 miles — from the front lines, highlighting the increasing operational range of these fiber-optic drones.

“I think why they’ve started using them is because of these protective sarcophagi. They protect against missiles and Shaheds,” Scriven said, referring to the heavy-duty drones Russia has previously used in attacks.

A fiber-optic FPV drone can be built for as little as $2,000. “The cost-benefit analysis there is staggering,” Scriven added.

He said the pattern of strikes suggests Russia is pursuing a deliberate strategy: first isolating Ukrainian regions from the national power grid, then blacking them out entirely by hitting local power stations.

The Sumy region has endured intense Russian bombardment since the summer of 2024, when Ukraine launched a cross-border offensive into Russian territory from the province. That push was eventually repelled, after which Russia launched its own incursion into Sumy.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said the security situation in the region had worsened in June. “Russia’s goal is to terrorise people and make life in the border regions unbearable,” he wrote.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against senior Russian military commanders in connection with attacks on Ukraine’s power grid between 2022 and 2023. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians and maintains that all of its strikes serve a military purpose.

China’s military fired a ballistic missile equipped with a dummy warhead from one of its nuclear-powered submarines into the southern Pacific Ocean on Monday, giving the country’s leadership a rare chance to assess some of the most complex and secretive aspects of its growing nuclear deterrent, according to analysts and diplomats.

Experts say the ability to command, control, and maintain communications with nuclear-armed submarines operating in secret presents enormous challenges — a concern that weighs heavily on the Chinese Communist Party leadership, for whom military loyalty is a top priority.

“This aspect is certainly something that would have been very much evaluated, besides looking at the actual technical capabilities of the missile and submarine,” said Collin Koh, a security scholar at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

Koh added: “There are still challenges ahead but it would seem they are getting close to an operational strike capability here…they are probably trying to demonstrate that even if they can’t get into a position to hit the continental U.S., they could still target Guam and Hawaii.”

The United States characterized the weapon as an intercontinental ballistic missile that came down in the southern Pacific Ocean. Chinese state media and government officials, however, described the launch as a “routine” military exercise that was not aimed at any particular country or target and was carried out professionally. China’s defense ministry did not respond to questions from Reuters.

Monday’s test was China’s most notable long-range ballistic missile launch since September 2024, when the People’s Liberation Army fired a missile into the southern Pacific from a mobile launcher located on Hainan Island in the South China Sea.

Analysts and academics identified the submarine involved as one of China’s six Type-094 nuclear-powered submarines, known as SSBNs — large vessels designed to launch nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles. Chinese state media confirmed it was a strategic missile submarine but did not name the specific class.

Military observers say China’s SSBN operations, which are based out of Hainan Island, are among the most carefully watched components of the country’s military modernization effort. These submarines are central to China’s nuclear deterrent strategy by ensuring what is known as a second-strike capability — meaning China could retaliate even if its land-based nuclear weapons were wiped out in an enemy first strike. This is considered especially significant given China’s official policy of not being the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.

The U.S. and its allies work to monitor Chinese submarines using naval ships, underwater sensor networks at key ocean passages, and surveillance aircraft including the P-8 Poseidon, which carries advanced maritime detection equipment. Such monitoring efforts are expected to grow as China’s submarine capabilities improve.

A 2022 Pentagon report stated that China had begun conducting near-continuous deterrence patrols with its SSBNs. The U.S., Russia, France, and Britain have maintained similar nuclear patrol capabilities for decades, and India is currently developing its own fleet of SSBNs.

A study released this week by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a Chicago-based research organization, noted that while U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed that China’s submarines carry nuclear warheads during patrols, some officials have told the study’s authors so in private conversations.

The study also noted that “President Xi Jinping’s purge of military officials — including leaders of the People’s Liberation Army’s rocket force — make it seem unlikely that nuclear warheads would be handed over to the military under normal circumstances.”

The exact location of Monday’s launch and the specific missile used have not been confirmed. However, analysts note that for a Chinese submarine to reach the continental United States using its most advanced submarine-launched missile — the JL-3 — it would need to travel beyond the South China Sea into the western Pacific, where it could risk detection by rival naval forces.

The JL-3, believed to carry multiple warheads and publicly displayed during a military parade in Beijing in September 2025, has a reported range of 10,000 kilometers, or about 6,214 miles. The Type-094 submarine is expected to eventually be replaced by a quieter, more advanced model currently in development.

China’s state-affiliated Global Times newspaper said the missile launch demonstrated the country’s ongoing effort to strengthen its “nuclear triad” — the capacity to deploy nuclear weapons from land, sea, and air. An editorial in the publication stated: “This will compel external powers and their followers to abandon attempts aimed at forcing Chinese concessions through maximum military pressure or pre-emptive strikes, thereby fundamentally reducing the risk of large-scale conflict.”

Ten years ago, the Philippines scored a major legal win against China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea — but for the fishermen of Masinloc who once relied on Scarborough Shoal for their livelihoods, that victory has meant very little on the water.

The shoal, one of the most fiercely disputed stretches of ocean in Asia, has remained under China’s effective control since 2012. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration — an international tribunal — determined that Beijing’s broad maritime claims had no legal foundation. The tribunal also noted that the shoal’s waters, known to China as Huangyan Dao, are traditional fishing grounds used by several nations including the Philippines, China, and Vietnam. However, the ruling stopped short of determining which country holds sovereignty over the shoal itself.

Fishermen from the coastal town of Masinloc once tried to access the shoal under the cover of darkness, hoping to avoid Chinese vessels. Now, many say they’ve stopped going altogether, citing an intensified Chinese effort to block and chase them away.

Rony Drio, 59, hasn’t returned to the area since 2024. His fellow fisherman Henrilito Empoc, 47, last visited in 2022. Both men now fish much closer to shore.

When news of the 2016 ruling spread, Empoc said the reaction among fishermen was one of hope. “When we heard that we had won, what came to our minds and hearts was the freedom to fish again and the hope of a better livelihood,” he recalled.

That hope, however, quickly faded. Empoc says he has witnessed Chinese vessels fire water cannons at Filipino fishing boats, and has had his anchor lines cut by Chinese personnel in efforts to force him out. “They took away our right to fish,” said Empoc, who now drives a motorized tricycle taxi to help make ends meet.

Drio described an incident from a few years ago in which Chinese personnel ordered him and another fisherman out of the shoal’s lagoon. Because the water was too shallow for their boat, the two men were forced to drag it over jagged coral. “The coral hurt our feet, but what hurt more was what they were doing to us,” he said.

China’s embassy in Manila did not respond to a request for comment on the fishermen’s allegations. Beijing has consistently refused to recognize the tribunal’s ruling, maintaining that it holds “indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Island and its adjacent waters.”

Scarborough Shoal has remained a persistent flashpoint between Manila and Beijing. Earlier this year, tensions flared again after China installed a floating barrier at the entrance to the shoal’s lagoon — a structure that was eventually removed following protests from the Philippines. Beijing has also floated a proposal to turn the shoal into a nature reserve, a plan Manila has condemned as a “clear pretext for occupation.”

Diplomats and analysts have expressed concern that ongoing confrontations in the South China Sea could spiral into armed conflict. In June 2024, a Filipino sailor lost a finger during a violent clash with the Chinese coast guard while on a resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines maintains a grounded warship.

Philippine officials argue the tribunal’s ruling has bolstered the country’s legal standing and supported a policy of publicly documenting confrontations at sea. The decision has also helped expand defense ties with allies, including deepened military and maritime cooperation with the United States, Japan, and Australia.

Jay Batongbacal, director at the Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea at the University of the Philippines, said China’s aggressive behavior has actually worked against its own interests. “Without China’s actions, the number of allies and security partners for the Philippines definitely would not have increased,” he said.

But for fishermen like Drio and Empoc, geopolitical gains offer no comfort. “We won in 2016, but it doesn’t feel like a victory to me,” Drio said.

Russian authorities reported Friday that a drone strike set fire to the Ilsky oil refinery located in the southern Krasnodar region, while a separate attack on the city of Taganrog prompted officials to evacuate nearby residents.

According to preliminary reports from local officials, no one was hurt in either incident.

In recent months, Ukraine has intensified its targeting of Russian energy facilities and other key infrastructure as part of its strategy to weaken Moscow’s ability to sustain its war effort. The Ilsky refinery, which has a processing capacity of roughly 138,000 barrels of oil per day, has been the target of multiple attacks in the past.

These repeated strikes on fuel-processing facilities have contributed to fuel shortages throughout Russia, with long lines forming at gas stations and prices rising across the country.

In Russia’s Rostov region, Governor Yury Slyusar announced via Telegram that crews were working to extinguish fires at two separate fuel depots as well as at the Taganrog sea port.

Taganrog Mayor Svetlana Kambulova posted on the Max messaging app that residents living in the affected neighborhoods had been evacuated from their homes. She noted that a private residence sustained damage and that the roof of an administrative building also caught fire.

Russia’s Defence Ministry stated that air defense units had shot down 376 Ukrainian drones during the overnight assault.

JOHANNESBURG — Anger over joblessness, crime, and years of sluggish economic growth has been driving a wave of anti-migrant protests across South Africa. But economists are sounding the alarm: pushing out foreign workers could actually harm the very businesses and job markets that protest organizers claim they want to defend.

Anti-migrant feelings have been growing sharply in recent months, reaching a peak with a nationwide demonstration on June 30. While the protests were mostly peaceful, the threat of violence has been enough to send thousands of African migrants packing and leaving South Africa behind.

Their exit, economists say, threatens to leave serious gaps in industries that have depended heavily on foreign labor — including construction, farming, delivery services, and small neighborhood shops — while also weakening the country’s large informal economy.

Mpho Lenoke, a lecturer at North-West University, explained that migrants tend to fill roles that are hard to staff. “Migrants typically find work in sectors where vacancies are difficult to fill, including farming, construction, hospitality, retail, transport and the informal sector,” Lenoke said.

United Nations figures show that approximately 2.6 million migrants were living in South Africa as of 2024, making up roughly 5% of the total population. Although current data on their economic impact is limited, estimates from the OECD and ILO based on 2010 modeling put migrants’ contribution to the country’s GDP at around 9%.

Lenoke also noted the broader benefits migrants bring. “Many foreign nationals are starting businesses that employ South Africans and bring competition, which is good for consumers,” she said. “International experience suggests that restrictions on migrant labour often have unintended economic consequences.”

The protests have already caused visible disruptions in parts of the retail world. Foreign-owned spaza shops — informal convenience stores typically run out of garages, makeshift stalls, or shipping containers — play a significant role in South Africa’s informal economy, supporting wholesalers, property owners, and local workers alike.

Sixty60, the grocery delivery service operated by Shoprite Group, Africa’s largest food retailer, experienced service disruptions during the most recent wave of protests. According to company figures, fewer than one in four of its delivery drivers held South African citizenship.

The anti-migrant movement has been gaining strength for years as South Africa has struggled with weak economic performance. The World Bank lowered its 2026 growth forecast for the country to 1.0% in June, down from a previous estimate of 1.4%. Meanwhile, Statistics South Africa reported an unemployment rate of nearly one-third during the first quarter of the year, leaving 8.1 million people out of work.

Those difficult conditions have stoked resentment toward migrants. However, a study conducted by the International Labour Organization using labor force survey data found that when immigrant participation in the workforce rises, job opportunities for South African-born workers tend to increase as well.

Beyond the labor market, protests themselves can damage the economy through looting and forced business closures, according to Susanna Deetlefs of ACLED. “Supply chains are disrupted, jobs are lost, and access to goods and services is curtailed when tensions escalate,” she said.

So far, investors have not panicked, but they are taking note of the growing unrest as a new risk factor. “It is a significant social problem in South Africa that investors keep hearing about, but they actually haven’t seen an actual real-life impact of it,” said Kaan Nazli, an emerging markets debt portfolio manager at Neuberger Berman. “Now, with these protests, this is a risk.”

The consequences stretch well beyond South Africa’s borders. According to ILO data, South Africa is the region’s primary source of remittances and its largest host of working-age migrants. A joint report from FinMark Trust and the South African Reserve Bank found that money sent out of the country more than tripled between 2016 and 2024, reaching over 19 billion rand — approximately $1.16 billion — in 2024.

Nearly 90% of those transfers to southern Africa went to Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, with Zimbabwe alone receiving more than 60% of the total amount.

As evening fell over the fields of Gurdaspur, India, villagers crowded into the courtyard of a Sikh temple to watch a film that Indian authorities have blocked from public view.

The movie, called “Satluj,” is based on the true story of a human rights activist who uncovered thousands of cases of disappearances and unlawful killings during a government crackdown on a separatist movement in India’s Punjab state during the 1980s and early 1990s.

At the Gurdaspur screening, elderly survivors of the insurgency sat alongside teenagers who were born long after the conflict had ended. When the film began to play, the crowd went completely quiet.

Originally released under the title “Punjab 95,” the movie spent three years in limbo after India’s censor board demanded more than 120 changes. Unable to secure a traditional theatrical release, it eventually debuted on the ZEE5 streaming service — but was pulled from the platform in India just two days later.

That removal sparked an unexpected response.

Throughout villages across Punjab, Sikh organizations, local activists, and ordinary residents began setting up community screenings using copies of the film that had been shared online. Temple grounds and village gathering spaces were transformed into open-air theaters, where audiences came not only to watch a movie but to witness a retelling of one of India’s most painful internal conflicts.

“Satluj” is drawn from the life of rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, whose investigation into alleged unlawful killings brought to light one of the darkest chapters in Punjab’s history. The conflict saw Sikh militant groups fighting for an independent Khalistan go up against Indian security forces, with thousands of civilians, militants, and police officers losing their lives.

During that period, human rights groups documented claims of forced disappearances, killings in custody, and secret cremations. Khalra’s investigation alleged that thousands of people who had vanished were cremated by police in secret, without notifying families or keeping any official records.

Khalra was abducted in 1995 and subsequently killed. A number of police officers were later convicted in connection with his murder.

Though the insurgency was ultimately suppressed and support for Khalistan diminished within Punjab, the Indian government still considers separatist sentiment a national security threat. Officials have not publicly explained why the film was removed, but told local media outlets it was taken down for security reasons.

The community screenings are organized through grassroots effort. Residents supply projectors, speakers, and power generators. Sikh temples and village community spaces serve as makeshift outdoor theaters for the evening, and volunteers spread news of each event door to door.

Inderjeet Singh Bains, who helps coordinate screenings in the Gurdaspur district, said the goal is to create spaces where people can come together, watch the film, and reflect on a period of Punjab’s history that still resonates across generations.

“When we screen the film, we see our elders and mothers, many of them 60 or 70 years old, crying because they have lost their sons. Our people have endured immense suffering,” Bains said.

Gurmukh Singh, who attended one of the screenings, said the film gave a voice to stories that younger people in Punjab had only heard in pieces. For families in his village, he said, the insurgency is not a distant historical event but a lived reality — many lost loved ones to the violence.

“After watching the movie, there is a feeling of the grief our earlier generations had to bear,” Singh said.

The removal of “Satluj” has reignited a broader conversation about freedom of artistic expression in India, where films have increasingly faced censorship battles under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government. Critics say such conflicts have grown more common and accuse the government of favoring films that fit its nationalist message.

“Everything happened right before our eyes, so what is there to oppose? The truth is coming to light, and people should be allowed to see it,” said Balwinder Singh, a Sikh religious leader.

The government maintains that film certification decisions are made independently and in accordance with the law.

In a statement, ZEE5 said the film would no longer be available for viewing in India “in light of current developments,” but added that it would pursue “every appropriate avenue through due process” to have it restored.

Diljit Dosanjh, the lead actor who portrays Khalra in the film, said he is not worried about whether the movie remains available online, because once people have seen it, “it cannot be erased.”

That idea appears to be taking hold across Punjab’s villages.

Inside the temple courtyard in Gurdaspur, viewers watched scenes depicting police killings, crackdowns, and families desperately searching for answers. After the film ended, many stayed behind to talk, comparing what they had seen on screen with memories they had carried for decades.

Pawan Deep Kaur described the film as a heartbreaking portrayal of the suffering endured by the older generation.

“It made us cry endlessly,” she said.

LONDON — In what felt more like a scene from a heist film than a museum loan, the Bayeux Tapestry quietly arrived at the British Museum in the middle of the night Friday — marking the first time the irreplaceable medieval masterpiece has been on English ground in nearly a millennium.

The elaborate, high-security operation was shrouded in secrecy from start to finish. Every detail of the tapestry’s transport had been kept tightly under wraps due to security concerns, and the slightest mishap could have had catastrophic consequences for the fragile, ancient work.

“It feels extraordinary that after so much work and planning and care and thought that it’s actually happening,” said British Museum Director Nicholas Cullinan, who was on hand to witness the arrival. “It’s the first time in 1,000 years that such an important piece of British — French too — history is going to be on these shores. It’s incredibly exciting.”

The tapestry, which stretches 70 meters (230 feet) in length, was folded accordion-style and placed inside a climate-controlled case, which was then secured within a shock-absorbing cradle. The whole assembly was loaded onto a truck that made the crossing from France via a vehicle shuttle train through the Channel Tunnel.

The journey covered 350 miles (560 kilometers) over 11 hours, with a police escort accompanying the truck the entire way. Upon reaching the museum, workers carefully lowered the container — roughly the size of a small car — to the ground inside a loading bay. Museum staff, along with British and French diplomats who had gathered in hushed anticipation, erupted in applause when it safely arrived.

Before the tapestry can be unpacked and put on display, it will spend several days adjusting to its new environment. The British Museum expects the exhibition, which opens September 10 and runs through July 2027, to rank among the most popular in the institution’s history. Demand for tickets was staggering — 100,000 were snapped up on the first day they became available this month.

“It was like trying to get tickets to Glastonbury,” Cullinan said. “I don’t take for granted that people care that much about a 1,000-year-old embroidery. I think that’s an amazing thing.”

The artwork, crafted from wool thread stitched onto linen fabric, chronicles the events that led up to the Battle of Hastings in October 1066. That was when William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harald’s Anglo-Saxon army, ending Saxon rule and establishing William the Conqueror as the first Norman king of England.

Historians believe the tapestry was commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, who was William’s half brother, and was likely sewn by women in England — possibly nuns — before being transported across the Channel. For most of the past thousand years, it has resided in the town of Bayeux in northwestern France, with only two brief stays at the Louvre in Paris.

Securing the loan was itself a significant diplomatic achievement. The arrangement was announced during a state visit to the United Kingdom by French President Emmanuel Macron in July 2025, and it coincides with renovation work at the French museum where the tapestry is normally housed.

As part of the agreement, the British Museum will send items from the Sutton Hoo hoard — artifacts recovered from a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon ship burial — along with other objects, on loan to museums in Normandy.

Retired British diplomat Peter Ricketts, who served as the U.K.’s special envoy for the tapestry and helped broker the deal, called it “an extraordinary mark of friendship and confidence in the U.K. to entrust this object to us for a year.”

Ricketts also shared his view of why the French president agreed to the loan: “Macron, when he offered us the tapestry, I think he understood that it would have far more impact in the U.K. than it does in France, because it’s more fundamental to our national story. Everybody (in Britain) knows 1066.”

The tapestry is remarkably detailed, featuring 627 people and 737 animals spread across 58 scenes. The imagery ranges from battlefield combat to mutilated bodies, including the famous depiction of King Harold being struck by an arrow through his eye.

“It has an emotional richness that is really difficult to get from written sources,” said Millie Horton-Insch, the project curator for the British Museum exhibition. “It just brings people closer to this history than any other object can. It’s not the same as reading a text. You are looking at something that was handled by the people who lived through it and felt compelled to record these events in this way.”

Horton-Insch also marveled at the tapestry’s survival across ten centuries of threats she described as “moths, mice, mold damp, fire,” suggesting its humble materials may have actually helped protect it.

“It’s not really made of any blingy fabric,” she said. “It’s not gold, it’s not silver. There wasn’t the same temptation to cut it up and make it into vestments or repurpose it for anything.”

Not everyone supported the move. Some French cultural figures argued that transporting the tapestry posed too great a risk. Cullinan said expert teams conducted two full trial runs of the journey beforehand to confirm the fragile piece could withstand the stress of travel.

“Such care has gone into it. I can’t think of a level of care for any other museum loan,” he said, adding that he understands why people have concerns. “The tapestry arouses great interest and passion. Which is a wonderful thing.”

MANILA — The Philippines announced Friday that an upcoming gathering of Southeast Asian foreign ministers will take up Myanmar’s devastating civil war and the question of how the regional bloc might restore ties with the country after a five-year freeze.

As the current chair of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Philippines will host Sunday’s meeting in Bangkok — the first face-to-face session with Myanmar’s top diplomat since a military coup in 2021 set off a conflict that led to the ruling generals being barred from ASEAN summits.

That coup, carried out by an army that has governed Myanmar for five of the last six decades, unleashed widespread turmoil. A violent crackdown on protesters spiraled into a full-scale civil war, in which an estimated 100,000 people have lost their lives and millions more have been forced from their homes. The military has faced accusations of committing widespread atrocities, allegations it continues to deny.

Myanmar is now governed by a nominally civilian administration following elections held earlier this year. Former armed forces commander and junta leader Min Aung Hlaing now serves as president.

The Philippine foreign ministry emphasized that Myanmar remains a full member of ASEAN and clarified that Sunday’s session will be informal in nature. It will give Myanmar’s foreign minister an opportunity to brief regional counterparts on conditions inside the country.

According to a statement from the ministry, participants “are expected to exchange views on ASEAN’s engagement with Myanmar, as well as on possible concrete steps in which Myanmar may address concerns on the cessation of violence, constructive dialogue among concerned parties, and humanitarian assistance.”

Min Aung Hlaing has been working to break the deadlock with ASEAN and last week made his first official state visit to a fellow ASEAN member nation. A central reason for Myanmar’s exclusion from the bloc has been his failure to follow through on a “five-point consensus” he agreed to with ASEAN after the coup, which laid out a path toward de-escalation and dialogue between the warring factions.

However, efforts to normalize relations face a new obstacle. Myanmar’s military-aligned parliament has advanced a motion pushing back against that peace plan, labeling it interference in the country’s internal affairs and a breach of ASEAN’s foundational principles.

A lengthy front-page article published Friday in the Global New Light of Myanmar, the military’s official newspaper, reported that lawmakers had backed a resolution urging the government to challenge and review ASEAN’s stance.

The newspaper reported that “lawmakers from both houses largely supported the motion, arguing that ASEAN should reassess its position on Myanmar following political developments and the formation of a new elected government.”

A curated photo gallery covering the week of July 3 through July 9, 2026 offers a striking look at some of the most powerful moments across Latin America and the Caribbean.

On the soccer pitch, fans of Mexico and Brazil were left disappointed after both nations fell to England and Norway, respectively, during the World Cup knockout round. Meanwhile, Argentine supporters took to the streets in celebration after their team edged out Egypt in a thrilling 3-2 victory.

In Venezuela, communities continue to reel from twin earthquakes that struck two weeks ago. Recovery teams have pulled additional bodies from the debris as displaced residents work to piece their lives back together.

Across the water in Cuba, residents navigated their daily routines in darkness as a blackout left the entire island without power.

The gallery was put together by photo editor Leslie Mazoch, working out of Mexico City.

HONG KONG (AP) — Dog owners in Hong Kong are celebrating a long-awaited change that lets them bring their pets along when they go out to eat. The city has lifted a restriction that had been on the books since 1994, which limited restaurant access to only guide dogs and animals performing official duties.

The new policy, designed to foster a more pet-friendly culture, took effect Thursday and covers more than 900 restaurants participating in the first phase of the rollout.

This is one of several recent moves Hong Kong has made toward becoming more animal-inclusive. The city now permits pets on select ferry routes and certain metro train lines that serve rural areas, and public hospitals have begun allowing animals to visit patients receiving end-of-life care.

City officials report that more than 240,000 households — roughly 9% of all homes in Hong Kong — have at least one pet cat or dog, with the total number of pets exceeding 400,000.

At Wan Land Cafe, owner Kelvin Chan posted a sign letting customers know dogs are now welcome inside. Before the rule change, dogs could only be in the outdoor seating area, which posed problems during Hong Kong’s sweltering summer months.

Chan doesn’t expect the policy to dramatically increase his business, but as a dog owner himself, he sees it as an opportunity to shift attitudes. He acknowledged that while pet lovers are enthusiastic about the change, people who aren’t accustomed to dining near dogs may need some time to adjust.

He believes that well-behaved pets and responsible owners will gradually help those who are less comfortable with animals come around to the idea.

A catastrophic wildfire burning in the Almeria region of southern Spain has claimed the lives of 12 people, the Emergency Agency of Andalucía confirmed in an early Friday announcement.

Antonio Sanz, the Minister of the Presidency, Health, and Emergencies, described the disaster in stark terms, calling it “the most devastating fire to date in our region” and labeling the situation an “unprecedented tragedy.”

More than 150 firefighters have been mobilized in an effort to bring the blaze under control.

Initial reports had placed the death toll at six. Juanma Moreno, who leads Spain’s southern Andalusia region, addressed those earlier confirmed deaths in a post on X, writing: “Our deepest condolences to the families of the six people who lost their lives in the Los Gallardos and the affection from all of us to the municipalities affected by the fire.”

RISHON LEZION, Israel — With GPS coordinates marked and an anchor tossed overboard, an orange buoy bobbed to the surface as a team of Israeli divers geared up on the bow of a research vessel. They pulled on wet suits, ran checks on their oxygen tanks, and slipped beneath the Mediterranean waves.

After spending hours searching the seafloor for yellow-painted practice mortar shells, however, the team came up with nothing.

It was the fifth dive in a multi-year research effort designed to help Israel figure out how to safely remove unexploded grenades and other munitions from the sea — and eventually return a stretch of beach to local residents. But that day in June, the dummy shells the team had placed months earlier were nowhere to be found, offering a preview of the enormous challenges that lie ahead.

“It’s really hard to find things in the sea,” said Roy Jaijel, a researcher in the marine geology and geophysics department at Israel’s National Institute of Oceanography, after surfacing from the dive.

Jaijel is co-leading a project focused on reclaiming roughly 2 kilometers, or about 1.2 miles, of shoreline in the central Israeli city of Rishon LeZion — a stretch that has functioned as a military firing range for decades. The initiative is the first of its kind in Israel and aligns with a worldwide effort to better safeguard oceans and seas as global demand grows for their use in shipping, energy production, and recreation.

According to experts, the issue of underwater munitions has drawn increasing attention in part because of the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, which depends on millions of kilometers of fiber-optic cables running along the ocean floor to keep the world connected.

Munitions end up underwater in a variety of ways — dumped after wars, lost during active conflict, or, as in Rishon LeZion’s case, left behind from years of military training exercises. Over time, seawater erodes the shells, causing toxic chemicals, explosive compounds, and heavy metals to leak out and contaminate the surrounding environment. There is also the danger of an accidental detonation if someone steps on one — or if a child picks one up, mistaking it for a toy.

Two years ago, Europe launched a program to better detect and remove non-military unexploded ordnance from industrial and commercial sites. In a separate effort in 2024, Germany began a pilot program to collect and dispose of military debris in the North and Baltic Seas, where the German government estimates some 1.6 million tonnes of unexploded munitions from two world wars still rest on the seafloor.

Despite these efforts, there has been comparatively little focus on clearing munitions from Middle Eastern waters, including the Mediterranean, which has historically seen fewer large-scale dumping events than European seas.

Project leaders in Israel say their work is among the first to specifically address the challenge of clearing smaller munitions in complex underwater environments — a task that many countries have steered clear of entirely.

“It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” said Israel Faintuch, head of the Maritime Division at Israel’s Ministry of Defense National Mine Action Authority, as he checked his oxygen tank and prepared to dive.

The Israeli government says that nearly half of the country’s 194-kilometer, or 120-mile, coastline is closed to the public, taken up by commercial ports, power stations, desalination plants, military installations, and firing zones.

Since Israel’s founding nearly 80 years ago, 7 kilometers — roughly 4.3 miles and nearly the entire length of Rishon LeZion’s shoreline — has been used as a military firing range. Grenades and both small and large mortars have been launched there over the years, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents squeezed onto a narrow band of accessible beach.

The joint research project, which launched last year, is funded by the Rishon LeZion municipality and is being led by Israel’s National Mine Action Authority alongside researchers from the National Institute of Oceanography. The goal is to identify the most heavily affected areas, map where the munitions are concentrated, and determine how far out to sea and how deep the clearance effort will need to go.

To collect data, divers place fake munitions of varying sizes — some fitted with motion sensors — at depths of 5, 10, and 15 meters (16, 33, and 59 feet) and at distances up to 1.2 kilometers, or about 0.75 miles, from shore. After several months, the team retrieves the devices, studies the data, and then deploys a new set.

In June, Associated Press journalists joined the team underwater as divers placed a fresh round of test munitions and attempted to recover ones left behind in January. The divers used a string or measuring tape to navigate along the seafloor, tapping each other and pointing in different directions as they swept their hands across the sandy bottom in search of the hidden objects.

“You have limited air supply when you go with the divers and you have limited time in the water,” said Dafna Eliahu, a graduate student working on the project. “So with actual live munition I expect it to be very difficult, very hard to locate and to actually be able to find them.”

Eliahu noted that while the data from the sensors is still being analyzed, early results suggest the munitions moved less than anticipated — a potentially encouraging sign that the area requiring clearance may be smaller than originally feared.

Israel’s Defense Ministry is aiming to collect enough data to begin actual clearance operations by the end of next year, with an initial goal of opening up 150 meters, or about 492 feet, of shoreline within a few months after that. Completing the full project will take years and is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars. Progress has already been set back by Israel’s multiple military conflicts — including wars with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran — since divers cannot work when missiles are being fired and may land in the sea.

During the current war that the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran, as well as a 12-day conflict last June between Israel and Iran, the military acknowledged that missiles aimed at larger cities including Rishon LeZion fell into the sea, though officials declined to say how many.

Israeli authorities say no one has been killed or injured by unexploded sea ordnance, but roughly a dozen sightings of suspicious devices over the past 20 years have prompted responses from police and military units. Most of those objects were found on or near the shoreline.

Beyond expanding beach access for local residents, Israel also hopes the research will generate new knowledge about munitions clearance in this part of the world, where threats exist but relatively little data has been gathered.

According to the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, more than half of all global incidents involving unexploded ordnance — including sightings and drifting mines — were recorded in the Middle East between 2014 and 2023. The majority occurred in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen and in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, largely as a result of Yemen’s civil war.

Pedro Basto, research and innovation program manager with the organization, stressed the importance of keeping attention focused on the removal of underwater explosives given how much modern society depends on the seas.

“Both renewable energies based on the sea (wind turbines and harnessing water currents) and the global connectivity that most of the world relies on every minute of every day, depend massively on underwater cable laying,” he said.

As the project moves forward, residents of Rishon LeZion say they are eager for the day when more of their coastline becomes accessible.

Moria Malka, head spokesperson for the city’s municipality, said the clearance effort will triple the amount of available coastline in the area, with much of it set to become a nature reserve as well as residential space near the water. For beachgoers like Mark Kostman, that prospect is welcome news.

“Holidays and Saturdays, all of this place is completely crowded and too dense to even have fun,” Kostman said while playing volleyball with his children near the firing zone. “Having it as public space for leisure and sport … it’s wonderful.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States carried out new airstrikes against Iran in the early hours of Thursday, and Iran struck back by targeting American-allied nations across the Middle East — a dangerous exchange that has put a shaky interim ceasefire agreement at serious risk of collapse.

While similar back-and-forth attacks have threatened the ceasefire on previous occasions, Thursday’s round appeared to be the most significant yet. Air raid sirens went off at least three times in Bahrain, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters. Missiles were also directed at Kuwait and Qatar. Later that afternoon, sirens sounded in Jordan, where U.S. troops and aircraft are stationed.

An Iranian official alleged that the U.S. launched a strike Thursday targeting the area surrounding Iran’s only nuclear power plant, and additional explosions were reported across the country during the afternoon hours.

In the early hours of Friday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was buried in his hometown of Mashhad following several days of public mourning. Khamenei was killed during the opening strikes of the Iran conflict.

The latest round of strikes came just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump declared that recent Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz had effectively ended the fragile ceasefire, and warned of further escalation if the attacks did not stop. Those statements raised fears that the region could slide back into full-scale war involving multiple countries — and potentially choke off energy shipments through the strait, which are vital to the global economy.

U.S. Military Strikes 90 Targets Inside Iran

The U.S. military’s Central Command announced it struck 90 locations throughout Iran, releasing black-and-white video footage appearing to show hits on an airport runway and missile launch sites.

According to the U.S., the strikes were aimed at further weakening Iran’s capacity to threaten shipping in the strait. Before the war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28, roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed through that waterway.

Some shipping activity has resumed since a tentative agreement last month included provisions to reopen the strait. Maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence reported Thursday that early figures showed at least 576 ships passed through the strait in June, up from 233 in May — though still far below the more than 3,100 vessels that transited the strait in June 2025.

Trump Warns Iran: Next Attack Will Bring Worse Consequences

After departing a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted multiple videos to his social media platform showing what he described as explosions inside Iran, and issued a fresh warning to the country.

“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote Wednesday — one day after three tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump also repeated earlier threats to strike Iranian infrastructure, including electrical and water desalination facilities, and to seize Kharg Island, through which approximately 90% of Iran’s oil exports flow.

Final Deal Talks Expected After Khamenei Funeral

Trump said Wednesday that the interim ceasefire was “over,” though he indicated he would allow negotiations to continue while expressing doubt that negotiators were making productive use of their time, saying he believed they were “wasting their time.”

Talks aimed at reaching a permanent agreement were scheduled to begin following Khamenei’s funeral. Those negotiations are expected to tackle the most difficult issues, including fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz and dismantling Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

TOKYO (AP) — Three times a week, Akiko Sugaya pushes a pink cart through the narrow, winding streets of eastern Tokyo, tooting a small brass bugle and wearing a straw hat as she hawks tofu — the protein-packed soybean staple beloved across much of Asia.

But selling soybean curd in its many forms is only part of what drives her. For Sugaya, this is something far greater than a job. It’s a calling.

Beyond being a purveyor of nutritious food, she functions as an informal community watchdog, keeping an eye on the elderly residents she visits along her route through Tokyo’s Ojima neighborhood — a mostly residential area of modest homes interspersed with stretches of larger apartment buildings.

She knows her customers’ routines the way a family member might, and they know hers. Over the years, she has lost several elderly regulars who passed away alone — a growing reality in Japan, which ranks among the countries with the oldest populations on earth.

“More than once I was the first one to find their bodies,” Sugaya said, speaking from a small shop she also operates on a busy commercial street in the neighborhood.

She explained that access is rarely a barrier in the area. “In an area like this, some people just leave their doors unlocked,” she said. “Or I can get access by asking the landlords.”

In smaller homes along the street, warning signs are easy to spot — newspapers piling up outside or laundry left unattended. Larger apartment complexes, however, make it much harder to notice when something might be wrong.

Sugaya has been making her rounds for 23 years, and the work has given her as much as she’s given her customers. She says she was bullied growing up and lost several jobs before discovering that delivering quality food could feed her own sense of purpose as much as it nourished others.

“Selling tofu on a cart made me think I am OK to be myself,” she said. “I used to be repeatedly put down, but through cart-selling I built up my self-esteem.”

“I was still nervous with women around my age,” she added. “But I felt safe when surrounded by the elderly whose smiles are warm and kind.”

One of her regular visitors is Shinji Saito, who stops by her shop every day. Saito, who has epilepsy, describes Sugaya’s welcoming nature as “magical.”

She also represents a fading tradition. There was a time when vendors routinely walked neighborhood streets offering ramen, sweet potatoes, vegetables, and other goods. That era has largely given way to delivery apps and smartphone orders.

“Delivery of newspapers or tofu, what used to be part of our daily lives, have been replaced by delivery apps or smart phones,” Sugaya said. “One can easily spend a day without having any verbal conversation with others.”

“When you go to a convenience store, you hit a button on a screen and don’t even say hello to anyone. It leaves you empty,” she added.

Her three-hour afternoon walks take her through a labyrinth of streets where sales are sometimes sparse but conversations are plentiful. One customer comes out to buy tofu and ends up chatting about her mischievous cat and a wild vine growing in the garden. Another reminds Sugaya that her kind of work is becoming a lost art.

Regular customer Toshi Niiyama, who calls Sugaya by her nickname “Ako-chan,” said she purposely holds off buying tofu elsewhere just to wait for her arrival. “Even when I’m in need of tofu, I tell myself I’d better wait for Ako-chan,” Niiyama said. “We used to have someone coming to sell vegetables, but he stopped coming.”

Sugaya has no intention of following suit.

“I go this way on Mondays, that way on Saturdays and that way on Thursdays,” she said. “I go even if it’s raining because my customers expect to see me — or just because they want to have a talk.”

Japan’s producer price index climbed 7.1% in June compared to the same period a year ago, surpassing what market analysts had anticipated and marking an acceleration from the previous month’s revised figure of 6.6%.

Economists had forecast a 6.8% increase, but the actual numbers came in higher, reflecting intensifying inflationary pressure stemming from the energy disruption linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict.

Adding to the strain, Japan’s yen-based import price index jumped 29.7% year-over-year in June — a sharp acceleration from a revised 26.1% gain recorded in May. The data was published Friday by the Bank of Japan.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is standing behind his decision to visit Saudi Arabia, pushing back against critics and arguing that condemning nations from a distance accomplishes little. Speaking Thursday from the Saudi city of Jeddah, Carney called out-of-country lecturing “an ineffective strategy” — one that may feel good but produces no real results.

The trip marks the first time a Canadian head of government has traveled to Saudi Arabia in 26 years. While there, Carney sat down with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who holds the real power in the kingdom.

The visit comes as Carney works to broaden Canada’s economic relationships beyond its heavy dependence on the United States, looking for new trade partners and investment sources as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement put pressure on the existing arrangement.

“Lecturing countries from afar is an ineffective strategy,” Carney told reporters in Jeddah. “It’s satisfying, but it’s ineffective.” He was careful to add that direct engagement “doesn’t mean that we agree with everything that a country is doing.”

Saudi Arabia’s human rights record has been under an international microscope since the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. A U.S. intelligence assessment determined that Crown Prince Mohammed likely gave the green light for the operation — something Saudi Arabia continues to deny.

Carney also told reporters in Jeddah that the global landscape is growing more unstable and fragmented, making it essential for Canada to build stronger ties with partners outside the United States, its biggest trading partner.

The approach stands in sharp contrast to that of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose government openly criticized Saudi Arabia’s human rights practices in 2018. That public rebuke triggered a five-year diplomatic falling-out, during which Riyadh expelled Canada’s ambassador, froze new trade and investment deals, and pulled thousands of Saudi students from Canadian schools. The two countries didn’t fully restore diplomatic relations until 2023.

Carney insisted he takes human rights seriously, pointing to a consular case he raised personally with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, earlier this week. “Because I was with the president, it was addressed favorably. If I sat in Ottawa … I wouldn’t have had that conversation. I wouldn’t have had that impact. That’s a small example,” he said.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, who traveled with Carney to Saudi Arabia, said she also brought up human rights concerns and consular cases in her own meetings.

Saudi Arabia, for its part, has been eager to draw in foreign investment as Crown Prince Mohammed pushes an ambitious plan to shift the kingdom’s economy away from its reliance on oil. Saudi Investment Minister Fahad Al-Saif described Canada as “a trusted long-term partner” and said Saudi investors bring “patient capital” to the table.

On Thursday, Carney took part in a signing ceremony for 13 commercial deals and memorandums of understanding between Canadian and Saudi companies and institutions — including engineering firms Hatch and AtkinsRéalis. The prime minister’s office said those agreements are valued at more than 1 billion Canadian dollars, or roughly $710 million U.S.

Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, offered perspective on Carney’s approach. “Carney says he is taking the world as it is,” Wiseman said. “It doesn’t mean looking beyond human rights; it means being realistic about what preaching about it to authoritarian leaders can accomplish.”

Carney is scheduled to return to Canada on Friday.

BRASILIA — Brazil’s Federal Police moved against communications executive Thiago Miranda on Thursday as part of the ongoing investigation into the collapsed Banco Master bank, according to a court ruling made public that day.

Miranda had been brought on by banker Daniel Vorcaro to lead a public relations campaign defending the now-shuttered financial institution. The operation marks the latest development in a scandal that has been steadily expanding since Banco Master was shut down by Brazil’s central bank last year following a liquidity crisis.

Vorcaro was taken into custody back in March, and his case has since revealed what authorities describe as a broad network of influence that has shaken public confidence in government officials.

A ruling from Supreme Court Justice Andre Mendonca outlined the basis for Thursday’s action, which included allegations that Miranda’s activities involved attacks targeting the central bank and the creation of a dossier on Milton Maluhy Filho, the chief executive of lender Itau Unibanco.

Justice Mendonca authorized law enforcement to seize electronic devices — including computers and mobile phones — along with documents, financial records, cash, and other materials found at multiple locations connected to Miranda.

According to the court ruling, evidence gathered by officials suggests Miranda arranged for social media influencers to publicly support Banco Master while criticizing the central bank. Investigators also believe he may have played a role in efforts to intimidate members of the press and conduct unlawful surveillance of certain individuals.

Miranda, who owns a communications firm, had previously been considered only a witness in the Banco Master investigation. He had cooperated with authorities, sharing details about Vorcaro’s earlier efforts to defend the bank publicly.

However, a review of messages exchanged between Miranda and Vorcaro led investigators to conclude that Miranda had taken an active role in collecting information about some of Vorcaro’s targets — including the Itau CEO and a well-known journalist.

Reuters was unable to reach Miranda for comment, and no legal representatives could be identified or contacted on his behalf. Itau Unibanco declined to offer any statement on the matter.

North Korea has announced a series of steps aimed at boosting its nuclear capabilities both in size and sophistication, according to a report Friday from the country’s state-run news agency, KCNA.

The decisions were made during an expanded session of the Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission on Thursday. During the meeting, leader Kim Jong Un pushed for a broad modernization of the country’s armed forces.

Kim stated that the nation’s security and what he described as “true peace” can only be achieved by developing a military strong enough to counter any threat it faces, KCNA reported.

The commission laid out a set of goals that include overhauling the technical infrastructure supporting combat systems, growing and reinforcing nuclear forces, and bringing military installations up to modern, standardized standards, according to the report.

Officials at the meeting also took up the question of broadening the responsibilities of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, the country’s military intelligence arm, with the goal of sharpening its ability to gather information and conduct surveillance.

Additionally, KCNA reported that the session covered plans to build new, modern naval facilities and boost the capacity of shipyards — moves the agency said reflect a significant shift in the importance and mission of North Korea’s navy.

Syrian authorities announced Thursday that they have taken several suspects into custody in connection with a series of recent explosions in Damascus, including bombings that occurred during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the country earlier this week.

According to a statement from Syria’s Interior Ministry, security forces conducted raids in and around the Syrian capital and “succeeded in dismantling the entire cell responsible” for the attacks. Officials did not release any information about who the suspects are or what group they may be affiliated with.

On Tuesday, explosive devices were placed inside a garbage bin and a parked vehicle while Macron was making a historic visit to Syria — a nation still working to recover from years of civil war. Macron was inside the presidential palace when the blasts went off. He was unharmed and proceeded with his scheduled meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Syria’s Ministry of Health confirmed that the explosions resulted in one death and 36 injuries in the final casualty count.

Prior to those bombings, an explosive device went off last week at a cafe located near Damascus’s main judicial complex, leaving at least 10 people dead and more than 20 wounded.

No group has come forward to claim responsibility for either attack.

The bombings represent a significant challenge to al-Sharaa, who has been working to consolidate control over Syria. He has reached out to minority groups who are skeptical of his government’s Islamist-led leadership and has sought backing from Western governments wary of his past role heading Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group formerly tied to al-Qaida.

Al-Sharaa’s government has pledged political and economic reforms following decades of authoritarian rule under the Assad family. That era came to an end when former President Bashar Assad was removed from power during an insurgent offensive in December 2024, led by al-Sharaa.

Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war claimed close to half a million lives and forced millions of people from their homes, leaving widespread destruction and crumbling infrastructure. While other nations and businesses have pledged major investments, the country still requires hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild and lift its population out of poverty.

CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela — Weeks after powerful back-to-back earthquakes devastated parts of Venezuela, both survivors of the disaster and others in surrounding communities are overwhelming relief services being provided by nongovernmental organizations in the most severely affected areas.

The mounting demand for assistance comes as the United Nations announced an appeal for approximately $300 million to reach 1.3 million people in desperate need of help across the South American nation — a country where nongovernmental organizations had until recently faced government crackdowns. Mobile kitchens, traveling clinics, and field hospitals have now been set up in public spaces throughout the northern state of La Guaira, which bore the brunt of the destruction.

U.N. relief chief Tom Fletcher visited Venezuela and spoke with the Associated Press about what he is witnessing on the ground. “It is clear at displacement sites that, particularly after two weeks, that people are turning up because they haven’t been able to get their other treatments,” Fletcher said. “So, they’re not turning up with just the fractures now, they’re turning up with those longer-term health needs. And it’s vital that we’re there for them.”

Medical workers treating patients in the community of Catia La Mar on Thursday reported a noticeable rise in skin problems and diarrheal illnesses, along with a growing number of requests for medications used to manage chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Health officials noted that the worsening conditions are linked to overcrowded living spaces and inadequate access to clean water and sanitation — problems that existed in many communities even before the earthquakes struck.

One resident, 67-year-old Irma Echarri, arrived at a sidewalk mobile medical unit across from a local church clutching the boxes of her usual eyedrops and pain medication, hoping medical staff could replenish her supply. She also sought help for nose pain that developed following the June 24 earthquakes.

“It hurts a lot,” Echarri said while waiting to be seen. “It hurts because it hurts.”

Although Echarri’s own home was left intact, many of her neighbors have been displaced. Venezuelan officials report that 190 buildings collapsed and another 856 were damaged in the twin earthquakes, which claimed the lives of 3,811 people.

The government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez has estimated that roughly 18,000 people were left homeless by the disaster. Those displaced are now sheltering in schools, on sidewalks, in parks, plazas, and other public areas.

Fletcher, who leads the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told the AP that the United States has contributed the largest share of earthquake relief aid so far. Much of the on-the-ground assistance is being carried out by local Venezuelan organizations working alongside international humanitarian groups.

Among those seeking care is 41-year-old Zulbey Reyes, who visited a clinic run by the Venezuela-based organization Paluz in collaboration with the global relief agency International Rescue Committee. Reyes, who also lost her job as a nanny due to the earthquakes, came in for newly developed chest pain.

“I thought it was my heart that was sick,” Reyes said after receiving a diagnosis and medication. “But it’s a nerve that became inflamed after the screams that day.”

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has placed the total direct physical damage to housing and infrastructure at around $37 billion.

The open presence of nongovernmental organizations operating freely in Venezuela stands in sharp contrast to the persecution and restrictions they faced in recent years. During the tenure of former President Nicolás Maduro — when acting President Rodríguez served as vice president — these organizations were repeatedly accused of working against the government, and the U.N.’s local human rights office was expelled from the country.

Fletcher acknowledged the political shift, saying: “When you have a crisis of this magnitude, people put the politics to one side and are able to focus on saving as many lives as possible, and that’s what I’m seeing so far in this response.”

BOGOTA, Colombia — A decade after Colombia reached a landmark peace agreement with a now-defunct rebel organization, the court established to address crimes from that conflict is in jeopardy — threatened by a newly elected president who wants to shut it down.

The court, officially called the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, or SJP, has been a source of national controversy ever since it was created, much like the peace deal itself with the rebel group known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Colombia’s president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella — who has received an endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump — has called the tribunal a “failed” institution. However, analysts and legal professionals caution that dismantling it will be far from straightforward, given both constitutional protections and international legal commitments.

The court is shielded by Colombia’s Constitution and has the backing of the International Criminal Court, the world’s foremost international justice body. That court wrapped up its own nearly 20-year preliminary investigation into Colombia back in 2021, determining that the country was fulfilling its global justice responsibilities — a conclusion largely based on the Colombian tribunal’s progress.

Alejandro Ramelli, who leads the tribunal, told The Associated Press that the closure of the international investigation was conditional on the SJP continuing its operations. Without that, he said, Colombia would be in violation of its obligations to the world court.

The SJP’s mission is to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity through 2028, followed by an additional five-year window for trials. After that, Colombia’s Congress would weigh in on whether to extend the court’s term by another five years.

Despite the peace agreement, Colombia has not fully escaped its cycle of violence. Armed criminal groups continue battling over drug trafficking revenues and illegal mining operations. These include FARC splinter factions that rejected the peace deal, the National Liberation Army — known as the ELN — and the Clan del Golfo cartel.

Those who support the tribunal view it as a historic achievement that helped bring Latin America’s longest-running guerrilla conflict to an end and brought accountability for serious atrocities. Critics, on the other hand, contend the court is unfairly biased against former military members.

Since beginning operations in 2018, the SJP has taken on cases involving more than 14,000 individuals accused of crimes tied to the conflict. Roughly 70% of those are former FARC fighters, 29% are former members of the country’s security forces, and the remainder are civilians.

Iván Cancino, designated by de la Espriella to serve as justice minister, told radio station Caracol Radio on Wednesday that he has no plans to eliminate the SJP outright, but intends to hold it accountable for results and scrutinize how it spends its budget.

Outgoing President Gustavo Petro has also been critical of the SJP during his time in office, though this week he posted on X that the tribunal’s budget “must be strengthened,” adding that “establishing the judicial truth about the conflict is fundamental to national reconciliation.”

Ramelli warned the AP that cutting the court’s funding “would seriously affect the fundamental right of access to justice,” particularly for victims of the armed conflict. He also cautioned that an “abrupt termination” of the court would leave the legal process in limbo.

He highlighted key rulings the court has already delivered — including findings against the former FARC leadership for more than 21,000 kidnappings, and against a group of former military personnel for more than 100 extrajudicial killings. In both instances, those found responsible acknowledged their actions and received alternative sentences — no prison time, but requirements to carry out projects that benefit victims. The court has also issued a 20-year prison sentence to a former soldier who denied involvement in extrajudicial killings.

“What is the value of the truths uncovered through the judicial process?” Ramelli said. “We now know the true scale of FARC kidnappings, the recruitment of more than 18,677 children, the sexual violence committed by the FARC and the extrajudicial killings carried out by security forces.”

“The country simply did not know the full extent of these crimes,” he added.

Iran fired eight missiles toward Jordan on Thursday in what reports described as an attack aimed at a US military base in the country. Jordanian air defenses successfully shot down all eight missiles before they could cause any harm.

Jordan’s state news agency confirmed that every missile was intercepted after warning sirens rang out across the country. No injuries or property damage were reported. State broadcaster Al-Mamlaka stated, “Alarm sirens sounded in Jordan on Thursday to alert citizens and urge them to follow instructions.”

According to the broadcaster, the Jordanian Armed Forces were placed on high alert and stood ready to respond to any threat to national security. Reports also indicated that the warning sirens could be heard in several Israeli communities located in the Jordan Valley.

At the same time, Iranian officials confirmed that the United States carried out additional military strikes on targets within Iran’s borders.

Iran’s deputy governor of Bushehr province told state media that a US projectile hit the area surrounding the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The official indicated that multiple locations throughout Bushehr province — including areas near the nuclear facility — were struck during the attacks.

In a separate development, Iran’s Fars news agency reported that overnight US strikes caused damage to the Aq Takeh Khan railway bridge in Golestan province, located in northern Iran.

Fars described the bridge as a component of a rail corridor linking Iran to China and Russia by way of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. The agency noted that the route has grown increasingly vital during this year’s US blockade of Iran’s Gulf ports, and has also been used by Russia to move cargo into Iran since late 2025.

A newly released report from NGO Monitor is raising serious concerns about the network of organizations that orchestrated protests across the United Kingdom in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attacks, pointing to coordinated operations, murky financial structures, and in some instances, connections to extremist actors.

The report tracked 40 major demonstrations and mobilization efforts that took place after October 7, 2023, pinpointing organizations and individuals it says were repeatedly involved in planning, funding, and carrying out protest-related activities. Contrary to how many of these events were presented publicly, the report concludes they were not spontaneous grassroots movements but rather the product of a coordinated international advocacy network.

According to the report’s findings, at least 11 of the 40 organizations examined either have direct ties to extremist groups or include officials who have met with or worked alongside the Iranian regime, its Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hamas, Hezbollah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or the Muslim Brotherhood.

The report also highlights overlapping leadership roles among six key coordinating organizations. It specifically names Jeremy Corbyn as holding the positions of vice president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, deputy president of the Stop the War Coalition, and patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. The report notes that funding sources for his organization, the People’s Forum UK, remain unknown.

Youth outreach emerged as a significant component of the campaign activity documented in the report. It identifies Amnesty International UK as running a program focused on anti-Israel activism that trains hundreds of young people in protest rights, media strategy, and campaign organizing. The group Friends of Al-Aqsa was also cited for encouraging young people to take part in pro-Palestinian activism.

When it comes to organizational structure, the report found that 10 of the 40 groups are registered charities, eight are companies, nine are hybrid entities, and 13 operate entirely outside any formal UK regulatory framework — despite collecting substantial amounts of public money. Nineteen of the organizations receive funding through the UK government via the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office or Gift Aid. At least 11 receive taxpayer money from other countries, including the United States, Belgium, Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the European Commission.

Among its policy recommendations, the report urges stricter financial disclosure requirements, stronger oversight of foreign funding, more rigorous vetting processes for government grants, regulation of cryptocurrency-based fundraising, updated guidance from the Charity Commission, and formal inquiries by both government and parliament into how these protest networks are financed and coordinated.

The report additionally calls on the UK to formally designate the IRGC, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Muslim Brotherhood as proscribed organizations, and to take action against any groups found to be engaged in or supporting violence.

Iran fired eight missiles toward Jordan on Thursday in what reports described as an attack aimed at a US military base located in the country. Jordanian air defenses successfully intercepted all eight projectiles before they could cause any harm.

According to Jordan’s state news agency, warning sirens rang out across the kingdom before all missiles were brought down. No injuries or property damage were reported. State broadcaster Al-Mamlaka noted, “Alarm sirens sounded in Jordan on Thursday to alert citizens and urge them to follow instructions.”

Al-Mamlaka also reported that the Jordanian Armed Forces were placed on high alert and stood ready to respond to any threat to the nation’s security. Reports indicated that warning sirens were also heard in a number of Israeli communities located in the Jordan Valley.

At the same time, Iranian officials confirmed that the United States carried out additional military strikes on targets within Iran. Iran’s deputy governor of Bushehr province told state media that a US projectile struck the area surrounding the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The official added that several locations throughout Bushehr province, including areas near the nuclear facility, were hit during the attacks.

In northern Iran, the Fars news agency reported that overnight US strikes caused damage to the Aq Takeh Khan railway bridge in Golestan province. Fars described the bridge as part of a rail corridor linking Iran with China and Russia through Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. The agency noted that the route had grown in strategic importance during this year’s US blockade of Iran’s Gulf ports and had also been used by Russia to move cargo into Iran since late 2025.

A small earthquake rattled the Czech Republic on Thursday, but it turned out to be far less powerful than early reports suggested, according to geophysics agencies and the Czech news agency CTK.

Germany’s Research Centre for Geosciences, known as GFZ, had initially posted on its website that a 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck the area around Plzen, a city located 93 kilometers — roughly 60 miles — southwest of Prague. However, the actual magnitude was later determined to be just 1.8.

Seismic monitoring stations within the Czech Republic also detected a weak tremor, though officials said the precise strength and location would need further analysis. CTK cited Ales Spicak, the director of the country’s Institute of Geophysics, in reporting those details.

To put the numbers in perspective, a 4.6 magnitude quake — the strongest ever recorded in the Czech Republic, which occurred in 1985 — is typically felt by people but causes little to no damage. A 5.5 magnitude event, by contrast, can cause structural damage to buildings that are not well constructed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed Thursday that a Russian strike earlier this week targeted an ammunition depot in the Kyiv region, and announced that a criminal investigation has been opened in response.

The attack struck the small town of Vyshneve, located on the western outskirts of Kyiv, on July 6. The strike hit the weapons warehouse and triggered a chain of powerful secondary explosions. Ukrainian officials reported that 10 people lost their lives and hundreds of residential structures were damaged in the blast.

Speaking to journalists through a WhatsApp media chat, Zelenskiy did not hold back in his assessment of the situation. “As for the investigation into the explosion in Vyshneve, the situation is absolutely appalling: There was an ammunition depot in Vyshneve. The enemy struck this depot, causing a large number of casualties and significant losses,” he said.

It is uncommon for Ukrainian officials to publicly acknowledge damage to military targets following Russian strikes, making Zelenskiy’s admission notable.

The president said a criminal case has been opened and that officials at Ukroboronprom — the state-owned weapons manufacturer that owned the warehouse — would be held accountable, with some facing termination from their positions.

The incident has generated significant public anger, with local residents accusing authorities of negligence and complaining that they were kept in the dark about the presence of the ammunition depot in their community.

A senior United Nations official delivered alarming numbers to the Security Council on Thursday, reporting that Russian strikes claimed the lives of at least 265 civilians in Ukraine during June and left 1,816 others wounded — the worst combined civilian casualty toll recorded since the earliest weeks of Moscow’s full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022.

U.N. political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo noted that May had already set a grim benchmark, recording the highest civilian casualties since April 2022. However, figures from the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights showed June’s numbers were even worse — and early indicators suggest July may follow the same pattern.

A U.N. spokesperson confirmed that the complete and final data for June will be made public in late July.

“This concerning trend is seemingly continuing into July,” DiCarlo told the Security Council, pointing to three large-scale waves of Russian aerial attacks that struck Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in just the past week, with many of those strikes aimed at densely populated urban areas.

“Any attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur, are a clear violation of international humanitarian law and must stop immediately,” she said.

DiCarlo also presented the broader wartime toll, stating that the U.N. has verified at least 16,402 civilian deaths in Ukraine since the war began — among them 802 children — along with 48,428 injuries, including 2,948 children. She cautioned that the true numbers are likely even higher than what has been officially confirmed.

She added that civilians living in Ukrainian territories currently under Russian occupation, as well as people inside Russia itself, have also suffered casualties. Russian authorities have reported that 250 civilians were killed and 1,596 injured inside Russia during the first six months of 2026, though DiCarlo noted the U.N. has not been able to independently verify those figures.

NAIROBI, Kenya — African nations have secured $900 million in new financial pledges aimed at expanding access to cleaner cooking technologies, the International Energy Agency announced Thursday.

The fresh commitment adds to the $2.2 billion raised at the first-ever Africa Clean Cooking Summit held in Paris in 2024, pushing the overall total to more than $3.1 billion. Those funds are earmarked to broaden access to cleaner cooking fuels, stoves, and supporting infrastructure throughout the continent.

The announcement came during a virtual meeting on clean cooking in Africa, organized jointly by the IEA and Kenya. Participants reviewed how much progress has been made since the Paris gathering and discussed priorities leading up to the next summit, scheduled for later this year.

Close to 1 billion people across Africa still do not have access to clean cooking options, instead depending on charcoal, firewood, and other polluting fuels. The IEA estimates these fuels contribute to roughly 850,000 premature deaths each year.

The virtual meeting included Kenyan President William Ruto, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, African Union commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Lerato Mataboge, and IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, among other participants.

Clean cooking involves the use of low-emission fuels and technologies — including ethanol, biogas, and electricity — as alternatives to traditional options like charcoal and firewood. Making the switch reduces dangerous indoor air pollution and leads to better health outcomes for millions of African families.

Wright emphasized the significance of the issue, saying, “Access to clean cooking is one of the most impactful yet overlooked challenges of our time,” and noting that it directly touches the lives of billions of people, especially women and children.

President Ruto pointed to funding as the central barrier to achieving widespread clean cooking access across Africa. “Ambition alone is not enough. It must be backed by investment,” he said.

Birol reported that IEA tracking data shows $740 million — roughly one-third of what was pledged in Paris — has already been put to work across 22 African countries. “The additional $900 million in commitments demonstrates growing momentum, with more expected before the next summit,” he added.

The IEA also released a new report indicating that governments have enacted 121 new clean cooking policies across more than 30 African countries since the Paris summit. Those nations represent approximately 80% of Africans currently without access to clean cooking options.

The agency said it is partnering with the African Union to help governments build stronger national clean cooking policies as part of a continent-wide strategy ahead of the next summit.

Additionally, the IEA launched a new public-private initiative called the Clean Cooking Security Programme, designed to reinforce global supply chains for cooking fuels — particularly liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG. The program was prompted in part by shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year, which impacted roughly 30% of globally traded LPG. More than 3.4 billion people around the world rely on LPG as their main cooking fuel.

The program will offer technical assistance to nations looking to improve their fuel security and explore ways to deepen international cooperation on clean cooking supply chains.

LONDON — Senior British law enforcement officials are sounding the alarm about the growing role that technology and online platforms are playing in threats against the United Kingdom, with hostile foreign governments, extremist groups, and far-right organizations all increasingly exploiting the digital landscape.

Vicki Evans, a senior national coordinator for counterterrorism at the Metropolitan Police, described an ongoing “continual battle” against online threats and stressed that law enforcement cannot tackle the problem without assistance from technology companies. “It’s not something we can do alone,” she said.

Laurence Taylor, head of counterterrorism police, noted that while Islamic extremism continues to pose the greatest overall threat, dangers posed by far-right groups and hostile foreign states have grown considerably over the past five years.

Evans described the threat from hostile states as the “most rapidly escalating mission” currently facing counterterrorism police.

Several high-profile cases have underscored the danger. In July, two Romanian men were sent to prison for stabbing a journalist from a Persian-language television station — an attack the judge said was carried out on behalf of Iran’s government. In June, a Ukrainian man and a Romanian man were jailed for their involvement in setting fire to property connected to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a plot that fits the profile of Russian state-sponsored sabotage. And in May, a U.K. border official and former Hong Kong police officer were convicted of spying for China.

Evans revealed that in 2025 alone, police have identified more than 20 Iranian-backed plots targeting the U.K., including planned assassinations and kidnappings. Investigators are also looking into whether a series of arson attacks on Jewish sites earlier this year may be connected to Iran.

Russia, she added, has been running a “constant stream of surveillance plots” against individuals and institutions in Britain. The goal, she said, is to target people Russian officials view as enemies, work their way into everyday life, and recruit individuals willing to spread Russian narratives or carry out tasks on Moscow’s behalf.

Across Europe, Russia has used messaging apps like Telegram to recruit dozens of people to commit acts of vandalism and arson — including the torching of a London warehouse that housed communications equipment destined for Ukraine. The ringleader of that plot, Dylan Earl, was recruited through Telegram by the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization acting on behalf of Moscow that has been designated a terrorist group by the U.K. government.

Evans also disclosed that teenagers as young as 15 have been arrested in connection with these proxy plots. She warned that “anyone could be targeted,” particularly through online channels.

“This isn’t something that’s happening elsewhere,” Evans said, speaking to reporters at New Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan Police’s headquarters. “It’s happening here. This risk is in our neighborhoods, in our online spaces and in our workplaces.”

Taylor said the U.K.’s national threat level was elevated in April from “substantial” to “severe,” due in part to a significant rise in cases tied to extreme far-right ideologies. Police have observed a surge in what officials called “vile” online content — a mix of racism, misogyny, and extreme homophobia — with the number of such cases approaching 800.

Taylor said extreme viewpoints are facing less and less pushback, creating an environment where previously unacceptable ideas are becoming more widespread. He pointed to the case of 18-year-old Alina Burns, who was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison in May after attacking a stranger with an ax — a crime Taylor said was driven by her extreme right-wing beliefs. He also cited Alfie Coleman, a 22-year-old sentenced Wednesday to 13.5 years in prison for attempting to purchase a firearm from an undercover MI5 officer — a man who, Taylor said, was radicalized online beginning at age 14.

Evans explained that those exploiting young people online are deliberately crafting content designed to appeal to them, blending propaganda with gaming footage, historical imagery, and music. Young people are then encouraged to carry out violent acts in real life — including being urged to “recreate” brutal scenarios from video games, she said.

In some cases, Evans said, “sadistic online groups” pit users against each other in competitions to cause harm, whether through cyberattacks, extremist activity, serious violence, child sexual abuse, or even terrorism.

The sheer volume of disturbing content online — including extreme violence and graphic imagery — has left some people with a distorted view of what is normal, Evans said, making them especially susceptible to manipulation by outside actors, including foreign governments.

While the British government has announced plans to ban social media use for those under 16, Evans said that measure alone is not sufficient. She called for sustained pressure on technology companies to take a more active role in reducing harmful content online, noting that laws and regulations tend to become outdated quickly while social platforms continue to have powerful tools for pushing content toward young users.

“The tipping point is very swift and steep,” Evans said, describing how quickly some individuals can be drawn into dangerous online spaces.

Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab announced Thursday that the group behind what he described as “terrorist” bombings in Damascus earlier this week has been apprehended, according to Syrian state television.

Khattab said authorities plan to publicly disclose the identities of those arrested, their individual roles, and all connections they may have had — but only after investigators have finished their work.

The bombings took place Tuesday when two explosive devices went off near a hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying overnight. The blasts injured 18 people and put a dark cloud over what was a significant diplomatic moment — the first trip to Syria by a head of state from the European Union since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

ANKARA — When allied leaders arrived at this week’s NATO summit in Turkey, they faced a familiar question: which version of the U.S. president would show up — the one who champions the alliance, or the one who threatens to tear it apart?

As it turned out, they got a little of both.

Shortly after arriving Tuesday, Trump publicly blasted the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy, accusing those nations of failing to back the United States in its war with Iran. Wednesday morning brought more turbulence, when Trump announced he would cut off all trade with Spain, calling the country a “terrible partner” and accusing it of blocking the war effort while not spending enough on defense.

“I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits, OK?” Trump said, directing his remarks to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

Trump also renewed his push for U.S. control over Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory — a demand that has already caused significant tension within the alliance.

Yet by Wednesday evening, the tone had shifted dramatically. Trump was applauding those same European leaders for boosting their defense budgets, and he described a private session among NATO heads of state as brimming with “love.”

“It was sort of pretty wild,” Trump reflected before a packed room of journalists.

The mood swings were jarring but not entirely surprising. NATO leaders, who experienced a similar rollercoaster at last year’s summit, have learned to manage Trump through careful diplomacy — and, when necessary, outright flattery.

In his meeting with Trump, Rutte praised the president’s military strikes on Iran and credited him with pushing Europe to spend more on defense. “Grab the win. It’s there. You did it,” Rutte told him.

Trump appeared to take the advice to heart and later acknowledged that the private charm offensive from European leaders had worked on him.

“They said, ‘Sir, we love you.’ These are grown people saying that. Isn’t that nice?” Trump told reporters. “Maybe they’re doing it to get to me. And in a way they did.”

Diplomats noted that while Trump’s public outbursts made headlines, his tone in closed-door sessions was noticeably calmer. Multiple diplomats said he did not repeat his threats against Spain or bring up Greenland during the private leaders’ meeting.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez downplayed the earlier confrontation, describing his conversation with Trump as “very cordial.”

Trump also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that afternoon, offering praise for the Ukrainian leader — a welcome development for officials in Kyiv who have navigated a turbulent relationship with Washington.

When Trump stepped before cameras at the summit’s closing press conference, NATO officials breathed a collective sigh of relief. No new disputes had erupted among allies.

“They have a lot of good in their heart, not evil, good, and they’re doing a great job for their country,” Trump said of allied leaders.

Still, veteran diplomats are not counting on the warm feelings to hold. At last year’s NATO gathering in The Hague, Trump also praised the alliance’s leadership — only to host Russian President Vladimir Putin in the United States weeks later for a meeting that allies privately criticized.

On the flight back home, Trump called Spain “very generous” and praised NATO’s “tremendous unity” — then, moments later, repeated a threat to withdraw additional American troops from Europe.

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Thousands of people took to the streets of Hungary’s capital on Thursday to push back against efforts by the country’s new government to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office. The rally was organized by the far-right Fidesz party and promoted heavily by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, though Orbán himself did not show up.

Demonstrators crowded around the presidential offices at the grand Sándor Palace in Budapest’s Castle District, voicing support for Sulyok. The new center-right government has pledged to remove him through a constitutional amendment that is scheduled for a parliamentary vote next week.

The amendment would cut short Sulyok’s term in office and also introduce term limits for members of parliament, carry out changes to the court system, and establish a new body to investigate alleged financial wrongdoing during Orbán’s time in power.

Orbán’s 16-year grip on Hungary came to an end following a decisive election defeat in April. The winner of that vote, new pro-European Prime Minister Péter Magyar, has moved aggressively to undo what he describes as Orbán’s “mafia” — removing political appointees and institutional leaders he says helped sustain Orbán’s authoritarian rule.

Magyar has argued that Sulyok, who was appointed during the Orbán era, failed in his presidential duties by not blocking antidemocratic actions taken by Orbán’s government. He made removing Sulyok a central campaign promise and points to his party’s two-thirds majority in parliament as a voter mandate to follow through.

Though the Hungarian presidency is largely ceremonial, the president holds the power to sign legislation into law and can refer bills to the constitutional court for review. Supporters of Magyar’s new government have expressed concern that Sulyok could use those powers to block the administration’s agenda.

One demonstrator at Thursday’s protest, Krisztina Nemerkényi, said the gathering was about more than just one individual. “The point is not whether Tamás Sulyok is popular or not, but that this is simply unacceptable in a democracy,” she said, adding that the protest was “not about the person of Sulyok, but about the office.”

Fidesz lawmaker János Pócs told the Associated Press at the rally that while his party had amended Hungary’s constitution many times — making 15 changes to the document it wrote on its own in 2011 — those changes were made “always in the interest of the country, in order to protect the country, but not for the sake of dictatorship.”

Orbán and Fidesz have characterized the push to remove Sulyok as an attack on democratic principles and the rule of law, and warned it represents an early move toward authoritarian rule — a charge that critics find ironic given Fidesz’s own record in power.

Since taking office in May, Magyar’s government has moved quickly on other campaign pledges as well. It suspended Hungary’s public television and radio news service, which Magyar has called a “propaganda factory” for Orbán’s party. The government also put an eight-year cap on how long a prime minister can serve and removed the heads of the national security and intelligence agencies that operated under Orbán.

Additionally, the new government managed to unlock 16.4 billion euros — roughly $19 billion — in European Union funds that had been withheld from Hungary by pushing through rapid reforms aimed at reversing democratic backsliding that took place during Orbán’s tenure.

LONDON — Andy Burnham, who is widely expected to be named Britain’s next prime minister before the end of the month, has spoken out about the need for the United Kingdom to take a stronger stance against the Israeli government regarding its conduct in Gaza, according to a report published Thursday by the Guardian.

In the interview, Burnham took aim at how current Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially handled Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which began in October 2023 following an attack on Israel carried out by Hamas-led gunmen.

“We’ve got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli government … Yes, we have taken some important steps … But let’s be honest, the UK was too slow to call for a ceasefire. And we must now do more to strengthen our approach,” Burnham said.

Starmer had initially pushed back against calls from within his own party — including from Burnham, who was serving as a regional mayor at the time — to demand a ceasefire, opting instead to support a humanitarian pause in the fighting.

Starmer eventually did call for a ceasefire and has since spoken out against the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza. His government has also imposed sanctions on far-right Israeli cabinet ministers and formally extended recognition to a Palestinian state.

While a ceasefire reached last year brought the two-year conflict to a close, Israel’s military has continued conducting strikes in Gaza as part of the broader regional conflict involving Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, pointing to ongoing threats or fire from Hamas as justification.

Burnham indicated he wants to go further, stating: “We need to do more, which includes looking at further sanctions, both on those involved in the violence in Gaza but also looking at measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements.”

SAN JOSE — Just two months into her presidency, Costa Rica’s Laura Fernandez finds herself in a deep and damaging conflict with the nation’s court system — a battle that experts say is getting in the way of any serious effort to combat a surge in drug-related violence.

The dispute is part of a wider pattern of instability across Central America, a key route for cocaine moving toward the United States, where criminal organizations have exploited weak institutions to fuel corruption and bloodshed.

The friction between Fernandez’s administration and the judiciary has focused on two main flashpoints: steep budget cuts being imposed on the court system, and a legislative push to allow Congress — rather than the Supreme Court — to choose who serves as attorney general.

Matters came to a head last week when Fernandez publicly accused the judiciary of being infiltrated by organized crime “to the core.” She also criticized the courts for blocking the tough “iron fist” security approach her government has been pushing, a strategy modeled after policies used by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, whose mass incarceration campaign — roughly 90,000 people jailed — has dramatically reduced crime in El Salvador.

Judicial officials have pushed back hard, denying any corruption and demanding that Fernandez back up her claims with evidence. They warn that the planned budget reductions for 2026 and 2027 would undermine democratic oversight and actually make it harder to fight crime.

Fernandez ran for office on a tough-on-crime message, promising to bring order back to a country of 5.2 million people where approximately two people are killed every day. The murder rate has held stubbornly high since reaching a record 17.2 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2023 — twice the rate seen a decade earlier.

Security Minister Gerald Campos told Reuters the conviction rate for murders is alarmingly low. “The problem here is not a lack of an army… the problem is a lack of convictions in the courts,” he said, noting that only 38% of homicides lead to a conviction.

Both government officials and experts point to drug trafficking networks exploiting Costa Rica’s geography as a key driver of the violence, using the country as a staging point to move narcotics to markets further north.

Evelyn Villarreal, coordinator of the State of Justice report — a research initiative that monitors Costa Rica’s justice system — warned that internal fighting is making an already difficult situation worse. “Facing an enemy with infinite resources… fighting among ourselves makes it very difficult to be prepared,” she said.

Shortly after taking office, Fernandez called on Attorney General Carlo Diaz and senior Supreme Court justices to resign, saying they had failed to address the security emergency. None have done so.

Patricia Solano, who leads the country’s top criminal court, rejected the notion that the judiciary bears responsibility for the rise in crime. She argued the government’s true goal is to weaken an essential democratic institution. “Since 2022, we have seen a systematic attack against the judiciary,” Solano said, pointing to actions that began under former President Rodrigo Chaves, who belongs to the same political party as Fernandez.

Solano also noted that the prison population has grown by 36% since 2020, with Costa Rica’s incarceration rate now at 366 per 100,000 people — ranking 22nd highest in the world in 2024, according to the World Prison Brief.

On the streets, everyday residents expressed exhaustion and frustration with the political conflict. “We are still in bad shape, even if they say they are doing things and fighting each other,” said Karina Bolaños, a 39-year-old shopkeeper in Goicoechea, north of the capital. “The country has changed for the worse.”

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s government announced Thursday that it plans to pursue criminal charges connected to the deaths of 17 Mexican citizens who died either while detained by U.S. immigration authorities or during enforcement operations carried out under the Trump administration.

Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco made the announcement Thursday morning, further straining an already tense relationship between the two countries. Mexico has been increasingly vocal in its criticism of how its citizens are being treated as the U.S. government ramps up deportation efforts.

The formal request, which does not carry legal authority on its own, will be sent to state prosecutors’ offices and the U.S. Department of Justice. It asks those agencies to consider bringing criminal charges against individuals responsible for the deaths.

Foreign Minister Velasco added that the request will be paired with civil lawsuits targeting the private companies that run immigration detention facilities, with the goal of stopping what Mexico describes as ongoing human rights violations inside those centers.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that her country chose to “move beyond diplomatic channels” following the shooting death of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston earlier this week by an ICE agent. Sheinbaum described the killing as something that “is not only sad and regrettable, but also appears to have been targeted.”

“We are going to do everything in our power, because we cannot stand silent” in the face of the deaths of Mexicans “whose only crime is working honestly in the United States,” Sheinbaum said.

Salgado Araujo had lived in the United States for decades. At the time of the shooting, he was driving a work crew to a residential construction site. His family has called for a full investigation into the circumstances of his death.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said agents were pursuing Salgado Araujo because he was in the country without legal immigration status. The department stated he was shot after ignoring commands and attempting to strike an agent with his vehicle, and that the agent fired in self-defense.

According to Mexican officials, 14 of the 17 deaths occurred while individuals were in ICE detention, while the remaining 3 happened during active ICE operations.

Prior to this latest escalation, Mexico had been supporting victims’ families, sending formal diplomatic messages to Washington calling for investigations, and raising concerns with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. President Sheinbaum had also directed Mexican consulates to routinely check on ICE detainees and filed a complaint with the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The latest move adds more friction to a relationship already under significant pressure. Sheinbaum has taken a harder line against organized crime than her predecessors amid repeated threats from the Trump administration about possible military action against drug cartels. She has also worked to maintain a working relationship with U.S. leadership as both countries renegotiate a longstanding free trade agreement, while simultaneously taking a firm position on immigration enforcement and the rights of Mexican citizens held in U.S. custody.

DAKAR — A convoy carrying Malian soldiers alongside fighters from the Russian paramilitary organization known as Africa Corps came under attack in northern Mali on Thursday, according to three security sources and a spokesperson for an armed group.

One source indicated the convoy was transporting more than 200 Russian fighters and more than 100 Malian soldiers. That same source noted a separate military convoy heading north had also been targeted earlier in the week in a similar attack.

The violence follows coordinated strikes on July 4, when the Al Qaeda-linked group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin, known as JNIM, and the Tuareg-led rebel organization the Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, launched simultaneous assaults on army positions throughout Mali.

Thursday’s convoy was en route to the northern town of Anefis — an area where clashes have continued since those July 4 attacks — when it came under fire in the early hours, sources said.

A spokesperson for the FLA stepped forward to claim responsibility for the attack, though it remains unclear whether JNIM played any role. Mali’s military did not respond to requests for comment.

Neighboring country Niger, which is allied with Mali, provided air support during the fighting, all three sources confirmed. Niger’s military was not reachable for comment.

The FLA and JNIM previously joined forces in April for a high-profile coordinated operation that struck the airport in Mali’s capital city of Bamako and resulted in the death of the country’s defense minister.

Africa Corps has been supporting Mali’s armed forces in their ongoing battle against insurgent groups that have destabilized the West African nation since 2012.

MOSCOW — Former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman, who is currently imprisoned in Russia, has been hospitalized, according to a report published Thursday by Russian newspaper Kommersant.

The publication cited Gilman’s attorney, who confirmed his client is currently receiving medical treatment. However, the lawyer noted it is too soon to discuss any specific diagnosis.

Reuters reached out to the U.S. State Department for a response to the news.

Gilman’s legal troubles in Russia began in 2022, when he was first imprisoned for assaulting a police officer while intoxicated. His sentence was later extended in 2024 after he was convicted on additional charges of assaulting prison officials and a state investigator.

Russian state media reported last December that Gilman was facing a combined sentence of 10 years following yet another conviction related to assaulting prison staff.

Those who support Gilman back in the United States maintain that he was already suffering from illness when he was initially arrested, and that he was deliberately provoked while behind bars — leading to the additional charges brought against him.

Kommersant also reported that due to Gilman’s undisclosed medical condition, a court located in the southern Russian city of Voronezh has postponed a scheduled hearing involving a prosecutor’s appeal of his most recent sentence.

A source with ties to the Kremlin told Reuters last year that Gilman is among nine Americans imprisoned in Russia whom the U.S. government has sought to have released and brought back to the United States.

Migrants who were deported from the United States and are now being held at a hotel in Equatorial Guinea say that at least one person suspected of carrying the Ebola virus was brought into the same facility — a claim backed up by lawyers representing the detainees, who spoke out Thursday.

The hotel, located on a tropical island off the coast of the central African nation and owned by the country’s powerful President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, is currently housing 17 migrants from nations including Angola, Mauritania, and Ethiopia. Their detention stems from an arrangement made under the Trump administration as part of a broader effort to crack down on illegal immigration.

According to a statement from a coalition of international lawyers, as well as interviews with two of the detainees — who asked not to be identified out of fear of retaliation — a man believed to be infected with Ebola was brought to the hotel last week by medical workers dressed in hazmat suits. He was placed on a floor below where the migrants are being held.

Two deportees told The Associated Press that a doctor informed them in English that the individual was a suspected Ebola case and warned them to take precautions — but provided no additional details or protective supplies.

One detainee also reported that a woman was brought to the same quarantine floor on Sunday and was similarly identified by medical staff as a suspected Ebola patient.

The lawyers’ coalition said in a statement that they received “disturbing reports from multiple detained individuals that a person with a suspected case of Ebola was recently brought under quarantine into the same hotel complex where they are being held.”

The AP reviewed videos showing medical personnel dressed in full protective gear transporting patients to the hotel, which was previously used as an isolation facility during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Things are getting worse every day,” one detainee said. “It’s very confusing, no one is coming to talk to us. No one is informing us of anything. The hygiene is unimaginable.”

Lawyers and detainees say that beyond those already present in the facility, no masks, disinfectants, or other basic protective items were distributed, and no steps were communicated to reduce the risk of exposure.

The central African nation of Congo is currently dealing with a rare Ebola strain that has killed more than 600 people since an outbreak was first announced in May. Cases have spread to neighboring Uganda, though no confirmed or even suspected cases have been reported in Equatorial Guinea, which does not share a border with Congo and sits roughly 1,885 miles — or about 1,425 kilometers — away.

The Trump administration has used a series of often-secret agreements to deport thousands of people it considers to be in the country illegally to nearly two dozen nations that are not their home countries, according to advocates. Immigration lawyers argue these third-country deportations serve as a legal workaround to send asylum seekers back to their countries of origin without directly doing so. Equatorial Guinea is among at least eight African nations that have entered into such agreements with the U.S.

A $7.5 million deal with Equatorial Guinea led President Obiang to convert a family-owned hotel in Malabo, on Bioko island, into a detention center. Currently, 4 women and 13 men are being held there, according to the lawyers’ coalition. All of them, the lawyers say, had received orders from U.S. judges that should have shielded them from removal to their home countries.

Earlier this month, rights attorneys filed a case against Equatorial Guinea before Africa’s leading human rights body, accusing the country of forcing U.S. deportees back to their home nations in violation of their legal rights.

The lawyers’ coalition also reported Thursday that they had received “multiple reports that individuals with serious medical conditions are being denied adequate medical care while detained in government custody.”

Equatorial Guinea ranks among the wealthiest nations in Africa due to its oil reserves, but U.S. officials say it is also plagued by widespread corruption and human rights abuses. Rights organizations and the U.S. State Department have accused the government of detaining, torturing, and even killing those who speak out against it. Despite this, U.S. businesses are the country’s largest foreign investors, and the U.S. government funds military training there.

A fire broke out Thursday at a shoe factory in China’s eastern Fujian province, leaving 28 people dead, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a call for “an all-out search and rescue effort,” pushing for a rapid investigation and saying authorities should “strictly hold those responsible accountable.”

The fire ignited at a facility belonging to the Huiteng shoe company in the city of Jinjiang, according to a statement from the city’s fire department. The cause of the blaze remains unknown at this time.

At the time the fire broke out, 237 factory employees and two visitors were inside the building. Emergency crews were able to evacuate or rescue 213 of those individuals. Of the 28 fatalities, two victims were pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Xinhua reported that the factory’s owner and other individuals in leadership positions have been taken into custody, and the company’s financial accounts have been frozen.

Video footage from CCTV showed the exterior of the multi-story building heavily scorched and blanketed in white smoke. Earlier video captured flames burning across several floors as thick, black smoke engulfed the structure.

Jinjiang, where the fire occurred, holds a notable distinction — it is widely regarded as China’s shoe manufacturing capital.

MADRID — President Donald Trump softened his tone toward Spain on Thursday, just hours after threatening to stop all trade with the NATO member nation. Spanish officials say the shift came after Trump was briefed on how dramatically Spain has increased its contributions to the alliance in recent years.

At a NATO summit held in Ankara on Wednesday, Trump labeled Spain a “terrible partner” and called for an immediate halt to all trade with the country, citing disagreements over defense spending and the conflict with Iran.

As Trump traveled back to the United States following the summit, he spoke with reporters aboard Air Force One and appeared to soften his position. “I did have issues, and I still do. But Spain, they came back all the way today. Spain was very generous today,” he said.

When asked what Spain had done to earn that praise, Trump responded: “They honoured a request for lots of payments, and if they didn’t, we wouldn’t have even talked to them.”

A spokesperson for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez interpreted Trump’s remarks as a reference to Spain meeting NATO’s previous defense spending benchmark of 2% of gross domestic product.

During the Ankara summit, Sanchez pointed out that Spain is on track to hit that 2% target this year — a significant milestone given that the country more than doubled its nominal defense spending from 0.98% of GDP in 2017 to nearly €33 billion (approximately $37.7 billion). Sanchez characterized the tension between the two nations as minor and said he had a “very cordial” exchange with Trump at the summit.

Despite the warmer words, Trump has continued to push back on Spain’s refusal to commit to a new NATO goal requiring member nations to spend 5% of GDP on defense by the year 2035. Spain’s left-leaning government has argued it prefers to address genuine security threats rather than boost spending simply to hit a number, warning that doing so would require cuts to social programs.

It remained unclear Thursday whether Trump’s softer language would have any practical effect on his earlier order to halt trade with Spain.

A U.S. official in Washington told Reuters that relevant federal agencies would be presenting Trump with a list — described as a “menu” — of Spanish goods that could potentially be subject to an embargo.

Legal experts in trade law say Trump could use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose a full or partial ban on Spanish imports. It’s worth noting that during his first term, Trump’s administration placed a 30% anti-dumping tariff on Spanish black olives back in 2018.

On the diplomatic front, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles was scheduled to sit down Thursday with U.S. Ambassador Benjamin Leon for what was described as a “working meeting,” according to the Spanish government’s official calendar. No further details were provided.

Sources within the Spanish delegation to Ankara, cited by the newspaper El Mundo, suggested Madrid viewed the dispute as more of a performative conflict than a genuine crisis, noting that Spanish officials had not observed any real economic fallout or drop in U.S. investment in Spain despite Trump’s ongoing criticism.

Back in Spain, the dispute drew political reactions across party lines. Some members of the main opposition People’s Party (PP) placed blame on Prime Minister Sanchez for the friction, though they also expressed solidarity with their country. One senior PP official pointed to the deep economic ties between Spanish and American companies, arguing that “economic reality takes precedence over the grandiloquent statements (Trump) seeks to make in order to attack Spain.”

In the PP-governed region of Aragon — where major American technology companies including Amazon and Microsoft have poured billions of dollars into data center construction — local officials said operations were continuing normally.

Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party and a known Trump ally, took a harsher view, calling the tensions with Washington “absolutely dramatic” and accusing Sanchez of “destroying Spain’s credibility on the world stage.”

Mexico City — Mexico’s government is taking legal action in the United States over the deaths of Mexican citizens who have died either while held in U.S. immigration custody or during anti-immigration enforcement operations, Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco announced Thursday.

Velasco told reporters that 14 Mexican nationals have died while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while three additional deaths occurred during arrest operations carried out by the agency.

“We are going to move beyond the diplomatic sphere and go directly to U.S. prosecutors to file complaints regarding these incidents, requesting that they are investigated as criminal matters,” Velasco said.

The announcement comes after a U.S. ICE agent fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national who had been living in the United States without legal status for approximately 30 years. The shooting took place on Tuesday.

His death triggered protests in Houston and pushed the total number of people shot and killed during immigration enforcement actions to at least six since January 2025, when President Donald Trump returned to the White House and began a large-scale deportation campaign.

Neither the U.S. Department of Homeland Security nor the Department of Justice responded to requests for comment before publication.

BUDAPEST, Hungary — A Hungarian court handed down a 14-year prison sentence Thursday to an Irish national convicted of murdering an American tourist in the country’s capital last year.

The victim was 31-year-old Mackenzie Michalski, a Portland, Oregon resident who had been traveling in Hungary for vacation. She was reported missing on November 5, 2024, after friends lost contact with her following a night out at a nightclub in central Budapest.

Authorities launched a missing persons investigation and combed through security camera footage from multiple nightclubs in the area. The footage showed Michalski — who went by the nickname “Kenzie” — spending time at several clubs that evening with a man who was later identified as the suspect.

Police detained the man, identified only by the initials L.T.M., on November 7, 2024. He was 37 years old at the time of the crime and ultimately confessed to killing Michalski.

According to investigators, the two met on the dance floor of a nightclub and later left together for the man’s rented apartment. Police said he beat and strangled Michalski during an “intimate encounter” at the residence.

The Budapest Metropolitan Court found him guilty of murder on Thursday and sentenced him to 14 years with no possibility of parole. Approximately one and a half years he has already served in detention will be credited toward his sentence. Upon his release, the court ordered that he be deported from Hungary.

In addition to prison time, the man was ordered to pay 2.5 million forints — roughly $7,995 — in court costs. His defense attorney has already filed an appeal of the conviction.

Following his arrest in 2024, the man claimed Michalski’s death was accidental. However, investigators said his actions told a different story. Police say he cleaned the apartment to remove evidence, concealed her body inside a wardrobe, then purchased a suitcase and placed her remains inside.

He then rented a vehicle and drove approximately 150 kilometers — about 90 miles — southwest of Budapest to Lake Balaton, where he disposed of Michalski’s body in a wooded area near the town of Szigliget.

Video footage released by police showed the man leading investigators to the location where he had left the body. Authorities also revealed that before his arrest, the man conducted internet searches on how to dispose of a body, what police do in missing persons cases, whether pigs consume human remains, and the presence of wild boars in the Lake Balaton region. He also searched online to find out how capable Budapest police were at solving crimes.

QUETTA, Pakistan — Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made a personal visit Thursday to Balochistan province in the country’s southwest, meeting with families of the 42 people — the majority of them security personnel — who lost their lives in a series of militant attacks that began earlier this week.

Since the attacks started Monday, Pakistani authorities have launched counteroperations that have resulted in the deaths of at least 54 insurgents, according to the military and local officials.

The surge in violence led Sharif to travel to Quetta, the provincial capital, where members of the banned Baloch Liberation Army carried out multiple separate strikes beginning Monday. The growing boldness of these attacks has sparked concern that separatist factions once viewed as relatively minor are now extending their influence across a wider area.

The single deadliest incident occurred at a police post in Balochistan’s Ziarat district on Monday, where nine officers were killed. Eighteen additional officers who were taken hostage during that attack were later executed by their captors.

Outraged by the killings, relatives of roughly two dozen of the slain officers gathered in Quetta for a sit-in protest alongside the bodies of the victims, calling on the government to hold the perpetrators accountable.

“The war against terrorism will continue until the last terrorist in Pakistan is eliminated,” Sharif declared in televised comments while presiding over a security meeting that included army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti.

While stopping short of directly naming India, Sharif stated there was “no doubt” that Pakistan’s eastern neighbor was playing a significant role in stoking the insurgency — allegedly supplying militants with weapons, funding, and other forms of support. He also accused militants of using Afghan soil as a launchpad for attacks in both the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in Balochistan, pledging that the state would defeat what he called their “nefarious designs.”

Neither Kabul nor New Delhi issued an immediate response, though both governments have denied similar accusations in the past.

Balochistan, which is Pakistan’s largest province by area but its least populated, has been a long-running flashpoint for a separatist insurgency. It has also seen repeated attacks from the Pakistani Taliban — known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP — a militant organization that is distinct from but aligned with the Afghan Taliban.

The TTP has grown increasingly powerful since the Afghan Taliban reclaimed control of Afghanistan in 2021.

Germany has reached an agreement with the United States to purchase American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles, with plans to deploy them on German soil, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Thursday.

Merz said the deal for the long-range missiles — designed to strike targets deep within enemy territory — was finalized earlier this week during the NATO summit held in Ankara, Turkey’s capital.

“This will close an important strategic gap in our defense, and at the same time, we will work to develop our own European systems and station them in Europe,” Merz told members of parliament after returning from the two-day gathering.

The agreement with the Trump administration represents a broader effort to share American military technology with key European allies, whose approach to national security has shifted dramatically since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

Also on Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot air defense systems — a significant development for Kyiv, which has long sought access to that technology to defend against Russian missile attacks.

The Tomahawk cruise missile has been part of the U.S. military arsenal since the 1980s. Though not the fastest missile available, it travels at a low altitude of roughly 100 feet — or about 30 meters — above the ground, making it difficult for enemy defense systems to detect.

The weapon can reach targets up to approximately 1,600 kilometers, or 1,000 miles, away, and its precision guidance technology makes it a preferred choice for striking well-defended or distant targets deep inside hostile territory.

European Union lawmakers voted Thursday to restore a set of temporary regulations that would permit Google, Meta Platforms, and other major online services to identify and remove child sexual abuse content from their platforms.

At the same time, lawmakers voted to shield end-to-end encrypted messaging services — including WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal — from the scanning requirements, reflecting ongoing concerns that broad surveillance measures could put user privacy at risk.

The debate has drawn a sharp divide between those pushing for stronger online child safety protections and privacy advocates who warn that mass scanning tools could be misused for wider surveillance purposes.

Last month, EU member nations and lawmakers were unable to reach a deal on permanent regulations, with both sides clashing over how broadly detection efforts should apply.

The temporary rules, which were in effect from 2021 until this past April, had given online platforms a pass from strict EU privacy requirements while officials worked toward a long-term legislative solution to address child pornography online.

Lawmaker Marketa Gregorova of the Pirate Party expressed reservations about bringing the interim rules back. “Protecting encryption was one of our priorities, and I am therefore glad that we managed to secure an absolute majority for an amendment that at least preserves encryption,” she said. “At the same time, however, voluntary mass scanning unfortunately passed.”

EU member countries now have three months to weigh in on whether they support the changes approved by the European Parliament.

The European Commission first put forward a draft proposal on child sexual abuse material back in 2022, but the path to turning it into law has been slow, with criticism coming from both sides of the debate.

Major technology companies have pushed back against any mandate that would require messaging services, app stores, and internet providers to flag and remove both known and newly discovered images and videos depicting child abuse, as well as instances of grooming.

Hacking groups with ties to both China and India separately targeted several Pakistani law enforcement agencies, according to new findings released Thursday by cybersecurity firm SentinelOne.

The discovered campaigns shed light on foreign efforts to gather intelligence related to Pakistan’s security landscape, including militant violence, tensions along the Afghan border, and the country’s economic ties with China.

Aleksandar Milenkoski, a principal threat researcher at SentinelOne, explained the significance in a blog post published Thursday. “When multiple cyberespionage actors operate against law enforcement institutions of a single state, the convergence itself is a signal of target value,” he wrote. “What draws them is a particular kind of institution: one that holds the government’s internal security picture, what it knows about the threats inside its borders, and how it acts against them.”

SentinelOne’s research uncovered evidence of hacking activity and network intrusions carried out between February 2024 and April 2026. The most prominent target was the Balochistan police, which serves Pakistan’s southwestern province of the same name. Researchers found that the attacks on that agency involved network equipment, web servers, and several online applications, including the force’s Complaint Management System.

The Balochistan police did not respond when asked for comment.

Additional agencies targeted in the campaigns included the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police, the Islamabad police, and the Punjab Safe Cities Authority, an independent government agency that manages systems used by police across major cities in Punjab province.

According to the report, the agencies targeted are involved in monitoring both internal and external threats and in coordinating responses between law enforcement and government officials.

Researchers suggested that China’s interest in these agencies may stem from concerns about the safety of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan, who have been killed in attacks in recent years. Interest from India-linked groups is believed to be connected to ongoing tensions between the two nations and Pakistan’s overall security posture.

Liu Chang, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, responded with an emailed statement saying China “firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with the law, and does not allow any country or individual to engage in such illegal activities within China’s territory or by using China’s infrastructure.” The Indian Embassy in Washington did not respond to questions about the findings.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police issued a statement saying cybersecurity “is a matter of the highest priority” for the agency, and that “there is no evidence that any core KP police system, network, or critical application has been successfully compromised.” The agency also acknowledged that “during the heightened Pakistan-India tensions last year, KP Police experienced an increase in attempted cyber activities,” and noted that “in one isolated incident, the login credentials of an end user were compromised.”

The Islamabad Police, the Punjab Safe Cities Authority, and Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior did not respond to requests for comment.

MOYGASHEL, Northern Ireland — Police in Northern Ireland arrested a 56-year-old man Thursday after a replica of a mosque was placed atop a large bonfire in a pro-British community, drawing sharp condemnation from the British government and politicians on all sides.

Every year, bonfires are set alight throughout the region in predominantly Protestant “loyalist” neighborhoods on the night before July 12 — a date that marks the anniversary of William of Orange’s defeat of Roman Catholic King James at the Battle of the Boyne back in 1690.

The mosque replica was built atop a towering stack of wooden pallets, with banners hanging below it reading “secure our borders” and “end the threat of radical Islam.” A figure could be seen in one of the windows appearing to hold a knife-like object. The structure went up just one month after a wave of anti-migrant violence hit Belfast, the Northern Irish capital.

Britain’s minister for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn, took to social media platform X to denounce the display, calling it a “sickening and cowardly act of intimidation.” He wrote: “This is not about tradition and in no way does it represent the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland. We must stand united and completely reject such hatred.”

Colm Gildernew, a representative of the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party, called on police to remove what he characterized as an obvious hate crime. The leading pro-British political parties also spoke out against the action.

Authorities said the arrested man faces suspicion of displaying threatening, abusive, or insulting material intended to incite hatred.

In recent years, anti-migrant imagery has begun appearing on some bonfires, in some cases replacing the anti-Catholic slogans, images, and effigies of Catholic Irish politicians that had historically been displayed. Last year, at the same location in Moygashel — roughly 40 miles west of Belfast — a model of refugees aboard a boat was burned, also following a period of violence targeting migrants.

Last month, rioters attacked the homes and businesses of ethnic minorities after a video went viral showing a stabbing in which one man lost an eye. A man who police say is from Sudan or Chad has since been charged with attempted murder in connection with that attack.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Syria has had its voting rights restored by the world’s leading chemical weapons oversight organization, a move that recognizes Damascus’s willingness to work with inspectors and commit to eliminating hidden stockpiles of deadly weapons.

The executive council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, known as the OPCW, made the decision Thursday. It marks a significant shift in relations following the removal of former President Bashar Assad from power in 2024. Syria’s voting privileges had been stripped five years ago — the first time any member nation had faced such a penalty — as a consequence of the repeated use of toxic gas under Assad’s government.

That new spirit of cooperation has already yielded concrete results. In May, the OPCW revealed that dozens of chemical bombs and rockets left behind from the Assad era had been uncovered after previously undisclosed weapons sites were opened to international inspectors.

The executive council also gave the green light to plans for destroying a portion of those newly declared weapons at a facility in Al Qutayfah, located about 37 kilometers — roughly 23 miles — north of Syria’s capital. The materials slated for destruction include substances used in the production of a nerve agent.

OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias said in a statement that the decisions “reflect the tangible progress achieved through continued cooperation and constructive engagement between the Technical Secretariat and the Syrian Arab Republic,” with backing from other member nations.

The OPCW action comes just one day after U.S. officials announced that Washington intends to remove Syria from its list of countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former insurgent who commanded the offensive that toppled Assad, has made rebuilding Syria and repairing its long-damaged relationships with Western nations a central goal. He has also made a public pledge to eliminate any chemical weapons remaining from the Assad period.

Syria became a member of the OPCW in 2013 under significant pressure from Western governments in response to alleged poison gas attacks. At that time, Assad’s government acknowledged chemical weapons at 26 locations within the country. However, the watchdog organization has indicated it has reason to believe Syria may have had as many as 100 additional sites that were never disclosed.

MBABANE, Eswatini — The southern African kingdom of Eswatini has welcomed a fourth batch of individuals deported from the United States, with 11 people touching down this week under a bilateral agreement to house third-country nationals, the government announced Thursday.

Acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli confirmed the new arrivals, describing the group as coming predominantly from African nations. Mdluli said the deportees would remain in the kingdom on a temporary basis, with their rights protected throughout their stay.

“The government reaffirms that, during their temporary stay in the Kingdom, the fundamental rights of the third-country nationals will be respected and protected in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Kingdom’s international obligations,” Mdluli stated.

The arrivals are connected to a broader U.S. immigration enforcement effort under President Donald Trump’s administration, which has deported thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries that are not their home nations — often under agreements that advocates describe as secretive.

Mdluli also noted that security measures are in place to protect both Eswatini and its citizens while the deportees are present in the country.

Officials familiar with the arrangement say the latest group is expected to be held at Matsapha Maximum Security Prison.

Eswatini, a nation of roughly 1.2 million people that shares a border with South Africa, began accepting U.S. deportees in 2025 under an arrangement designed to house individuals who cannot be sent directly back to their countries of origin. This week’s arrivals mark the fourth group received under that deal.

The Trump administration has similarly sent deportees to other African nations, including the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Congo, as it searches for destinations for migrants who cannot be directly repatriated.

The Eswatini government has not made public the specific terms of its agreement with Washington, nor has it released details about the deportees’ nationalities, legal standing, or how long they are expected to remain in the country.

Human rights organizations have criticized the program, pointing to a lack of transparency and limited parliamentary oversight. Civic groups within Eswatini have even taken the matter to court, challenging whether it is legal to hold foreign nationals in prison without formal charges. The government has indicated the men could be held for up to a year while efforts to repatriate them continue.

Human rights lawyer Mzwandile Masuku warned that the ongoing transfers point to weak institutional accountability and said the practice risks becoming accepted as normal on an international scale.

To date, only two of the deportees previously sent to Eswatini have left the country — one returned to Cambodia and the other to Jamaica.

Eswatini’s government has maintained that the agreement aligns with the country’s humanitarian principles while also upholding its national sovereignty and laws.

The United States carried out new airstrikes against Iran in the early hours of Thursday, just hours after President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire effectively finished, pointing to recent Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as the breaking point.

Iran hit back quickly, launching strikes against U.S.-allied Kuwait and Qatar, while also accusing American forces of targeting an area near the country’s only nuclear power plant.

The two sides have traded blows repeatedly, including on Wednesday, but Thursday’s exchange appeared to be larger in scale than previous incidents. Adding to the uncertainty, Trump has been sending mixed signals — authorizing consecutive military strikes while simultaneously insisting the U.S. is not heading back into a full-blown war.

On the diplomatic front, during a Wednesday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump announced the U.S. would grant Ukraine a long-sought license to manufacture Patriot air defense systems domestically. Trump also praised Zelenskyy as doing “an amazing job,” a notable shift from his previous sharp criticism of the Ukrainian leader.

However, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister, Serhii Beskrestnov, cautioned that actually building the mobile, surface-to-air missile systems would take many months. Writing on the Telegram messaging platform, Beskrestnov noted that a manufacturing license would typically include technical documentation, specialist training, supplier contacts, and foreign consultants. He said the biggest challenge would be time, not Ukraine’s technical or organizational capabilities.

In a separate development, the southern African kingdom of Eswatini confirmed Thursday it had received its fourth group of people deported from the United States under a bilateral agreement to host third-country nationals. Eleven individuals arrived this week, the government said.

Acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli said the group, made up mostly of people from African nations, would stay in Eswatini temporarily while their rights were safeguarded. “The government reaffirms that, during their temporary stay in the Kingdom, the fundamental rights of the third-country nationals will be respected and protected in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Kingdom’s international obligations,” Mdluli stated.

The Trump administration has deported thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries that are not their home nations, under a series of agreements — many of them secret — that are part of a sweeping U.S. immigration crackdown, according to advocates.

On Wall Street, futures for the S&P 500 edged up 0.1% before Thursday’s opening bell, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 0.1%. Nasdaq futures climbed 0.5%.

Oil prices continued to rise, with Brent crude — the international benchmark — gaining 64 cents to reach $78.66 per barrel on Thursday. It briefly crossed the $80 mark on Wednesday. Prior to the start of the Iran conflict, Brent crude was trading near $72 a barrel, though earlier hopes for a peace agreement had briefly pushed prices back to pre-war levels. U.S. benchmark crude rose 54 cents to $74.06 per barrel.

Trump has publicly stated he believes the ceasefire is finished and that he is no longer certain he wants a negotiated deal, suggesting the U.S. should instead “finish the job.” Yet he continues to insist the ongoing strikes do not represent a return to war or a long-term military commitment.

Analysts say Trump’s conflicting statements could be a deliberate pressure tactic aimed at forcing Tehran to halt its attacks on oil and gas tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and to yield to U.S. demands over its nuclear program — a strategy Trump has employed before. Whether it is a negotiating move or a genuine signal of escalation, international mediators are racing to salvage the interim agreement, with the risk that continued fighting could deepen the crisis further.

Oil tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz has nearly ground to a halt, according to shipping data and industry insiders, as the risk to vessels surged following renewed U.S. airstrikes on Iran and retaliatory strikes by Tehran targeting U.S. military infrastructure in nearby Gulf nations.

By early Thursday morning, only two tankers had made the crossing. One was the crude supertanker Berg 1, which had taken on cargo at Iran’s Kharg Island and is under U.S. sanctions, according to analysis from Kpler. The other was the Marshall Islands-flagged chemical tanker Well Sail, whose previous loading point was near Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, based on ship tracking data from LSEG.

Adding to the uncertainty, sources within the shipping industry noted that a growing number of vessels are disabling their public AIS tracking transponders, making it increasingly difficult to get a full picture of which ships are actually moving through the waterway.

Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, put it bluntly in a written report: “Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has essentially stopped, which tells you more about risk perception right now than any statement from Washington or Tehran.”

The current flare-up is the latest development in a conflict that began on February 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran. The most recent round of tensions was sparked earlier this week when three tankers were attacked in the strait — incidents the U.S. attributed to Iran. Iranian forces then struck U.S. military sites in neighboring Gulf countries on Thursday in response to American strikes on Iran’s southern coastal and eastern regions, putting further strain on a truce that was only three weeks old.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy issued a warning Thursday, saying that U.S. actions — including strikes on Iran and interference with shipping routes — were disrupting the strait’s gradual reopening. The Guards warned that any additional U.S. intervention would be met with a “crushing response.”

Before the war began, the Strait of Hormuz was responsible for moving roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. Over the past two weeks, daily traffic had climbed to its highest point since the conflict started, averaging around 40 ships per day — still far below the pre-war norm of 125 to 140 daily transits.

One of the three vessels attacked earlier this week, the Marshall Islands-flagged Qatari LNG tanker Al Rekayyat, remains stranded off the coast of Oman awaiting salvage after a projectile hit late Tuesday ignited a fire in its engine room. While there were initial fears of a potential explosion, industry sources said that risk appears low for now and the ship’s liquefied natural gas cargo seems to be secure. The Marshall Islands ship registry confirmed to Reuters that no injuries or environmental damage had been reported in connection with the incident.

Some marine war insurance underwriters have advised shipping firms to hold off on sending vessels through the strait, while others are revisiting their coverage terms in light of the renewed attacks, according to insurance industry sources.

Ship broker Clarksons noted in a report that “the Hormuz reopening story looks more fragile after the latest escalation.”

One marine war underwriter, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter, warned: “As recent incidents have shown, the (marine war) market is now facing the prospect of potentially severe losses involving vessels of substantial value.”

The loved ones of Faisal Jatoi, the co-pilot of a Pakistani cargo plane that went down in the Arabian Sea, are desperately waiting for answers as search teams continue combing the waters off Pakistan’s southern coast.

Jatoi was at the controls of a K2 Airways Boeing 737 freighter on Tuesday night, flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi, when the aircraft crashed into the sea. Pakistani rescue teams located the wreckage during a deep-sea search operation on Wednesday.

Jatoi’s father-in-law, Ghulam Nabi Bahrani, described the moment the family realized something had gone terribly wrong. Unable to get through to Jatoi by phone, a family member turned to Google — and the word “crash” appeared. “That moment felt like doomsday for us,” Bahrani told Reuters at his home in Karachi. Jatoi leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old son.

Bahrani also revealed that the aircraft — a 27-year-old Boeing 737-400 converted freighter — had spent 10 days grounded in Sharjah for repairs after completing a cargo delivery. The crew had been waiting on a spare part to arrive from the United States before they could make the return trip.

According to the Pakistan Airports Authority, the plane reported a navigational issue at 9:18 p.m. Pakistan time while en route to Karachi. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed erratic changes in altitude before the plane entered a steep dive.

The wreckage was discovered approximately 53 nautical miles, or about 98 kilometers, south of Ormara port. Navy and maritime security teams are now working to locate the plane’s flight recorders.

K2 Airways confirmed that five people were aboard the aircraft: two pilots, two engineers, and one support staff member. Their status has not yet been officially declared.

A Pakistani aviation expert, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to comment publicly, warned that recovering the wreckage could rank among the most difficult operations in Pakistan’s recent history. Water depths in the area of the Arabian Sea where the plane went down range from roughly 2,500 to more than 3,500 meters. The expert noted that strong currents, poor underwater visibility, an uneven seabed, and shifting sea conditions would all add to the challenge of bringing up the submerged wreckage and the flight data recorders.

AMSTERDAM — Member nations voted Thursday to restore Syria’s standing at the global body that oversees the prohibition of chemical weapons, citing what they called “a significant change in circumstances” following the collapse of the Assad government.

Syria had its privileges suspended at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons back in 2021, after investigators determined that Syrian military forces had used toxic gases on multiple occasions throughout the country’s civil war.

While largely a symbolic gesture, the original suspension served as a political warning to Syria that violations of the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention — which bans all battlefield use of chemical agents — would carry consequences.

“Following the fall of the Assad regime, the new Syrian authorities committed to fulfilling Syria’s obligations under the Convention and have since taken concrete steps,” the OPCW stated in its announcement.

Syria’s new leadership has pledged to cooperate with the international community to eliminate leftover weapons of mass destruction that could pose a risk of further spread.

A Syrian official revealed to Reuters in May that the country’s transitional government had discovered remnants of former President Bashar al-Assad’s secret chemical weapons program, including raw materials and munitions resembling those deployed in deadly gas attacks during the civil war.

Multiple investigations conducted by both the United Nations and the OPCW’s special Investigation and Identification Team determined that Syrian government forces had deployed the nerve agent sarin as well as chlorine barrel bombs — attacks that investigators concluded killed or wounded thousands of people.

Throughout that period, Syria and its military ally Russia consistently denied any use of chemical weapons.

The OPCW’s executive council said Thursday that it plans to keep a close watch on Syria’s compliance and will take whatever steps are needed to ensure the destruction of any remaining chemical weapons left behind by the former regime.

AALBORG, Denmark — Summer heat may be gripping much of Europe, but one Danish city is already decked out in holiday cheer.

The city of Aalborg, Denmark’s fourth-largest, has welcomed dozens of Santas, Mrs. Clauses, and elves from countries around the globe for the annual World Santa Claus Congress — a beloved midsummer tradition that has been running for decades.

The congress originally launched at an amusement park near Copenhagen back in 1957, later relocating to Aalborg on Denmark’s Jutland peninsula two years ago. This year, the iconic red suits proved to be quite warm under the bright Danish summer sun.

Next year, the event will celebrate its 70th anniversary. While it was originally designed to delight children, it has since grown into a beloved gathering for professional Santas who spend the holiday season working in stores and shopping centers.

The multi-day event gives those professional Santas — not the real one, of course — an opportunity to trade stories, compare beards, refine their skills, and take part in fun-filled competitions, all well before the holiday rush begins.

The busy schedule includes activities such as gingerbread eating, gift wrapping, balloon shaping, and several lively parades through the city streets.

Organizer Peter Gislund, who himself plays Santa Claus in Aalborg during the Christmas season, described the mixed reactions from locals. “The grandmas say: ‘Oh, it’s too early to come here,’” he noted. “The kids say: ‘Hooray! Santa’s here already.’”

Over the years, the four-day gathering has drawn participants from as far as Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, and the United States. Most of the roughly three dozen Santas and Mrs. Clauses attending this week came from Scandinavia, but some made the trip from much farther away — including Paradise Yamamoto, who flew in from Tokyo.

After marching through Aalborg waving a Japanese flag and dancing to “Feliz Navidad” — one of several Christmas classics featured throughout the event — Yamamoto summed up the experience simply: “This is very fun, so many children … Ho, ho, ho!”

Robert Hercz, a 64-year-old Santa from Oslo, Norway, said that despite coming from different corners of the world, all the Santas present share something special — what he calls “a gene” for generosity and spreading happiness.

“You have it or you don’t,” said Hercz, who was attending the congress for the first time. “We have the true Santa spirit. And it’s all about giving, sharing, and putting a little bit of joy in people’s hearts.”

But it’s not all laughter and belly rubs. The gathering also gives Santas a rare chance to connect with one another and pick up a few tricks of the trade.

“When Santas are together, they always mingle and talk a little bit,” Gislund said. “Maybe I put a little bit of sparkle in the beard and so on. That’s the good part of meeting some Santas from all over the world.”

For 33-year-old Danish Santa Simon Brøns, the congress is living proof that the holiday spirit doesn’t need to be confined to December.

“Christmas is not a season. It’s a feeling you have in your stomach,” he said with a grin. “So if you want, you can have Christmas the whole year.”

BERLIN — Germany has agreed to purchase American Tomahawk cruise missiles and station them within its own borders, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Thursday, signaling a significant move away from relying on planned U.S. deployments toward developing Germany’s own long-range military strike power.

Merz informed members of parliament that he finalized the agreement with the U.S. government while attending a NATO summit in Ankara, noting that discussions held Tuesday and Wednesday had gone better than he had anticipated.

“We are closing a critical strategic gap in our defence, while simultaneously working to develop our own European systems and station them in Europe,” Merz said.

German government sources indicate that Washington formally committed in a letter of intent signed Tuesday to grant approval in August for Germany to acquire Tomahawk missiles along with ground-based Typhon launchers. The exact number of missiles and launchers Germany intends to buy has not been made public, as that information is classified.

The purchase appears to align with President Donald Trump’s broader effort to encourage European allies to fund their own security needs — including by purchasing American-made weapons.

The future of any Tomahawk supply to Germany had been uncertain since Trump announced in May a reduction of U.S. military presence in the country. That announcement was widely interpreted as scrapping a plan from the prior administration to station a U.S. battalion armed with long-range Tomahawk missiles on German soil — a measure originally intended as a temporary but powerful deterrent against Russia while European nations worked on developing comparable weapons of their own.

Germany does produce its own cruise missile, the Taurus, but its range of roughly 500 kilometers — about 311 miles — is three to five times shorter than that of the Tomahawk.

LONDON — American technology company Palantir has taken its fight to court after London’s mayor’s office blocked a major policing contract, with the firm arguing Thursday that the rejection improperly factored in its perceived “values and ethics.”

The company had secured a two-year deal worth £50 million — roughly $67 million — with the Metropolitan Police. Under the agreement, Palantir’s artificial intelligence tools would have been used to automate certain police tasks and assist with evidence analysis in criminal cases.

In May, the mayor’s office refused to sign off on the contract, telling the Met that the police force had failed to hold an open competitive bidding process before selecting Palantir.

A spokesperson for London Mayor Sadiq Khan was also quoted in reports expressing concern that Palantir did not align with “London’s values” — a characterization the company has sharply criticized, calling it “putting politics above public safety.”

Palantir’s attorney, David Pannick, argued in court that the Metropolitan Police “desperately needed technology in order to save money” and that the force believed the contract “would enable them to protect frontline services.”

The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime pushed back in court filings, maintaining the contract was rejected because the Met failed to get prior approval for its procurement approach and only consulted a single supplier throughout the process.

Judge Adam Constable ruled that a full trial of Palantir’s legal challenge will be held in January, turning down the company’s request to move the hearing to an earlier date later this year.

Palantir’s ties to U.S. military and immigration contracts, along with the political views of billionaire co-founder Peter Thiel, have drawn increasing attention as European governments grow more cautious about relying on American technology platforms.

The company is also facing scrutiny in Britain over a separate £330 million contract with the National Health Service, which is currently under review. A parliamentary committee recently described Palantir as having a “clear mismatch with UK values” and recommended invoking a break clause in that contract. Palantir’s British CEO Louis Mosley called that recommendation “irresponsible.”

BEIRUT — A deal between Lebanon and Israel was presented as a path toward lasting peace, but inside Lebanon, it is reopening old wounds and stoking fears of political gridlock — or worse, a return to civil war.

Brokered by the United States, the agreement envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Lebanon and eventually a formal peace between two nations that have technically remained at war for nearly 80 years since Israel’s founding. However, the deal makes a full Israeli pullout contingent on Hezbollah being disarmed — a condition that has enraged the Iran-backed militant group.

Lebanon’s Western-supported government and Hezbollah have traded sharp words, and the group’s backers have taken to the streets, blocking major roads in protest. One Hezbollah lawmaker warned that attempting to force the group to give up its weapons would push the country into civil war.

The standoff has stirred painful memories of Lebanon’s brutal 1975–1990 civil war and more recent street clashes in 2008 between Hezbollah fighters and pro-government forces. It has also cast serious doubt on whether the U.S.-brokered framework can move forward at all.

Any renewed conflict between the United States and Iran would further cloud the deal’s future and increase the chances of fighting breaking out again between Israel and Hezbollah.

The agreement is expected to be front and center when Lebanese President Joseph Aoun visits the White House on July 21.

Lebanon’s political landscape has been split for more than two decades — one side backed by Western nations, the other supported by Iran and led by Hezbollah. Both camps view the outcome of this new agreement as a matter of survival.

The latest round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began in March, triggered by a joint U.S.-Israel military operation launched against Iran just days before. Hezbollah joined the conflict without the Lebanese government’s approval and has tried to tie the end of its fight against Israel to the outcome of broader U.S.-Iran negotiations. The Lebanese government, seeking to limit Iran’s sway, worked to keep the two issues separate and pursue a direct ceasefire with Israel.

Hezbollah’s camp celebrated when the Iran-U.S. ceasefire deal explicitly called for an end to fighting in Lebanon as well. The resulting truce significantly reduced the violence, but Israeli troops still occupy large portions of southern Lebanon, and hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced from communities that have been nearly entirely destroyed.

The ceasefire’s connection to the U.S.-Iran deal was widely interpreted as a win for Hezbollah and a boost to Iran’s grip on Lebanon.

But the mood shifted when Lebanon and Israel unveiled their June 26 “framework agreement” in Washington. That deal tied an Israeli military withdrawal directly to Hezbollah being disarmed across all of Lebanon.

Lebanese government officials praised the agreement as a step toward freeing occupied southern territories and letting displaced residents return home. Hezbollah and its allies, however, accused the government of signing off on an indefinite Israeli occupation, pointing to the lack of any withdrawal timeline.

Hezbollah supporters blocked roads in Beirut and burned banners carrying the phrase “Lebanon First” — widely viewed as a jab at the Iran-backed group. Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Kassem, called the deal a “humiliation” and declared the group would not abide by it.

Hezbollah legislator Hassan Fadlallah went even further, warning that the government “will not be able to enforce the agreement signed in Washington unless they go, with American support, to civil war.”

That kind of language brought back memories of May 2008, when the government’s decision to dismantle Hezbollah’s communications network led the group to deploy gunmen in Beirut and elsewhere, sparking violent clashes with pro-government fighters. The government ultimately backed down. Now, Hezbollah is demanding that the government revoke its March 2 declaration that labeled the group’s military and security operations illegal.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has defended the agreement, saying it will restore the government’s authority across the entire country. He has pushed back firmly against Hezbollah’s warnings.

“I am not looking for a confrontation with Hezbollah but neither myself nor anyone in the government will accept to be blackmailed by Hezbollah,” Salam said in a recent interview with local LBC TV.

For now, the war of words has not turned physical — largely because the deal itself is stuck. Lebanon and Israel have agreed to set up two “pilot zones” where Israeli forces would hand control over to the Lebanese army after clearing out any Hezbollah presence. Prime Minister Salam has suggested implementation could begin soon, but little has actually happened on the ground.

“There is no schedule for the withdrawal or anything else,” said a Lebanese military official who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to make public statements. The official said the army has received no information about when or how the Israeli pullback would unfold.

The initial pilot zones named by Lebanese and Israeli officials include the towns of Froun, Ghandouriyeh, and Zawtar — areas where Israeli troops were largely not present to begin with, raising questions about what a withdrawal would even look like there. The Lebanese military official said the army had pushed for larger pilot zones that included areas actually under Israeli control.

An Israeli military official, speaking anonymously under briefing rules, said the army is still awaiting direction from political leadership on the timing of any withdrawal.

Lebanon’s history is marked by political violence, but its sectarian power-sharing system — divided among Shiite and Sunni Muslims, Christians, and Druze — has also been prone to paralysis. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, has warned the deal “will not pass, and it will not be implemented in its current form.”

Wissam Lahham, a constitutional law professor at St. Joseph University in Beirut, noted that under Lebanon’s constitution, a treaty does not become legally binding until it is ratified by a two-thirds majority of the Cabinet — a vote that has not been scheduled. He also said it remains unclear whether parliamentary approval would be required, adding another potential hurdle.

In a speech Wednesday, Hezbollah leader Kassem sent a blunt message to the government: “Ultimately, not a single clause of the framework agreement will be approved, and there will be nothing you can do about it.”

Michael Young, senior editor at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, said the Lebanese government was right “in principle” to try to keep Lebanon’s situation separate from the Iran negotiations on sovereignty grounds — but that the approach was not realistic.

“You cannot reach any kind of solution with regard to Hezbollah unless Iran is on board,” he said. “The Iranians will not give up on Hezbollah, and at the same time the Lebanese are not willing to enter into an armed conflict with Hezbollah.”

Warsaw, Poland — A Russian man and woman have been found guilty of spying for Moscow and handed prison sentences by a Polish court, prosecutors announced Thursday. One of the two was also convicted in connection with a scheme involving an explosive package.

The case comes amid heightened security concerns across Europe following a string of package explosions at courier facilities in Britain, Germany, and near Warsaw, Poland’s capital, in July 2024. European authorities have attributed those incidents to Russia, though Moscow has consistently rejected those claims.

The male defendant, identified in court only as Igor R. in accordance with Polish privacy regulations, was convicted in the southern Polish city of Sosnowiec for his role in a plan to send a parcel bomb through a courier company.

Both Igor R. and his wife, Irina, were also convicted of passing information to Russian intelligence services. That information concerned Russian opposition figures living in Poland, along with the people and organizations that were helping them.

Igor R. received a seven-year prison sentence, while Irina was sentenced to three years behind bars.

BRUSSELS — The European Union introduced a sweeping new sanctions plan on Thursday designed to crack down on migrant smuggling networks, human trafficking, and organized criminal activity. If approved, the measures would allow authorities to freeze the assets and restrict the travel of those found responsible.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined the goal behind the effort, saying, “We all have a common goal. To drive them out of business. And to save the lives of thousands of people who dream of a better life.”

She added, “We in Europe must be the ones to decide who comes to us and in what circumstances.”

Before the sanctions framework can take effect, it must receive unanimous support from the European Council — a requirement that could prove challenging given ongoing disagreements among member nations over immigration policy.

The proposal arrives at a time of heated debate across the EU over how to handle migration. Just last month, the European Parliament passed a broad overhaul of migration rules aimed at speeding up deportations and allowing for the creation of offshore detention facilities. That legislation has sparked pushback from countries including France and Spain, where critics contend the measures are too severe and could weaken protections for asylum seekers.

Foreign ministers from the Southeast Asian regional bloc ASEAN are set to hold an informal meeting with their Myanmar counterpart in Bangkok on July 12, according to statements from Thailand and Vietnam issued on Thursday.

The gathering takes place as Myanmar’s newly formed army-backed government — which came to power following an election earlier this year — pushes for the removal of a ban that has kept its leaders out of ASEAN summits. That ban was put in place after Myanmar’s military seized power in a 2021 coup, which sparked a civil war that continues to this day.

Vietnam’s foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang addressed the meeting during a press briefing, saying: “The meetings in Bangkok is an opportunity for ASEAN foreign ministers to directly exchange views, strengthen cooperation, and promote reconciliation dialogue in Myanmar.”

Thailand’s foreign ministry also confirmed the meeting, listing it in the schedule for a routine press conference.

The ongoing conflict in Myanmar has taken a devastating toll on the already impoverished country. A wide range of armed groups are fighting against the military, and the violence has killed more than 100,000 people while forcing millions from their homes.

At an ASEAN summit held in May, the bloc’s foreign ministers agreed to conduct a virtual meeting with Myanmar’s top diplomat, though no specific date was set at that time. The agreement came after Thailand pushed for deeper engagement with the new administration based in Naypyitaw.

The 11-member ASEAN had previously distanced itself from Myanmar’s military rulers after they failed to follow through on the bloc’s peace framework, known as the “five-point consensus.” However, a number of member states have since shifted their positions and moved toward greater engagement.

Myanmar’s former junta leader turned president, Min Aung Hlaing — who orchestrated the 2021 coup — recently made a state visit to Laos, marking his first trip to an ASEAN member country since transitioning into his new civilian role.

Russian officials are hoping to have a commercial logistics hub operational by mid-July at one of two berths within the naval base Russia leases at the Syrian port of Tartous, according to Syrian officials who spoke with Reuters. The remaining berth would continue to serve Russian military purposes.

The facility is expected to handle a broad array of Russian products, including wheat, grains, animal feed, vegetable oils, timber, steel, coal, rice, sugar, and mineral oils. Organizers are targeting initial cargo volumes of roughly 250,000 tons each month.

The effort reflects Russia’s push to hold onto and grow its footprint in Syria through economic means, after the 2024 overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad left Moscow without its closest partner in the Middle East.

The stakes go well beyond commerce. Washington is actively working to ensure Syria steers contracts toward American companies and pulls back on Russia’s military presence in the country.

Russia has supported Syria for decades and sent its military forces in 2015 to back Assad during a 14-year civil war. Assad’s removal cast doubt on the future of Russia’s lease agreement for its naval base at Tartous along the Mediterranean coast, as well as its military base at Hmeimim, located southeast of the city of Latakia.

Since Assad was removed from power, Syria’s new government has been building closer relationships with Western and Gulf nations, while still working with Moscow on energy, food imports, and military matters.

Negotiations between Moscow and Damascus over the future of the Tartous and Hmeimim bases are currently ongoing.

Earlier in 2025, Syria’s new leadership cancelled a 49-year contract that had given Russian firm Stroytransgaz rights to develop commercial facilities at Tartous. The United Arab Emirates’ DP World then secured an $800 million, 30-year agreement to redevelop and operate the port.

Despite that, on June 6, the Russian-Syrian Business Council — a body operating under Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade — announced intentions to set up an “assembly and distribution centre for Russian goods” at Tartous.

The project is being developed by Syrian logistics firm Rus Line in partnership with Russian companies working through the Russian-Syrian Business Council. Organizers say they have reached an agreement with Syria’s Sovereign Fund for joint management of the logistics center, creating a direct connection to the state’s primary investment body.

Ossama Ajaj, general manager of Rus Line and an adviser to the Russian-Syrian Business Council, confirmed the range of goods the hub would handle. Jinan Mubadda, Rus Line’s chief executive, said the hub would operate from Pier No. 4 at Tartous port, in what Ajaj described as a “restricted zone” within the naval base.

Syria’s ports and customs authority did not respond when contacted for comment.

Russia’s government also declined to comment. However, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in June that Moscow and Damascus were discussing a potential “reformatting” of Russia’s military facilities in Syria and that cooperation between the two nations was actively moving forward.

Ajaj told Reuters that operations were expected to kick off in mid-July with a 30,000-ton grain shipment, and that Russia would maintain a “reduced military presence.”

Ajaj and two Syrian foreign ministry officials said the project was laid out during a January 28 meeting in Moscow between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Those officials described the meeting as a turning point in efforts to revive economic ties between the two countries.

The project aims to establish a regular shipping route between Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and Tartous, from which goods would be distributed throughout Syria and into neighboring countries. Ajaj identified Iraq and Jordan as the primary target markets, with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain also in focus.

A concept document from May, prepared by the Russian-Syrian Business Council, said the project would use Syrian private security companies to protect cargo when needed, explicitly ruling out the use of Russian security firms.

The planned hub would add to Russia’s already considerable economic role in Syria. Syrian customs documents show that roughly 85% of Syria’s imported wheat — approximately 2.9 million tons for the 2025-26 season — comes from Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea. Reuters has also reported that Syria’s dependence on Russian crude oil has grown since Assad’s fall, with the country receiving about 16.8 million barrels of Russian oil in 2025 and an estimated 60,000 barrels per day in the early months of 2026.

An intelligence source briefed on a confidential report from Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, submitted to the Russian presidential administration in December 2025, said the report recommended boosting support for economic actors who could strengthen Russia’s leverage in Syria. The report identified Louay Youssef, head of the Russian-Syrian Business Council, as someone Moscow could count on to advance that strategy.

Youssef has held multiple senior roles in Russian-Syrian organizations and served as an adviser on Syrian affairs to a deputy defence minister, according to two of his associates. Youssef, who has announced he is now an adviser to the defence and security committee of Russia’s Federation Council — the country’s upper house of parliament — did not respond to requests for comment.

Nanar Hawach, a senior Syria adviser at International Crisis Group, said the project could help Russia preserve influence regardless of what ultimately happens with its military presence.

“Russia’s hold on Syria rests on what it supplies and maintains, and on its (United Nations) Security Council vote, which gives it influence that outlasts any drawdown of troops,” Hawach said. “A logistics role reinforces that by keeping Russia physically present at the port, strengthening its hand while the future of the base is being decided.”

The United States is keeping a close watch on the situation. Congressman Joe Wilson recently secured an amendment to the Pentagon budget directing it to evaluate options for reducing Russia’s influence in Syria and pushing for the withdrawal of Russian forces from Tartous and Hmeimim.

“We closely monitor Russian-backed commercial and logistics projects in Syria and are concerned that such initiatives may not contribute to stability in the country,” a U.S. State Department official said in response to questions from Reuters.

The official added that the U.S. is urging Syria to work with “trusted corporate partners — especially U.S. firms” as the country rebuilds after years of civil war, and is pressing Damascus to honor U.S. sanctions against Russia.

BANGKOK (AP) — China’s military fired a ballistic missile into the South Pacific Ocean on Monday in a rare demonstration of its nuclear-capable weapons systems, triggering international backlash and raising alarms across the region.

The test came two years after a similar launch in international Pacific waters and was carried out by the People’s Liberation Army. While small island nations in the area took notice — with their leaders increasingly pushing back against larger countries using the Pacific as an arena for power plays — analysts say the real audience for this display was Washington.

“The most important message is the PLA is becoming a powerful military with a very strong strategic nuclear capability,” said Tong Zhao, a senior fellow with the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a think tank.

The missile was fired from a nuclear-powered submarine, showcasing the sea-based component of China’s nuclear triad — a military term for having nuclear weapons deployable from land, sea, and air. Dominic Meagher, a research fellow at the Crawford School of Public Policy in Australia, noted that the test also proved China has what military experts call a second-strike capability, meaning the country could still retaliate even if it were attacked first, since its submarines can launch from anywhere in the ocean.

Beijing characterized the launch as part of routine annual exercises, hinting that similar tests could follow in the future.

“I would see this as a systematic move, not an isolated event,” said K. Tristan Tang, Nonresident Fellow at the National Bureau of Asian Research, in written comments.

The missile test is occurring alongside China’s rapid expansion of its nuclear-powered submarine fleet. Over the past five years, China has been constructing these vessels at a faster pace than the United States, according to a report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think tank.

The choice of international waters — specifically waters shielded by treaty from nuclear testing — drew condemnation from countries throughout the region. The South Pacific is a contested space, valued for its strategic location and its abundant fisheries and mineral resources.

For Pacific island nations, nuclear activity in the region carries deep historical wounds. The United States, the United Kingdom, and France all conducted nuclear weapons detonations in the Pacific in decades past, leaving behind environmental damage and serious health consequences including cancers and birth defects that some island communities say are still being documented generations later.

“Those tests resulted in outrage and resulted in treaties to prevent future tests, and that includes the nuclear test ban treaty and the Treaty of Rarotonga,” Meagher said. “These kinds of missile tests haven’t been conducted since.”

Monday’s missile came down within the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone, a region established under the 1986 Rarotonga accord, which bans nuclear weapons throughout the area. China ratified related protocols in 1987, committing not to test nuclear weapons within the zone or threaten to use them against nations with territory there.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale, speaking to reporters in the Solomon capital Honiara on Tuesday, put it bluntly: “China is a good friend of Solomon Islands, but this is not something a friend does. This is not … good in our region.”

While the United States does carry out nuclear missile tests in the Pacific, it steers clear of the treaty-protected zone, according to Meagher.

Australia and New Zealand both said they received inadequate advance warning before the launch, and Japan criticized the lack of transparency. Both Australia and New Zealand are major powers in the South Pacific and have grown increasingly uneasy about China’s efforts to expand its influence across the region.

China’s bilateral agreements with leaders of smaller Pacific nations have prompted Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to pursue his own diplomatic outreach, including defense and security agreements signed with Vanuatu, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea over the past year.

Speaking to reporters in Honiara on Tuesday, where he was holding talks with local officials, Albanese called the launch “a provocative act by China which does destabilize the region.” Australia and the Solomon Islands are currently working toward a comprehensive treaty of their own. “The fact that this test took place yesterday with very little notice is of real concern,” he added.

China pushed back against the criticism, insisting it gave proper advance notice to affected countries. “China informed the relevant countries in advance, which demonstrates the openness and transparency of the Chinese military,” its Defense Ministry stated on Tuesday.

Experts point to the Hague Code of Conduct as the closest thing to an international standard for ballistic missile use, requiring at least 24 hours of advance notice — though that code is not legally binding. Tang also noted that China is not a member of the Hague Code of Conduct.

Questions remain about the exact details of the launch. The People’s Liberation Army rarely releases information publicly, but Taiwan’s National Security Council secretary-general said Wednesday that the weapon was a JL-2 missile, an older submarine-launched ballistic missile, fired from waters near Guangdong, a province in southern China. Chinese state media, however, featured military experts suggesting it was more likely the newer JL-3, which can travel farther. “The JL-3’s range can strike a target on the east side of the Pacific from the west side,” said Shao Yonglin, a military expert interviewed by state broadcaster CCTV.

As China’s military continues to grow, analysts say it should expect greater international oversight. If “China wants to become a major military power, it should be put under the same standards” as countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, said Zhao, the nuclear policy expert.

MANILA — The Philippines’ defense secretary fired back Thursday against claims made by Chinese scholars who argued that the country’s northernmost island-chain province rightfully belongs to Beijing, calling the assertions both “baseless” and “ludicrous.”

The controversy stems from a June 30 symposium where scholars from institutions including Nanjing University contended that Batanes — a Philippine island province — is a natural extension of Taiwan and should therefore be considered Chinese territory. A Chinese state-run news outlet, GDToday, reported on the symposium on July 2. Beijing has not formally taken that position.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters he sees the scholars’ comments as a warning sign. “I view this, once again, as probably a signal of a preconceived intention,” he said.

“It is not far-fetched to think that this is already part of their plan. And it also validates what we have been saying that they have a plan to control the entire Pacific Ocean,” Teodoro continued.

He did not mince words about the validity of the claim. “What is this for, right? And we know this is baseless. This is nonsense. It is ludicrous,” he said. “So this is concerning, and it is something that must be challenged.” He did not elaborate further on what steps might be taken.

The Chinese embassy in Manila had not responded to a request for comment on Teodoro’s statements at the time of reporting.

Batanes is home to roughly 20,000 people and sits approximately 160 kilometers — about 100 miles — south of Taiwan along the Luzon Strait, a strategically significant waterway connecting the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The province has grown in importance for regional security planning and has been the site of joint military exercises between Philippine and U.S. forces.

The scholars’ remarks arrive at a particularly sensitive time. The Philippines and Japan announced in May that they would begin formal negotiations to establish maritime boundaries for their exclusive economic zones and continental shelves under international law — a development that drew criticism from China.

Teodoro himself has previously been sanctioned by Beijing, along with his close relatives, over what China described as “erroneous remarks” about the country.

The broader backdrop involves China’s sweeping claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, a critical trade route through which more than $3 trillion in goods pass each year. An international arbitration ruling in 2016 found those claims to be invalid, though Beijing has refused to recognize the decision.

Pakistani Navy search and rescue teams faced challenging ocean conditions Thursday as efforts to find the five-member crew of a downed cargo plane entered their second day, officials confirmed. Debris from the aircraft was pulled from the water Wednesday, but no crew members have been found.

The plane, which belonged to private airline K2 Airways, reported a navigation system failure before all radio and radar communication was lost late Tuesday evening, according to the Pakistan Airports Authority.

Since losing contact, ships and aircraft have been scouring an area of the Arabian Sea roughly 300 kilometers — about 180 miles — southwest of Karachi. The plane had been approaching Pakistan’s largest city on a flight originating from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates when it disappeared from radar.

Investigators have not yet determined what caused the crash.

Two officials with knowledge of the search operation told The Associated Press that both the plane’s main fuselage and all five crew members have yet to be found. The officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

Both officials noted that choppy waters were again making the search extremely difficult.

The Pakistan Airports Authority reported Wednesday that Navy vessels and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency discovered and retrieved debris approximately 12 hours after the plane went missing. That wreckage was found about 100 kilometers — roughly 60 miles — off the coast of Ormara, a town along the Makran coastline in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

The authority also shared photos on the social media platform X showing rescue workers pulling pieces of the plane from the water. Officials noted the debris was spread across a large area, with strong winds, heavy seas, and shifting currents scattering the wreckage and making it harder to pinpoint where the crew might be.

Retired Rear Adm. Faisal Shah warned that locating the plane’s main wreckage could take months or even years. He explained that the aircraft is believed to have gone down in water approximately 3,000 meters — nearly 9,800 feet — deep, which would require specialized underwater equipment to search.

Shah also cautioned that recovering floating debris does not pinpoint the actual crash location, since wind, waves, and ocean currents can move wreckage far from where the plane initially went down.

He drew a comparison to the prolonged search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared in 2014 and has never been definitively found despite years of international search efforts.

K2 Airways identified the five missing crew members as Capt. Muhammad Rizwan Idris, First Officer Faisal Jatoi, flight engineers Muhammad Hamid and Muhammad Arif Siddiqui, and aircraft loader Muhammad Taufiq Khan. Their families have continued to hold out hope as rescue teams press on with the search in the Arabian Sea.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered authorities to deploy every available resource in the search operation and extended his condolences to the families of the missing crew members.

Radar data reviewed by the Pakistan Airports Authority showed the aircraft made a sudden change in direction and dropped rapidly in altitude before contact was lost at approximately 9:21 p.m. Tuesday, at a point about 287 kilometers — or 178 miles — west of Karachi.

Pakistan has a history of deadly aviation accidents spanning several decades. In May 2020, a Pakistan International Airlines flight carrying 99 people went down in a heavily populated area near the Karachi airport while attempting to land. Only two of the 99 people on board survived. A subsequent government investigation determined that errors made by both the flight crew and air traffic controllers were responsible for the disaster.

SINGAPORE — Leaders in Asian policy, investment and business are increasingly stepping forward as active navigators of a more divided world, focused on building long-term strength rather than simply choosing sides between the United States and China.

That theme came through clearly at the Reuters NEXT Asia conference in Singapore, where representatives from governments, sovereign wealth funds and private equity firms made the case that geopolitical friction is no longer a passing disruption — it is now a permanent part of the global environment that requires lasting strategies, not quick fixes.

For Thailand, that translates into a more hands-on approach to foreign policy and investment — working pragmatically with a range of partners based on national interest rather than locking in with any single world power.

“We seek to be the trusted connector in this fragmented world,” said Thai Vice Finance Minister Santitarn Sathirathai.

He explained that Thailand’s goals go beyond simply attracting investment dollars. The country evaluates projects not based on where they come from, but on whether they bring technology transfers, quality jobs and stronger supply chains at home.

“There’ll be certain areas where it makes more sense to partner with certain groups,” he said.

A similar mindset has taken hold among long-term investors. Hong Kong Investment Corporation Chief Executive Clara Chan said that in her view, geopolitical uncertainty actually creates openings for patient, long-term capital rather than simply acting as a roadblock.

“When you see uncertainties, challenges around the world … for long-term investors, patient capital like us, those could present pretty good opportunity,” she said.

Chan noted that the HKIC, founded four years ago, has now invested in more than 200 companies and continues to grow by using Hong Kong’s dual role as a gateway to mainland China and a global financial hub. She added that what investors truly care about most is policy clarity, long-term vision and a fair playing field — not geopolitical headlines.

The chief investment officer of Singapore state investor Temasek warned that investors need to accept they are working in “a world of uncertainty” driven by geopolitics, artificial intelligence, climate change and inflation. He cautioned that those who react to every new shock will “get whipsawed.”

Rohit Sipahimalani said the better approach is to build resilient portfolios around companies with large domestic markets, self-sufficient supply chains and strong technology capabilities that can hold up under geopolitical pressure.

“You can’t hedge all the uncertainty … you can’t afford to respond to every event that’s taking place,” he said.

Private equity investors largely agreed, arguing that U.S.-China tensions and broader global friction have become part of the new normal — and have actually made Asia more attractive, not less.

“Asia is going to have two-thirds of the middle class by 2030 and 60% of … the global growth is coming from Asia. So people are diversifying into the region,” said Stephanie Hui, Goldman Sachs’ head of Asia private equity.

Primavera Capital founder Fred Hu pointed out that Asia accounts for half of global GDP, roughly 40% of global trade and foreign direct investment, and remains the world’s essential manufacturing base — making the region “literally a sanctuary” in uncertain times.

“There’s been a war in the Americas, there’s been war in Europe, there’s been war in Middle East. Asia… we are very stable,” he said.

Bain Capital’s Satoshi Ueyama highlighted Asia’s diversity as one of its greatest assets, pointing to corporate reform efforts in Japan, demographic and infrastructure-driven expansion in India, ongoing innovation in China and Southeast Asia’s growing role in supply-chain restructuring.

“It continues to provide great opportunities,” he said.